A Clash of Strength
"Hmph! Even if you possess great strength, your actions make you nothing more than a clown."
With his extensive combat experience, Muneyoshi immediately saw through his opponent's intentions and let out a cold snort.
It would be a grave mistake to think that such an attack would force him to retreat.
A cold glint appeared at the corner of his mouth, and Muneyoshi's agile figure darted out like a cheetah.
Without dodging or avoiding, he charged straight at the tennis ball, his wrist pointing inward, his left hand slicing across the racket.
In a short while, the purplish-black light enveloped the racket, making its tip even sharper.
At this moment, Muneyoshi held the racket as if he were holding a purplish-black katana.
The air itself seemed to sharpen as Muneyoshi swung his slap directly at the approaching phantom of the white tiger.
It's like a drop of water falling into a flat plain, or snow meeting the blazing sun.
The pale, eerie tiger shadow that Park Guk-chang unleashed only lasted a moment in its collision with the purplish-black light.
The white tiger's phantom was instantly shattered, but this was not the end. A deadly crisis, like a stone falling into a deep pool, spread rapidly like ripples.
At this moment, Muneyoshi, holding a katana, stood amidst a shower of countless flower petals and delivered a powerful slash to the tennis ball.
"Shadow Sever - Cherry Blossom Fall!"
With a loud shout from Muneyoshi, a black beam of light shot out from the swirling dust, light rain, and flower petals, as if drawing the curtain of night across a clear sky.
Park Guk-chang's vision went completely black.
"Danger!"
Park Guk-chang reacted very quickly, the moment that malicious black slash tore through the court.
A flicker of fear crossed his eyes; he, too, had no way to avoid this ball!
"Ha!"
A fierce roar.
Park Guk-chang wanted to make one last effort, and a powerful force surged from his arm, releasing all the strength and energy in his body.
He raised his rackets with both hands, holding them in front of him.
Whoosh!!
A streak of black light flashed past.
However, the slap lasted for less than a second before a perfectly clean gash appeared.
The next instant, it felt as if a stone had struck his abdomen, and his body, which had been standing firmly on its feet, was sent flying.
Thump!
In an instant, Park Guk-chang's face turned deathly pale.
"Ah! Ah!"
A distorted roar followed, and a sharp pain in his lower abdomen instantly shot through his brain.
Snap...
His racket fell straight from his hand, and he clutched his abdomen with both hands, collapsing to his knees in agony.
For a moment, the entire venue fell silent, with only Park Guk-chang's low, shrill screams escaping from above.
The South Korea team members didn't dare make a sound, fearing they would become the target of their captain's venting at any moment.
"What? This is South Korea's top world-class player? He's already done for after just one hit?"
Just as they were filled with fear, Saeki Muneyoshi's voice rang out leisurely, his tone full of disdain, and his eyes were full of coldness and ruthlessness.
Combined with the Darkness power currently surrounding Muneyoshi's body, those streaks of black light resembled sinister venomous snakes.
Upon witnessing this scene, none of the South Korea team members dared to meet his gaze, as if a single look from him would send chills down their spines.
"If this is all the skill you've got, then it seems my expectations of you were too high. Your South Korea team should disband after you go back, so you don't embarrass yourselves anymore!"
"Hehehe..."
Park Guk-chang struggled to his feet, his voice sharpened by the combined mental and physical torment, like the howl of a wounded owl.
His eyes were filled with madness and ruthlessness as he looked at Muneyoshi.
"You forced me to do this!"
Muneyoshi's attacks and words made him lose face in front of everyone, which was the greatest insult to him.
Like Lee Sang-hyuk before him, Park Guk-chang's mental state also began to fluctuate abnormally at this time.
Moreover, the cold, pale aura surrounding him now showed streaks of blood.
"Oh? Are you angry?"
Muneyoshi didn't take it seriously, his gaze sweeping over Park Guk-chang, who had already stood up, and he uttered another harsh word. "Getting angry over this? That's a bit too early!"
After saying that, Muneyoshi walked back to the receiving area and waited for the opponent to serve again.
Call!
He exhaled softly, as if any larger movement would cause abdominal pain. Under this stimulation, Park Guk-chang tossed the tennis ball up again.
Bang!
Because of the stimulation of pain, Park Guk-chang's concentration improved significantly, and driven by his body, a huge roar pierced the stadium.
Blood-red stripes appeared on the terrifying white tiger phantom, which attacked Muneyoshi's body once again.
The powerful gust of wind cut Muneyoshi's skin painfully, as if it could slice through his skin at any moment.
"The combination of power, speed, and Aura Path is indeed impressive, but I've already encountered several opponents like you!"
Tap tap!
Muneyoshi stepped forward with his left foot, his brown eyes gleaming with a sharp light. Because of his familiarity with tennis, he saw through everything at a glance.
However, the sheer force of the wind, capable of cutting through anything, still caused him to furrow his brow slightly.
However, since the other side wants a direct confrontation, he won't refuse.
Facing the strong wind head-on, Muneyoshi lightly raised his racket with his right hand and pulled it half a racket length to the side behind him.
"Glowing Flame!"
With a whoosh, a streak of purplish-black fire flashed past.
The racket blurred into a streak, steadily intercepting the tennis ball that bounced off the ground.
Bang!
All illusions vanished; the powerful impact and spin of the tennis ball could not shake Muneyoshi's arm in the slightest.
Moreover, as the Glowing Flame spread, everything was extinguished.
Muneyoshi pressed his right hand forward, and the purplish-black beam of light was forced towards Park Guk-chang's left side.
Ignoring the pain in his abdomen, Park Guk-chang used all his strength to chase after the purplish-black beam of light in front of him.
His speed was pushed to the limit, and at the Speed Extreme, he caught up with the tennis ball just as it was about to fly out of bounds.
Using the momentum of running, the racket was swung from below to the upper right with the arm, and the tennis ball flew like a long snake, curving back to Muneyoshi's half of the court.
"Great! That was a beautiful curveball!"
Despite being opponents, Tanegashima still expressed his appreciation for Park Guk-chang's curveball.
Even in that urgent situation, the opponent's ball control and even the trajectory of the ball were perfect.
"It's not bad, but it's useless against Saeki -kun."
Irie adjusted his glasses and said.
As the two said, Park Guk-chang's technique is quite good, and his reactions under extreme conditions are also exquisite.
But.
"Since it's a snake-ball style of play, let's try my 'Winding Serpent'!"
Muneyoshi moved with light, quick steps, gliding towards the landing point of the tennis ball.
Using the momentum of running, Saeki Muneyoshi's racket moved in a strikingly similar manner to Park Guk-chang's earlier action, also lifting upwards from below.
Bang!
The tennis ball traced a huge arc through the air.
"Beautiful curveball!"
Oni Jūjirō's eyes lit up.
"Muneyoshi's personality of directly retaliating with the opponent's techniques hasn't changed at all."
They all knew Muneyoshi's personality very well. This kind of behavior—slapping someone in the face and teaching them how to play tennis using their own techniques—was quite despicable, even in the dark Underground Tennis World.
Park Guk-chang, sitting opposite him, also noticed this, and his anger was steadily building.
He ran quickly towards where the tennis ball had landed, hoping to catch up with the shot.
However, the streak-like trajectory spiraled through the air, heading straight for the large gap exposed by Park Guk-chang while chasing the ball.
Bang!
"Game! Japan Team's Saeki Muneyoshi scores, score 2-0."
P. S.: "I slept all weekend; working fifteen consecutive days is exhausting..."