Darkness Shot Reappears
"You damned brat!"
Park Guk-chang's face grew increasingly grim.
Muneyoshi's challenge was more difficult than he had imagined. In just a few short exchanges, he had completely lost the composure and confidence he had when he first appeared on the court.
"It's already 2-0, aren't you going to unleash your hidden power?"
"Or is it that my feelings and expectations are wrong, and I've misjudged your abilities?"
Standing on the service line, Muneyoshi took out a pale yellow tennis ball, casually tapped it twice, and his slightly teasing tone accurately reached Park Guk-chang's ears.
Although he doesn't speak South Korea, he does speak American language, which the other person can understand.
Upon hearing Saeki Muneyoshi's words, Park Guk-chang's face turned ashen, but he did not refute them.
His trembling posture as he crouched on the baseline to receive serves, and the squeaking racket he gripped, testified to the turmoil within him.
After two games, the most direct impression that Saeki Muneyoshi gave Park Guk-chang was that he was powerful, difficult to deal with, and well-rounded.
He, who has always prided himself on being the most well-rounded player in South Korea, never expected to encounter an even more well-rounded opponent in today's points-based tournament against Japan.
Although Muneyoshi was slightly slower than him, he almost surpassed him in strength and technique, even though he had just entered the world stage.
Even in the area of Technique Form.
Muneyoshi has not yet truly begun to demonstrate his abilities, but in the aspects he has already shown, Saeki Muneyoshi has extended beyond the technical aspects of playing ball to the level of influencing his mental and even physical senses.
"He's truly a formidable rival."
Park Guk-chang took a deep breath, lowered his center of gravity, and crouched down in his backfield.
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes as he looked at Muneyoshi, thinking to himself, "I've figured out how your serve affects your mental state. Don't even think about scoring from my serve again."
Losing the first service game wasn't entirely without its gains.
For someone of his caliber, that dark spiritual world also provided him with valuable intelligence.
Across from the stadium.
Muneyoshi, standing at the service line, also turned his gaze, looking at Park Guk-chang with some surprise.
He had originally thought that his sarcasm and attacks, given the other party's personality, should have completely enraged him.
Unexpectedly, Park Guk-chang held back again.
"You could say he truly lives up to his title as captain. Compared to others, his mentality, spirit, and willpower far surpass them, and he's also much more composed."
"And judging from this, it seems the opponent has a countermeasure for their previous serve?"
Thinking of this, Muneyoshi smiled slightly, "I have more than one type of serve, so..."
Swish!
Muneyoshi tossed the ball up with a slight twist, his body quickly tensing from a relaxed and stretched state.
The tennis ball wasn't thrown very high. Just after it flew over his head, he took a half step back with his right foot and quickly raised his right arm, twisting it inwards towards his body.
Bang!
Like drawing a sword in a slash, Muneyoshi unleashed astonishing power with a flick of his wrist, sending the racket flying in an afterimage that was barely visible to the naked eye.
Only a crisp, resonant sound of the ball being struck rang out, the tennis ball gleaming faintly before disappearing from everyone's sight.
"Is this for real? The tennis ball has disappeared!!"
The second-tier high school students watching from the sidelines expressed their incomprehension.
The South Korea team members were in no better shape; their mouths were slightly agape, their faces filled with disbelief.
"This guy's serve is different from before. Does he have many more serves like this? Does he only practice serving?"
"Is this speed similar to the speed of those faster-than-light particle serves from Europe?"
Lee Sang-hyuk, South Korea's second-in-command, had also woken up. He swallowed hard and asked uncertainly.
On the court, Park Guk-chang looked at the ball mark so close to his feet. His original plan to break his opponent's serve was once again thwarted, but this time he did not panic.
Although he had been focused on resisting the impending dark spiritual world, he was caught off guard by Saeki Muneyoshi's sudden change of tactics.
Even in that instant, he still saw Muneyoshi's backswing and the hitting motion.
Although his line of sight was not fully captured because he chose the wrong direction for defense.
But it's not that he couldn't catch it.
"You're almost at the Speed Extreme? Are you planning to develop all three paths simultaneously?"
Park Guk-chang raised his eyes and looked at Muneyoshi: "Not very old, but quite ambitious!"
"Um?"
Muneyoshi stopped his motion as if tossing the ball, weighed the tennis ball in his left hand, and said, "If you have no ambition, are you going to sit back and confine yourself to your old ways like all of you?"
He smiled slightly, then changed the subject. "If you want to teach me a lesson, try receiving my serve first."
As they were talking.
Bang!
The faint glow of light flickered once again on the court.
"Hmph! Return your serve? You haven't even reached the Speed Extreme, yet you think you can use speed to deal with me?"
Park Guk-chang unleashed his full speed, disappearing from the baseline. When he reappeared, he pulled his right shoulder back, leaned forward, and then swung his racket.
Bang!
The tennis ball bounced up as soon as it hit the ground, and was caught by the racket.
With a sudden burst of power from his abdomen and the added momentum of his forward lean, Park Guk-chang's swing became even more powerful and fast.
"Don't be so arrogant, go back now!"
"Good timing!"
Muneyoshi's eyes were bright. He was both surprised and unsurprised that Park Guk-chang was able to receive the serve. After all, the opponent was the team's captain, and it was expected that he would have such strength and adaptability.
The stronger he is, the more his power can be awakened, allowing him to unleash it to his fullest potential.
Facing the tennis ball bouncing towards him, Muneyoshi clearly saw its intense spin and astonishing penetrating power.
Realizing this, Muneyoshi lightly lifted his foot to the left, using the powerful explosive force transmitted by his foot to quickly leap out and arrive at the landing point of the tennis ball.
As the tennis ball bounced up, Muneyoshi gripped the racket with his right hand and slashed it down quickly from the highest point.
Glowing Flame --Fireworks!
The ultra-high-speed slice makes the tennis ball unpredictable, dropping straight down the net the instant it passes over it, and then bursting apart in an instant.
At the same time, as Muneyoshi stepped down, a faint black area appeared on the court.
A powerful surge of mental energy was unleashed.
Park Guk-chang was instantly plunged into a pure black space. The black light that had been spreading randomly now seemed to have turned into black steel needles, piercing towards his head.
"This is! The Path of Darkness, the Form of Technique, and the Materialization of Spiritual Power!"
Park Guk-chang, being the No. 1 player on the South Korea team, immediately saw through the essence of Muneyoshi's series of combined moves.
He barely managed to block Muneyoshi's mental attack with his mental power, but eight streams of light formed from the Fluorescent Flame - Firework instantly flew out from his feet.
"Saeki Muneyoshi scores, 30-0."
"Falling Bright!"
Bang!
A muffled thud.
A dark, eerie light emanated from Muneyoshi's racket; it was a basic Muneyoshi, beginner-level technique he used to execute Darkness Shot.
This seemingly ordinary ball, after flying over the middle net, created eight streaks of light in Park Guk-chang's half of the court.
A deep, dark glint flashed in Saeki Muneyoshi's eyes, hidden in the shadows.
The light spread like ink, casting countless shadows that enveloped the tennis ball.
"Darkness Shot? Such a weak Darkness Shot doesn't even reach the first stage."
"It's just for show, all show and no substance!"
Park Guk-chang- chang took a step and easily caught up with the eight shadows, instantly knocking them back.
Tap tap tap!
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the opposite side of the court, and Muneyoshi appeared at the net.
His palm extended, and spiritual power and dark energy converged, condensing into a purplish-black light in his palm.
Under his control, the eight shadows that Park Guk-chang had knocked back eventually became one again.
Muneyoshi's two feet simultaneously sank downwards, and his center of gravity began to rise and fall.
His perfectly sculpted physique began to unleash its power. Muneyoshi pushed off with the toes of his right foot and lifted his left foot in a step.
With the lift of this force, his whole body leaped up, holding the racket in both hands, the racket slightly raised backward, and his elbows sinking a few centimeters at the same time.
With his body slightly tilted and all his weight on his wrist, he swung the tennis ball hard while it was still in the air.
"Jack Knife!"
A purplish-black shockwave enveloped the tennis ball, sending it hurtling towards the opposite half of the court.
Seeing this move, which was the same as the one used by Oni Jūjirō before, Park Guk-chang on the opposite side of the court suddenly felt a chilling sense of danger.
He assumed it had the same power as the Oni Jūjirō had just displayed, so he didn't intend to take it head-on and simply dodged it.
"Game! Japan Team's Saeki Muneyoshi scores, score 3-0."
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One, two, three, four, five, six, time to go to work again.