Live Through the Darkest Night

"Muneyoshi! I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. I'm going to show you what I'm capable of!"

This real, all-encompassing sense of fear greatly excited Saeki Kojiro, as a true match against Muneyoshi had always been his dream.

He tossed the tennis ball into his hand and quickly swung his Kojiro.

Although they grew up together since they were little, in Kojiro's heart, his cousin, who was only a few days older than him, was always the goal he was trying to catch up with.

Muneyoshi's maturity was evident from a very young age. He also learned to play tennis earlier than Muneyoshi, so his foundation was very good, at least much better than in the original work.

It was also thanks to Muneyoshi's help that Kojiro became more competitive than he was in the original work, where he was good-looking but otherwise useless.

In particular, he has always wanted to catch up with Muneyoshi's goal.

Facing Muneyoshi was also one of the rare moments when Kojiro showed his competitive side.

Bang!

Another fast net shot, the ball speed increasing with Kojiro's full-force burst.

"Tch! Kojiro, is this all you've got? Nothing special!"

He knew perfectly well what Kojiro was so happy about, but even with a full-force attack, it was nothing to Muneyoshi.

Bang!

Muneyoshi's arm muscles instantly tensed, and the racket he swung out with his arm produced an astonishing whistling sound that pierced the sky.

The black veil darkened the sky, and the dull thud of the ball hitting the shuttlecock caused many spectators facing Muneyoshi to instinctively take a half-step back.

Many of them had witnessed Muneyoshi's devastating attacks and were afraid that a mishandling of such an attack would result in a direct hit on them.

"What a powerful shot!"

Amene Hikaru was shocked. Although they all knew Muneyoshi's strength, this was the first time they had seen Muneyoshi display his true strength up close.

Even with their understanding, they still found it hard to imagine that someone could launch such a counterattack.

As the ball flew through the middle of the net, it seemed to expand and grow larger in Kojiro's eyes.

What followed was an overwhelming and powerful momentum, like a tidal wave.

"So... so strong!"

"Is this what Muneyoshi looks like when he starts to unleash his full power?!"

Kojiro was neither intimidated by Muneyoshi's powerful aura nor affected by the various thoughts that kept surging in his mind.

He had become accustomed to such distractions as early as last year, and now, under these distractions and stimulations, he has become even more energetic.

With muscles bulging on his bare arms exposed outside his vest, Kojiro took two steps to catch up, quickly swinging his racket as the tennis ball suddenly slammed down on him.

"It's so heavy!"

Kojiro gritted his teeth, his muscles almost contorted. The ball was much heavier than he had imagined, so he had no choice but to use his hands.

To counter Muneyoshi's powerful Kojiro's Half Volley technique became unrecognizable; how could it be considered Half Volley if it couldn't be returned faster and more forcefully than the incoming ball?

"Dark!"

Before the barely returned tennis ball could even fly over the net, Muneyoshi's figure appeared like a ghost in front of Kojiro.

A dark, eerie light suddenly obscured Kojiro's vision, and a powerful smash from the center line sent the tennis ball, which Kojiro had just returned, crashing back into Kojiro court.

Thump!

As the ball slid down, the violent airflow caused Kojiro to squint slightly.

At this point, one advantage that Kojiro possessed over others began to slowly emerge.

He has sparred with Saeki Muneyoshi far more times than any other junior high school student today.

This number of times is unimaginable even to the Regular of Fudomine.

Although Saeki Muneyoshi's tennis skills and power have improved.

However, Kojiro could almost predict his hitting habits and the landing point of the ball without even looking, relying solely on his body memory.

Although Muneyoshi's attack was strong, it did not frighten Kojiro. He moved steadily behind the ball and swept his wooden racket horizontally with both hands.

Even though darkness had just obscured all vision, he no longer needed to use his eyes to judge the landing point of the tennis ball.

Bang!

The long-handled wooden paddle specially made by his Old Man absorbed some of the impact force, which made it slightly easier for Kojiro to face Muneyoshi's counterattack.

However, this is only relative.

Muneyoshi's return was unchanged; he used all his strength to barely return the ball once again.

"I caught it, Muneyoshi!!!"

With a roar, Kojiro twisted his arms until they turned red, and finally pushed the racket out of his hands with all his might.

Bang!

As the pale yellow beam of light swept back into the air above the net, Muneyoshi's figure suddenly appeared in front of the net, meeting Kojiro's gaze.

"What? So fast!"

Kojiro was startled and immediately tried to retreat.

His keen Insight allowed him to instantly deduce from Muneyoshi's movements that this would be a very powerful smash.

"You're too naive, Kojiro. You know me, how could I not know? And I know you too."

Muneyoshi chuckled, and just as he was about to complete his smashing motion, he quickly flipped his wrist downwards.

"It's a short ball!"

Kojiro on the opposite side of the court, exclaimed in surprise.

"Game, Saeki Muneyoshi, 4:0."

Upon hearing the referee's decision, Kojiro stopped abruptly, turning his head to stare blankly at the mustard-yellow ball hovering on the ground in front of the net.

Bang!

As the tennis ball landed at his feet, Kojiro took a half-step back, raising his racket high in the air.

However, contrary to Kojiro's expectations, the angle of this shot was very low, completely thwarting his plan to return the ball to the net.

"Have you guessed what I'll do next after my retaliation?"

Kojiro had no choice but to change his hitting motion, flipping his wrist to switch from a slice to a high loft!

The tennis ball rolled on Kojiro's racket and flew high towards Saeki Muneyoshi's half of the court.

As the tennis ball flew over the net, Muneyoshi's figure appeared unsurprisingly behind its path, and his racket crashed down!

The tennis ball traced a sharp arc through the air and landed firmly on Kojiro's baseline, a decisive blow!

"Saeki Muneyoshi scores, 40:0."

"As expected, Muneyoshi is really strong when he gets serious... This suffocating pressure is truly..."

Although it was only a short ten minutes, Kojiro had already sensed Muneyoshi's unfathomable strength, and he knew that this was not Muneyoshi's limit.

But he won't give up. Even if he loses, he wants to play a match he won't regret, which has always been his wish.

"Bring it on, Muneyoshi!"

Kojiro's excitement remained undiminished as the tennis ball he tossed steadily rose into the air.

Bang!

Kojiro wasn't exactly thin, and at this moment, he once again mobilized all the muscles in his body to exert force, his racket striking the tossed tennis ball rapidly.

"Kojiro, I know what's wrong with your tennis. If a person's spirit is only about happiness, then..."

Tread!

Muneyoshi suddenly moved, leaving an afterimage behind the tennis ball.

"Give me a long, dark night!"

Bang!

A violent shockwave surged everywhere, and a white dust wave clearly appeared in the air, which was the smoke and dust that Muneyoshi had dispersed.

Bang!

The ball shot out in a straight line, and although the extremely powerful flat smash didn't have many fancy techniques, it was still very pleasing to the eye in Muneyoshi's hands.

A streak of light pierced the sky and crashed heavily to the ground. Before Kojiro could react, the light bounced up from the ground and struck the racket in his hand.

Snap!

In the blink of an eye, the racket in Kojiro's hand was knocked away by the powerful penetrating force and fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

"Game, Saeki Muneyoshi, 5:0."

Bang!

Bang!

Although Kojiro is his cousin, Munehiko, having decided to give him a different Muneyoshi, will not show any mercy.

In the final round, his momentum surged forth, a dense, eerie light spread, and his arm slammed down, striking out a purplish-black curve.

Although Kojiro still managed to catch up with the ball thanks to his understanding of Muneyoshi's habits.

However, the power of Muneyoshi's shot and the countless negative and dark mental attacks it contained were beyond his ability to withstand. This time, even his Old Man's specially made long-handled wooden racket could not help him.

With a creak, in the final contact, a flash of black light appeared, and the tennis ball broke Kojiro's racket, the surging negative and dark light completely engulfing him.

"Match ended with Saeki Muneyoshi from Fudomine Junior High winning 6-0."

"Thus, in the second round of this National Tournament Fudomine Junior High, representing Tokyo Metropolis, defeated Rokkaku Middle School Fudomine Junior High Chiba Prefecture, with a score of 3-0, successfully advancing to the third round."

A loud broadcast announced the end of Rokkaku Middle School's journey in this year's National Tournament, a victory for the dominant force from Chiba Prefecture.

Watching Kojiro being helped down by Rokkaku and the others, the darkness in Muneyoshi's pupils disappeared, and his eyes gradually became clear.

"Kojiro, savor the long, dark night. This is the last thing I can do..."

P. S.: Thank you everyone for your support! I saw so many readers gave me monthly tickets this morning, thank you so much!