You're Still a Long Way Off

The racket slashed horizontally in mid-air, the extreme light of the blade blocking Muneyoshi's attack and turning into a white light that filled everyone's eyes.

However, Muneyoshi, as his opponent, had no time to be shocked at this moment.

After seeing Echizen Ryoga manifest a samurai phantom and unleash the All Things Are Impermanent, Muneyoshi knew that his techniques posed no threat to him.

This was the first time Saeki Muneyoshi had faced Echizen Nanjirō's ultimate move, and the terrifying feeling of it pinned him firmly to the spot.

Muneyoshi instinctively tried to move but couldn't budge an inch; this disparity instantly ignited a rebellious spirit within him.

"This is All Things Are Impermanent?!"

"Even though this is a move by Echizen Nanjirō, if I can't even defend against a single attack from Echizen Ryoga that isn't using his full strength, then what kind of tennis player am I?!"

Muneyoshi hardened his heart. The Silver White Soul stood behind him, and Darkness Light swirled around him. With a flash of his footwork, he once again intercepted the tennis ball's path.

"Cherry blossoms fall!"

As Muneyoshi's cold shout fell...

The dim light that had been trampled underfoot by the Silver White Soul began to arrange itself in front of Muneyoshi.

Streaks of dark light, tinged with purple flames, intersected and coalesced into a gigantic net.

Tap~~

Muneyoshi stomped down.

A purplish-black radiance spread once more, with each breath.

Hiss hiss hiss...

Suddenly, a mustard-yellow tennis ball appeared in the net, twisting wildly and tearing at the strings.

The tennis ball spun wildly and erratically, its sharp energy cutting through the net strings and causing his wrist to tremble uncontrollably.

The intense collision between the racket and the tennis ball created a gust of wind that whipped up a cloud of dust right at Muneyoshi's feet.

Amidst the smoke and dust, two distinctly different lights stood out.

At this moment, the black katana in the hand of the Silver White Soul behind Muneyoshi had already materialized, and the blade was flashing with purple light from time to time.

The white light and the black lines were locked in a stalemate in the air, and the light was gradually blown away.

The stadium now resembled the season of falling cherry blossoms, the dissipating white light transforming into petals that were either jet black, purplish-black, or white...

As the white light gradually faded, the tennis ball also gradually dimmed.

Muneyoshi, wielding a katana, stood amidst a shower of petals and light, his illusory figure behind him, and delivered a slash to Echizen Ryoga.

Boom!

With a black slash that seemed capable of destroying everything, it flew towards Echizen Ryoga.

"Good timing!"

The joy in Echizen Ryoga's heart was beyond words, and his gaze toward Saeki Muneyoshi grew increasingly amazed.

Despite the terrifying power of the tennis ball, Echizen Ryoga did not flinch. He gripped his racket tightly, and the samurai phantom behind him became even more solid.

He sprinted towards the direction the tennis ball was coming from.

"Drink..."

A triumphant, high-pitched sound rang out Echizen Ryoga's racket, radiating a deep purple light, touched the tennis ball once more.

Although Muneyoshi's attack was still powerful, under the suppression of the All Things Are Impermanent and the control of the Samurai Phantom, Echizen Ryoga's racket trembled slightly.

All the changes that Muneyoshi had attached to tennis were completely eliminated.

A flash of white light, All Things Are Impermanent!

"Ha, now that I've already taken it once, I'm not afraid to take it a second time!"

Saeki Muneyoshi's eyes flickered; Echizen Ryoga's All Things Are Impermanent were definitely no match for Echizen Nanjirō's.

Moreover, his current strength has not reached the level of continuously devouring several masters in the original World Tournament.

Especially since he hadn't yet devoured Reinhardt.

Echizen Ryoga, whose situation was not without solutions, actually gave Muneyoshi a glimpse of another possibility.

"Although your tennis is dangerous, I haven't experienced this kind of danger in a long time, and I need to give it a try!"

Saeki Muneyoshi's pupils were as black as obsidian, his pure gaze fixed intently on the humanoid phantom opposite him.

The silvery-white phantom behind him, under the influence of his spirit, became increasingly clear in its outline.

A flash of white light, and the tennis ball plummeted to the ground; Ryoga's return shot had landed.

Muneyoshi's body twitched slightly, and as if fading away, the figure at the bottom line gradually disappeared. With the blessing of the Silver White Soul, Muneyoshi's body became even more graceful.

In the darkness of the light, countless ghosts whispered in Muneyoshi's ear, and one after another, they lunged at the tennis ball, trying to tear open the flaw in the white light and help Muneyoshi resolve all the crises.

Muneyoshi raised his arm, Ghosts and Goblins spirits, as if given a command, began to tear at the tennis ball enveloped in white light, consuming the attack like ants swarming.

Swish!

Seizing the opportunity, Muneyoshi sidestepped, his racket leaving a black and red afterimage in the air.

"Glowing Flame!"

A surge of air rippled, and a purplish-black Glowing Flame blazed brightly.

The tennis ball, imbued with the powerful aura of Asura Path and the All Things Are Impermanent, landed in his net.

Muneyoshi seemed rooted to the ground; his arm muscles were bulging, and he could block even the strongest force.

The moment it touched the tennis ball, the purplish-black flames swirling around the strings quickly extinguished the hidden deep purple aura.

Thump!

"Saeki Muneyoshi scores, 15-0."

To Echizen Ryoga's astonishment, the tennis ball slowly rolled to his feet.

Seeing this, Ryoga calmly put down her racket and stood up, looking at the tennis ball on the court in front of her, a hint of nostalgia in the depths of her eyes.

How long has it been?

How long has it been since anyone has been able to break through his move so easily?

Although he knew clearly that he hadn't used his full strength, Saeki Muneyoshi's tennis philosophy and his extreme development of the dark side in the previous match were still impressive.

These were all things he longed for.

"Hoo... Hah."

Echizen Ryoga took a deep breath, released his restraints, and a powerful force spread throughout his body.

"Saeki Muneyoshi, you're worthy of making me show my true strength!"

As for the result, it doesn't matter!

"It seems Muneyoshi has regained the initiative."

On the sidelines, Tokugawa Kazuya's anxiety gradually subsided.

They were quite surprised to see that Saeki Muneyoshi was at a disadvantage.

"Initiative? Hmph! That guy probably hasn't even used his full strength yet!"

Oni Jūjirō crossed his arms and snorted coldly upon hearing this, his tone icy, something none of the Japan Team had expected.

Besides Reinhardt, America has surprisingly produced another Stage Two powerhouse, and he's a middle school student at that.

"What!"

Oni Jūjirō's words startled Tokugawa and the surrounding junior high and high school students.

The match on the field has become so terrifying, and this isn't even the opponent's full strength?

"Heh heh heh, is this your true strength? You must be joking!"

Akutsu gripped the railing tightly with his right hand, the veins on his arm bulging. He had thought he was close to Saeki Muneyoshi.

I never expected to witness his true strength now, especially since I couldn't gain any advantage against someone my own age.

This was completely unacceptable to Akutsu.

"So this is Muneyoshi's strength!"

"Is this the world? Even someone as strong as Muneyoshi is struggling..."

"I couldn't even beat you, how could you lose to someone else!"

"Muneyoshi..."

This match was just as impactful for the junior high school students as seeing the gap between themselves and Oni Jūjirō when they first entered the training camp.

Even larger.

After all, the player on the field right now is none other than Saeki Muneyoshi, the invincible champion of the national junior high school...

Everyone stared intently at the scene, a peculiar emotion stirring within them.

Are junior high school students these days working this hard?

Not far away, Tanegashima, who was with Irie Kanata, glanced back at the flames in the eyes of the middle school students, and then looked at the figures of the two middle school students who were still fighting on the field.

This is a spontaneous expression of my feelings.

However, his expression was no longer as relaxed as usual, and neither was Irie Kanata beside him.

Their expressions weren't exactly grim, but they were very solemn.

The two exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's meaning.

"If we don't work harder, we'll really be completely surpassed by these middle school students!"

"My lack of resources is still not enough; I need to develop more strategies!"

The two players on the court have entered a completely Different Dimension of combat.

However, to those who have truly entered this field, the sense of danger emanating from Echizen Ryoga must have reached a new level.

As for Saeki Muneyoshi, he always seemed somewhat powerless in critical moments, indicating that he was indeed a little lacking.

Bang!

"Game, first set ends, with America Team Echizen Ryoga winning, score 6-4."

After a fierce ten-round battle, Echizen Ryoga ultimately prevailed and won the first round.

At this moment, Echizen Ryoga was overjoyed, not only because of his victory, but also because he felt that he was about to achieve his goal of absorbing Saeki Muneyoshi's dark power.

The fact that Saeki Muneyoshi could hold his own against him for so long using only his stealth abilities was something that made him extremely envious.

Moreover, Muneyoshi seemed to be running out of energy because he had played so hard in the first game.

After a short break, the second set began.

Bang!

"Game, Echizen Ryoga scores, score 1-0."

Bang!

"Game, Echizen Ryoga scores, score 2-0."

Seeing Saeki Muneyoshi completely on the defensive due to exhaustion, many people felt that the game was lost.

However, Echizen Ryoga did not hold back.

Bang!

The power of the tennis ball return began to weaken. Echizen Ryoga noticed this and a smile appeared on his lips. He did not rashly increase the force, and the tennis ball was once again enveloped in a deep purple light.

The tennis ball floated lightly back to Muneyoshi's half of the court.

On the court, Echizen Ryoga stared intently at the flying tennis ball, yearning for Saeki Muneyoshi to return the shot.

The tennis ball flew slowly over the net. Muneyoshi took his steps to catch up with the ball, got into position, and swung his racket at it.

Upon seeing this, Echizen Ryoga on the other side also held his breath.

Finally, when Muneyoshi's racket touched the tennis ball, Echizen Ryoga's mind was suddenly filled with various applications and techniques of darkness.

Echizen Ryoga ignored the return shot, instead looking up at Saeki Muneyoshi and letting out a soft chuckle.

The laughter eventually grew louder and louder.

"You can no longer use Darkness..."

After saying this, he assumed the stance of Shadow Sever, his entire body shrouded in black shadows, just like Saeki Muneyoshi before him, truly mastering the power of darkness.

"Saeki Muneyoshi, you still have a long way to go!"

The dense darkness coalesced into a thin thread, its astonishing sharpness raging across the field.

The tennis ball flew towards Saeki Muneyoshi once again.

Outside the stadium, the spectators stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.

They never imagined that such an outrageous scene would unfold.

Saeki Muneyoshi's abilities and special moves were actually absorbed by his opponent!

At this moment, everyone was filled with apprehension towards Echizen Ryoga, even Echizen Nanjirō in the audience was filled with worry.

"What a pity about this little guy..."

However, no one noticed.

As the darkness receded from Saeki Muneyoshi, the black space behind his head did not disappear.

His Asura Path continues to radiate an ever-growing sacred light.

Meanwhile, another path hidden within Muneyoshi's body, which had been suppressed for so long, finally had its day to emerge.

The milky-white airflow began to continuously converge, merge, and grow stronger with the space behind the head!

Furthermore, as the darkness receded, the crescent moon began to grow rounder and rounder until it truly became a full moon.

As darkness faded, the moonlight filled the sky.

It's like the sun finally breaking through the clouds.

Let us wait patiently for the darkness to dissipate and the moon to shine!

Never before had Muneyoshi possessed such a profound understanding of the phrase "seeing the sun after the clouds have parted."

Never before had Muneyoshi felt such a profound understanding of his Asura Path and Ki.

Muneyoshi's path seemed to have undergone some subtle changes at this moment; the darkness and light that had originally occupied an absolute position had both "disappeared."

The silver-white shadow that emerged after the fusion of Qi and the Asura Path began to take absolute dominance.

Moreover, the thing that disappeared after being devoured by Echizen Ryoga reappeared after Muneyoshi re-established the dominant path system.

As he watched the attack that was flying towards him, Muneyoshi's brown pupils shone like a galaxy, but his tone was as cold and hard as ice.

"Really? I don't believe it..."

"Indiscriminate... flower... burial!"

Boom!

"Game, Japan Team, Saeki Muneyoshi scores, score 1-3."

"Wh... what?"

Seeing the astonished look on Echizen Ryoga's face, Muneyoshi's voice was as cold and hard as iron. "Echizen Ryoga, do you want to devour me?"

Without waiting for a reply, yet as if responding to the other party's previous words, the same words once again came out of Muneyoshi's mouth.

"You're still a long way off!"

P. S.: I actually wanted to write it in separate chapters, since these few chapters could easily be expanded into five or six more, but that wouldn't be as satisfying to read. Combining them together makes it more concise and enjoyable for everyone.

Another 10,000+ words updated today.

The first stage of the match between Muneyoshi and Echizen Ryoga has ended, and the Stage Two is about to begin.

Ryoga doesn't reveal his true strength because he wants to devour the protagonist, so this approach is feasible and not a forced reduction in intelligence.

I've been saying before that, besides darkness, the protagonist's path also includes Qi and the Asura Path.

Although light was eventually added, it was only barely balanced by the neutralizing power of air, which was suppressed by darkness.

While this did improve their strength, it also showed signs of weakening the main body and making the branches stronger than the trunk. Moreover, I had been downplaying the protagonist's Asura Path and Qi, all for this moment.

Only in order to create a character that can temporarily detach darkness from the protagonist can the Way of Qi truly transform under the fusion with the Asura Path.

In fact, what has always limited the protagonist's strength, besides his opponents, is his extremely strong development of darkness, to the point that he can suppress other paths simply by relying on darkness alone.

However, to make progress, we must proceed in all directions.

Light and darkness are both means, while Qi and the Asura Path are what unify everything.

The competition isn't over yet, and it's almost the end of the month, so please give us your votes!