The Darkness Faded, and Moonlight Filled the Sky

Echizen Ryoga ignored Saeki Muneyoshi's sarcastic words, his gaze sweeping over the tennis ball that had rolled to his feet, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"How is this possible? He can still use the skill I absorbed? How is this possible?"

His ability to devour without his own control was, even in his eyes, the most unpredictable and bizarre.

Echizen Ryoga never expected that his tricks, which had worked so well for so many years, would fail against Saeki Muneyoshi.

Saying it failed isn't entirely accurate; it should be said that it was cracked by Saeki Muneyoshi.

His devouring ability was replicated by Saeki Muneyoshi.

At this Echizen Ryoga's curiosity about Saeki Muneyoshi reached its peak.

"How... did you do that?"

Looking at the hole in the wall behind him and the tennis ball lying at his feet, Echizen Ryoga confused. With shock in his eyes, he asked Saeki Muneyoshi.

"Why can you still use the power of darkness?"

"This is a technique I developed myself, a unique move engraved with my own mark and will. Why can't I use it?"

Muneyoshi's words were cold; he held absolutely no goodwill towards Echizen Ryoga.

Even if this guy destroys Kiriya and wants to destroy Byōdōin in the future, Muneyoshi isn't that angry.

But the fact that the other party actually targeted him is the most intolerable thing.

However, although Muneyoshi spoke with great righteousness, he was actually a little cowardly inside.

I fear that I might actually follow in the footsteps of the other victims.

Of course, this minor flaw in mindset disappeared completely when the crescent moon turned into a full moon.

Speaking of Muneyoshi's current state, it's rather strange.

After the light was initially devoured by Echizen Ryoga, Muneyoshi's path, which had been approaching perfection, began to fluctuate.

Only then did Muneyoshi realize that it was probably because the path where light and darkness merged into one under the influence of Qi that was suppressing him.

He went too far down the dark path.

Because the dark energy was developed too powerfully, it had been suppressing the light and energy relentlessly.

Even if he could develop a powerful technique that Light-Dark Unity, it would still be nothing more than an explosion of light suppressed by darkness.

If he insists on simultaneously pushing light and darkness into new realms, the difficulty is too great.

But if one abandons the light and walks the Path of Darkness alone, that would be nothing more than forcibly following the path of Amadeus.

There were already people ahead on the dark road.

Therefore, he could only choose the path that best suited him, one that was dominated by darkness and passively integrated with air and light.

This is the reason why he has been unable to break through his limitations.

After all, everything we've achieved so far is the limit that the path of Qi can reach under the suppression of darkness.

If light and darkness want to break through, the first thing they need to do is break through the Way of Qi.

Only in this way can it bear even more light and darkness.

However, this is too difficult. It is to use a path that no one has ever set foot on to suppress two other paths that no one has yet reached the ultimate level of.

If we want to break through, let's break through together; if we want to remain silent, let's remain silent together.

We all prosper together, and we all suffer together.

However, everything changed after Echizen Ryoga took away Muneyoshi's weakest light.

The disappearance of light freed up darkness, making it exceptionally active.

All his techniques based on darkness have been greatly enhanced in power.

It even showed signs of transforming into another realm.

Muneyoshi has now accumulated enough experience to support his transformation into the Dark Realm once again.

This is why Muneyoshi was so aggressive and disregarded his stamina in the first set, constantly battling Echizen Ryoga head-on.

Muneyoshi did indeed see an opportunity for a breakthrough during the competition.

But it always falls short.

However, when Echizen Ryoga's Devouring ability struck again, it seized his darkness.

The barriers that had bound Muneyoshi were broken, and his bottleneck had completely disappeared.

Light and darkness completely disappeared, leaving only air.

Only the Asura Path!

At that moment, the fusion of Qi and the Asura Path was no longer hindered.

At that moment, the endless air currents transformed into the brilliant, bright moonlight.

That moment...

As darkness faded, the moonlight filled the sky.

A genuine sense of joy welled up in Muneyoshi's heart.

That was his Asura Path singing aloud.

That was his Way of Qi rejoicing.

Overall, I felt a sense of relief, as if the clouds had parted and the sun was shining through.

Since he mastered the Asura Path, the haze that had been shrouding his heart has finally dissipated.

Endless moonlight rises, filling the sky with a pure, bright hue.

Muneyoshi's soul seemed to experience a sense of liberation, a crystal-clear and exhilarating feeling.

The silvery-white phantom behind him had now completely solidified and was no longer illusory.

Her previously loose hair was now gathered together, and a headband formed from golden, black, and milky white light tightly bound it.

Apart from his eyes still being closed and his face having a somewhat feminine appearance, he is almost indistinguishable from a larger version of Muneyoshi.

Like a god in the dark world!

As the silvery shadow solidified, the bright moonlight continued to spread, seemingly covering the entire court and creating a unique field around Muneyoshi.

A world constructed by a single moon has taken complete shape.

At first glance, the world appears pristine white, but upon closer inspection, one can sense endless darkness beneath the full moon.

Only the full moon hangs high at the very top, illuminating all directions.

Different Dimension, Stage Two is complete!

"Good!"

"Is this the same as that ghost from back then... Stage Two?"

"I never expected Muneyoshi to actually do this!"

In the Japan contestant zone, Oni and Irie were overjoyed. The changes Muneyoshi underwent at this moment were just like when Oni Jūjirō faced Muneyoshi's awakening of Asura Path.

In contrast, the atmosphere in the America area became heavy, with Reinhardt and Hopkins frowning slightly.

Although no one else in America besides Echizen Ryoga walks the path of Asura Path, it doesn't prevent them from perceiving the dangers involved.

"This is tricky. Stage Two... I didn't expect Saeki Muneyoshi to have reached the same level as you, Boss!"

Hopkins' handsome face also changed slightly, as the Stage Two truly marked him as having reached the threshold of a professional-level captain.

Regardless of the country, the emergence of such a figure is never good news for other teams.

"Don't worry, Hopkins, Ryoga's strength is more than that!"

Reinhardt stared intently at Saeki Muneyoshi, looking at the godlike figure behind him, and thought to himself.

"Is this a road unique to Japan? How peculiar!"

"You're still a long way off!"

Upon hearing the cold words in his ear, Echizen Ryoga on the court immediately noticed the change in Muneyoshi.

"They actually broke through?!"

A voice, neither happy nor sad, escaped from Ryoga's lips. At this moment, he had no other thoughts. Muneyoshi launched an attack on him the moment he broke through.

A far more terrifying slash came hurtling towards Ryoga's half of the field.

In the critical moment, the dark purple aura of the Asura Path emanating from Echizen Ryoga grew increasingly intense, and the samurai phantom behind him became clearer and clearer.

The katana held by the samurai phantom gleamed with a chilling light.

Watching Muneyoshi's attack, Echizen Ryoga was still unaware of why Muneyoshi could still use the techniques that had been absorbed by him.

But this is not the time to dwell on these things. The racket is raised, the katana is drawn, and the dark light reappears.

Once again, a slash descended towards Saeki Muneyoshi's half of the court.

"Let me show you your ultimate move, Shadow Three Severing Slashes!"

Sizzle!

The three sword lights—a chilling white light, a domineering golden light, and a dark black flame—made Saeki Muneyoshi's mind waver.

Ryoga Echizen had surprisingly mastered a technique he had only used a few times before, much faster than expected.

Moreover, it seamlessly blends light and darkness.

However, this momentary daze was fleeting, and Muneyoshi immediately came to his senses.

Three different colored blades flashed in his eyes, the tennis ball cutting through the air with a terrifying sharpness that left three deep, fine marks on the ground.

"So this is how others feel when they face my moves? Good!"

Muneyoshi's eyes flashed with madness. Instead of retreating, he advanced, charging straight forward against the three sharp auras.

Behind Muneyoshi, the silver-white figure now manifested as an endless dark tidal wave, its profound aura surging like a tide.

He lifted his foot and took a step forward, surrounded by the hazy moonlight, which made him appear dreamlike and enchanting.

A hazy light flickered, and Muneyoshi vanished from the spot.

This is the real Moonwalk!

His figure appeared in front of the tennis ball as if by teleportation.

The clothes outlined with purple patterns on the pure white figure began to glow.

If you get closer and observe carefully, you can see that these outlined patterns are all techniques that Muneyoshi painstakingly developed.

They are etched here through Muneyoshi's spirit.

"Light Darkness Combination - Ghostly Fluorescent Dance!"

Muneyoshi raised his arm, and a flash of golden light appeared on the black and red-rimmed racket in his hand.

Bang!

Light reappeared, darkness swept away.

A blazing power, like the sun, suddenly erupted from his racket, and the deep, cold darkness transformed into countless Light Ball that danced in the air.

The figure behind Saeki Muneyoshi, identical to him, also wielded a pure black katana with only the blade being gold, and charged forward.

BOOM!!

Everyone on the sidelines was holding their breath and watching intently, but only those with extremely keen senses could vaguely glimpse the scene that resembled a collision between Mars and Earth.

The Shadow Three Severing Slashes was blocked by Muneyoshi, and the tennis ball was intercepted and returned.

However, Echizen Ryoga was not overconfident at this moment. Knowing that Muneyoshi had entered the Stage Two, he acted swiftly.

Tread.

He strode forward, slightly bowing, Echizen Ryoga arrived on the path of the tennis ball at a speed imperceptible to ordinary people.

Buzz~

The deep purple aura emanating from Ryoga changed again, becoming dark and gloomy.

The moment the dark purple light appeared, the phantom of the samurai holding a katana behind him solidified completely.

The unique Asura Path aura belonging to Echizen Ryoga swept towards Muneyoshi like a tide.

Soon, half of the moonlit space that Muneyoshi had been using to cover the entire arena was suddenly and violently erased, and another Different Dimension Realm appeared in Echizen Ryoga's half of the arena.

Such a spectacular sight is even more beautiful when viewed from the outside.

In Muneyoshi's half of the field, the bright moon hung high in the sky, and the stars in the heavens appeared and disappeared.

However, in Echizen Ryoga's half of the venue, there is a very spacious but somewhat dilapidated courtyard, with the surrounding architectural style being vastly different from modern architecture.

If we were to make a comparison, it would likely resemble the style of Japan's Japan Shogunate era.

A breeze rustled through the treetops in the courtyard.

The sound waves suddenly arose, spreading danger and filling the air with a chilling atmosphere.

This contrasted sharply with Muneyoshi's first half.

"I never expected that such a small exchange competition would produce such a clash between two people!"

In the South Africa and Australia player zones, a sense of fear and disappointment flashed through the minds of their respective captains.

Why aren't such figures considered geniuses in their own countries?

Meanwhile, in the audience, Echizen Nanjirō sat upright, stroking his stubble with one hand, seemingly talking to himself:

"I never imagined that Ryoga would end up like this all these years..."

And this brat actually managed to resist Ryoga's devouring power, and even broke through... That old man Mifune really got incredibly lucky!

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