It's Not Over Yet

"The Clear Radiance Night Condensation... The moonlight... How fitting! Is this the perfect match between my self-developed ultimate technique and my own personality...?"

Echizen Ryoga exhaled, the memories in his mind were awakened once again, and he heard the middle-aged man's teachings to him once more.

However, now is not the time to actually study these things.

After a short break, the third and decisive game began.

Saeki Muneyoshi's moves became increasingly dangerous, Echizen Ryoga's gaze grew even more terrifying.

Bang!

A dazzling white light flashed, followed by another strike that defied conscious thought.

Unrivaled Through Ages!

"Game, Echizen Ryoga scores, score 3-2."

On the precarious field, the referee immediately announced the score after reviewing the replay.

Possession changes hands, Saeki Muneyoshi tosses the ball again to prepare his serve.

Although he appeared to have reached his physical limit, the smile on his lips and the purple glint in his deep pupils indicated that Muneyoshi was not flustered.

Because of his victory in the previous game, his ability to absorb knowledge and skills was quietly activated.

However, Echizen Ryoga's own strength, speed, and technique are already perfectly integrated, making it too difficult to absorb.

In terms of mental strength, he was no weaker than Muneyoshi, and perhaps even stronger, leaving Muneyoshi with no way to attack him.

The only area that can be improved is physical strength/endurance.

Coincidentally, this was also Muneyoshi's weakness. Without any hesitation, he frantically drained Echizen Ryoga's stamina with the absorbed power.

Now that they were already rivals, Muneyoshi acted without restraint, determined to destroy his opponent and leaving no room for retreat.

It was thanks to Echizen Ryoga's replenishment of his stamina that Muneyoshi's physical weakness was alleviated.

With the added stamina, Muneyoshi swung his racket down, his speed increasing by a factor of three compared to before.

Bang!

The moonlight dappled the ground, darkness rose, and the once brightly lit stadium suddenly went dark.

Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, the tennis ball spun and landed with perfect precision, landing on the somewhat roughened service line caused by makeshift repairs.

Echizen Ryoga's expression turned serious, and his breathing became disordered and rapid as Muneyoshi drained his strength.

Having the ability to devour, he was well aware of what Muneyoshi had done to him.

Realizing he was weakening, Echizen Ryoga was furious.

He's always the one devouring others; when did he ever become the prey?

Sitting idly by and waiting for death is not in his nature. His ability to devour was triggered again, and he once again attacked Saeki Muneyoshi.

Having learned from the previous experience that the opponent could still use the Devour skill, he did not choose to devour Muneyoshi's skill this time, but instead chose to devour the basics.

However, Muneyoshi's situation was not much different from his own, because Muneyoshi's strength, speed, and skills were solidified by the cheat data and could not be shaken, and his mental strength was not much weaker than his own.

At this moment, only Muneyoshi's physical strength was constantly fluctuating, making it a potential target for devouring.

The two began a fierce competition over physical strength!

However, such an action was too secretive, and revealing it could easily frighten others, so they maintained a tacit understanding at this moment.

I won't tell anyone, but I'm determined to destroy the other side.

Conversely, the Stage Two domains, somewhat damaged from their fierce fighting, are now entangled once again.

However, Muneyoshi has now gone from being one-sidedly attacked to launching a timely counterattack.

Clang!

In the Different Dimension Realm, "Saeki Muneyoshi" raised a pure black katana, leaped into the air, and rushed into Echizen Ryoga's courtyard.

The real battle has begun!

Under the moonlight, Saeki Muneyoshi's long white hair fluttered and swirled in the fierce wind swirling around his head.

The silver-white figure of "Saeki Muneyoshi" rode the night wind, his body thrusting towards the samurai.

The samurai in the courtyard was already on guard, his strong right hand resting on the hilt of the longest of the three swords at his waist, the katana.

Swish!

Taking advantage of the first strike, "Saeki Muneyoshi" launched the first attack.

The pure black katana in his hand radiated an astonishing chill, its golden blade flashing with absolute sharpness and a destructive will. It flew down from the high ground, carrying endless moonlight as it slashed out.

The moonlight, like water, washes the world clean; the darkness, like fire, scorches everything.

Eeya!

Sensing a strong sense of danger, Echizen Ryoga's samurai let out a strange cry, drew his katana, and then moved with a peculiar gait.

He first retreated quickly, dodging "Saeki Muneyoshi's " absolutely powerful attack.

Seeing that the traces left by the Moonlight and Black Flame had completely vanished, he did not flee. Instead, he swung his Great Sword, which left a purple afterimage that instantly devoured Muneyoshi's Moonlight and Darkness.

On the field, Saeki Muneyoshi, who was preparing to launch another attack, paused slightly.

Echizen Ryoga's Samurai Drive, brimming with murderous intent, left a wide, slicing mark on the ground before the tennis ball landed and split in two, flying out of bounds in different directions.

"Game 1, Echizen Ryoga scores, score 4-4."

Bang!

Bang!

The fierce battle between the two in the Different Dimension Realm can only be seen without any obstruction by a very small number of people who have stepped into this realm.

However, the devastation and terror they caused on the court was a fear that everyone could directly feel.

Saeki Muneyoshi's silver-white figure initially appeared sacred and magnificent, but once he started fighting, every move and every action was filled with a will to destroy and annihilate.

Echizen Ryoga's samurai form moves with sweeping, powerful strokes, but the black-purple katana he wields is both eerie and dangerous, capable of slicing and devouring an opponent if one is not careful.

As the match continued to spiral out of control, "Saeki Muneyoshi," clad in silver-white attire, found himself covered in increasingly more purple marks.

The light, which was originally only silver-white, gradually gained a pale gold rim, and the golden blade of the pure black katana in his hand became even more dazzling. Under the moonlight, the katana began to glow.

The tennis balls that crisscross the court have now become a medium for the clash of spirits and wills between the two players.

Click!

A sound as if space itself had been shattered rang out.

"Saeki Muneyoshi" unleashed the Shadow Three Severing Slashes once more, its extreme sharpness nearly splitting Echizen Ryoga's Different Dimension Realm into three.

However, at this critical moment, under the pressure exerted by Muneyoshi, the sword of the Echizen Ryoga Ryoma began to merge with the ever-present devouring power.

Although the samurai looked somewhat disheveled, he still withstood the threat of "Saeki Muneyoshi's" powerful attack.

Echizen Ryoga seized the moment when Saeki Muneyoshi was exhausted from using all his strength and launched an attack on Muneyoshi's blind spot.

The All Things Are Impermanent techniques faded, and the Unrivaled Through Ages dissipated.

Echizen Ryoga reached his match point first.

Moreover, the two were now at their limit in their mutual consumption and attrition, and their stamina was almost reaching its critical point due to the constant tug-of-war.

If this drags on any longer, they probably won't be able to hold on any longer.

Muneyoshi was well aware of this situation, but he remained unfazed, seemingly unconcerned about it.

The Different Dimension Realm expanded once again. The already dilapidated realm was riddled with holes, but it was precisely this destruction and damage that put immense pressure on the opponent.

This gave the originally pristine and flawless realm a magnificent, yet broken, beauty.

Swish!

The full moon hung high in the sky, and endless moonlight poured down from above. The figure of "Saeki Muneyoshi" slowly floated to the center of the full moon.

As darkness faded, the moonlight filled the sky.

Under the neutralization of the Way of Qi.

The gentle moonlight, like flowing water, concealed and enveloped the chilling murderous intent in Muneyoshi's heart.

At this moment, everything seemed to become peaceful.

At this moment, beneath the moonlight, a murderous intent lurked!

Being fair and impartial stems from treating everyone equally.

No opponent is invincible!

"Qinghui... Ye Ning!!"

Light and darkness are two sides of the same coin.

These two forces, which are inherently the most incompatible, have now been truly unified in Muneyoshi's hands.

He slightly raised his hands and spread them out to both sides, and the darkness and light behind him, even the air currents, transformed into a torrent that rolled out.

This move embodies his absolute will.

Echizen Ryoga felt the terrifying will that was impossible to avoid, and his body stiffened. However, at this point, there was no room for him to dodge.

He could only withstand the Moonlight Slash, which almost filled the entire domain.

"Is the Light-Dark Unity merely an aid on your path? Fortunately, you've only just begun..."

Echizen Ryoga's heart sank.

"If you push it to the limit, then I'm afraid I really won't be able to do anything about it now."

"All Things Are Impermanent, Unrivaled Through Ages..."

The samurai behind him opened and closed his mouth slightly, and as the approaching torrent of moonlight drew nearer, the katana in his hand, gleaming with a cold light, became even sharper.

The samurai's face was resolute, and he seemed to be using all his strength to slash horizontally at "Saeki Muneyoshi" in the sky.

At this moment Echizen Nanjirō's two signature moves merged into one, and his samurai appearance began to change.

Echizen Nanjirō's appearance began to disappear, Echizen Ryoga's image was reshaped.

The newborn warrior spirit begins to ignite at this moment.

"Samurai's Strike!"

Little by little, the samurai's figure was cut down.

However, the samurai's slash, which concentrated all its sharpness, remained undiminished in power, almost splitting the already white-stained space in two.

Meanwhile, on the actual court, the tennis ball that was flying in the air once again split in two.

Half of it was forcefully knocked back into Muneyoshi's half by Echizen Ryoga's powerful slash, and then quickly flew towards Muneyoshi's right arm.

The other half of the tennis ball, which Muneyoshi had hit with all his might, slammed heavily into Echizen Ryoga's slender leg bone.

The sound of shattering rang out, seemingly masking the creaking of bones breaking.

When everything on the court cleared up, everyone noticed that Echizen Ryoga and Saeki Muneyoshi had contorted expressions on their faces.

Their jaws were clenched, but they still couldn't stop whimpering in pain.

On the field, the first to give in was Echizen Ryoga. His face was deathly pale, and beads of sweat kept dripping down his face.

When you look at his left leg, you can clearly see that his shinbone is bent at a 90-degree angle.

"Ahhhh..."

With a piercing scream, Echizen Ryoga been using his racket to prop up his body, could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

As you can see, the racket in his hand is now completely empty, with no strings left.

On the other side, Saeki Muneyoshi's entire body was flushed red, and his right arm was swollen and congested with blood.

Muneyoshi's forehead veins throbbed, and he was sweating profusely. The broken arm had also caused him immense pain, compounded by the constant mental shocks he had been experiencing.

But he persisted.

His right hand was injured, and his racket had fallen to the ground, but after letting out a roar, Muneyoshi still insisted on squatting down and picking up the racket with his left hand.

His lifelong practice of using Ambidexterity gave him confidence at this moment.

So what if my right hand is broken?

You can still fight with your left hand!

He didn't call for a pause, enduring the pain with sheer willpower and refusing to move his right arm in any way.

He held the tennis ball in his mouth with his left hand and slowly walked to the baseline. Every step he took seemed to consume all his strength.

However, just as he was about to serve, a shout interrupted the match.

"Stop! Referee, we forfeit this match!"

Off the field, Reinhardt, seeing Echizen Ryoga's severely fractured leg, suddenly stood up and made his appeal to the referee.

"Since both teams are injured and the America Team has forfeited, the Japan Team wins this match."

" In the Four-Nation Exchange Tournament, the Japan Team won against the America Team with a total score of three wins and zero losses."

"Both sides are urged to treat their wounded as soon as possible!"

Upon hearing the request, the referee immediately agreed to allow America to send medical personnel into the field to provide assistance.

They didn't hesitate once they were given permission, and the Japan Team did the same.

"Muneyoshi!"

"Saeki -kun, are you alright?"

"Muneyoshi, well done!"

"Lie down immediately, Muneyoshi! You absolutely mustn't move anymore, your arm is broken!"

A group of people rushed over, but they didn't dare touch Saeki Muneyoshi at all, because at this moment he was holding on entirely by his own will.

In fact, after Muneyoshi persisted Echizen Ryoga collapsed, his tense heart relaxed slightly, and at the same time, the battle of stamina between the two sides was finally decided.

He completely drained all of Echizen Ryoga's stamina.

His resolve was further weakened after hearing Reinhardt announce his withdrawal.

When the final verdict of the match was that he had won, he felt completely relieved.

It was this moment of letting go that caused the excruciating pain and physical exhaustion to overwhelm him, leaving his eyes lifeless as he collapsed on the court.

However, Muneyoshi was very unhappy about not being able to achieve his full potential in this match.

Physical weakness and a broken leg are not the end for Echizen Ryoga. As long as his ability to devour remains, these things will come back sooner or later.

Before collapsing, Muneyoshi muttered defiantly, "Who gave you permission to forfeit? I can continue playing this match. Echizen Ryoga, we're not done yet..."

However, due to the pain in his body and arm, Muneyoshi did not look down at his racket.

The racket in his hand was cut with a huge gash by the Absolute Edge.

After the referee announced the end of the match, and seeing that the medical staff on both sides had given them basic treatment before preparing to send them to the hospital, all the spectators present stood up and applauded for the two players.

Although the match was fraught with danger, and both players ended up with serious injuries, they certainly delivered a very exciting game for everyone.

However, everyone knows that with the game going this far, the conflict between these two has reached a point of no return and is irreconcilable.

Not only did the audience notice this, but Muneyoshi himself genuinely thought so too.

When Muneyoshi woke up in the hospital after being in a coma for a long time and learned about all of this, he was not very happy.

Although he won, Muneyoshi himself felt that the match was not over yet.

Moreover, for Echizen Ryoga, this match is certainly not over yet.

Both of them harbored a desire to devour the other.

In the hospital ward, Muneyoshi looked out the window at the scenery, his thoughts drifting back to the final moments of the match.

"Echizen Ryoga, I think you're not willing to let it end like this either, and coincidentally, I am not willing either!"

Let's settle this match at 6-6. This is our decisive game. We'll continue next time we meet.

P. S.: "Just like the title says, this isn't over yet. We're only in our second year, Echizen Ryoga's remaining value hasn't been fully exploited. The plan is to finish him off in our third year, and then face the final person."

This chapter was edited and revised many times, and in the end, I combined two or more chapters and posted them together.

My initial thought was a draw, with both teams injured. Just like the later outline and description mentioned at the end, a draw could also lead to the plot three years later.

Of course, I know that the author's perspective and the reader's perspective are definitely different. I need to check whether the overall logic is smooth, and I also need to lay the groundwork for the plot and set up the points of conflict to erupt later.

The match between the protagonist and Echizen Ryoga, which totaled 28,598 words, will reappear at the end of the story.

Originally, Echizen Ryoga was stronger than the protagonist. In the end, no one could control him. With his recklessness and suicidal tendencies, he had already done his best to destroy Ryoga. Moreover, in my outline, there is still the strongest person in the world as an opponent, so now is not the best time to finish him off.

We've only just broken through; let's wait and see what happens in third grade.

The bonus chapter for monthly passes is also included here. This chapter is quite long, so I didn't split it into multiple chapters.

Tomorrow I'll finish Volume 2, and then start Volume 3 for the third year.

The theme for third grade is revenge and reaching the summit!