Rumble...
As the roar rang out, the spectators saw an unimaginable sight unfold before their eyes.
The entire court seemed to darken as Muneyoshi swung his racket.
Then the darkness receded and light appeared. A black ribbon shot across the net, dividing the court almost perfectly into light and darkness.
Muneyoshi raised his arm, stirring up a furious blast of air.
The returning smash compressed the air to either side, its force terrifying.
The ball Saeki Muneyoshi had struck was enveloped in countless streaks of black light, while golden lightning coiled around it.
Light and darkness intertwined, carrying an aura that seemed to cleave through everything as the ball hurtled toward Echizen Ryoga.
"Haah..."
Seeing the ball thunder toward him, Ryoga sensed the danger and let out a shout.
He gripped his racket with both hands and planted his feet firmly on the ground, lowering into a half-crouch as he stared fixedly at the ball wrapped in black lightning.
"Saeki Muneyoshi, you can't scare me. All Things Are Impermanent..."
He growled again, and the ball was already right in front of him.
The ball carried Muneyoshi's cold will, along with the surging force of its black light and golden lightning. Ryoga's face twisted under the pressure.
The ball drew closer and closer. Relying on the power of All Things Are Impermanent, Ryoga finally broke through its crushing gust.
The pressure around him seemed to ease. He raised his racket with both hands, aimed at the ball wreathed in light and darkness, and swung down hard through gritted teeth.
The instant the ball met his racket, Ryoga felt as if countless needles were piercing his soul.
The agony made him howl again.
"AAAAAAH!"
Even holding the racket with both hands, he could barely keep his gathered strength from being scattered by