The Embryo of the Ice World

On the court, listening to Atobe's words, Oshitari was already on high alert, his gaze fixed on the gray-haired youth opposite him, not letting any of Atobe's movements slip by.

Because he knew Atobe's words were never without reason. If he relaxed even slightly, the outcome of this match would be his defeat.

At this moment, Atobe walked to the baseline, looked at Oshitari opposite him, and chuckled, "Yuushi, watch this for me."

As he spoke, the tennis ball in Atobe's hand flew high into the air. He then bent his knees and leaped, stretching his body upwards, swinging his racket vertically.

Swish...

The tennis ball left the racket. This serve was like a smash, perfectly displaying power and speed.

Atobe executed the entire motion flawlessly, without a hint of distortion, the whole process smooth as flowing water.

Bang...

A crisp sound rang out, and a golden stream of light streaked across the court, flying directly towards the corner of Oshitari's baseline.

"Atobe, your serve was indeed perfect, but if you think that's enough to score, you're underestimating me, Oshitari Yuushi."

Oshitari spoke in a deep voice, his body darting out. Just as the tennis ball was about to fly out of bounds, he positioned himself in front of it.

He then raised his right hand with the racket, aiming at the ball, his movements a blur of motion.

Bang...

The tennis ball instantly flew towards Atobe's side of the court, its speed almost matching the serve's speed.

Facing Oshitari's return, Atobe simply lowered his stance, intently observing the ball's trajectory. His improved eyesight allowed him to see the ball's landing point the moment it was hit.

Then, a cold glint flashed in Atobe's eyes as he stepped forward, quickly moving towards an open space.

Bang...

His racket intercepted the ball. The muscles in his arm bulged as Atobe swung with all his might.

The orange tennis ball streaked across like a beam of light, clearing the net and landing in an unusual spot.

Oshitari moved into position, ready to return with Fleeting Mandala. However, for some reason, a strong sense of resistance welled up within him.

But the ball was already in front of him. Oshitari couldn't afford to dwell on the feeling. He received the ball, then his arm began to stretch out widely, preparing to unleash his signature move—Fleeting Mandala.

Yet, the moment Oshitari returned the shot, the strange feeling intensified. It was as if a voice in his mind was telling him to abandon this return.

"What did he do..."

Oshitari looked at the youth opposite him, who was preparing to hit the ball again, his expression extremely grim. Still, he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to use his signature move, Fleeting Mandala.

This time, Oshitari didn't roar. The ball had no power behind it and had become a lob.

The ball's trajectory was very high. As soon as it crossed the net, a shadow on the ground rapidly expanded.

"Damn it..."

Oshitari suddenly looked up. Atobe was already leaping in mid-air, his racket-wielding arm swinging down fiercely. The ball trailed a golden beam of light, heading straight for Oshitari's grip.

The ball was too close. Oshitari had no time to react, let alone use Brown Bear Drop Shot.

Snap...

The tennis ball, carrying immense force, knocked the racket out of Oshitari's hand. However, the ball didn't fall to the ground but flew back into the air.

"Towards Dance of Destruction..."

Atobe leaped again, swinging his racket down with all his might.

Boom...

The second smash landed with a roar.

"15:0, Atobe scores."

Atobe landed back on the ground, lost in his own world, and declared crisply, "Be mesmerized by my splendid technique!"

Although Dance of Destruction, this kind of smash was indeed brilliant and pleasing to the eye, and it was normal for some to be captivated by it.

However, most people off the court were focused on Oshitari Yuushi, wondering why he hadn't used Fleeting Mandala when he had already prepared his stance.

"Oshitari was clearly preparing to use his signature move, but for some reason, he didn't. And his movements were very strange, giving off a slight sense of awkwardness."

Yamazaki Uye, one of the regulars, voiced the anomaly he had detected.

"So, Senpai also noticed something was wrong. I thought I was just seeing things..."

Mukahi Gakuto chimed in, looking at Oshitari on the court with a face full of confusion.

"This isn't Ice World."

Kannagi Shinichi was certain that what Atobe used was not Ice World. After all, Ice World directly attacked an opponent's blind spot. If that were the case, Oshitari would have had no chance to return the shot.

But this time, Oshitari had returned the shot, he just couldn't use his special move.

Kannagi Shinichi frowned slightly. He didn't believe that Oshitari had made a mistake on that last shot; Atobe must have done something.

But what exactly had Atobe done?

On the court, Atobe began to serve again.

Just like the previous point, Atobe scored again in only three shots.

"30:0, Atobe leads."

Facing a continuous loss of points, and unable to use his signature move, Oshitari felt a flicker of panic in his heart.

As expected, the subsequent matches were completely dominated by Atobe.

"Game, score 2:2, tied."

"Game, score 3:2, Atobe leads."

"Game, score 5:2, Atobe leads."

These games passed quickly, each taking less than three minutes. Oshitari had tried to resist, but with every return, his body instinctively felt a resistance.

"15:0, Atobe scores."

"30:0, Atobe scores."

"Match over, score 6:2, Atobe wins."

When Akutagawa Jirou announced the end of the match, the two players met at the net. Oshitari stepped forward and asked, "I want to know, during the match, why did I feel a resistance when I returned your shots? I couldn't even execute my Fleeting Mandala."

Listening to Oshitari's question to Atobe, the crowd outside the court, curious about why Oshitari couldn't use his signature move, perked up their ears, eager to hear the explanation.

Atobe looked at the surrounding crowd watching him. He didn't hide anything, instead placing two fingers under his eyes. "It's because of these eyes of mine."

"Eyes?"

Oshitari continued with a look of confusion.

"Yes," Atobe nodded, a smile appearing on his handsome face, as if his eyes were his pride. "My eyes can see the opponent's uncomfortable zones when they hit the ball. The reason you felt resistance to my shots just now was because I was hitting the ball into your uncomfortable zones."

"Uncomfortable zones..."

Oshitari murmured. He had never imagined that there were uncomfortable zones in hitting a tennis ball.

Could this be the prototype of the Ice World?

Outside the court, Kannagi Shinichi looked at Atobe and thought to himself that perhaps soon, Atobe would evolve this technique, and the true Ice World would be born from his hands.

Beside Kannagi Shinichi, several regular players began to discuss.

"Is it really true, as Atobe said, that there are uncomfortable zones in tennis..."

"I wonder if I have uncomfortable zones in tennis..."

"Don't say foolish things. Everyone has uncomfortable zones." Hearing the discussion outside the court, Atobe lightly tossed his hair, scoffed at the regular players, and then looked at Kannagi Shinichi. "Even you, Kannagi, have uncomfortable zones.

How about it, Kannagi? Want to play a match with me and feel what it's like to have your uncomfortable zones attacked?"

However, facing Atobe's challenge, Kannagi Shinichi shook his head. "Never mind. If I want to play a match, I'll find time to play with you after we win the regional championship. But you've already played a match, so it wouldn't be fair to you if we played now."

"Hahaha..." Atobe burst into hearty laughter upon hearing this. "My current condition is excellent."

The sky cleared, the rain stopped, and Atobe felt like he was back to his old self.

But Kannagi Shinichi still refused. "After the regional tournament ends, even if you don't ask me to play, I will come find you."

Hearing Kannagi Shinichi's words, Atobe didn't push further. His expression turned serious as he said, "Alright, Kannagi. Don't you dare run away then."

Kannagi Shinichi didn't reply, merely nodding slightly. After all, to make Atobe awaken the Ice World early, only by facing an opponent stronger than him could his potential be stimulated. And he himself was the best opponent for Atobe.