Advancing to the Quarterfinals

Hearing the cheers from the sidelines, the tennis ball in Kite's hand was tossed into the air.

Then, with a mighty leap, the Kite unleashed another Big Bang.

No one expected that the Kite could still create Big Bang, but before they could even finish expressing their surprise...

The tennis ball, which should have flown straight out, unexpectedly changed its trajectory once again.

"Great Fan Shi Qian! Eishiro actually unleashed both the Big Bang and Great Fan Shi Qian together!"

"This is unbelievable! As expected, Eishiro is an incomprehensible fellow!"

"That Kite can actually combine two moves into one!"

"It seems that after being forced to push his limits by Horio, he also comprehended something extraordinary..."

"That Kite Eishiro is capable of doing something like that; even I would have had trouble dealing with that ball..."

"He's quite an impressive guy, but will this really work for that person?"

Whoever was watching was once again startled by the Kite's actions; the Big Bang was all about maximizing power from a specific angle.

The Great Fan Shi Qian, disperses the force as much as possible, causing the tennis ball to generate varied spins.

It's quite astonishing that Kite can combine two seemingly contradictory ball skills.

"I have sensed your determination. In that case, I will respond with the utmost respect up to this point."

Horio was quite certain of Kite's determination and obsession with victory, and to show respect for this affirmation, a terrifying aura emanated from Horio.

The purple aura reappeared on Horio's arm, and his pupils turned purple-gold once more.

"This time, I've truly Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired! And... and... my Radiant Talent!?"

The curly-haired man, who had just recovered from the shock, was once again captivated by Horio's changes on the field.

"Chitose, what's wrong with you! What are you saying?!"

"Shiraishi... do you believe in the legend that one person can open two of the three great gates?"

At this moment, Chitose was so shocked that she had no expression on her face, and her tone had become wooden.

Upon hearing what Chitose said, the man called Shiraishi frowned.

He knew about the legendary three gates, after all, his teammate had opened one of them.

Because his teammates had already opened a door, he was even more aware of the difficulties involved.

"You mean..."

"That's right... that guy named Horio, he's currently in a state where both of those realms are activated simultaneously."

After Chitose spoke, Shiraishi remained silent, simply staring quietly at Horio on the field.

At this moment, Horio was unaware of what was happening off the court; he was watching the tennis ball, which possessed immense destructive power and had unpredictable trajectories.

He swung his racket, but this time Horio failed to neutralize the ball's spin.

Instead, they utilize their Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired to double the spin, speed, and destructive power of the tennis ball.

Bang...

"Seigaku Horio scored, 30:0"

As Horio returned the ball, the double-strengthened ball once again sent Kite's racket flying.

"Is this Seigaku...? It seems we at Higa Junior High still need to work much harder..."

Having his most powerful move deflected, the Kite finally relinquished its obsession with victory.

It's not fear of the opponent, but a clear understanding of one's own strength.

If there was any resentment or bitterness from the previous loss, it had completely vanished by now.

Bang...

"Seigaku Horio scored, 40:0"

The competition continued, and although Kite had come to terms with reality, he did not give up.

Although the Kite still hadn't scored a single point, the students from Higa Junior High continued to cheer them on.

Bang...

"Seigaku Horio scored, the score was 6:1, and Seigaku won.

Based on the result of 5-0, Seigaku advanced to the quarterfinals.

With the final ball landing, the match officially ended, and Seigaku advanced to the quarterfinals with a score of 5-0.

After the match, both schools came onto the field to salute.

Because of the loss, Kite felt he had let down everyone who had cheered so hard.

His face was filled with shame when a hand suddenly patted him on the shoulder.

"Just start over, Eishiro."

"The next time will definitely be our era."

Hirakoba said to the somewhat guilty Kite, Kai also stepped in to comfort him.

The others remained silent, their gazes fixed firmly on the Kite.

Seeing his teammates like this, Kite's gloom dissipated, and he finally smiled.

Thus, the first match of the Seigaku National Tournament finally came to an end, and it ended on a very good start.

"Alright, congratulations on making it to the quarterfinals."

In the rest area somewhere in the stadium, the Seigaku members were packing up their belongings after finishing their match.

Coach Ryuzaki, after returning from handling post-match matters, addressed the group.

"Now everyone needs to prepare for the next match. Go back and get some rest today."

"Great! Keep this momentum going and make it all the way to the finals!"

Coach Ryuzaki's words were undoubtedly an affirmation of everyone's abilities, Momoshiro said excitedly.

"Momoshiro, don't be so happy yet. The upcoming matches won't be easy."

Upon hearing Momoshiro's optimistic words, Gan, who had returned from elsewhere, adjusted his glasses and halted his momentum.

"Welcome back, Agan. Tell us about the results from the other schools."

"Although Sengoku's Yamabuki Middle School won the first match against Yamagata's St. Icarus, they were eliminated in the second match."

Last year's champions Rikkai Dai, Shitenhoji from Osaka, and Seitoku Nagoya Seidoku from Aichi all advanced smoothly.

Furthermore, Fudomine defeated last year's Makino Fuji Academy, to advance to the quarterfinals.

There's also the match between Shishiraku and Hyotei. Hyotei won 5-0 and advanced, meaning our next opponent is Hyotei.

Upon hearing the information that Gan had gathered, the Seigaku members, who had just relaxed a little, tensed up again.

"Ugh, another competition with those guys?"

"It seems Hyotei is different now compared to the Kanto Tournament; their level has improved significantly."

"In short, we cannot relax yet; our opponents will only get stronger."

"Everyone, let's focus and go!"

I understand the pressure everyone is under, but now is not the time to hesitate.

Tezuka's words roused everyone's spirits once again. They packed their things and left the court.

"Hyotei will win! Seigaku will lose!"

"Hyotei will win! Seigaku will lose!"

The next day, at the competition venue, inside the stadiums of Seigaku and Hyotei.

Before the game even started, a deafening cheer had already erupted.

"Help! The nightmare of the Kanto Tournament is happening again!"

"It's really uncomfortable. Even though it's a public competition venue, I feel like I'm playing an away game."

"Ugh, so noisy."

"These sonic attacks from the cheerleaders should also be counted in Hyotei's past wins, right? Just being disturbed like this makes it impossible to concentrate on the game."

The Seigaku members, who had just arrived at the stadium, were somewhat demoralized by the brainwashing cheers.