The Demon God Appears

"You mean, the one who really needs to push his limits is Kintaro?"

"Yes and no, I'm more concerned about the demons, but Kintaro's limits aren't enough to help them, so you understand what I mean."

Horio's words made Irie a little dizzy, but the demons on the field were already preparing to attack again.

"Be prepared, kid."

His aura surged forth, and at the same time, the tenth ball appeared in his hand.

Go to sleep hugging ten balls!

After letting out a loud roar, the ghost hit ten balls.

"No! Kintaro, run away!"

"Forget about winning or losing, or revenge, just get out of the way of those balls!"

The sheer terror of ten goals had shattered the junior high students' rationality; at this point, they no longer cared about winning or losing.

As long as my teammates are safe, it doesn't matter if we lose.

"You want to ruin the juniors you've nurtured, you devil?"

Meanwhile, in the area where First String was sitting, one person's expression also changed.

Looking at the demons whose expressions had turned terrifying, Byodoin seemed to sigh with emotion.

"I will not run away! I am going to become the number one tennis player in the country!"

On the court, when Kintaro saw the demon hit ten balls, he was already somewhat afraid.

However, after a brief period of mental preparation, he overcame his fear.

Because he couldn't afford to lose this opportunity, and he couldn't afford to waste any chance that might allow him to defeat the demon.

Realizing what was happening, Kintaro gripped his racket tightly and charged towards the tennis ball.

"First goal!"

"Second goal!"

"The third goal!"

"The ninth goal!"

Every time Kintaro returned a point, the middle school students on the sidelines felt a pang of anxiety.

The middle school students held their breath until he hit the ninth ball.

"The tenth goal!"

Kintaro, with unwavering determination, returned the tenth ball, and the junior high students dared not relax in the slightest.

Because Kintaro's tenth shot was returned with too much difficulty, it lacked power compared to the other shots, and ultimately the tenth shot grazed the net.

After prolonged rallies involving multiple balls, tennis balls have already endured pressure beyond their limits.

Just as the tennis ball grazed the net, the net unexpectedly caught fire due to friction.

The flames quickly spread across the entire net, separating the two players like a wall of fire.

"Hmph, finally he's reaped the rewards."

Seeing this, a slight smile appeared on the ghost's face.

Kintaro's growth, and the level he has shown so far, is exactly what the demon expected.

After Kintaro successfully returned ten balls, he seemed to have gained new strength.

The stamina they had expended to deal with the demon's attacks was completely replenished at that moment.

In the following rounds, Kintaro became skilled at fighting the Oni with ten balls.

"You're really amazing, Kintaro!"

"He's gotten used to rallies of ten balls now."

"That's Kim's tennis style: not thinking about anything too difficult, just showing his instincts."

The middle school students were very happy about Kintaro's outburst.

"It seems that Kintaro has completely broken through his limits and surpassed himself."

"The ghost is beginning to reveal his true form; the tennis dream that has been dormant within him is about to awaken."

Off the field, Horio and Irie saw the two players on the field becoming increasingly immersed in the joy of the match, and they knew that Kintaro had succeeded.

At the same time, the path to the awakening of the ghost is also a success. Among the matches that have already been played, this one may be the most meaningful.

"Becoming the number one tennis player in the country—that used to be my dream too."

On the court, after returning ten balls, the ghost general suddenly remembered something from the past.

That happened when he first entered the training camp, and he encountered Byodoin.

The two then began their daily battles until the elimination rounds began.

The demon, who had already entered the Asura Divine Path, used the power of another dimension to defeat Byodoin was eventually sent to the mountains for training.

When Byodoin returned to the training camp, he had also entered the Asura Divine Path Byodoin successfully avenged himself.

From that time on, the demons have never won against Byodoin.

This is one of the reasons why he gave up his dream of becoming the nation's number one tennis player and instead focused on nurturing the next generation.

Even when Kintaro first appeared, Oni's assessment of him was that he could only be cultivated as a reserve force.

So after giving Kintaro a severe beating, he sent him to Mifune for training.

But Kintaro is different now; his terrifying growth has made Oni's long-dormant dream shine again.

At this moment, the court was shrouded in thick smoke due to the two players' fight and the fact that the flames on the net had been extinguished.

However, both players were still able to accurately track the ball's trajectory and return it.

Bang!

"Uncle Ghost's ball suddenly feels so heavy..."

Is it heavy?

As the match progressed, Kintaro noticed that he was finding it increasingly difficult to receive the ball.

The force of the ball that Oni hits back is increasing, and Kintaro has to grit his teeth to hit it back.

Upon hearing Kintaro's words, Oni's tone turned somewhat angry, which made Kintaro's expression rather unpleasant.

"As for your claim of becoming the nation's number one tennis player, I'd like to know how much weight it carries. Let me test it out."

As the ghost spoke, the smoke and dust on the field dissipated, and the ghost's figure slowly became visible.

As the ghost's figure gradually became clearer, what Kintaro saw became increasingly unusual.

"What's this!?"

When the smoke and dust that had obscured the demon completely dissipated, the demon's figure appeared enormous in Kintaro's eyes, even blocking his entire view.

And so be it. The ghost's figure remained in the lingering smoke and dust, like a ghostly deity.

"The demon is really serious; he's even using the power of the Asura Divine Path against a mere child."

"Isn't this even better? Let these middle school students experience the world in advance, so they won't be caught off guard when the real world championships come around."

Standing on the sidelines, Irie was somewhat surprised to sense the power emanating from the demon.

Horio fared much better, since this was the kind of story development he wanted to see.

"This is... quite interesting. Since you want to test me, I'll show you my determination."

Faced with the enormous body before him, Kintaro instinctively felt fear.

But his inner conviction still supported him in fighting back, though his somewhat stuttering words proved that he was still somewhat afraid.

He hit the ball into the smoke and dust, and Kintaro immediately prepared to return the next shot.

But when the tennis ball flew back, he no longer saw ten balls.

Now, all Kintaro could see was a ball magnified hundreds of times and flying toward him.

"No... no way..."

Then, shifting their gaze from the tennis ball and seeing the enormous body again, the body that had previously resembled a ghost had transformed into a demon god clad in armor.

Looking at the demon shrouded in an aura of terror, its red eyes radiating an oppressive force, Kintaro's fear intensified.

Then, a flash of red light appeared in the demon's eyes, and Kintaro screamed as he was sent flying.

What was that just now!?

Did you guys just see something that looked like a ghost?

The demon unleashed its power, shocking even the middle school students outside the arena.

"My old injury is really bothering me today; the devil who defeated me two years ago is back."

On the First String side, Byodoin unconsciously touched his forehead.

Looking at the ball that the demon had just hit, Byodoin actually smiled.

"It seems that Kintaro really did manage to awaken the demon; that shot just now was much better than when you played against him before."

"Therefore, the dormant power within the demon's heart must be awakened for him to become the true Oni Jujiro."

Seeing the demon's reaction, which hadn't been seen in a long time, Irie's surprise was so genuine that even acting couldn't capture it.

Horio was genuinely happy; the sleeping demons were finally about to awaken.

"First String scores, score 6-3, first team wins the First String game."

"No way... I didn't even have time to react to Uncle Ghost's shot, let alone return it."

On the field, Kintaro, who had already gotten up, looked at the composed Oni opposite him and kept thinking of ways to deal with him.

"Listen up, didn't you say you just saw something that looked like a ghost?"

You read that right, it's a power that, like the power of selflessness, transcends the normal range.

"Could that also be a manifestation of the power of selflessness? There are actually other realms besides the three main ones."

Horio wanted to explain Asura Divine Path and other dimensions to the middle school students, but Momoshiro interrupted him before he could even finish speaking.

Horio shook his head at Momoshiro's self-righteous thoughts.

"It is similar to the power of selflessness, but not entirely the same."

The power of selflessness is a power that can be unlocked as long as one's love for tennis reaches a certain level and one's own standards are met.

However, the power that the demon just displayed is called the power of another dimension.

Generally speaking, to comprehend the power of another dimension, one must first enter the Asura Divine Path.

As for how to enter the Asura Divine Path, it can only be opened when one is forced into a corner.

It's fair to say that most of the world's top experts have mastered this power.

While Horio was speaking, the middle school students listened attentively while also keeping an eye on what was happening on the field.

Bang!

"First String scores, score 3-0"

"What's wrong? Has the resistance ended, Kintaro?"

Are you aiming to become the number one tennis player in the country? Is it not possible now?!

With a powerful Smash Shot, Ghost extended the lead to 3-0.

At this point, Kintaro was completely powerless to resist and could only passively take the beating.

Seeing Kintaro suppressed once again, Oni's encouraging words appeared again.

But despite saying that, he still showed no mercy in his actions.

Even knowing that Kintaro had reached his limit, his attack remained at the same level as before.