Extinguished Zero

"That Akutsu actually held back!?"

"Akutsu is now an athlete."

Feng was quite surprised to see that Akutsu did not retaliate at all.

The only thing that brought him comfort was Sengoku, who was also from the Yamabuki.

"Wait!"

At that moment, Sanada was standing on the field, looked at Akutsu, who had his back to him, and suddenly called out to him.

Even if you can forgive me, I can't forgive myself. Hit me!

"It's happened! Vice President Sanada's 'Hit me!'"

Akutsu turned around when he heard Sanada call him.

After Sanada spoke firmly to Akutsu, even Akutsu was somewhat puzzled.

Seeing the serious expression on Sanada's face, Akutsu wiped the blood off his face and walked towards Sanada.

When Akutsu reached Sanada, he kicked Sanada.

Akutsu kicked Sanada in the stomach, and the pain made Sanada change color instantly.

"I... I didn't say I'd kick you..."

"You didn't control your strength well. Just focus on playing your own tennis game. You can continue now."

Sanada, who was kicked to the ground, did not expect Akutsu to use her foot, and Akutsu extended her hand after kicking her.

Seeing Akutsu take the initiative to be friendly, Sanada didn't stand on ceremony and reached out to pull Akutsu up to his feet.

The two exchanged a glance, then returned to their respective positions.

"Are we finally going to show some teamwork? It's really not easy."

Sensing the fighting spirit in their eyes, Horio knew that their real match was about to begin.

"Those two are finally showing some teamwork, but they still can't break through Ryuji's two-sword style."

"No matter how many times you come, the result will be the same!"

On the court, Sanada and Akutsu's teamwork is gradually improving.

Although they were still unable to launch a counterattack, they were able to cope with Ohmeguro Ryuji's attacks.

Seeing Tanegashima still approved of the two, but it was clear that he had more confidence in his own partner.

Ohmeguro Ryuji was the same; he was also very confident in his dual-wielding style.

"Idiot! Are you still daydreaming?"

At that moment, Sanada roared and swung his backhand.

After the tennis ball bounced off the ground, Ohmeguro Ryuji swung his right-hand racket.

But just as the racket was about to hit the tennis ball, the ball suddenly changed direction and flew to the left of Ohmeguro Ryuji.

Ohmeguro Ryuji reacted quickly, using his left-hand racket to block the shot.

However, in the heat of the moment, Ryuji Ohmeguro Ryuji was caught out, and Akutsu delivered a powerful smash.

Bang!

Junior high school student's score: 15:40

"What? My movement seemed a little strange the moment I hit the ball..."

Ohmeguro Ryuji also noticed something was wrong with the last shot.

Bang!

Junior high school students' score: 30:40

Another ball, after Sanada returned the tennis ball, and Ohmeguro Ryuji prepared to return it, the ball curved again.

Caught off Ohmeguro Ryuji, Akutsu quickly returned a Lob Shot, but Akutsu seized the opportunity and scored with a smash.

"By altering the airflow through two swings, the tennis ball can be redirected after bouncing – quite a creative move."

"So, if he's skilled enough, it's possible for him to swing his racket multiple times when hitting the ball, causing the tennis ball to bounce several times."

Horio and Irie immediately recognized Sanada 'Sanada move when he swung his racket on the court.

"I remember it was the same during the knockout stage. I thought the ball was going to land in one direction, but it suddenly changed its trajectory and ended up cutting my headband."

Seeing Sanada use that familiar move, Yukimura's memories from the knockout stage resurfaced.

"This is such a hassle... Please spare me."

However, no matter which way the ball goes, I'll finish it off.

Seeing Sanada return the ball again, Ohmeguro Ryuji prepared with both hands.

But the change happened in an instant. While waiting for the ball to bounce back and turn, Ohmeguro Ryuji, who was prepared to defend on both sides, was caught off guard by the upward-spinning ball.

Bang!

"Junior high school students score, 40:40"

"It was... a ball that bounced upwards?"

Somewhat bewildered, Ohmeguro Ryuji looked at Sanada, whose Sanada made him widen his eyes.

Sanada was enveloped in a black Aura, and his aura changed instantly.

"That dual-wielding style... I'll crush it."

Sanada looked sharply at Ohmeguro Ryuji and made his declaration.

Then it was Sanada's solo show, his shots constantly changing direction after bouncing, making it difficult for Ohmeguro Ryuji to keep up.

"Asshole..."

"I've taken the racket back."

Just as Sanada returned the tennis ball once again, Tanegashima, who had been resting for a long time, retrieved his racket.

Thump...

After Tanegashima retrieved his racket, he immediately neutralized Sanada's attack.

The tennis ball landed in their half of the court, and neither Akutsu nor Sanada had time to react.

"Tanegashima Shuji is a guy who can nullify all your skills and then counter them. He's also the guy I've never beaten in this training camp."

"Tanegashima possesses the talent to instantly translate visual data into his wrist, which is why he can return any ball."

Off the field, Oni and Irie were clearly very wary of Tanegashima's abilities.

"Talent? Don't be ridiculous, I'll smash that to pieces!"

Hearing Irie praise Tanegashima's talent, Sanada's stubborn temper flared up again.

"Black Dragon First Slash!"

Sanada roared, and the familiar attack from before began.

However, Tanegashima was not worried at all in the face of this situation, and then countered with a backhand to receive the Black Dragon First Slash.

"Extinguished Zero."

The racket catches the tennis ball, and then the tennis ball moves along with Tanegashima.

Thump...

"First String scores, score 6-0, First String wins."

After spinning around, Tanegashima returned the ball and scored.

"Dealing with Tanegashima's move is indeed quite troublesome. No matter how you attack, his move 'Extinguished Zero' is like a universal remedy, always managing to neutralize it."

Horio from the sidelines, was also somewhat helpless regarding Tanegashima's abilities.

"But you won that match too, didn't you? In any case, if anyone can beat him, it's only you."

"My abilities are just a bit special. If it were anyone else, breaking the Extinguished Zero' would be virtually impossible."

When Irie heard Horio teasing him, he simply told the truth.

On the court, Tanegashima maintained his relaxed demeanor as always.

With his back to Sanada, he turned his head to look at him, who was trembling all over, and then did something strange.

"Rock, paper, scissors, face left, down, right, up."

With Tanegashima's instructions, Sanada surprisingly didn't win a single game.

Even Kirihara, watching from the sidelines, felt that Sanada, whom he considered a role model, was weak.

"Damn it... the match isn't over yet!"

"You can't even beat rock-paper-scissors, you can't beat us."

Sanada was furious after realizing he'd been tricked, but Akutsu, who had overheard Tanegashima's words, came over.

"Step aside, let me compete against him."

Seeing that Akutsu was also trying to save face, Sanada naturally had no objections.

Tanegashima had no further objections, and having already turned away, he returned to the net.

"Facing right... no, facing left or down."

Looking into Tanegashima's eyes, Akutsu began his psychological warfare.

However, Tanegashima was no match for Akutsu, Tanegashima immediately guessed Akutsu's move.

"He actually kept up with my movements!? In that case, let's try this."

After Tanegashima guessed correctly the first time, Akutsu instinctively wanted to start a second time.

Just as the second movement was about to be made, Akutsu's head movement stopped.

As for what followed Tanegashima's hand gestures, only Akutsu's eyes could tell.

"Akutsu... he held on..."

The crowd outside the arena was shocked to see that Akutsu had regained control of his movements.

"One more round..."

"Hey, the game is still going on, play your game well."

Tanegashima, still not satisfied, was about to continue when Ohmeguro Ryuji stopped him with his racket.

Although there was still a hint of regret on his face, Tanegashima had no choice but to give up.

"Hey, you can be proud. You're the only person I couldn't beat in rock-paper-scissors."

"That wasn't a win, but we weren't planning to lose anyway."

Tanegashima didn't find Akutsu's words particularly appealing; with the overall score already behind, the two were now only focused on turning the tide.

"We cannot let this continue. We must fight back."

On the baseline, Sanada tossed the ball up and then launched Swift as the Wind Storm.

"Didn't I say that no matter how many times we come, the result will be the same?"

Tanegashima Extinguished Zero chance to launch an attack. He returned the ball, and the tennis ball suddenly became very elusive.

Seeing this, Akutsu rushed to the net to save the ball, but it was too late.

Even though Akutsu to save the ball, it still landed half a meter away from him.

"Damn it, I missed it."

"Of course you couldn't catch it. I deliberately hit the ball where you couldn't reach it."

"Next time I'll get closer to him little by little."

Akutsu was quite unconvinced by Tanegashima's words.

However, no matter how Akutsu attacked or Sanada used the Black Dragon First Slash, it had no effect on Tanegashima.

Thump...

With the ball Extinguished Zero hitting again, Sanada and Akutsu tried to save it but were unable to, and the tennis ball landed again, scoring a point.

"One turning point won't work."

"What?"

"That guy reads your subtle movements with his eyes. I'll catch his ball; you just focus on changing direction."

"No, since it requires more twists and turns, then I'll give it a try."

After hearing Akutsu's analysis, Sanada decided to unleash even more of his power.

Seeing Sanada's serious expression, Akutsu understood that he was still hiding something.

"I can't believe you're still not going all out even at a point like this..."

"And what about you? Didn't you also not give it your all?"

Seeing Akutsu's questioning gaze, Sanada glared back without hesitation.

The two faced off for a few seconds before turning back to their respective positions.

The next moment, a black Aura appeared around Sanada, enveloping him.

Akutsu, on the other hand, was enveloped in a dark red aura and immediately activated his Manas Consciousness.