Muga no Kyochi!!

"Let me see, Yukimura Seiichi!"

Kamikawa bounced the tennis ball on the ground a few times, then looked up at Yukimura's figure ahead, taking a deep breath.

Toss, raise the racket, swing.

THWACK!!

This shot, the difference could still be seen, a serve that hugged the sideline, extremely threatening.

For a moment, that ethereal aura surged forth.

THWACK!!

The pale yellow tennis ball whizzed past Kamikawa's feet, leaving a shallow mark. Kamikawa turned his head to look at the ball mark on the court, a hint of surprise on his face.

"Muga no Kyochi!"

Instantly, the vortex of energy emanating from Yukimura dispersed the surrounding mist. A faint red aura surrounded him, the murky red blending into the milky white vortex. Yukimura slowly raised his head, his emerald-like eyes shining slightly.

"0-15!"

The referee also snapped back to attention and called out.

"So fast!"

Shishido couldn't even react, his pupils contracting.

How could it be this fast? Was the previous exchange not his true strength?

"So... so fierce!"

Mukahi murmured.

A point scored on the serve return without contact!

The movement was just too fast, like scoring a point in an instant.

The previous exchange was already astonishing, but now that the ethereal aura appeared, it completely changed Mukahi and Shishido's perceptions. It was even faster than before.

"Is this your aura?"

Seeing Yukimura's unique Muga, Kamikawa was startled and said while looking at Yukimura, "What I want to see isn't this thing."

Although Muga no Kyochi was a type of aura, Kamikawa knew in his heart that Muga no Kyochi was not the path Sanada and Yukimura were determined to follow.

Yukimura remained silent, holding his racket with one hand, and walked to the baseline.

"Interesting!"

Seeing Yukimura's lack of reaction, the smile on Kamikawa's face widened. "Let me see what kind of strength you can unleash now that you've stepped into Muga."

He raised his hand again, tossed the ball, and swung!

THWACK!!

This serve was just as fast and accurate as before, hugging the baseline in the service box's inverted triangle.

"Tap... tap tap..."

Yukimura moved along the baseline, returning the powerful serve with a backhand.

Crack!

In the Muga state, Yukimura's reaction speed, velocity, and power were significantly enhanced. Without needing to think too much, his body reacted first.

Crack!!

Crack!!!

Yukimura remained at the baseline, hitting the ball as soon as it bounced, sending it back with a reverse cross-court shot. He kept trading shots with Kamikawa, but Kamikawa didn't yield, chasing the ball along the baseline and prolonging the rally.

THWACK!!

"30-15!"

THWACK!!

"30-30!"

The score continued to rise alternately.

Kamikawa lowered his racket, the tennis ball grazing the strings, another high-quality slice shot.

However, this time Yukimura moved forward quickly and, the moment the ball bounced, returned it with a volley. Kamikawa quickly retreated and continued to return with a groundstroke.

Despite the continuous rallies, Yukimura, in his Muga state, wasn't gaining an advantage.

"Strange~"

Shishido watched the two players rally back and forth, feeling that something was off.

"What's wrong, Ryo?!"

Mukahi, who was engrossed in the match, heard Shishido's sigh.

"Don't you find it strange?"

Shishido found it increasingly strange; this game was taking an unusually long time.

Balls that he should have been able to win points with were being returned mercilessly by Kamikawa this round.

"It really is a bit strange."

Mukahi also realized something and nodded silently.

Bang!!

Yukimura quickly moved to the back left baseline to hit the ball, his expression darkening.

This wasn't the first time he had used the power of Muga no Kyochi; he had long since entered its deeper realms, possessing self-awareness and the ability to use corresponding tennis skills according to his own thoughts.

It was worth noting that Sanada hadn't even stepped foot into Muga no Kyochi yet, let alone being able to control self-awareness.

Sanada was undoubtedly a genius.

However, compared to Tezuka and Yukimura, he was still a bit short. Yukimura, at just ten years old, had swept through all of Kanagawa Prefecture, ending almost every match with a 6-0 score.

As for Tezuka, he had dominated various tournaments in Tokyo Prefecture with absolute strength.

It was important to remember that Tezuka, at this age, could already skillfully use the Tezuka Zone and had opened one of the three doors within the profound mysteries of Muga no Kyochi. Such talent, throughout history, had only been displayed by that one Samurai Nanjirou.

These two, having just graduated from elementary school and not yet entering junior high, possessed such strength. For tennis, especially for players who had been playing since childhood, 12 and 14 years old were developmental stages.

12 years old was the point of entering junior high, where physical functions would rapidly grow over time. The most typical example was Echizen Ryoma, who experienced rapid growth at the age of 12.

At 14 years old, during the transition from junior high third year to high school, the body would undergo a second development. The strength and speed gained from bone growth would allow for more rigorous training.

The two players on the court before them, if directly placed in a junior high tennis club, could become regular players, even capable of sweeping through the Kanto region and facing the national level!

Yukimura, who had mastered Muga no Kyochi, had already one foot in the national-level standard.

What incredible talent.

"If these two were in the same school in the future, that school would definitely dominate the nation."

Inoue put down his camera and murmured, "If they aren't in the same school, they will usher in a new golden age of tennis!!"

Bang!!

Bang!!!

This time, the two players' attacks became even more fierce, each shot landing precisely near the baseline.

Their extraordinary ball control ability was once again on display. The spectators off the court were now finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with the rhythm of these two.

After several exchanges, both sides were searching for the opponent's weaknesses.

Bang!!

2-2!

Bang!!

3-2!

Bang!!

3-3!

The score was incredibly tight, with both sides doing their best to secure their service games. After all, as long as their service game was intact, the score wouldn't widen.

In continuous rallies, if either side made a momentary mistake, the opponent would seize the opportunity, counterattack, and quickly score.

"Huff huff huff..."

Although it was Yukimura's service game, his breathing was noticeably uneven, and he was sweating more than twice his usual amount. In contrast, Kamikawa's sweat output during the confrontation was significantly less.

"You should have realized by now..."

Kamikawa's words startled Yukimura. Kamikawa smiled and said, "The side effects of Muga no Kyochi, you should know better than anyone."

"The stamina consumption is extraordinarily doubled. Although you can unconsciously unleash tennis skills, I haven't used any smash shots since the match began. You should know why."

From the moment Yukimura activated Muga no Kyochi, he had also tentatively hit a couple of lobs, trying to lure Kamikawa into smashing, but Kamikawa had avoided them all. He preferred to hit cross-court shots with less power rather than scoring with a more forceful smash.

Furthermore, in the previous exchanges, Yukimura likely hadn't seen many decent tennis skills, and even if he had, he disdained using them.

In this way, he had unintentionally blocked another ability of Muga no Kyochi: the ability to use special moves of other tennis players he had witnessed.