Approaching Perfection: Zero-style Slice!

Third Game.

Tezuka serves.

"I say, Tezuka."

Kamikawa stood at the baseline with his racket held level, smiling at Tezuka. "You can stop trying. I won't let you use your Domain Technique."

"Domain Technique?!"

The crowd off the court was bewildered.

What kind of strange move was that?

Only Sanada's pupils contracted upon hearing this, his face filled with disbelief.

Could it be that Tezuka had already attempted to use that move during their previous match?

Only to be suppressed by his opponent.

How did he manage it?!

Sanada looked at Kamikawa, utterly confused. He desperately wanted to know how Kamikawa had done it.

"Come on, Tezuka!!"

Seeing Tezuka's prolonged silence, Kamikawa lowered his stance, racket held in both hands, eyes fixed ahead.

Bang!!

Tezuka raised his hand and cleanly hit the tennis ball.

The serve landed precisely in the inverted triangle position of the service line.

Kamikawa didn't hesitate, moving forward quickly. As the tennis ball bounced up, he unleashed a fast, straight drive.

Thwack!!

A crisp sound.

Tezuka lowered his racket face and once again hit a Zero-style Slice.

The tennis ball skimmed over the center line and began to drop rapidly. Kamikawa charged forward a step ahead. Tezuka had a brief pause in his motion when hitting the slice shot.

Having been with Tezuka for years, Kamikawa knew this small habit of his.

Though the ball seemed to come suddenly, it was still within Kamikawa's control. He ran to the net and flicked his racket upward, the only way to handle a tennis ball with such a low trajectory.

The most brilliant aspect of the Zero-style Slice was that the tennis ball would roll backward in a bizarre manner the moment it landed. Even if Tezuka hadn't reached that level yet, it would still bounce back slightly.

Just as Kamikawa was hitting a lob shot.

The next moment, Tezuka suddenly appeared in front, leaping into the air.

A milky white vortex swirled around him, an aura that seemed deeper than what Yukimura or Sanada had displayed. Then, with a snap.

The tennis ball zipped past Kamikawa and slammed into the court behind him.

"15-0!"

"Muga no Kyochi?!"

Shishido and Mukahi hadn't understood this state before.

It wasn't until they saw Kamikawa's match against Yukimura that morning that they fully grasped it.

Only tennis players who surpassed their limits were qualified to venture into this realm.

And now, it had appeared on this court once again.

"Come on, Kamikawa. Give me your full concentration!"

The aura of Muga no Kyochi continuously amplified Tezuka's abilities like a vortex. Unlike Yukimura and Sanada, Tezuka had now opened one of the doors to the profound secrets of Muga no Kyochi.

Limit of a Hundred Refinements!

Bang!!

"30-0!"

Bang!!

"40-0!"

With Muga no Kyochi activated, Tezuka was hitting almost every ball on the line, his control having improved by a significant margin. Furthermore...

Tezuka lowered his racket face and unleashed a high-quality slice shot.

Zero-style!

Kamikawa charged forward quickly, without the slightest hesitation.

The moment the tennis ball hit the ground, it spun violently and rolled straight towards the net.

For a moment, the entire venue was exceptionally quiet, everyone staring with wide eyes at the tennis ball that landed within Kamikawa's court.

"Game, Tezuka, 2-1!"

The umpire's voice broke the silence both on and off the court.

"What... what was that just now?!"

"The tennis ball... the tennis ball actually rolled straight backward."

"This... this is a tennis skill an elementary school student could pull off."

After a long pause, the spectators outside the court gasped.

"Mukahi, did... did you see that?"

Shishido instinctively looked to Mukahi beside him. He had never seen a tennis skill like that before.

Tezuka's previous slice shot technique was already astonishing, but compared to this slice shot before him, it was completely incomparable.

"I... I'm watching, Ryo~"

Mukahi was also bewildered.

When this guy played against him...

He clearly hadn't used any similar moves. Even that bouncing slice shot hadn't been used.

Likewise, Sanada, who had lost to Tezuka, had a drastic change in expression.

He had thought that mastering Muga no Kyochi would bring him closer, but now it seemed he had been further distanced by the opponent.

"Did he... complete that slice shot?!"

After seeing Tezuka's slice shot, Sanada knew deep down that his previous slice shots were imperfect, and this current slice shot was its true perfect form.

One had to know that even among junior high school students, the golden generation, the generation about to graduate...

No one had ever been able to pull off such a terrifying slice shot.

Once this slice shot landed, it was a guaranteed point.

With just this slice shot, and relying on the boost from Muga no Kyochi, Tezuka now, looking across the junior high division, might be considered near-national level, or even able to face players who had barely stepped into the national realm.

After all, Tezuka was only in his sixth year of elementary school, just about to enter junior high.

Such strength, such composure, was truly rare.

"I wonder which team these two will join in the future."

Inoue couldn't help but exclaim, watching the two on the court.

For some reason, he saw traces of Echizen Nanjirou in these two, the legendary Samurai.

Especially in Tezuka Kunimitsu!

This also made him involuntarily think of a school.

He was old acquaintances with the coach of that school, a long-standing renowned tennis school in Tokyo, Seigaku.

"As expected."

Seeing Tezuka's Muga no Kyochi, the smile on Kamikawa's face gradually deepened. "With your strength, you could have activated Muga no Kyochi long ago, and you could also use it to perfect the Zero-style Slice."

As expected of Tezuka Kunimitsu, the top young talent. Compared to Yukimura, Tezuka's strength, before his injury, was boundless. After all, his talent was said to be the closest to that legendary Samurai.

"Alright then."

Kamikawa tossed the ball. "Let me see your Limit of a Hundred Refinements now!"

BANG!!

Kamikawa served.

This serve was faster, more urgent, and more accurate.

Tezuka quickly moved forward, met the tennis ball, and swung, aiming for the opponent's backhand. Kamikawa, as if anticipating it, stepped into position and returned the shot.

BANG!!

The tennis ball landed in Tezuka's court. Tezuka sidestepped, lowered his racket, and hit the ball.

"Another slice shot?"

He narrowed his eyes, but his movements didn't slow as he rushed forward again.

After mastering the Muga no Kyochi, his abilities in all aspects had significantly improved, the most crucial being his own control over the ball.

One had to know that the most critical aspect of the Zero-style Slice was imparting that unique spin to the tennis ball.

Previously, Tezuka was limited by his physical condition and couldn't impart the right amount of spin. However, with the activation of Muga no Kyochi and the improvement of his fundamental abilities, his physical limitations were quickly overcome.

Thinking of this, his movements quickened, and before the tennis ball could land, he proactively lobbed it back.

SNAP!!

The tennis hung in mid-air, and the next second, a figure leaped up.

BANG!!

Tezuka executed a fierce smash.

Kamikawa turned his back and unleashed another Giant Bear Return. Tezuka landed and quickly spun around, charging towards the baseline. The moment the tennis bounced off the ground, he hit it back.

Nice shot!!