Thwack!
Thwack!!
The two kept speeding up their attacks. Kamikawa, who had the serve, charged the net after serving several times and occasionally tossed up a few high lobs, forcing Tezuka to smash them.
Their attacks were ferocious.
Of everyone watching from the sidelines, only Yukimura could keep up with the pace. The rest...
Even Sanada couldn't keep up with Tezuka and Kamikawa.
"This... I..."
Sanada glanced at Yukimura beside him and saw that he was watching, lost in thought.
At that moment, Sanada knew...
He'd lost again.
"Kamikawa, he..."
With every return, Tezuka's expression grew more solemn.
Having activated Muga no Kyochi and reached an even deeper level of its power, Tezuka's perception had continued to sharpen. He couldn't help being impressed by the strength Kamikawa was displaying.
Earlier, he'd still been able to spot mistakes. Now, he hadn't seen a single one.
Even though his own abilities had improved, he still couldn't find his opponent's weakness.
There was only one possibility.
Kamikawa was holding back!!
In such an intense match, their strength and speed had initially been evenly matched. Tezuka's activation of Muga no Kyochi should have broken that balance, but it hadn't. Instead, they'd reached an unusual stalemate.
Tezuka knew the drawbacks of Muga no Kyochi. Kamikawa knew them too.
Tezuka had already demonstrated its power in their friendly match before the JR Tournament.
However, during that earlier match, Tezuka had used the Tezuka Zone several times. This time, Kamikawa had sealed off his Domain Technique. Even after activating Muga no Kyochi, Tezuka hadn't managed to break through.
Thwack!
Thwack!!
The two figures raced across the court.
Tezuka's movements weren't sluggish at all. If anything, he attacked more fiercely with every shot. His shots sped up, yet maintained their previous quality, each one aimed at Kamikawa's weakest point.
But in the face of Tezuka's relentless attack, Kamikawa's returns remained steady and precise.
"This is..."
Kamikawa sensed the spin on the ball growing stronger with every shot.
Was this guy still trying to use the Tezuka Zone?!
Then let's see him try!!
Thwack!!
"Game, Kamikawa, 2–2!"
Thwack!
"Game, Tezuka, 3–2!"
Thwack!!
"Game, Kamikawa, 3–3!"
The score stayed neck and neck.
As the rallies intensified, sweat gradually appeared on both players' foreheads.
Thwack!!
Tezuka lowered his racket and once again hit a high-quality Zero-style Slice.
Skrrr!
The instant the ball bounced, it began rolling backward on its own.
"Game, Tezuka, 4–3!"
"Change sides!"
The umpire raised his hand and called out.
The seventh game was over. The players changed sides and got a brief rest.
"Muga no Kyochi is certainly powerful, but how long can you keep it up when you can't use your Domain Technique?"
Kamikawa passed Tezuka, then stopped and spoke calmly.
There wasn't a trace of a smile on his face, only a solemn expression.
Tezuka had used the Zero-style Slice several times in this match. That shot already put considerable strain on his elbow, and on top of that, he'd been imparting a unique spin to the ball from the very beginning.
From the start of the match, Tezuka had been subtly increasing the spin on the ball. That particular spin was also key to forming a Domain Technique.
First the Tezuka Zone, then the Zero-style Slice. Even if his elbow didn't have a problem already, Tezuka would wear it down until it did.
"I want to win."
He lifted his head. Sunlight flashed off his gold-rimmed glasses, making them gleam brilliantly.
Yes.
He wanted to win!
Tezuka had a pride all his own. Before he'd even joined Seigaku's tennis club, all he'd wanted was to win every match he entered.
That was also why, in another timeline, Tezuka had gone looking for the JR Tournament's finalists—Sanada and Yukimura—to challenge them after arriving late.
He wanted to win. Even though he'd missed the tournament, he'd still sought out its finalists to prove that he was no weaker than anyone else.
Kamikawa tightened his grip on his racket. This guy was still far too stubborn.
No matter which timeline it was, he was always the same. At Seigaku, he stood his ground for everyone. In Germany, he did it for himself. He never strayed from his own path.
That was precisely why Kamikawa couldn't lose this match.
"The Limit of a Hundred Refinements. How much strength do you even have left to use?"
Kamikawa glanced at Tezuka and spoke as if to himself. "It's about time to end this."
"What?!"
Tezuka froze and turned to look at Kamikawa.
But Kamikawa ignored him, took a ball from the ball boy, and walked toward the baseline.
"That guy..."
Yukimura rested both hands on the net, tense as he watched Kamikawa.
He still had something up his sleeve?
Was it a bluff, or was it true?!
Yukimura's thoughts grew complicated.
If it was true, that would mean Kamikawa hadn't used all his strength against him in their earlier match.
"Phew..."
Kamikawa gripped his racket tightly and took a deep breath.
The next moment,
Kamikawa tossed the ball high into the air. He bent his knees, leaned forward, and leaped, all in one fluid motion. As the ball began to descend, his arm swung forward, driving the racket through with a sharp snap of his forearm.
Whirrrrr!!
A piercing sound rang out!
The luminous yellow ball shot into Tezuka's side of the court like a cannonball.
Then it followed a bizarre, twisted trajectory, skimming right past Tezuka's feet.
Boom!!
The yellow glow vanished as the ball slammed into the concrete wall behind the court and shot back up into the sky.
Tezuka's pupils shrank to pinpoints. He remained in the same crouched position, ready to return the shot, as if frozen in place.
"1, 15–0!"
The umpire's voice trembled. It was the first time he'd ever seen a serve so terrifying.
"Hsss..."
The instant the umpire spoke, everyone outside the court drew in a sharp breath.
A direct point!
An ace!
It was the only serve in the match to score a direct point. Even when Tezuka had activated Muga no Kyochi, he hadn't ended a rally outright with a serve.
The only ace of the match—and an exceptionally impressive one.
"W-what was that just now?"
Sanada's voice trembled.
"That trajectory... The angle was far too extreme."
Mukahi swallowed. "And the force it bounced away with."
"The curve of the spin on that serve was absurd."
Shishido recalled the bizarre shadow that had flashed across the court.
The serve had been incredibly fast. The instant it hit the ground, it bounced at an extremely low angle, with a shocking amount of spin. It looked like it was slithering across the court, before suddenly slamming into the wall and ricocheting upward.
W-was this really a serve a person could hit?!
"When... when did he learn that serve?"
Tezuka came back to his senses and turned to look at the mark the ball had left on the concrete wall. The serve had spun at incredible speed, and the ball had also shaken violently. Then there was the angle of its bounce...
"I'm coming for you, Tezuka!"
Kamikawa's lips curled upward as he rolled his shoulders.
This was Kamikawa's very own serve—Dancing Golden Snake!
Thwack!!
Soon, Kamikawa hit another Dancing Golden Snake.
The instant the ball hit the ground, it shot forward in a rapid, wobbling bounce, skimming almost flush with the surface.
This time, Tezuka reacted in time, but the ball flew past him, slammed into the wall, and shot upward!
"30–0"
Thwack!
"40–0!"
Thwack!!
"Game! Kamikawa, 4–4!"
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