"Hahahaha! This is great! I'll return this pain to you a hundredfold! Let's hope you last until my blood sacrifice is complete!" Toono, after a brief daze, only grew more excited. He grinned wickedly at Tachibana.
He grabbed another ball, tossed it high, and swung down with a sharp twist of his wrist. "Feel the pain! Execution Method No. 9—Five Horses Dismemberment!" His voice turned shrill.
The ball spun violently over the net, bounced near Chitose, and split into five shadows shooting toward his limbs and head. Chitose had been ready—he activated Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami the moment Toono tossed the ball. Empowered by Muga's energy, his legs slid sideways, dodging the strike. He swung and cut forward.
The five shadows merged, the real ball connecting with his racket—then vanished completely. Chitose had hit his refined Kamikakushi. "As reflective as a mirror!" Kimijima suddenly flashed to the net, blocking with his racket. The vanished ball reappeared on his strings, ricocheted at a sharp angle, and flew out of bounds.
"15-30!"
Chitose frowned slightly at Kimijima's calm expression. Something felt off, though he couldn't place it. Tachibana, however, never looked away from Toono.
"Kimijima Ikuto, huh? Emotional intelligence really is a terrifying weapon," Akashi murmured, watching as Chitose fell into Kimijima's subtle verbal traps.
Kimijima's tennis style resembled Irie's—both exploited opponents' mental states. The difference was that Irie relied on piercing insight, while Kimijima used words, negotiation, to control the flow. Though Tachibana and Chitose knew Kimijima's reputation from their time training at U-17, they had never faced him directly. Their guard was weaker than it should have been.
Meanwhile, Toono served again, skipping his Execution Methods this time. He simply hammered the ball at Chitose's body—that was his style, every shot aimed at the man.
Chitose sidestepped, spun back, and sliced sharply as the ball bounced. The spin was eerie, and the ball kicked up at Toono's face like a mirrored return of a topspin serve. But Toono had seen countless body shots before. He tilted his head, whipping his racket across. The ball streaked toward Tachibana's throat.
"Execution Method No. 5—Columbian Neck Tie!"
But Tachibana was faster. He rushed headlong, letting inertia fuel his swing. He angled his frame sharply, slamming the ball into a dozen phantom strikes all converging on Toono. "Abare Dama!"
"That kind of trick won't fool me! Execution Method No. 3—Buried Alive!" Toono scoffed. He read the real ball instantly and scooped it upward, sending a monstrous topspin lob into the sky. It soared over Tachibana, then dropped like a hammer toward his head. "Kippei, behind you!" Chitose shouted. Tachibana backpedaled quickly, barely avoiding it.
The ball hit the ground and shot forward toward the net. Tachibana couldn't reset in time. The ball clipped the cord and rolled dead onto the court.
"30-30!"
"Tch… quick reflexes, I'll give you that," Toono muttered, not satisfied despite scoring. He was irritated his Execution hadn't struck Tachibana directly.
The truth was, Toono Atsukyou's raw skill had already reached world-class. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to execute such techniques as the Execution Methods. Creating those varied effects with a tennis ball was something ordinary players could never dream of.
But Toono's personality and tastes were bizarre. Not only did he enjoy executing opponents on court, he even liked eating bloody fresh organs. Whenever Toono ate, the rest of the First String members stayed far away from him.
Tachibana's expression grew heavy. He didn't fear Toono's attacks, but while Toono aimed for the body, his tennis technique was not at all weaker than his or Chitose's.
"Now the blood sacrifice continues! Execution Method No. 7—The Brass Bull of Phalaris!" Toono laughed madly as he tossed the ball up.
At the moment of impact, he created intense friction, heating the ball until it carried blazing energy. As it bounced and shot toward Chitose, Chitose focused all of Muga's power into his left hand and swung hard.
A wave of scorching heat traveled from the racket into Chitose's palm, like being thrown into a sauna. Even so, he forced the ball back across the net.
Toono grew even more excited. He barked at Kimijima not to interfere and charged forward. The ball, enhanced by Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami's double spin, now burned hotter, flickering with faint flames. But Toono knew his Execution well. With a savage forehand, he redirected the ball straight at Tachibana's face.
"Execution Method No. 4—Pear of Anguish!"
Tachibana raised his racket just in time. The ball seemed to swell unnaturally as it struck the strings, but he countered with brute force, hammering it back toward Toono's head.
At once, Toono and Tachibana slipped into a pseudo-singles brawl. Neither cared for standard play. Toono unleashed Execution after Execution, while Tachibana answered with brutal body shots. It looked nothing like a proper tennis match.
Finally, Tachibana's Roar of the Lion knocked Toono's racket clean from his grip again. Toono's face darkened. He was furious—twice now, a middle schooler had blown his racket away.
"30-40!"
"Good. Looks like I'll need to increase the intensity of your execution." Toono rotated his wrist, glaring across the net.
"Try it if you can!" Tachibana shot back without flinching.
Kimijima watched the two, a faintly amused smile at his lips. His gaze swept over Chitose again, adjusting his glasses before resuming his silent observation.
Toono returned to the baseline and blasted a super high-speed serve at Chitose. His focus was fixed entirely on Tachibana; he didn't care much for Chitose. Chitose simply retreated a step and sliced the return with his backhand.
By then Toono had already rushed the net. His eyes locked on Tachibana's racket, and a cruel grin spread across his face. His racket cut a blur as it struck the ball.
"Hold that racket tight, brat! Execution Method No. 1—Seppuku!" Toono snarled as he struck.
At his words, Tachibana instinctively tightened his grip. The next moment, a crushing impact exploded at the tip of his racket, forcing his arm back. The butt of his handle slammed brutally into his abdomen.
Pain lanced through his stomach, staggering him backward. The ball soared skyward. Toono suddenly appeared midair above the net, his racket poised high.
"Die! Execution Method No. 8—Inquisitor's Judgement!" Toono screamed shrilly as he spiked.
The spinning ball streaked down toward Tachibana's right shoulder. But Chitose's figure flashed in front of him. His left hand slashed across the incoming ball, and it vanished off his racket.
"Kamikakushi!"
A sharp thud echoed at Toono's feet. The ball suddenly reappeared, bounced, and flew out of bounds before Toono or Kimijima could react.
"GAME! Second String Selection! 1-0!"