"Ten'i Muhō, huh? Looks like this move is pretty popular among middle schoolers~" Kimijima glanced deeply at Chitose and spoke slowly.
"Heh~ so what! I'll make sure to sacrifice all of you in blood!" Toono didn't care at all, his eyes still filled with cruelty as he glared at Tachibana and Chitose.
The fourth game was Tachibana's serve. Without a moment's hesitation, he unleashed Roar of the Lion. Kimijima had already built up some resistance to it. Though he still froze for an instant, at least his racket wasn't blasted away this time.
He managed to return the ball the next moment. But right after, a yellow blur shot between him and Toono. A heartbeat later, the sound of the ball landing came from behind them.
"15-0!"
"Don't underestimate the power of Ten'i Muhō, senpai!" Chitose had already appeared at the net without anyone noticing, his body wrapped in glowing blue particles, hair rising as if blown by an invisible wind. His voice was calm.
"So… fast! I didn't even see it clearly!" Kimijima's pupils shrank, his tone showing surprise.
"Already spreading that fast? Seems Chitose's mastery of Ten'i Muhō has reached perfection," Tezuka said evenly from the players' seats as he watched Chitose.
"He's always devoted himself to the power of Ten'i, so it's only natural he's achieved this level," Krauser added from the side.
"By the way, Tezuka! Since Echizen Ryōga was just expelled from camp, it seems you're left without an opponent," Kite said, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"We'll see what the coaches decide," Tezuka answered, face calm, eyes never leaving the court.
On court, Kimijima once again barely returned Tachibana's Roar of the Lion, but he could feel the difference. Compared to the last one, this ball was clearly stronger—he almost lost grip on his racket.
As the ball arced high, a figure glowing with blue particles suddenly leapt into the air. Chitose, who had rushed forward, smashed down with full force, sending the ball racing toward the baseline.
Kimijima hadn't even reacted yet, but Toono flashed to the backline just in time. He whipped his racket in an upward flick, and the ball flew high again with a crackling spark of electricity.
"Execution Method No. 12—Electric Chair!"
Chitose had only just landed when Tachibana suddenly soared up behind him. Balancing on one leg in midair, his racket wrapped in blazing red aura, he slashed down hard.
"Abare Dama!"
The court exploded with countless afterimages, raining down like flower petals. Ball shadows pounded the frontcourt, then bounced high into the air, scattering out of bounds.
"30-0!"
"Oh? That move's power is no weaker than your Pirates of the American, boss," Duke said with a smile, glancing at Byoudouin.
Byoudouin didn't answer. His gaze was locked on the match. In his eyes, the intensity of this shuffle battle was already on par with the World Cup.
When Tachibana returned to the baseline again, the fiery aura around him flared violently, making him look as if he were truly burning. He tossed the ball high, and as his racket struck, a massive phantom flickered behind him.
The ball seemed wrapped in flames as it shot straight into the opponent's court. Toono sprinted for the landing spot, but the instant he intercepted, a blazing lion-like beast lunged at him. A deafening roar shook his mind.
"Roar of the Lion King!"
Toono froze completely. The ball smashed into his racket and sent both him and it flying backward. He tumbled across the ground before finally regaining his senses.
"Ace! 40-0!"
As Toono used his racket to push himself up slowly, Tachibana had already tossed the ball again. This time, the phantom behind him was far clearer—the form of the fiery Suanni beast fully visible to all.
The ball blazed across the net, struck near the baseline, then shot upward like a cannon, slamming straight into Toono's abdomen just as he was standing up. The impact drove blood from the corner of his mouth as his body was blasted back down.
"Game! Second String Selection! 3-1!"
"If this is the kind of match you want, then I'll keep going until you can't stand anymore!" Tachibana's voice was ice-cold as he stared at Toono sprawled on the ground.
"You… bastard!!! Just wait, we'll see who falls first!" Toono roared back after catching his breath, his eyes filled with vicious fury.
Even though Toono spat out harsh words without fear, the match had already gone beyond what he and Kimijima could handle. Facing Tachibana and Chitose's full-force offense, their movements grew slower and slower under the erosion of Ten'i's radiance.
"0-15!"
"0-30!"
Both of Toono's serves were easily returned by Tachibana, while his racket was blasted away again and again by Roar of the Lion. Each massive impact knocked him to the ground repeatedly, leaving him in a miserable state.
After unleashing three consecutive Roars of the Lion, Tachibana finally exhaled slightly. This alternate-dimension technique consumed a lot of his strength. He had only wanted to vent his anger, and now that it was mostly out of his system, he began to regain his calm.
But Chitose had no intention of holding back. Seeing that Tachibana's rage was spent, he struck sharp, angled returns, paired with the elusive Kamikakushi. Kimijima and Toono were left completely helpless.
"0-40!"
"Game! Second String Selection! 4-1!"
Without a method to counter Ten'i's radiance, Ten'i Muhō was practically a broken move. You would find yourself unable to keep up with the opponent's shots, until eventually, you couldn't even see the ball at all.
Now Kimijima and Toono were in that very state. Under the erosion of Ten'i's glow, they could no longer track Chitose's ball path in time. Most of the time, all they saw was a blur, and then the ball had already flown past them.
In the sixth game, Chitose pushed Ten'i Muhō to the extreme. He fired four consecutive ultra-fast serves, and for Kimijima and Toono it felt no different from facing Ochi's Mach Serve—they couldn't even see when the ball landed.
"Game! Second String Selection! 5-1!"
"So this is the true essence of Ten'i Muhō? As expected, you only understand its power after experiencing it yourself," Kimijima exhaled, his face bitter.
"Don't… don't joke with me!!! How could I possibly lose to middle school brats!" Toono gritted his teeth, refusing to admit defeat.
Kimijima closed his eyes. He knew this set was already lost. Now he was thinking about how to break through Ten'i Muhō's suppression. Suddenly, his eyes opened, lingering on Chitose for a moment, and he muttered:
"Looks like I'll have to find a breakthrough from the person himself. Hopefully the pre-match negotiation will work…"
He tossed the ball up and served. This time, though, his serve was slower than before, and Chitose returned it effortlessly.
At this point, Toono's mind was filled only with the match and his obsession with execution. His eyes locked only on the tennis ball, as if entering a special state, somewhat like Yukimura's Zero Senses Tennis. But at best, this only slowed the erosion of Ten'i's glow.
He rushed to the landing spot, intercepting the ball just before it bounced out of bounds. The racket struck with its frame's tip, loading the shot with his will, and sent it back.
"Execution Method No. 11—Iron Maiden!"
The ball split into two after crossing the net, flying left and right to clamp Tachibana. But Tachibana easily dodged. The two balls, losing their target, merged again midair and streaked toward the baseline.
The next instant, Chitose appeared at the baseline, swinging hard. The ball turned into a streak of light, flashing across the net. Kimijima suddenly appeared to block, extending his racket with effort and barely deflecting the shot.
But it was useless. Tachibana was already at the net, leaping high, smashing down the rebounded ball. Neither Kimijima nor Toono had time to react as it crashed near the centerline and flew out.
"0-15!"
The same pattern repeated. Though Toono managed to chase balls and unleash various Execution Methods, their power was greatly reduced. Tachibana and Chitose dodged with ease, while Kimijima, even when predicting their shot paths, simply couldn't move his body fast enough.
"0-30!"
"0-40!"
"Game! 6-1! First set over! Winners, Second String Selection!"
As the umpire announced the result, Tachibana and Chitose had secured the first set. Kimijima, who had expected this outcome, wore a calm face, though his eyes stayed locked on Chitose.
Toono, however, couldn't accept it. He swung his racket furiously, until Kimijima dragged him off the court. For Mifune, there was no surprise at all—he had already foreseen the likely result before the match even began.