"Did Tanegashima-senpai just turn invisible?!" Kirihara rubbed his eyes in the stands, unsure of what he saw.
"Hah? What nonsense are you spouting, Kirihara! He only reduced his presence until it was almost nothing. But he can't hide from ore-sama's eyes!" Atobe sneered, bluntly revealing the principle behind Tanegashima's Ultimate Void.
"Probably only you and Akashi-kun can actually see Tanegashima-senpai. For everyone else, it's basically the same as being invisible." Shiraishi glanced at Atobe and Akashi, then spoke helplessly.
"The situation is delicate now. Niō's phantom 'Camus' plays in ways that are hard to predict, but Tanegashima-senpai's near-invisibility can also throw Fuji and Niō off completely. On top of that, Omagari-senpai and Tanegashima-senpai already seem to be adapting to 'Camus' style!" Inui frowned as he spoke.
While the middle schoolers discussed, Fuji served his second ball. This time his eyes locked on Tanegashima, but the instant he struck, Tanegashima vanished from his sight again.
Fuji quickly came up with a counter. He activated Light Wind, forcing his mind into high-speed dimension. In that frozen moment, the ball had already slipped past 'Camus' and was flying toward the back right corner.
Fuji rushed to that corner, returning the shot as time snapped back to normal. 'Camus' only reacted then, realizing that on the other side only Omagari remained, his face darkening.
Omagari didn't care about Fuji's return. His eyes were still fixed on 'Camus.' He had mostly adapted to revolutionary tennis already. A few more balls, and he could intercept normally.
The ball shot over the net and struck the backcourt. Just as it was about to bounce out, a strike sounded, and the ball vanished.
Even Fuji was helpless here. Light Wind required seeing the ball or the opponent's swing. Without Tanegashima or the ball in sight, there was nothing to predict. In the end, the ball landed on the baseline and flew out.
"0-30!"
"I knew it. Your ability to 'hear' the ball has a condition, doesn't it?" Tanegashima reappeared with a smile, addressing 'Camus.'
'Camus' stayed silent, but Tanegashima was right. His so-called 'love' was a special kind of Ten'i Muhō. Rather than hearing responses from ball or racket, it was his own self responding to himself.
Seeing the racket as his lover was simply his way of expressing his pure love for tennis. With absolute confidence, he could read and judge shots in advance. Through this filter of 'love,' it turned into guidance from the ball and racket.
By combining Ultimate Void and Halt Destruction Nothingness, Tanegashima completely countered both 'Camus' love and Fuji's Light Wind. Neither could make predictions without the crucial factors.
Fuji served again. This time Omagari received, but Tanegashima's figure disappeared once more. After returning Fuji's serve, Omagari sprinted for the net.
As Tanegashima's long-time doubles partner, he had a good sense of where Tanegashima would move. Without hesitation, he poured all focus into 'Camus.' Fuji? He trusted Tanegashima to handle him.
Then Omagari began a one-against-two performance at the net. With two rackets, his defensive range was massive. Meanwhile, 'Camus' and Fuji stayed tense, never knowing when Tanegashima would suddenly strike.
The match slipped into a strange rhythm of continuous rallies. As time passed, Omagari handled 'Camus' returns with increasing ease, practically suppressing Fuji and Niō by himself.
When Fuji hit a backhand White Dragon, Omagari didn't rush to the backcourt to intercept but stayed at the net. That made both Fuji and 'Camus' focus all their attention—because they knew this ball would be Tanegashima's.
Sure enough, as the ball began to plummet past the center line, a sharp strike sounded. The ball vanished before it hit the ground, and Tanegashima's figure appeared near the baseline.
Even though Fuji and 'Camus' reacted instantly at the sound, running in different directions, when the ball reappeared it was already bouncing out of bounds.
"0-40!"
'Tanegashima's move is basically a stronger version of Kuroko Tetsuya's Misdirection…' Akashi thought to himself on the coach's bench as he watched.
In Kuroko no Basuke, Kuroko used Kagami's overwhelming presence to develop visual misdirection, most famously the Vanishing Drive. Here, Tanegashima used Omagari's unique two-racket presence to push Ultimate Void to its limit.
Of course, the weakness was the same as Kuroko's misdirection. Against someone with extraordinary perception, the effect weakened—or even failed entirely. Like Takao's Hawk Eye in Kuroko no Basuke. Here, it didn't work on Atobe or Akashi either.
Back on court, Fuji served his fourth ball. Just like before, Omagari's full-force bursts pressured Fuji and Niō heavily. Add an invisible Tanegashima to the mix, and they couldn't fully focus on Omagari's assault.
"GAME! Japan Team! 5-2!"
With his two Void techniques, Tanegashima quickly claimed the seventh game. Fuji and Niō had no way around it. Fortunately, they still held the set advantage—they only needed one more game.
Niō canceled his 'Camus' illusion. With only first-year Camus' data, handling both Omagari and Tanegashima was impossible. And illusions could never replicate one-hundred-percent power anyway.
Still, Niō didn't transform into anyone else. Staying in his own form, he walked to the backcourt, eyes locked on Omagari Ryuji. That made Omagari a little taken aback—he was already used to Niō transforming.
"Out of tricks, or planning something else?" Omagari muttered suspiciously. He tossed the ball up and slammed another Arashi Tora. He didn't care what Niō was scheming—he'd crush it head-on.
With no clear way to counter Tanegashima's two Void techniques, Fuji and Niō fell into disadvantage. Though Omagari couldn't quickly take points either, this war of attrition was exactly what he wanted.
"15-0!"
"30-0!"
"40-0!"
The match dragged on. Fuji and Niō tried every way to stall, hoping to crack Tanegashima's troublesome techniques. But the score kept sliding against them.
When Omagari served again, Niō suddenly smirked. After Fuji returned the serve, he rushed forward. Across the net, Omagari unleashed another Arashi Tora without mercy.
As the two ball shadows bore down, Niō's figure blurred. In an instant he became Tanegashima, calmly intercepting the ball. The rotation and force drained away.
Then Niō's form shifted into 'Akutsu,' golden light surging in his left hand. His racket swung, transforming the ball into a massive golden orb blasting toward Omagari.
"Glowing Shot!"
Omagari's eyes sharpened. He started to move—but froze. Behind him, the invisible Tanegashima intercepted the glowing ball. A ripple spread from his racket, shrinking the light sphere back to a normal tennis ball, which he caught solidly.
"Even invisible, under the shine of light you still revealed yourself, Tanegashima-senpai!" Niō grinned slyly, his expression showing his trap had worked.