"Natural disaster? Don't joke with me, pirates are beings who can conquer the sea!" Byoudouin didn't care at all about what Akashi said. He directly launched his fourth high-speed serve, the ball surging with powerful impact as it flew to the other side.
Akashi swiftly reached the landing point and returned the heavy serve, but Byoudouin was already at the net, snapping his wrist and flicking the ball.
The ball was instantly shot back, grazing the top of the net before flying high into the sky. The next moment, countless balls began to fall from above into Akashi's half, like a storm of giant hail.
"Libya's Gargantual Hail!"
But under everyone's stunned gazes, Gilgamesh raised his longbow high and shot a golden arrow into the sky. A massive magic circle appeared, covering almost the entire sky. A colossal golden holy spear then plummeted down.
A raging flood instantly engulfed the whole court. All of the countless balls Byoudouin unleashed were swept away, crashing against the pirate ship across the field. That tiny ship could never withstand such overwhelming waves and was soon completely submerged.
Byoudouin's entire alternate dimension space collapsed under the flood. The skeleton pirate was gone, and even the illusion itself almost shattered. In reality, Byoudouin stood dazed, motionless as the ball passed right by him.
"Gate of Babylon—Sword of End, Enki!"
"GAME! Second String Selection! 4-1!"
"You want to lead the Japan Team to conquer the world, but with your current strength, it's far from enough, Byoudouin." Akashi looked at the vacant-eyed Byoudouin and spoke in an even tone.
"Even though it's the second time seeing Akashi-chan use that move, it's still unbelievably overwhelming!" Tanegashima said in awe.
"The impact on the spirit is immense. Back then I nearly forgot to breathe, like I was really drowning in that flood." Tokugawa shared his earlier experience.
"This might not even be Akashi-kun's true strongest power…" Oni muttered unconsciously, as if recalling something.
On the court, after a moment's stupor, dark light flared from Byoudouin's body, snapping him back to awareness. Cold sweat trickled down his face—the feeling just now was something he had never experienced before.
Fortunately, Byoudouin's mental strength was formidable. He wasn't completely crushed by the spiritual assault, but knowing he had already exerted most of his strength yet still couldn't score a point left his mind unsettled.
The sixth game was Akashi's service game. As Byoudouin tried to calm himself, a pair of massive pupils suddenly appeared in his mind, ringed by golden halos that radiated unparalleled pressure.
"Mental Pressure!"
Akashi had only now activated Mental Pressure, because he knew the timing was right. At the start, Byoudouin's willpower was too strong, making it ineffective—just as Ochi's Mental Assassination had no effect on him.
But now, with Byoudouin's spirit repeatedly battered, Mental Pressure could finally unleash its full force. Without hesitation, Akashi used it.
When Akashi served with extreme speed, Byoudouin felt his movements grow sluggish, as if a mountain was pressing down on him. Thanks to the boost from Shura Path, it didn't immediately break his play.
Yet as the rallies continued, he gradually couldn't keep up with Akashi's rhythm, facing once again the result of total suppression. This time, however, he had no other methods left.
"15-0!"
"30-0!"
"40-0!"
"GAME! Second String Selection! 5-1!"
Seeing Byoudouin completely dominated, the First String players all showed disbelief. Some had believed in Akashi from the start, but none had expected Byoudouin to be reduced to such a state.
Before Oni broke through, Byoudouin was the only one on the Japan Team with professional-level strength. That was why they had the confidence to rake in points during overseas tours this past year.
With their quarterfinal finish at the World Tournament in France and the battles fought in recent years, Japan's world ranking had climbed from 31 to 23. It might look like fewer than ten places, but the points difference was massive.
During the timeout, Mifune looked at Byoudouin beside him and couldn't help sighing. He still remembered that phone call to Akashi earlier this year. Back then, he only wanted Akashi to balance out Byoudouin's tyranny and extremism a little, but who would have thought Akashi would completely crush him.
And looking at Akashi now, he wasn't necessarily much better than Byoudouin. Maybe not as extreme, but in terms of dominance, he seemed even worse. Mifune couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry.
Of course, as Japan's No.1, strength wasn't enough. Dominance was also required; otherwise, how could you control players with such different temperaments? As long as it didn't reach Byoudouin's level of obsession, Mifune would be satisfied.
Thinking of this, Mifune turned his gaze to Akashi. Although all the middle schoolers naturally followed his lead, even the less talented ones were never treated as useless by him. In fact, Mifune knew that every middle schooler here had received Akashi's guidance in some form.
When the timeout ended, Byoudouin seemed to have made up his mind. His eyes became unwaveringly firm as he stepped to the baseline. The aura of Shura Path no longer cloaked his whole body but instead coiled around him like a serpent.
Suddenly veins bulged on his face. Tossing the ball up, dozens of Byoudouin's figures appeared on the court, each in a different serving stance. This was one of the ultimate secrets of Ashura Divine Path—Eighth Consciousness!
Here it's worth explaining the difference between Eighth Consciousness and Eight Consciousness. Eighth Consciousness, also called Amala or the eighth sense, is the limit of human sensory development. Eight Consciousness, however, surpasses human limits entirely, and once activated, it burns away the user's very life force.
The ball skimmed past Akashi, slammed into the back corner, and shot out of bounds. Akashi hadn't moved a single step from where he stood.
"Ace! 15-0!"
"Isn't that Akutsu's Eighth Consciousness? But Byoudouin-senpai actually pulled off so many attack stances in an instant! Unbelievable!" Jackal exclaimed from the stands, his face filled with shock.
"No! Even Akutsu couldn't reach this level! Byoudouin Houou… if it weren't Akashi across from him, none of us could stand against this. Even Oni-senpai might not…" Tachibana Kippei was shaken to his core by Byoudouin's display of Eight Consciousness.
"Akutsu could barely handle nine attack stances before his ankles gave out, but Byoudouin-senpai's serve just now… what kind of burden did that put on his body!" Chitose couldn't help but feel respect.
Unlike others, Fudomine's members knew very well how devastating Eighth Consciousness was on the body. Even with Akutsu's superhuman physique, he could only manage eight attack stances before his body started to suffer.
For Byoudouin to unleash countless attack motions in a single instant was something they had never even dared to imagine. His natural body talent wasn't stronger than Akutsu's—reaching this level was entirely through his own willpower.
"To go so far for victory? To waste your own lifespan on this? You've really let me down, Byoudouin!" Akashi frowned deeply at Byoudouin's full eruption. It was the first time in the match his expression had changed so drastically.
But Byoudouin ignored him, continuing to use Eight Consciousness and unleashing countless attack motions at the serve. To Akashi, it was pointless—his Emperor Eye was the natural counter to Eight Consciousness.
Still, Akashi wasn't about to let Byoudouin keep burning his life away. After seeing through the correct path of the ball, Akashi made a move that left everyone stunned. Mifune even leapt from the coach's seat in shock—the sight before them was simply too overwhelming.
Behind Akashi, a second alternate dimension projection suddenly appeared. A figure clad in white robes with long, grass-green hair stood surrounded by countless chains. Their refined features were so delicate it was impossible to tell their gender.
Enkidu.
"Alternate Dimension—Heaven's Chains, Enkidu!"