"Byoudouin-kun's alternate dimension changed again? Could it be he broke through on the spot?" Saitō Itaru said in surprise, his tone uncertain.
"Looks like it. Didn't expect such a surprise. Did he break through his own limits under Akashi's crushing power?" Mifune was happy that Byoudouin's strength had strengthened further.
"Because Byoudouin's mental power was too strong, he couldn't feel even the slightest regret or unwillingness! Two years ago, I thought this would be a fatal flaw for his growth and evolution, so I sent him to learn the Divine Path of the Asura, to raise his mental power to a level where he could freely control it.
"After that, I suggested he face a top professional strong enough to crush his inner pride, to shatter the cage locking him down! Who knew that after returning, he would gain the power of rebirth through fire!" After his joy, Mifune slowly explained Byoudouin's growth.
"Phoenix… immortal bird, huh? You really live up to your name, Byoudouin!" Tanegashima said with emotion from the stands.
"So that's it. Then Byoudouin-senpai's constant targeting of Tokugawa was to force out all of Tokugawa's potential, and then, with Tokugawa's hand, drive Byoudouin into desperation, completing his rebirth in fire?" Mitsuya said thoughtfully after hearing Mifune's words.
"Oh? Because Oni refused to fight, Byoudouin turned his aim to Tokugawa? That's just like you~" Omagari also said in sudden realization.
Although Byoudouin's character grew extreme after losing at the French World Cup, he wasn't someone who only raged helplessly. On the contrary, Byoudouin had strong leadership. His high-pressure policy in the camp was all to push someone to challenge him.
Once he was forced into a corner, Byoudouin could rely on his willpower and his rebirth in fire to strengthen himself further. He knew very well that as he was now, he absolutely couldn't defeat Germany's Volk.
Unfortunately, in the original story, Tokugawa suffered internal injuries after blocking a Glowing Shot for Ryōma. During his match with Byoudouin, just as he gained the upper hand with Black Hole, his body completely collapsed.
But Tokugawa didn't even need to step in then, because Ryōga was right there. With his personality, he would never let Ryōma get hurt. And besides, Byoudouin always avoided fighting Ryōga, so that matter likely would've ended without incident.
On the court now, Byoudouin launched another powerful serve, but this time Akashi had already seen the path ahead. He moved quickly to the landing point and sent the ball straight back.
In the mental world, the third-stage Undying Pirate changed again. The once skeletal body rapidly grew flesh. In an instant, a captain-garbed Byoudouin Houou stood on the pirate ship's deck.
Pirate Byoudouin.
This was the ability born from fully developing his alternate dimension. It was a reverse form of synchronization. If Oni's Legendary Radiance unified his own actions with his alternate dimension, then Byoudouin fused his beliefs with his phantom, using his will to control the actions of the alternate dimension.
In the mental world, the pirate-formed Byoudouin began a fierce assault on Akashi's domain. Cannons blasted, cold weapons slashed, and for a moment he almost stood even with Gilgamesh.
In reality, Byoudouin had risen again, engaging Akashi in a fierce rally. Even with his shots seen through, his raw explosive power let him cover his openings.
He charged the net, spread both arms wide, and struck a level shot at the ball. It transformed into a giant flaming bird soaring toward Akashi.
"Chinese Phoenix Dance!"
But Akashi had already moved to the drop point. His racket intercepted the firebird. It dissolved instantly, and the ball vanished from his strings. At the same time, a spatial rift opened before him, and a magnificent holy sword thrust toward Byoudouin.
"Gate of Babylon—Durandal!"
In the mental realm, just as Durandal was about to pierce Pirate Byoudouin, a massive figure blocked his path with a huge wooden hammer—it was Duke Watanabe in sailor garb!
One after another, sailors appeared on the deck, their faces those of the other First String members—Omagari, Tanegashima, Toono, Kimijima, Ochi, Irie—and even Oni himself.
Under Pirate Byoudouin's command, they all joined together to block Durandal's strike. Then, gathering their strength, they unleashed a massive counterattack. A blazing green-flame cannonball slammed into Gilgamesh's armor, erupting in a tremendous explosion.
The united strike of all.
In reality, Byoudouin gritted his teeth, gripping his racket with both hands as he forcibly blocked Akashi's return. With a roar, he poured in all his strength, swinging his racket mightily. The ball turned into a giant beam, skimming past Akashi and slamming into the backcourt, raising a cloud of dust before bouncing out.
"30-0!"
The First String members sat in the stands, each with complicated expressions as they looked at Byoudouin. None of them had expected to see their own figures within Byoudouin's alternate dimension illusion. It meant that deep down, he had always regarded them as his most important comrades.
'So… am I being cast as the final villain here? Does it have to be this dramatic?' Akashi complained inwardly, though his face stayed calm, as if unfazed by losing the point.
"Dreams gathered, aiming for the peak! Such willpower… even I can't help but feel some respect! But, Byoudouin! Do you understand that so-called dreams are destined to be shattered! That's why, I'll show you the end of the world!" Akashi's tone was cold as he spoke.
As his words fell, the Gilgamesh phantom behind him pulled a strange golden key from the void. Blinding light shone from his hand as countless red energy crystals erupted into the air, quickly condensing together into an orange sphere floating before him.
The key to unlocking a Noble Phantasm.
"Could this be… that move?!" Oni shot up to his feet, his voice trembling. The surrounding First String members had never seen Oni react like this and immediately turned their eyes to him.
But the sound of Byoudouin's serve snapped everyone's attention back to the court. In the mental world, from within the sphere emerged a bizarre cylindrical longsword inscribed with crimson runes.
The three rotating cylinders on its blade slowly began to turn, releasing waves of energy outward. A massive storm of magic disrupted Byoudouin's sea, with hurricanes and lightning forming from nothing as the pirate ship rocked violently on the waters.
Energy concentrating.
"At the dawn of creation, even the void offered its prayer! To tear apart the world, I am the Sword of Rupture! The mortar of the stars, the heavens as hell, the twilight before creation's end! Let your destruction bring peace to all! — Enuma Elish!" Akashi flashed to the drop point, chanting words like an incantation.
The moment his racket struck the ball, endless red light engulfed the court, far brighter than Kintarō's "Super Ultra Great Delicious Mountain Storm."
In the mental world, the tip of Gilgamesh's Sword of Rupture gathered crimson energy beyond measure. He leveled it at Byoudouin's sea, unleashing an indescribably vast red beam that swept across the entire domain in an instant.
The ocean split in two, the ship vanished, and even the sky shattered, exposing the abyssal chaos beneath. Byoudouin's domain was obliterated—seas evaporated, skies collapsed, and endless void lightning swallowed everything. This was Gilgamesh's strongest anti-world Noble Phantasm, the Sword of Rupture.
In reality, under the crimson glare, Byoudouin's vision failed him. Relying on instinct alone, he still swung without retreat. But within the cloud of smoke and dust, a warped and broken racket flew out.
"30-15!"
No one paid attention to the umpire's score. All eyes were fixed on the thick smoke over Byoudouin's side of the court. As it cleared, the crowd collectively drew sharp breaths.
Byoudouin knelt on the ground, eyes rolled white, his entire body smeared in blood. Both his alternate dimension and Shura Path aura had completely vanished—not simply dispersed with unconsciousness, but erased at the root.
"In this broken world, can you still be reborn from the flames, Byoudouin Houou?" Akashi's golden lightning-filled eyes looked down on him, his voice calm and indifferent.
"My tennis… my dream… my belief… is it… over here? In the end… I still couldn't…" Byoudouin whispered weakly, before collapsing forward.
"Byoudouin Houou has lost consciousness. The match is over! Final score, 2-0! Winner, Second String Selection!"