Milky stepped forward to intercept the oncoming ball, but just as his racket was about to connect, the ball suddenly refracted sharply to the left. Luckily, Mac reacted in time, lunging forward with his racket to block it, his heart pounding in shock.
But what happened next left both of them stunned. The ball bent again—another unexpected refraction—slipping cleanly between them before smashing into the baseline and bouncing out of the court.
"40–0!"
"Only a Double Strike? And he said he'd 'get serious'? Looks like Genichirō's finally learned how to bluff," Yukimura said with a teasing smile from the Japan bench.
"Maybe Sanada just thinks Double Strike is enough for them~," Shiraishi chuckled, raising an eyebrow playfully.
But he was quickly proven wrong. On court, after Sanada unleashed his fourth Swift as the storm, Mac reacted instantly and returned it cleanly. He and Milky both locked in, their focus sharpened to the limit.
Sanada wrapped his racket in a swirling black aura and struck again—the Black Dragon Double Strike. The ball crossed the net, refracting once. Milky didn't move at first; only when the first refraction occurred did he dash toward it.
As his racket was about to meet the ball, it refracted a second time. But Milky's lips curved slightly—he had expected it. "Now!" he shouted to Mac.
Mac, already anticipating his signal, turned on his heel just as the ball curved again, his body reacting faster than thought. Working together, they successfully returned Sanada's Black Dragon Double Strike for the first time.
"Hmph. So you can keep up, huh? Then—Black Dragon Triple Strike!" Sanada's tone dropped, his eyes fierce as lightning flared across his frame.
Milky and Mac froze for half a second, disbelief flashing in their eyes. Three refractions? Was that even possible? But with the ball already over the net, they had no time to think. Mac dashed toward the first refracted trajectory—and missed.
The second refraction shot the ball toward the baseline. Milky sprinted, swinging at the exact moment it reached him—only for the ball to refract downward again, slamming into the ground and spinning past him before flying out of bounds.
"Game! Japan! 3–1!"
As Sanada secured the fourth game, the arena filled once again with angry shouts. Many spectators began booing loudly, some even leaving their seats early in frustration. To them, Australia's performance today was a complete disgrace.
Under that rain of jeers, Milky and Mac's composure wavered. Still, with Milky serving next, they managed to steady themselves—just barely.
Standing at the baseline, Milky pondered his next move. But before he could toss the ball, a roar came from the side of the court.
"Hey! The only decent thing you two have shown today is your quick offense! What the hell are you standing around for?!" Dorgias's voice thundered across the court.
Milky's jaw tightened. He didn't like being barked at—but he swallowed his irritation, tossing the ball high and snapping into motion. His racket cracked through the air, sending a Superluminal Particle Serve hurtling forward at blistering speed. The ball struck the backcourt with a deafening thud.
Just as Milky was about to smirk, thinking he'd finally scored, a flash of lightning tore across the court. Sanada had vanished—then reappeared outside the boundary wall, right where the ball was heading.
"What—he actually caught Milky's serve?!" Mac blurted out, stunned.
But their shock deepened as a dark aura began to rise once again from Sanada's body. The two tightened their grip on their rackets, ready for another Black Dragon Triple Strike. Yet the ball streaked past them in a blur before they could even react.
"Move like shadow!"
"0–15!"
"A feint...!" Milky clenched his fists, realizing too late what had happened. His jaw set—he'd had enough of being toyed with. This couldn't go on.
He tossed the next ball with a different motion this time, his upper body arching back farther than before. Then—two consecutive impacts echoed through the court. The ball shot forward like a beam of light, grazing Sanada's side as it flew past.
"Neutrino Serve!"
"Ace! 15–15!"
"The speed of that serve is nearly seventy percent of Ochi's Mach Serve!" Oni's face suddenly grew serious as he watched the match unfold.
"I don't think we need to worry," Yukimura said quietly, his gaze sharpening as if he had sensed something. "It looks like Ochi-senpai is about to make his move."
On the court, Sanada was secretly stunned by the speed of that serve, but then Ochi's calm voice reached his ear.
"For the next two serves, you'd better close your eyes."
Sanada froze for a second before realization struck him. He immediately shut his eyes and stepped aside, giving Ochi full control of the court.
"Looks like it's going to be a full moon tonight~," Ochi murmured softly. He brushed his bangs upward and secured them in place using his secret technique, Mental Pressure.
An overwhelming pressure swept across the court. Milky felt it first—a suffocating weight pressing down on his chest. His mind started to blur as a faint crescent moon shimmered within his eyes. Mac's pupils, too, flickered with the same ghostly moonlight—but this time, cracks began to spider across it.
Ochi's eyes, in contrast, gleamed with the phantom of a perfect full moon. Vast waves of spiritual energy spiraled around him, his Spiritual Assassination reaching its peak.
Milky gritted his teeth and forced down the anxiety clawing at him. He tossed the ball high and unleashed another Neutrino Serve. But this time, Ochi returned it effortlessly—the ball streaked past both Australians before either could react, bouncing out of bounds.
"15–30!"
"The speed of that ball has dropped by thirty-eight percent compared to before," Inui Sadaharu said, adjusting his glasses from the sideline.
"No, precisely speaking, it dropped by thirty-eight point seventy-four percent," Yanagi Renji corrected calmly beside him.
"In other countries, numbers after the decimal are usually omitted, Professor," Inui replied, his mouth twitching slightly.
"That only proves your data still lacks precision, Doctor," Yanagi said evenly, eyes half-closed.
While the two data specialists bickered as usual, Milky stood frozen on court, unable to comprehend what had just happened. His proudest serve—returned so easily? Impossible.
He refused to accept it. He tossed the ball again and unleashed another Neutrino Serve—only for the ball to crash straight into the net, exactly like Mac's double fault from earlier.
"Fault! Second serve!"
Sweat beaded across Milky's palms, his pulse racing. The pressure built in his chest until it was nearly unbearable. Then, a warm, steady voice cut through the air from the sideline.
"Relax, Milky. Don't think about anything else. Focus only on your serve."
"That voice... Noah?!" Milky turned in shock. There, Noah stood with a guide dog at his side, slowly walking toward the players' bench with Dorgias supporting him by the arm.
"Player, please serve your second ball immediately. A delay will be ruled as a double fault," the umpire called sternly.
But Noah's arrival had already changed everything. The tension that had been suffocating Milky began to fade. The pressure lifted from his chest, and even Mac, whose nerves were close to snapping, suddenly found himself regaining calm.
Milky tossed the ball once more, arching his body far back, his left arm guiding the racket in a powerful downward swing. A flash of yellow streaked through the air.
This time, Ochi couldn't read the trajectory. The ball shot past him, grazing the baseline and bouncing out in a blur, leaving Ochi staring in faint surprise.
"Ace! 30–30!"
Ochi's eyes turned toward the Australian bench, locking onto the newcomer who had just arrived. He understood now—the sudden break in his Spiritual Assassination was no coincidence. That man, Noah, had neutralized it in an instant.
Unfortunately for him, Noah was blind. He couldn't see Ochi's gaze fixed directly on him.