The brief timeout ended in less than a minute. Camus and Duke returned to the court, ready for the fourth game—Duke's serve. He stepped to the baseline without hesitation and unleashed a powerful serve.
Camus moved swiftly to the right, reaching the landing spot in an instant and swinging his racket. The ball turned into a streak of golden light, shooting fast toward Duke's open right corner. From the sidelines, Akashi's sharp eyes caught a detail—the light of love surrounding Camus had noticeably weakened.
Just as the ball bounced, Duke was already there. When he returned it, a faint ripple of unique energy spread from his racket and clung to the ball. It shot toward the far left baseline—clearly a clean down-the-line passing shot.
But Camus seemed to have seen it coming. The ball had barely cleared the net when he intercepted it, golden sparks flickering from his racket as the special energy surrounding the ball was instantly nullified. In the next moment, Camus swung a backhand, sending the ball to Duke's left sideline.
Caught off guard by how quickly his attack had been countered, Duke reacted a half beat too late. Still, his raw power saved him—he managed to block the ball just before it could fly out of bounds.
As the ball soared high toward the opposite side, Duke prepared to retreat for a possible smash. But before he could even take a full step back, a golden blur flashed before his eyes. A sharp thud echoed from behind him—the ball had already hit the ground.
"0–15!"
Ignoring the ball behind him, Duke looked forward. Camus was descending slowly from midair—he had leapt the moment Duke intercepted the ball, already in position to strike.
That overwhelming sense of being completely read reminded Duke of last year's practice match against Mitsuya. But unlike Mitsuya's Data Tennis, Camus wasn't using calculations—he had somehow seen right through Duke's entire pattern.
Realizing this, Duke's face tightened. There was no time to think. At the umpire's prompt, he quickly tossed up another ball to serve.
Camus returned it immediately. Duke darted to the side and, uncharacteristically gripping his racket with both hands, smashed the ball the moment it cleared the net. It wasn't a Homerun, but the sheer power behind it was immense.
To test his theory, Duke avoided his usual crosscourt return, opting for a straight shot instead. Camus's reaction confirmed his suspicion—he was already standing exactly where the ball would pass.
Camus's racket twirled rapidly in his hands, leaving his next move unpredictable. Despite the sheer force of Duke's swing, Camus used expert slice control to deflect most of its power. The ball arced high, drawing a smooth parabola before plunging toward Duke's backcourt baseline.
Duke never expected Camus to lob. But seeing the ball's steep spin and falling speed, he had no choice but to sprint full speed toward the baseline.
By the time he arrived, the ball had already landed. It spun violently on the ground, surrounded by the illusion of swirling petals—and then, after a few seconds of rotation, it stopped dead on the spot.
"0–30!"
"Is that the same kind of Sixth Sense that Zeus used?" Fuji suddenly opened his eyes on Japan's bench, his voice tinged with surprise. After the group matches, Akashi had already briefed everyone on Zeus's ability.
"It shouldn't be. Even though Camus clearly predicts Duke-senpai's shots, the timing of his movement is too subtle to be simple precognition," Tokugawa replied, frowning slightly. As someone with perceptive instincts himself, he knew the feeling well.
"Tokugawa-senpai's right," Yukimura added calmly. "From how Camus moves, it's not like Akashi-kun's ability to see the future, nor is it Zeus's Sixth Sense, and it's definitely not Data Tennis. It's… something different."
"That's Camus's power of love," Akashi said, explaining once he saw the puzzled looks around him. "By infusing emotion into his racket and the ball, he receives feedback from them—he can literally hear the voices of the racket and the tennis ball. That's how he knows Duke-senpai's return path in advance."
"You've got to be kidding me! The net and the tennis ball aren't even alive—how could they possibly make sounds, let alone tell him the direction of the shot?!" Chitose exclaimed in disbelief. Even if he unleashed Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami at full power, achieving something like that was impossible.
"I see… so this is why Camus is said to be capable of changing the entire structure of the tennis world," Sanada said in a deep, steady voice.
"Vice-captain, what are you saying?! This has to be one of Camus's acts. I don't believe for a second he can actually hear the sound of the tennis ball!" Kirihara objected, clearly unconvinced by Akashi's earlier explanation. He didn't dare raise his voice, though.
Before he could finish, Sanada's iron fist came crashing down on him. The strict vice-captain had long run out of patience with his confused junior and decided to take the most direct approach instead. Unfortunately, Sanada wasn't familiar with Cap's philosophy—if he had been, he might have reconsidered his methods.
While the Japan Team debated, the match had already shifted drastically. On court, Camus had completely suppressed Duke. He no longer used his light of love to attack directly, only to nullify Duke's destructive energy. But with his ability to predict every ball path in advance, Camus effortlessly handled every one of Duke's offensives.
Duke, on the other hand, was having a miserable time. Camus gave him no chance to unleash a Homerun, and his returns were all perfectly blocked. To make things worse, Camus's unique timing and unpredictable striking points left no room for Duke to read or anticipate his plays.
"0–40!"
"Game! France! 3–1!"
Under such pressure, Camus quickly claimed the fourth game. The Japan Team's high school players were stunned. In their minds, Duke's strength was on par with Byoudouin and Oni—yet now he was being completely overwhelmed.
Akashi, however, didn't look surprised. Through the Emperor Eye, he had already seen the truth. Except for raw power, Camus's five attributes all surpassed Duke's. Coupled with his ability to listen to the sound of tennis, Duke's defeat was inevitable.
'It seems Duke isn't using Destruction Demon God. Is he holding back for a reason? Or is it that deep down, he still feels guilty—and can't bring himself to destroy Camus's power?' Akashi thought as he watched Duke prepare to receive serve again.
When the fifth game began, the situation didn't change. Even when Duke tried to surprise Camus with sudden attacks, they were all read and countered perfectly. Right now, Duke was completely restrained by Camus.
"15–0!"
"30–0!"
"30–15!"
"40–15!"
"40–30!"
"Game! France! 4–1! Change sides!"
In no time, Camus had taken the fifth game as well. Duke had managed to land two Homeruns, but they weren't enough to close the gap.
As the match entered another short break, Mifune glanced at Duke, ready to speak—but the words caught in his throat. What he saw stopped him cold.
Duke sat on the bench, his entire body releasing thin wisps of white steam as the sweat on his skin evaporated from sheer heat. His gaze locked unblinkingly on Camus, and an overwhelming aura began to surge around him—dark, oppressive, like the arrival of a demon god.
Across the court, Camus seemed to sense it too. He met Duke's gaze calmly, eyes serene, as tiny glowing motes—like countless fluttering fairies—danced gently around his body.
The two stood in perfect contrast: destruction and love—two powers of opposite worlds, about to collide once more.