'He switched between five different attack postures in a single instant… is he really a middle schooler?' Amadeus didn't respond to Akutsu's taunt. Instead, he thought silently to himself.
But as expected of a professional player, the initial shock faded quickly. Regaining his calm, Amadeus fixed his gaze on Akutsu, raised the ball, and served again.
Another ultra-fast serve cut through the air. Akutsu dashed to the drop point and swung hard. The ball spun sharply, flying like a bullet toward the open right side of Switzerland's court.
But Amadeus was already there, intercepting it with a swift backhand. The court dimmed as darkness spread, and a glowing shadow sphere appeared before Akutsu's eyes.
"Dark Side!"
"So you're trying to fight power with power, huh?" Akutsu grinned, his left hand flaring with golden light.
In the next instant, the darkness shattered as a massive light sphere—large enough to engulf half the court—roared toward Amadeus. Clearly, Akutsu had countered with a Glowing Shot.
Seeing the huge light ball rush toward him, Amadeus's mind flashed back to a scene from two years ago—standing on the world stage, facing not this middle schooler, but Byoudouin, who now sat quietly at the bench.
But the memory passed in a blink. Amadeus refocused, stepping forward fearlessly. Ignoring the overwhelming pressure radiating from the light ball, he met it head-on and struck it back with a single swing.
Akutsu lunged in, his body splitting again into five overlapping silhouettes, each with a different attacking motion. Amadeus narrowed his eyes, quickly seeing through two of them. But before he could read the third, Akutsu had already fired the ball toward his left rear corner.
"0–30!"
'I need to focus more. Even if he can perform multiple attack stances at once, there has to be a flaw somewhere.' Amadeus didn't care about losing the point; his sharp eyes stayed locked on Akutsu.
He tossed another ball, hitting another lightning-fast serve—but Akutsu wasn't fazed.
After watching Byoudouin and Akashi's match earlier, Akutsu had developed a deeper understanding of Eighth Consciousness. He no longer used its illusionary confusion blindly to attack; instead, he triggered it only at the perfect timing during rallies.
Their high-speed exchange intensified. Every shot came from unpredictable angles, alternating between Dark Sides and Glowing Shots. Explosive sounds echoed across the court, making even the audience flinch.
Amadeus slid across the court, his body flickering with dark energy as he struck upward. The ball soared high in a perfect topspin arc—his signature move, Whale!
Akutsu smirked at the incoming ball, his eyes flashing. In the next instant, over a dozen afterimages spread across Japan's half of the court. This wasn't Eighth Consciousness—it was a Multi-Ball Strike technique.
As the spinning ball descended rapidly, Akutsu was already in position. The moment it reached striking height, he swung his racket sideways, hitting it clean with the frame's edge.
"You want to test skill? Fine—I'll play along!" Akutsu said coldly as he followed through.
The ball spun wildly and unpredictably, crossing the net before landing near the front of Switzerland's court. Amadeus rushed forward to return it, but as it bounced, he froze for a moment.
Dozens of glowing afterimages burst out in all directions, scattering like falling stars. It clearly caught him off guard, but his reaction was quick. Glancing down at the court's shadow, he immediately lunged right.
Just as the ball was about to fly past the sideline, Amadeus reached it in time. Without adjusting his form, he swung from his side, sending the ball shooting under his arm and grazing the net toward Akutsu's right.
The power from his strong core stabilized his balance immediately. Using one foot as a pivot, he spun around sharply to prepare for the next shot—only to see five different versions of Akutsu, each with a distinct attack form.
"0–40!"
Amadeus had no time to analyze which was real. He swung instinctively toward one direction—but it was wrong. The ball zipped away to the opposite side of his run.
"Was that Abare Dama just now?" Chitose asked, glancing toward Tachibana on the Japan bench.
"Looks like it, but… something feels off," Tachibana replied, frowning slightly.
"That's because Akutsu probably combined Abare Dama with Byoudouin-senpai's Pirates of the American technique," Atobe said casually, his tone laced with amusement.
Atobe's words made Chitose and Tachibana suddenly realize what was happening. They couldn't help but feel impressed by Akutsu's monstrous talent. After all, Akutsu wasn't just gifted in tennis—he learned almost anything quickly. If it weren't for his volatile personality, the range of his mastered techniques might have rivaled even Niō's.
While they were still discussing Akutsu's uncanny learning speed, Amadeus served for the fourth time. The two clashed fiercely again, but within just a few exchanges, Akutsu activated Eighth Consciousness once more.
Seeing five distinct attack stances before him, Amadeus pushed his insight to its limit. In that instant, time itself seemed to slow. One by one, Akutsu's silhouettes began to disappear from his vision.
'I can only see through three… the remaining two must be either a drop shot or a lob. Based on his personality, it's probably a lob!' Amadeus analyzed swiftly in his mind.
He moved back toward the baseline to receive—but instead, Akutsu had played a soft drop shot. Watching the ball fall lightly to the ground, Amadeus could only sigh inwardly.
"Game! Japan! 2–2!"
"Looks like the opponent's starting to read through Akutsu's Eighth Consciousness," Irie said with a faint smile from the sidelines, though the glint in his eyes suggested he knew more than he was letting on.
"To see through multiple attack patterns in such a short instant… Amadeus's insight might be on par with you and Atobe," Tanegashima replied, chuckling lightly.
"Well, he's the Swiss captain. It's not surprising he's that skilled. But if you compare him to Akashi-kun, the difference is huge," Irie continued, still smiling. He remembered vividly how Akashi had completely ignored Byoudouin's Eighth Consciousness—a far stronger variant than Akutsu's current form.
The fifth game began with Akutsu serving. Standing at the baseline, he tossed up the ball and immediately activated Eighth Consciousness. In an instant, five Akutsu silhouettes appeared before Amadeus.
This time, Amadeus's focus sharpened even further. He instantly saw through three false stances, then, as Akutsu swung, he finally read the fourth—identifying the real one just in time.
But as he moved to intercept, the ball had already passed him, streaking down the baseline. Still, Amadeus didn't seem upset. By this point, he had fully acknowledged Akutsu's strength and set aside his professional pride.
"Ace! 15–0!"
Without delay, Akutsu tossed another ball, once again splitting into five forms. But this time, Amadeus had learned. He read the true swing instantly and moved toward the landing point. He managed to return the shot successfully, prompting Akutsu to smirk.
"Not bad," he muttered coldly, stepping in to start another blistering rally.
Breaking through Akutsu's illusion reignited Amadeus's fighting spirit. He unleashed a powerful offensive, and the two exchanged shots furiously, neither backing down. The tension on court climbed higher with every rally.
Then, without warning, Akutsu activated Eighth Consciousness again—but this time, something changed. Amadeus's pupils contracted sharply. Now, there weren't five silhouettes—there were six.
'Don't tell me… he only showed five before on purpose!' Amadeus's heart pounded as he focused harder than ever.
Four of Akutsu's figures vanished in his perception, leaving two he couldn't distinguish between. He had no choice but to gamble, sprinting toward the back-right corner.
For once, luck sided with him. The ball landed exactly there, bouncing high. Without hesitation, Amadeus swung, sending the ball flying back to Japan's side.
But what followed made his expression darken. Akutsu's body once again split into six figures—he was going to counterattack with Eighth Consciousness again.
This time, luck ran out. Amadeus guessed wrong. The ball flashed past his back, struck the baseline, and ricocheted out of bounds.
"30–0!"
"I'll admit I underestimated you," Amadeus said calmly as he turned to face Akutsu. "But the more attack patterns you show, the more flaws you expose. In the rest of this match, I'll read every single one of them."