"How is this possible! Under the cover of 'Invisibility as the Shadow,' how did you see my blind spot!" Sanada said, somewhat unable to understand.
"Your 'Invisibility as the Shadow' is indeed powerful; it can hide all your dead zones. However, as I've told you before, my evolution is advancing rapidly. As long as I can see the absolute dead zones in your bones and joints, no matter how strong your 'Invisibility as the Shadow' is, it won't help!" Atobe proudly said.
"What a joke! How could such a thing be possible!" Sanada said, disbelieving.
Atobe just sneered, not bothering to respond to Sanada. He turned and walked to the baseline, preparing to serve. Sanada, gritting his teeth, returned to the backcourt.
The second game started. Atobe stood at the baseline, threw the tennis ball high into the air, then with a powerful wrist motion, imparted extreme spin to the ball. After crossing the net, the ball directly descended toward Sanada's front court.
"Is this the 'Tannhauser'? This move won't work on me anymore, Atobe!" Sanada coldly said.
Sanada quickly reached the landing spot, ready to intercept the ball as it bounced, but just as he was about to swing his racket to scoop the ball, the ball, which had only slightly bounced, suddenly split into two and slid across the ground from either side of him. It then flew out of the court.
"ACE! 15-0!"
"My aesthetic shines brighter every day! Right, Kabaji?" Atobe said with a light chuckle, looking at Sanada across from him.
"Mm!" Kabaji responded in perfect sync from the sidelines.
"I see, you gave the ball a stronger spin than 'Tannhauser,' causing it to deform during flight and creating an illusion that there are two balls when it bounces!" Yanagi Renji from the Rikkai bench commented.
"What? Even Sanada-senpai can't handle it?" Kirihara said, surprised.
"Trust in Genichirō, he'll figure it out!" Yukimura calmly spoke from the coach's seat.
Meanwhile, Atobe was already preparing to serve the second ball. Once again, he imparted extreme spin to the ball, sending it flying toward Sanada's front court just like before.
This time, Sanada focused all his attention, closely watching the incoming ball. As the ball neared the ground, Sanada immediately swung his racket, but due to overthinking the ball's deformation, he missed the timing. The ball, upon contacting the racket, shot high into the air.
"30-0!"
Atobe served again. This time, Sanada was determined to intercept the ball, having learned from the previous shot. But when he swung his racket, the ball split again into two, sliding past him from either side.
"ACE! 40-0!"
"Trying to intercept before the ball changes is difficult, and if you wait for the right moment, it's too late to stop the transformation! You really have done it, Atobe!" Sanada said, furrowing his brow.
"My improved 'Tannhauser' is absolutely no weaker than Tezuka's Zero-Shiki. It's not that easy to counter, Sanada!" Atobe said with a cold smile.
Atobe tossed the ball again, this time executing the enhanced version of 'Tannhauser.' Sanada had no choice but to take a gamble. After the ball split into two, he swung his racket at the ball on the left.
The next moment, Sanada's racket made contact, and he felt the ball's sensation clearly. Swinging his racket from below, he hit the ball toward Atobe's side high into the air. The other ball immediately disappeared.
But as the ball passed over the net, Atobe jumped high and smashed it down hard. The ball struck Sanada's right hand, the one holding the racket. In pain, Sanada instinctively dropped his racket.
Atobe leaped again and smashed the ball down, shouting, "Rondo Towards Destruction, this is your requiem, Sanada!"
The ball slammed into Sanada's foot, and without a racket, he couldn't return it. He could only watch as the ball bounced high and flew out of the court.
"GAME! Hyōtei Academy! 2-0!"
The enhanced 'Tannhauser' and Atobe's "Rondo Towards Destruction" worked perfectly together, almost like a combination technique. Winning two games in a row, Atobe was now in high spirits.
Sanada's already dark face grew even darker, and the aura of 'Invisibility as the Shadow' started to fluctuate intensely. Ignoring Atobe's increasingly arrogant attitude, Sanada turned and walked toward the baseline.
The third game was Sanada's serve. He once again executed "Swift as the Wind," but this time the ball sped even faster than in the first game. However, Atobe's eyes caught it immediately.
Atobe quickly chased down the ball and returned it. The two began another fierce exchange. This time, Sanada didn't rely solely on Fūrin Kazan but also incorporated lightning.
Although Atobe had previously returned "Moving Like Thunder," it wasn't as easy as it seemed, and both players' scores began to rise alternately. Before long, the score reached 40-40, with Atobe leading.
Sanada took a deep breath and hit "Swift as the Wind" again. The ball sped quickly toward Atobe's side. Atobe also arrived quickly at the landing point and countered with a backhand Jack Knife.
Sanada rushed forward and hit "Invading Like Fire," turning the ball into a pillar of flame aimed at Atobe's front court. Atobe, sensing the lightning emanating from Sanada, moved back, preparing for what was to come.
"Are you going to unleash 'Moving Like Thunder' again? Unfortunately, in my kingdom, you have so many openings!" Atobe softly said.
He focused all his perceptive power, staring intently at Sanada, until he saw through all his movements. Atobe now locked onto Sanada's bones and joints, aiming at the absolute dead zone between them.
Sanada, seeing the ball coming, was about to counter with "Moving Like Thunder," but once again, he felt a sharp pain, and instinctively froze in place. The ball flew past him and out of the court.
"GAME! Hyōtei Academy! 3-0! Court Change!"
"Atobe!!!" Sanada shouted loudly, his voice filled with anger.
Atobe sneered dismissively at Sanada and then walked off the court. After Sanada finished shouting, he regained his composure and walked with a stern face toward the player bench.
"Genichirō! You were too impatient just now!" Yukimura said calmly, looking at Sanada.
"I know, I'll adjust moving forward!" Sanada said, his head lowered. Due to the brim of his cap, no one could see the expression on his face.
"That's good. I believe you can defeat Atobe. Give it your all!" Yukimura nodded and said, then didn't speak further.
The break ended quickly. As the players switched sides, Atobe looked at Sanada and, with a playful tone, said, "What's wrong, Sanada? Didn't you want to throw me into the abyss of defeat? It seems you can't do that now~"
"Atobe! I admit your strength exceeded my expectations, but from here on out, you won't get any easy points!" Sanada said, his expression calm, but determined.
"Oh? I'm really looking forward to it~ Hahaha!" Atobe said, laughing as he passed by Sanada, who walked forward with a still serious expression.
The fourth game began, and it was Atobe's serve. The Hyōtei team members on the sidelines were full of confidence in Atobe. What they had just witnessed, Atobe's improved version of 'Tannhauser' serve, was simply unanswerable.
Atobe walked to the baseline, without hesitation, took a ball, and served it with his enhanced 'Tannhauser.' The ball flew with extreme spin toward Sanada's side.
At that moment, Sanada's 'Invisibility as the Shadow' aura suddenly erupted. It was as though he was completely enveloped in darkness, with black streams of energy swirling around him.
"Black Aura!"
Surrounded by the black aura, Sanada quickly moved to the landing point. As the ball bounced, he immediately swung his racket, sending a burst of wind pressure to strike the spinning ball.
The ball seemed to freeze for a moment. In that instant, Sanada swung his racket again, scooping the ball and returning it. Atobe was caught off guard, not able to react in time. The ball flew out of the court.
"0-15!"
"Atobe! I told you, I won't let you score so easily!" Sanada said, aiming his racket at Atobe.
"I underestimated you, Sanada!" Atobe's relaxed expression disappeared as he spoke slowly.
At this time, the Seigaku and Rikkai members had gathered around the court. Akashi looked at the two players, smiling slightly. As he had predicted, Atobe had indeed come out for singles.
Akashi was not surprised by Sanada's black aura. His current strength far exceeded what it had been in the original story. It was possible that he had already unlocked the black aura. He wondered, though, if Sanada had also developed his Black Dragon Double Strike.
On the other side, Ryōma was surprised. Although he had accepted the immense strength of the Japanese tennis world, he had never seen this suffocating aura from Sanada before. He hadn't used it during their match in training.
'So that's how it is? You didn't take the match seriously back then! Damn!' Ryōma clenched his fist, still frustrated from losing to Tezuka earlier, and now seeing Sanada's incredible power only made his anger grow.
Atobe stood at the baseline again and performed his 'Tannhauser' serve. The extreme spin on the ball made Akashi's eyes narrow. He hadn't expected Atobe to have developed 'Tannhauser' to this extent.
But Sanada, still using the boost from his black aura, returned the ball with a precise strike, causing the ball's spin to stop momentarily. Then he swung again, sending it back.
"Is that a form of the Black Dragon Double Strike?" Akashi muttered to himself.
This time, Atobe didn't hesitate. He returned the ball. Sanada's body suddenly crackled with electricity, and with a flash, he appeared at the landing point. Instead of positioning his racket upright, he struck the ball normally.
"Moving Like Thunder!" Sanada shouted.
The fusion of 'Moving Like Thunder' and Super Sweet Spot techniques significantly boosted its power. The ball instantly became a bolt of lightning, rushing toward Atobe. Atobe's eyes locked onto the ball. After reading the trajectory, he quickly moved to intercept.
However, the moment Atobe's racket made contact with the ball, an intense shockwave passed through his racket and into his right hand. His left hand gripped tightly onto the racket as he gritted his teeth, holding on.
But in the next instant, the ball pierced through Atobe's racket, slammed into the ground, and flew out of the court. The ground was scorched where the ball had landed.
"0-30!"
Atobe's gaze sharpened as he stared at Sanada. He hadn't expected Sanada's 'Moving Like Thunder' to have such power, but since he had mastered the Super Sweet Spot technique, he wasn't overly panicked. After all, the vibrations from the first 'Rondo Towards Destruction' were also enhanced by Super Sweet Spot.
Atobe walked over to the sideline, took a new racket from Kabaji, and tossed the broken one to him. He turned back toward the court, preparing to serve again.
Knowing that Sanada's black aura could neutralize his 'Tannhauser,' Atobe didn't force it and instead opted for a sharp-angle serve.
Sanada responded with another 'Swift as the Wind.' The ball sped across the court at high speed toward Atobe's side. Atobe, still keeping a close watch on Sanada's figure, saw through the X-ray-like vision of his 'Atobe Kingdom.'
"Atobe Kingdom!"
Aiming at Sanada's absolute dead zone, Atobe swung his racket with precision. Sanada attempted to move, but once again, a sharp pain surged through him, causing him to freeze in place. He had no choice but to give up. His instincts told him that forcing movement would only lead to injury.
"15-30!"
Atobe won the point with his Kingdom's ability, but it drained his vision and focus significantly. He couldn't continue using it multiple times in a row. Meanwhile, Sanada, seizing any opportunity, powered up another 'Moving Like Thunder.'
"30-30!"
"30-40!"
"GAME! Rikkai Dai Fuzoku! 3-1!"
In the end, Sanada managed to win the fourth game thanks to his "Moving Like Thunder." This left Atobe feeling a bit irritated. After repeatedly returning Sanada's "Moving Like Thunder," Atobe's arm still felt numb.
The fifth game was Sanada's serve. True to form, he didn't do anything flashy, just a simple "Swift as the Wind" serve. Naturally, Atobe wasn't going to be caught off guard by this. He swiftly returned the ball.
The two continued their fierce back-and-forth, with Atobe fully adopting his aggressive stance at the net, while Sanada showed no sign of retreat. His "Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain" techniques continued to rain down. Although Sanada had stopped using his black aura, he still maintained his "Invisibility as the Shadow."
Sanada had originally planned to save his black aura for dealing with Tezuka's "Zero-Style Serve," but he had unexpectedly used it against Atobe. Now, his mindset had completely changed from the original story. He no longer hid his true strength due to some silly obsession.
"GAME! Rikkai Dai Fuzoku! 3-2!"
Although Atobe's attacks were ferocious, he still couldn't fully adapt to Sanada's "Moving Like Thunder," and Sanada took the game.
The sixth game returned to Atobe's serve. On his first serve, Atobe once again performed "Tannhauser," but Sanada didn't expect him to use that move again. As his black aura just began to manifest, the ball immediately split into two and slid out of bounds.
"ACE! 15-0!"
Seeing this, Sanada simply maintained his black aura, waiting for Atobe to serve again. Atobe, ever the strategist, knew that such a surprise attack could only work once, so he didn't use "Tannhauser" again.
Having adapted to the power of "Moving Like Thunder," Atobe gradually began to counter more effectively. But Sanada continued to relentlessly attack, lightning and flames appearing on the court.
"GAME! Hyōtei Academy! 4-2! Court Change!"
In the end, Atobe won the sixth game using his "Waltz Series," and while Sanada was calm, his fighting spirit was growing ever stronger.
The match became even more intense as Sanada unleashed all of his power, even using "Lightning Strike." Atobe pushed his eyesight to the limit. While he couldn't completely counter Sanada's "Lightning Strike," Sanada couldn't escape Atobe's "Kingdom" either.
"GAME! Rikkai Dai Fuzoku! 4-3!"
"GAME! Hyōtei Academy! 5-3!"
"GAME! Rikkai Dai Fuzoku! 5-4! Court Change!"
"GAME! Rikkai Dai Fuzoku! 5-5!"
"GAME! Hyōtei Academy! 6-5!"
"GAME! Rikkai Dai Fuzoku! 6-6! Tiebreak!"
The two were neck-and-neck, heading into a tiebreak. Atobe's eyes were bloodshot, and even his vision was tinged with red. Sanada, too, wasn't in better shape. After repeatedly using "Moving Like Thunder" and "Lightning Strike," his knees could still hold up, but his stamina was nearly exhausted.
Yet, neither player showed any signs of backing down. They kept battling fiercely, though the quality of their shots had diminished as their conditions worsened.
"81-80! Hyōtei leads!"
They played on, drenched in sweat. Sanada could no longer maintain his "Invisibility as the Shadow," and couldn't produce "Moving Like Thunder" or "Lightning Strike" anymore.
Atobe wasn't much better off. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was disheveled, with his vision growing slightly blurry. His ability to see through Sanada's weaknesses was no longer as sharp.
Atobe served first in the tiebreak. He hit a simple flat shot. After the long tiebreak, his wrist was at its limit, unable to pull off "Tannhauser." But his stamina was still better than Sanada's.
Sanada, dragging his exhausted body, made his way to the landing point. Although "Moving Like Thunder" didn't drain his stamina as much, maintaining "Invisibility as the Shadow" throughout the match had taken a toll on him.
The essence of "Invisibility as the Shadow" was to confuse the opponent with feints, making it difficult for them to predict his next move. Atobe was tricked by these feints and couldn't find Sanada's true blind spots.
When Sanada reached the landing point, he returned the ball and barely managed to use "Swift as the Wind." But Atobe quickly chased down the ball, his stamina still holding up, although his eyesight was exhausted.
Atobe executed a backhand "Jack Knife." His bloodshot eyes were full of determination. Sanada, refusing to back down, made a quick spin and hit an "Invasion as Fire," but the ball only carried a faint glow, its power clearly reduced.
Atobe didn't mock Sanada. He came to the landing point, glaring with his bloodshot eyes, and in the next moment, three ice spikes shot from his eyes and pierced the ground near Sanada's feet.
"Freeze in place! Sanada!" Atobe shouted, then aimed at one of the ice spikes and swung his racket. After hitting the ball, Atobe closed his eyes, as his "World of Ice" had pushed his eyes to their limits.
Sanada desperately tried to return the ball, but the ice crystals scattered, and he couldn't break through the dead zone's restrictions. His arm fell limply to his side.
"GAME! 7-6! Match over! Winner, Hyōtei Academy!"