"So it really is you brats! Looks like you've forgotten how cruel the world is, Akashi Seijurō!" Byoudouin glared viciously at Akashi.
"Turning yourself into this monster because of a single loss… it just proves you're still too weak, Byoudouin Houou," Akashi replied calmly.
"Hahaha! I can't wait to crush you, Akashi!" Byoudouin laughed in rage, his aura instantly surging several times stronger.
"Wanton destruction will only bring your own ruin. Right now, you're nothing more than a leftover relic of a bygone era. You… are too arrogant," Akashi's tone was icy, his own overwhelming aura bursting forth to match Byoudouin's.
Between them, an invisible ripple seemed to rage wildly. Byoudouin's furious gaze flashed with surprise—he was already using his alternate dimension's aura, yet the kid in front of him was holding his ground without faltering.
There was almost no wind in the plaza, but Akashi's coat swayed lightly. Slowly, the two fell into a strange standoff, the spiritual pressure radiating from them growing fiercer and more obvious.
"Looks like I'll have to make you experience the cruelty of the world all over again, brat!" Byoudouin roared, and in an instant the space around them turned into a raging ocean. A pirate-flagged sailing ship charged straight toward Akashi.
"Alternate Dimension—Pirates!"
"Don't measure me with your standards, Byoudouin," Akashi said coolly. Countless golden particles floated into the air above him, forcing back much of the surrounding sea. Then, a figure clad in golden armor appeared behind him.
"Alternate Dimension—Gilgamesh!"
As Gilgamesh emerged, he spread his arms wide, golden light blazing behind him. One after another, ripples in space appeared, and from each ripple, the ornate tips of magnificent weapons protruded.
Gilgamesh—Gate of Babylon.
In Byoudouin's alternate dimension, waves towered, the sky choked with dark clouds, and lightning struck down relentlessly. At the prow of the ship stood a skeletal captain in full regalia, gripping a longsword, his entire form wreathed in a chilling aura.
Alternate Dimension—Pirates.
"You bastard, are you trying to fight or what?!" Suddenly, Akutsu's voice rang out behind Akashi.
Stepping forward, Akutsu's own aura exploded, thick blood-red energy swirling around him. A massive, ferocious wolf emerged from the void, its crimson eyes locked on Byoudouin.
"Alternate Dimension—Fenrir the Demon Wolf!"
"Guess I can't just stand and watch either~" Tachibana Kippei stepped forward, crimson energy boiling around him like molten rock. Flames burst outward, and from behind him appeared a massive lion-shaped beast.
"Alternate Dimension—Suanni!"
"Mind if I join too?" Yukimura's gentle voice followed. His coat fluttered without wind, and an eerie wave of spiritual pressure spread out. From above descended a figure in holy robes, with huge butterfly wings on its back.
"Alternate Dimension—Morpheus!"
The First Court members behind Byoudouin looked shocked. They knew Akashi was strong and having an alternate dimension wasn't surprising—but what was with these other three middle schoolers? How could so many alternate-dimension-level players suddenly appear?
Byoudouin's expression darkened. It felt like swallowing a fly. If it were just Akashi, he might have been able to suppress him outright, but now there were four middle schoolers wielding alternate dimensions.
"You… you all… fine! Very fine! Don't think having alternate dimensions lets you do whatever you want! Today I'll make sure you brats learn what true hell is!" Byoudouin growled, veins bulging on his forehead as he struggled to rein in his fury.
"That's enough! Are you going to just keep standing here like this?" Oni's furious shout cut through the air. A bone-chilling aura swept across the plaza, and a towering figure in ancient armor appeared beside the five of them.
"Alternate Dimension—Oni God!"
Akashi glanced at Oni, then calmly waved his hand. Akutsu, Tachibana Kippei, and Yukimura withdrew their alternate dimensions, and Oni's Oni God faded away as well. In the end, only Akashi's and Byoudouin's remained.
Byoudouin stared at Akashi with a grave, piercing gaze before letting out a cold snort and dispersing his Pirate dimension. Akashi withdrew Gilgamesh in turn. The surrounding onlookers finally let out the breaths they'd been holding.
"Hey, hey, hey, Koshimae! Looked like something fun popped up behind you just now. Teach me, will you?" From the crowd behind Akashi, Kintarō's voice suddenly rang out.
Hearing Kintarō, Ryōma froze for a moment. He hadn't noticed anything unusual at all. But on the other side, among the First Court, Ryōga saw it clearly, the corner of his mouth curling upward.
"Seems like the little guy's grown quite a bit. Guess coming here was the right call," Ryōga murmured quietly.
"Hahaha! I told you it'd be interesting. Just watch! But I didn't expect there'd be another alternate-dimension-level player hidden among the middle schoolers. This match is going to be worth watching!" In the second-floor monitoring room, Mifune took a swig from his gourd, speaking excitedly to the three coaches.
"Yeah, keep stirring it up! Make it even bigger! Best if you brats show me all your strength!" Mifune added to himself.
In the central plaza, aside from Tanegashima and Ryōga, the rest of the First Court members didn't look too pleased. Even though most of them had been mentally prepared, reality still caught them off guard.
The First Court's top ten were fine, but a few from the lower ten wore wry smiles. After all, their strength was still within the national level, so they could only hope the middle schoolers they'd face weren't too far beyond that. Of course, Irie and Tokugawa were exceptions.
"Looks like I'll be gathering a lot of valuable data today~" Mitsuya said with a smile.
On the court, middle schoolers and high schoolers each occupied their own player benches. Even Byoudouin and the other top ten were seated in the stands for now, waiting for their turn.
"The official shuffle matches are about to start. Who do you plan to send out first?" Akashi, sitting in the coach's seat, looked at Kintarō's group and asked.
"Based on the data Renji and I collected, there's a 92% chance their lead players will be those two from former Shitenhōji," Inui Sadaharu said slowly.
"So we've arranged for Shiraishi to catch up with them, with Kirihara as support—almost foolproof!" Yanagi Renji added.
"Shiraishi and Kirihara, huh? Not a bad pairing. By the way, Yukimura, how's Kirihara's control over himself now?" Akashi nodded, then turned to Yukimura.
"He's already mastered control over his emotions, right, Kirihara?" Yukimura replied with a smile, looking at the slightly tense Kirihara.
"Y-Yes, Captain! Don't worry, I won't lose control again!" Kirihara promised to both Yukimura and Akashi.
"Good. You've warmed up already, so go get us a winning start!" Akashi's gaze swept over Shiraishi and Kirihara, his tone commanding.
"Leave it to us, Akashi-kun! Let's go, Kirihara!" Shiraishi answered cheerfully, slinging an arm around Kirihara's neck and leading him toward the court.
On the other side, Byoudouin gave a cold, stern look to Taira Yoshiyuki and Hara Tetsuya.
"I think you two know what happens if you lose," he said darkly.
"No problem. If we lose, can't I just run? Right, Taira-senpai?" Hara Tetsuya grinned, completely unfazed.
"Mm, mm, and who's the runaway sniper? That's right… me!" Taira replied in an odd sing-song tone. Without another word, the two headed straight for the court.
"Tch… those two…" Byoudouin frowned but didn't say anything more. It seemed even he couldn't do much about Taira and Hara.