"So, you've felt the possibilities of the future after all? But borrowing from the future comes with a price, Atobe!" Akashi spoke quietly from the bench, his sharp eyes fixed on Atobe.
The tenth game was Mōri's serve. For now, he couldn't re-enter his dreamwalking mode, so he relied on his sleep state to boost his physical power. Stepping to the baseline, he blasted out a super high-speed serve.
"No need to struggle anymore. Ore-sama has already seen your future!" Atobe had already moved to the landing point even before the serve crossed, predicting it exactly as he declared.
In that moment, Atobe finally understood Akashi's feeling—seeing the future meant becoming nearly omnipotent. With both hands gripping the racket, he ripped a ferocious return. The ball roared across the net, loaded with terrifying power.
Ochi dashed to intercept, racket braced, but the weight behind the ball shocked him. He quickly brought his left hand to steady it, preventing his racket from flying off. Still, the force knocked the ball upward, high into the air. Ochi knew exactly what was coming next.
Sure enough, Atobe's figure was already at the net. He leapt, mental force wrapping his racket, and brought it down hard. A blastwave tore outward as the ball streaked past Ochi toward the baseline.
"Ice Emperor!"
Mōri's eyes snapped open for an instant. His body flickered and he appeared in the ball's path, both hands gripping his racket. But this Ice Emperor was far stronger than before. The shockwave tore the racket straight out of his hands.
"0-15!"
"Strange… Atobe's five attributes suddenly surged explosively. But it doesn't feel like a special ability. This isn't normal," Shiraishi muttered with a frown in the stands.
"With this level of growth, his body won't hold for long. Atobe's forcing himself past his limits," Inui said gravely, following up on Shiraishi's observation.
"What?! What the hell is Atobe thinking?!" Shishido shouted anxiously after hearing them.
"This must be Atobe's determination to win," Yukimura said calmly, his tone heavy.
On court, Atobe dominated completely. No matter how Mōri and Ochi attacked, he seemed to already know their every move, returning each ball with ease. Sanada could only stand there, watching like an extra spectator.
"Bow down before Ore-sama! Funeral Rhapsody!" Atobe roared from high in the air, smashing down toward Mōri.
The ball carried crushing momentum, exploding dust as Mōri threw himself forward. His racket was blasted away once more, but somehow he returned the ball.
Atobe jumped again. Behind him, a starry sky burst forth. He crushed the ball with another furious swing, wrapping it in radiant starlight that streaked toward Ochi.
"Atobe Kingdom!"
Ochi's face hardened. He planted his feet, gripping his racket with both hands as the ball hammered against it. He held on desperately—until suddenly the ball ripped straight through his racket and crashed into the ground behind him, bouncing out of play.
"0-30!"
Mōri and Ochi exchanged glances, then wordlessly went to the sideline to switch out their damaged rackets. Atobe's violent assault had shattered them.
When Mōri fired another super high-speed serve, Sanada used Swift as Lightning to return it, then stopped moving. He finally understood—Atobe was unleashing his full power to buy him the rest he needed.
Atobe strode quickly to the net, unleashing his ultra-aggressive stance. With his five attributes surging, Mōri and Ochi struggled more and more against his relentless smashes. Soon, Atobe seized his chance and struck out with Fugue Towards Despair.
"0-40!"
It was match point. Against Atobe in this state, neither Mōri nor Ochi had a real answer. Even though Ochi was a world-class player, offense wasn't his strength—he relied more on his long limbs to cover defense.
As for Mōri, without dreamwalking mode he had little offensive power. His sleep state only boosted his net interceptions. The two held on briefly, but in the end they lost the second set.
"Game! 6-4! Second set over! Winner, Second String Selection! The final set will begin shortly!"
Both pairs walked back to their benches. Atobe had forced victory by borrowing from the future, but all he had really done was reset the match. Still, those last two games gave Sanada a bit of time to recover his stamina.
Akashi studied the two as they rehydrated, his Emperor Eye already perceiving Atobe's condition. At most, his body could endure three more games.
"So this is the feeling you always play under, Akashi~" Atobe said suddenly after finishing his water.
"What are you trying to say, Atobe?" Akashi replied flatly.
"Heh~ Now that Ore-sama has gained this power too, after this match, I'll defeat you with my own hands!" Atobe's eyes gleamed with fighting spirit.
"Challenging me with borrowed futures? Don't joke, Atobe. You should worry more about lasting to the end of the match," Akashi answered coldly, glancing his way before dismissing him.
"Hah? The outcome's already decided. Are you running from me, Akashi?" Atobe smirked, his tone mocking.
Akashi had considered warning him, but with Atobe's pride, he knew words alone would never convince him. If Atobe didn't feel the cost for himself, he'd never believe it. Of course, if Atobe truly forced himself recklessly, Akashi would step in—this was just an internal shuffle match, not worth lasting damage.
Sanada, meanwhile, ignored their exchange. Head lowered, he seemed lost between thought and realization, his aura rippling violently.
On the other bench, Mifune glanced at Mōri and Ochi without saying much. He trusted them to know their roles. For now, the key was recovering stamina.
"Tsukimitsu-san, this isn't working," Mōri said after catching his breath, turning to Ochi.
"I know. But don't worry, Atobe can't hold that state for long," Ochi replied calmly.
"Eh? You saw something, Tsukimitsu-san?" Mōri asked, surprised.
"Too many questions won't help. You'll see soon enough," Ochi said, not giving a straight answer.
With his sharp vision, Ochi had already recognized that Atobe was burning his limits to inflate his power temporarily. With his current body, there was no way he could sustain it through a full set.
"Atobe's in danger. If this drags on, his body will collapse first," Irie said gravely from the stands.
"But we can't stop him now," Mitsuya answered, his tone just as serious.
"I think if it comes down to it, Coach Mifune will step in. And besides, Akashi-chan's here too, so no need to worry too much," Tanegashima said with a light smile.
"Atobe Keigo, huh…" Byoudouin muttered under his breath, eyes fixed on him.
The break ended quickly. Atobe and Sanada returned to the court. Sanada still kept his head bowed, as if sunk in thought, while Atobe burned with fighting spirit, clearly intent on finishing the match quickly.