"Kaji-kun! Adjust your emotions a little. Haven't you noticed something's wrong?" While Kaji was on the bench drinking water to recover, Saitō Itaru's voice suddenly reached his ears.
Kaji lifted his Boss in confusion. Saitō's tall figure was already standing in front of him. At this moment Kaji's mind was still filled with messy thoughts, so he didn't quite understand what Saitō meant.
"Don't you think you're way too dejected right now? That's not the Kaji Kazena I know!" Saitō looked at him with a smile, trying to guide Kaji out of the influence of Radiance of Pain.
"Huh? Was I that down just now? Strange… why did I have those weird thoughts?" Kaji suddenly came back to his senses and realized how odd he had been.
"Tch! After this match ends, brat, you'd better go to Heart Cliff and polish your mentality properly! To let yourself get swayed so easily!" Mifune barked when he saw Kaji recover.
Kaji could only nod obediently at Mifune's words. He didn't dare defy his orders in the slightest. Even his boss Byoudouin wouldn't carelessly provoke Mifune.
On the other side, at the junior high bench, Akashi had already noticed Kaji's state. He turned to Tezuka.
"Looks like Kaji's emotions are back under control. Have you figured out how to deal with his Super Speed Dimension?"
"Ah~ I don't think it'll be a problem," Tezuka answered simply, but the confidence in his tone said it all.
"In that case, finish this match in one go. Akutsu, get ready. Tezuka should wrap this up soon!" Akashi said, looking back at Akutsu.
"Don't order me! Destruction King, huh? I've been waiting for this!" Akutsu first muttered out of habit, then a grin spread across his face. After so many matches, his fighting spirit was already burning uncontrollably.
Akashi didn't press further. He knew Duke's strength well. If Duke went all out, Akutsu's chances weren't great. But if Akutsu evolved mid-match, that would be another story.
In the original events, after the Japan Team beat Germany, Tokugawa's strength was already very close to professional level. But even then, against Duke at full force, Tokugawa was nearly powerless. Even his Alternate Dimension was shattered.
If not for Duke's sister Chloe suddenly appearing and using her strange "special constitution," which made Duke hold back, Tokugawa would never have had the chance to stand in the finals.
Tokugawa himself admitted that Duke was strong enough to challenge Byoudouin for the No. 1 spot. But Duke always felt gratitude toward Byoudouin, so he never showed his true power. Perhaps even Byoudouin understood this.
The break ended quickly. Tezuka and Kaji returned to the court. Free from Radiance of Pain's influence, Kaji now looked at Tezuka with a grave face, no longer daring to underestimate him.
Tezuka remained his usual serious self, expressionless, but his body began to radiate dazzling blue light. He was clearly planning to go all out from the start.
"Trying to mess with my emotions again? This time I won't fall for it so easily!" Kaji said cautiously, his eyes narrowing.
But the blue particles around Tezuka began to shift into streaks of lightning, rippling outward like waves across water. Behind him slowly emerged a giant phantom of himself.
"Radiance of Strong Heart!" "Radiance of Pain!"
"Spare me~ I kind of expected this, but to think he really mastered two kinds of Radiance at once!" Omagari stared at Tezuka like he was a monster.
"Looks like Kaji has no chance now," Oni muttered with a faint sigh.
During his time at the training camp, Tezuka had already completely fused the two Radiances. His strength rose another level. He had even touched upon Radiance of Love. If he fully grasped all three, he might step directly into the gates of the professional level.
In that moment, Kaji was reminded of the pressure he felt against Oni last night. But he quickly shook off the thought, tossing the ball up and smashing out a fast serve.
After serving, Kaji once again entered his so-called Super Speed Dimension. But the next second, the sound of the ball hitting the ground echoed at his feet. He turned back in disbelief only to see the ball had already flown out of bounds, crashing into the wall.
"0-15!"
"Impossible! How could I fail to react?!" Kaji couldn't accept it. Speed was supposed to be his greatest pride.
But in the eyes of the spectators, it was different. The burst of speed Kaji showed just now was nothing like before. He hadn't even entered the Super Speed Dimension—something seemed to be suppressing him.
Unwilling to accept it, Kaji served again and charged, believing he'd entered the Super Speed Dimension. But to everyone else, he was just running quickly toward the net. His speed was faster than normal players, but that was all—he hadn't transcended anything.
Tezuka and the phantom behind him moved in perfect sync. He swung against the oncoming ball, and the shot streaked past Kaji in a flash of light, striking the far left baseline before bouncing out.
"0-30!"
"Kaji's spirit is being crushed by Tezuka's overwhelming will! He can't bring out his full strength anymore—if anything, it's weakening further!" Irie said seriously from the stands.
"Mm~ Kaji can't resist the erosion of Radiance of Love now. This match is over," Tanegashima added with slight regret.
Tezuka, having fully fused the two Radiances, radiated such oppressive willpower that his phantom self loomed with crushing presence. Not everyone had the mental resistance of Yukimura or Tanegashima. Especially not someone like Kaji, whose mentality had always been unstable.
Under the erosion of Radiance of Love, Kaji completely lost his ability to resist. To his eyes, Tezuka's shots now exceeded the limits of his reaction speed. Every time his vision blurred, Tezuka had already scored.
"0-40!"
"Game! Second String Selection! 1-0!"
"How… how is Tezuka's ball so fast? No, wait… did my speed slow down?" Kaji suddenly thought of something, lowering his Boss to look at his legs in doubt.
While Kaji was caught in self-doubt, Tezuka had already stepped to the baseline. He tossed the ball up and swung his left racket. In Kaji's stunned gaze, the ball seemed to teleport, smashing the baseline before flying out.
"Ace! 15-0!"
"Not a Zero Shiki Serve… just a normal high-speed serve, and I couldn't even react? This is… bad!" Kaji finally realized he was completely swallowed by Radiance of Love.
Though he understood his state, he couldn't think of a way out. Without the Super Speed Dimension, he was helpless against Tezuka's Radiance.
"Game! Second String Selection! 2-0!"
Tezuka ruthlessly fired off four high-speed serves. Kaji just stood at the baseline, powerless as the balls flew past and bounced out. He couldn't react at all.
The rest of the match turned into a total one-sided crush. No matter how Kaji struggled, it meant nothing against Tezuka. If not for his last shred of pride, he might have already forfeited.
"Game! 6-0! Match over! Total score 2-0! Winner, Second String Selection!"