Akashi didn't immediately respond to Byoudouin's taunt. He walked over to Akutsu's stretcher, looked at the exhausted figure lying there, and spoke with approval in his tone.
"This match should have given you something, right? Remember the feeling you had at the very end. Keep evolving your Alternate Dimension, Akutsu."
"Tch~ don't order me around! That guy definitely held back at the last moment! Damn it!" Akutsu's face twisted, his voice filled with both frustration and unwillingness.
"It was your courage that won me over, boy! And here—this is your badge!" Duke's voice suddenly came from the side. With his usual goofy smile, he handed Akutsu the No. 3 badge.
Akashi glanced once at the stretcher being carried away and at Duke, then finally turned his gaze to Byoudouin. A crushing wave of pressure surged toward Byoudouin.
"Once the match begins, there must be a victor. And what I have to do is simply crush my opponent completely. No need for excuses—just pure strength. So put away your meaningless barking, Byoudouin Houou," Akashi said coldly, his tone like ice.
"You arrogant brat!" Byoudouin almost laughed from anger, but said no more. The cruel expression on his face only grew darker.
"Next is today's final singles match! Team Japan's No. 1 Byoudouin Houou versus Second String Selection's Akashi Seijurō! Players, take the court!"
As the umpire's announcement ended, the entire atmosphere of the arena turned unbearably heavy. Both the junior high and high school players focused all their attention, knowing this match would be brutal.
Akashi entered the court calmly, still wearing his coat. Byoudouin stepped in with a cold smirk. They met at the net, and just when everyone thought something might happen, both extended their hands and shook.
"Let me test your measure, Akashi!" Byoudouin grinned, feeling the immense aura radiating from Akashi.
"I won't deny your strength, Byoudouin. But I am absolute. Victory belongs only to me. Your defeat was decided from the start," Akashi said matter-of-factly, his eyes flashing faint red sparks.
Soon the umpire signaled the coin toss. Akashi already had no expectations—he might never lose in any aspect, but when it came to the toss, he had no control. And just as he and the junior high players expected, Byoudouin won the right to serve first.
"The match will be best of three sets! Team Japan to serve first!"
Byoudouin walked slowly to the baseline. He glanced at Akashi, who still stood calm and wrapped in his coat, then golden light began to gather in his left hand as he tossed the ball high.
"Be destroyed, Akashi Seijurō! I'm sick of that calm face of yours!" Byoudouin roared as the tennis ball turned into a massive golden orb, blasting toward the opposite court.
Akashi's expression didn't change at all. He didn't even move. The ball smashed into the ground, throwing up a storm of dust. The glowing orb shot out from the smoke straight at Akashi.
But in an instant, a racket intercepted it. Golden light flared on the strings, and the shockwave slammed into the wall behind Akashi, leaving a massive crater.
Wild gusts sent Akashi's coat flapping, but he paid it no mind. As he swung, the ball became wrapped in plasma, glowing bright gold as it roared toward Byoudouin.
"Glowing Shot—Mana Cannon!"
Dust split apart along the ball's path, leaving a hollow corridor. Across the net, Byoudouin's eyes lit up with excitement.
He charged forward without hesitation. His racket gleamed gold again as he prepared to return it with another glowing shot. Tokugawa frowned from the sidelines—this was the same method Byoudouin had used to shatter Ryōma's racket.
But Byoudouin soon proved what it meant to be a professional-level player. The explosive impact of the Mana Cannon that would overwhelm anyone else meant nothing to him. With monstrous grip strength, he absorbed it head-on. Behind him, the wall cracked and collapsed, stones flying like shrapnel from a cannon blast.
The ball only spun for a moment on his strings before he crushed it back, the golden glow now even brighter and the destructive aura even heavier.
"Glowing Shot—Destruction!"
Akashi instantly understood. If he tried to return this with another glowing shot, they'd just deadlock endlessly. So he flashed forward and swung as the ball cleared the net.
The next second, the glowing ball vanished. Above Akashi, a spatial rift opened, and from it emerged a strange golden spearhead. It transformed into a massive bolt of lightning that struck down toward Byoudouin.
"Gate of Babylon—Indra's Thunder!"
Byoudouin froze for a brief moment, then quickly reacted, gripping his racket with both hands. But the instant it touched the thunderbolt, a numbing current surged through his entire body, locking his movements. The ball rolled slowly off his racket and dropped to the ground.
"0-15!"
Only then did the smoke on the court begin to fade. Everyone turned to look. Byoudouin's face was grim as he glanced at his hands. He said nothing, simply walked back to the baseline.
Akashi lowered his racket and also turned calmly toward the backcourt, his coat flowing like a cape behind him. He had clearly expected Byoudouin to fail at returning that ball.
"Just the first point and it's already this intense? This match might be no weaker than the battles between the main players of the world's top four nations!" Tanegashima said in surprise from the stands.
"That Byoudouin guy said he'd teach Akashi a lesson, but from the very start he focused completely. Feel the aura coming off him right now," Oni said seriously.
"This hellish aura... that's the Divine Path of the Asura!" Tokugawa reacted instantly.
"Not exactly. It's probably just Byoudouin releasing it unconsciously. But it means he's serious now," Omagari replied with an uncharacteristically grave look.
On the junior high side, the players stared in shock. This was nothing like their earlier matches. Akashi and Byoudouin skipped all probing exchanges and clashed head-on with full-power glowing shots right from the start.
"I can't even imagine what this match is going to turn into," Shiraishi swallowed hard, speaking uneasily.
"They actually used glowing shots right from the start. Neither Akashi-kun nor Byoudouin-senpai has any intention of holding back!" Fuji said, eyes wide, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.
"This reminds me of when I first met Akashi before joining Fudomine. Back then too, he was this cold and overwhelming," Chitose said, his voice carrying unease.
The others from Fudomine nodded in agreement. But while they spoke, Byoudouin unleashed his second serve—another Glowing Shot—Destruction!
This time, Akashi didn't answer with Mana Cannon or the Gate of Babylon. As if facing an ordinary ball, he nullified every ounce of destructive force, then countered with a forehand drive that sped straight into the left corner of Byoudouin's baseline.
"That kind of trick only scares the weak. It means nothing to me," Akashi said flatly after his return.
"Is that so? Then I'll show you just how vast the world really is, brat! Let's start with a little greeting—Japanese Exotic!" Byoudouin's body flickered to the corner as he spoke with excitement, activating his Exotic of Japan.
He slammed into the incoming ball, sending it straight back. But as it flew, it began to swell rapidly, like dough filled with yeast.
By the time it crossed the net and reached Akashi, the ball had become enormous, filling half the court. The spectators gasped in shock.
Yet Akashi remained calm. The golden rings around his pupils flickered strangely. Under his Emperor Eye, the real ball's location was perfectly clear. He slid one step to the right and swung.
A golden streak pierced through the illusion, striking at Byoudouin's feet. It ricocheted sharply and flew out of bounds.
"0-30!"
"Such a ridiculous trick has no place before my eyes. If this is all you gained from traveling the world, then you're far too weak, Byoudouin," Akashi said coldly, his gaze piercing as he scored the point.