Bang!
Bang!!
The crisp, machine-like sounds of balls being struck echoed relentlessly.
Interspersed with the shattering of ice pillars, Sanada's emotions remained unshaken despite the immense pressure. He returned every shot with unwavering determination.
Time stretched on.
Bang!!
"Game! Atobe, 4-5!"
...
Bang!!
"Game! Atobe, 5-5!"
Atobe, relying on his World of Ice, continuously scored against Sanada.
On the court, Atobe was panting heavily. Having just grasped the World of Ice and using it repeatedly, the drain on his mental energy was immense. Sanada, while not hitting returns as often, was enduring the terrifying mental pressure of the World of Ice and the psychological burden of being unable to return the ball.
Both of their conditions were nearing rock bottom.
The score on the board was stuck at 5-5. Neither had the extra mental energy to unleash more special moves. Lacking the World of Ice and Raging Fire, they reverted to basic tennis, initiating a new round of grueling rallies.
"This match has truly turned into a fierce slugfest," Kamikawa's eyes flickered slightly. "I wonder who can last until the end."
"When it comes to stamina, Atobe won't lose to anyone!" Mukahi declared confidently.
He had trained with Atobe on stamina before, and that guy's endurance could only be described as terrifying. Even Kamikawa and Tezuka, in Mukahi's opinion, didn't have Atobe's stamina.
"With his iron-clad defense..."
On the other side, Yanagi also wore a confident smile. "When it comes to defense, Sanada won't lose to anyone. His stamina has surpassed all of us."
"Is that so?" Yukimura's eyes flashed with a hint of worry.
He could sense that Sanada didn't have much mental energy left to unleash "Yama."
Once pushed into a corner, that seemingly impregnable defense would shatter in an instant.
Bang!
Just then, the tennis ball landed less than five centimeters from Sanada. Sanada chased with all his might, but his racket couldn't even touch the ball.
"40-40!"
"Hmph... hmph..."
This match had already lasted forty minutes, with both players desperately fighting for every point.
Sanada braced himself with his hands on his knees, panting heavily.
A wave of exhaustion washed over his entire being. He had never felt this tired before.
On the other side,
Atobe, serving, was in no better shape. He even skipped the usual habit of bouncing the ball off the ground to conserve energy. After prolonged use of the World of Ice, the entire court had become blurry in Atobe's vision.
These two, with their damnable pride, wouldn't allow themselves to lose to a peer!
They had both experienced a past defeat.
A profoundly unforgettable defeat.
They never wanted to experience that feeling of failure again.
"Come on, Atobe Keigo!" Sanada roared, tossing aside his black baseball cap. Sweat drenched his entire body, some even dripping into his eyes from his hair.
Even so, he hadn't given up.
"Sanada..."
At this point, a third-year senior sitting in the referee's chair couldn't bear to watch and frowned, advising, "How about... how about you give up?"
As soon as the third-year referee finished speaking, he was met with Sanada's stubborn gaze.
"He's not down yet! How can I concede?!" Sanada pointed at Atobe on the opposite side of the court, blurting out.
That guy named Atobe wasn't down yet, so why should he give up this match?
"Hmph... continue! Bring it on!" Sanada held his racket with both hands, his legs spread wide, lowering his center of gravity.
"Hmph... hmph..."
Atobe gripped his racket, unconsciously adjusting his breathing. His rapid breaths quickly calmed. His gaze fixed on Sanada.
"Rikkaidai's Sanada Genichiro!"
"This 'ore-sama' will remember your name!"
"Come on, Atobe Keigo!" Sanada roared, pushing his focus to the absolute limit.
Atobe tossed the ball, bent his knees, brought his racket over his head, and watched the tennis ball in mid-air. He then swung his racket forcefully, a powerful serve landing squarely within the service box.
Under such high-pressure conditions, the players' ball control was also significantly affected. Atobe's serves could no longer precisely hit the edge of the service line.
"Hah!" Sanada stepped forward, hitting a standard cross-court shot that landed perfectly in the left corner of the service box.
Atobe stretched his racket, desperately chasing the ball. The ball shot towards the left baseline, about fifteen centimeters away from Atobe.
Atobe's speed had also slowed down.
"Sanada is leading!"
At 40-40, the game entered a deuce state. Both players needed to win two consecutive points in this game, otherwise, they would be stuck in an endless 40-40 rally.
Typically, when an opponent temporarily leads, most players would let the opponent score and give up the game to conserve more stamina for subsequent rallies. But Atobe was different.
Even for the final point, Atobe refused to give up now.
"These two, they really are..."
On the sidelines, Mori, who had gone off to slack somewhere earlier, had unknowingly gotten up. He watched the two on the court, his eyes trembling slightly. "It's come to this, and these two still can't bear to give up the match?!"
Their consciousness was fading.
Their mental energy was on the verge of collapse.
Any normal person would have given up long ago, but why were they still persisting until the very last moment?
"Mori-senpai," Yanagi Renji, observing Mori from the side, said coolly, "People like you will never understand how important the outcome of a match is to the entire tennis club."
"Sanada, he carries the face of the entire Rikkaidai Junior High on his shoulders."
"So, he has to win this match, no matter what."
Evidently, Yanagi Renji's words had, to some extent, shaken Mori.
In Mori's eyes, tennis was simple; even without training, one could achieve decent results, and that was how he had always gotten by. Mori was a genius, an absolute genius.
Even without training, he could easily overpower peers his age, just like that guy from Shitenhoji. In his view, as long as one had talent, even without effort, they could become an excellent tennis player.
However, Sanada and Atobe's match seemed to be changing his deeply held beliefs.
"This... this game, how long will it last?!"
Just then, the crowd on the sidelines couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Sanada had initially been leading.
However, Atobe, enduring the fatigue, hit a Tannhäuser Serve, stubbornly tying the score. The two then engaged in a fierce rally at 40-40. They didn't want to give up even a single point.
"Atobe Keigo!"
Suddenly, Sanada's figure instantly moved to the baseline.
A lightning-like aura surged around him, electrical arcs flickering continuously on his arms. Gripping his racket with both hands, he suddenly lifted it and swung downwards.
Boom!!!
The next moment.
The racket frame collided with the tennis ball.
A dull thud, mixed with the roar of falling thunder, slammed into the ground and violently rebounded.
Atobe lifted his racket, his pupils dilated, but his body couldn't react at all. He could only see the lightning flash past him and violently strike the wall.
"Thunderous Movement!"
Sanada looked up, sweat soaking his body.
His remaining mental energy vanished at that moment, and his body felt as if it had lost all strength, falling forward.
Meanwhile, Atobe stared straight ahead, like an emperor, but at that moment, he was frozen in a swinging posture, taking a long time to recover.