Darkness.
Endless darkness surged toward Tokugawa like a tidal wave, swallowing him whole.
In that single moment…
Time stretched into what felt like an eternity.
Drowning in the overwhelming black, Tokugawa gasped for air, his senses smothered by an unbearable suffocation.
"The annihilation of the five senses…"
At this moment, his mind reeled with shock. He never imagined Ishikawa had been hiding such a terrifying trump card.
The five senses—the foundation of human existence.
Losing even one could drastically alter a person's life, let alone a tennis match.
Yet now, Tokugawa had lost all of them.
Panic and fear gripped him—but only briefly. His iron will quickly forced him to steady himself.
Here, in this void, he could do nothing.
By the terms of their agreement, this meant forfeiting his right to challenge Echizen.
Of course, Tokugawa knew the gap between them was vast—an insurmountable chasm.
But to lose before even giving his all… Could he truly accept that?
The question burned inside him.
Then, in the next instant—
A blazing determination ignited in his unfocused eyes.
No.
He refused.
After over a year of relentless effort, how could he surrender so easily?
—BZZT!
Outside, in the real world, Marui and Oshitari stared in disbelief as an explosive aura erupted from Tokugawa's body.
"This feeling…?"
It was eerily similar to the terrifying presence Ishikawa had exuded during his match against Oni.
"As I thought."
On the other side of the court, Ishikawa—who had sealed Tokugawa's senses—shook his head lightly.
"His willpower is too strong."
Perhaps Tokugawa's innate mental fortitude wasn't extraordinary, but his burning desire to defeat Echizen had pushed him beyond his limits.
—CRACK.
Invisible to the naked eye, fractures spiderwebbed through the dark void imprisoning Tokugawa's consciousness.
—SHATTER!
The illusion collapsed.
His five senses returned in a rush.
"Hah…!"
Gasping like a drowning man breaching the surface, Tokugawa sucked in desperate breaths, sweat pouring down his face.
"I did it!"
His heart pounded—not just from breaking Ishikawa's technique, but from surpassing his own limits.
A cool breeze brushed against his skin, sending a shiver of relief through his body.
"Again!"
He glared at Ishikawa, tossing the ball high.
—THWACK!
The serve blazed across the court, its speed doubled, trailing a dazzling rainbow streak.
"He got faster?!"
Marui and Oshitari stiffened.
Had he been holding back before? Or had he just evolved mid-match?
If it was the latter… then this Tokugawa Kazuya, the top player of Court 1, had terrifying potential.
—THUD!
Yet Ishikawa effortlessly returned it.
"Not bad."
His tone was almost… approving.
Under normal circumstances, Tokugawa might've taken offense. But after experiencing the Annihilation of the Five Senses, he knew—this wasn't condescension.
This was genuine acknowledgment from a far stronger opponent.
—ZZZT!
Then, under the stunned gazes of the spectators, Tokugawa raised his right hand.
A golden glow gathered in his palm.
—BOOM!
The next instant, he fused the light with the ball and launched a devastating strike.
A comet of pure energy shot toward Ishikawa, its radiance cutting through the night.
"The Lightning Strike!"
A technique that harnessed the sweet spot of the racket—its power dwarfed ordinary shots. Even advanced techniques paled in comparison.
—THWAP!
Yet Ishikawa met it with the same ease, his racket barely trembling as he absorbed the impact.
The destructive force that should've erupted…
…merely rustled the hem of his shirt.
—BANG!
The ball rocketed back, slamming into the ground before Tokugawa could react.
"Game!"
Marui's voice rang out. "Ishikawa takes the game, 1-0! Change sides!"
Less than two minutes had passed.
Tokugawa hadn't scored a single point.
"This pressure…!"
His calm shattered.
Now, he finally understood what Oni had faced.
His Rainbow Serve, his Lightning Strike—neither had fazed Ishikawa.
At this point, victory was impossible.
All he could hope for now… was to score even once.
—THWACK!
Ishikawa's next serve was ruthless—a bullet aimed straight at Tokugawa's backhand.
"15-0!"
The sheer speed left Marui momentarily speechless.
Still, it wasn't nearly as fast as the serves Ishikawa had used against Oni.
"Tch."
Tokugawa clenched his racket.
He'd resolved to take at least one game—but now, even that seemed hopeless.
—THWACK!
"30-0!"
—THWACK!
"40-0!"
Marui and Oshitari exchanged glances.
"Is this match really ending already?"
They'd expected a fierce battle—not a one-sided slaughter.
Just as Marui opened his mouth to call the game…
—ZZZMM!
A swirl of black energy materialized in front of Tokugawa.
Time itself seemed to freeze.
"The Black Hole?!"
Marui and Oshitari gaped.
They hadn't expected Tokugawa to master this technique.
In truth, while Oni and Irie had taught it to him, Tokugawa's compatibility with the Black Hole surpassed theirs.
His innate foresight allowed him to predict opponents' moves—and this Black Hole was a trap he'd set before Ishikawa even served.
"Hah…!"
Relief flooded Tokugawa as the ball halted mid-air.
But then—
—CRACK.
A hairline fracture split the darkness.
Then another.
And another.
In seconds, the Black Hole—an impenetrable defense—shattered like glass.
—THUD!
The ball landed perfectly on the baseline.
"Game! Ishikawa leads, 2-0!"
"He broke through the Black Hole?!"
"No—" Oshitari's eyes widened. "Ishikawa knows the Black Hole himself. He must've predicted this!"
The realization hit Tokugawa like a truck.
When their eyes met, he felt exposed—as if Ishikawa had seen straight through him.
"No…"
A chill ran down his spine.
"That wasn't an illusion."
The Black Hole was a defensive technique, reliant on predicting the opponent's moves.
But if the opponent already knew what you'd predict…
Did the future even exist?
With this, nearly all of Tokugawa's weapons had been rendered useless.
"Only one move left."
Steeling himself, he inhaled deeply—his emotions vanishing, his presence fading into neutrality.
Then—
—BOOM!
A monstrous aura erupted from him.
"This is…?!"
Marui and Oshitari recoiled.
There was no mistaking it.
This was the same overwhelming force Oni had wielded.
"The Asura Path!"
A true master's domain.
Among the second-string players—no, even compared to the No.8, Tohno—Tokugawa's power now stood at the pinnacle of the U-17 elites.
This was his true strength.
—THWACK!
His serve tore through the air, the sheer pressure distorting the court before it even landed.
"Good."
For the first time, Ishikawa's expression shifted slightly.
Finally, Tokugawa had earned his full attention.
—THUD!
The rally that followed was a blur of speed and power.
Tokugawa, enhanced by the Asura Path, matched Ishikawa shot for shot—
—until, gradually, the weight behind each return grew heavier.
"Why… is his power increasing?!"
Tokugawa's arms strained.
Logically, Ishikawa shouldn't have overwhelming physical strength—especially not against the Asura Path.
Yet every impact felt like striking a mountainside.
"What is happening?!"
Then—
—SHIIING!
The dust parted.
A colossal tennis ball—more like a meteor—hurtled toward him.
"An otherworldly technique?!"
Tokugawa's instincts screamed.
Behind him, a golden figure materialized—a towering, divine warrior radiating righteousness.
His otherworldly manifestation: Asura, the Embodiment of Benevolence.
—SWISH!
As Tokugawa swung, Asura mirrored his motion—
—only for the racket to rip apart on contact.
—CRACK!
The divine warrior's forehead split as the ball pierced through.
Then, like a sand sculpture in the wind, Asura disintegrated.
—CLATTER.
Tokugawa's racket hit the ground.
His left wrist throbbed—likely fractured.
When he looked up, his gaze locked onto Ishikawa.
In that moment, in a realm only he could see…
…a monstrous silhouette loomed behind his opponent.
One shot.
That was all it took to obliterate the Asura Path.
Now, Tokugawa understood.
Their strengths weren't just different.
They existed in separate dimensions.
With a slow, resigned exhale, he lowered his head.
"This match… I concede."
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