As the two entered the synchronization state, Yanagi immediately understood what Niō intended to do. By merging their mental awareness through the synchronized connection, they could strengthen their resistance to the Light of Glory, allowing them to resist its effects to some extent.
"Looks like I need to update your data again, Niō," Yanagi exhaled slowly, speaking in a low voice.
The third game was Yanagi's service game. He stepped to the baseline, tossed the ball, and swung his racket. The ball zipped over the net toward the back right corner—an absolutely perfect baseline serve.
Unfortunately, the one returning it was Akutsu. With a flash of movement, he appeared at the corner. Then, his form split into five distinct postures, attacking in different styles, dazzling the spectators.
"Asura Path—Eighth Consciousness!"
At that moment, the two Yanagis began calculating the probabilities of each attacking posture in their minds. Since they were synchronized, their data-processing abilities complemented each other. They quickly ruled out the two lowest-probability figures and dashed toward the two most likely positions.
'Didn't expect him to use this method to counter both Ten'i and Eighth Consciousness. You truly live up to your title as the Trickster of the Court, Niō Masaharu,' Akashi smiled slightly as he watched the two Yanagis move across the court.
'But in the end, tennis is about strength. Against absolute strength, no strategy is more than a delay tactic at best,' Akashi thought, glancing toward Akutsu in his Asura state.
Just then, "Yanagi" successfully intercepted the return. He relaxed slightly—at least they had found a way to deal with Akutsu's Eighth Consciousness. Without hesitation, "Yanagi" sliced a sharp backhand at the oncoming ball, sending it spinning rapidly across the court.
"Kamaitachi!"
Akutsu's expression darkened as he prepared to react, but Kintarō had already dashed forward. As he jumped, his body spun rapidly, and flames ignited on his racket. With a fierce swing, he smashed the spinning ball.
"You actually returned Jin-chan's swish-swish-swish ball! That's awesome! I can't fall behind either! Take this! Super Megaton Fantasy Deluxe Volcano Eruption Ball!" Kintarō shouted excitedly, as always.
The tennis ball transformed into a giant lava sphere, slamming into the opponent's court. Flames burst outward like an erupting volcano. The move was powerful, but unfortunately, its path was too predictable. The two Yanagis appeared at the landing point, overlapped their rackets, and returned it together.
The flames on the ball extinguished instantly. It shot back over the net with great speed, aimed at Kintarō's feet. Just as the ball bounced, Kintarō landed—but he flipped backward several times and landed above the ball again, smashing it down hard.
"You guys are amazing! This back-and-forth is what makes tennis fun! Heeyah!" Kintarō felt the blood in his veins boil with excitement.
"That physical ability! He's on the same level as that brat Akutsu. No wonder Akashi paired them up. Even if they don't coordinate well, this kind of unpredictable offense is the most troublesome to deal with!" Mifune admired Kintarō more and more. He couldn't wait for the national tournament to end so he could recruit this promising player into the training camp.
While Mifune murmured to himself, the two Yanagis and Kintarō were already locked in a fierce rally. Akutsu stood at the backcourt, watching silently, not rushing in—he knew it had been a long time since Kintarō got to enjoy a match like this.
With each of Kintarō's hearty laughs, the blue glow around him grew brighter. When it peaked, a gentle radiance swept across the entire court, even soothing the spectators' moods.
"That's the Light of Love?! What a complete little monster!" Even Mifune sounded shaken.
The two Yanagis, however, were clearly struggling. They had just barely been able to resist the Light of Glory's erosion, but now with the stronger Light of Love, they could no longer hold out. Though the three Lights primarily buff the user, they definitely enhance erosion effects as well.
"We've got to come up with something. This won't do," muttered "Yanagi," his mind spinning rapidly.
As Kintarō's power surged further, the real Yanagi was the first to slip. One of Kintarō's powerful shots knocked the racket from his hands. The other "Yanagi" tried to help, but it was too late.
"0-15!"
Yanagi glanced at his slightly swollen wrist, silently picked up his racket, and began calculating data in his mind. At the same time, he began to grasp Niō's thoughts—after all, they were still synchronized, even if it was a one-sided synchronization forced by Niō.
Watching Kintarō bouncing around on the other side of the court, Yanagi took a deep breath to calm himself. He walked to the baseline, ready to serve. Giving up now wasn't his style. After delivering another sharply angled serve, he focused all his attention.
The court once again broke into a fierce rally like before, but this time, it was different—Niō, while still maintaining the illusion of "Yanagi," began using techniques from other players to counter Kintarō's increasingly ferocious attacks.
But even with all that, Kintarō under the Light of Love was already at a half-step world-class level. His superhuman strength allowed him to hold his own even against slightly weaker world-class players. At this point, Niō and Yanagi alone just couldn't keep up.
"0-30!"
"0-40!"
The game quickly reached game point. Beads of sweat formed on "Yanagi's" forehead. Clearly, the repeated illusions were taking a toll on Niō. The situation on court was not looking good for them.
"That's enough playing around, Kintarō!" Akutsu suddenly called out.
"No way! This match is too fun! I'm not done yet, Jin-chan!" Kintarō clearly wasn't satisfied.
'Tch… this is why I said not to stick me with a kid. Damn you, Akashi!' Akutsu thought irritably. But he couldn't snap at Kintarō, so he redirected his anger toward Akashi. At the same time, a black-and-red aura surged around him, layering over the silver glow.
"The scent of a beast!"
From the coach's seat, Akashi suddenly felt a tickle in his nose. He looked around, but nothing seemed off. Must've been some dust kicked up from the court. He paid it no mind and turned back to the match.
At that moment, Yanagi served. Akutsu flashed forward and returned the ball. On the other side, Yanagi seemed to have predicted the move and was already at the landing spot, intercepting it. Just as Akutsu was about to strike again, Kintarō leapt in and smashed the ball.
Right then, "Yanagi's" form twisted again. This time, "Sanada" reappeared before everyone's eyes, flashing with lightning, instantly warping to the front of the incoming ball. His form twisted again.
"Looks like you've done it, Niō. So this is what you meant by Infinite Illusion?" Yukimura spoke softly from Rikkai's bench, a touch of awe in his tone as he watched Niō's current state.
Now, a new figure appeared on court—a man in a green camo cap, wearing a Shitenhōji uniform, with a strange expression on his face. He smashed the oncoming ball with incredible force. It shot toward the airborne Kintarō like a bullet.
"Bakyuun!"
Fortunately, the Shitenhōji team had gone to watch the match between Seigaku and Hyōtei today. Otherwise, they would've been stunned to see their former captain—Taira Yoshiyuki—appearing on court.
Kintarō saw the incoming ball and, without thinking, swung at it. Akutsu opened his mouth to warn him, but it was too late. The moment the ball hit Kintarō's racket, a bizarre spinning force exploded. Before he could react, it tore through his racket and landed on the baseline, flying out of bounds.
"15-40!"
"Who's the strongest sniper? That would be me, of course!" "Taira Yoshiyuki" announced in a strange tone after scoring the point.
"Amazing! He blasted right through the racket! I wanna learn it! I wanna learn it!" Kintarō's eyes sparkled with excitement as he stared at "Taira Yoshiyuki."
"Kintarō! Quiet! Focus and take the match seriously!" At that moment, a voice rang out from the Fudomine bench—it was Krauser.
Kintarō immediately froze, glancing nervously toward Krauser before quietly returning to his position at the net, a serious look on his face. The rest of Fudomine tried not to laugh, while the true culprit, Akashi, maintained a calm smile.
At the same time, "Taira Yoshiyuki's" form began to shift back into "Yanagi." Synchronization was reestablished with the real Yanagi, who then served again.
With Krauser's warning still fresh in his mind, Kintarō didn't charge in blindly this time. After Akutsu returned the serve, Kintarō stayed put. The two on the other side breathed a brief sigh of relief and hit the ball back—only to suddenly see Akutsu activate Eighth Consciousness again.
This time, five figures appeared behind him. Including Akutsu himself, six different forms stood before the two Yanagis. With the added boost from his beastly aura, Akutsu's explosive power rose another level, allowing him to pull off six full silhouettes.
Now under the growing influence of the Light of Love, Niō and Yanagi couldn't calculate fast enough to respond the way they had earlier. They hurriedly picked two directions and returned the ball—but missed.
"Game! Fudomine! 2-1! Time! Switch sides!"
As the "Yanagi" walking toward Rikkai's bench slowly reverted into Niō's true form, he turned toward the real Yanagi beside him. His voice was firm, as if he had made a final decision.
"Renji. From here on out, just focus on collecting data. Leave the rest to me."