Prince of Tennis: Shocking! Hyotei's Demon King is a Yukimura fangirl!

The surrounding spectators, who had been exclaiming in amazement at the previous goal, fell silent for a few seconds upon hearing these five words, and then began whispering among themselves.

"What limit? What is that?" The boy in the blue T-shirt nudged his teammate's arm, his eyes still glued to the court.

"Never heard of it? Sounds amazing! Wow, look how cool Tezuka is! His hair is flying everywhere, and his body seems to be glowing, like he's transforming in a manga." The girl next to her was holding a light stick, her voice full of amazement. "...He clearly missed that ball, but he managed to catch it. That's incredible!"

A middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap stared at the field for a few seconds, then suddenly sat up straight and slapped his thigh hard, his voice trembling slightly.

"It represents the pinnacle of skill and refinement. One of the three realms of tennis."

The boy in the blue T-shirt looked bewildered, craning his neck, "Uncle, what exactly are the three realms? They sound mysterious, are they hard to achieve?"

"Of course, that's a threshold that even professional players might not be able to reach."

The man stared intently at the court, leaning forward slightly, his voice tinged with barely suppressed excitement. "The ultimate level of refinement, also known as 'Mastery Through Hundreds of Practices,' is the first stage of the state of selflessness. It involves concentrating all your strength on the point of impact, like Tezuka's injured left arm on the court, which doubles the power and speed of your shots. You can return a shot that hits you with double the force. I've been playing tennis for over twenty years, and I've only ever seen this once in a professional match. To see this at a junior high school tournament, it's all worth coming here today."

"Is that unbelievable? Can someone reach this level in junior high?"

"Why would I lie to you? Look at his return just now. Everyone knows how fast Atobe's serve is. His return was even faster than his serve. What else could it be but a breakthrough?"

These words spread like wildfire, instantly doubling the surrounding chatter.

Most people were amazed, saying that Tezuka truly deserved his status as a national-level player, having reached such a level at such a young age. However, quite a few others scoffed, their words dripping with sarcasm.

"It was a sure win for Hyotei, but they insisted on targeting the opponent's arm. Now look what happened, they've messed things up. The opponent has broken through with a desperate burst of energy, and I'll have to watch how Atobe cleans up this mess."

"Tch, so what if you broke through? Your left hand is injured like that, how many minutes can you last? No matter how good you are, you still need to use your hand to exert force."

"Breaking through a cultivation level is no joke. Even if Atobe is strong, can he possibly surpass his cultivation level?"

"Atobe is amazing. Didn't he return that ball just now? It's still uncertain who will win or lose."

"Exactly, I thought it was a one-sided victory, but now there's a suspense again."

……

The discussion grew louder and louder, gradually splitting into two factions. Some sided with Tezuka, believing that victory was assured after breaking through his current level; others sided with Hyotei, thinking that Atobe had more experience and wouldn't be easily overtaken.

Both sides stuck to their own arguments and argued fiercely.

Even worse, some people held up their phones to record videos, waving the camera around the field while muttering to themselves that the match would definitely go viral if it were posted online.

Saori Shiba, sitting in the press box, snapped more than a dozen photos, her camera shutter clicking rapidly. Her face flushed red, and her tone was both excited and relieved.

"I told you Tezuka couldn't possibly lose! So what if he's playing injured? Does he think everyone's like Hyotei, only able to win by resorting to dirty tricks?" She slammed her camera on the table, hands on her hips, looking towards the Hyotei coaching bench, chin held high. "Wasn't that Mochizuki Ryo quite smug before, spouting tactics and coaching? Now that Tezuka has broken through to a new level, let's see what tricks he has up his sleeve!"

Inoue loosened his grip on the pen, looked down, and added a line to his notebook: "I really didn't expect that a breakthrough could be triggered under these circumstances. Tezuka's willpower far exceeds expectations."

At the Yamabuki Junior High School seat, the old man slowed down his fanning motion, his eyes narrowing into slits with a smile.

"Interesting, truly interesting." After exclaiming, he nudged Sengoku Kiyosumi and Tan Taichi beside him with his palm-leaf fan and said leisurely, "You two, watch closely. This match is going to be incredible!"

Sengoku moved closer to him, following his gaze. "Coach, is this really the legendary state of selflessness?"

The old man slowly fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan, his movements much slower than before. "Yes. It's been so many years since I've seen him on the junior high school field."

"So, this match..."

"A player who will be recorded in the history of junior high school tennis." The old man smiled and sighed softly, but his tone was unusually serious. "Two top players, one breaking through with an injury, the other playing steadily. After this match, it will be enough for you kids to digest for a long time."

When Tan Taichi watched Tezuka return the ball, his heart skipped a beat. Now, hearing Ban Lao say this, he quickly swallowed and agreed.

"Understood, Coach. This level is truly rare. Uh-huh, will Atobe-senpai lose? Tezuka-senpai looks amazing right now."

Sengoku gestured with his chin toward Hyotei's half of the court. "Taichi, look how steady he is, not flustered at all. If he lost that easily, he wouldn't be Atobe Keigo. But... Tezuka Kunimitsu is quite the hidden talent; I'd never heard of him doing this before."

The old man didn't reply, but just shook his head, his gaze returning to the center of the court.

Hiding? Perhaps not. He probably didn't even expect to reveal that secret at this time.

To reach the threshold of mastery in dire circumstances, talent, experience, and timing are all indispensable.

These two children have limitless potential.

Akutsu leaned against the back railing and snorted when he heard this. He didn't speak, but just looked at the two figures on the field, his eyes holding something else.

On the other side, at the Shonan City seat, Hanamura Aoi pushed up her glasses and quickly wrote something on her notebook with her fingertips.

"A hundredfold refinement brings satisfaction..."

She glanced at the two people on the field, her pen paused, a smile playing on her lips, her voice revealing surprise, "I thought Tezuka would at most reach the Domain and Zero Style, but I didn't expect this surprise. He can still break through in a desperate situation; his potential is even higher than I anticipated."

Kajimoto stood beside her and nodded. "It's a pity. He already had an old injury in his left hand, and forcing himself to reach this level is like overdrawing his tendons. He can't hold on for long."

Ruo Ren, swinging his legs, had just finished eating with the girl next to him when he heard this and leaned over, "Coach, in this situation, who do you think will win?"

Hanamura Aoi glanced towards the Hyotei coaching bench, her smile deepening. "Hyotei will definitely win. But the process will probably be more exciting than expected. With a reliable coach, Atobe won't lose his composure."

"We'll only have more cards up our sleeve, not fewer."

As she spoke, she glanced at all the team members beside her, "Watch carefully, this level of competition will greatly improve your skills. Don't just watch the excitement, pay more attention to your footwork and rhythm."

The team members nodded hurriedly, their eyes glued to the field.

Over at St. Rudolph's, Guan Yuechu snapped her fan shut with a loud bang, scribbling furiously in her notebook while muttering to herself:

"The ultimate forging, Tezuka Kunimitsu, trigger condition: relapse of old injury in left arm in dire straits... Speed, power, doubled... All previous data are invalidated and must be recalculated."

Akazawa, standing to the side, asked excitedly, "So, does that mean Tezuka still has a chance?"

Guan Yue glanced at him sideways and snorted, "Fight? With what? The power isn't just doubled by the level, but also by the strain on his arms. His elbows are already weak; if he keeps using them like this, he'll be completely useless in less than two rounds."

-

The murmurs from the sidelines swept across the court like a gust of wind, but the two players on the court seemed completely oblivious, unaffected by anything. The sounds of the ball being struck echoed one after another, as dense as raindrops.

Tezuka adjusted his grip, and the power of "practice makes perfect" flowed through his arm, completely eliminating the pain in his elbow. With each shot, he could clearly feel the texture of the power being poured into him.

Besides no longer feeling pain, he can also clearly see the ball's trajectory and predict the approximate landing point of Atobe's next shot.

This sense of control was something he had never experienced before.

As soon as he stands on the baseline, his aura spreads out, and the attraction of his domain is much stronger than before. The yellow tennis ball lands in his half of the court, and no matter which angle it comes from, it will be pulled towards his racket face by an invisible force.

Then, all the strength in my body seemed to find an outlet, converging entirely in my left arm. The moment the racket swung out, it felt as light as if it had no weight, yet the force with which the ball hit the string bed was astonishing.

He knew what it was. He had seen it described in a tennis magazine before: the ultimate level of refinement, the first stage of the state of selflessness.

He never imagined that he would step through this door under such circumstances.

Atobe stood at the baseline, unleashing three consecutive high-speed flat shots aimed at different corners, the trajectories so unpredictable they seemed to have eyes. In previous games, Tezuka would have conceded at least two points, but now, every single shot was steadily blocked by his opponent.

Moreover, the force of his returns increased with each shot; by the third shot, he even needed to take two steps back to regain his balance after receiving the ball.

"Hmm, that's interesting."

Atobe adjusted his grip on the racket, cracking his knuckles as he moved them. The impact had been quite severe; he could still feel a lingering numbness in his arm.

He looked up at Tezuka across from him, a smug smile playing on his lips, his icy blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

I was ready to end this game once I'd had my fill. But now it seems I won't be able to win without some real skill.

Atobe took a half step back, tossed the ball up, bent his knees slightly, and added 30% rotation to his wrist as he swung the racket.

"Tannhäuser serves."

The ball flew out with even stronger sidespin, skimming the ground, landing in an even more unpredictable spot, its speed like a yellow lightning bolt striking the ground. Upon impact, the ball's trajectory across the ground was bizarrely unpredictable.

It's also almost a third farther than before.

The audience had just quieted down when they exclaimed "Wow!" again.

"That spin is ridiculous! It's almost going out of bounds!"

Just as the ball was about to slide out of bounds, Tezuka slightly turned his body and raised his left arm. The power honed through countless trials was channeled into his wrist, and the evolved Tezuka Domain unleashed an extremely strong pulling force.

The ball, which should have landed in the corner of the sideline, was pulled by an invisible hand, abruptly changing direction and landing within his control.

With a flick of his wrist, the ball returned along its original path with double the force, its speed so fast it left a trail of afterimages.

Atobe had anticipated this, and with a sideways forehand smash, his racket face firmly gripped the ball, reducing the force of the shot.

"Bang."

"Bang."

Every thud of the ball seemed to strike the hearts of the audience, and the entire stadium's breath rose and fell in rhythm with the ball's movement.

The two players stood on opposite sides of the baseline, the ball being pulled from the baseline to the net and then back to the baseline. The yellow ball shuttled back and forth on both sides of the net, each shot incredibly powerful, the strings buzzing incessantly.

Atobe's attacks surged forward like a tide, with high-speed flat shots and sidespin smashes, one move after another. His footwork was precise and steady, and every return shot was aimed at the corner of the sideline, forcing Atobe to continuously increase the spin.

Tezuka, like a rock standing in the tide, steadily deflected the waves, no matter how fierce they were. The spin of Tezuka's domain grew ever stronger; with the added power honed through countless trials, he only needed to stand on the baseline, barely moving, and the domain could draw the ball to his side.

His left arm swung with a small range of motion, but each swing was incredibly steady. His arm was enveloped in white light, and each shot carried double the power, forcing Atobe to run around a large area time and time again.

Forty beats.

……

Sixty beats.

The back-and-forth battle lasted a long time, and the audience in the stands gradually fell silent. Everyone stared at the ball flying back and forth, swaying from side to side, as mechanically as if it were wound up.

The plastic track was scorching hot, and heat rose from the soles of shoes; even the wind smelled sticky with sweat.

Someone swallowed hard and whispered to the person next to them, "My God, is this... is this still middle school tennis? How many rallies have they played?"

"It's too fast, I can't even count them. Are these two freaks at stamina? They've been fighting for so long and they're not even out of breath?"

"Tezuka still has an injury on his left arm, yet he managed to hold on for so long. Anyone else would have given up long ago."

"Atobe isn't having an easy time either. Look at the sweat dripping from his forehead. He's been making Tezuka run around the whole time, and he's been running quite a bit himself."

Banta opened his eyes slightly and slowly nodded. "It's not just about physical strength. Mentality, tactics, willpower—it's all a contest..."

In the Hyotei rest area, Shishido leaned forward, his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned white. Feng clasped his hands together in front of his chest, his lips moving slightly, his voice low and tinged with barely perceptible worry.

"Can the minister break it?"

Shishido didn't turn around, his gaze fixed on the field. "He definitely can. When has Atobe ever lost?"

Hiyoshi stood to the side, his brows slightly furrowed. "With the addition of the Domain and the Thousand-Times-Refined Technique, the defense is almost unsolvable. If the captain wants to break this deadlock, he needs to change the rhythm."

Taki gripped his tactics notebook, his pen rapidly scribbling names on the paper. "He's already changing it. Look at his returns, the spin keeps changing; he's testing Tezuka's current limits."

On the coach's bench, Mochizuki Ryo leaned back in his chair, looking at Tezuka, who was glowing all over, and tapped his fingertips lightly on the armrest, unable to help but complain in his heart.

Incroyable. (That's an exaggeration!)

The protagonist's plot armor is truly legendary; even with his left hand almost destroyed, he still managed to break through the seemingly insurmountable barrier. Anyone else would have been carried off long ago; only a genius like Tezuka, with his innate talent and additional buffs, has managed to hold on this long.

They do have some merit.

It's a pity that the injury to his left hand is a serious one.

While physical exertion can temporarily suppress the pain, it cannot repair damaged tendons. After playing only a few games, the tendons will deform again when exerting force.

He watched as Tezuka moved half a step on the field to pull the ball back, and silently did some calculations in his mind.

Just now, the fifty-fourth beat.

Tezuka's domain rotation was slightly weaker than the initial buff.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Old injuries combined with the strain of unleashing his power, and Tezuka's sudden breakthrough leaving him with insufficient control, meant that every exertion was pushing his left arm to its limits. His elbow also had to maintain the continuous rotation of his domain; even an iron arm couldn't withstand that.

He did the math in his head and figured that at this intensity, Tezuka's left arm would be at most capable of winning one more game.

It remains to be seen whether Tezuka can close the gap nicely before his injury fully takes its toll.

He glanced at Atobe on the field; the boy's running steps were still steady, and although his breathing was a little rapid, his rhythm was not disrupted.

This guy's playing quite steadily. He didn't rush into a full-scale attack, but instead probed the opponent's strength and endurance. Those two months of extra training haven't been in vain.

Tezuka's breakthrough was indeed amazing, but Atobe's preparations were far more thorough than anyone had imagined.

Liu, standing by the field, wrote rapidly with her pen in her notebook, the ink spreading across the pages.

"In the 57th rally, Tezuka's spin intensity decreased by 12%, and his left arm swing speed decreased by 10%. Under the conditions of rigorous training, the elbow load per unit time increased to 210%."

He stopped writing, opened his eyes, and said in a calm, even tone, "At this rate of decay, it can only last for another 28 minutes at most."

Sanada's fingers tightened around the railing, and his eyes, hidden beneath his hat brim, grew intensely somber.

Breaking through a cultivation level while injured is something that not everyone can do.

only……

His brows furrowed even more.

How long does it take for your arm to recover after a forced breakthrough?

Doesn't anyone stop these Seigaku guys?

Just as I was thinking this, the situation on the field suddenly changed.

On the sixty-eighth shot, Atobe suddenly changed direction and dropped a short ball.

The ball drops down after crossing the net and lands in front of the net.

Tezuka lunged forward and delivered a backhand slash.

"Zero short ball."

"Great shot!" In the Seigaku stands, Momoshiro excitedly raised his fist and shouted, then quickly covered his mouth so as not to disturb the game.

Kikumaru held his breath, his eyes wide open.

Atobe didn't stop moving. Almost the instant the ball hit the ground, he rushed to the net, extended his racket under the ball, and gently flicked it.

The ball was lifted up, just over the net, and landed in the opposite backcourt.

Tezuka had already retreated, activated his domain, brought the ball in front of him, and hit a forehand smash, but the return ball was slightly high.

Atobe was already waiting at the net. He leaped into the air, his knees bending in a beautiful arc, and his racket was raised high.

"A waltz toward destruction."

The jump, the spike—the movements were clean and crisp.

Tezuka raised his eyes to the ball in the air, his feet not retreating, but instead taking half a step forward. He raised his racket, precisely parrying the smash, the power honed through countless trials flowing out along the racket face.

The doubled force hit the ball, and the originally sharp smash was bounced back, even faster than when it came.

As soon as Atobe landed, before he could even adjust his balance, the ball grazed his side and hit the baseline.

"40-30".

"Game point, Qingxue."

As the referee's voice faded, a cheer erupted from the Seigaku stands. Momoshiro waved his support flag and shouted, his voice cracking. Kikumaru was moved to tears, his outward-curling hair trembling with excitement.

Shiba Saori was so excited that she stomped her feet and shouted until her voice was hoarse.

"Tezuka is so cool! Double the payback! This is the power of being tempered a thousand times! Hyotei's special move is completely useless! Let's see how arrogant they can be now. Weren't they so smug before?"

Inoue adjusted his glasses, his eyes filled with admiration. "With the enhancement of the realm, Tezuka's domain has seen a significant improvement in both defensive coverage and spin intensity. It will be extremely difficult for Atobe to score."

Atobe straightened up, shook his aching arm, and his icy blue eyes fell on the ball at the net for two seconds before moving back to Tezuka's left arm.

It couldn't hold up after all the hard work.

He didn't dwell on it much, turned around and walked back to the baseline, preparing for the next shot.

Tezuka stood opposite, his back to the audience, his right hand quickly pressing against the outside of his elbow. His fingertips were damp with cold sweat. He quickly withdrew his hand, gripped his racket again, and showed no sign of anything amiss on his face.

Atobe delivered another Tannhäuser serve, this time with an even more tricky angle as the ball slid after landing.

Tezuka continued to use his area of ​​effect to pull the ball, and as soon as his racket touched the ball, he felt that the spin was stronger than the previous serve. He added a little force to his wrist and pulled the ball back into the court.

The only problem was that the ball landed a little too shallowly.

Atobe seized the opportunity, quickly moved to the net, and hit a smash into Tezuka's forehand corner.

The ball is extremely fast and has a strong topspin.

Tezuka stepped to the side, his racket arcing as he hooked the ball back. It was a curveball, its trajectory carrying an unpredictable arc, circling the sideline and landing inside the court.

Atobe rushed to the baseline, barely managed to save the ball, and lobbed it very high.

Tezuka came to the net and jumped to smash the ball.

Atobe stepped back and raised his racket to receive the ball. The powerful shot sent him back two steps, deflecting the ball back into the opponent's half.

In the following points, the two players were neck and neck.

This game lasted nearly thirty minutes, with each point involving dozens of rallies. Atobe constantly changed his shot trajectories, sometimes attacking hard and sometimes dropping short, trying to disrupt Tezuka's rhythm. Tezuka relied on his Domain and Thousand Hammers of Skill to defend steadily, occasionally seizing opportunities to launch counterattacks.

The sun grew stronger and stronger, making the ground scorching hot.

The heat in the air continued to rise, mixed with the muffled thuds of the ball being hit and the low murmurs of the audience, making everyone's heart clench.

Finally, after Tezuka hit a short ball with an extremely tricky angle, Atobe rushed over, but the ball had already bounced back 30 centimeters after landing.

"Game, Seigaku. The score is 5-2."

As the referee announced the score, the scoreboard flipped twice with a click.

The number on the Seigaku side jumped from 1 to 2.