"I think you know, Tanegashima-senpai, who our opponents will be, right?" Akashi glanced at the man beside him, his voice calm.
"Of course! The current world number one pro, huh~ But doesn't that just make it more interesting, Akashi-chan~" Tanegashima stuck out his tongue at Akashi, his face relaxed as if he didn't take Volk seriously at all.
But Akashi knew better. Tanegashima's full concentration was already gathered—his powerful mental waves couldn't be hidden from him. That was why Akashi didn't object to partnering with him for this match.
"That guy Tanegashima better win. Otherwise… hmph!" Byoudouin slowly sat back down, his eyes on Tanegashima's back, his tone oddly calm.
"Well, well~ give me a break! I didn't expect Tanegashima to pick this moment to step on court!" Omagari's voice carried some surprise. He had thought this match would surely be Akashi and Byoudouin, since their opponents were two professional players—one of them Germany's number one ace.
"Good work, Mitsuya, Tezuka! Don't worry too much about the result. After all, this is just an exhibition match," Duke said warmly, comforting the two who had just walked off the court.
"Thanks for the concern, Duke-senpai. But honestly, compared to winning, Tezuka's breakthrough is the biggest surprise for our Japan Team!" Mitsuya smiled happily at Tezuka, his tone full of sincerity.
"This is thanks to Mitsuya-senpai's effort earlier. But… as for fusing the three radiances, I still don't have a clue!" Tezuka's thoughts were already absorbed by the Radiance of Love he had just awakened.
"Fusing three radiances isn't easy. The fact that you've already fused two is shocking enough. Don't rush. For now, just watch the match," Mifune knew how hard it was to fuse three radiances. Even Nanjirō back then had struggled for a long time.
Unlike Q.P.'s absorption of radiances, awakening three radiances yourself and then fusing them was extremely difficult. It required turning all three states of mind into your own true heart, making your will flawless. That was why Nanjirō abandoned the name Light of Pride and instead called it Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami.
In Akashi's view, the Light of Pride could indeed be called Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami, but Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami was not simply the Light of Pride. There was a fundamental difference between the two. Japan Team had just gotten used to calling it Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami Extreme.
Once fusion was complete, there would no longer be any "three radiances." If the user wished, they could maintain Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami throughout the entire match, from beginning to end, because that was their true heart—unshakable by anything.
The stadium atmosphere had reached its peak. Nobody expected just an exhibition match to bring Volk himself onto the court. What shocked them even more—his partner was none other than Bertie.
Bertie wasn't just Germany's only junior high pro player, he was also Volk's younger brother. At 13, he graduated from Germany's most elite academy. By 15, he had already made a name in the pro tour, hailed as Germany's doubles ace!
"Up next, the third exhibition match! For Germany—Jürgen Borisovich Volk and Bertie Borisovich Volk! For Japan—Tanegashima Shūji and Akashi Seijurō! Players, please enter the court!"
Jürgen Borisovich Volk.
As the umpire's voice rang, the four players stepped onto the court. In contrast to Germany's serious aura, Japan's pair looked unconventional—Akashi still wore his jacket draped over his shoulders, while Tanegashima had his left arm slipped out, half-wearing his jacket as usual.
"You Japan Team guys aren't letting Byoudouin play?" Bertie suddenly asked as they met at the net for greetings.
"Well~ it's just an exhibition, right? Byoudouin thought it was a hassle, so I came in his place~" Tanegashima smiled at Volk and Bertie, his tone playful.
"Akashi Seijurō! A middle schooler listed as captain on the roster? Looks like you're not simple~" Bertie ignored Tanegashima's tease and shifted his gaze to Akashi.
"Pointless words. Let's just start the match," Akashi replied, his tone ice-cold.
Volk stood beside Bertie, silent as always. That was his nature—he never wasted words on opponents, unless he recognized their strength.
The four quickly moved to the center for the toss at the umpire's signal. This time Japan Team's luck finally ran out, and Germany won the serve. Still, Tanegashima had reason to suspect this was Akashi's doing—after all, his luck was usually flawless.
"One set match! Germany to serve first!"
Volk walked straight to the baseline, while Bertie stood at the net, his sharp gaze fixed on Akashi as if trying to see through him. Too bad—in this world, when it came to eyesight, Akashi had never feared anyone.
Tanegashima, on the other hand, focused fully on Volk. Facing the world's number one pro, it was impossible to feel no pressure. But his mental toughness far surpassed ordinary players, so his state of mind stayed steady.
At the baseline, Volk calmly picked up a ball and tossed it skyward. Almost simultaneously, two sounds echoed together—the serve thundered past and slammed onto the baseline behind Tanegashima, bouncing out of bounds in an instant.
"Ace! 15-0!"
"So this is the serve of the strongest pro? That speed's terrifying. Doesn't seem much slower than Ochi-senpai's," Shiraishi swallowed, his tone full of shock.
" Ochi-senpai's Mach Serve is much faster. But that ball just now wasn't simple at all. That kind of serve with both speed and power… not just anyone can hit it," Mōri answered seriously.
On court, Volk tossed another ball. Again, it was a serve loaded with speed and force. But this time Tanegashima was ready. He slid sideways, intercepted it fast, and stripped the ball of all pace and spin.
He didn't use Halt Destruction Nothingness—just sent back a simple crosscourt shot. But Bertie seemed to have expected it. He had already moved to the ball's path and, without hesitation, smashed it back with full power.
The next moment, Akashi's figure appeared. Bertie's vision blurred, and the ball had already landed on the sideline and bounced out. He hadn't even seen Akashi swing.
"15-15!"
"Data tennis, huh? Then let's see whose vision of the future reaches farther," Akashi said calmly, his mismatched eyes glowing faintly with golden rings of light.
"Oh? Confident in your predictions, aren't you~" Bertie chuckled lightly, though fighting intent flashed in his gaze.
Akashi ignored him. Volk was already back at the baseline for another serve. The ball blasted toward Tanegashima's backhand corner. It was slower than before, but the power was much stronger.
But Volk's serve had no effect on Tanegashima's spin-canceling return. He sent it back easily. Instantly, Akashi and Bertie both rushed the net, their rackets colliding in a blistering close-range rally.
After a few rapid exchanges, Bertie's face grew tense. He realized Akashi was predicting his every move—and with accuracy that even surpassed his own data tennis.
Then Bertie noticed Akashi's motion. From the last few rallies, he thought he had collected some of Akashi's hitting habits. He leaned toward the predicted direction. But the next moment, Akashi's shot went the other way.
Bertie reacted instinctively to chase it, but suddenly his footing gave way. A wave of weightlessness swept over him, and his body tilted back uncontrollably. He dropped to the ground. Volk, caught off guard by the sudden slip, couldn't intercept the shot in time.
"15-30!"
"You thought you had gathered my data just now? What a laughable delusion," Akashi stood at the net, his cold eyes on the fallen Bertie. His jacket swayed faintly behind him, as if mocking Bertie's arrogance.