Prince of Tennis: The Emperor's Eye

Chapter 135: Chapter 135: Kintaro Who Was Completely Overpowered

As Chitose activated Ten’i Muhō no Kiwami, the spectators from Rikkai, who were sitting near the stands, couldn’t help but show a bitter smile. Now, Fudomine had three players who had mastered Ten’i, and the gap between them and Rikkai was widening.

The fifth game was Tachibana Kippei’s serve. With the boost from Beast King’s Aura, Tachibana Kippei’s Lion’s Roar was much stronger than before, making it even harder for Marui to keep up.

The rest of the match was almost without suspense. Facing Chitose, who had activated Ten’i Muhō no Kiwami, and Tachibana Kippei, who was empowered by the Beast King’s Aura, no matter how hard Marui and Jackal tried, they couldn’t stop the points from slipping away.

As time passed, they were able to perform less and less, and eventually, the brilliance of Ten’i Muhō no Kiwami consumed them. Their breathing became heavier, and they were gradually overwhelmed by the power.

In the end, even Tachibana Kippei’s serve Lion’s Roar couldn’t be intercepted. Marui and Jackal could only watch as multiple ball shadows flew out of bounds, transforming into one tennis ball that slammed against the wall.

”GAME! Fudomine! 5-0!”

As expected, Marui and Jackal lost the fifth game. It was then that they truly understood what despair felt like. The two players on the opposite side had completely entered a different level, especially Chitose, whose Ten’i Muhō no Kiwami was overwhelmingly strong.

The sixth game was Jackal’s serve, but his serves were far from his usual standard in terms of both power and speed. This was because Chitose, now familiar with Ten’i Muhō no Kiwami’s power, didn’t score immediately with his return.

Even so, Marui and Jackal couldn’t last long, as Tachibana Kippei wouldn’t show mercy. Even at their peak, they couldn’t fully resist Tachibana Kippei in his Beast King’s Aura state, let alone now when they were being consumed by the Ten’i light, drastically lowering their strength.

”GAME! 6-0! Match over! Winner, Fudomine Middle School!”

With the referee’s announcement, the doubles match finally ended. Marui and Jackal had lost terribly. Although they had scored some points, it wasn’t much better than being completely shut out.

Rikkai’s consecutive losses in doubles also made the audience realize just how strong Fudomine was. They now appeared to be much stronger than Rikkai, who was considered an undefeatable force by other schools.

Marui and Jackal walked dejectedly to the coach’s seat, packed their things, and then headed to the stands. At this time, Yukimura had not yet returned from warm-up.

Meanwhile, at Fudomine’s coach seat, Akashi had instructed Chitose to familiarize himself with the power of Ten’i Muhō no Kiwami. Chitose had only just begun to unlock Ten’i and, after abandoning his obsession with the power of Mu, he rediscovered his love for tennis, which led him to activate Ten’i Muhō no Kiwami. However, fully mastering the light of his own Ten’i would require more effort.

Soon, Yukimura finished warming up and walked back to the court. Glancing at the scoreboard, he sighed slightly, and then his expression grew more determined.

At this point, Kintaro was still doing his warm-up exercises on the side. His movements, resembling elementary school calisthenics, piqued the curiosity of the spectators who were watching him for the first time. Akashi hadn’t restricted Kintaro but encouraged him to give it his all, which made Kintaro extremely excited.

”The next match will be for singles 3, with Fudomine’s Tōyama Kintarō facing Rikkai’s Yukimura Seichi. Please have both players enter the court!”

The two players stepped forward and bowed to each other. Looking at the excited Kintaro, Yukimura, who was wearing his jacket, smiled slightly and said:

”To be able to become a regular player for Fudomine in just your first year, and now you’re playing in the important singles 3 position. It seems that Akashi-san really recognizes your strength.”

”This singles 3 match is something I earned for myself. Akashi is too stingy. He didn’t let me play in the previous matches, but now it looks like you’re pretty strong. Let’s have a good match!” Kintaro muttered to Akashi and then said happily.

”Oh? Is that so? Well then, let me see your true strength, Tōyama Kintarō!” Yukimura’s smile faded slowly, and his tone turned serious.

”Hehe! Then it’s settled! Let’s have a fun and intense match!” Kintaro said excitedly after hearing Yukimura’s words.

At this point, the referee signaled for both players to start the coin toss. Kintaro and Yukimura didn’t waste any time and immediately started the coin toss. In the end, Kintaro won the serve right.

”Game, set! Fudomine to serve first!”

Kintaro stood at the baseline, tossed the ball high into the air, then jumped into the air, spinning several times before smashing the ball downward with great force.

The ball, with tremendous speed and power, flew towards Yukimura’s side of the court. However, in the next instant, Yukimura appeared at the ball’s landing point and casually returned Kintaro’s serve, which zipped past Kintaro before he could land, and flew out of bounds.

”0-15!”

”Nice power, but sometimes jumping too high isn’t a good thing,” Yukimura said calmly after returning the ball.

Kintaro turned to look at the ball outside the court and froze for a moment. He had never faced someone who returned his serve so cleanly and efficiently, except for those at Fudomine.

”Wow!!! Headband-kun, you’re amazing! Next, I’m going to keep attacking!” Kintaro said with stars in his eyes, his voice filled with excitement.

When Kintaro called Yukimura ”headband-kun,” Yukimura didn’t take it too seriously. With Kintaro’s straightforward and innocent personality, it’s hard for anyone to dislike him.

However, just because Yukimura didn’t mind, it didn’t mean that others wouldn’t. For example, a certain small seaweed on the spectator stands, who was glaring at Kintaro on the court with an extremely displeased look.

”That brat! How dare he casually give the captain a nickname! I better not run into him later!” Kirihara gritted his teeth and said.

”Kirihara, your chance of winning against Tōyama Kintarō is only 3%!” Yanagi Renji casually threw a jab at Kirihara.

”This joke isn’t funny at all, Yanagi-senpai!” Kirihara immediately protested.

”This is not a joke. The data doesn’t lie!” Yanagi Renji ignored Kirihara’s protest and calmly continued.

”Kirihara! Watch the match quietly. Stop yelling so loudly; you’re being too careless!” Sanada Genichirō scolded Kirihara with a serious expression.

”Che~ I wonder who was the one shouting just now~” Kirihara muttered under his breath, but when he saw Sanada’s sharp gaze, he immediately kept quiet.

On the court, Kintaro tossed the ball high into the air again. He ignored Yukimura’s advice and jumped high into the air. This time, he spun several times in the air before smashing the ball with all his might.

Yukimura quickly moved to the ball’s landing point and returned the shot. However, the power behind Kintaro’s shot was so great that Yukimura couldn’t immediately hit a fast cross-court return. By the time Yukimura made his return, Kintaro had already landed back on the ground.

Seeing Yukimura’s return, Kintaro didn’t hesitate and spun around a few times, then suddenly flames appeared on his racket. He hit the ball with all his might, sending the flaming ball toward Yukimura.

”Here it comes! Super Megaton Fantasy Deluxe Volcano Eruption Serve!” Kintaro shouted loudly.

The tennis ball, enveloped in searing flames, flew toward Yukimura’s backcourt. Yukimura’s expression didn’t change at all. He casually swung his racket, and in an instant, sparks flew from the ball, as though a volcano had erupted.

However, in the next moment, Kintaro was blinded by a flash, and a tennis ball exploded right next to his foot. It then bounced high into the air and flew out of bounds.

”0-30!”

”Quite a powerful move, but the spin on the ball is still a bit lacking!” Yukimura said nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened.

”I was right! You’re really amazing! Looks like I need to step up my game!” Without realizing it, Kintaro’s fighting spirit was fully ignited.

When Kintaro served again, Yukimura still easily returned the ball, as if he didn’t feel the force of Kintaro’s strange power at all. This surprised Ryōma, who had faced Kintaro in a match before.

Kintaro kept bouncing around the court, his movements natural yet seemingly full of life, which made the audience enjoy watching him. However, Yukimura, like a tall wall, always effortlessly returned the ball.

”0-40!”

”GAME! Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku! 1-0!”

Before long, Kintaro lost his service game. Yukimura had completely read his playstyle. With his five-dimensional skillset and mental strength having reached the world-class level, Kintaro’s power couldn’t be fully utilized.

The second game was Yukimura’s service game. He stood at the baseline, tossed the ball up, and hit a fast serve. The ball flew toward Kintaro’s side with incredible speed.

But Kintaro was fast. With just a few jumps, he caught up to the ball, spun twice in the air, and struck it with force, sending it flying over the net toward the baseline.

However, the next moment, Yukimura’s racket intercepted the ball’s path. After intercepting Kintaro’s shot, Yukimura flicked his wrist, dissipating most of the ball’s power, and then dropped a short ball.

The ball barely cleared the net and started to drop slowly. Seeing this, Kintaro leaped forward and returned the ball just in time, but Yukimura suddenly appeared at the net, leaped high, and smashed the ball down.

Before Kintaro could react, the ball flew past him and crashed into the backcourt. When Kintaro turned to chase, the ball had already bounced out of bounds.

”15-0!”

Yukimura slowly walked back to the baseline and, without hesitation, hit another fast serve. Kintaro’s mindset was unaffected. He still chased after the ball with full energy and returned it with all his might.

But the situation remained the same. No matter how many different angles Kintaro tried, he couldn’t break through Yukimura’s defenses. Yukimura’s expression didn’t change, as if he were doing something very ordinary.

”30-0!”

Finally, Yukimura seized an opening and returned a shot to win a point. After Yukimura hit another fast serve, Kintaro’s gaze changed slightly. His excitement was replaced by a hint of seriousness.

Kintaro quickly moved to the ball’s landing point, and with a powerful strike, he returned the shot. As he did, he began to spin in place, and soon a tornado appeared around him.

When Yukimura caught up with the ball and returned it with ease, the tornado on Kintaro’s side of the court had already grown massive. As the ball passed the net, it was sucked into the tornado and flew high into the air.

In the next moment, Kintaro’s figure shot out from the tornado, his body curled up as he flipped into the air, and then he swung his racket with all his might, aiming to smash the ball down.

”Super Invincible Absolutely Delicious Great Wheel Mountain Storm!”

Immediately, a red light enveloped the entire court. The tennis ball, with an unstoppable momentum, flew toward Yukimura’s side. At this moment, Yukimura’s coat billowed behind him, and even his hair was blown backward, but his face remained calm and unshaken.

Yukimura gripped his racket with both hands and swung at the descending ball. The moment the racket made contact with the ball, a powerful gust of wind lifted the dust from the ground, obscuring the audience’s vision.

However, a yellow illusion quickly flew out from the dust and smashed into Kintaro’s baseline, then flew out of bounds. Yukimura’s voice soon followed.

”The name of a move doesn’t necessarily mean that the longer the name, the stronger it is. This move is slightly stronger than the previous one, but it still wasn’t enough to score!”

”40-0!”

When the dust cleared, Kintaro looked at Yukimura, who was still wearing his coat. Even he felt a bit of pressure. This was already his strongest move, but his opponent had still returned it with ease.

”Since that’s the case, I’ll have to try this move!” A rare serious expression appeared on Kintaro’s face.

When Yukimura served the fourth ball, Kintaro quickly reached the landing point, focused his energy, and struck the ball with all his might. The moment the ball hit his racket, a dazzling golden light burst forth. The ball then began to enlarge and, after crossing the net, transformed into a huge golden light ball, hurtling toward Yukimura.

”Take this! Flash Ball!” Kintaro shouted loudly.

”What an idiot! How many times have I told him, this move is called the Glowing Shot!” Akutsu, sitting in the stands, frowned and said.

Yukimura watched the massive golden light ball in front of him, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. As he swung his racket, he said:

”Just to correct you, this is called the Glowing Shot, but the Super Sweet Spot technique is not something only you can master~”

The moment Yukimura finished speaking, his racket made contact with the ball. The massive light ball instantly shrank to its normal size, and although it raged against the racket, it couldn’t break free.

Then Yukimura’s arm forcefully swung, sending the ball, still glowing with golden light, toward Kintaro’s side. Kintaro was momentarily stunned as the glowing ball zipped past him, smashing into the ground. He couldn’t even tell how Yukimura did it, but the ground only cracked slightly.

The ball then bounced and collided with the wall, where its power fully exploded, creating a massive dent in the wall, and debris flew everywhere.

The audience behind the wall instinctively covered their heads. Fortunately, the wall was high enough that the spectators weren’t injured.

”GAME! Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku! 2-0!”

”The Glowing Shot~ Its power is indeed tremendous, but it’s not quite suited for my style of play,” Yukimura slowly remarked, gazing at the dent in the wall.

Akashi didn’t find it strange that Yukimura could execute the Glowing Shot. Given Yukimura’s talent and skill, as long as he mastered the Super Sweet Spot technique, learning the Glowing Shot would be very easy.

However, Yukimura wasn’t particularly fond of the Glowing Shot. Similar to his attitude toward the concept of ”Muga,” he had actually mastered it in elementary school but discarded the ability afterward, as it didn’t suit his style.

The third game was again Kintaro’s service game. However, Kintaro no longer had the energetic, bouncy feeling from before. He had quieted down. While he enjoyed playing against strong opponents, he didn’t like the feeling of being overwhelmed.

Yukimura noticed the change in Kintaro and his eyes flashed for a moment. Then, a powerful mental force began to emanate from his body. He locked eyes with Kintaro, ready to receive his serve.

Kintaro tossed the ball into the air and jumped high. However, this time, he jumped higher than the ball and struck down hard on it as he descended. A blast of air spread from his racket upon contact, the force behind his strike clearly immense.

Yukimura swiftly moved to the landing point, swung his racket to intercept the ball, but the power behind it made him furrow his brow. He used his technique to neutralize most of the force and returned the ball while infusing it with a massive amount of mental energy.

The ball, now infused with Yukimura’s powerful mental force, sped toward Kintaro. Kintaro quickly reached the landing point and intercepted the ball, but the mental energy attached to the ball surged into Kintaro’s body.

Kintaro returned the ball and immediately began running toward the net, preparing to launch an attack. Yukimura, however, once again infused the ball with mental energy and returned it. The two players then engaged in an intense back-and-forth.

Gradually, Kintaro noticed his vision starting to darken. When he tried to intercept Yukimura’s return, his hand suddenly went numb, and he lost all sense of his racket. His vision became completely dull, and he couldn’t see any light.

This sudden loss of sensation left Kintaro at a loss. Soon, even the sounds around him disappeared, and his usually sharp sense of smell and taste failed him. It was as though he no longer existed, unable to sense anything.

Yukimura, seeing Kintaro suddenly freeze, knew his ability had activated. He then quickly swung his racket with a backhand, sending the ball flying past Kintaro and out of bounds.

”0-15!”

”Do you still find playing tennis enjoyable now that you’ve lost all five senses?” Yukimura asked, his voice calm as he looked at Kintaro, whose pupils were now unfocused.