Prince of Tennis: The Emperor's Eye

Chapter 352: Chapter 31: Limit Break

After the pause ended, the match restarted. The seventh game was Krauser’s serve. He also used Wirbel Taufe, but aside from the first ball where Hermes was busy gathering data and lost a point, every other shot was returned smoothly.

After all, he wasn’t Volk. He couldn’t boost Wirbel Taufe with overwhelming five-dimensions to the point of being nearly invincible. And Kite’s Shukuchihō was still restrained by Hermes, unable to unleash its full power.

On the sidelines, the Japan Team’s expressions grew heavier, only Akashi remained calm, staring at the four on court. He sharply sensed Krauser’s change—the aura of Shura Path on his body was slowly rising.

”Game! Greece! 4-3!”

”Game! Greece! 5-3!”

With Hermes and Vulcan’s full outbreak, the two of them won three games in a row, pushing Kite and Krauser into desperation. Hermes faintly noticed Krauser’s shifting aura too, so he planned to finish things quickly, not giving the opponent a single chance to breathe.

The ninth game was Kite’s serve. By now, the aura of Shura Path around him was already unstable. Just like Ten’i Muhō, Shura Path also had a time limit. Such intense negative emotions weren’t easy to control.

But the moment Kite tossed the ball, his Shura Path aura erupted fully, breaking past his current five-dimensional limits. He swung down hard, the ball shot past the net, and under Vulcan’s watchful eyes it suddenly vanished—only to reappear on the baseline a second later and bounce out of court.

”Ace! 15-0!”

”Finally did it! If I can’t use Shukuchihō to move, then using it for attack isn’t a bad choice either!” Kite’s glasses reflected light, hiding his eyes, but a cold smile curled at his lips, even as his Shura Path state slowly faded away.

”Was that serve teleportation? But isn’t that the resonance ability of Ochi-senpai and Mōri-senpai?” Chitose exclaimed in disbelief from the sidelines.

”That shouldn’t be teleportation. It looked more like Kite’s Shukuchihō...” Fuji answered with eyes wide open, deep in thought.

”Kite-kun seems to have developed something pretty outrageous~” Saitō Itaru was stunned at first, then smiled, his tone tinged with excitement.

”First he kept a normal serve motion and swing range, then added mental force as support, exploding in the instant the ball was hit. To the opponent, it feels like a regular high-speed serve! It’s nearly the same principle as Shukuchihō!” Akashi calmly explained.

”Shukuchihō strike, huh? That’s an interesting idea... puri~” Niō narrowed his eyes, wearing a thoughtful look.

”Ace! 30-0!”

”Ace! 40-0!”

While everyone discussed, Kite had already used his new move to take three points in a row. Vulcan had tried to return once but failed. Hermes also failed earlier, though he managed to chase the ball at the last moment—but still couldn’t intercept it.

When Kite served the fourth ball, Hermes correctly predicted its path. He rushed to the landing spot early. Without relying on sight to track the ball’s bounce, he judged the timing by sound, then quickly swung to return it.

Seeing Hermes successfully return his serve, Kite’s expression didn’t change, as if he had expected it. Just as he was about to counter with a hidden strike, Krauser suddenly flashed in front of him. His aura kept climbing higher.

Behind Krauser, a massive phantom of an ocean whirlpool rose slowly. From within it, a bewitching figure emerged, bearing enormous wings—one black, one white—strangely eerie. In her hands she gripped a giant scythe.

As the ball crossed the net, Krauser intercepted it. At the same time, in the spiritual world, that alluring figure lifted her scythe and swung it down toward Hermes.

Towering waves followed the arc of the blade, crashing forth. Hermes felt as though his soul was being torn in two. He froze instantly, and the next moment, the tennis ball struck him, sending his body flying. Luckily, Vulcan caught him just in time from behind.

”Alternate Dimension—Slaughter Angel Scylla!”

”Game! Japan! 5-4!”

After Krauser used the Alternate Dimension to take the ninth game, he suddenly frowned. A sharp pain struck his forehead, and the aura of Shura Path around him grew wildly unstable. The phantom of the Alternate Dimension behind him slowly began to fade, and even his Shura Path state gradually receded.

Krauser braced his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. That breakthrough had consumed a huge amount of mental force. Now he only felt swelling pressure at his brow and numbness spreading through his limbs.

”What’s wrong with Krauser-aniki! Why does he suddenly look so exhausted? Could it be his stamina can’t keep up?” Kirihara asked anxiously as he watched the screen in the players’ hall.

”Even a vampire can run out of stamina? The Greece team’s players are terrifying!!!” Kintarō muttered, shivering as some strange image popped into his head.

”This seems more like mental force exhaustion. But... why...” Yukimura frowned. He could see Krauser’s state, but he couldn’t figure out the reason. That was the drawback of watching a broadcast—any Alternate Dimension illusions couldn’t be transmitted through the camera.

”That foreign brat must’ve awakened an Alternate Dimension! But he still can’t properly control his own mental force, that’s why he ended up like this. Hmph!” Byoudouin said, even though he hadn’t seen the illusion himself, his judgment was sharp.

”Though he’d already shown signs before, awakening an Alternate Dimension at this age... that talent is still praiseworthy. It’s just a pity...” Mifune sipped his drink slowly as he spoke, watching Krauser on the screen.

On Greece’s bench, Hercules replayed the scene in his mind, his face showing awe. That kind of mental will taking shape—among their team, only their captain Zeus could do that. He hadn’t expected this boy from Japan to have such potential.

”Watching in person really is the best. Japan has given me quite the surprise!” Zeus smiled at Krauser, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, his tone carrying excitement.

The tenth game came, Hermes serving. Though he had just been struck by Krauser’s Spiral Strangle, with the two kinds of holy light fused into him, he wasn’t badly hurt. He still unleashed a top-quality super high-speed serve.

With his data tennis, Hermes could accurately predict Kite’s movements. This serve again shut down Kite’s Shukuchihō. Without Shura Path to support him, Kite couldn’t intercept in time and could only watch the ball streak past and bounce out of court.

”Ace! 15-0!”

On the second ball, Kite was finally ready. He didn’t use Shukuchihō to move but instead ran quickly to the landing point and struck the ball back. After crossing the net, the ball instantly vanished and reappeared deep in the backcourt.

”Shukuchihō strike!”

But Hermes seemed to have predicted it. The moment the ball bounced, his racket was already there to cut it off. He drove it straight toward Krauser, who looked weak.

Though mentally drained, Krauser’s stamina wasn’t the issue. Forcing himself on, he countered with Wirbel Taufe. But Vulcan’s Heavenly Fire Hammer broke the spin apart, the fiery stream slamming at Kite’s feet before surging out of court.

”30-0!”

With Synchronization boosting them, Vulcan now knew exactly how to suppress Kite’s Shukuchihō. From then on, the match slipped completely out of Kite and Krauser’s control. They no longer had the strength to resist. At last, with unwilling eyes, they watched the match come to its end.

”Game! 6-4! Match over! Winner, Greece Team!”