"Legendary Radiance, huh? Not a bad name~" Akashi, sitting on the coach's bench, spoke thoughtfully after hearing Mifune's words.
The so-called Legendary Radiance was the ability born from merging Shura's Path with Ten'i Muhō. Because the first to achieve this was Japan's tennis legend, the samurai Echizen Nanjirō, many people named it Legendary Radiance.
But Nanjirō himself wasn't fond of Shura's Path. He preferred Radiance of Ten'i Muhō. Later, he mastered all three Radiances, fused them, and developed two ultimate secret arts.
So he didn't use Legendary Radiance often. But he taught its basics to his son Ryōma, as well as to members of the Spanish team. The golden aura that burst from Ryōma whenever he was on the brink of defeat was the prototype of this technique.
Of course, Nanjirō never explained the principle to Ryōma. Instead, he shaped it subtly through daily training, letting Ryōma master it unconsciously. Even Ryōma himself hadn't realized it. In that sense, Nanjirō was indeed an extraordinary coach.
For players who followed the pure Ten'i Muhō path, Legendary Radiance wasn't of much help. The ability to erupt with power at the edge of despair required special training methods. The ones who truly benefitted were those on the Alternate Dimension path.
That was because Legendary Radiance's greatest ability was letting the Alternate Dimension avatar synchronize with the player—the so-called unity of mind and body. This was also why most Japanese players' Alternate Dimensions took human form.
When they drew on Shura's Path to trigger their Alternate Dimension, subconsciously they shaped the avatar as human. But Irie was an exception, since he neither practiced Shura's Path nor intended to—it didn't fit with his tennis philosophy.
Yukimura's Alternate Dimension was influenced by Akashi, so he subconsciously formed it as a human. As for Akutsu and Tachibana Kippei, their Alternate Dimensions weren't born from Shura's Path but from the resonance during the National Team's ability synchronization, so their forms became beasts.
Players who walked only the Ten'i Muhō path had no Alternate Dimension avatars, but they could condense their will into form through the three Radiances. Since it was already in sync with themselves, it worked much like Tezuka during the Nationals.
As for which was stronger—Legendary Radiance or the fusion of the three Radiances—there was no clear answer yet. Only Nanjirō had mastered both. Perhaps if Oni and Tezuka faced each other one day, the answer would appear.
As for Byoudouin and Akutsu, who walked purely on Shura's Path, they were certainly not weak either. The essence of Shura's Path wasn't empty words. Any road, if taken to the end, became a power for reaching the summit. It all depended on their choice.
"Wow! Oni-ossan turned all shiny and golden! I wanna learn that too! So cool~" Kintarō shouted happily, eyes sparkling like stars as he stared at Oni.
"Oni-senpai's aura now is completely different from before. Just one last point left… I really hope nothing goes wrong!" Oishi said with worry.
"Doesn't anyone care why Oni-senpai's Alternate Dimension suddenly got that huge?" Jirō's eyes were locked on the massive Oni avatar behind him.
"Alternate Dimension is just mental pressure made manifest. In that aspect, Yukimura has nothing to fear," Atobe said dismissively, though he too had noticed.
On court, Oni's body carried neither the blue Radiance of Ten'i Muhō nor the black aura of Shura's Path. Instead, he blazed with golden light. Now Oni truly had the right to challenge Byoudouin for Japan's No.1 spot.
Still, Oni knew clearly—even after this breakthrough, he probably wasn't Akashi's match. He would never forget that sword he once saw, that feeling as if the whole world was destroyed. Oni had no wish to experience that again.
"Broken free from your shackles, have you? But it won't change your situation! Oni-senpai!" Yukimura spoke calmly, though inside waves of shock crashed violently.
Oni didn't reply. He only gave a grim smile, then tossed up the ball. Behind him, the Oni God avatar copied his motion, raising its massive blade high.
As Oni served, the Oni God slashed a flying strike toward Morpheus. Because the Oni God's form was now enormous, every move carried an overwhelming pressure that weighed heavily on Yukimura.
Yukimura flashed to the landing spot, gripped his racket with both hands, and struck the rising ball. The weight from the racket's impact made him tense—this serve, though ordinary, carried power no weaker than the Black Battle Axe.
Behind him, Morpheus drew a circle with both hands, and a transparent shield glowing faintly white appeared in front of him, blocking the incoming slash. At the same time, Yukimura's lips moved in another chant.
"Dream Whisper Incantation!"
Just like before, countless return paths appeared in Oni's mind, and Yukimura's figure multiplied across the opposite court!
But this time Oni wasn't shaken. With just an instant of judgment, he found the correct path. The Oni God behind him mirrored his motion and unleashed a devastating strike.
"Golden Great Guillotine!"
A massive golden beam once again roared toward Yukimura's side. Yukimura frowned, then rushed forward to meet it!
He planned to use Mirage Mirror to forcefully block the Golden Great Guillotine. But suddenly a tingling numbness shot through his body, distracting him for just a moment. The ball smashed his racket clean away.
"15-40!"
After losing the point, Yukimura clenched his fists. That tingling feeling was gone, but he knew it was his body's warning. The same thing had happened back during the Nationals.
Now Yukimura was in a completely different state than then—he wasn't sick, and thanks to Akashi's intervention, his physique had grown stronger. But he was still just a middle schooler. The massive bursts of mental energy in such a short span were taking a toll.
He didn't dwell on it. If he could end the match quickly, it wouldn't matter. Oni was already serving again, and Yukimura pressed forward, using his Alternate Dimension techniques to counterattack without hesitation.
This time, though, everyone watching noticed Yukimura's returns were all heavy slice shots with wicked angles. Against these, Oni couldn't easily execute the Golden Great Guillotine.
"Oni's Golden Great Guillotine needs a two-handed backhand strike, but Yukimura's returns aren't giving him the chance!" Tanegashima observed calmly.
"And he seems to have spotted Oni's weakness in lateral movement. He keeps using that special Nitōryū style to force Oni into constant shifting, trying to split his focus," Omagari added seriously.
"But at best it only delays the inevitable. I don't know exactly what state Oni is in, but it's clear Yukimura's techniques don't affect him anymore," Irie said, unusually grave.
"Oni's just using that kid's returns to get used to his new power. This match—there's no hope left for that brat," Byoudouin said coldly, arms folded, eyes sharp on Oni.
Sure enough, just as Byoudouin predicted, even though Yukimura used every trick to stall for several rallies, he still couldn't win that last point. Oni's current state was nearly immune to his mental attacks, leaving Yukimura helpless.
"30-40!"
"40-40! Deuce!"
"Japan Team leads!"
"Game! Japan Team! 5-2!"
Once Oni fully adapted to Legendary Radiance, Yukimura was completely suppressed. In the spiritual world, Morpheus too was battered and weakened, nearly unable to withstand the Oni God's ferocious assault.