"0-30!"

The umpire's voice echoed through the stadium.

The entire arena fell into abrupt silence.

Spectators and the Indian team players outside the court stared in disbelief at the two figures on the court.

"He scored again?!"

Kiran's jaw dropped. Just moments ago, the terrifying image of Tokugawa's "Asura" had flashed through his mind.

But in an instant—

The illusion shattered without warning.

When he refocused, he realized that Sharma had lost yet another point to his opponent.

"W-what just happened?!"

The other players exchanged bewildered glances.

If they weren't mistaken, their captain had just unleashed a fearsome technique. Shouldn't they have scored instead?

"Ishikawa Shin…"

On the bench, India's head coach, Viyas, wore a grave expression. "Is he immune to illusions, or does he truly have nothing to fear?"

If it was the latter, the match could still go either way.

After all, even if Ishikawa had no innate fears, Sharma could still force him to develop them through sheer pressure during the match.

But if it was the former—

Then Sharma was in serious trouble.

Because that would mean Ishikawa was his natural counter. For his disciple to encounter an opponent completely immune to illusions… what abysmal luck.

"Hmph!"

After a stiff pause, Sharma scoffed, masking his embarrassment. Deep down, he now recognized Ishikawa as the strongest adversary he had ever faced.

Thud!

Soon, he served again.

Hummm…

The dark aura resurfaced.

Channeling "Shiva's Breath," Sharma relentlessly fired shots toward Ishikawa's left and right corners.

In this state, his precision reached new heights—every ball landed exactly on the sideline.

"I refuse to believe you're completely unaffected!"

Sharma accelerated his attacks, trying to overwhelm Ishikawa with a frenzied, nonstop barrage.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Yet, against this onslaught, Ishikawa remained calm and unshaken.

Early in his tennis career, he had specialized in defensive counterattacks.

No one understood impenetrable defense better than he did.

"Is this all you've got?"

After over twenty exchanges, Ishikawa sensed Sharma's momentum waning. Disappointment flickered in his eyes.

"If your turn is over, then it's time for me to get serious."

Swish!

Suddenly—

He intercepted the ball, spun 360 degrees, and whipped his racket in a full arc.

The ball, retaining its original spin and force, accelerated back along the same trajectory.

This was Ishikawa's ultimate defensive technique—Four Divine Arts: Black Tortoise!

"Huh?!"

When Sharma saw the ball speeding toward him, his pupils contracted.

Because he sensed something horrifyingly familiar in that shot.

Poof!

The next instant—

The tennis ball vanished.

In its place loomed an enormous, indescribable pirate ship. At the helm stood a red-coated skeleton captain.

"Byodoin?!"

Sharma's heart lurched.

"No… no!"

"This is an illusion—my own technique!"

Snapping back to reality, Sharma immediately visualized Brahma and Shiva, anchoring his mind in divine faith to break free from the mental assault.

Whoosh!

The vision dissipated.

Sharma finally saw the real ball hurtling toward him.

Steeling himself, he charged forward to meet it.

Bang!

But the moment his racket made contact—

A monstrous force sent him stumbling backward.

"This power?!"

His eyes widened in shock.

How could a return shot carry this much destructive energy?!

Thud!

Before he could recover, Ishikawa delivered a lightning-fast strike, threading the ball straight to the baseline.

"0-40!"

"W-what?!"

The Indian team froze.

This time, panic flashed across their faces.

Even the slowest among them now realized—

Their strongest player was being completely dominated.

Thud!

"Game!"

"Japan leads, 2-0!"

Ishikawa broke Sharma's serve, widening the gap.

He then won three more consecutive games, not allowing Sharma a single point and pushing him to the brink.

"H-how is this possible?!"

The Indian team was stunned.

5-0.

Five full games, and their captain hadn't scored once. Some even wondered if they were still trapped in Sharma's illusions.

"Pant… pant…"

Losing five straight games without a single point took a severe mental toll on Sharma.

During the break, he sat on the bench, his expression dark with frustration.

If this continued, defeat was inevitable.

"I have to do something."

"After finally gaining control of this body, I can't lose to him."

"Right… if that coward won't take risks, then I will!"

A decision solidified in his mind.

As Sharma stood to return to the court, Coach Viyas sighed inwardly.

"Talen… trust yourself. Do what you must."

He felt a pang of guilt.

As a coach, he had failed utterly. Not only had he found no weakness in Ishikawa, but he couldn't even tell if the boy was using his full strength.

Meanwhile, on the court…

As the two players took their positions, the umpire announced:

"Game 6! India's Sharma to serve!"

Thud!

Sharma launched the ball.

Hummm…

The dark aura flared around him once more.

"It's Shiva's Breath again…"

"But it's useless!"

"This Japanese player is a monster—illusions don't work on him!"

The Indian team had already given up hope.

To them, victory was impossible. Not that they blamed Sharma—like Coach Viyas, they simply thought their captain had terrible luck, running into the one opponent who hard-countered his abilities.

Thud!

Sharma struck again.

The eerie glow of his Dark Strike Ball [Illusion] surged forth, weaving another layer of mental interference.

"This guy just doesn't give up, does he?"

On Japan's side, Hakamada and Akiya shook their heads. Wasting stamina on useless tricks? How stubborn—no, how stupid could he be?

"Hmm."

But others—like Mouri, Tokugawa, and Kiyosumi—sensed something off about this shot.

"His mental interference… it's weaker?" Mitsuya narrowed his eyes.

Was Sharma running low on stamina? Or was there another reason?

Thud!

Ishikawa returned the ball effortlessly.

The spin and power were noticeably diminished. Had Sharma exhausted himself already?

"No…"

Then, in a flash, Ishikawa detected the anomaly.

The strange fluctuation wasn't coming from the ball—

It was radiating from Sharma himself.

Hummm—!

Without warning, Sharma's aura exploded in intensity.

This time, it wasn't just the dark hue of Shiva's power—streaks of golden heat shimmered within it, chaotic and unstable.

"Wait… is that—?!"

Kiran's eyes widened. "Shiva and Brahma's energies… merging?!"

"Combining techniques?!"

Even Coach Viyas stiffened.

He knew better than anyone—these two powers were incompatible.

At least…

Sharma shouldn't have been capable of fusing them yet.

BOOM!

Yet the aura around Sharma grew more violent, its pressure crushing.

Swish!

At the same time, Ishikawa's return shot sliced toward the far corner.

Fwoosh!

A blur of black and green—

Sharma blinked across the court, appearing at the ball's landing point before anyone could react.

"He's faster?!"

Kaji's face paled.

Sharma's speed had jumped another tier.

Bang!

The return shot cannoned toward Ishikawa.

"The ball's speed and power increased too?!"

Mouri and Tokugawa exchanged grim looks.

Had Sharma been holding back all along? Was this his true strength?

"No."

Mitsuya's voice was sharp. "Something's wrong. He's doing something we can't see."

Thud!

Ishikawa intercepted the ball again.

Even as it grinded against his racket, trying to tear through, his grip didn't waver.

"Interesting."

Feeling the escalating force, Ishikawa smirked.

"I never expected to meet another player like Inui here."

Inui?!

Mouri, Kiyosumi, and the others frowned.

They'd heard Ishikawa had played against Inui before—a match that ended with Inui's defeat and subsequent training in the mountains.

But none of them knew what really happened in that game.

"I see now."

Tokugawa's eyes lit up. "He's using illusions… on himself."

"What?!"

The revelation sent shockwaves through both teams.

Even Kiran gasped.

"He's… hypnotizing himself into believing he can fuse the two techniques?!"

"Exactly."

Kiran's hands trembled.

"Illusions manipulate mental energy to distort perception. Bat and Johan learned their mental interference from Talen—using chants to break opponents' focus and suppress their Synchro."

"But self-hypnosis… this is insane!"

Yet as he watched Sharma's aura surge to unprecedented levels, Kiran clenched his fists.

No matter which consciousness was in control now—

Sharma was risking everything for victory.

"Gods…"

Kiran prayed silently. "Please… let Talen win!"

Swish!

Another ball flew past.

Sharma lunged, striking another Dark Strike Ball [Illusion], layering more self-hypnosis onto his mind.

Hummm!

His aura intensified further.

"This is madness!"

Mitsuya was awestruck.

Theoretically, if Sharma kept reinforcing his delusion…

He could temporarily reach pro-level strength!

Thud!

But Ishikawa still returned the ball with ease.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Sharma's attacks grew more ferocious, his aura expanding like a storm.

If before, his power had been a stream—

Now, it was a raging river.

"Tch."

Yet despite Sharma's meteoric rise, Coach Viyas frowned.

Because no matter how strong Sharma became…

Ishikawa hadn't conceded a single point.

BOOM!

Sharma unleashed another devastating strike, its force dwarfing even his earlier [Illusion] technique.

"So this is what mental amplification can do."

Ishikawa's clothes whipped violently in the wind, yet his smile never faded.

"I wonder… what happens when I apply it?"

Swish!

His racket lifted slowly—

So slow that it left afterimages.

"Snake Charmer?"

Kiran squinted.

At this level, that move should be useless.

"No… not Snake Charmer!"

Then he saw it—

A familiar dark glow swirling around Ishikawa's racket.

"That's…!"

The Japanese team recognized it too.

Thud.

The racket connected.

The sound was deceptively soft—like a whisper that pierced straight into their souls.

"This… this feeling?!"

Someone clutched their chest, as if something inside was trying to claw its way out.

Swish.

The ball vanished, leaving only a faint dark streak in its wake.

Thump! Thump!

One by one, players collapsed to their knees, faces twisted in agony.

"Guh… what is this?!"

Kiran gritted his teeth, his mind battling an unseen force.

Beside him, Rohan—untouched—stared in confusion.

"This sensation…"

Even Coach Viyas sweated profusely, his past regrets flooding his mind.

"This ball… it awakens the darkness in people's hearts?!"

Thud!

Kiran finally buckled, his expression contorted with rage and fear. Newest update provided by novel⦿fire.net

Meanwhile, Sharma—

His temples pounded.

His heartbeat spiked.

His face flushed crimson.

"D-damn it!"

Feeling his body slipping from his control, Sharma roared and lunged at the ball like a cornered beast.

"I won't lose!"

His racket swung with all his might—

Crack.

The strings shattered on contact.

BOOM!

Sharma hurtled backward, crashing into the wall like a ragdoll.

Tap… tap…

The ball—now harmless—bounced lightly and rolled to a stop.

Silence.

The stadium, packed with 15,000 spectators, was eerily still.

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