*Chapter 186: The Cross of Atonement, A Devilish Figure (Part 3)*

“This atmosphere…”

As the sharp aura emanating from Ishikawa spread, the surrounding audience couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of pressure.

“Ishikawa, what’s going on with him?”

The members of Hyotei Academy felt their eyelids twitch. At this moment, the Ishikawa standing before them seemed… different, almost unfamiliar.

“Is he… angry?”

The players from Higa Chuu whispered among themselves.

Kai, one of Higa’s players, couldn’t hide his surprise. “Looks like… Eishirou succeeded?”

“Interesting.”

Saotome, sitting on the bench, smirked with a hint of amusement. “In the end, he’s just a first-year rookie. Getting provoked by such a small trick? How childish.”

As he spoke, he tapped his fingers rhythmically on the bench, glancing over at Kite.

“Huh?”

But when Saotome’s gaze landed on his own team’s captain, his expression froze. “What’s going on with Kite?”

He had been about to praise him, but instead, he noticed Kite’s trembling movements.

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Saotome frowned, displeased. “If you lack even this much courage, Kite, you’re still far from where you need to be!”

Boom!

Moments later, the fifth game began.

Kite served his fourth ball.

Bang!

But to everyone’s shock, Ishikawa’s return was impossibly fast. Before Kite could even react, the ball had already hit the ground, bounced off, and slammed into the wall with a loud thud, spinning relentlessly.

“This…”

The referee stared in disbelief at the second ball embedded in the wall, impossible to retrieve.

“Game!”

After a moment of hesitation, the referee announced, “Hyotei’s Ishikawa leads 5-0! Switch sides!”

The players switched positions, and the serve shifted to Ishikawa.

“Hah…”

Kite finally let out a breath he’d been holding. The pressure had been suffocating. No one knew just how much he’d endured. By the time he realized what had happened, the ball had already hit the wall.

“No, I can’t let myself be intimidated.”

Kite took a deep breath, his gaze steadying as he looked at the young opponent across the net. “In the end, he’s just a first-year. No matter how strong he is, he won’t act as ruthlessly as I would.”

At this moment, Kite found himself oddly relieved that his opponent had a higher moral standard than he did.

Boom!

Ishikawa served the ball.

“Oh?”

Noticing the ball’s relatively slow speed, Kite was momentarily surprised, then smirked inwardly. “As expected, he’s just a kid. He doesn’t dare use the ball as a weapon… How naive!”

Regaining his confidence, Kite returned the ball with vigor.

Swish!

On the other side, Ishikawa, to everyone’s astonishment, flipped his racket and gripped it backward. With a sharp swing, he sent the ball spinning in a fierce arc toward Kite’s backhand side.

Boom!

“The Pirate’s Horn?!”

Kite was shocked. How had Ishikawa replicated this move just by watching Kai’s match?

“Too bad…”

Kite’s eyes gleamed coldly as he quickly moved to intercept the ball. “The Pirate’s Horn won’t work on me… Huh?!”

Suddenly, the ball accelerated, and upon hitting the ground, it rebounded in the opposite direction. Before Kite could react, it struck his hair, sending it into disarray.

Boom!

The ball slammed into the wall again, spinning furiously.

“15-0!”

“Ahhh!!!”

Kite, his hair now a mess, erupted in fury. “You bastard! You’re dead!!!”

The Higa team held their breath. They all knew how much time Kite spent perfecting his hairstyle before every match. To him, his hair was his second life.

Now, with his hair ruined, Kite was beyond furious.

“Is this his revenge?”

Kai took a deep breath, narrowing his eyes as he observed Ishikawa’s calm expression. “If so, he’s succeeded. But… something feels off.”

His instincts told him there was more to this than met the eye.

Boom!

Ishikawa served again.

Kite, now enraged, charged forward, swinging his racket with brutal force to unleash a violent “Big Boa Constrictor.”

Whoosh!

The ball twisted and turned mid-air, making its trajectory impossible to predict.

Swish!

Yet, Ishikawa didn’t even glance at it. With a casual swing, he sent the ball flying back.

Whoosh!

To everyone’s shock, Ishikawa’s return was also a “Big Boa Constrictor,” but with even fiercer spin.

“This guy…”

Sweat dripped from Kite’s forehead as the ball closed in. He scanned left and right, trying to gauge its landing point.

Thud!

Suddenly, the ball accelerated.

It hit the ground, bounced up, and before Kite could react, it shattered one side of his glasses, then ricocheted off to embed itself in the wall.

“30-0!”

The referee’s call left the audience stunned.

Many realized Ishikawa was deliberately humiliating Kite. With one side of his glasses shattered, Kite looked like a madman, roaring in frustration.

Boom!

Ishikawa served again. When Kite returned it, Ishikawa executed another fierce backhand strike, sending the ball spinning in another “Big Boa Constrictor.”

Crack!

This time, the other side of Kite’s glasses shattered.

Thud!

The ball embedded itself in the wall, spinning relentlessly.

“40-0!”

“Ishikawa Shin!!!”

Kite was beyond furious, his roars echoing across the court.

But Ishikawa ignored him, tossing the ball high into the air once more.

Swish!

He leaped, raising his racket high before smashing it down with full force.

Bang!

The ball shot down like a cannonball.

“Big Bang!!!”

Both Hyotei and Higa players recognized the move instantly.

Thud!

The ball hit the ground, then shot straight toward Kite with terrifying speed.

“He added topspin?!”

Kai’s eyes widened in shock. “His serve is this terrifying?!”

On the court, Kite paled as he realized the ball was heading straight for him. He knew if he took this hit, the consequences would be dire.

But it was too late to dodge.

Desperate, Kite raised his racket to block.

Crack!

A sharp sound echoed, followed by Kite’s agonized scream.

“My… my arm… it’s broken?!”

With both sides of his glasses shattered, Kite couldn’t see clearly. Yet, for the first time, he felt a strange sense of relief.

It was finally over.

Never before had he felt such relief at losing a match, especially one where he’d been completely dominated.

“It’s… not over yet!”

But then, Hirakoba’s voice sent a chill down Kite’s spine.

Whoosh!

The ball that had struck Kite’s racket bounced high into the air.

“Did… did Eishirou just return that?” Chinen asked in disbelief.

“No, he didn’t!”

Kai’s voice trembled as he stared at the figure leaping into the air. “He… planned this!”

Ishikawa hadn’t just added intense topspin to the ball—he’d also calculated Kite’s reaction, ensuring the ball would bounce to the perfect height for a smash.

“Ishikawa Shin…”

Kai and Hirakoba looked at the boy raising his racket for the smash, their faces filled with awe and fear.

Earlier, they’d thought he was just a harmless, well-mannered kid. Now, they realized how wrong they’d been.

Bang!

Ishikawa’s racket came down, and the ball shot like a cannonball, slamming into the ground before rebounding with terrifying force.

“This is…”

Blinded by his shattered glasses, Kite sensed something coming at him, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of danger.

“Referee…”

Kite’s face twisted in panic as he tried to forfeit. But before he could finish, the ball struck his abdomen, the impact sending him flying.

Crash!

Kite’s body slammed into the wall, his arms and legs pinned by four tennis balls embedded around him, forming a cross.

“Wait… is this…”

The audience gasped as the realization hit them.

“I see.”

Oshitari, watching Kite’s crucified form, took a deep breath. “Those earlier shots… they were all leading up to this. He prepared a cross for him.”

Tap, tap, tap…

The ball that had struck Kite’s abdomen rolled to Saotome’s feet.

“How… how did it come to this?”

The once fierce and ruthless coach now cowered like a frightened bird, trembling uncontrollably.

“Gulp.”

Every member of Higa swallowed hard, their eyes filled with terror as they looked at Ishikawa.

This was too brutal.

Too terrifying.

Even Kai, Hirakoba, and Chinen now regarded Ishikawa as if he were a demon, their faces pale with fear.

“The… the match is over.”

The referee, also swallowing hard, announced loudly, “Hyotei Academy’s Ishikawa Shin wins, 6-0!”

Silence.

Absolute silence.

The entire court, from Higa’s players to the spectators, was too stunned to speak. Even Hyotei’s team refrained from cheering, afraid to provoke the demon on the court.

“Remember.”

In the suffocating silence, Ishikawa turned his head slightly, his cold gaze fixed on Kite, who hung limply on the wall. “This is just the first lesson. If you provoke me again, it won’t end so easily.”

He then glanced at Kai and the others, who were visibly anxious but too afraid to speak. “I held back. He’ll live.”

With that, he turned and walked off the court, leaving everyone in awe.

“The match… is over.”

The referee, equally intimidated, announced, “Hyotei Academy wins all five matches and advances to the next round!”

Even so, Hyotei’s supporters didn’t erupt into cheers. The memory of Ishikawa crucifying Kite on the wall was too fresh, too chilling.

Even Coach Sakaki and Atobe looked at Ishikawa differently as he returned to the team.

At this moment, he had undeniably become Hyotei’s true core.

(End of Chapter)

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