Chapter 187: Players lead U17 vs. Xi...

U-17 World Cup Group B Match 1,

JAPAN VS HELLENCE REPUBLIC,

The final result was that the Japanese team, which sent out Ochi Moonlight and Kirihara Akaya, won the first game!

Horrible, utterly horrible, incomparably horrible...

Black figure,

"Your Highness Hercules...?"

A sudden cry of cum awakened those immersed in unspeakable fear. Taranta Hercules' pupils trembled suddenly, and he looked up at the scene in front of him in horror.

——At some point, he had already left the field and returned to the Greek team's waiting area.

The one who woke him up was his Greek teammate, Zeus Iliopoulos.

"Are you alright, Your Highness Hercules?"

He tightened his palms and rubbed them vigorously twice, like a frozen person struggling to keep warm. Taranta Hercules' lips trembled.

"No...it's okay."

He thought of the first game he lost and lowered his eyes.

"Sorry, Lord Zeus, Greece's victory..."

Zeus Iliopoulos shook his head slightly. "Leave the rest to us, Your Highness Hercules."

“…”

Tarantula Hercules said nothing more,

The strength of the U-17 Japanese national team was beyond his imagination, even though the opponent was a combination of high school and junior high school students.

But at this level, are they really just ordinary high school and junior high school students?

He recalled the warm-up exhibition match before the U-17 World Cup group stage.

In that match, the Japanese team player faced off directly against the leader of the champion German team, Jurgen Barisavich Volker.

Forced the entire U-17 conference organization to change the lottery rules for him,

Perhaps from that time on, the strength of the U-17 Japanese national team has become unfathomable...

"U-17 World Cup Group B, First Match—"

“——Beep!”

"D1 - Doubles player one enters the match!!"

The referee blew the whistle and the game continued.

Zeus Iliopoulos crossed his arms and gently stroked his lips.

In front of him are the players of the U-17 Greek national team.

It is also the doubles team that is about to play, Apollo Stephanopoulos and Orion Stephanopoulos,

The heir brother of the ancient executioner and assassin family 'Stephanopoulos',

"—The game that His Highness Hercules lost will be won back by us, the Stephanopoulos brothers!"

"—Yes, leave it to us, Lord Zeus."

Apollo Stephanopoulos and Orion Stephanopoulos, holding their rackets, said a few words and walked directly onto the court.

Zeus Iliopoulos watched their backs.

Vulcan Laerce looked like he wanted to say something, but when he saw Zeus' expression, he kept his words to himself.

The opposing U-17 Greek team has already sent out their doubles team.

Meanwhile, the members of the U-17 Japanese national team, Matsu, were also trying to guess the intentions of the idiot cat who sat in the coaching booth, motionless as a mountain and still immersed in fishing without saying a word.

The second doubles team sent out Ochi Moonlight and Kirihara Akaya.

For a doubles team, you have to choose from the remaining five players:

Tokugawa Kazuya, Taneshima Shuji, Shiraishi Kuranosuke, Yamato Yudai, and——

Kei Yagi.

"Haha—Tokugawa already had the opportunity to show off before, so why not let me do it now?"

Taneshima Shuji smiled and put his arm around Shiraishi Kuranosuke's shoulders.

"What do you think, Kuranosuke?"

Shiraishi Kuranosuke looked back blankly. Facing Taneshima Shuji's words, it would be the same for him no matter which high school student group he partnered with.

"Yes, Tanejima-senpai..."

"—Then it's settled!"

Taneshima Shuji swung his racket and took Shiraishi Kuranosuke with him, and the two of them headed straight for the court.

Tokugawa Kazuya and Yamato Yudai, who were a beat slower and couldn't keep up with the pace, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Normally, the two of them should go to the coaching booth to listen to the head coach's instructions.

However, considering the impact of the previous Ochi Moonlight and Kirihara Akaya combination,

Well, let’s go on stage with a happy mood!

Tanejima Shuji smiled and thought,

"—U-17 World Cup Group B, Match 1—Double One-on-One Match!"

"Taneshima Shuji and Shiraishi Kuranosuke VS Apollo Stephanopoulos and Orion Stephanopoulos!"

“Beep!”

"—The game—begins!!"

The Greek team serves first!

As the last descendants of an ancient execution family, the Stephanopoulos brothers mastered 999 methods of execution in ancient Greece.

They even incorporated it into their own tennis——

“Hey—ha!!”

The eldest brother, Apollo Stephanopoulos, took the first opportunity to serve.

The serve was crisp and smooth, the ball flew out of the racket and headed directly towards Shuji Tanejima on the other side of the net!

Swift as lightning, fierce as thunder,

At first glance, it seems to be full of momentum.

"--oh?"

Tanejima Shuji raised his eyebrows, and without hesitation, he took a step forward to respond the moment he saw the sphere flying towards him.

Turning the waist, raising the arms, swinging the racket - "Empty, empty, empty, empty!"

The friction between the ball and the racket produced a sharp buzzing sound, but for the U-17 players who had been thoroughly trained in the abstraction of "Crap Cats", this level of noise was just...

It's just playing house!

"——Show us your true strength!"

Tanejima Shuji hit back without mercy.

The return shot was even faster and more powerful than Apollo Stephanopoulos's!

The rotation actually intensified and headed straight for his body!

“—I’ll do it!”

Orion Stephanopoulos stepped forward to help his brother block the ball.

He was very fast, but Shuji Tanejima's return shot was even faster.

Even the Stephanopoulos brothers, who were the best at hunting, catching, and killing, almost missed the trajectory of the ball with their naked eyes!

"Empty, empty, empty, empty—bang!"

“——15:0!”

——The familiar plot is repeated.

It was exactly the same as the previous match between Greece and Japan.

From the moment he served, he fell into a state of decline. Not only could he not return the ball, he couldn't even catch up with the speed of that ball.

At first glance - it looks like a complete crushing defeat!

"Tsk,"

Orion Stephanopoulos had to watch the goal and smack his lips.

Dissatisfaction and resentment were aroused, and the negative emotions accumulated when seeing the disastrous defeat of Taranta Hercules and Papadopoulos Evangelos filled the air.

"Come again."

“——”

Apollo Stephanopoulos served again,

This time he obviously used all his strength, trying hard to prove himself.

The yellow ball flew out of the racket, leaving several afterimages behind due to its high speed.

The afterimage flickered, and each time it lit up it brought with it a sudden and intense brilliance.

It's like a dim sun—

Tanejima Shuji was really aroused, so he also mobilized some strength,

"In that case...how about trying this trick?"

Tanejima Shuji even smiled, but the force of the racket in his hand was really hitting back -

The dim sun shines directly at the racket, and the moment it touches the racket, it almost explodes with the sun's scorching heat, burning everything to ashes.

But that's only 'almost' -

"That's—"

"You're not mistaken, that's definitely the one..."

Low, rising exclamations echoed from the Japanese team's cheering area. Those familiar with Shuji Tanejima saw the opening stroke of his racket and seamlessly transitioned to his ultimate move.

It can eliminate all rotation, erase all power, and reduce everything to nothingness.

A bug that can be called cheating——[No more destruction]!

The dark sun shot by Apollo Stephanopoulos disappeared completely the moment it touched Shuji Taneshima's racket.

Even the rotation, friction, and impact of force turned into a ball like a blank slate, and the next moment, the person who wiped out everything was knocked back to the spot!

“Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak—!”

Only the most primitive rotation and power are attached to the sphere.

Apollo Stephanopoulos refused his brother Orion's help and chose to go forward directly -

Even if it is erased, so what? Let him touch it. How powerful can a ball from a blank board be?

“Empty, empty, empty, empty—boom, boom, boom, boom!!”

“——Snap!”

Caught off guard, unexpectedly,

It was totally defenseless.

It was totally unexpected that Apollo Stephanopoulos and Orion Stephanopoulos——

He watched the racket suddenly fly out of Apollo's hand, spin several times in the air, land on the ground with a clang, and roll several meters away.

What a terrifying power!

Could this level of power, this terrifying rotational friction, really come from this seemingly nonchalant and carefree guy?!

If Shuji Tanejima, who was labeled as "careless and lazy", knew that he was labeled like this, he would definitely shout "It's unfair, sir".

Although he looks like this, in fact, he has done all the devilish training of the new head coach of their U-17 training camp.

As a member of the winners' group, the U-17 coaches, knowing his true strength, gave him not eight bomb balls from the beginning, but ten.

While others are still trying to survive,

Tanejima Shuji has already bought a house at the resurrection point. Every day he is dead, and the moment he opens his eyes he sees bombs and juice.

Because his strength was too strong and far exceeded the average level of the U-17 training camp, he was pulled out for special training in the later stages of training and thrown into the underground mine to experience the devilish torture of breaking a chicken and a cat.

God knows how unfair it is for him to have to work two jobs, no, to go through two training sessions at the same time.

——Is it because he’s too strong?

"Invincibility is also a sin,"

Shuji Tanejima smiled casually, looking like he almost deserved a beating.

He seemed to be smiling, but in fact his eyes were filled with cold concentration.

"Since you are so invincible,"

Tanejima Shuji, holding a racket, smiled at the two Greek players across the net.

"Then we must earn the victory in this round."

"--you!"

Apollo Stephanopoulos and Orion Stephanopoulos were completely irritated by his words, and their faces turned ugly.

Their expressions are not good, but Tanejima Shuji's expression is better.

"Oh, oh, don't be so quick to get angry,"

"If you have any complaints, just tell our head coach~"

He exchanged glances, and Apollo Stephanopoulos and Orion Stephanopoulos couldn't help but slowly turn their heads to look at the coaching booth of the U-17 Japanese national team.

The black-haired figure seemed to notice something and raised his head slightly.

This time, it fits perfectly.

Black, empty eyes,

Densely packed, ubiquitous, lurking, captivating eyes eyes eyes eyes eyes eyes eyes...

"—Brother Stephanopoulos!"

Suddenly, a sound as if from the horizon called back the attention of Apollo Stephanopoulos and Orion Stephanopoulos.

The two were startled and stood there for a long time before they realized that the back of their collars were wet with sweat.

A chilly chill poured in from their collars. Just a glance at each other was like being trapped in a dark forest. Incomparable fear gripped their hearts, making it impossible for them to breathe.

"How, how could this happen?"

"How...how is this possible?!"

The Stephanopoulos brothers were completely overwhelmed.

In the waiting area for the U-17 Greek team, Zeusi Leopoulos, who had suddenly spoken, clenched his arms and slowly looked towards the Japanese team area, the figure that had been hard to ignore from beginning to end.

The black eyes and the cobalt blue eyes finally collided with each other in the true sense.

The emptiness of nothingness and the vastness that fills the entire world.

Two people who are almost completely opposite to each other——

At this moment,

See each other.

"Your Highness Hercules, during the competition... was this the gaze you sensed?"

Zeus said softly, and Taranta paused when his name was suddenly called.

After hesitating for a while, he looked up. The moment he saw it, his brain tightened.

"Yes, that's it... Lord Zeus."

“…”

"……so."

Zeus Iliopoulos did not continue.

Taranta Hercules did not ask any more questions. Only Papadopoulos Evangelos and Vulcan Larsius, who were still unaware of the situation, wanted to ask something.

Hermes Kounellis said, "Look at the field!"

——The attitude towards the situation has changed!

However, this is not good for Greece.

Rather, it pushed the Greek team into a deeper fire pit and danger!

After realizing that Shuji Taneshima was in a very difficult situation, the Stephanopoulos brothers made a careful calculation and decided to start from the weaker side.

And the weak point of the doubles pair that was now before them was none other than the junior high school student, Shiraishi Kuranosuke!

I thought I had made a precise calculation, seeking benefits and avoiding harm,

But in fact, he had no idea that he had been completely affected by the gaze of those dark eyes and fell into a kind of rapid and anxious fear.

They want to take action quickly, score points, win the game, and reassure themselves.

So this blow——it's you, junior high school student!

Apollo Stephanopoulos launched a sun-scorching serve, and the nine hundred and ninety-nine Greek criminal techniques erupted as soon as Shiraishi Kuranosuke touched the ball.

Tanejima Shuji didn't go forward to help, but turned his head slightly to glance at his partner's condition.

Shiraishi Kuranosuke looked at the serve that was coming straight at him, emitting a terrifying burst of sunlight.

His facial expression was not as relaxed as Shuji Tanejima's.

As early as the match with Yagi Kei, he had already realized his shortcomings in tennis, and even doubted, hesitated, and was unable to make a decision.

'Perfect tennis' - it never existed.

It doesn't exist in him, nor in this world.

Take a deep breath, grip the racket, meet the attack, and swipe——

'Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing!'

The burning stinging sensation spread from the racket upwards to the wrist and arm, and even completely invaded the body surface and nerves.

In a trance, Shiraishi Kuranosuke thought of the boundless magma and scorching heat of the underground mines.

In the torment of life and death, in the intervals of waking up, I looked at the dark sky of the mine and the wailing of my companions who kept howling around me.

Pain follows you everywhere.

The pursuit of perfection - cannot save him,

Only live, want to live, live thoroughly,

Use your own strength - to survive!

Shiraishi Kuranosuke——Finally awakened!

His power, the 'Bible Tennis' he created - only for his own improvement, only for his endless survival!

There is no perfect tennis ball, any tennis ball can be conquered!

——Even the sun will set one day!

[Ding!]

[NPC Shiraishi Kuranosuke uses the skill 'Star Bible' (Perfect Upgrade Version)!]

The sudden pop-up window prompt attracted the player's attention.

Addicted to fishing, the cat with almost no sense of existence (and self-perception) clicked on the pop-up window for details.

['Star Bible' (Perfect Upgrade Version): Adjust the values ​​of physical strength, speed, strength, technology, and mental strength. Share and link them, expand outward with the star symbol, and all gain exponential value increases!

——The flawless Bible favors those chosen by the destiny of the stars.】

Shiraishi Kuranosuke's body suddenly erupted with an undeniable radiance.

He almost became a luminous body, all his strength surged, extremely thick, almost materialized!

“Th-That’s——”

"——Bushiroishi!!"

The Shitenhoji members who came all the way to Australia to support exclaimed,

Especially Chitose Chisato and Toyama Kintaro looked at Shiraishi Kuranosuke, looking at him deeply,

"Finally succeeded...Bai Shi,"

"... Minister Shiraishi's brilliance is no less than the sun!"

Toyama Kintaro laughed heartily and said,

The light of the stars—overshadows the dark day!

Shiraishi Kuranosuke——shot the ball into the air!

“Kachakakakaka, empty, empty, empty!!”

The teeth-grinding friction sound was no less powerful than Tanejima Shuji's counterattack.

Even though he is a junior high school student, his abilities are beyond common knowledge.

After experiencing the torture of hell and fire, thinking deeply between bombs and life and death, he finally understood the truth that belongs only to him.

Shiraishi Kuranosuke——returns with his own strength!

"—This ball is for a Bible that is no longer perfect, but will definitely be stronger!"

Suddenly, the sphere spun violently and rapidly, almost becoming a terrifying force.

In a straight line, the Stephanopoulos brothers, who were facing the ball directly, were the first to feel the terrifying pressure brought by the ball.

They were the first to bear the brunt of the attack. Secondly, it was Shiraishi Kuranosuke's partner this time, Taneshima Shuji.

The pupils reflected the junior high school students who were in upgrade mode.

Let go of the perfection he had always been obsessed with and pursue his true power.

Tanejima Shuji tilted his head slightly and looked at the expressionless man sitting high up in the coaching booth.

"...Is this also within your scope, Yagi-kun?"

Knowing nothing about NPC Dihua, the player took a look at the skills of NPC Shiraishi Kuranosuke and shed tears of envy.

——Another BUG skill, even doubling all attributes, ignoring level values,

In other words, once the skill is activated,

The pentagonal star map of Shiraishi Kuranosuke, whose original five-dimensional value was almost capped, suddenly doubled in size!

Become a true 'Star Bible'!

Shiraishi Kuranosuke entered the state, and he had no idea how much power he had used in his counterattack.

The Stephanopoulos brothers, who were facing the ball head-on, had their entire field of vision filled with endless starlight.

It is full of dazzling brilliance, dazzling, magical, and impactful!

Relying entirely on his physical instincts from years of playing basketball, Apollo Stephanopoulos did not dare to underestimate it. He used all his strength to tense his entire body and prepare for a counterattack.

The moment he swung his sword directly at the starlight, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

This ball - it didn't land on his racket at all!

Landing point - behind him, in the direction of his brother Orion Stephanopoulos!

Orion Stephanopoulos never expected that the ball was not aimed at Apollo, but at him.

However, as the best hunter on the court,

Even if it is not in the defensive response, it is still possible to respond to it.

Orion Stephanopoulos chased after him, took a sudden step forward, gripped the racket with both hands, and directly hit the ball back—!

“Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack!!”

An almost terrifying friction sound suddenly rose from the ground.

Orion Stephanopoulos swung his racket directly, but it was obvious that his preparation was not sufficient.

The friction was coming to an end, and just when he thought that this blow would be the end - the friction started again! !

Orion Stephanopoulos had not anticipated this continuation at all;

The racket had already retracted its momentum, but was hit even harder!

There was a sharp "sizzle" sound, and when I reacted, I lowered my head and took a closer look -

There was a big hole in the center of the racket in his hand!

Thoroughly penetrated, completely defeated, leaving them no chance to resist,

“——1:0!”

Shiraishi Kuranosuke, in his fully evolved form, defeated the Stephanopoulos brothers' encirclement.

And successfully won the first game of the first doubles match in Group B of the U-17 World Cup group stage!

"——JAPAN!! JAPAN!! JAPAN!!"

The audience area was ignited by the wonderful performance of Shiraishi Kuranosuke and Taneshima Shuji. For a moment, the whole place was boiling with excitement and everyone was shouting "JAPAN"!

At this moment, the focus of everyone's attention, Shiraishi Kuranosuke slowly lowered his head and looked at the racket he was holding, the power in his palm,

And unmatched - a true boost from the 'Star Bible'.

Taneshima Shuji stepped forward and patted the slightly stunned Shiraishi Kuranosuke on the shoulder. Shiraishi Kuranosuke came to his senses after being patted, and he instinctively looked towards the black figure in the coaching booth.

——Yagi Kei,

The old model of the Star Bible was broken, and now this one has been shattered and reorganized, completely taken to a higher level, and can even be said to be a super-evolved complete version - the complete 'Star Bible'!

I didn't realize it before typing it.

But now that the emotions have cooled down, coupled with the tangible feeling of the hand, it only takes a short moment of thought to quickly realize what has happened.

I have always thought that being subjected to hellish training and torture is their misfortune.

Looking back now - it was definitely their great fortune!

Not everyone can experience the torture of life and death, and escape unscathed from the brink of life and death like a roc spreading its wings - and still maintain its normal actions.

Shiraishi Kuranosuke completely understood everything that Yagi Kei did to them as the head coach.

And completely convinced by the chicken and cat,

Everything I have done and experienced so far has been entirely for today!

[Ding!]

[NPC Shiraishi Kuranosuke's impression +100!]

[NPC·Tanejima Shuji Favorability +88! ]

The two sudden reminders of increasing favorability attracted the player's attention.

The player watched for a while, then looked at the two NPCs on the scene who were almost extremely moved, their eyes almost fixed on him.

“…”

It's rare for a chicken to reflect on itself.

Oh...did you do anything just now?

The inexplicable increase in NPC favorability is attributed to the fact that they have too much favorability points and nowhere to use them.

Players' attention is more focused on how to quickly skip NPC battle CG!

A short battle CG from the player's perspective,

For the Stephanopoulos brothers of the U-17 Greek team who were on the field fighting, it was simply an extremely long time.

Just one network away, it is so tricky and difficult to deal with for both high school and junior high school students!

[Destroyed] and [Bible of the Stars] - the power they demonstrated in actual combat has completely exceeded the data they had previously collected!

If these guys hadn't raised their strength to several times their previous level in a short period of time, no, this level wouldn't be possible.

How is it possible that someone could evolve to this level in just a few months?

That is simply a BUG!!

So - it is definitely these guys who lied about the information and even deceived the people who collected the data!

The Stephanopoulos brothers believed this so firmly that they dared not even think of getting even slightly closer to the truth.

If these guys weren't lying, but were actually improving their strength...

——It’s terrifying, to do this.

What kind of devilish training do these guys have to go through!

And——who on earth could have elevated them to such a level? ! !

"...It's okay, Orion."

After catching his breath again, Apollo Stephanopoulos spoke calmly, "Greek criminal law...will eventually be used against those who have demonstrated their strength."

"--That's right," Orion Stephanopoulos replaced his racket and stepped onto the court. "The greater the strength, the more horrific the punishment. The more you display it now, the greater the criminal penalties you'll face!"

"Let us give these guys the retribution they deserve!"

“…”

“…”

Forty-four minutes, forty-four seconds and four seconds,

"call--"

"Ha ha……"

Heavy breathing, even if I tried my best to breathe with my mouth wide open, I couldn't catch my breath at all. It was futile to try to hold on.

"It's no use, it's really no use..." Apollo Stephanopoulos said weakly.

He slowly knelt down, not even having the strength to stand up again with the racket.

Apollo Stephanopoulos and Orion Stephanopoulos—OUT!

The sharp whistle finally cut through the air, announcing the final conclusion.

"——The game is over!"

“6:0——!”

"JAPAN VS HELLENCE REPUBLIC,"

“JAPAN—WIN!!”

"...Eh, is this the retribution I deserve?"

Shuji Taneshima, holding his racket, looked across the net at the fallen Stephanopoulos brothers, scratched his head, and smiled.

"——That must be retribution for these two guys."

"Yes," Shiraishi Kuranosuke nodded, his hair color was soaked in light, and his aura was fully open, looking completely different.

He said, "Being defeated is the retribution they deserve."

"—After all, they blocked our head coach's path to victory."