After hearing Shoichi Imayoshi's words, Shogo Haizaki really did speed up his calculations.
Then, enduring the pain in his head, he forced out the final result.
Because of the intense pain that had just surged through his head, Shogo Haizaki's voice had become a little hoarse.
"Sixteen seconds!"
Hearing that, Shoichi Imayoshi revealed a strange smile and asked back, "Is that so?"
Then Shoichi Imayoshi suddenly stepped back, still wearing the smile of someone whose plan had worked.
Shogo Haizaki looked at Shoichi Imayoshi in confusion. Then he saw Shoichi Imayoshi shoot the basketball from two steps beyond the three point line.
The basketball hit the rim, bounced up, then dropped into the basket.
The three pointer counted.
Shoichi Imayoshi looked a little surprised when he saw it go in.
"It actually went in? Pretty lucky."
Shoichi Imayoshi smiled, then turned and headed back on defense.
And there were still twelve seconds left on the shot clock.
It did not match the time Shogo Haizaki had predicted!
Shogo Haizaki also froze in place, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Damn it! You dare mess with me?!"
Shogo Haizaki understood perfectly. He had been played.
Shoichi Imayoshi asking Shogo Haizaki how many seconds this possession would take had been purely to mess with him.
Because once he asked, Shogo Haizaki would definitely calculate it like crazy, then come up with the best possible conclusion.
After Shogo Haizaki said the answer out loud, Shoichi Imayoshi would ignore the normal flow of play and simply step back for an ultra long three.
If it went in, great. If it missed, it did not matter.
Because his goal had already been achieved.
His goal was to make Shogo Haizaki keep calculating until his brain overloaded, giving him a splitting headache and making him unable to continue playing.
Doing this could lead to two outcomes.
One was that Shogo Haizaki would keep using the [Limit of Selfless Brilliance] to force himself against him, until his headache became so bad that he could no longer stay on the court.
The other was that Shogo Haizaki would give up using the [Limit of Selfless Brilliance], meaning they would no longer have to face that terrifying technique.
Either result benefited Tōō High.
Of course, making Shogo Haizaki's headache so bad that he could not play anymore would be the most beneficial outcome.
Shogo Haizaki clenched his fists tightly, his face full of resentment.
Shuzo Nijimura noticed it and ran over, patting Shogo Haizaki on the shoulder to comfort him.
"Haizaki, you should stop using that technique. It puts too much strain on your head."
Shogo Haizaki took several deep breaths to calm himself down. Soon, he adjusted himself again.
"Yeah, I know, Nijimura-senpai. But seriously, this is disgusting. People who play mind games are all damn dirty!"
Shogo Haizaki had learned many things at Kirisaki Daiichi, including how to control his emotions.
Actually, he had learned this skill with the Black Dragon Team.
More accurately, Victor had beaten it into him...
...
Possession changed.
Kirisaki Daiichi had the ball.
Shogo Haizaki slowly dribbled to the three point line in the frontcourt.
The milky white glow around his body still had not disappeared. Clearly, Shogo Haizaki was still in the Selfless state.
Because Shogo Haizaki had grasped the Limit of Selfless Brilliance, he could remain rational even while in the Selfless state.
When Shoichi Imayoshi saw Shogo Haizaki coming over, he smiled and asked, "Haizaki, how many seconds will this possession take?"
Shogo Haizaki glanced at him and said casually, "Thirteen seconds."
Shoichi Imayoshi smiled and said, "Your microexpression tells me you're lying."
Shogo Haizaki's face immediately changed, and he cursed, "Damn it, all you psychology guys are shady bastards!"
Shoichi Imayoshi spread his hands helplessly and said, "Psychology is shady too?"
Shogo Haizaki glared at Shoichi Imayoshi in irritation and decided not to talk to him anymore.
He felt that no matter what he said in front of Shoichi Imayoshi, the guy would be able to tell whether it was true or false.
Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, Shogo Haizaki started laughing.
Through his microexpression, Shoichi Imayoshi realized that Shogo Haizaki's smile this time came from the heart, which made him a little confused.
"What are you laughing at?"
The corners of Shogo Haizaki's mouth rose. He looked at Shoichi Imayoshi, his expression gradually turning arrogant.
"I suddenly remembered something. You guys don't want me using the [Limit of Selfless Brilliance], right?"
"But I also suddenly remembered something else. Even if I don't use the Limit of Brilliance, can't I just use Selfless?"
"After all, Selfless is pretty strong too."
Shoichi Imayoshi's expression immediately changed.
During the timeout, Daiki Aomine had already explained the effects of Selfless to them.
At the time, Shoichi Imayoshi's idea had been to force Shogo Haizaki out of the Limit of Selfless Brilliance, and then see whether Shogo Haizaki would be stupid enough to exit Selfless as well.
He admitted there was some gambling involved, but given the current situation, this was the best method available.
The other methods were even worse for stopping Shogo Haizaki's technique.
Unless they sent Daiki Aomine at him. But Daiki Aomine had to preserve his stamina for an all out offensive push in the second half.
So the best method was still to make Shogo Haizaki exit the Limit of Brilliance. Ideally, before he reacted, he would directly leave Selfless along with it.
But clearly, Shoichi Imayoshi had lost the bet.
He had not expected Shogo Haizaki... to actually have a brain now...
Shogo Haizaki calming down immediately while enraged was something Shoichi Imayoshi had not anticipated.
Shogo Haizaki grinned wildly, his tone full of arrogance.
"Now, do you still have a way to stop me?"
With that, Shogo Haizaki suddenly launched his attack.
His entire body flashed with milky white light. Then he instantly lowered his center of gravity, and his speed was pushed to the limit in a single moment.
In an instant, he blew clean past Shoichi Imayoshi and went straight for the paint.
After reaching the paint, Shogo Haizaki stepped two strides in front of the free throw line and jumped hard off his left foot.
His right hand rose high, and his whole body formed the motion of a tomahawk dunk.
Kosuke Wakamatsu gritted his teeth and still jumped up to help defend.
Off the court.
On Seirin's side.
Taiga Kagami frowned as he watched that familiar motion and muttered, "No way..."
Tatsuya Himuro stared seriously at Shogo Haizaki on the court, no one knew what he was thinking.
Alex Garcia frowned deeply, her eyes fixed on Shogo Haizaki.
On the court.
Shogo Haizaki raised his right hand high. Then, while still some distance away from the basket, he violently smashed the basketball out.
The basketball fell into the hoop like a shooting star, as if a meteor had crashed down from the sky.
That was right. This was Taiga Kagami's special move!
[Meteor Jam]!!!
Off the court.
Taiga Kagami's pupils shrank sharply, and his fists clenched unconsciously. He muttered:
"You've... got to be kidding me!"
...
...
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