The possession quickly changed hands, and the ball returned to Himuro Tatsuya once more. Himuro dribbled into Fukuda Sogo's half court, only to see Haizaki Shogo already closing in again. Before Haizaki could fully pressure him, Himuro immediately passed the ball away.
The receiver was No. 5, point guard Fukui Kensuke. Without hesitation, Fukui lobbed the ball high into the paint.
BOOM!
Murasakibara Atsushi caught it midair and instantly spun into a savage dunk. The basket shook violently as momentum surged like a tidal wave. Suzuran Karasu, Okawa, and Kimura Tosho had jumped as well, but facing three giant players who rose alongside them, they were completely powerless.
That basket meant one thing.
Fukuda Sogo's interior defense had officially fallen.
On the sidelines, Coach Ichiro Kudo narrowed his eyes, his expression growing grave. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced toward Yosen's female coach, Araki Masako.
For a moment, his gaze carried admiration. The next moment, determination. Two completely different emotions twisted together.
This was not his first time facing a team led by the woman of his dreams, yet Kudo still felt an odd excitement. It was as though the testosterone in his body had gone into overdrive.
Coach Kudo wanted to conquer Yosen High.
And perhaps, conquer Araki Masako too.
Maybe his brain had short-circuited from all those hormones because he suddenly turned toward Araki and blurted out, "Masako, I want to conquer you!"
Araki froze. For a second, she looked genuinely confused.
What exactly was this old man trying to pull?
Her brows immediately furrowed. "If you want to conquer me, ask the wooden sword in my hands whether it agrees first."
"...Uh..."
The excitement instantly evaporated. Coach Kudo snapped back to reality and forced an awkward smile. "Sorry."
Araki snorted. "What a weird old fossil."
Critical hit.
Ten times critical damage.
Coach Kudo felt his poor heart shatter into pieces.
Back on the court, Haizaki received a pass from Mochizuki Kazuhiro. As he looked at Himuro stepping up to defend him, he could not help sighing inwardly.
Himuro is more than ten centimeters shorter than me. His physical gifts alone mean he can never compare to Kagami Taiga. No matter how polished his basketball skills are, talent gaps are still talent gaps. Getting overwhelmed is completely normal.
Ball in hand, Haizaki stared at Himuro with anticipation. Then he exploded forward.
Like a gust of wind, he blew past Himuro's right side. After breaking through, Haizaki suddenly stopped, jumped, and released the ball.
Swish.
The shot sank cleanly through the hoop.
The reason he used a pull-up jumper instead of driving further was simple. He had no desire to invite Murasakibara and Okamura into the play. At the same time, that lightning-fast stop and release displayed Haizaki's terrifying fundamentals.
Himuro froze again. Haizaki's speed simply wasn't on the same level.
He felt crushed. Completely crushed.
Then something stirred inside his chest.
Anger.
A slow-burning anger.
Haizaki Shogo... you're looking down on me.
The irritation ignited something inside Himuro. He became sharper, more aggressive, and more focused. At his core, Himuro had always been someone with a calm exterior and burning emotions underneath.
Soon, Himuro brought the ball across half court once more. A simple fake effortlessly shook off Mochizuki before he faced Haizaki directly.
This time there was no fear. No hesitation. Only excitement.
Himuro drove forward, stopped, and jumped for a three-pointer. The movement was smooth and elegant, simple, clean, and perfect.
The audience lit up instantly. But in Himuro's eyes, Haizaki had already leaped. That giant hand stretched toward the ball, trying to block it.
Himuro smiled.
He had absolute confidence because this was his signature move.
His ultimate weapon.
Then the basketball disappeared from Haizaki's reach.
Vanished.
And dropped into the hoop.
Swish!
Mirage Shot.
The first successful execution.
Haizaki landed and grinned toward Himuro's retreating back, a smile that looked almost devilish. Nearby, Murasakibara looked at the excited Himuro with sympathy and sighed.
He had warned Himuro before, warned him about Haizaki's terrifying Pillage ability. But Himuro had only recently transferred and had never personally witnessed it.
So right now, only Himuro looked thrilled. Everyone else at Yosen wore heavy expressions.
Murasakibara said nothing because very soon, Himuro would understand exactly what kind of monster Haizaki Shogo was.
Possession changed again. Haizaki received the ball from Kimura and lazily dribbled while speaking.
"Atsushi. You didn't tell him how terrifying I am?"
"I did," Murasakibara replied calmly. "You really are terrifying. But I'm not weak either."
"...Fair enough." Haizaki shrugged. "You're not weak. You're just lacking a little talent."
Himuro frowned. He had no idea what Haizaki meant.
Then his pupils suddenly contracted.
Fear.
Real fear flooded his eyes.
Haizaki had copied the exact same motion from moments earlier. The exact same stance. The exact same rhythm.
Himuro raised his hand, but his arm trembled because he saw something impossible.
The basketball vanished.
It passed right through his hand as though reality itself had glitched.
Swish!
The shot fell cleanly through the net. Fukuda Sogo regained three points and extended their lead back to two.
In the audience, Alexandra Garcia shot to her feet once more. Behind her glasses, her beautiful eyes stared blankly at Haizaki. Even she felt chills crawling down her spine.
A deep discomfort.
Cold. Sharp. Terrifying.
"What did I just see? The Mirage Shot... He copied it after seeing it once? Impossible... Japanese high school basketball can reach this level? No way... Are you kidding me? That's a monster... An absolute monster..."
She muttered endlessly, every word carrying disbelief and fear.
Nearby, Satsuki Momoi blinked in confusion. "Daiki, is Yosen's player guarding Shogo-kun too weak?"
"Weak?" Aomine frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Before Momoi could continue, Imayoshi cut in. "That No. 12, Himuro Tatsuya, absolutely possesses Generation of Miracles-level skill in his normal state. He only looks weak because the one standing opposite him is a true monster."
Aomine glanced sideways. "Not bad. Your eyes are sharp."
Imayoshi grinned. "Well, we're both guards. I just understand players like Himuro a little better."
Aomine stared at Himuro. "That guy's style is pretty interesting. It's almost the exact opposite of mine. Actually... it's closer to Haizaki's."
Momoi blinked. "Himuro-kun's style resembles Shogo-kun?"
Aomine nodded. "Only resembles. But compared to Haizaki, the gap is huge. Forget everything else. Speed alone isn't even on the same level."
"And once there's a speed gap, the suppression becomes overwhelming."
The game had only just begun, yet already Himuro Tatsuya had glimpsed the terrifying abyss separating himself from Haizaki Shogo and that abyss looked impossibly deep.
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