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Thump...thump...thump...
The sound of the basketball hitting the ground echoed across the court.
Ryu stood still, dribbling the basketball.
He had to admit that the pressure from Aomine Daiki was greater than any opponent he had ever faced before.
Truly, Aomine Daiki lived up to his reputation.
But the more this was the case, the more excited Ryu became.
Ever since fusing with Divine-Demon Physique, Ryu possessed an innate, unyielding pride.
In a way, he and Aomine Daiki were the same kind of person.
They couldn't help but get excited when facing a strong opponent.
Ryu dribbled the basketball rhythmically.
His gaze was fixed ahead. He didn't move.
Aomine Daiki didn't move either.
Suddenly, Ryu's pupils contracted.
Found it. The weakness was here.
Ryu took a step to the left.
Almost simultaneously, Aomine Daiki moved his foot to the right, blocking Ryu's path.
Then, Ryu retracted his outstretched foot.
As his foot retreated, his body lunged towards Aomine Daiki's right.
So fast.
Seeing this, the spectators gasped in surprise.
"That kid's retreat was incredibly fast."
"Could it be a coincidence?"
Akashi Seijuro watched the duel silently.
Midorima Shintaro adjusted his glasses.
Murasakibara Atsushi had stopped eating his snacks.
Momoi Satsuki stared intently at Ryu, trying to detect any hint of precognitive ability.
On the court.
Ryu's sudden retreat and change of direction caught Aomine Daiki off guard.
It seemed Ryu was about to break through his defense.
Aomine Daiki forcefully shifted his weight to the left.
He blocked Ryu's path before Ryu could break through.
Seeing this, Ryu retreated, creating distance between himself and Aomine Daiki.
Ryu thought to himself, 'As expected, the level of the Generation of Miracles is different from others.'
He truly understood the gap between genius and ordinary people.
If it were anyone else, he would have already broken through and scored.
It seems that the Ice Emperor's Eye at this stage is still somewhat insufficient for people of the Generation of Miracles' level.
However, it's not entirely useless.
Aomine Daiki's forced shift of weight was the best example.
At this moment, Aomine Daiki said to Ryu:
"You can't be that bad, can you? I'll be very disappointed if you are."
Ryu controlled the ball.
Hearing Aomine Daiki's words, he simply smiled slightly.
"Haste makes waste; only the patient will reap the rewards."
Aomine Daiki looked bewildered. He had no idea what Ryu was talking about.
Ryu used the Ice Emperor's Eye to observe every part of Aomine Daiki's body.
Weakness. Found it, now's the time.
Ryu seized the opportunity, changing direction and attacking to the left.
Aomine Daiki, not to be outdone, quickly sidestepped to block.
Ryu stopped, turning to prepare to change direction.
When he saw that Aomine Daiki's center of gravity had shifted to the other side, Ryu's lips curled slightly.
He swiftly spun around, shaking off Aomine Daiki.
Ryu dribbled directly to the basket.
Without Aomine Daiki's defense, Ryu easily scored.
1-0.
Only then did Aomine Daiki turn to look at Ryu.
His expression was unusually excited.
"This is more interesting, let's do it again."
Ryu didn't speak.
He picked up the basketball and casually tossed it to Aomine Daiki.
The game switched sides.
This time it was Aomine Daiki's turn to attack.
Thump…thump…thump…
Aomine Daiki rhythmically dribbled the basketball.
Ryu stared intently at his opponent's every move.
At this moment, in his eyes, Aomine Daiki had more than one weakness.
Even so, Ryu dared not act rashly.
With Aomine Daiki's strength, he could easily overcome these weaknesses.
Ryu knew that this was what made the Generation of Miracles so terrifying.
However, he wasn't worried.
He was confident that his current strength was no weaker than Aomine Daiki's.
Aomine Daiki saw that Ryu was slow to steal the ball.
He also lost patience.
Aomine Daiki's dribbling speed suddenly increased.
He flashed past Ryu like a streak of blue lightning.
Under Ryu's Ice Emperor's Eye, he naturally saw Aomine Daiki's movements clearly.
With his current strength, he could easily keep up.
Ryu's footwork accelerated.
He was like a silver lightning bolt, appearing in front of Aomine Daiki in an instant.
Aomine Daiki immediately stopped.
He looked at Ryu ahead, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his face.
He took a deep breath.
Then, his speed suddenly increased dramatically.
Aomine Daiki's speed was several times faster than before.
Ryu didn't even blink.
He stared intently at Aomine Daiki's every move.
The two figures, one blue and one silver, darted and weaved across the court.
Their speed was like a whirlwind, as fast as lightning.
The spectators were dazzled and dumbfounded.
"This..."
"Someone can actually keep up with Aomine's speed."
"That rookie is terrifying."
"No wonder he made it into the first team."
Akashi Seijuro, Midorima Shintaro, and Murasakibara Atsushi were also incredibly shocked.
They hadn't expected Ryu to be able to keep up with Aomine Daiki's speed.
You see, in the first team, Aomine Daiki's speed is the fastest, without a doubt.
"Akashi, what do you think?" Midorima Shintaro stared intently at Ryu and Aomine on the field.
Hearing Midorima Shintaro's words, Akashi Seijuro said:
"Very strong, extremely strong. And that's probably not even his full strength."
"Also, have you noticed that Aomine Daiki's speed is even faster than before?"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Aomine Daiki on the field.
A blur of motion had already appeared behind Aomine Daiki.
The basketball in his hand was like a bouncy little sprite.
No matter his movements, the basketball obediently followed him.
Aomine Daiki's attacks were fruitless.
He changed his offensive strategy, his figure flashing again.
This time, he chose to jump and shoot directly.
Seeing this, Ryu also jumped.
He reached out to intercept Aomine Daiki's shot.
Seeing this, Aomine Daiki withdrew his shooting motion.
He forcibly twisted his body in the air.
Then, holding the ball with one hand, his body slightly bent.
He tossed the basketball out from the side and below with one hand.
Aomine Daiki's movements were extremely casual.
To an outsider, it would appear as if he were forced to throw the ball randomly.
Ryu, suspended in mid-air, saw this and his pupils contracted sharply.
He knew what it was.
An unorthodox shot.
Aomine Daiki's signature move.
Swish…
As expected.
The basketball hit the backboard and bounced into the hoop.
1-1 tied.
Ryu and Aomine Daiki landed together.
Aomine Daiki laughed excitedly.
"Hahaha… that's right, basketball should be this fun."
Ryu looked at Aomine Daiki with a complicated expression, then smiled and said:
"It is indeed very interesting."
He hadn't expected Aomine Daiki to be so skilled in his first year of middle school.
His unorthodox shot was truly impressive!
However, in Ryu's Ice Emperor's Eyes…
He saw it coming.
Aomine Daiki's move wasn't truly complete yet.
Aomine Daiki tossed the basketball back to Ryu.
"Come on, let's continue."
Thud...
Ryu caught the ball and prepared for his second attack.