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Thump...thump...thump...
The rhythmic thud of the basketball echoed incessantly across the court.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Aomine dribbled the basketball, slowly walking towards Too Academy's half of the court.
The rest of the Too team began to consciously face off against the Toho Kotei Gakuen players, except for Ryu.
They deliberately made room for their ace, ensuring he had ample space.
Soon, the other players dispersed to both sides of the court.
Only Ryu and Aomine remained in the middle.
Everyone knew that this game was a duel between these two.
If one of them lost, their team would face defeat.
At the centerline, Aomine finally met Ryu.
Their eyes locked, and the surrounding temperature seemed to plummet instantly.
Before anyone could react...
Suddenly, Aomine's figure flashed, his speed increasing dramatically, disappearing from Ryu's sight.
Seeing this, Ryu didn't panic, but instead followed closely behind Aomine.
Sensing the commotion behind him, Aomine grinned mysteriously.
This was exactly what he was waiting for.
Aomine's forward sprint with the ball abruptly stopped.
The smooth transition from maximum speed to zero drew gasps of amazement from the spectators.
However, Ryu was also close behind, relentlessly pursuing his opponent.
In the blink of an eye, the two had already circled Toho Kotei Gakuen's half of the court several times.
Their speed was dazzling to the onlookers.
Time ticked by in their back-and-forth battle.
Ten seconds passed… twenty seconds passed…
The two still didn't stop.
Watching this high-speed offensive and defensive battle from beginning to end, the spectators' blood was ignited.
They cheered and shouted.
Four seconds left.
Aomine couldn't break through, and time was running out.
His face showed no anxiety; instead, a smile played on his lips.
Three seconds left.
The two were moving rapidly.
Aomine suddenly slowed to zero, stopping abruptly.
Ryu noticed this immediately.
With his exceptional balance, dealing with unexpected situations was often much easier.
And so it was.
Ryu stopped abruptly.
But just then...
Aomine suddenly executed a dribbling spin move, instantly circling around Ryu from one side to the other.
Before Ryu could fully regain his balance, Aomine stepped directly into Toho Kotei Gakuen's three-point line, heading straight for the basket.
At this moment, the spectators in the stands gasped in surprise again.
Two seconds left.
Aomine didn't drive into the restricted area.
To save time, he simply raised the basketball and jumped.
He was about to shoot. Everyone had that thought.
However, until the very last second, you never know the outcome.
The last second.
Just as Aomine was about to release the ball, his view was suddenly blocked by a large hand.
He glanced over instinctively.
Sure enough, it was Ryu, with his silver hair, who had appeared sometime earlier.
But it was too late; there was nothing he could do.
A thought flashed through Aomine's mind.
Suddenly, he hovered in mid-air, pulling the basketball away from Ryu's defense with one hand.
Just before it fell, Aomine executed a one-handed toss, launching the basketball over Ryu's head.
The basketball grazed Ryu's hand, flying straight towards Toho Kotei Gakuen's basket.
A loud clang rang out.
The basketball struck the center of the backboard, then bounced off the rim.
Thump, thump, thump…
The basketball bounced a few times on the rim before losing all momentum and falling into the basket.
3-2.
Silence…
The entire arena was deathly quiet.
Each team took an offensive possession, completely silencing everyone in the arena.
Is this really basketball?
"Are you kidding me?"
Were they watching fake basketball games all this time?
After a moment of silence, a storm of cheers and shouts erupted.
Wow…
"So strong! Absolutely amazing!"
"Ace against ace, I never expected it to be this intense."
In an instant, the entire arena erupted.
Click… click… click…
Flashlights flashed incessantly from the sidelines, as if trying to capture every moment of Ryu and Aomine.
The basketball players from various schools watched with trepidation, a chill running down their spines.
On the court, Ryu and Aomine were locked in a fierce battle. They didn't feel troubled by the opponent's goal.
On the contrary, they were extremely exhilarated. The long-lost passion was rapidly rekindling.
The teammates on both sides stared at each other, full of confidence in their ace.
The game transitioned from offense to defense.
Thud...
Ryu received the basketball and began another confrontation with Aomine.
Whoosh...
Start, pass, lower body, break through...
The basketball bounced left and right with each swing of his arm.
His figure swayed unpredictably as he shifted positions.
Aomine's gaze was like a torch, locking onto Ryu.
His footwork was as swift as the wind, successfully blocking Ryu's attacks time and again.
Two streaks of light flashed across the court, passing by their respective teammates.
The two seemed not to see anyone else, completely ignoring the others, leaving only the players standing dumbfounded in place.
Despite Aomine's tight defense, he couldn't stop Ryu's shot.
Ryu, facing Aomine's defense, reached the basket of Too.
Ryu lifted the ball with one hand, preparing for a layup.
But suddenly, a large hand appeared, blocking his way.
Ryu instantly gathered the ball to his side and slapped it down.
Two loud thuds echoed as the basketball bounced, and Ryu strode straight towards Aomine's left flank.
Just as Ryu was about to break through, Aomine showed no sign of urgency.
The instant his toes touched the ground, he swiftly spun around, blocking Ryu's path with incredible speed.
A smirk played on Ryu's lips, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
He pushed off with both feet, took a step back, and raised the basketball, aiming at the basket above his head.
Seeing this, Aomine followed with a quick step, then leaped up, raising his hand to block Ryu's shot.
Ryu's shooting form instantly changed; he controlled the ball with one hand, swinging his arm in a 360-degree circle, from top to bottom and then from bottom to top.
Before Aomine landed...
Ryu tossed the ball up from under Aomine's arm.
[Tightrope walking].
The basketball flew into the air and landed on the edge of the backboard.
Thump, thump, thump…
After gradually stopping bouncing, the basketball slowly rolled to the center of the backboard and fell.
Swish…
The basketball went in.
5 to 2.
"Ryu…"
Aomine's eyes were fierce, his body trembled, his blood boiled, and he was extremely excited.
Aomine felt his long-dormant heart slowly awakening.
Time passed as the two continued their relentless attacks.
Ryu and Aomine were like two invincible spears, each pointing at the other's basket.
The two players attacked relentlessly.
The clanging and swishing sounds echoed across their respective halves of the court.
5-4.
10-9.
15-15.
20-20.
…
Unlike the usual noisy atmosphere, the arena was eerily quiet; you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone stared blankly at the two battling it out on the court.
They were no longer just two people. They were two long-starved, bloodthirsty beasts.
They didn't care about getting hurt; their only goal was to defeat each other.
Whistle…
The whistle blew to end the first quarter.
The scoreboard showed 25-25.
The players on both sides looked rather strange at this moment.
Whether they were players from Toho Kotei Gakuen or Too Academy, only Ryu and Aomine were sweating. The others were exactly the same as before they went on the field.
It wasn't until both teams returned to their respective rest areas that a deafening roar of cheers, shouts, and screams erupted from the stands.
In the stands, Himuro Tatsuya snapped out of his daze.
"Hey! Atsushi, can you defend against them?"
Himuro Tatsuya no longer had the confidence to face the two below him. Those two were simply monstrous.
He was thinking that if their opponent was either of them, Yosen probably wouldn't have a chance at all.
Relying on Murasakibara?
Although Murasakibara's defensive abilities were also monstrous, could he really defend against those two?
Just as he was feeling lost about Yosen's future, Murasakibara didn't answer him. He wasn't sure if he could defend against the two men's attack.
...
Over here in Rakuzan, it was eerily quiet right now.
Having watched the match between Ryu and Aomine, Kotaro Hayama, Reo Mibuchi, and Eikichi Nebuya remained completely silent.
They were utterly numb.
Ryu and Aomine had utterly shattered their confidence.
They instinctively glanced at Akashi, who sat in front of them.
Akashi remained as cold and indifferent as ever. However, the crimson halo in his pupils flickered incessantly.
...
Toho Kotei Gakuen's rest area.
Kamimono and the others looked at Ryu with expressions of admiration.
They had truly felt the immense pressure from Aomine on the field.
It was safe to say that no matter who faced that monster, they had no chance of winning.
Their speed couldn't keep up, their technique couldn't keep up, their courage couldn't keep up... What could they possibly compare to?
This time, they witnessed a completely new Ryu.
Ryu's one-on-one match against Aomine once again shattered their understanding of basketball.
Basketball could be played like this?
Speed, skill, power… It was exhilarating to watch.
Now, Ryu was like a god in their eyes.
In a word, "fierce."
…
On the other side, Too's rest area.
Aomine had just come down to the bench and sat down in his seat.
He leaned back, head tilted back, a towel covering his face.
If it weren't for the rise and fall of his chest, one would think he was dead.
"Aomine…"
Momoi looked at the motionless Aomine, her heart filled with complex emotions.
She wanted Aomine to lose, to bring him back to his former self.
However, she was worried that if Aomine lost, he might be too discouraged and never recover.
Momoi felt the same way about Ryu. She simply couldn't be sure who would ultimately win.
The other members of the Too team also glanced at Aomine from time to time.
Imayoshi Shoichi thought to himself, horrified, 'The Generation of Miracles are truly terrifying, but this was expected. We can't interfere at all right now!'
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