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Whistle…
The referee blew the whistle to start the second quarter.
Too's bench.
"Aomine…"
Aomine seemed to hear someone calling him.
The eyes under the towel suddenly opened.
"Aomine…"
This time he heard it clearly.
It was Satsuki's voice.
He took the towel off his head.
Instantly, blinding light shone on his face.
He squinted slightly, his blurry vision gradually clearing.
Aomine looked in the direction from which the voice had come, and then saw Satsuki speaking to him again.
"Aomine… time's up, hurry up and get on the court."
Hearing this, Aomine realized that the break time had unknowingly passed.
He stood up and went back onto the court.
This time, Aomine's breathing was steady, and he was much calmer and more composed.
The sharp aura that had surrounded him before had now subsided considerably.
Despite this, Aomine seemed increasingly dangerous.
Ryu, returning to the court, also noticed Aomine's change.
He naturally knew his opponent was a slow starter.
The previous duel was merely a test of each other's abilities.
Should he just use his [Selfless Realm] to crush him?
Shaking his head, Ryu dismissed the idea.
Aomine hadn't even used his Zone yet!
If he revealed his trump card prematurely, he might be outmaneuvered, which would be a greater loss.
Stretching his limbs, Ryu looked at Aomine standing on the other half of the court.
'Let's launch an attack first and widen the score gap.'
Thinking this, Ryu stood firmly on the court.
Separated by the two ends of the court, Ryu and Aomine stared at each other, their eyes locked, expressions serious, their fighting spirit high.
No words were spoken.
Aomine beckoned to Imayoshi for the ball.
As the captain, Imayoshi couldn't refuse when his ace asked for the ball.
Whoosh…
Thud…
The basketball landed in Aomine's hands.
His gaze suddenly became unpredictable.
He took a step, and in the blink of an eye, he crossed into Toho Kotei Gakuen's half of the court.
Ryu narrowed his eyes, his figure flashing, his silver hair flowing as fast as a shooting star.
When Ryu stood in front of Aomine,
Aomine's aura froze, then, as if cold water had been poured into a hot oil pan, it exploded.
With a ferocious aura, Aomine left a trail of afterimages, gradually disappearing from Ryu's sight.
Ryu's pupils contracted, his heart filled with shock.
Aomine's speed was now significantly faster than before.
However, he knew this wasn't his opponent's limit; he would only get faster as the game progressed.
Ryu's gaze sharpened, and upon catching Aomine's figure, he immediately unleashed [Lightning].
Sizzle…
A bolt of lightning flashed.
Aomine's heart skipped a beat, then his vision blurred, and a figure appeared before him.
Aomine's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
He had been extremely confident in the speed he had just used to break through.
He hadn't expected his opponent to catch up so easily.
[Lightning]—he had seen Ryu use it before.
Now, personally experiencing the monstrous speed of [Lightning], his heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Now was not the time to think about these things.
Aomine suddenly paused for a moment, then quickly performed two crossovers.
However, Ryu successfully defended both.
Finally, Aomine executed a behind-the-back dribble and a crossover.
Using unorthodox dribbling, he successfully broke through Ryu's defense.
In the blink of an eye, Aomine had entered Toho Kotei Gakuen's restricted area.
Just as he was about to jump and shoot, a large hand blocked his view.
The owner of the large hand was none other than Kamimono.
Aomine didn't take Kamimono's defense seriously at all.
Although Kamimono possessed the strength of the "Five Uncrowned Generals," he hadn't reached the Miracle level.
For him or the other members of the Generation of Miracles, anything below the Miracle level was insignificant.
Aomine simply reduced his speed to zero, then instantly accelerated to maximum speed.
With a stop and a shot, he easily broke through Kamimono's defense.
'Damn it... is the difference in strength really that big?'
Kamimono was unwilling, but he quickly adjusted his mindset.
He recalled the feeling he had when facing Ryu.
'The Generation of Miracles are indeed monsters; the gap between me and them is still too great.'
After breaking through Kamimono, Aomine headed straight for Toho Kotei Gakuen's basket.
However, his seemingly certain basket was met with an unexpected turn of events.
He had just stepped inside Toho Kotei Gakuen's three-point line when he saw a familiar figure.
It was Ryu.
Aomine's pupils dilated.
Unleashing his full power, he immediately stopped.
And in that instant of stopping,
a hand flashed past his eyes.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Aomine's forehead.
He had clearly pinpointed Ryu's location.
At his current speed, the opponent should have had to wait until he reached the penalty area to catch up.
If he hadn't stopped in time, he probably would have lost the ball.
But why?
He clearly didn't use [Lightning].
Seeing Ryu in front of him,
Aomine asked with some confusion,
"What's wrong with you?"
Hehe…
Ryu grinned at Aomine.
"You're not used to being lazy, are you? My speed isn't as fast as yours, but your current speed isn't enough to shake me off."
Hearing this, Aomine was slightly taken aback.
He carefully analyzed Ryu's words.
Used to being lazy?
Lazy?
Recalling his daily habits,
it seemed he really was a bit lazy!
But that was nothing.
As long as I get serious, no one can beat me.
Even you, Ryu.
Thinking this, Aomine's gaze gradually became more serious.
His center of gravity lowered, his aura gradually receded, and his eyes sharpened.
Ryu clearly sensed that Aomine opposite him had become more aggressive.
This is… Wildness…
Before he could react,
Aomine seemed to transform into a bloodthirsty, ferocious black panther, flashing past him.
Damn it…
He'd been tricked.
Ryu inwardly cursed.
His attention had been focused on Wildness, and he'd carelessly allowed his opponent to exploit an opening.
Without further thought, Ryu turned and gave chase.
However, Aomine possessed incredible speed.
Ryu was always a step behind.
Even with his best efforts, he was still a step too late.
Aomine dribbled the ball with unparalleled ease, arriving at Toho Kotei Gakuen's basket.
Just as he was about to score a layup,
Suddenly…
Whoosh…
Thud…
A loud thud echoed throughout the arena.
Everyone present stared in utter disbelief.
Even Aomine himself was completely bewildered.
What happened?
Where did the basketball go?
How did that hand appear here?
That was…
His eyes widened as he looked at the all-too-familiar figure before him, gritting his teeth as he spoke:
"Ryu…"
Ryu reappeared, surrounded by a colorful light.
[Selfless Realm]The Limit of Thousand Refinements - Activated.
Thump…
Thump…
Ryu and Aomine landed on the ground.
Aomine took a deep breath, then looked at Ryu and said,
"Is this the technique you used to defeat Midorima back then?"
Ryu, enveloped in the colorful light, replied calmly, his expression unchanged.
"It seems Satsuki already told you! That's right, this move is [The State of Selflessness]."
Hearing Ryu's words,
Aomine's blood began to boil.
He grinned and continued,
"Interesting. Then let me see your move!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the black panther phantom behind him bared its fangs at Ryu and roared,
as if declaring its dominance on the court.
Since Ryu had just knocked the basketball out of bounds,
the ball now belonged to Too.
Susa Yoshinori inbounded the ball.
He had intended to pass the ball to his captain, Imayoshi Shoichi.
However, seeing his ace calling for the ball, he had no choice but to pass it to him.
The rest of the Too team didn't object.
Because they knew
the ball was safest in Aomine's hands.
That was also the right of an ace.
Sensing an overwhelming, wild, and aggressive aura,
Ryu spread his arms, ready to defend, blocking all offensive routes and leaving no opening for his opponent.
Finding no opening, Aomine wasn't surprised.
This was entirely within his expectations.
In fact, he became even more excited.
He dribbled the basketball again and again, his gaze fixed on Ryu.
Ignoring Aomine's sharp gaze,
[Beast's Aura] activated.
A crimson aura emanated from within, swirling around Ryu to shield him from the menacing black panther ahead.
The clash of red and black seemed to herald the imminent arrival of the most intense moment of the second quarter.
At this moment, Ryu and Aomine stood facing each other.
Everything seemed to freeze.
Only the constant thuds of the ball gave everyone the feeling that time was still passing.
However, just as everyone was caught up in the tense atmosphere,
Aomine's dribbling motion suddenly stopped.
Here it comes…
Ryu's gaze sharpened, his silver eyes catching Aomine's weakness in that instant of pause.
'Found it, it's here.'
Ryu swiftly reached out towards the perceived weakness.
Aomine was at a crucial juncture, his old strength waning and new strength yet to emerge.
Everything happened too fast, too suddenly.
He had originally intended to attempt a breakthrough,
but Ryu's attack was unexpected.
If he continued to try, the basketball would definitely be stolen.
Therefore, he had no choice but to decisively abandon his attempt.
Aomine didn't panic at Ryu's actions.
Using his speed, he forcefully twisted his body.
After blocking Ryu's reach, he moved the basketball behind him, switching hands.
His series of actions appeared seamless.
Aomine's face was cold and his eyes unwavering,
as if he had planned it all along.
In Ryu's eyes,
the weakness he had targeted suddenly shattered like an egg hitting a rock.
Ryu sighed inwardly.
This was how it was against the Generation of Miracles.
This was the difference between the Generation of Miracles and ordinary geniuses.
Although Aomine had forcibly erased his weakness,
Ryu wasn't about to let him off so easily.
Seeing Aomine switch the ball to his other hand,
he moved accordingly.
However, Ryu didn't move with the ball, but rather shifted his weight slightly to follow Aomine's movement.
After all, to break through, you need to have the ball with you.
Aomine sensed danger just as he was about to break through from the side.
His pupils contracted.
His intuition told him that he couldn't break through like that, and he was likely to lose the ball.
With no hope of breaking through, Aomine grinned, then flicked his wrist, moving the ball back behind him.
Aomine stretched both hands behind him and began dribbling behind his back.
He dribbled incredibly fast, his footwork nearly as fast as an average person running with the ball.
His movements were fluid and graceful, a sight to behold, drawing cheers from the stands.
"What's that? A behind-the-back dribble, and so smoothly!"
"Truly worthy of Aomine Daiki, that's faster than an average person dribbling head-on."
...
The murmurs from the stands didn't affect Ryu and Aomine below.
The two were currently engaged in a fierce offensive and defensive battle.
Although Aomine was dribbling behind his back, both his dribbling speed and footwork were superhuman.
Facing such an Aomine, Ryu would face less pressure in terms of speed, but he would need to be even more mentally focused.
Behind-the-back dribbling had too many variables.
Aomine might suddenly change direction at any moment.
He wouldn't forget that Aomine's forte was street basketball.
Red and black constantly clashed and intertwined.
Sometimes black would overpower red, sometimes red would encroach on black.
Neither would yield, and after their merging, red was still red, and black was still black; neither could prevail over the other.
Suddenly, the black mist began to churn wildly, gradually revealing a ferocious black panther.
The black panther opened its jaws, lunging furiously at the red mass before it.
At the same time,
Aomine's right hand, dribbling the ball behind his back, suddenly paused, but his body leaned forward and to the left, preparing to break through.
Ryu's pupils dilated, his muscles tensed, and he realized that Aomine wasn't holding the ball.
A warning bell rang in his mind, and he quickly steadied himself.
Soon, Ryu noticed a round, yellowish-orange object floating in mid-air in the corner of his eye.
'A trap, as expected.'
He thought to himself, and prepared to reach out and intercept the ball.
However, Aomine didn't stop despite Ryu's discovery.
He played along, breaking through from Ryu's side.
After passing Ryu, Aomine spun around behind him, and then, with unbelievable speed, stole the ball before Ryu could even touch it.
Huh?
Ryu's hand paused mid-air, then his lips twitched.
He'd been outmaneuvered by Aomine.
'This guy actually used the momentum of his sprint and turn to instantly surpass my intercepting speed?'
He turned his head.
Aomine had already dribbled the ball into Toho Kotei Gakuen's three-point line.
A black mist split the red in two.
At the edge of the black mist stood the majestic, domineering Black Panther, its roar booming.
It seemed to be telling everyone present that it was the master of this court.
Aomine continued to step into the restricted area, leaping off the ground, basketball in hand, with overwhelming force, like a giant cleaving a mountain with an axe, mercilessly swinging it towards Toho Kotei Gakuen's basket.
With his movement,
the sky above Toho Kotei Gakuen's court seemed to be shrouded in a dark cloud.
Azure lightning flashed and brewed within the dark clouds, as if countless thunderbolts were about to strike, threatening to utterly destroy half of Toho Kotei Gakuen's arena.
"You won't get away with it..."
A sharp shout pierced the sky, dissipating the flashing lightning, followed by a silver streak with a red trail of flame.
Aomine's brow twitched at the sudden arrival of Ryu.
'So fast? Is it that [Lightning] move again? No... that was...'
Aomine was startled as he saw the colorful light fading from Ryu's legs.
'[Selfless Realm], huh? What a troublesome technique.'
Aomine was now suspended in mid-air, facing Ryu's block from behind.
He arched his back, his dunking stance changing, and moved the ball downwards.
Seeing Aomine using his body to block his view...
Ryu was also caught in a dilemma.
Now, if Aomine wanted to make a move, there were only two directions: left or right.
And he could only choose one.
In the audience,
everyone watching this scene held their breath.
They were all drawn into the match by Ryu and Aomine.
This was an extremely rare phenomenon.
Like a deeply moving film that captivates the audience, everyone becomes immersed in the story.
And so it was with the duel between Ryu and Aomine.
Everyone was completely absorbed in the match.
They watched the game below intently, their blood boiling.
Now, the final push was about to begin.
Thud…
Swish…
Under everyone's gaze,
the basketball soared into the sky, swept past the rim, hit the backboard, and bounced into the basket.
25 to 27.
The entire arena fell silent.
"Did he fail?"
Kagami Taiga stared wide-eyed at the scene.
Kuroko glanced at Aomine below, then at Ryu, and spoke.
"That was a real shame."
Aida Riko nodded in agreement.
"Yeah! He probably had a 50% chance of stopping that shot!"
On the other side,
although completely stunned, Kise still sighed.
"Those two probably weren't very confident on that shot, were they?"
...
A thunderous roar erupted...
After a moment of silence, the entire arena burst into a deafening roar of cheers and shouts.
The applause almost lifted the roof off the arena.
No doubt about it, the start of the second quarter was absolutely explosive.
No one expected the start of the second quarter to be so exciting.
The techniques, strategies, responses, and counter-strategies of both sides... until the very end, the outcome was uncertain.
Every play represented a professional level of basketball, even surpassing it.
All the college coaches watching were also stunned.
The level of play between the two sides was simply too high.
Even when they played in the professional league, they rarely experienced a game like this.
This made them re-evaluate their assessment of the "Generation of Miracles."
On the court,
Ryu sighed softly.
"I guessed wrong after all!"
Aomine breathed a slight sigh of relief, then grinned and replied,
"Ha... that was satisfying! That's more like it! Ryu, you really didn't disappoint me."
Ryu wiped his sweat and returned Aomine's smile.
"Looks like you've grown quite a bit!"
"Likewise, let's continue!"
With that, Aomine walked past Ryu.
He didn't return to his own half of the court, but instead stood directly in Toho Kotei Gakuen's half, waiting for Ryu's attack.
Kamimono and the others came to Ryu's side to comfort him.
"Ryu, don't worry about it, that guy just got lucky."
"That's right, that's right, we all saw it, no one could have done anything about that shot," Kugawa chimed in.
Ryu was speechless at his teammates.
He said helplessly,
"Don't worry, I'm not going to panic over something so small."
Seeing that Ryu was truly alright,
Kamimono and the others relaxed.
The inbound pass went smoothly.
Hanafuji passed the ball directly to Ryu.
After receiving the ball, Ryu began walking slowly towards Too's half of the court.
He approached Aomine, his face calm, his eyes like a vast ocean.
"Then, let's begin the second round!"
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