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47 to 49.
The scoreboard displayed the score.
The atmosphere on the court was tense and heavy.
Aomine's earlier move had truly made the Toho Kotei Gakuen team's hearts skip a beat.
In contrast, the Too team appeared more relaxed.
Especially Imayoshi Shoichi.
He flashed his signature squinting smile, looking completely confident.
'With this, we've got it in the bag.'
Thwack…
Toho Kotei Gakuen inbounds.
Hanafuji dribbled the ball forward slowly.
His eyes, behind his gold-rimmed glasses, scanned the entire court.
Kamimono and the others also began to make their runs.
Seeing this, the Too team also began to move.
Just as Hanafuji was about to pass the ball to Kuroki, he caught a glimpse of Ryu gesturing at him out of the corner of his eye.
However, unable to stop himself now, he still passed the basketball.
But the basketball had only flown halfway when a figure suddenly flashed by.
The basketball disappeared along with the figure in a flash.
What?
Hanafuji's pupils contracted, his face filled with shock.
What a joke.
That was just now…
Everyone from Toho Kotei Gakuen was stunned by this sudden scene.
Kamimono exclaimed.
"What's going on? How can he be so fast? It's almost impossible to see with the naked eye. How are we supposed to defend against that?"
Just as everyone was marveling at the speed of the black figure, a silver lightning bolt appeared in everyone's sight.
The silver lightning bolt relentlessly pursued the black afterimage.
When the black and silver figures reached Toho Kotei Gakuen's basket, an astonishing scene unfolded.
Two figures, one silver and one black, materialized.
Ryu and Aomine were now suspended in mid-air.
Aomine raised the ball with one hand, appearing before the crowd in a dunking motion.
Ryu blocked Aomine's dunk with one hand.
The two remained locked in a stalemate in mid-air.
Seeing this, a gasp erupted from the stands.
"Even if you get into the Zone, don't think you can easily score against me."
Ryu's eyes were sharp, his aura unstoppable, showing no sign of backing down in the face of Aomine's dominance.
Aomine grinned, revealing his silver teeth.
His eyes were filled with excitement.
"Basketball isn't fun if it's not like this."
With that, he exerted force with his arm, trying to forcefully slam the ball into the basket.
Ryu wasn't about to be outdone.
When it came to strength, Ryu had never feared anyone.
He was a man of balanced stats, and he increased the force of his arm.
Ah…
Both of them let out a sharp shout simultaneously.
The basketball, sandwiched between their hands, bounced out and flew into the air.
Bang…
Bang…
Both of them landed on the ground, looking up at the sky.
The basketball had reached its critical point.
Just as the basketball was about to fall, a flash of blue lightning appeared in Aomine's eyes, and he shot up like a cannonball.
Ryu, his legs also wreathed in colorful light, shot out with force.
Both of them leaped high into the air, arms outstretched, ready to snatch the falling basketball.
High in the sky.
Snap…
Ryu and Aomine touched the basketball almost simultaneously, each once again trapping it between their hands.
"It's no use, this ball is mine!" Aomine shouted.
Ryu retorted defiantly.
"You're too confident. I told you, you can't score this."
With that, a glint flashed in Ryu's eyes, and the force in his hand suddenly shifted.
"Let me show you my [Lin]."
Aomine's pupils contracted.
He felt the basketball suddenly move, dissipating most of the force in his hand.
And the basketball felt like it was about to slip out of his control.
Aomine's heart tightened, and he increased the force in his hand.
"It's no use."
Ryu flicked his wrist again, then twisted it, and the basketball, along with his hand, slipped from Aomine's grasp.
What?
Aomine's eyes widened, staring at the scene in disbelief.
How could this be?
Upon witnessing this scene, Imayoshi Shoichi completely lost his composure.
That was the Zone!
How could anyone possibly stop Aomine under such circumstances?
Thump…
Thump…
Ryu and Aomine landed again.
This time, the basketball was in Ryu's hands.
Aomine stood before him like a wolf.
A powerful pressure relentlessly crushed towards Ryu.
A pair of predatory eyes were fixed intently on the basketball in Ryu's hands.
Ryu narrowed his eyes.
A red aura rose around him.
The wild aura combined with colorful light, making Ryu appear like a demon god.
He pushed off with his feet, and [Lightning] activated instantly.
With a flash of lightning, Ryu instantly appeared behind Aomine.
This inhuman act left many people speechless.
Before, without comparison, it didn't seem like much.
Now, Ryu's use of [Lightning] was practically comparable to Aomine's Zone.
Although it was only a fleeting attack, in a sense, it was nearly invincible and unstoppable.
Even Aomine, who had entered the Zone, hadn't reacted yet.
Aomine snapped out of his daze.
His eyes flashed with blue lightning, instantly transforming into a black bolt of lightning, chasing after Ryu.
Feeling the threat from behind, Ryu's heart tightened.
Such speed.
He pushed off again with his feet, colorful light swirling between his legs.
With the added boost of the [Selfless Realm] honed to its limit, his speed exploded almost instantly, nearly matching Aomine's.
The spectators only saw two bolts of lightning, one silver and one black, striking from under the basket of Toho Kotei Gakuen all the way to Too Academy's restricted area.
This scene caused many in the audience to scream in surprise, their blood boiling, and their excitement reaching a fever pitch.
Snap...
A crisp sound drew everyone's attention.
A jaw-dropping scene unfolded before their eyes.
At this moment, in front of Too's basket.
Ryu assumed a dunking stance, while Aomine was in a blocking position.
The basketball had already flown out of bounds.
Because their movements were simply too fast.
Before anyone even realized it, the two had already executed a dunk and a block.
Even the photographers on the sidelines slowed down the replay several times to confirm.
"He can actually keep up with Aomine's speed?" Imayoshi Shoichi wondered if he was dreaming.
Why was Ryu, who hadn't entered the Zone, able to compete with Aomine in his Zone state?
This was too abnormal.
Even if Ryu possessed that so-called "Selflessness State," it shouldn't be like this!
Since the ball was knocked out of bounds by Aomine, it was Toho Kotei Gakuen's turn to inbound the ball.
The basketball was passed to Ryu as expected.
Now, no one else from Toho Kotei Gakuen dared to hold the ball, otherwise Aomine would surely steal it.
After receiving the ball, Ryu's icy eyes locked onto Aomine.
He took in every weakness of his opponent.
Even so, in Ryu's eyes, his opponent's weaknesses were constantly shifting.
This made it impossible for him to exploit Aomine's weaknesses.
Just as Ryu was about to move, Aomine blocked his path in an instant.
Aomine's eyes flashed with lightning, his chilling aura transforming into blades, slashing towards Ryu with overwhelming force.
Ryu dribbled, switched hands, changed direction, facing his gaze without flinching.
The two moved erratically around Too's half of the court.
The spectators were dazzled by their movements.
As the two swept past their respective teammates, their teammates were drenched in cold sweat, their legs went weak, and their breathing became rapid, as if they had fallen into an abyss.
This showed just how terrifying the aura surrounding Ryu and Aomine was at that moment.
Time ticked by.
The 24 seconds of Ryu's attack were almost up.
At the critical moment, Ryu's [Lightning] was activated again.
Sizzle…
Lightning flashed.
Aomine felt a blur before his eyes, and then the lock on Ryu disappeared from his vision.
His pupils contracted, he cursed inwardly, and subconsciously looked towards his own basket.
Sure enough, the instant he glanced to the side, a figure appeared in his field of vision.
A silver lightning bolt transformed into a figure.
This figure was already hovering in mid-air.
He had begun aiming at the basket, preparing to shoot.
Sizzle…
Aomine gritted his teeth, his face indifferent and cold.
Two streaks of azure lightning followed his movement, leaving long, dark azure afterimages.
In a flash of lightning…
Aomine, as if teleporting, silently appeared in mid-air in front of Ryu.
With a wave of his large hand, he blocked Ryu's shooting trajectory.
Seeing this, the audience's hearts tightened.
Some fans supporting Toho Kotei Gakuen were even more on edge.
Aomine had already blocked Ryu's dunk before; if he blocked it again, the blow to Toho Kotei Gakuen would be enormous.
This meant that if Ryu was suppressed by Aomine, the consequences would be severe.
Ryu, of course, knew this.
In his silver vision, weaknesses flashed and shifted on Aomine's body.
There were no blind spots.
To successfully shoot this ball, he had to catch him off guard.
Ryu hovered in mid-air, holding the ball in one hand, and suddenly his entire aura changed.
Under everyone's stunned gaze, Ryu transformed into Aomine's appearance.
The shooting motion suddenly stopped, then the basketball was retrieved mid-air and switched to the other hand.
"An unorthodox shot..." In the stands, Kagami Taiga exclaimed in surprise.
The other members of Seirin stared in disbelief.
Kise, Midorima, Murasakibara, and Akashi all watched this scene with serious expressions, as if waiting, or perhaps witnessing something else unfold.
Aomine looked at the person in front of him who looked exactly like him with disdain.
"[Phantom], huh? So what if you become me? You can't defeat me like this."
"I don't think you can defeat me like this," Ryu, transformed into Aomine, replied.
His words had barely left his lips when the arm holding the ball suddenly became a blur.
By the time Aomine noticed, Ryu had already retrieved the ball and switched it to the other hand.
This incredible move once again drove the audience wild.
A series of mid-air changes of direction and hand switching shattered everyone's expectations.
Even Aomine hadn't anticipated this.
A flicker of confusion crossed his blue eyes, which crackled with electricity.
Just then, Ryu's words reached his ears.
"You thought my moves were just for show? Too naive."
[Wind] combined with [Special Skill Basketball] allowed Ryu to successfully throw the ball past Aomine's defense.
The basketball grazed Aomine's armpit, flying towards Too's basket.
Clang…
Swish…
The basketball struck the backboard and bounced into the hoop.
49 to 49.
The entire arena fell silent.
All eyes were fixed on Ryu, who had reverted to his original form.
They stared at this monster, speechless for a long time.
"Really?! He actually managed to score against Aomine, who had entered the Zone! That's incredible!" Shinji Koganei stammered.
No one responded.
The rest of Seirin were also stunned.
On the court.
Aomine looked at Ryu, his expression calm and collected in Zone mode.
He hadn't lost his composure despite that one basket.
"Ryu, I really don't know what to say. You truly surprised me. To score under those circumstances, I have to say you're really amazing."
Ryu replied.
"So, saying that the only person who can beat me is myself is just fooling yourself."
Hahahaha...
Aomine suddenly burst into laughter.
"Do you all think I said that because I'm too arrogant, because I have no opponent, so I'm just numbing myself with that?"
Ryu looked at him without speaking, but inwardly thought to himself, 'Isn't that right? How could you say such a melodramatic thing?'
Aomine continued.
"Don't think the Zone is my limit. The Zone's scope extends far beyond this."
Hearing this, Ryu's expression froze.
The other's words seemed to carry a hidden meaning.
After speaking, Aomine waved to his teammates, signaling them to pass the ball.
Ryu also became extremely focused.
He knew Aomine wouldn't speak without reason.
Sizzle…
A crackling arc of electricity flickered at the corner of Aomine's eye.
Ryu noticed the arc of electricity at the corner of Aomine's eye; it was even brighter than before.
A bad premonition rose in his heart.
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