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On the court.
The Rakuzan team began their attack.
However, everyone could see the seriousness and confusion on their faces.
It seemed that the ability Ryu had displayed earlier had instilled some apprehension in them.
Akashi's expression remained largely unchanged.
He dribbled the ball, his eyes never leaving Ryu.
The events of the past had served as a wake-up call.
He knew that the failure of his Emperor's Eye, and the sudden immobilization of Kotaro Hayama and Eikichi Nebuya,
were all due to Ryu using the ability of those eyes.
Others might not be able to see it immediately.
But he was absolutely certain.
Just like his Emperor's Eye.
The Hyotei Eye.
Eyes similar to his Emperor's Eye.
Ryu blocked Akashi's path.
A renewed confrontation, neither of them spoke.
Only their eyes met.
Silence.
The Eye of Hyotei and the Eye of the Heavenly Emperor were locked in a fierce battle.
Amidst the sweeping chill, the vision of the future shattered into fragments.
As the vision crumbled, the ice spikes embedded around him began to explode and melt.
Time ticked by.
The entire world seemed to freeze as the two stared at each other.
How long had passed?
Akashi flicked the ball.
Thus, the silent duel between Ryu and Akashi temporarily came to an end.
Thud…
Kotaro Hayama received Akashi's pass and paused slightly.
This pass was different from the ones he had received before.
Although the basketball landed precisely in his hands,
the feel of the ball didn't feel as comfortable as usual.
Without thinking,
Kotaro Hayama tapped the basketball with three fingers.
After a deafening thud, a bolt of lightning flashed past Hanafuji Souji.
Thunder Dribble.
Hanafuji Souji had studied Kotaro Hayama's moves and naturally knew them.
He flashed forward, quickly catching up to his opponent.
Under Kotaro Hayama's astonished gaze, he was ultimately blocked by Hanafuji Souji again.
He steadied himself, looking at Hanafuji Souji with surprise.
"Truly worthy of the Toho Kotei Gakuen team, you actually managed to defend against me."
It was said that, apart from Ryu being a member of the Generation of Miracles, everyone else on the Toho Kotei Gakuen team possessed the strength of the "Five Uncrowned Generals."
Now it seemed that was indeed true.
Kotaro Hayama continued, dribbling the basketball.
"In that case, let's level up again!"
Hanafuji Souji didn't speak, only his brows furrowed slightly.
Thunder Dribble with three fingers was nothing to him.
But if his opponent leveled up again, it wouldn't be so easy for him to defend against.
While pondering, Kotaro Hayama had already made his move.
His three fingers suddenly multiplied into four as he dribbled the ball.
The sound of the basketball hitting the ground was several decibels louder than before.
The resounding thuds pounded against Hanafuji Souji's heart, making him somewhat agitated.
Just then.
Kotaro Hayama once again vanished before Hanafuji Souji's eyes like a bolt of lightning.
This time, Hanafuji Souji turned and gave chase, just as before.
However, when he turned back, he found that Kotaro had already overtaken him by nearly a body length and a half.
'His speed has increased so much; was it a sudden burst of his speed?'
A flicker of astonishment crossed Hanafuji Souji's eyes.
This was somewhat different from what he had expected.
However, he didn't give up, taking steps to catch up with his opponent as quickly as possible.
But Kotaro Hayama wasn't slow either.
In just a few breaths, he had rushed to the Toho Kotei Gakuen team's basket.
He jumped and made a layup.
Kotaro Hayama successfully put the basketball into the Toho Kotei Gakuen team's hoop.
The basketball went in.
30 to 31.
Tch…
Hanafuji Souji watched the basketball fall from his own hoop and scoffed.
Kotaro Hayama turned back and gave him a smug smile, then went back to his own defense.
However, no one noticed that
Kotaro Hayama's eyes held a hint of lingering fear.
If he had been any slower, Hanafuji Souji would probably have caught up.
At that point, scoring wouldn't have been so easy.
And his opponent was just a point guard.
What about the others?
He glanced sideways at the others from the Toho Kotei Gakuen team.
'Possessing strength equal me and my team, none of these people are simple; I can't let my guard down.'
The game switched sides.
The Toho Kotei Gakuen team served.
Ryu dribbled the ball across the center line.
Akashi quickly closed in.
Ryu knew what he wanted to do.
He simply wanted to figure out the secret of his Hyotei Eye.
However, this didn't matter to him.
The secret of the Hyotei Eye would be revealed sooner or later.
Just like Akashi's Heavenly Emperor Eye.
Knowing it was one thing; how to deal with it was another.
Ryu didn't hide; he directly activated the Hyotei Eye.
The temperature around him plummeted.
Silently, it swept towards Akashi.
Countless ice spikes rained down from the sky, piercing the area around Akashi.
Akashi felt his body suddenly stiffen.
It was as if every bone was being corroded by ice, his joints completely frozen, rendering him immobile.
A knowing glint flashed across Akashi's expressionless face.
Within his crimson pupils,
a crimson halo shone brightly.
A warm current suddenly flowed through his previously frozen body, instantly warming his stiff joints.
Crack…
Countless explosions rang out.
The countless ice spikes embedded in the ground around him shattered, vanishing without a trace.
"I see. So this is the power of your eyes."
Hearing Akashi's words, Ryu showed no surprise.
He was already prepared.
With Akashi's abilities, it wasn't surprising that he could see through it so quickly.
"What do you think?"
Akashi's eyes gleamed with a cold light.
"I must admit, your eyes are indeed powerful, but only one can stand at the top, and I am the absolute one."
"That's right, there's only one spot up there, but the your's name isn't written there."
As soon as Ryu finished speaking, he flicked the ball away.
Thud...
The ball was received by Hanafuji Souji, who had just found an open space.
With the Emperor's Eye blocking his way, Ryu couldn't break through Akashi's defense for a moment.
He could only pass the ball to a teammate.
There were three passing options.
Kugawa, Kuroki, Hanafuji Souji.
The reason he chose Hanafuji Souji was to help him return the ball to Kotaro Hayama.
This is what they call "an eye for an eye."
Kotaro Hayama hadn't expected the basketball to suddenly land in Hanafuji Souji's hands.
Hanafuji Souji seized the opportunity to drive into Rakuzan's paint.
He jumped and shot.
The basketball was launched.
A hand suddenly appeared, but it couldn't stop the shot.
'Damn it…'
Kotaro Hayama was a step too slow and could only watch helplessly as the ball flew towards his own basket.
Swish…
The basketball went in.
32 to 31.
The rest of the game seemed to enter a cycle.
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