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Under everyone's bewildered gaze,
Akashi changed his offensive momentum, turning the ball behind him and then tossing it into the air.
Hmm?
Ryu's brow twitched, his peripheral vision catching the ball.
However, a question arose in his mind.
'Passing? Why did he pass?'
Not just him.
Even Momoi and the others in the stands were completely confused.
Just now, Akashi didn't need to pass at all.
Even if he did pass, it shouldn't have been at that moment.
Moreover, Akashi was in the Zone.
Aomine and Murasakibara were the most confused.
They knew very well that in the Zone, one's mind is in a state of self-centeredness, and passing would only create an opening.
But Akashi still chose to pass.
This baffled them.
"Strange..."
Kagami heard Kuroko's confusion and asked.
"What's wrong, Kuroko?"
Kuroko paused for a moment, then said.
"It's strange, that pass just now didn't seem like Akashi's style."
"How so?"
Hyuga Junpei asked.
Kuroko thought for a moment, then explained.
"Given Akashi's personality, in that situation, the most likely thing he would do is use the Ankle Breaker, especially since he was in the Zone. Although I've never been in the Zone and don't know much about it, I'm certain that passing is absolutely not an option in the Zone."
Hearing his words, the other Seirin members were even more puzzled.
"But Akashi clearly passed the ball just now!"
Koganei Shinji reminded him.
Kuroko lowered his head, thinking as he spoke.
"That's what I can't understand the most."
Just then, Izuki Shun, who had been silent all along, held up one finger and said seriously.
"Do you think it's because Akashi didn't enter the Zone just now?"
A hush fell over the room.
The Seirin students' gazes towards him changed.
How to put it? It was the kind of look they gave him, as if he were sizing someone up.
"Izuki Shun, that's enough."
...
While the Seirin students were discussing amongst themselves...
On the basketball court...
Akashi tossed the ball high into the air behind his back.
Caught completely off guard by no one's expectations, the Toho Kotei Gakuen students were caught off guard.
As the basketball rose to a certain height...
A figure silently appeared in everyone's sight.
His dark, tall frame exuded an overwhelming, oppressive aura.
His white jersey and the prominent number 8 made him instantly recognizable.
Nebuya Eikichi.
He leaped into the air, extending his arm to catch the still-rising basketball.
Seeing this,
the Toho Kotei Gakuen students' eyelids twitched.
They truly hadn't expected this to be an alley-oop.
The defender guarding Nebuya Eikichi, Kamimono, hadn't expected this turn of events.
He had been defending perfectly well.
Then, Nebuya Eikichi suddenly jumped up.
This unexpected move startled him for a moment.
Now, even if he wanted to stop him, it was too late.
And so it was.
Under the watchful eyes of the entire arena, Nebuya Eikichi slammed the basketball into the Toho Kotei Gakuen hoop.
Clang…
The basketball went in.
42 to 43.
Seeing this,
a deafening roar erupted from the stands.
The fans and supporters of Rakuzan were especially thrilled.
Huff…
Kamimono let out a long breath.
He exhaled the pent-up frustration in his chest.
He looked at Nebuya Eikichi and muttered to himself.
"We really can't let our guard down!"
That basket was a huge morale booster.
The entire Rakuzan team perked up because of this basket.
Their previous slump was gone.
Ryu ignored the previous basket.
His gaze remained fixed on Akashi.
He narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself.
'Was it intentional, or...?'
Based on Ryu's understanding of Akashi,
he only shoots when he has absolutely no hope for his teammates.
'Thinking about it that way, it's normal for him to choose to pass, but...'
Ryu felt something was off.
He recalled the events of just moments ago.
Akashi's sudden pass without any probing.
This was clearly not his style.
That was when Akashi suddenly activated his Zone and broke through his defense.
Even though he used [The State of Selflessness] to catch up with him,
giving him a shock at that moment would have greatly boosted his team's morale.
It would also have dampened the opponent's spirits.
This was clearly more effective than an alley-oop.
But Akashi chose to pass instead of shooting.
'Then there's only one answer: he thought the best choice at that moment was to pass, but why...?'
Ryu's mind raced.
Scenes from before flashed through his mind.
Suddenly,
he seemed to grasp something, a flash of inspiration striking his mind.
'So that's it.'
If he wasn't mistaken,
this was probably the answer.
At that moment, when he looked at Akashi again, the corners of his mouth curved into a smile once more.
The game switched sides.
Ryu beckoned to Hanafuji Souji, signaling for a pass.
Hanafuji Souji immediately tossed the ball over.
Upon receiving the ball,
Ryu immediately began to charge forward.
In a few breaths,he crossed the center line and stood before Akashi.
Looking at Akashi before him,
Ryu grinned.
"That wasn't like you at all!"
Akashi's expression remained indifferent, his crimson eyes meeting Ryu's gaze.
"A competition is never decided in a single moment; the situation changes every second. Blindly adhering to rigid rules is foolish."
Hearing this, Ryu couldn't find a single flaw.
'It seems the only way to verify my guess is to go all out.'
Thinking this, a layer of blood-red flames began to emanate from the colorful light surrounding Ryu.
The red energy flames were formless and shapeless, giving the illusion of unpredictable changes.
Sometimes a tiger, sometimes a leopard, sometimes a lion, sometimes a bear, sometimes a dragon.
A dangerous aura emanated from Ryu.
[The Selflessness] Seamless to the Limit + [Aura of a Ferocious Beast]
Sensing the changes in Ryu,
Akashi's eyes narrowed slightly.
Crimson lightning began to flicker erratically at the corners of his eyes.
Roar…
Suddenly.
Centered on Akashi,
a powerful aura spread outwards.
A majestic, domineering crimson lion, exuding kingly power, appeared behind Akashi.
The crimson lion roared, its jaws wide open.
Sharp fangs gleamed with a chilling light, as if it wanted to tear the person before it to shreds.
The two locked eyes.
The Eye of the Ice Emperor and the Eye of the Emperor clashed once more.
Countless ice spikes, carrying icy energy, rained down from the sky, piercing Akashi's body.
Crack…
Just like before.
The ice spikes that pierced Akashi's surroundings shattered instantly, then melted away.
'As expected, it's still the same.'
Ryu wasn't discouraged by the failure of the [Ice World].
His next goal was...
He lowered his body, crouching low.
Then he took a step, swooping down from Akashi's side.
In his crimson pupils...
The still black and white images collapsed with a deafening roar.
However, unlike before...
This collapse wasn't complete.
He vaguely glimpsed fragments of the future within the shattered images.
Although only for a moment, Akashi was still able to deduce what would happen next.
While there was a high chance of misjudging, it was sufficient for his assessment of the match's situation.
The crimson lion began to move.
It immediately shifted sideways, preparing to block Ryu's path.
Just a split second before Ryu's path was blocked,
Ryu tossed the ball forward.
He stopped his forward momentum, instantly spinning a full circle on his left foot.
Using the displacement created by the spin,
Ryu, as Akashi blocked his way, created another position for himself.
He and Akashi were now perfectly separated.
Ryu pushed off with his foot, grazing Akashi's shoulder as he broke through.
The basketball he had thrown bounced back in the opposite direction after hitting the ground, landing back in his hand.
[Zero Style].
After breaking through Akashi,
Ryu finally confirmed his plan.
A knowing smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.
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