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On the court.
The members of the Toho Kotei Gakuen watched as Nebuya Eikichi landed back on the ground, their expressions complex.
Everything had happened too fast.
Since Toho Kotei Gakuen began the competition,
this was the first time they had felt such immense pressure.
Even Ryu felt a bit uneasy.
If he hadn't reacted quickly and anticipated Akashi's movement,
the ball would probably have been intercepted.
He looked at Akashi and the others who were returning to defense.
'This is troublesome.'
He could use the limit of the [Selfless Realm]'s Seamless Limit.
He was confident he could crush his opponent in this state.
However, if they did that, once his stamina was exhausted, Toho Kotei Gakuen would inevitably lose.
Rakuzan's overall strength has now surpassed Toho Kotei Gakuen's.
If Akashi targets him, stopping his pass is simply impossible.
If any member of Rakuzan receives his pass, there's a high chance their team won't be able to defend against it.
Ryu frowned, pondering a solution.
Meanwhile.
The arena was as if it had been paused, almost completely silent.
This silence didn't last long, followed by a deafening roar of shouts and cheers.
"Wow! This is amazing! Is this the final between the Generation of Miracles?"
"This is the first time I've seen such an intense match. This trip was definitely worth it."
"Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic!"
The audience almost lifted the roof off the arena.
The duel between Ryu and Akashi was a high-energy offensive and defensive battle from start to finish.
It was simply breathtaking.
From Toho Kotei Gakuen's offense to Rakuzan's skillful steal, Ryu's unparalleled evasive pass, and finally Rakuzan's successful steal and score.
These scenes all ignited an irresistible urge within them.
…
"That's amazing! Even though it's not a true Zone, the improvement it provides is immense. No wonder he led the Generation of Miracles to three consecutive championships."
Aida Riko said solemnly.
Sigh…
Kiyoshi Teppei sighed.
"I thought with Kagami and Kuroko on the team today, the National Tournament would be easier than last year! I didn't expect so many monsters to appear all of a sudden. It's really a headache!"
"I think if we faced Toho Kotei Gakuen or Rakuzan, we'd probably suffer a crushing defeat!"
Koganei Shinji sighed.
"Isn't that perfect?"
Just when everyone was at a loss for words…
Kagami's words drew everyone's attention.
"If the opponent isn't strong, the fight won't be interesting. I've said it before, I will defeat the Generation of Miracles. Whether it's Ryu or Akashi, Toho Kotei Gakuen and Rakuzan, I will crush them under my feet."
Kuroko chimed in.
"Kagami is right. Toho Kotei Gakuen and Rakuzan are strong, but we have our own goals. I believe that as long as we work together, we will defeat them one day."
Um…
Hearing Kagami and Kuroko's words,
the Seirin members all showed resolute smiles.
The match on the court continued.
Ever since the entire Rakuzan team entered the Zone,
Toho Kotei Gakuen had been struggling.
Whether on offense or defense…
Except from Ryu, everyone else was outmatched by their opponents.
With Akashi drawing attention,
it wasn't easy for Ryu to score on his own.
The score gradually began to be tied by Rakuzan.
Whoosh…swish…
Akashi passed the ball to Hayama Kotaro.
Hayama Kotaro received the ball and used his four-finger Thunder Dribble to break through Kuroki Ryuichi. Although Kuroki Ryuichi caught up, he still managed to score.
65 to 59.
Kuroki Ryuichi gritted his teeth inwardly.
'Damn it, I still can't stop him.'
Toho Kotei Gakuen attacked again.
Before Ryu could even leave his own half of the court, he was double-teamed by Hayama Kotaro and Reo Mibuchi.
Although Ryu could easily break through their defense,
Akashi had been watching closely the whole time.
Helplessly…
Ryu had no choice but to pass the ball.
However, once the ball fell into Kamimono's hands, it was met with strong defense from Nebuya Eikichi.
While Kamimono was focused on his offense,
Akashi suddenly appeared beside him and stole the ball.
After stealing the ball, Akashi immediately tossed it to Reo Mibuchi.
In his pseudo-Zone state, Reo Mibuchi's strength surpassed that of his defender, Kugawa.
Reo Mibuchi used his Earth Shot to deceive Kugawa, earning a 3+1.
65 to 63.
Rakuzan advanced triumphantly, their momentum unstoppable.
To outsiders, Toho Kotei Gakuen looked like a retreating army, already at its last gasp.
"Ryu..."
Satsuki began to worry about Ryu.
If she could choose the final winner, she would definitely choose Ryu's side.
She was worried that Ryu would be devastated.
Although she knew the chances were slim, he was still the boy she liked.
"Is he going to lose too?"
Aomine muttered to himself, his gaze fixed on the ground.
Hearing his muttering, Satsuki felt a mix of emotions.
Loss...?
'Is Ryu really going to lose to Akashi?'
Suddenly, something occurred to her, and she turned to Aomine.
"Right, Aomine, doesn't Ryu have one more move? The one that surpasses Zone? If he uses that, he can escape his current predicament."
"If he could use it, he would have already."
Aomine's words confused Satsuki.
"What do you mean?"
Aomine explained.
"Ryu's move can indeed salvage the current situation, but it's only a temporary solution. Although I don't know much about Ryu's move, I imagine it has drawbacks, just like Zone's. The most likely drawback is stamina. Once his stamina is exhausted, no one will be able to stop Akashi."
Hearing Aomine's explanation, Satsuki completely understood the crux of the matter.
At this moment, she was even more worried about Ryu.
On the other side, Kise asked anxiously.
"Ryucchi won't be defeated by Akashicchi like this, will he?"
Kasamatsu Yukio asked from the side.
"Rakuzan's overall strength has surpassed that of Toho Kotei Gakuen. They're barely managing defense. Ryu has Akashi to hold him off, The rest of the team is completely outmatched by Rakuzan. If Toho Kotei Gakuen doesn't come up with a solution, the game might be over before the third quarter is even over."
"Midorima, Toho Kotei Gakuen are really going to lose to?"
As someone who had previously lost to Toho Kotei Gakuen,
Takao still leaned towards a Toho Kotei Gakuen victory.
Because that way, their Shutoku losing to the champion wouldn't be so shameful.
Midorima replied.
"What do you take Toho Kotei Gakuen for? They've defeated us before, and besides, they have Ryu. He used to wear the same uniform as us. His strength goes far beyond what's on the surface."
Midorima had studied Ryu from middle school to high school.
He couldn't see through him before, and he still couldn't now.
He was once known as the strongest in Teiko.
He couldn't believe that someone who could outshine Akashi in middle school wouldn't have improved at all after a year.
However, the result of the match made him frown.
The third quarter was nearing its end.
But judging from Ryu's expression, they showed no intention of launching a counterattack.
Just then.
Another cheer erupted from the stands.
"When did that person appear?"
"Was there really someone there just now?"
"Number 5? He can shoot! I didn't even notice before!"
"The score is finally tied."
On the scoreboard.
65 to 65.
The tie was prominently displayed.
Since Rakuzan entered the All-Around Zone,
Toho Kotei Gakuen hadn't scored a single point.
"Damn it! The opponents are like they've taken some kind of drug, they've all become so much stronger."
Kugawa gasped.
Kamimono's face was grave.
"If this keeps up, we won't even have a chance to play the fourth quarter."
Kuroki Ryuichi wiped his sweat.
"They're using double-teaming to limit Ryu, maybe we should send two people to double-team them too!"
"No, that would be a disadvantage for us."
Hanafuji rejected Kuroki Ryuichi's suggestion.
He continued,
"Their overall strength has significantly improved. Apart from Ryu, we don't have the corresponding strength."
"Then what should we do?"
Kugawa was getting anxious.
Normally, he was very composed during matches because of his strength.
But now it was different.
He had encountered an unprecedented problem.
Kamimono thought for a moment, then looked at Ryu.
"Ryu, do you have any suggestions?"
Ryu had been pondering this problem.
What method should they use to deal with the current state of Rakuzan?
All five of their opponents had entered the Zone.
Although only one was a true Zone member, it was enough to deal with the current Toho Kotei Gakuen.
Unless…
Ryu suddenly realized something.
He glanced sideways at Kuroko, who was sprawled on a bench in the rest area.
'It seems there's still a way.'
But quickly, a flicker of pain crossed his eyes.
'Honestly, this is the only way to win.'
Ryu gritted his teeth and called a timeout to the referee.
Beep…
'Toho Kotei Gakuen requests a timeout.'
His timeout was unusually abrupt.
A murmur of surprise arose in the arena.
Some suspected Toho Kotei Gakuen had been forced to call a timeout by Rakuzan.
Others suspected Toho Kotei Gakuen had devised some new tactic to counter Rakuzan's current state.
Akashi watched Ryu walk off the court silently.
He didn't believe Ryu would call a timeout without a reason.
His fists clenched.
'Whatever you're trying to do, Rakuzan isn't someone you can easily defeat right now.'
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