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Thud…
The basketball, which Kamimono was about to dunk, was slapped away by a hand.
What?
Kamimono's eyes widened, and he immediately looked at the owner of the hand.
Red hair, red eyes.
It was Akashi, who had arrived at some unknown time.
How could this be?
He had clearly checked the situation ahead before dunking.
And the opponent's strength was completely beyond his imagination.
He found it hard to believe.
The seemingly frail Akashi possessed such strength.
The basketball didn't go out of bounds after being slapped by Akashi.
Kotaro Hayama immediately gave chase.
Kuroki Ryuichi was beside him.
Their speed was on full display.
A basketball game had turned into a race against time.
The audience roared and screamed.
Cheering them on as they ran.
The basketball bounced and rolled, moving at a moderate pace towards the basket of the Toho Kotei Gakuen team.
Just as Kotaro Hayama and Kuroki Ryuichi were about to enter Toho Kotei Gakuen's paint...
Suddenly, a figure appeared before them.
When they saw the person's appearance, they both froze on the spot.
Huh?
Kotaro Hayama was startled, and his running speed gradually slowed down.
Because the person in front of him didn't look like anyone else.
It was none other than Akashi Seijuro, the captain of Rakuzan.
'Wait, something's not right. Why is Akashi wearing their jersey?'
Kotaro Hayama, sensing something was amiss, suddenly looked at the jersey number on Akashi's jersey.
Two numbers were clearly etched on the yellow jersey.
"Number 95..."
He muttered to himself, pondering the reason.
Suddenly, he seemed to realize something, and his eyes widened.
"Oh no!"
When he focused his gaze on Akashi, Akashi was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, there was Shintaro Midorima with green hair, in a shooting stance.
"That move! I was fooled!"
Kotaro Hayama roared inwardly.
But it was too late.
Midorima had already released the basketball.
The basketball soared upwards through the air, almost touching the roof.
Soon, the basketball reached its limit and began to fall rapidly.
And the basketball landed right on Rakuzan's basket.
Swish…
The basketball pierced the rim, splashing water across the net.
83 to 75.
The score, which had been deadlocked for so long,
finally changed.
"Damn it!"
Kotaro Hayama was filled with self-reproach.
If it weren't for him…
The score wasn't going to fall too far behind.
Kamimono and the others were overjoyed.
The group from Rakuzan, however, seemed much more subdued.
Akashi showed no emotional change.
He looked up at Ryu.
Two bolts of electricity crackled.
Deep within his left eye, an invisible crimson light flowed.
"Truly unpredictable."
Riko Aida looked at Ryu with envy and jealousy.
"To be able to get back under those conditions! He's a monster."
Junpei Hyuga said casually.
Shinji Koganei remarked.
"Hey! Shouldn't you be concerned about his transformation?"
"He turned from Akashi into Midorima!"
Kagami muttered to himself.
Kise stared at Ryu with shining eyes.
Others might have focused on Akashi's speed.
But he was different.
He noticed Ryu's transformation technique.
That is, one of Ryu's moves, [Ryu Illusion].
'Ryu's move is insane, I'm so envious, he can use other Generation of Miracles' techniques at will.'
"Hahaha... He's imitating you, Midorima."
Takao laughed loudly.
Hmph!
Midorima's face darkened, and he didn't reply to Takao.
"The score gap has widened!"
Momoi said.
Aomine frowned beside him.
"This isn't good!"
Huh?
Momoi was taken aback by his words.
"What's wrong? You said it wasn't good, you weren't talking about Ryu, were you?"
Aomine didn't hide anything and spoke directly.
"There was really no need to chase that ball, but he still expended a lot of energy to do so, just to widen the score gap. This isn't like him."
Hearing Aomine's words, Momoi also fell into deep thought.
...
On the court.
Ryu's condition wasn't good at the moment.
Both of his calves felt numb and weak.
Besides that, there was a tearing pain.
Just now, to catch up with that ball,
he used [Lightning] three times in a row, and even did so while in the [Selfless State].
This put a considerable strain on his legs.
"Are you alright?"
Kamimono asked with concern.
Ryu nodded.
"Yeah, I'm alright."
Seeing Ryu like this, Kamimono sighed helplessly.
Before he could ask any more questions...
The opposing team from Rakuzan had already crossed the center line.
The members of Toho Kotei Gakuen were each fulfilling their roles.
Ryu blocked Akashi's path.
Akashi stopped his charge.
He dribbled the basketball a few times in place, then instantly increased his pace and frequency.
His rapid change of direction left afterimages in his hands.
"Ankle-breaker again? This move is useless against me."
No matter how Akashi changed direction,
Ryu seemed to be able to quickly adjust his balance.
Making himself seem rooted to the ground.
"Ryu, that's enough."
Akashi said, looking at Ryu.
That's enough?
Ryu grinned and replied.
"We're in the lead now."
"So what! Without you, Toho Kotei Gakuen is like a pile of loose sand."
As he spoke, Akashi's crimson eyes shifted to Ryu's legs.
"You're no longer a threat to Rakuzan."
With that, Akashi flashed past Ryu, carrying the ball.
Ryu tried to stop him, but the weakness in his legs made his movements falter.
'Damn it, am I going to lose like this?'
At this moment, Ryu felt extremely frustrated.
In terms of individual strength, he was definitely the strongest among them.
But he never expected this.
Akashi's Emperor Eye had evolved during the match.
Now, the [Ice World] had become almost negligible to Akashi.
Although he could use his strength to make moves that even if his opponent could see them, they couldn't stop.
But his stamina was almost completely depleted.
The game continued.
Akashi easily penetrated Toho Kotei Gakuen's paint.
Without Ryu.
The rest of the Toho Kotei Gakuen players were as insignificant to him as commoners facing a king.
And indeed they were.
Zone plus the Emperor Eye.
He easily faked out Kuroki Ryuichi and Kugawa, who rushed to help defend.
Facing Kamimono, the last line of defense.
Akashi mercilessly tore through them head-on, completely manipulating his opponent.
Thump…
Kamimono fell backward, staring at Akashi in horror.
Akashi stood before him, looking down at him.
But his hand was already moving to shoot.
Shooting without looking at the basket.
This scene ignited the passion of the crowd in the stands.
A deafening roar of cheers rained down on the crowd, as if it were an endless barrage.
83 to 77.
'Is this the strength of Akashi Seijuro, the captain of the Generation of Miracles?'
Kamimono, sitting on the ground, felt a mix of emotions.
He hadn't felt anything before; it was all Ryu protecting them.
Now, without Ryu.
They were like children.
'Damn it…'
Kamimono was unwilling to accept it, but there was nothing he could do.
As expected, compared to them, his level was far too low.
He took a deep breath.
Kamimono gave a bitter smile, then stood up.
When he raised his head again,
all the resentment and envy on his face had vanished.
It must be said.
Kamimono's current strength was inseparable from his ability to maintain his composure at all times.
Possession went to Toho Kotei Gakuen.
Rakuzan's strategy remains man-to-man marking.
Although Ryu was gone, the [Ability Resonance] remained.
The four—Kamimono, Kugawa, Kuroki Ryuichi, and Hanafuji—began a dazzling display of passing skills.
This wasn't pre-arranged.
It was due to the [Ability Resonance] effect.
Because the [Ability Resonance] was controlled by Ryu, he could clearly sense the power enhancements of Kamimono and the others.
However, ideas are often beautiful, but reality is cruel.
Just as Hanafuji passed the ball to Kuroki Ryuichi,
Akashi had already appeared beside Kuroki Ryuichi without him noticing.
Thud…
Kuroki Ryuichi successfully received Hanafuji's pass.
However, he didn't notice that, another person had suddenly appeared beside him.
Thud…
Another crisp sound rang out.
Kuroki Ryuichi was completely bewildered.
He had just received the ball, how could it have been stolen so suddenly?
Akashi ignored everything else.
In the instant of the steal, Akashi used his wrist to pass the ball directly to Reo Mibuchi beyond the three-point line.
Reo Mibuchi received the pass.
Caught off guard by Kugawa, he launched a low shot.
Thump…
A soft thud sounded.
Beep…
The referee blew his whistle.
"Toho Kotei Gakuen's number 3 fouled, the ball goes in, one free throw."
83 to 81.
The sudden turn of events was unexpected by everyone.
The score was instantly pulled back to within one point by Rakuzan.
"I'm sorry, everyone,"
Kugawa apologized to everyone, feeling guilty.
No one on the team blamed him.
"Don't take it to heart," Ryu comforted him.
"Even if you hadn't chosen to pass, that guy would have intercepted it sooner or later anyway."
Huh?
Kugawa's lips twitched, and he rolled his eyes at Ryu.
Ryu wasn't trying to tease him.
With Akashi there, breaking through Rakuzan's defense was an impossible task.
'Looks like we're being targeted. Did he guess something?'
Ryu frowned.
This can't go on.
He beckoned to Hanafuji, signaling for the pass.
"Is this really okay?"
Ryu understood what Hanafuji meant.
He gave Hanafuji a reassuring look and replied.
Hanafuji reluctantly passed the ball anyway.
Thud...
Thump... Thump... Thump...
After receiving the ball,
Ryu started dribbling in place.
Akashi stood before him, making no rash move.
Even facing the weakened Ryu, he dared not be careless.
The Generation of Miracles' final counterattack.
As a former captain of the Generation of Miracles, he knew it all too well.
[Ice World] activated.
Ryu unleashed this move directly.
However, the result remained unchanged.
Crack...crack...crack...
Countless ice spikes shattered and dissipated.
"Your Hyotei Eye can no longer affect me. This match is over, Ryu."
Akashi's calm voice rang out.
Ryu, while bouncing the ball, watched him, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Don't jump to conclusions too quickly. Anything can happen before the match ends. Sometimes, the unexpected happens so suddenly."
Though he said this, his heart was filled with bitterness.
Suddenly.
He flicked his arm, passing the ball directly.
Akashi paused, then understood.
"Still making some unnecessary struggles?"
Ryu blocked Akashi's path.
To prevent him from interfering with Kamimono and the others.
The entire [Selfless State] gathered between his legs.
The side effects that originally occurred when using [Lightning]
became extremely intense.
The tingling, numb pain made Ryu's expression quite strange.
'This feeling… really, I suddenly feel like I'm about to break down.'
On the other side.
The basketball landed in Hanafuji's hands.
Under [Ability Sharing].
Hanafuji began to change his rhythm.
This caught the unsuspecting Chihiro Mayuzumi, widening his eyes.
"This is… strange… he shouldn't know this move!"
Chihiro Mayuzumi was completely bewildered by what he saw.
Hanafuji seized the opportunity to break through the opponent's defense and charged directly towards Rakuzan's basket.
The Rakuzan team quickly returned to defense.
Akashi stood motionless in front of Ryu.
'Looks like that three-pointer earlier really bothered him!'
Ryu subtly curved his lips into a smile.
Ever since his legs became weak from using [Lightning] repeatedly,
he had already begun planning his strategy.
The three-pointer was his way of drawing Akashi's attention.
Without Akashi, he believed his teammates could handle the rest of Rakuzan.
The result was roughly as he expected.
Hanafuji charged forward, attacking Rakuzan's interior.
However, just when everyone thought Hanafuji was about to shoot...
He suddenly made a move that puzzled everyone at Rakuzan.
His sprint paused, then he swerved and returned to the three-point line.
Seeing this, the Rakuzan team was utterly astonished.
What was he trying to do?
Was he going to shoot a three-pointer?
Would the number 4 player from Toho Kotei Gakuen shoot a three-pointer?
They were filled with doubt and confusion.
Taking advantage of this moment,
Kotaro Hayama and Reo Mibuchi also rushed to their own basket.
Just then, Hanafuji held the ball with both hands, assuming a shooting stance.
Reo Mibuchi even jumped up to block Hanafuji's shot.
"Shooting here isn't a wise move!"
Hanafuji didn't reply.
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the ball backward.
"What?"
Reo Mibuchi's pupils contracted, a strange sense of foreboding rising within him.
The basketball landed in Kamimono's hands from behind.
Almost instantly, Kamimono passed the ball again.
Eikichi Nebuya, standing in front of him, didn't even have time to react.
What was he doing?
Passing the ball before he even had a chance to warm it up?
This time, the ball was received by Kugawa, who was already positioned at the three-point line.
Reo Mibuchi had been drawn towards Hanafuji.
He was now completely unguarded.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand, jumped, and shot.
The basketball flew out of his hand, tracing a beautiful arc.
Swish…
The basketball went in successfully.
86 to 81.
"Well done, Kugawa!"
Kamimono, Kuroki Ryuichi, and Hanafuji surrounded Kugawa, praising him excitedly.
The members of Rakuzan, except for Akashi, were somewhat disappointed.
"Simply guarding against me is useless. Although I can't escape your Emperor Eye right now, it doesn't mean I'm helpless. In fact, I don't even need to do anything, just like this time."
Akashi narrowed his eyes.
Seeing is believing.
He had witnessed the entire attack from Toho Kotei Gakuen.
He had to admit it.
Rakuzan's overall strength was indeed inferior to their opponents.
Continuing like this was indeed going to be bad.
However, Akashi's face showed no worry.
His expression was calm, with a hint of a half-smile.
Rakuzan's new offensive began.
Reo Mibuchi, wanting to get revenge, personally dribbled the ball and charged forward.
As he dribbled to the three-point line...
Akashi's voice suddenly reached Ryu's ears.
"You seem to have misunderstood something. I'm not here entirely because of you."
Ryu's heart skipped a beat.
He felt there was something unusual about Akashi's words.
Akashi's previously indifferent face broke into a triumphant smile.
"Looks like I've got what I wanted!"
Huh?
Ryu was still somewhat confused.
Just then.
Whistle...
A whistle suddenly blew.
"Toho Kotei Gakuen's number 3 committed a defensive foul. The ball goes in, one free throw."
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