I want to reach 20 paid subscriptions on Patreon this week to complete this novel, as it has been over a month since the last subscription.
patreon.com/ayan41x
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Beep…
The basketball goes out of bounds.
Kirizaki serves first.
The ball reaches Seto Kentaro's hands.
Knowing he's no match for Toho Kotei Gakuen, he chooses to outsmart him.
He deliberately bypasses Toho Kotei Gakuen's defense, choosing to circle around from the outside.
Sure enough, Toho Kotei Gakuen sees through his opponent's plan.
However, he doesn't have a good solution.
If he rushes in, his opponent will definitely pass.
Even if he's faster, it's the same.
After all, distance takes time.
However, as a result, Seto Kentaro is successfully defended outside the safe zone by Toho Kotei Gakuen.
With a frustrated glance, he quickly finds a safe passing route.
He raises his arm and flicks the ball directly to Hanamichi Makoto, who is not far away.
Both are highly intelligent.
In the team, their teamwork is the most seamless.
Hanamichi Makoto, receiving the ball, senses Hanafuji approaching from his side.
A wicked smile crept across his lips. He gripped the ball tightly with both hands, then spun around, his elbow aimed straight for Hanafuji's face.
Sensing the danger, Hanafuji froze in his tracks.
He also missed the best opportunity to steal the ball.
Seeing his plan fail, Hanamichi Makoto wasn't discouraged; instead, he launched an attack.
He took two steps inside the Toho Kotei Gakuen's three-point line.
Just as he was about to rush to the basket for a score, a figure suddenly appeared, blocking his path.
"Ryu..."
Upon seeing it was Ryu, a crazed glint flashed in Hanamichi Makoto's eyes.
He changed direction, stepping forward.
As he approached Ryu, he suddenly leaped, his knee aimed at Ryu's stomach.
"Hmph..."
Ryu snorted coldly, dodging the attack with a sidestep.
He then leaped up on one foot, raised one arm, and said disdainfully.
"You're still as filthy to the core as ever."
Slap…
Ryu's hand flashed, instantly knocking the basketball from Hanamichi Makoto's hand.
Seeing this, Hanamichi Makoto's ruthlessness didn't diminish.
He immediately looked down to find his next target.
As he fell, a cunning glint flashed in his eyes.
He aimed his right foot at Ryu's ankle, intending to inflict "accidental injury."
Ryu knew exactly what he was up to.
He had seen this kind of tactic back in middle school.
While suspended in mid-air, Ryu forcefully twisted his body, his elbow seemingly accidental, but actually deliberately striking Hanamichi Makoto's cheek.
Thud…
Hanamichi Makoto's head tilted, and his falling body changed direction.
His foot just missed Ryu's ankle.
Thump...
Hanamichi Makoto, landing awkwardly, stumbled and fell to the ground.
This scene caused everyone present to twitch their lips involuntarily.
An eerie silence fell over the room.
The members of Kirisaki Daiichi rushed over, trying to help their captain up.
However, Hanamichi Makoto remained seated, not extending a hand.
Seeing this, the members of Kirisaki Daiichi looked at the referee.
The referee blinked but didn't blow the whistle.
He made a gesture and then spoke.
"Reasonable collision."
Upon hearing this, everyone from Kirisaki Daiichi's team twitched.
Hanamichi Makoto also stood up from the ground.
His face was expressionless, seemingly calm as still water.
However, Ryu could sense a deep hatred emanating from him.
He said nothing, simply turning to return to defense.
Watching his retreating figure, Ryu's lips curled slightly.
'You really know how to hold back. Let's see how long you can endure this.'
The game continued.
The basketball had already fallen into Hanafuji's hands.
He had already rushed to Kirisaki Daiichi's half of the court.
In a few steps, he reached Kirisaki Daiichi's basket.
He easily scored a layup.
7-0.
Less than two minutes into the game.
Toho Kotei Gakuen had already scored 7 points in a row with overwhelming strength.
This scene thrilled the audience, who cheered continuously.
These words sounded particularly harsh to the ears of the Kirisaki Daiichi team.
Kirisaki Daiichi had possession of the ball.
Seemingly following instructions from Hanamichi Makoto.
The Kirisaki Daiichi team began their siege tactic.
While Kuroki was defending Hara Kazuya, Furuhashi Kojiro and Yamazaki Hiroshi gradually closed in on him.
Sensing something was wrong, Kuroki raised an eyebrow and immediately understood what his opponents were trying to do.
His dribbling rhythm suddenly changed, shifting to second gear.
With a single dodge, he broke free from the triple team.
Kirisaki Daiichi's plan failed before it even began.
Kuroki, freed from the double team, didn't sprint.
Because Yamazaki Hiroshi had abandoned his defense on Kugawa.
Kuroki simply passed the ball to him.
Kugawa received the ball and immediately aimed and shot from the three-point line.
Swish…
The basketball went in.
Hōōdōin scored another 3 points.
10-0.
"They're no match at all!"
In the stands.
Takao said dejectedly after seeing the scoreboard.
"Of course,"
Midorima said.
"The overall strength of Kirisaki Daiichi is far inferior to that of Toho Kotei Gakuen, and their methods have all been seen through by Toho Kotei Gakuen. Therefore, their advantage is practically nonexistent."
The other students from the schools watching the match were also shocked by Toho Kotei Gakuen's thunderous methods.
Only two minutes into the match, they were already leading by double digits.
This level of strength truly astonished them.
Especially the teams that had previously played against Kirisaki Daiichi.
They knew very well just how strong Kirisaki Daiichi was.
Hanamichi Makoto alone possessed the strength of the "Five Uncrowned Generals."
Moreover, the other players on Kirisaki Daiichi were also very capable.
While their overall strength wasn't top-tier, they were at least among the top 16 in the nation.
However, Kirisaki Daiichi was now like a child, being completely outmatched by the Toho Kotei Gakuen, utterly powerless to fight back.
Thud...
A sudden, loud crash drew everyone's attention.
The audience turned to look, and then saw a familiar scene.
There, Hanamiya Makoto, seemingly out of nowhere, was sitting on the ground once more.
Ryu stood before him, a smile playing on his lips, looking down at him.
After a long while, murmurs arose from the audience.
"What happened? What just occurred?"
"That noise was so loud, it startled me."
"Why is number 4 from Kirisaki Daiichi down again?"
...
"Captain... are you alright!"
The members of Kirisaki Daiichi rushed forward to ask.
"Sorry, I think I used too much force just now. I'll be more careful next time."
Ryu suddenly spoke up.
Hearing this, Hanamichi Makoto didn't reply, only lowering his head in silence.
But soon, he stood up and dusted himself off.
Seto Kentaro then spoke up with concern.
"Hanamichi... are you alright?"
"I'm fine... I'm fine."
Saying this, Hanamichi Makoto then raised his head.
But when they saw his face...
The members of Kirisaki Daiichi all gasped.
At that moment, Hanamichi Makoto's eyes were bloodshot, like a bloodthirsty demon.
There was no anger, no ferocity, no hatred.
Only a greedy desire to devour others.
This was the first time they had ever seen Hanamichi Makoto in this state.
Hanamichi Makoto silently walked towards his own half of the court.
Ryu watched his retreating figure, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Hanamichi Makoto's current state gave him a sense of déjà vu.
It was very similar to Kirihara Akaya's "Red-Eyed Mode" from The Prince of Tennis.
Ryu didn't believe the other party could have a "Red-Eyed Mode."
'Could this guy be furious? His anger is rising, causing his blood flow to accelerate, resulting in his bloodshot eyes?'
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
However, Ryu's vigilance increased slightly.
When people are extremely angry yet calm, they can do things far beyond their capabilities.
Ryu gave a light snort, a smile playing on his lips.
'Since that's the case, then I'll wear down your edge.'
He just wondered if Hanamichi Makoto, knowing what he was thinking, would be so angry he'd vomit blood on the spot.
The basketball went out of bounds.
But Ryu didn't care at all.
Actually, he could have easily passed the ball to his teammate.
However, he wanted to teach Hanamichi a lesson, so he used a bit too much force when blocking.
Hanamichi's hand must be hurting a lot now!
Ryu's guess was correct.
At this moment, Hanamichi didn't seem to be doing anything on the surface.
But if you looked closely, you could see that his right palm was bright red and trembling slightly.
Kirizaki inbounded the ball.
Hanamichi charged forward again.
This time, his movements were noticeably faster than before.
Hanafuji didn't react in time and was beaten.
Fortunately, he wasn't pulled too far away.
Kugawa wanted to help defend, but Hanafuji stopped him with a look.
As the team's point guard, he had a very clear view of the situation on the court.
Once Kugawa comes to help defend, Hanamichi Makoto will inevitably pass the ball to Yamazaki Hiroshi.
Yamazaki Hiroshi is a shooting guard, skilled at three-pointers.
Even if he fails to defend Hanamichi Makoto, he can only allow him to score a maximum of 2 points.
It's not worth it.
Hanamichi Makoto's eyes are bloodshot, and his movements have become more expansive.
This makes his offense even more threatening.
Hanamichi is hot on his heels, gradually closing the distance.
'His speed has increased so much.'
Hanafuji was still somewhat surprised.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
Sensing the threat from behind, Hanamichi Makoto spun around and passed the ball to Seto Kentaro, who had just entered the interior of the Toho Kotei Gakuen.
Kōjirō Furuhashi reacted instantly.
To prevent Ryu from suddenly interfering, he blocked his path with half his body.
Huh?
Ryu was taken aback, then smiled helplessly.
"While I admire your actions, have you forgotten that my teammates aren't just any Tom, Dick, or Harry? Besides…"
At this point, a disdainful look appeared in Ryu's eyes.
"You think this will stop me?"
Whoosh…
Suddenly, Ryu transformed into a blur and vanished from Kōjirō Furuhashi's sight.
"What?"
Kōjirō Furuhashi quickly looked around, but found nothing.
"How could this be?"
He couldn't believe someone could simply vanish into thin air.
Just then,
Seto Kentaro, having received the ball, arrived at the Toho Kotei Gakuen's basket.
He pushed off the ground with both feet, leaping into the air with overwhelming force.
His arms were raised high, slamming towards the Toho Kotei Gakuen's basket.
However, suddenly.
Seto Kentaro's expression changed drastically.
Seto Kentaro was terrified, his eyes filled with horror and disbelief.
In his vision...
A pair of five-fingered hands appeared locking onto the basketball in his hands and slamming it down.
It was almost a split second.
The basketball, swung by the hand, flew directly towards Kirisaki Daiichi's half of the court.
Completely overwhelmed, Seto Kentaro felt a profound sense of powerlessness.
'So strong… we're not even on the same level.'
At the same time.
A hand suddenly appeared, catching the flying basketball.
The one who caught the ball was none other than Ryu, who had broken free from Furuhashi Kojiro's defense.
The sudden turn of events left the Kirisaki Daiichi players somewhat bewildered.
However, the thud of the ball being dribbled around had already begun.
By the time the Kirisaki Daiichi team realized what was happening, it was too late.
Ryu had already reached the Kirisaki Daiichi team's three-point line.
[Zero-Type Three-Pointer] activated.
The basketball was launched, bounced off the backboard, and landed on the rim.
Gurgle...gurgle...gurgle...
The long, rolling sound echoed in the ears of the Kirisaki Daiichi team, like the whisper of a demon.
Soon, the basketball stopped rolling and finally fell.
Swish...
The basketball pierced the net.
Toho Kotei Gakuen scored another 3 points.
13-0.
"So strong!"
In the stands, Takao couldn't help but mutter.
"Even though their offense and defense are just ordinary, why do I feel like they're stronger than they were in the summer?"
Midorima's eyes were serious as he spoke.
"There's only one reason for this: the gap between the two teams is too huge. Toho Kotei Gakuen doesn't even need to do anything special to crush Kirisaki Daiichi."
Momoi interjected.
"They actually managed to shut out Kirisaki Daiichi completely! They weren't this strong back in the summer."
According to her intelligence...
While Toho Kotei Gakuen certainly had the strength to crush Kirisaki Daiichi, that only applied to Ryu itself.
They crushed their opponents simply with the basic strength of the Toho Kotei Gakuen players.
This astonished her.
'They've grown too fast. If this continues, Too will be in danger if they encounter them.'
Momoi took out her notebook and began scribbling.
Back on the court.
An unexpected incident occurred when Kirisaki Daiichi served.
Hanamichi Makoto reached out for the ball.
The basketball passed to him without any surprise.
However, just as Hanamichi Makoto received the ball,
without any warning, he aimed at his own basket, jumped, and shot.
The basketball was easily slammed into Kirisaki Daiichi's basket.
15-0.
Everyone stared at him in utter bewilderment.
Especially the Kirisaki Daiichi players.
"Captain... Captain..."
Before they could even ask anything,
a furious roar erupted.
"Ryu..."
The shout seemed to pierce the roof of the arena.
Anyone who heard the shout could feel the rage burning within him.
This was the expression of extreme anger.
But then everyone noticed something strange.
There were two Hanamichi Makotos under Kirisaki Daiichi's basket.
The Kirisaki Daiichi players seemed to realize something, and their eyes widened.
Could it be…?
Soon, their thoughts became reality.
One of them, Hanamichi Makoto, transformed into Ryu.
Ryu smiled and waved to the Kirisaki Daiichi team.
"Thank you for the pass."
The Kirisaki Daiichi team stared at Ryu's retreating figure, gritting their teeth.
However, after the initial anger subsided, a sense of powerlessness washed over them.
They had tried everything, but not only had they failed to outmaneuver a single person, they hadn't even scored a single point.
They themselves had been utterly humiliated.
What a disgrace!
Whistle…
A whistle blew throughout the stadium.
At the same time.
The referee's voice rang out over the loudspeaker.
"Kirisaki Daiichi team requests a timeout."
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I want to reach 20 paid subscriptions on Patreon this week to complete this novel, as it has been over a month since the last subscription.
patreon.com/ayan41x