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.
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Kirisaki Daiichi Rest Area.
Bang…
Hanamiya Makoto kicked over a arranged bench, his teeth clenched, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace.
A hysterical rage swirled in his throat, hoarse and low.
"Damn it…damn it…damn it…"
The crimson in his eyes had faded, but the bloodshot veins from the rage remained.
Seeing him like this, the other members of Kirisaki Daiichi fell silent, not daring to disturb him.
After a long while, Hanamiya Makoto finally calmed down.
He sat silently on the bench, head bowed.
"Captain…Captain…"
Seto Kentaro spoke cautiously.
His intelligence was second only to Hanamiya Makoto, making him the second-in-command of Kirisaki Daiichi.
It was most appropriate for him to speak now.
However, before he could finish speaking, Hanamiya Makoto's voice reached everyone's ears.
"Since we're no match for them, we don't need to score in this match."
Hearing this, the members of Kirisaki Daiichi exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of their captain's meaning.
Seto Kentaro, however, guessed what was going on and spoke up.
"Captain, do you mean to..."
Hanamiya Makoto raised his head, his face contorted in a terrifying grimace, his bloodshot eyes like those of a demon.
"I won't let them win so easily. I'll make them pay the price. They're so talented, aren't they? Then I'll destroy their prized talent at all costs."
As he spoke, a venomous glint flashed in his eyes.
"Ryu... I will personally drag you down from your pedestal."
Heh heh heh...
Seeing their captain's crazed state,
the members of Kirisaki Daiichi understood what their next task was.
Meanwhile, In the rest area of Toho Kotei Gakuen.
The Toho Kotei Gakuen members chatted and laughed, the atmosphere cheerful and peaceful.
Kugawa approached Ryu and praised him.
"As expected of you! Ryu, you're really amazing, you really humiliated that Hanamiya!"
Ryu replied with a smile.
"I was just giving them a taste of their own medicine."
Kuroki Ryuichi interjected at this moment.
"Hmph... those guys didn't deserve it at all. They used all sorts of underhanded tricks during the match. If it weren't for the rule against fighting, I would have already taught them a lesson."
Kamimono reminded them.
"Don't cause trouble. Remember what our goal is. But I still have to say, everyone must protect yourselves, so everyone be extra careful."
"Yes..."
The members of Toho Kotei Gakuen responded in unison.
The timeout passed quickly.
Accompanied by a long whistle.
The match resumed.
Kirisaki Daiichi still had possession of the ball.
This time, Kirisaki Daiichi clearly slowed down the pace.
Furuhashi Kojiro dribbled and sprinted forward, not even bothering to dodge Ryu's interception.
Ryu quickly realized something was wrong.
Furuhashi Kojiro wasn't avoiding him; clearly, he had some ulterior motive.
Ryu, knowing Kirisaki and the others well, easily guessed what the other party wanted to do.
Hmph…
Ryu scoffed inwardly, a mocking glint in his eyes.
'So, he did it after all.'
He wasn't afraid of any of his opponent's petty tricks.
Seeing Furuhashi Kojiro charging straight at him, Ryu stepped forward to meet him.
Seeing this, Furuhashi Kojiro's eyes flickered, a surge of joy rising within him.
'You came charging at me yourself, so sorry about that.'
He dribbled, switched hands, executing a sharp change of direction, followed immediately by another.
In an instant, Furuhashi Kojiro used the distance created by his changes of direction to his advantage, elbowing Ryu directly in the waist.
In the spectator area.
Momoi, witnessing this, exclaimed.
'Ryu…'
Takao said, frowning.
'These guys…'
Midorima adjusted his glasses, remaining silent, but his expression was much more serious than usual.
On the court.
Just as Furuhashi Kojiro's elbow was about to strike his waist, he twisted his body forcefully, making a strange backward bend, successfully dodging the attack.
At the same time, Ryu's right hand reached down, stealing the basketball from his opponent's hand, then flicked his wrist, passing the ball to his left hand.
Ryu straightened up, smoothly performing a counter-clockwise spin, breaking past Furuhashi Kojiro on the other side.
In that instant of breakthrough, his foot intentionally or unintentionally grazed his opponent's foot, disrupting his balance.
Furuhashi Kojiro felt his foot slip, his center of gravity shifted, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
When he fell, his right knee was bent.
So he didn't have time to pull his leg back.
His knee made direct contact with the ground.
Ah…
His empty eyes were suddenly filled with pain.
Cold sweat instantly covered his forehead.
Ryu ignored the fallen Furuhashi Kojiro.
He dribbled directly into Kirisaki Daiichi's paint.
Then he leaped up, almost stepping on the free-throw line.
His lateral movement in the air, limbs outstretched.
Holding the ball in one hand crush ball into basket.
A clanging sound, a mournful tremor, Kirisaki Daiichi's basket swayed violently, seemingly on the verge of collapse.
Toho Kotei Gakuen scored again.
Just then.
Whistle…
A whistle interrupted the game.
Because of Furuhashi Kojiro's injury, the referee was forced to stop the game.
Of course, Ryu's goal was perfectly legitimate.
The expressions on the faces of the Kirisaki Daiichi members were not good.
They helped Furuhashi Kojiro off the field.
"Furuhashi, are you alright?"
Hanamiya Makoto asked calmly, as if his teammate's injury had nothing to do with him.
Furuhashi Kojiro replied, enduring the pain.
"Ah... I'm fine, no, just a superficial injury. No bones are broken. A little treatment will allow me to continue playing."
Hanamiya Makoto nodded.
"That's good."
Seto Kentaro's face showed a hint of hesitation.
He looked at Hanamiya Makoto and asked.
"Captain, should we continue?"
He asked this because the situation was very unfavorable for them.
He didn't think his team could cause any trouble for the other side.
The whole team might end up like Furuhashi Kojiro.
That was an outcome they didn't want to accept.
Hanamiya Makoto, however, said firmly.
"Of course we'll continue. It's just a few minor injuries. I told you, we'll do whatever it takes."
Hearing his captain's insistence, Seto Kentaro didn't say anything more.
Soon, Furuhashi Kojiro's injury was treated.
The Kirisaki Daiichi members returned to the court.
Kugawa looked at them and said.
"Oh...they're really tough!"
"Do these guys have a sadomasochistic streak?! Knowing they're no match for us, they still insist on playing. If they played well, that would be one thing, but using underhanded tactics, they're just asking for trouble."
Ryu looked calmly at the group of clowns before him and shook his head inwardly.
"You haven't given up yet!"
He admired Hanamiya Makoto's indomitable spirit.
Thinking of this, his silver pupils rippled like water, instantly veiled by a layer of frost-like cold light.
[Eye of the Ice Emperor] activated.
In an instant.
A chilling aura began to spread outwards from Ryu.
The members of Toho Kotei Gakuen were the first to sense the anomaly and looked towards Ryu.
This wasn't the first time they had experienced this feeling.
Although they didn't know what Ryu was going to do, as teammates, they wouldn't hold him back.
Soon, the Kirisaki Daiichi team rushed over with the ball.
This time, they were even more unrestrained.
Hara Kazuya, dribbling the ball, even considered fouling to injure Kuroki Ryuichi.
However, Kuroki Ryuichi's reaction was far superior.
At the crucial moment.
Kuroki Ryuichi swiftly moved sideways, dodging Hara Kazuya's sneak attack.
Before Hara Kazuya could continue dribbling, a sharp crack was heard.
Kuroki Ryuichi, steady, precise, and ruthless, stole the basketball from his hands.
Hara Kazuya showed no awareness of being dispossessed.
Instead, he immediately stopped and turned, preparing to tackle Kuroki Ryuichi.
Just as Hara Kazuya lunged, Kuroki Ryuichi instantly increased his pace to level 3.
Kuroki Ryuichi, who had been right in front of Hara Kazuya, vanished in an instant, becoming a blur.
So fast…
Hara Kazuya's pupils contracted. He wanted to chase, but Kuroki Ryuichi was already far ahead.
No surprises.
Kuroki Ryuichi dribbled directly to Kirisaki Daiichi's basket and dunked.
In the following game...
The members of Kirisaki Daiichi began using various dirty tricks to try and sabotage the Toho Kotei Gakuen members.
However, they were easily dealt with by the Toho Kotei Gakuen members.
Small Forward Duel.
Furuhashi Kojiro, due to his previous knee injury...
Already no match for them, he was now even more powerless against Ryu.
He tried to cause trouble or harm to Ryu, but all his attempts ended in failure.
Power Forward Duel.
Kuroki Ryuichi, having activated Gear 3, left Hara Kazuya far behind.
Hara Kazuya could only follow in his footsteps, getting nothing but dust in his wake, with no chance to even make a move.
Center duel.
Kamimono's strong physique and terrifying explosiveness meant it was already a miracle that Seto Kentaro wasn't injured.
Every time Seto Kentaro tried to use underhanded tactics to punish Kamimono, he was met with an even stronger counterattack.
Some harmless sneak attacks couldn't even scratch Kamimono.
The most noteworthy duel was between the shooting guards.
Yamazaki Hiroshi didn't possess the ruthlessness of his other opponents.
He was the kindest member of the team.
Of course, this was only relatively speaking.
However, he rarely attacked Kugawa, and each time it was just a symbolic gesture, without any real attempt to harm him.
Kugawa also realized that his opponent didn't truly intend to hurt him.
So he only managed to stop Yamazaki Hiroshi beyond the three-point line, not making things too difficult for him.
The point guard duel was the most intense.
Both Hanafuji Souji and Hanamiya Makoto possessed the strength of the "Five Uncrowned Generals."
Although Hanafuji Souji could dominate Hanamiya Makoto, Hanamiya Makoto would occasionally resort to some dirty tricks.
This left Hanafuji Souji feeling somewhat powerless.
Time ticked by.
The whistle blew.
The first quarter was coming to an end.
Toho Kotei Gakuen swept Kirisaki Daiichi 40-0.
Inside the arena.
The spectators and players from various universities alike.
Everyone who saw the score was stunned.
"4...40 to 0...Am I dreaming?!"
"This is only the first quarter, right?"
"Is this the strength of Toho Kotei Gakuen? The strongest high school team..."
"This is too strong! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I really wouldn't believe it."
For a moment, the stadium was completely silent.
Spectator area.
Takao stared dumbfounded at the scoreboard.
"Hey, hey, hey! This is too exaggerated!"
Midorima pushed up his glasses and said.
"I didn't expect that Ryu would choose to shut out his opponent."
Among the Generation of Miracles.
Only two players can choose whether to shut out their opponent.
One is Murasakibara Atsushi, who possesses absolute defense.
The other is Ryu.
Momoi looked at Toho Kotei Gakuen's side, then at Kirisaki Daiichi's side, and then muttered.
"I wonder what will happen next."
Soon, the break ended.
The two teams began their match again.
The second quarter began.
Kirisaki Daiichi team immediately showed signs of fatigue, completely lacking the drive they displayed in the first quarter.
Although they still resorted to dirty tricks, they were far less dangerous than before.
Toho Kotei Gakuen, on the other hand, seemed to have unleashed a torrent of attacks.
Kirisaki Daiichi team's baskets were practically bursting open.
By the end of the quarter, the score had widened once again.
Toho Kotei Gakuen's score was 85 points.
Kirisaki Daiichi team's score remained 0 points.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Some Toho Kotei Gakuen fans were shouting wildly.
"Ryu...Ryu...Ryu..."
"Toho...Toho...Toho"
Hearing the cheers of the audience, the members of Toho Kotei Gakuen exchanged smiles.
Then they walked together through the door leading to the locker room.
On the other side.
The members of Kirisaki Daiichi team were panting heavily, their faces ashen.
They were like defeated roosters, licking their wounds.
Hanamiya Makoto lowered his head, his face expressionless, his eyes slightly vacant.
His hair obscured his face, and those around him couldn't tell what he was thinking.
Until the members of Kirisaki Daiichi team completely disappeared through the door.
The game was only halfway through, not yet over.
But what had happened here had already begun to spread throughout the high school basketball world.
[Champion Toho Kotei Gakuen Academy crushes Kirisaki Daiichi Academy 85-0]
This news spread like wildfire to high schools across the country at an alarming rate.
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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