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The arena was deathly silent.
Everyone stared blankly at the court below.
The rapid-fire offense and defense between Ryu and Kise had just unfolded, leaving them breathless and utterly stunned.
From Ryu's pass to Kise's successful block, to Kise's counter-attack, culminating in Ryu's successful interception, it all happened so fast.
Even the referee momentarily forgot to blow the whistle for the ball out of bounds.
This series of maneuvers left the audience holding their breath, afraid to blink, lest they miss a single exciting moment.
Alex was now completely stunned into silence.
What had just happened was entirely beyond her comprehension of Japanese basketball.
This was a basketball duel between two Asians?
What a joke!
This was no less impressive than a duel between top American players, and perhaps even surpassed it.
Her gaze was incredibly insightful.
Just from this opening, one could analyze the general strength of Ryu and Kise.
"So this is the Generation of Miracles you was talking about? I'm truly amazed that Japan has players of this caliber. You lost to these guys?"
Alex said, making no attempt to hide her surprise.
Kagami, standing to the side, was somewhat embarrassed but still nodded.
"Ah… but I didn't lose to Ryu and Kise, but to someone named Aomine Daiki. His strength is no less than those two below."
"Is that so?"
Alex nodded slightly.
If it was that level of strength, Kagami in his current state would indeed be no match.
She silently planned in her mind.
'Looks like I'll have to find some time to teach Taiga something.'
On the court.
The game continued.
Because the ball went out of bounds, it was Kaijo's ball.
The basketball was passed to Kise.
Ryu immediately moved forward to defend.
Two streaks of light, one gold and one silver, began to linger around the three-point line of the Toho Kotei Gakuen.
They attacked, they defended; they chased, they blocked; they retreated, they advanced.
The two were like warriors locked in a fierce battle, their intensity palpable.
Their speed dazzled the spectators, igniting their passion.
But Kise couldn't break through Ryu's defense.
Suddenly, Kise's aura shifted dramatically, surging for a moment.
At the same time, Kise's dribbling speed also increased abruptly, his dribbling becoming unpredictable.
Ryu's eyes narrowed.
Super-fast dribbling?
Seeing this, the Seirin players in the stands were also shocked.
They were all too familiar with this kind of dribbling.
Back in the summer, they had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Aomine Daiki.
Back then, they were completely helpless against that kind of dribbling.
Now, seeing it again...
It stirred up a flood of memories for them.
"This guy, he's actually imitating Aomine right from the start?"
Kagami clenched his fists, seemingly recalling some unpleasant memory.
Kuroko's expression was also extremely serious, staring at Kise below in silence for a long time.
On the court.
Kise's dribbling speed was many times faster than before.
In the blink of an eye, he broke past Ryu.
Having successfully reached the inside of the Toho Kotei Gakuen's defense, Kise was left with only Kamimono in his sights.
He had absolute confidence facing Kamimono.
Kise executed a crossover dribble, a spin move, and successfully bypassed Kamimono, reaching the paint.
He bent his knees, raised his arm, and prepared to leap for a dunk.
However, at that moment...
He felt the basketball in his hand suddenly vibrate.
He instinctively looked down and saw a hand firmly slapping the ball.
This made his heart tighten, and he recognized the figure out of the corner of his eye.
Ryu…
Kise was puzzled, wondering when Ryu had caught up.
But now he had no way out.
Kise steeled his resolve, gritted his teeth, and his eyes sharpened.
A mountain-like purple aura erupted from his body.
Accompanying the appearance of this aura...
His grip tightened instantly.
Ryu felt a sudden pain in his hand, then was forcefully thrown back by the force of the basketball.
A thought flashed through his mind.
'This is…'
Kise caught the ball with both hands, then turned and jumped, slamming the basketball into the hoop.
Clang…
The basketball went in.
The backboard trembled, the rim wobbled, and a groan echoed throughout the arena.
0-2.
Kaijo scored first.
Seeing this, no one expected that Kaijo would score first.
In the stands.
The Seirin team stared blankly at Kise's dunk.
Kuroko stammered.
'It's Murasakibara's "Destructive Hammer."'
Kagami exclaimed in shock.
"This guy actually used 'Perfect Imitation' right from the start."
Aida Riko frowned slightly.
"His strength is even greater than Summer's."
Alex no longer dared to underestimate Japanese basketball.
At least those two on the sidelines were definitely not to be underestimated.
"That dunk just now, and the speed and movement during his breakthrough, this guy is definitely a rare talent. If he can maintain this level, winning the game shouldn't be a big problem."
Uh…
Hearing her words, the Seirin players all looked embarrassed.
"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
Alex asked curiously, seeing the Seirin players' expressions.
Kagami explained.
"Kise might… not win so easily."
Huh?
Alex looked disdainful.
"What do you mean?"
Kagami continued to explain.
"Ryu isn't someone to be trifled with. If we're talking about individual strength, Ryu should be stronger."
"What?"
Alex was quite surprised.
She turned her gaze to Ryu on the sidelines.
At this moment on the sidelines.
The Toho Kotei Gakuen was inbounding the ball.
Kise's powerful dunk hadn't affected the Toho Kotei Gakuen players at all.
The basketball came into Ryu's hands.
Ryu dribbled the ball forward quickly.
Kise rushed over to try and block him.
However, Ryu changed direction with a switch of hands and then threw the basketball away.
Kise tried to block, but he was a step too slow.
He didn't quite understand Ryu's move.
'Why did he throw the ball?'
Just as he was wondering,
the basketball hit the ground with a thud, then bounced up as if it had grown legs, flying back towards Ryu's location.
Only then did Kise notice that Ryu hadn't moved an inch since throwing the ball.
Kise felt a sense of foreboding.
When he turned to look at Ryu, his pupils suddenly contracted.
Because in his vision, Ryu's figure had vanished.
Standing there was Midorima Shintaro, with green hair and an aura as cold and venomous as a snake.
[Ryu Illusion] had been activated.
'Damn it.'
Kise seemed to realize something and immediately stepped forward to intercept.
But the basketball had already fallen into the hands of Ryu, who had transformed into Midorima Shintaro.
Catching the ball, he bent his knees, jumped, aimed, and shot.
Whoosh…
The basketball was launched high into the air like a cannonball.
The basketball traced an incredibly high arc, reaching the ceiling.
All eyes were fixed on the basketball in the sky, eagerly awaiting its destination.
In just an instant, the basketball, like a star carrying an orange tail, plummeted towards Kaijo's basket.
Swish…
A soft swishing sound rang out.
The basketball pierced the basket precisely, scoring.
3-2.
Toho Kotei Gakuen had taken the lead, by one point.
"You bastard."
The Kaijo players stared blankly at Ryu, which had returned to its original form.
None of them expected that Ryu would directly transform into Midorima Shintaro and shoot a three-pointer from mid-court.
Yukio Kasamatsu was filled with shock.
'This guy can transform into Midorima Shintaro, which means that if he wants, he can become anyone and use their techniques. Is there really such a person? It's impossible to defend against.'
(Note: [Ryu Illusion] doesn't transform into another person, but rather a change in mentality, temperament, and aura, creating the illusion of a different person at first glance.)
In the stands.
Watching the turn of events, Kagami said solemnly.
'It's happening again. A technique that can change one's aura. Although it's not the first time I've seen it, it's still unbelievable.'
Alex's eyes were wide, her gaze fixed on Ryu, her heart filled with utter shock.
Kise had already given her quite a shock.
But seeing Ryu's performance now, she was utterly shocked.
She never expected it.
The "Generation of Miracles" that Kagami and the others spoke of were actually this strong.
And what was that thing that changed his aura?
Is this normal?
At first, she didn't see anything particularly outstanding about Ryu; she only discerned from his exposed muscles that his physical abilities were quite good.
But just now, when Ryu transformed into Midorima...
That astonishing aura emanating from his very bones, and that incredibly long-range three-pointer shot with absolute confidence.
Every single one of these points demonstrates his extraordinary strength.
'Is this really the kind of skill a high school student can possess?'
Alex was in a state of confusion.
Even in the United States, she had rarely seen or even heard of a player with this kind of talent or skill.
The cheers from the audience were continuous.
Whether it was Kise's dunk or Ryu's long-range three-pointer,
they all provided a unique viewing experience.
The atmosphere in the entire arena instantly heated up.
On the court.
Kaijo inbounds the ball.
Kise remained the vanguard in the sprint.
The basketball in his hands was like a lively, playful sprite, elusive yet possessing a certain beauty.
Ryu intercepted him at the center line.
The two locked eyes, their battle of wits intensifying once more.
Thump...thump...thump...
Kise's speed in bouncing the basketball gradually increased.
As if a signal had been triggered.
At the same moment Kise started moving, Ryu moved in tandem.
In an instant, Kise lowered his body, almost becoming a blur as he broke through to the side of the court.
Speed, agility, and explosiveness were on full display for Kise Ryota.
It was another high-speed dribble from Aomine Daiki.
Although the movement was ordinary, the speed it displayed definitely bore the mark of Aomine Daiki.
However…
"Simply imitating others won't work on me."
Ryu's movements were almost simultaneous with Kise's.
Seeing Kise lower his body, he guessed that Kise was about to break through.
Without hesitation, Ryu also took a step back, then lowered his own body.
In terms of body coordination, Kise couldn't compare to Ryu.
This wasn't something that could be achieved through mere imitation.
This was a true talent inherent in the body itself.
Seeing that Ryu had blocked his path, Kise wasn't discouraged.
He naturally hadn't forgotten Ryu's special body.
To be honest, he really envied that kind of body that could move at will.
Seeing Ryu blocking his way, Kise's forward sprint abruptly stopped.
The instantaneous stop from Max to 0 made Kise feel as if he had crashed into an invisible wall, abrupt and yet gripping everyone's nerves.
He directly touched the ground with his toes, spun around to the other side of Ryu, and continued his breakthrough.
Such a large and sharp 360-degree turn drew gasps from the audience.
"My God! Is he even human? How did he do that? He turned so fast!"
"I've never seen such a rapid turn before. This is completely beyond human capabilities!"
"Isn't he afraid of injuring his knees? And his feet are like they're coated in lubricant, it's astonishing."
Ryu caught a glimpse of Kise instantly changing direction out of the corner of his eye.
He wasn't surprised at all by Kise's current speed.
"A Prefect Copy," imitating the moves of the Generation of Miracles wasn't difficult.
But…
Ryu saw Kise's right hand holding the ball and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"Still not enough experience, Kise…"
Before he finished speaking, his body suddenly fell backward and downward, as if he had been faked out by Kise.
Everyone who witnessed this stared wide-eyed, their expressions filled with disbelief.
The rest of the Toho Kotei Gakuen were completely dumbfounded.
What's going on?
Our ace was faked out?
How is this possible?
The Kaijo members, on the other hand, were excited.
What's going on?
Our ace actually faked out that monster, the top high school student?!
Is this even possible?
"What on earth is going on?"
Kagami was no longer calm.
Has Kise become so powerful that even Ryu can't handle him?
And not just him.
The players from other schools had the same thought.
Just when everyone thought Ryu was about to fall flat on his backside.
Ryu suddenly braced himself with his left hand, his falling body instantly stopping in mid-air.
At this moment, Ryu's knees were bent, and his upper body was completely parallel to the ground.
But in the next instant, a horrifying scene unfolded, leaving everyone wide-eyed.
As Ryu braced himself, his right hand reached towards the basketball that Kise was dribbling.
A blur flashed by.
Thud…
"What?"
Kise stared in disbelief.
Ryu successfully snatched the basketball from Kise's grasp.
Then, he pushed off the ground with his left hand, using the momentum to stand up again.
After getting up, Ryu charged forward with the ball, his speed no less than Kise's.
Kise, a step slower, desperately chased after him, but could never close the gap.
In the end, he could only helplessly watch as Ryu drove into his own basket and scored a layup.
5-2.
After an eerie silence, the arena erupted in unprecedented, deafening shouts and cheers.
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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