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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On the court at this moment:
Two figures, one in silver and one in yellow, were wreaking havoc.
The lone wolf, proud and aloof, bared its sharp fangs, its bloodthirsty, ferocious eyes fixed on its prey.
The imposing tiger's eyes were sharp, its open jaws like an abyss.
Every movement exuded majesty and oppression.
Awooo…
Roar…
The tiger and wolf faced each other, tearing at each other.
Wound after wound appeared on their bodies.
A scene of relentless, frenzied battle.
Everyone was stunned by the sight before them.
They had never witnessed such an intense offensive and defensive battle before.
Even the battle between wild beasts couldn't be more fierce!
Thump, thump, thump…
The sound of basketballs hitting the ground echoed across the court at an incredibly fast pace.
Time passed.
The ferocious lone wolf was now covered in wounds.
But its eyes still held unwavering determination and madness.
A tiger roared, claws snarling, fangs piercing bone.
No matter how arrogant and unwilling the lone wolf was, it ultimately fell before the tiger.
Thud…
The basketball was touched by Ryu's hand, slipping from Kise's control and flying away.
Kise cursed inwardly and rushed after it, trying to retrieve it.
But Ryu, having successfully intercepted the ball, was always a step faster.
Ryu caught up with the flying basketball first.
[Divine Wrist] activated.
The instant his hand touched the basketball, he hooked his wrist.
Using the force, he hooked the basketball into the hands of the nearest player, Kugawa.
"Good pass, Ryu…"
Kugawa received the ball with excitement.
The battle between Ryu and Kise had just thrilled him.
However, he lacked the strength to do so and could only watch from the sidelines.
Now that he had the chance, he naturally wanted to vent.
Moriyama Yoshitaka had already set up his defense the moment Kugawa received the ball.
He dared not underestimate Kugawa.
Arms outstretched, he immediately assumed a defensive stance.
Looking at Moriyama Yoshitaka.
Kugawa showed no sign of underestimating him.
He crouched down, raised his left arm, and adopted a triple threat stance.
Thump... thump... thump...
The sound of the basketball hitting the ground was like the tolling of a countdown clock.
No one knew what would happen in that second.
Thump... thump... thump...
Thump... thump...
Thump...
Suddenly, the sound of the basketball hitting the ground stopped abruptly.
Moriyama Yoshitaka's eyes widened at the same time.
He knew what this meant.
However...
Whoosh...
A gentle breeze swept by, ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead.
"So fast..."
He was defending very seriously, but the moment Kugawa broke through, his vision blurred for a fleeting instant.
This was the difference between an ordinary expert and the "Uncrowned Five."
Moriyama Yoshitaka deeply understood this.
'If even the person before him is like this, how will he compare to the Generation of Miracles...'
Even though he was beaten, he quickly turned and chased after him.
He admitted that he wasn't as strong as his opponent.
But if he could create some interference, he could still affect him!
He successfully caught up with Kugawa just as he was about to shoot a three-pointer.
He didn't try to steal the ball from Kugawa.
Instead, he blocked his path, arms outstretched, body leaning forward, gradually approaching Kugawa's face.
Kugawa had intended to shoot a three-pointer.
But Moriyama Yoshitaka's sudden closeness caused his shooting motion to abruptly halt.
Watching the other's body gradually close, Kugawa instinctively leaned back.
He held the basketball with one hand, intending to shoot.
But his posture was very uncomfortable.
However, Kugawa had no other choice but to force a shot.
Finally, Kugawa's eyes narrowed, and he released the basketball from under Moriyama Yoshitaka's armpit.
The basketball traced an odd arc, heading towards Kaijo's basket.
Bang…
The basketball landed squarely on the rim.
The sound of the shot hitting the rim made Kugawa's face darken.
He had considered the possibility of missing.
He hadn't expected it to actually miss.
Moriyama Yoshitaka's actions just now definitely affected his shooting percentage.
His opponent deliberately approached, yet remained very careful, avoiding contact that could result in a foul.
The basketball swung back and forth on the rim for a second before finally falling out of bounds.
Thump...thump thump...
The basketball bounced a few times after hitting the ground before rolling out of bounds.
The ball went out of bounds.
The Kaijo team surrounded Moriyama Yoshitaka.
Kasamatsu Yukio patted him on the shoulder and praised him.
"Well done, Moriyama..."
Hayakawa Mitsuhiro also said excitedly.
"Moriyama-senpai, you're amazing! Amazing!"
Kise also said gratefully.
"Moriyama-senpai, thanks to you...if it weren't for me..."
Moriyama Yoshitaka exchanged pleasantries with the others, then looked at Kise.
"Don't worry about it. Just do your job as the ace, and we'll handle the rest."
He paused, then suddenly became serious, pointing at Kise.
"But as payment, you have to introduce me to some pretty girls after the game!"
Uh…
The atmosphere immediately fell silent.
Kise snapped out of his daze and nodded with a smile.
"Okay, I'll take care of it."
Kasamatsu Yukio's lips twitched as he saw the two reach an agreement, and he said helplessly.
"Alright! Let's discuss this after the game! Right now, we have a big problem to solve!"
Hearing this, the Kaijo team also became serious.
Moriyama Yoshitaka had indeed stopped Kugawa's shot.
But that was just a surprise attack, a lucky coincidence.
It might not work next time.
And that was indeed the case.
Kugawa was only annoyed for a moment, his face not showing any seriousness.
He had been too careless.
The opponent would use the same tactic against him again.
Now that he was on guard, he was confident he could score over the opponent's head.
Kaijo had possession.
Kaijo, having regrouped, launched an attack.
Kasamatsu Yukio dribbled the ball slowly.
He wasn't in a rush to attack.
The ace's repeated setbacks had somewhat affected the team's morale.
The game had only just begun.
What he needed to do was slow down the pace and stabilize the team's spirits.
He crossed the center line.
Hanafuji blocked his way.
Kasamatsu Yukio didn't attempt a drive, instead passing the ball directly to Moriyama Yoshitaka near the baseline.
Moriyama Yoshitaka received the ball and immediately adopted a triple-threat stance.
He engaged in several exchanges with Kugawa in the baseline, all ending in failure.
'He still can't break through, huh?'
His gaze swept towards the paint of the Toho Kotei Gakuen School.
Hayakawa Mitsuhiro and Kobori Koji were already positioned under the basket.
However, upon seeing Kamimono and Kuroki Ryuichi, he abandoned the idea of passing the ball to them.
It was too dangerous.
It wasn't that he didn't trust his teammates.
It was that the opposing players were too strong.
Passing the ball now would definitely result in a turnover.
He then looked at his ace.
Kise was currently being tightly guarded by Ryu, with not a single opening for him.
Moriyama Yoshitaka also abandoned the idea of passing to Kise.
Looking at Kugawa in front of him, he let out a long sigh.
"It's still not enough!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his dribbling speed suddenly increased, his body lowered, and he directly pressed against Kugawa.
Kugawa spread his arms, firmly blocking his opponent's body.
Not being able to push Kugawa aside was naturally within Moriyama Yoshitaka's expectations.
He hadn't expected to be able to contend with his opponent using his physical strength alone.
Then, with his back to Kugawa,
he directly passed the ball back to Kasamatsu Yukio, who was running towards the inside.
Kasamatsu Yukio successfully received Moriyama Yoshitaka's pass.
At this moment, the interior of the Toho Kotei Gakuen team was already packed with players.
Hayakawa Mitsuhiro and Kobori Koji were facing Kasamatsu Yukio.
Behind them were Kamimono and Kuroki Ryuichi blocking.
A pick-and-roll?
Seeing this scene...
Everyone from the Toho Kotei Gakuen was startled, realizing something was wrong.
Especially Hanafuji, who was defending Kasamatsu Yukio.
He immediately understood what Kaijo was planning.
This was pre-planned.
The Toho Kotei Gakuen had been outmaneuvered this time.
Before Hanafuji could catch up,
Kasamatsu Yukio leaped up and shot.
The basketball arced gracefully,
and successfully swished into the basket.
Swish…
7-7.
The score was tied.
Ryu couldn't help but admire him.
"You guys actually outmaneuvered me! It's amazing you could come up with such a plan. That's why you didn't participate in the attack, isn't it?"
He had long suspected that Kise's absence from the attack was part of a plan.
He just couldn't be sure what it was.
Now it seemed that was it.
Kise smiled and said.
"How can I deal with you without using some tricks!"
Heh...
Ryu grinned.
"Interesting."
For the next while,
Ryu and Kise kept their eyes glued to each other the entire court.
Both were able to use their three-point shooting from across the court.
Just in case, the two tacitly avoided disturbing others.
As time passed,
the score continued to change.
Kaijo's overall strength was ultimately weaker than Toho Kotei Gakuen's.
Until the end of the game, the score was temporarily fixed at 23 to 17.
Kaijo was down by 6 points.
There were 5 seconds left in the first quarter.
Kaijo had possession of the ball.
It was obvious that Kise would use those five seconds to do something.
Before Kaijo could even inbound the ball, Ryu appeared in front of Kise, preventing him from shooting a full-court three-pointer.
Seeing this, the Kaijo players frowned, gritting their teeth.
They'd been seen through.
Kasamatsu Yukio hesitated, wondering whether to pass the ball to Moriyama.
With the inbound pass time approaching,
he gritted his teeth, preparing to pass the ball to Moriyama Yoshitaka.
But just then, Kise's voice reached his ears.
"Kasamatsu-senpai..."
Looking up, he saw Kise running towards him.
At the same time,
Hayakawa Mitsuhiro and Kobori Koji also gave him a wink.
Seeing this, Kasamatsu Yukio smiled knowingly.
'Since you've both decided, let's take the gamble.'
He tossed the ball towards Kise.
Kise caught the pass successfully.
Ryu stuck close to Kise, preventing him from shooting.
4 seconds…
Kise tried to create open space, dribbling the ball and constantly dodging Ryu.
3 seconds…
Hayakawa Mitsuhiro and Kobori Koji stepped in front of Ryu to prevent him from interfering with Kise.
'Another pick-and-roll, huh? I'm tired of seeing that move.'
Before the two could react, Ryu's eyes narrowed.
[Thunder] activated.
Moving like lightning.
Sizzle…
A bolt of lightning flashed through Hayakawa Mitsuhiro and Kobori Koji's vision.
After the lightning, Ryu's shadow had vanished.
The two men's pupils contracted, and they both turned to look at Kise.
Two seconds...
Kise, now free from Ryu's interference, had gathered the ball and assumed a shooting stance.
Just as he leaped high and released the basketball...
Zzzzt...
A bolt of lightning suddenly appeared.
After the lightning, Ryu's figure appeared in Kise's field of vision.
Kise's pupils contracted, his eyes widening.
He saw Ryu block his shot.
'This guy...'
He had thought his shot was sure to go in.
He hadn't expected Ryu to catch up in that situation.
'[Lightning]? Why does he have so many monstrous moves?'
Kise could only watch helplessly as Ryu blocked the ball.
But Ryu's play from Kise's shot wasn't over yet.
His current position was inside Kaijo's paint, near the three-point line.
Silver pupils fixed on Kaijo's basket.
An idea formed in his mind.
Yes, he wanted to shoot.
And there was only one second left in the first quarter…
When Kise saw Ryu's gaze, his heart skipped a beat.
'This guy… he wouldn't be…'
But his body was falling, he couldn't do anything, he could only watch helplessly.
Ryu shouted.
[Wind] activated.
Swift as the wind.
This move wasn't just for dribbling.
This move was originally designed for the arms.
Now, with Ryu using it, one second was more than enough time for him to swing his arm once in mid-air.
Arm swung.
[Divine Wrist] activated.
In mid-air, Ryu, after intercepting Kise's shot with one hand, swiftly swung his arm.
Using the power of his arm swing, he tossed the basketball, then instantly adjusted its angle using the strength of his wrist.
The basketball soared high, tracing an unusual angle in the air.
To the astonishment of everyone in the arena.
The basketball landed steadily in Kaijo's basket.
Swish…
A clean swish.
25 to 17.
Beep…
The referee blew the whistle to end the first quarter.
Kise looked at Ryu, unsure of his feelings.
Helplessness… admiration… resentment… a complex mix of emotions.
"You're something else, Ryucchi… I never imagined you could shoot under those circumstances."
At this moment, Ryu was a monster in Kise's eyes.
When a normal person is blocking a shot, where would they find the time to shoot?
And to make it so cleanly.
The Kaijo team stared at Ryu in astonishment.
Their hearts were filled with mixed emotions.
Kobori Koji, Moriyama Yoshitaka, Kasamatsu Yukio, Hayakawa Mitsuhiro: 'Is this guy even human? How can he score like that?'
Both sides returned to their respective dugouts.
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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