"Hello, we met again."
Stepping onto the court, Akashi Asuka greeted Hanamiya Makoto with a smile.
"Feeling disappointed? Don't worry, this is just the beginning…" As he spoke, Asuka lowered his voice, leaning close to Hanamiya's ear and whispering, "You've only bled a little so far. We're far from done."
"Since you like playing dirty, I'll gladly play along. You're a smart guy, Hanamiya. Surely you don't think you're the only one who knows how to pull a few tricks?"
Akashi's taunting words darkened Hanamiya's expression.
He wasn't angry because of the provocation, he was angry because nothing in today's game had gone according to plan.
That was the curse of the intelligent.
According to Hanamiya's plan, the entire Seiho team should already be wiped out.
But in reality, only one Seiho player had gone down, while two players from Kirisaki Daiichi were already out.
That kind of twist in the script stung more deeply than any insult ever could.
"Damn it… Fine then. I'll start by taking out your teammates first."
Akashi's calm voice made Hanamiya realize he'd underestimated something critical, this guy was nothing like the opponents he'd faced before. The others, even after being sabotaged, would still focus on winning the match.
But this man? The moment he was attacked, his instinct was to return the favor, pain for pain, blood for blood.
Evil men always fear those who are more wicked than themselves.
When Hanamiya realized his two fallen teammates had been deliberately set up by Akashi, he quickly abandoned his initial plan. He'd get his revenge through someone else on Seiho.
But having suffered at Hanamiya's hands once before, how could Akashi not be prepared this time?
The score stood at 24 to 15.
That's right.
This was the real score between the two teams. By the third quarter, Seiho and Kirisaki Daiichi combined hadn't even broken forty points.
It was clear how brutal this match had become.
Right now, Tsugawa Tomoki was marking Hanamiya one-on-one. The latter eyed the angry young man before him and smirked coldly.
Just as he prepared to teach the kid a lesson about the cruelty of basketball, a shadow suddenly loomed over him. When he looked up, the defender in front of him had changed, Akashi Asuka now stood there instead.
"Akashi's marking Hanamiya?"
"Wait, seriously? I mean, Akashi barely escaped getting taken out earlier! Is it really okay to have him face the most dangerous player on the court again?"
From the stands, several injured players from other teams expressed concern.
Hanamiya froze for a moment when he saw his new defender, then anger, and the urge to destroy, surged up within him.
"So you're really underestimating me, huh?"
His face twisted, a blood-red gleam flashing in his eyes. "You actually think you can stop me by yourself? I'm not someone who only relies on dirty tricks!"
Hanamiya suddenly accelerated, driving past Akashi's side.
A flicker of surprise crossed Akashi's eyes, not because Hanamiya's move was fast, but because this fool actually intended to play fair and decide things with skill.
How utterly ridiculous.
Akashi stepped back sharply, his heel stomping down on Hanamiya's foot before spinning to block the referee's line of sight with his tall frame.
Hanamiya's expression twisted in pain as his toes were crushed, he knew instantly that something was wrong.
But it was too late.
The next second,
PA!
Akashi's hand shot out, stealing the ball. As he drew his arm back, his elbow just so happened to slam into Hanamiya's abdomen.
Muay Thai– Back Elbow.
BOOM!
The heavy blow landed squarely on Hanamiya's side. For a split second, he felt as if a sledgehammer had smashed into him, white-hot pain exploded through his body, nearly popping his eyes out of their sockets. His torso bent involuntarily like a shrimp.
He could even hear the faint crack of ribs breaking.
THUD!
Hanamiya collapsed onto the court.
BEEP!
The referee immediately blew his whistle.
"Seiho No. 11, defensive foul!"
Akashi wasn't surprised by the call. Pulling moves like that, one or two fouls were inevitable.
Hanamiya lay on the floor, gasping for air, the pain too intense to even cry out. He wanted to scream, to make it clear how badly he was hurt, to get Akashi thrown out of the game.
But that wasn't happening.
First, he physically couldn't scream. Second, Akashi was crouched beside him with a concerned look, his large body conveniently blocking everyone's view of Hanamiya's expression.
And besides, the referees had been lenient all game. Earlier, even violent fouls from Furuhashi and Hara had only earned single warnings. There was no way they'd suddenly turn strict just because Seiho was in control.
After all, Kirisaki Daiichi hadn't exactly bribed the officials.
"Ah, sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to step on your foot. You okay?"
Akashi's tone was full of apology, but from Hanamiya's angle, he could see the truth, there was nothing but cold indifference in those eyes.
At that moment…
A chilling, primal fear surged through Hanamiya's heart.
He'd always enjoyed inflicting pain on others, watching them twist and scream in agony gave him a kind of thrill, almost euphoric.
But now that the roles were reversed, he realized… he was no different from those people.
"How interesting, Hanamiya-kun."
Akashi gently helped him up. To the others, it looked like a gesture of remorse, but only Hanamiya could see the cruel, twisted smile at the corner of Akashi's lips.
"You actually thought I marked you to play basketball with you? How naïve, Hanamiya. That's not like you at all."
"I much prefer the defiant version of you. After all, even revenge gets boring if the other side doesn't fight back, don't you think?"
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