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"That guy's shot was beautiful."
"His movement felt so smooth."
"My god! That's the most beautiful shot I've ever seen."
...
Hmm?
In the stands,
Aomine narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on Himuro Tatsuya, thinking to himself,
'There's actually a player like that on the court.'
'That number 12 is quite something.'
Huh?
Satsuki, standing nearby, was somewhat surprised, muttering to herself,
'How could he make Aomine wary at first glance? That shot was indeed surprising, but it was just a regular shot!'
Offense and defense change.
Toho Kotei Gakuen inbounds the ball.
Hanafuji dribbles the ball, directing his teammates' movements.
Facing Fukui Kensuke, Hanafuji is practically in control.
However, scoring isn't his primary responsibility.
As soon as he crosses half-court, he passes the ball to Kugawa.
Kugawa dribbled the ball, hovering near the three-point line of Yosen's defense.
Due to Himuro Tatsuya's defense,
he couldn't find an opening to shoot.
Time ticked away in this stalemate.
Kugawa was also experiencing firsthand his opponent's strength.
Just as Hanafuji had described earlier,
this number 12 was not to be underestimated.
He flicked the ball to Kuroki.
Kuroki received the ball and quickened his pace, successfully bypassing Okamura Kenichi's defense and entering Yosen's paint.
Before Okamura Kenichi could catch up,
he jumped and shot at the basket.
Everyone thought Toho Kotei Gakuen was going to score, but then something unexpected happened.
Kuroki suddenly felt a darkness before his eyes.
A figure blocked his vision.
A large hand swung down towards the basketball in his hand.
Kuroki's pupils contracted sharply, his eyes widening.
Smack…
A crisp sound rang in everyone's ears.
The basketball was swatted away by that large hand.
Seeing this,
the entire arena fell silent.
Thump…
Kuroki landed back on the ground, but his eyes remained fixed on Murasakibara in front of him.
Just a moment ago, he felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him.
And he hadn't even noticed when his opponent had appeared in front of him.
He hadn't noticed, but the audience had seen it clearly.
"Wow, that's amazing! So that's the center from the Generation of Miracles? He truly lives up to his reputation."
"He was just under the basket! And now he's in front of his opponent in an instant."
"Such explosive power! No wonder he's the No. 1 center in high school."
...
On the court,
Kamimono, was also stunned for a moment.
He had sensed it just now, but hadn't been able to stop his opponent.
In fact, he simply couldn't stop him.
That explosive power and reaction speed had startled him.
"No wonder he was Ryu's former teammate. Looks like this game won't be easy for me!"
Kamimono said this, but that wasn't what he really thought.
His blood was boiling, and his gaze towards Murasakibara was filled with fighting spirit.
The game continued.
The basketball was swatted away by Murasakibara, finally landing in Okamura Kenichi's hands.
Kuroki reacted relatively quickly, blocking Okamura Kenichi's path again.
Okamura Kenichi wanted to use the same tactic again, backing down Kuroki.
But Kuroki wasn't one to be easily defeated.
He quickened his pace, using his speed advantage to circle around his opponent, trying to steal the ball. Even if he failed to steal it, he could still force a turnover.
Okamura Kenichi was getting increasingly frustrated with Kuroki's actions.
Suddenly, his hand slipped, and the basketball slipped from his grasp.
Okamura Kenichi cursed inwardly.
The basketball rolled to the ground, stopping just short of the boundary line.
The closest to the basketball were Hanafuji and Fukui Kensuke.
Seeing this, the two didn't hesitate and rushed towards the ball.
Fukui Kensuke, due to the distance, touched the ball first.
Hanafuji, seeing this, reached out and bump Fukui palm.
Fukui Kensuke, who had just touched the ball, only felt it suddenly bump his palm and then bounce away in the opposite direction.
Fukui Kensuke froze on the spot.
He watched helplessly as the basketball flew out of bounds.
Whistle...
The whistle blew.
The referee's voice reached his ears.
"Ball out of bounds, Yellow team's ball."
Upon hearing this, Fukui Kensuke's eyes twitched, inwardly screaming,
'Damn it.'
Hanafuji, however, calmly walked to the edge of the court and picked up the basketball.
In the stands,
those who understood Hanafuji's maneuver showed expressions of admiration.
Some fans even applauded.
"That was brilliant! Number 4 from Toho Kotei Gakuen, your ball handling was truly masterful!"
"To use such a method to get the ball ruled out of bounds, that's the first time I've seen that."
"I thought only the Generation of Miracles' match would be exciting, but the other players' performances were also outstanding."
...
The Toho Kotei Gakuen players all praised Hanafuji.
Yosen and the others comforted Fukui Kensuke.
However, this incident made the Yosen group even more cautious towards the Toho Kotei Gakuen members.
These starting players from Toho Kotei Gakuen were indeed not to be trifled with.
The ball was passed to Kuroki.
With the change in pace, Okamura Kenichi simply couldn't defend him.
He could only let Kuroki dribble into his own paint.
But having learned from his previous experience, he didn't choose to shoot.
His gaze flickered towards Murasakibara.
Murasakibara was still standing under the basket.
But Kuroki had a feeling.
If he shot directly now, he would definitely get blocked.
Although it seemed unbelievable, considering that Ryu was a member of the Generation of Miracles, it wasn't surprising.
He was confident in his own abilities, but he had to admit that the Generation of Miracles were indeed a group of monsters.
He took a deep breath and finally tossed the ball to Ryu beyond the three-point line.
Only Ryu could reliably make the shot now!
Thinking this,
Ryu successfully received his pass.
Seeing this, Liu Wei's nerves tensed instantly.
Seeing his tension, Ryu merely smiled slightly before disappearing from his sight.
Disappeared?
Liu Wei quickly looked to his side.
However, he didn't see Ryu.
'Could he be behind me?'
He quickly turned around, but still didn't see Ryu.
"Below you."
Just then...
Suddenly, Himuro Tatsuya's voice rang out from nearby.
Liu Wei looked down upon hearing this, his pupils instantly shrinking.
At this moment, Ryu's body was pressed down to its lowest point, even lower than Liu Wei's knees.
Liu Wei's mind went blank.
He had completely forgotten about this.
Ryu possessed the ability to dribble extremely low.
This move was absolutely lethal against taller players.
Liu Wei tried to lower his lower body, but he couldn't do what Ryu could.
A large space remained on either side below him.
Ryu moved swiftly, breaking through Liu Wei's sides and below.
Ryu crossed the three-point line and arrived at Yosen's free throw line.
Just then,
a tall figure blocked his path.
Murasakibara Atsushi.
Looking at Murasakibara before him, Ryu didn't back down.
The audience fell silent.
The long-awaited showdown between the Generation of Miracles had finally arrived.
Murasakibara stood like a majestic mountain, blocking Ryu's path.
Ryu, however, appeared unremarkable.
He showed none of the aura he displayed against Too.
But Murasakibara dared not be careless.
His purple eyes were fixed intently on Ryu, unwavering.
"Yu-chin."
Suddenly, Ryu's movements faltered, and he moved the ball behind him.
With a flick of his wrist, he hooked the basketball towards Kugawa, who had just made his run.
Kugawa, still unsteady on his feet, tossed the ball towards Yosen's basket with one hand.
Seeing this...
Everyone in Yosen tensed up.
They knew Kugawa's one-handed shooting ability.
If they hadn't blocked it, the shot would almost certainly have gone in.
But just then, Murasakibara swept past Ryu, appearing almost instantly in front of Kugawa.
Under Kugawa's incredulous gaze, he slapped the basketball away.
Bang bang bang…
The basketball slammed heavily to the ground, bounced across half-court, and finally rolled out of bounds.
Everyone was stunned by Murasakibara's powerful block.
What strength!
What explosive power!
Kamimono and the others also wore solemn expressions.
They knew Murasakibara was strong, but they hadn't expected him to be this strong.
Ryu remained calm, his gaze towards Murasakibara unwavering.
"Looks like you've grown quite a bit this year."
Murasakibara replied,
"Because the opponent is Yu-chin, I won't hold back. I won't let you score easily."
Ryu didn't say anything more, but walked to Kugawa's side and patted him on the shoulder.
"Getting blocked by Murasakibara is normal, don't worry about it."
Kugawa calmed himself down and then said,
"I'm not that fragile."
The serve returned to Toho Kotei Gakuen.
Almost three minutes had passed since the start of the match.
Apart from Yosen's goal, there had been no other scores.
The match didn't seem particularly intense, but a tense atmosphere permeated the entire stadium.
While the audience wasn't exactly fired up, they watched intently.
On the court,
the serve seemed to remain with Toho Kotei Gakuen.
This time, the protagonist of the attack became Kamimono.
Because Murasakibara remained positioned under the basket,
Kamimono's offense was relatively easy.
Stepping into the paint, Kamimono raised his hand to shoot.
Murasakibara, of course, didn't take this shot seriously.
He raised his arm to block Kamimono's shot.
Kamimono didn't panic.
The shot was merely a feint.
Kamimono retrieved the ball, switched hands, and moved to the side, creating some distance between himself and Murasakibara.
He leaped into the air, raising the ball to throw into the basket.
Just then, Murasakibara also took a step, quickly closing the distance with Kamimono.
Due to Kamimono's height, Murasakibara could only jump to block his shot.
Seeing Murasakibara's feet leave the ground, Kamimono revealed a triumphant smile.
His goal was to trick Murasakibara into jumping.
Only in this way could he trap Murasakibara.
Kamimono hovered in mid-air, his shooting form shifting, his wrist flicking as he passed the ball out of the paint.
At the same time,
Hanafuji suddenly appeared, catching Kamimono's pass.
He was completely unguarded.
Without hesitation, he aimed at Yosen's basket and raised his hand.
Murasakibara's eyes widened at the sight.
The instant his toes touched the ground, he swiftly pushed off, twisting his body, and then explosively propelled himself forward.
Almost instantly, he was in front of Hanafuji just as he was about to shoot.
Hanafuji felt a sudden darkness engulf him, an indescribable terror pressing down on him, rendering him immobile.
It was as if an insurmountable wall had appeared before him.
His pupils contracted, his heart skipped a beat.
He watched as Murasakibara's large hand was about to swat the basketball from his grasp.
At the crucial moment,
Hanafuji gritted his teeth, forcibly breaking free from Murasakibara's oppressive aura.
He had memorized the positions of his teammates.
Without hesitation, he passed the ball to Ryu with a backhand pass.
Murasakibara was momentarily stunned by Hanafuji's pass.
However, he quickly ignored it.
His gaze was now fixed on Ryu.
Ryu received the ball again.
A cheer erupted from the stands.
Everyone wanted to see Ryu's performance.
Some of Ryu's fans even cheered him on.
Liu Wei stood seriously in front of Ryu.
Ryu glanced at Liu Wei, then broke through his defense with two consecutive crossovers.
'So fast…'
This time, Ryu broke through solely with his speed.
After breaking through Liu Wei, Ryu didn't stop.
Just a step beyond the three-point line, Ryu suddenly stopped.
Then, everyone from Yosen stared wide-eyed.
A sense of foreboding washed over them.
Murasakibara's eyes widened, and he charged towards Ryu with tremendous speed.
Ryu held the ball in both hands.
He raised the basketball towards the basket not far away.
However, before he could release the ball,
Ryu felt a gust of wind, and then a tall figure appeared before him.
Hmm?
Ryu's eyes flickered slightly, somewhat surprised.
He had deliberately chosen to shoot from beyond the three-point line.
Murasakibara had actually managed to catch up.
Ryu didn't hold back, but instead released the basketball.
Murasakibara jumped up the instant the ball was released.
He raised his arm high, but couldn't stop the ball's trajectory.
Under everyone's gaze,
the basketball soared high into the air like a cannonball.
Then, like a falling meteor, it plummeted towards Yosen's basket.
Just when everyone thought the shot would go in, an unexpected thing occurred.
Clang…
A dull thud echoed throughout the arena.
Under the incredulous gazes of the crowd, the basketball struck the rim and bounced off.
How could this be?
In the stands,
Aomine and Satsuki stared at the court in disbelief.
"Ryu actually missed,"
Satsuki exclaimed in surprise.
Aomine frowned.
He didn't believe such nonsense as Ryu missing.
"That's impossible! At our level, shooting is as easy as drinking water."
"Then this shot…"
Before Satsuki could finish speaking, Aomine nodded.
"If I'm right, there's only one reason."
…
"Murasakibara's finger must have touched the ball,"
Midorima analyzed with a serious expression.
"Are you kidding me! That was from beyond the three-point line! He actually ran out from the baseline to defend! How incredible is that?!"
Takao said in disbelief.
Midorima explained,
"It's not impossible. Besides his impressive height, Murasakibara has a very long wingspan and long legs. His reflexes and explosiveness are also extraordinary. It's understandable that he could do something like that."
…
Kise exclaimed from the second-floor platform,
"Murasakibara really surprised me. He actually managed to defend successfully in that situation."
…
"This joke has gone too far. Just how big is his defensive range?"
Kagami Taiga was numb.
He felt like these members of the Generation of Miracles weren't normal people.
Since meeting them, his understanding seemed to be constantly being refreshed.
How could a normal person possibly get from the baseline to the three-point line in time to block a shot?
Aida Riko's heart was incredibly heavy.
The strength of the Generation of Miracles weighed on her like heavy stones.
If it weren't for Kagami and Kuroko on her team, she probably would have given up hope for the Winter Cup long ago.
Looking at Ryu and Murasakibara on the court, their physical stats were in no way inferior to Kagami's, and perhaps even surpassed his.
She felt both envy and worry.
...
The game was still going on.
Seeing the ball miss, both teams immediately sprang into action.
Everyone rushed towards the basket, ready to seize the ball as quickly as possible.
However, in terms of speed, Yosen was no match for Toho Kotei Gakuen.
Kuroki increased his pace, quickly sprinting into the paint and grabbing the ball first.
The moment he got the ball, he passed it to Kamimono.
At this moment, Murasakibara hadn't returned yet, making it a perfect opportunity for a dunk.
Kamimono, of course, knew this as well.
After receiving the ball, he didn't hesitate, jumping up and slamming the ball down towards Yosen's basket with one hand.
Just as the ball was about to be dunked into the hoop,
a large hand suddenly appeared and slapped the ball.
The immense force caused the ball to slip from Kamimono's grasp.
With a clang,
the ball, due to the force, struck the backboard and bounced away.
Although shocked by Murasakibara's speed in recovering, everyone's attention remained focused on the bouncing basketball.
Okamura Kenichi, seeing the ball flying towards him, smiled smugly.
Because of his height, he raised his arm, waiting for the ball to land in his hand.
However, a figure suddenly appeared mid-flight.
The figure had silver hair and silver eyes, and wore a yellow jersey.
This person was Ryu.
He leaped high, arm raised.
The instant his palm touched the basketball, his wrist suddenly twisted, using a clever force to change the ball's trajectory.
'What?'
Okamura Kenichi felt a sense of foreboding.
But he could only watch helplessly as the basketball veered off course.
The basketball flew straight towards Kugawa beyond the three-point line.
Because it was so sudden,
Himuro Tatsuya, who had just participated in trying to get the rebound, was still some distance from Kugawa and it was too late to defend.
A perfect opportunity.
Kugawa's gaze sharpened, and he caught the basketball.
Seeing this,
the hearts of everyone in Yosen sank.
Kugawa jumped immediately, aiming at Yosen's basket.
With no one guarding him, he calmly released the ball.
The basketball left his hand.
Kugawa was extremely confident in this shot.
However…
Thwack…
A crisp sound reached Kugawa's ears.
Kugawa felt his heart skip a beat, staring in disbelief at the giant before him.
'Why is this guy here?'
He stared blankly at Murasakibara.
Not just him.
The others from Toho Kotei Gakuen also watched this scene in shock.
After a few seconds of silence, a deafening cheer erupted.
"My God! What did I just see? He actually blocked that shot!"
"The Aegis-level defense is truly something else."
"That's Toho Kotei Gakuen! They haven't scored yet."
...
On the scoreboard,
the score of 0-3 seemed to be frozen.
"Half the time has passed, and Toho Kotei Gakuen hasn't scored a single goal. What is that Ryu doing?"
Kagami Taiga said with some doubt.
Hearing his words, Kuroko shook his head and analyzed,
"No, Ryu didn't hold back. He probably didn't expect Murasakibara's strength to have grown so much!"
Huh?
Kagami Taiga was a little confused.
"Grown?"
Kuroko nodded.
"That's right. Ryu's shot just now seemed calculated. He must have anticipated Murasakibara's defensive range, which is why he chose to shoot from just beyond the three-point line."
Kagami Taiga exclaimed in surprise.
"No way! Does that mean Murasakibara's defensive range covers the entire three-point area?"
Kuroko nodded.
Seeing this, Kagami Taiga gasped.
Not just him.
The rest of Seirin were also shocked.
Aida Riko agreed.
"Kuroko is right. Based on Murasakibara's performance, we could roughly calculate his defensive range. It's unbelievable, but that's the truth. I think Ryu probably didn't expect Murasakibara to successfully defend that shot!"
…
"I didn't expect Murasakibara to be so serious right from the beginning,"
Satsuki said in surprise.
In her memory, Murasakibara was the laziest person.
"He always plays casually in every game, rarely taking it seriously."
Aomine explained from the sidelines.
"That guy must have wanted to play against Ryu for a long time!"
Huh?
"Is that so?"
Satsuki blinked, looking surprised.
...
On the court,
the faces of the Toho Kotei Gakuen members were grim.
They never expected Yosen's defense to be so tight.
Especially that Murasakibara, who completely exceeded their concept of defense.
Murasakibara returned to his own basket.
His gaze was inactive, his eyes still maintaining their lazy demeanor.
He was like a mountain, firmly blocking Yosen's basket.
Seeing his actions,
Kuroki said with a grim expression,
"Is this guy going to stay under the basket and not come out?"
Kugawa also said solemnly,
"More than that, the problem is his defensive range is just too outrageous!"
Kamimono and Hanafuji also looked grave.
Ryu's gaze towards Murasakibara held a more scrutinizing quality.
Murasakibara's strength had indeed exceeded his expectations.
Compared to the original story,
the current Murasakibara is stronger.
----
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