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Time passed.
The score between the two teams continued to climb.
Everyone believed that Toho Kotei Gakuen and Yosen would maintain this balance until the end of the game.
But then, an unexpected event occurred.
A dull thud echoed.
Kenichi Okamura crashed heavily to the ground.
Kamimono, gripping the rim with both hands, hung high in the air, looking down at his defeated opponent.
"What happened?" Kensuke Fukui asked, somewhat puzzled.
He hadn't had the time to pay attention to this situation because he was focused on defending against Hanafuji.
This sudden turn of events left the Yosen group momentarily stunned.
Wei Liu frowned, surprised. "Our captain actually got tackled! That's unbelievable!"
Tatsuya Himuro's expression was complicated. He knew his captain's strength very well. While not particularly adept at offense, his defense was absolutely top-tier in the high school league. Moreover, he was 200 cm tall and weighed 95 kg. Taking the captain down wouldn't be easy.
'This Kamimono is truly formidable; he shouldn't be underestimated.'
On the other side, Kamimono released his grip and landed on the ground. He reached out and touched Kenichi Okamura. "Are you alright?"
Kenichi Okamura's eyelid twitched. He felt a surge of anger, wanting to vent but unable to, which made him extremely uncomfortable.
He reached out and shook Kamimono's hand, and Kamimono helped him up.
The other members of Yosen also gathered around to inquire about his condition.
Kenichi Okamura waved his hand and said, "I'm fine."
Though he said this, his gaze was fixed on Kamimono. Okamura hadn't been able to defend against that dunk at all. And what was with that aura? It was so similar to Murasakibara's.
Murasakibara, not far away, naturally sensed something amiss. "Huh? Is that your captain? He seems a little different!" Murasakibara said casually, without any surprise in his eyes.
"Ah, yes! I see your shadow in him, very similar, right?" Ryu said bluntly.
Murasakibara didn't refute. He did indeed sense the similarity. "Just very similar, that's all."
His words were filled with arrogance and absolute confidence. The reason was very simple: he was confident he could easily defeat Kamimono—that simple and brutal.
Hearing the other's words, Ryu merely curled his lips slightly. "I believe that. To be honest, your growth rate has indeed exceeded my expectations, but it's still not enough."
With that, Ryu turned and went back to defend.
Watching his departing figure, Murasakibara remained expressionless, instead waving to his teammate to inbound.
The moment he received the ball, he muttered to himself, "Not enough? Then how about this!"
In an instant, a heavy, chilling aura emanated from Murasakibara, spreading outward.
The giant ape standing behind him seemed to have been stimulated, growing wildly, becoming even taller and more robust than before.
Its muscles were sharply defined, appearing as hard as iron, seemingly containing boundless power.
The Yosen members closest to him all felt their bodies grow heavier.
They stared in horror at Murasakibara's direction, their shock mingled with ecstatic joy.
Thump... thump... thump...
The sounds of the basketball hitting the ground rang out.
Murasakibara, carrying a torrent of power like a giant King Kong, charged towards the group from Toho Kotei Gakuen.
The members of Toho Kotei Gakuen seemed to feel the ground tremble; an inexplicable pressure was gradually approaching.
As Murasakibara's figure drew closer, a chill inexplicably crept into their hearts.
Kamimono suppressed his fear and prepared to confront Murasakibara's overwhelming force head-on.
Just then, another invisible aura swept over them. The members of Toho Kotei Gakuen, who had been intimidated by Murasakibara's aura, suddenly felt their bodies relax, becoming lighter.
Red spread, intertwining with the purple pressure in resistance. The overwhelming purple pressure seemed unable to shake the red aura; upon contact, it was as if a chemical reaction occurred, dissipating silently.
Murasakibara was blocked by Ryu before he could cross the center line.
The beast awakened.
Murasakibara seemed much stronger than before, displaying greater aggression against Ryu's defense. He turned and began a back-to-the-basket attack, attempting to push past Ryu as before.
However, Ryu didn't let him succeed. He flashed forward, quickening his pace, and circled around to Murasakibara's side to steal the ball.
Murasakibara reacted quickly, changing direction and switching hands, trying to break through the space Ryu had created.
But Ryu seemed to have anticipated this; he suddenly spun counter-clockwise, directly blocking Murasakibara's path.
The arc of the spin was large, but it looked perfectly natural. It was as if this was the proper way to defend.
Ryu was like a ravenous beast. Everyone was stunned by his movements. His movements were completely erratic, his body hunched low, as if he were moving on all fours.
This bizarre posture drew gasps from the stands. The other high school players watching the game also stared wide-eyed. They couldn't believe their eyes, wondering if they were seeing things.
"What's going on? His posture is so weird, it's like a real animal!"
"Hey! Is that really a person? Or is it a monster in human skin?"
"My god! Can you play basketball like that? How can he move so fast even with that posture?"
"Ryu..." Satsuki was also stunned by the scene before her. "What's going on?"
Aomine narrowed his eyes, his brows furrowing deeply. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "At this moment, Ryu is like a real wild beast; he's mimicking the actions of a wild beast hunting."
"Huh?" Satsuki paused for a few seconds, stunned. "Mimicking a wild beast? Why would Ryu do that?"
Aomine thought for a moment, then said, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be Ryu's talent!"
"Talent?" Satsuki still didn't understand.
Aomine explained, "Ryu's talent is different from ours. He's the most agile among us, and for some reason, his balance is also the best, making any movement incredibly easy for him. Ryu imitates wild beasts, and this actually enhances his agility, just like now."
After listening to Aomine's analysis, Satsuki refocused her gaze on Ryu on the court.
At this moment, Ryu was like a leech, clinging tightly to Murasakibara.
No matter what method Murasakibara used, he couldn't shake off Ryu's relentless pursuit of the basketball.
He could only constantly change positions, and the basketball was constantly shifting hands.
The scene looked extremely bizarre.
Incredulity flashed in Murasakibara's eyes as well. At the same time, his blood rushed to his head; he gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his arm, and charged forward.
Ryu's eyes flashed, spotting Murasakibara's exposed weakness, and he quickly made a steal.
Thud…
His palm successfully touched the basketball. However, his expression suddenly changed. The power of the basketball startled him, and he knew something was wrong.
Bang…
The basketball bounced directly off Ryu's hand. Murasakibara dribbled past him with the ball.
Such strength. Ryu was both shocked and helpless.
His strength was naturally inferior to Murasakibara's.
He hadn't expected Murasakibara to concentrate his power in his palm, using immense force to break through his steal attempt.
After breaking past Ryu, Murasakibara crossed the three-point line of Toho Kotei Gakuen.
Upon re-entering the restricted area, he encountered Kamimono's obstruction.
However, Kamimono was ultimately outmatched, failing to break through Murasakibara's defense.
Successfully entering the restricted area, Murasakibara grabbed the ball with both hands, turned, and jumped, his aura sweeping over him as he charged forward.
Clang…
A destructive hammer strike caused the rim to creak. A creaking sound suddenly rang out as the basketball hoop swayed. Accompanied by creaking and cracking sounds, the entire hoop tilted and crashed to the ground.
Boom…
A deafening sound echoed throughout the arena, silencing the noise in the stadium.
The entire arena fell into a deathly silence.
"I told you, even if the opponent is you, Yu-chin, I will crush you."
Murasakibara's words struck like a heavy thunderbolt, hitting the hearts of everyone in Toho Kotei Gakuen.
The referee, recovering from his initial shock, immediately blew the whistle hanging around his neck.
Beep…
"Due to damage to the basketball hoop, the game will be temporarily suspended."
"Is this guy even human?" Kamimono stared gravely at the fallen basketball hoop.
Kugawa said, his face pale, "Are you kidding me?! This guy's strength is insane."
"Is this the power of a center from the Generation of Miracles?" Kuroki Ryuichi muttered to himself.
Hanafuji remained silent. His eyes, hidden behind his gold-rimmed glasses, were unfathomable, lost in thought.
"Really? Am I seeing things?" Takao's eyes widened in disbelief.
Midorima adjusted his glasses, his green eyes fixed on Murasakibara. "Murasakibara..."
"Murasakibara really scared me. He's incredibly strong," Kise said, recovering from his shock.
Yukio Kasamatsu, standing beside him, said blankly, "I'm starting to seriously doubt whether you members of the Generation of Miracles are all monsters in human skin."
"Huh?" Kise's lips twitched, and he chuckled. "How could that be?"
On the court, Tatsuya Himuro wiped his sweat and said, "This is really... I was shocked."
"To be honest, I've never been so grateful that we're on the same team," Kensuke Fukui said, his voice trembling slightly.
Kenichi Okamura opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't utter a word.
Soon, both teams returned to the rest areas.
Toho Kotei Gakuen's rest area.
It was unusually quiet here. Everyone wore a bitter and resentful expression. Murasakibara's dunk had truly stunned them.
Although Ryu already knew Murasakibara could do that, witnessing it firsthand still left him quite shocked.
Anyone who plays basketball knows how sturdy the basketball hoop is. The strength to knock down the hoop was something Ryu didn't possess.
"Meow…"
Suddenly, a meow attracted his attention. Turning his head, he saw Karupin looking completely relaxed.
"You're finally out," Ryu transmitted telepathically. He no longer had the initial urge to teach Karupin a lesson.
Karupin saw the staff repairing the basketball hoop and asked in confusion, "What's going on? Is the hoop broken?"
"Yes," Ryu replied. "This opponent has surprised me a bit."
"So strong?" Karupin was somewhat astonished. It knew Ryu's strength best. It looked up at the scoreboard.
34 to 34.
"It's a tie! The opponent is quite capable!"
Ryu glanced at it and said, "He was my former teammate, you know him too."
"Oh?" Karupin was taken aback, then turned its gaze to the opposite Yosen rest area. Soon, it spotted a familiar figure: long purple hair, tall. "Isn't that Murasakibara? Oh, it's him! But with your current strength, dealing with him shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Hearing this, Ryu replied, "He's grown very quickly, his strength is much stronger than expected, but that's not the most important thing." He paused, then continued, "His power is a bit too astonishing, he's already broken through [Rin]."
"Broken through [Rin]?" Karupin was somewhat surprised.
[Rin]'s purpose is to neutralize dunks, especially against someone stronger than oneself.
Simply put, it's about redirecting force to deflect heavy impact—using skillful manipulation to disrupt the opponent's control of the basketball, thus causing it to slip from their grasp.
To break through [Rin]'s defenses, there was only one possibility: the power must reach a level that even [Rin] cannot withstand.
Thinking this, Karupin looked at Ryu and said, "You don't seem to be upset. Do you have a way to deal with this?"
Ryu took a sip of water and nodded calmly. "I guess so! I still have the [Selfless State] as a backup!"
With that, Ryu suddenly grabbed Karupin by the neck. His eyes were sharp as he stared at Karupin in his hand. "You little rascal, I haven't settled the score with you from last time!"
Karupin was startled by Ryu's sudden attack. It struggled for a moment, then stopped when it realized it was futile. It glared at Ryu and said irritably, "Let me go right now, or I'll make you compete with that smeared face on your."
Ryu narrowed his eyes, then saw Karupin's four paws suddenly open, revealing sharp claws.
Ryu's eyelids twitched, and he reluctantly tossed Karupin aside.
If it were the old him, he definitely wouldn't have let go. But now, his resentment towards Karupin wasn't as deep.
Karupin glared fiercely at Ryu, hesitated for a moment, and then retracted its claws. Knowing it was in the wrong, it let the matter drop.
Whistle...
Just then, the referee blew his whistle.
Ryu stood up abruptly and said to Karupin, "Hurry up and absorb the energy properly!"
"Do you need to tell me?" Karupin rolled its eyes at Ryu, then jumped onto a comfortable chair.
Returning to the court, Ryu was clearly different from before.
He was now like a sharp sword about to be drawn, much sharper. When the Yosen players saw him, they felt a slight stinging sensation in their eyes.
Murasakibara frowned. He sensed a strong sense of danger emanating from Ryu. Approaching Ryu, he spoke. "You seem a little different!"
Ryu's gaze was calm, a smile playing on his lips. "Ah! Otherwise, dealing with you would be quite difficult."
The words had barely left his lips when the match resumed.
Ryu and Murasakibara simultaneously took a step forward. Their eyes locked, their auras pressing down on each other.
Ryu quickly moved aside, shaking off Murasakibara and creating open space. He beckoned to Hanafuji, signaling for a pass.
Hanafuji understood, flicking the ball with his wrist. Ryu caught the ball without stopping, tossing it forward before swooping down on it like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey.
His speed was now several times faster than before.
Murasakibara had initially intended to close the distance with large strides, but his eyes widened at Ryu's speed. This move is…
He never expected Ryu could dribble like that.
Aomine in the stands was also stunned by Ryu's action. If Ryu had used this dribbling technique in their previous match, it would have taken him quite a while to catch up.
Murasakibara wasn't fast, and Ryu quickly left him behind. Without Murasakibara, Ryu moved with unimpeded ease. The rest of Yosen's players couldn't defend his offense at all.
Soon, Ryu dribbled into Yosen's paint.
Facing Kenichi Okamura's defense, Ryu switched hands mid-air and released the ball under his arm.
The basketball soared over the backboard, landed on the rim, rolled to the center, and finally fell into the hoop.
[Tightrope Walking].
The moment the ball went in, thunderous applause erupted.
This move, no matter how many times you watched it, remained unbelievable. [Tightrope Walking] had become one of Ryu's signature moves. Countless people had tried to imitate it, but no one had ever succeeded.
Kise clenched his fists at the sight. He had naturally tried to imitate Ryu's [Tightrope Walking], but for some reason, he had never succeeded.
What he didn't know was that to use this move, one had to maintain perfect agility and balance. These were Ryu's talents.
Kise's talent was copycatting. From the first time he copied other people's moves, it was already destined that he could not replicate Ryu's. Because the habit of successfully copying moves would cause his body to unconsciously break its proper parameters.
Ryu's body had been modified by Karupin. In this world, he was unique.
The basketball went in.
36 to 34.
The game changed hands.
Murasakibara was surrounded by a purple aura, his eyes seemingly devouring everything in front of him.
He dribbled the ball with long strides, step by step, towards Toho Kotei Gakuen's half of the court.
With each step he took, a series of dull thuds echoed.
Ryu reached him and, as before, began to steal the basketball from his opponent.
However, this time Murasakibara seemed unconcerned.
He forcefully dribbled forward, completely disregarding whether Ryu would steal the ball from him.
Ryu also sensed Murasakibara's intention. When his palm touched the basketball, he once again felt that irresistible force.
Ryu suddenly twisted his wrist, instantly changing the direction of his force, attempting to slap the basketball away from Murasakibara's hand.
Bang…
A clear sound rang out as Ryu's hand was once again deflected. Murasakibara dodged past Ryu.
Tch… Ryu scoffed, not attempting to pursue him.
He knew that even if he tried, he couldn't stop the opponent's powerful attack in this state.
Clang…
A deafening slam dunk echoed throughout the arena.
The score was now 36-36.
For the next few minutes, Ryu and Murasakibara engaged in a battle of pure offense, devoid of defense.
Neither could stop the other's attacks.
Ryu's agility and versatility frustrated Murasakibara, but he was helpless.
Murasakibara's strength also made things difficult for Ryu.
You score a basket, I score a basket. The game practically became a scoring duel between the two.
Clang...
48 to 48.
Murasakibara released the rim and fell back to the ground.
"I never imagined Murasakibara could fight Ryu to this extent," Satsuki said with admiration.
Aomine spoke up. "So he finally unleashed his full potential?"
"Huh? Unleashed?" Satsuki looked at Aomine with some confusion.
Aomine explained, "In previous matches, Murasakibara would subconsciously suppress his power for fear of accidentally injuring his opponents. Today, against Ryu, perhaps out of a strong desire not to lose, he completely unleashed his power."
"I see!" Satsuki murmured.
"His strength should be defense, right? But I feel like his offense is even more terrifying than his defense!" Shinji Koganei said with a hint of doubt.
Taiga Kagami nodded in agreement. "That's right, I felt the same way."
Kuroko explained, "Because of his personality, Murasakibara doesn't like to move around much. During games, he usually stays under his own basket, which gives outsiders the illusion that he's a defensive player, but that's not the case." He spoke seriously, recalling the events. "Strength is his weapon. To this day, I haven't seen anyone stronger than Murasakibara."
The Seirin players shuddered, remembering how the basket had collapsed earlier.
The game continued.
Just when everyone thought the game would continue like this, something unexpected happened.
Ryu held the ball in a dunking stance with one hand. But on the other side of the ball was Murasakibara's hand. He clamped the basketball between his two hands.
[Fire] activated.
Boom…
Suddenly, Ryu's aura became violent, more aggressive and menacing.
Murasakibara felt his hands being pressed back. This sudden power startled him; he hadn't expected Ryu to possess such strength.
His eyes flashed coldly, veins bulged on his arms, and all his strength gathered in them.
Smack…
A dull thud sounded.
The basketball in Ryu's hands was violently slapped away by Murasakibara.
Karupin in the Toho Kotei Gakuen's rest area was also stunned for a moment.
'[Fire] has been broken too?'
Looking at Murasakibara's sudden outburst, everyone gasped.
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