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In the Kaijo rest area.
Genta Takeuchi, seeing this shot, gaped, utterly dumbfounded.
Looking at the scoreboard, it was 58 to 40—a full 18-point difference.
Genta Takeuchi's entire body trembled slightly.
'Damn it, why is this Ryu so strong?'
The rest of the Kaijo team felt a chill run down their spines.
Yukio Kasamatsu felt particularly uneasy.
He didn't know what to do.
The chances of Kaijo winning this game were incredibly slim.
He glanced at Kise and sighed inwardly.
'Pass the ball…'
Just then, he suddenly heard Kise's voice.
He looked up and saw Kise making a receiving motion towards him.
He hesitated for a moment, then picked up the basketball from the ground and tossed it to his teammate.
Kise caught the basketball.
His yellow pupils burned with an invisible flame.
His aura subsided slightly, giving him an unsettling air of impending explosion.
Whoosh…
Kise's figure suddenly flashed, disappearing from Kaijo's half of the court.
So fast…
Everyone was startled by Kise's movement.
Even Aomine Daiki in the stands narrowed his eyes.
Kise's speed was unprecedented.
Everyone could vaguely see the afterimage behind him.
Ryu's pupils contracted, and he quickly blocked Kise's path.
His pair of silver eyes began to track Kise's position.
The two quickly met.
This time, Ryu lacked his previous composure.
His eyes were fixed intently on the basketball in Kise's hand.
His speed was just as fast as Kise's.
The two were like two bolts of lightning, one yellow and one silver, fiercely entangled on the court.
"He can actually keep up!" Kagami Taiga's eyes widened.
Kuroko Tetsuya explained:
"Ryu's attributes are the most balanced among the 'Generation of Miracles.' While his speed isn't as high as Aomine's, the difference isn't significant. Furthermore, Ryu has the ability to see through his opponent's weaknesses. Combining these two factors, he can naturally keep up."
Hearing this, everyone nodded in astonishment.
This was the first time Ryu had displayed his true speed in this match.
His previous [Lightning] was fast, but it felt more like a burst of instantaneous acceleration, somewhat different from his inherent speed.
Kise pressed forward relentlessly.
Ryu also blocked his path step by step.
'This guy's speed is almost catching up to Aomine's.'
Ryu was still somewhat surprised.
After all, in such a short time, Kise had gone from being completely overwhelmed to his current level of improvement.
It had to be said, Kise's talent for growth was truly astonishing.
'If it weren't for the system, you might actually be the most talented person among everyone.'
Thinking this to himself, Ryu's movements didn't stop.
Kise's speed was still unable to shake him off.
On the contrary, Kise began to feel his attacks becoming less fluid.
It felt like Ryu could always predict his next move.
At this moment...
Ryu's eyes gleamed with an invisible silver light.
[Eye of Hyotei] activated.
Under his gaze, Kise's weaknesses were laid bare.
One, three, four, six... a total of six weaknesses.
He was imitating Aomine Daiki's movements, but his imitation was incomplete, creating numerous vulnerabilities within himself.
While his speed increased, it also created more openings—a net loss.
Ryu smiled, then reached out and poked.
Thud...
The basketball in Kise's hands was precisely swatted away.
Seeing this, everyone was stunned.
"It... it broke!" Shoichi Imayoshi exclaimed in surprise.
His eyesight was sharp.
Kise's movements were remarkably similar to Aomine Daiki's.
Although there were still some differences in the details, the similarity was already about 70%.
Even in this situation, the ball was still stolen.
This was simply unbelievable.
Kagami Taiga was even more stunned.
He had played against Aomine Daiki before, so he naturally knew the opponent's dribbling style.
It was safe to say that if it were him, he would probably have a hard time defending against Kise in his current state.
But that Ryu…
Thinking of this, Kagami Taiga's heart became incredibly heavy, and at the same time, he felt an urge to fight Ryu.
On the court.
Kise was also stunned for a moment after the ball was stolen.
He really didn't expect to be stripped of the ball.
Gritting his teeth, he turned around and chased after the direction the basketball had flown.
Ryu naturally wouldn't let him succeed.
[Lightning].
Sizzle…
A silver lightning bolt flashed.
Ryu seemed to teleport, arriving at the basketball's location in the blink of an eye.
Ryu swiftly caught the basketball with a flick of his wrist.
He glanced sideways at Kise, who was still chasing after him, his face filled with shock.
He smiled, raised the basketball, and then bounced it towards Kuroki Ryuichi.
Kise paused, instinctively looking in the direction the basketball had flown.
But before the basketball even hit the ground, he felt a gust of wind brush past him.
He was startled and turned to look at Ryu's location.
Ryu was nowhere to be seen; he had vanished without a trace.
Recalling the cool breeze he had just felt, Kise looked back at the basketball, and what he saw made him want to vomit blood.
The basketball hit the ground but didn't bounce towards Kuroki Ryuichi; instead, it bounced back.
Just then, Ryu arrived just in time to catch the basketball.
Ryu was now standing in front of Kaijo's three-point line.
Ryu raised the basketball, ready to shoot.
A gust of wind came from behind.
Without stopping, Ryu quickly released the ball.
Just then, a large hand swept past the spot where the basketball had been.
Ryu didn't turn around to see who it was. It was obvious.
No one but Kise could catch up so quickly.
Ryu shot from the spot, without jumping. Then, he simply strode towards Kaijo's basket.
Kise, seeing this, already knew what Ryu was up to, and a bad premonition rose in his heart.
However, he was still airborne and unable to catch up.
See the basketball flying towards the rim, Hiroshi Kobori immediately positioned himself to grab the rebound.
Clang…
Sure enough, the basketball hit the rim and bounced off.
Hiroshi Kobori roared and jumped with all his might, successfully grabbing the ball.
He was overjoyed; he had finally gotten the ball.
But soon, he felt a chill behind him, followed by a large hand reaching out from behind his head.
His pupils contracted, his heart pounded, and his entire body tensed.
The large hand touched the basketball, and then he felt his hands suddenly slip; his control over the ball inexplicably vanished.
Oh no… Hiroshi Kobori's heart sank.
Kise, behind him, saw it all clearly.
Ryu leaped behind Hiroshi Kobori and snatched the basketball from his hands.
Ryu pulled the ball downwards and to the right with one hand, then traced a semi-circle upwards.
The basketball soared high into the air once more, then landed on the edge of the backboard as before, finally rolling to the center and falling into the basket.
60 to 40.
Toho Kotei Gakuen finally led Kaijo by 20 points.
Seeing the score on the scoreboard, Genta Takeuchi closed his eyes.
Kaijo had no chance.
The rest of Kaijo's players looked utterly defeated.
Especially Kasamatsu Yukio. His body trembled slightly, but he could only force himself to stand firm.
'Damn it... why, why can't I get past him?' Kise stood there, fists clenched, his heart filled with resentment.
This gave him a sense of powerlessness, just like facing Aomine Daiki.
Back in middle school, he had heard that Ryu was the strongest player at Teiko.
At first, he was somewhat skeptical. Although he had seen Ryu's matches and knew he was indeed very strong, in his heart, Aomine Daiki still ranked higher.
However, after actually facing Ryu, he deeply felt his own powerlessness.
Ryu was truly strong—stronger than he had ever imagined.
He took a deep breath.
When Kise looked up again, Ryu saw that there was no longer any resentment in his eyes, only relief.
He smiled slightly at Ryu.
'Seriously, what am I doing! Losing is losing, there's nothing to complain about. Ryu is really strong! It seems that to beat him, I'll have to wait for next time, but I won't give up so easily.'
He turned to look at his captain.
'Kasamatsu-senpai.'
Hearing someone call his name, Kasamatsu Yukio looked up.
He saw Kise facing him, gesturing for the ball.
He saw a calm confidence in Kise's eyes.
The Kise he knew seemed different. The current Kise possessed a more refined air.
It was a kind of transcendence.
He picked up the basketball and passed it to Kise.
This time, Kise caught the ball and paused for a moment. Then, he vanished in a blur.
Everyone's pupils constricted, staring in disbelief at the scene.
What happened?
"His speed has increased again!" Kagami Taiga exclaimed.
On the other side...
Momoi Satsuki's eyes widened in disbelief.
'Oh my god! Kise...'
Aomine Daiki, standing nearby, smiled.
'That's more like it. This is getting more and more interesting.'
Shutoku spectator area.
Ignoring Takao Kazunari, who was completely dumbfounded, Shintaro Midorima's green eyes behind his glasses were fixed on Kise, as if he had guessed something.
Therefore, he was now incredulous.
Murasakibara Atsushi also let out a sound of surprise, his gaze fixed on Kise, as if trying to confirm something.
On the court.
Kise swiftly crossed the half-court and arrived in front of Ryu.
Ryu's eyes swept over him, searching for his opponent's weakness.
Having identified the weakness, Ryu began to sidestep and defend.
But suddenly, the weakness on Kise vanished abruptly.
Ryu's eyes flickered.
Immediately after, Kise swiftly broke past Ryu.
He broke through?
Everyone watched this scene intently. Some were expectant, others praying.
The hearts of the Kaijo members were in their throats, all looking towards Kise with dazzling anticipation in their eyes.
However, a figure quickly blocked Kise's path. It was none other than Ryu.
Ryu didn't use [Lightning], just normal acceleration. His speed was already quite good.
If it were Aomine Daiki, he might not have been able to catch up.
However, Kise wasn't Aomine Daiki after all; even his imitation wasn't perfect.
Seeing Ryu reappear, Kise paused, suddenly took a step back, then raised the basketball and shot it towards Toho Kotei Gakuen's basket.
Seeing this, Ryu's eyes widened, a guess forming in his mind.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the basketball soared high into the sky, tracing a wide arc.
Seeing this, the people of Shutoku and Seirin gasped in surprise.
They were all too familiar with it. Especially the members of Shutoku.
Because that was none other than Shintaro Midorima's three-pointer.
'Just as I thought…' Shintaro Midorima adjusted his glasses, a serious look appearing in his eyes.
Kagami Taiga was completely taken aback.
'Hey, hey, hey! This is a bit too much! That should be Midorima's three-pointer! He even imitated it.'
Aida Riko shook her head, explaining:
'No, not quite. Although it's very similar, it's still quite different from the original.'
On the court, the basketball reached its highest point, then plummeted downwards.
The basketball, like an orange shooting star, trailed a faint afterimage as it hurtled towards Toho Kotei Gakuen's basket.
To everyone's astonishment, the basketball swished precisely into the hoop.
Swish…
60 to 43.
Hope. Kaijo's hope had arrived.
The Kaijo players jumped up excitedly, then surrounded Kise, congratulating him enthusiastically.
Kasamatsu Yukio approached him and nodded.
"Well done, Kise."
Kise smiled as well.
"Kasamatsu-senpai, now hand the ball over to me!"
"Okay, leave the rest to us. Let's catch up and teach them a lesson."
After listening to Kasamatsu Yukio's words, Kise nodded.
"Yes..."
"It seems things won't be so simple from here on out!" Ryu looked at Kise, a slight smile curving his lips.
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