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Inside the stadium, the atmosphere was electric.
Staff had already begun pre-game preparations.
Spectators chatted excitedly.
The teams from Toho Kotei Gakuen and Rakuzan High School were preparing for the game in their respective rest areas.
Soon, the players from both sides took to the court and began their warm-ups.
Both sides focused on their own tasks, neither disturbing the other nor deliberately provoking them.
The only sound on the court was the thud of basketballs hitting the ground.
Both Toho Kotei Gakuen and Rakuzan High School...
Their performance astonished everyone in the stadium.
It was too quiet.
Usually, the two teams would exchange trash talk or cheer each other on before a game.
But this time, the two teams on the sidelines seemed to completely ignore each other, simply warming up in their own half of the court.
In the stands...
"Ah, this is... it's so strange, did you guys notice anything?"
Kagami said, looking at the two teams warming up below.
"You noticed it too? It definitely feels a bit odd."
Koganei Shinji chimed in.
"The atmosphere is strange, but it's just a normal warm-up, nothing unusual!"
"Where are you looking?! It's not normal at all, it's really weird!"
Izuki Shun interjected.
"You noticed it too?"
Hearing Aida Riko's words, Izuki Shun nodded.
"Yeah, I noticed something."
"What are you two talking about?"
Hyuga Junpei's head was spinning; he had no idea what the two were saying.
Aida Riko explained, frowning.
"Look at Rakuzan's number 4. Number 4 means he's the captain, and he's only a freshman. Even if he's the captain of the Generation of Miracles, with impressive achievements and experience, it's still a bit of an exaggeration. Rakuzan isn't your average basketball powerhouse, yet you don't see any dissatisfaction on anyone's face."
"And then there's Hayama Kotaro, Mibuchi Reo, and Nebuya Eikichi. Those three are all Uncrowned Generals, they should have some self-respect, but now it seems they've accepted it. There's only one possibility for this."
Kiyoshi Teppei analyzed.
"Is it about skill?"
Kagami murmured.
"Oh! muro-chin, is that for me?"
Murasakibara asked, looking at the box of chocolate bars in Himuro Tatsuya's hand.
Himuro Tatsuya smiled slightly.
"Yeah! Seeing how listless you are, that's why I thought of this."
"Ah... I want to eat..."
Murasakibara grabbed the box of chocolate bars and immediately started eating.
Crunch... Crunch...
As he was eating, he heard Himuro Tatsuya say.
"Hey, I have a question for you! Atsushi, is that number 4 from Rakuzan really that strong?"
He had just heard the Seirin group's analysis and had become interested in Akashi, the first-year team captain.
"Oh, you mean Akashi! He's really strong!"
Hearing Murasakibara say this, Himuro Tatsuya asked curiously.
"How does he compare to Ryu?"
Crunch... Crunch...
Murasakibara swallowed the food in his mouth, thought for a moment, and then said.
"I don't know. No matter who it is, I can't believe they'd lose."
Himuro Tatsuya was quite surprised by this answer.
"Is that so?"
On the court.
Both teams had almost finished warming up.
The referee blew the whistle hanging around his neck.
Both teams gathered in the center of the court, waiting for the match to begin.
As Ryu and Akashi brushed past each other, they stopped back to back.
"It's been a long time, Ryu."
Akashi's words were flat, devoid of any emotion, showing no sign of familiarity.
"Yeah! We've finally met! You really did choose that path back then."
"For victory, it was all worth it. I led the team to a three-peat, that's proof enough."
Hearing Akashi's self-righteous, late-stage chuunibyou theory, Ryu didn't even want to comment anymore.
He said with a faint sarcasm.
"I can only say it was a foolish decision. A three-peat... it's laughable. I watched the final match, and I didn't see any joy from you guys after achieving a three-peat."
Hearing Ryu's sarcastic remark, Akashi remained calm, his tone unchanged.
"That kind of thing is unnecessary. Only victory matters. As your former teammate and friend, you should know that."
Ryu didn't turn around, a mocking look in his eyes.
"Teammate? Friend? Heh..."
He couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Hearing the laughter, Akashi was somewhat confused.
After the laughter subsided, Ryu continued.
"I think you've misunderstood something. I don't consider you a teammate or friend. My teammate and friend is Seijuro, not you, Akashi."
Silence...
Although Ryu's voice wasn't loud, everyone from Toho Kotei Gakuen and Rakuzan heard it clearly.
Neither side disturbed the two.
Judging from their conversation, the two seemed to have some kind of conflict, and quite a significant one at that.
Their voices were clearly calm, but for some reason, everyone felt a strange chill run down their spines.
Not far away.
Hayama Kotaro tiptoed to Mibuchi Reo's side and whispered...
"Ugh, Reo-nee, are they going to start fighting? Should we go help them?"
Hearing his words, Mibuchi Reo involuntarily pictured Akashi and Ryu exchanging blows in his mind.
He shook his head vigorously, trying to banish the image from his mind.
Seriously, what am I thinking?
He rolled his eyes at Hayama Kotaro and said irritably.
"What are you thinking! How could they possibly fight? I think they're just old friends meeting up, catching up normally."
"Old friends... catching up..."
Hayama Kotaro blinked and turned to look at Akashi and Ryu.
Feeling the palpable tension in the air, his eyelids twitched.
This doesn't sound like a reunion between old friends at all.
Back to Ryu.
Akashi was taken aback by Ryu's words, then his expression darkened, and his tone became colder.
"Is that so? In that case, I'll show you the consequences of uttering those words. No one can defy me, not even you. I am the absolute authority."
"Hmph..."
Ryu replied with a hint of coldness.
"Defy me? Don't be so arrogant. You're just a half-baked idiot born from an accident. I'll bring you back to your original form and send you to where you truly belong."
Zzzzt...
Suddenly, a crimson lightning bolt flashed across the sky.
A chilling aura filled the entire area.
The people from Toho Kotei Gakuen and Rakuzan felt a jolt, followed by layers of cold sweat soaking their backs.
"Ryu..."
A hoarse voice, filled with suppressed extreme anger, came from Akashi's lips in a low voice.
He turned his head, his expression unchanged, but his eyes held a ferocious glint as he stared intently at Ryu.
It was clear to everyone.
Akashi was furious, incredibly furious.
Everyone stared at Akashi in shock.
Especially the members of Toho Kotei Gakuen.
Aside from Ryu, Kamimono, Kugawa, Kuroki, and Hanafuji all looked at Akashi with astonishment.
They never imagined that Akashi, who appeared frail, short, and thin, could unleash such a terrifying aura.
Moreover, this aura was one of the most domineering they had ever seen, almost on par with Ryu's.
"This joke has gone too far."
Kamimono said with a grave expression.
"Am I mistaken? How could this be?"
Kugawa also looked incredulous.
Hanafuji frowned.
"It seems this match won't be as easy as before. The other members of the opposing team are about as strong as us; this should be the strongest opponent we've ever faced."
The Rakuzan group opposite them were also stunned by Akashi's aura.
Some of them only knew that Akashi was very powerful and greatly admired his strength.
Hayama Kotaro, Mibuchi Reo, and Nebuya Eikichi were even more aware of Akashi's true strength.
No, they probably didn't know now.
They had only seen Akashi enter the Zone.
Back then, Akashi was like a god, leaving them in awe.
But now, Akashi's presence was even more awe-inspiring than that time.
In the audience.
The former Teiko members all stared at Akashi below in astonishment.
Satsuki covered her mouth, her eyes filled with shock.
Aomine, Murasakibara, Midorima, Kise's , They were completely taken aback by Akashi's sudden outburst, which left them momentarily stunned.
It felt like when Ryu entered the limit of the Selfless Realm — Seamless Perfection.
On Seirin's side:
Everyone looked utterly astonished.
The two with the worst expressions were Kagami and Kuroko.
Kuroko was alright.
Due to the manipulation of his gaze, his face didn't show many complex emotions.
But Kagami was different.
His expression changed repeatedly, a complex mix of colors that even a liver couldn't fully describe.
"So this is Akashi Seijuro, the captain of the Generation of Miracles?"
His hands were clenched so tightly they almost bled.
"Ryu, Akashi, one day, I will defeat you both."
Kagami's passion for basketball had surpassed his jealousy of Ryu and Akashi's talent.
It took a long time for his emotions to calm down and return to normal.
On the court.
Only Ryu seemed unaffected by Akashi's aura.
However, the aura Akashi had just emitted still caused a hint of shock to appear on his face.
He knew Akashi's strength might have increased, especially compared to the original story.
But he never expected Akashi's strength to have increased so much, even more exaggeratedly than Murasakibara's.
What's going on? Even if Akashi entered the Zone, he couldn't possibly have this kind of aura.
Ryu finally turned around to look at Akashi.
Seeing the electric snakes in Akashi's eyes, he thought to himself.
Could he have pushed open that door? Impossible. He couldn't have pushed open the second door of the Zone on his own. So there's only one explanation.
Ryu regained his composure, his silver eyes fixed unwaveringly on Akashi.
Their eyes met.
For a fleeting moment, two bolts of lightning seemed to intertwine in the air, neither giving way.
The surrounding air instantly plummeted to freezing.
The other members of both teams trembled, their mouths tightly shut, afraid to utter a sound lest they be affected.
After a long while, the crimson lightning in Akashi's eyes subsided.
The tension and killing intent in the air gradually dissipated.
The two returned to their positions, as if nothing had happened.
Seeing this, the others also took their places, awaiting the start of the match.
As if stunned by the atmosphere, the referee finally came to his senses.
He wiped away a cold sweat and went to the center of the court.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the referee blew the whistle to start the final of this competition.
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