Kuroko's Basketball template: the king of slacking off, Shohoku's strongest sixth man.

The audience erupted.

The sound was like a ladle of water being poured into boiling oil.

Kiminobu Kogure gripped the railing tightly, his knuckles turning pale from the force.

Behind his glasses, his eyes were fixed on the isolated and helpless number 7 on the field.

"incredible……"

Kogure's voice trembled, but it still managed to reach the ears of the Shohoku team members amidst the noise.

"Uozumi is eliminated, and Fukuda is crushed to death."

"Substitute center Sugahira was as fragile as paper in front of Shinichi Maki."

Logically speaking, this was a one-sided massacre.

This situation was already a dead end.

But the score remained strangely close.

"Look at their eyes."

Kogure pointed to the Ryonan bench, then to the players on the field who looked like they were about to burst out of their lungs.

The off-road vehicle was knocked around and swayed, Sugata was desperately trying to block the way but was like a praying mantis in front of a bulldozer, and even Coach Taoka, who was usually as irritable as thunder.

There was no fear, no despair.

There is only one kind of almost blind fanaticism called "believers".

That look in their eyes seemed to say: Because we have the Dao.

As long as that man is still wearing the number 7 jersey and standing on the court, Ryonan's spirit will remain.

This competition is never over!

"Is this... the ace?" Kogure murmured to himself.

On the field.

Shinichi Maki dribbled the ball forward, his purple and gold aura so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

He glanced at the inside line, and in his eyes, the trembling Sugahira was full of flaws.

"Too weak."

Mu Shenyi snorted coldly and flicked his wrist.

The basketball shot straight to the basket like a cannonball.

There, Kazuma Takasago had already positioned himself perfectly, ready to dunk as soon as he received the ball.

This is the most ruthless and psychologically damaging tactic in Hainan.

Since your wounds are inside the paint, I'll tear those wounds apart completely!

"it's over!"

Takasago reached out, a victor's grin already playing on his lips.

Just then.

A blue afterimage suddenly cut into the frame without warning.

"What?!"

Takasago's eyelid twitched.

An extra hand appeared out of nowhere between him and the basketball.

Sendoh Akira!

One second he was battling Maki Shinichi outside the three-point line, and the next second he appeared in the paint as if he had teleported.

"Get down here!!"

Immortal Dao stretched out to his limit in the air, an explosion that exhausted his last bit of physical strength.

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound, an aerial interception!

"Holy crap!!" The audience instantly went into chaos.

"It's over! Sendoh has stopped feeding Maki Shinichi!"

"What kind of divine prediction is this? Is he even human?!"

When Xian Dao landed, his knees buckled and he almost knelt down.

But he used the momentum to deflect the force forward, and without any pause, he sprinted forward.

"Quick attack!!"

His hoarse roar was like a caged beast being released from its cage; he transformed into an arrow shot from a bow, plunging straight into the heart of Hainan.

Don't pass the ball.

In Ryonan right now, no one can keep up with his train of thought, nor can anyone keep up with his speed.

With this shot, he's going to take on the entire Hainan province alone.

"Don't even think about it!!"

Behind him, a purple figure clung to him like a maggot.

Maki Shinichi's speed was terrifying; every step he took made the floor rumble, like the wrath of an emperor.

The two players, one after the other, instantly drove to the basket.

Take off.

Binary collision!

"Cover him up! Maki!!" Kiyota Nobunaga roared frantically from behind.

Maki Shinichi's massive hand blocked out all shooting angles.

Faced with absolute power, the exhausted Sendo is like a withered leaf that could be crushed at any moment.

But at the moment of physical contact.

The withered leaves turned into phantoms.

Sendoh's hand, which was about to smash the ball, was strangely withdrawn in mid-air, and a sly glint flashed in his dark blue eyes.

You've been tricked.

He forcefully curled up in mid-air, deliberately exposing the ball to Maki Shinichi's arm, and made physical contact with it.

"beep--!"

The referee whistle blows.

At the same time, as Sendoh lost his balance and fell, he gently flicked his wrist.

The basketball spun at my fingertips, tracing an absurdly high arc.

Beyond the fingertips, beyond the top edge of the backboard.

Falling vertically.

"Whoosh."

The crisp sound of the net going in was louder than thunder at that moment.

The entire venue fell silent for a second.

Then, a roar that could tear the roof off erupted!

"They...they got in?!"

"2+1! It's 2+1 again!!"

"How the hell did they get in?"

Sendoh fell and slid several meters across the floor.

His chest heaved violently as he gulped down air.

But he wore that signature, inexplicably reassuring smile on his face.

The score was 76-76.

The penalty was made without hesitation.

77: 76!

The depleted Ryonan forces have turned the tide!

"Monster...this guy is a monster..." Someone in the audience held their head, their scalp tingling.

The heat inside the stadium was almost melting people.

……

The Akagi family home, located more than ten kilometers away from the stadium, was a quiet place.

The TV was replaying the Shohoku game, and Haruko's cheeks were flushed after watching the highlights.

"Ring ring—"

The phone rang abruptly, shattering the afternoon tranquility.

"Here it comes!"

Haruko jogged over to pick up the receiver, her voice light and cheerful: "Hello, this is the Akagi family."

The voice on the other end of the phone was unfamiliar, hurried, anxious, and tinged with despair.

"Excuse me, is this Akagi Takenori's house?"

"Yes, my brother isn't home; he's abroad..."

Haruko answered politely, but a question arose in her mind.

Looking for your brother? Is it an emergency at school?

However, the next second, the words on the other end of the phone froze Haruko's smile instantly.

"What...?"

Haruko's hand jerked violently, and the receiver almost slipped from her hand.

His pupils lost focus, and his voice instantly became tearful.

"You mean... Coach Anzai, he..."

"Okay...I understand...I'll contact them now..."

After hanging up the phone, Haruko slumped against the wall, her face ashen.

Coach Anzai...

Coach Anzai, who always had a smile on his face and looked like Colonel Sanders...

problem occurs.

……

Let's switch our focus back to the stadium.

The competition has entered its final, brutal stage.

Although Sendoh's "God Ball" boosted morale.

But the gap in physical fitness cannot be bridged by willpower alone.

Just as Ryonan was celebrating, Hainan's counterattack came.

Ruthless, efficient, and unreasonable.

Maki Shinichi was not affected by Sendoh at all; instead, he calmly dismantled Ryonan's defenses.

"Defense!!"

Sendoh shouted hoarsely, but his legs felt like they were made of lead.

Shinichi Maki made a strong run with the ball, drawing a double team before delivering a bounce pass to Soichiro Jin, who was cutting to the basket.

Ah Shen catches the ball, jumps, and makes a textbook shot.

77: 78.

In just ten seconds, the situation reversed.

This is the king of Hainan; they won't give you any chance to make a mistake, not even once.

"hateful……"

"It's all my fault... If only I had been a little more steady..."

Off-road knelt on the ground and pounded the floor.

The atmosphere on the Ryonan substitute bench was so oppressive it was suffocating.

Everyone could see that the Immortal Path had reached its limit.

He's burning himself out; if he keeps fighting like this, he'll be ruined.

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound.

Fukuda Kichijou suddenly stood up and slammed the towel to the ground.

That gloomy face was now filled with determination.

He strode up to Taoka Shigeichi, his tall figure casting a shadow.

"coach."

Fukuda's voice was low, like a beast suppressing its throat.

"Let me play."