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

44: 30.

Shohoku is still leading by 14 points.

As Lin Bei slumped back onto the bench, the air that had been sucked out of the stadium finally returned.

The audience clutched their chests, regaining their breathing rhythm.

"Phew...that monster finally went down."

On the Ryonan bench, Hiroaki Koshino looked like he had just returned from a near-death experience, wiping away a cold sweat.

"If he had played for a few more minutes, I think Captain Uozumi would have applied for retirement on the spot."

Taoka Shigeichi crossed his arms, his face was ashen, but his tense shoulders visibly relaxed.

In any case, Lin Bei, that bug, is gone.

"The opportunity has arrived!"

Taoka Shigeichi clenched his fist and roared at the crowd, spittle flying everywhere:

"Akagi is injured! That's his Achilles' heel!"

"Attack the paint! Let's win back all the points we've lost!"

In the Shohoku camp, Hanagata Toru pushed up his glasses, his brows furrowed:

"Is Coach Anzai getting senile?"

"Lin Bei clearly dominated Yu Zhu, so why switch to the injured Akagi?"

"Wouldn't it be better to strike while the iron is hot and crush Ryonan in one fell swoop?"

In his view, this was simply releasing a tiger back into the mountains, a pure handicap.

Kenji Fujima sat in the front row, his chestnut hair swaying slightly, his gaze deep.

"No, Hana-gata, your vision is too narrow."

Fujima looked at Lin Bei, who was already resting with his eyes closed on the bench, and gave a wry smile:

"Lin Bei is Xiangbei's sharpest spear, but he is too strong, so strong that he is like an 'outlier' who fell from the sky."

"But Takenori Akagi is different; he is the soul of Shohoku."

"Only when he stands firm can Shohoku be a cohesive unit."

At this point, Fujima's eyes narrowed:

"Furthermore, what if Akagi deserts at this point..."

"Then Xiangbei's backbone is broken."

……

On the field, the whistle blew, and the game restarted.

Takenori Akagi stood under the basket, the floor as hard as an iron plate.

Cold sweat trickled down his temples, shattering before it even hit the ground.

"Akagi!!"

Jun Uozumi's roar exploded in my ears like thunder.

Having been reborn, Uozumi is now like an enraged bull.

He exuded a fierce aura, as if he wanted to repay the humiliation he had just suffered tenfold.

The fish turned its back to take the hit, its massive body slamming backward.

"Bang!"

The dull thud of muscles colliding is enough to make your teeth ache.

Akagi grunted and subconsciously took a half-step back to reduce the force.

That half step was fatal.

Uozumi seized the opportunity, turned around, jumped, and slammed the ball down with both hands!

"boom--!"

The basketball hoop groaned in despair.

44: 32.

Ryonan's previously stagnant morale was instantly reignited by this powerful dunk.

"Good shot! Captain!"

"Strike while the iron is hot!"

The shift from offense to defense.

Ryota Miyagi dribbles the ball forward.

Seeing Akagi in position inside, he flicked his wrist and passed the ball to him.

Akagi received the ball and was about to force a shot when the doctor's words suddenly popped into his head: "If you get injured again, your basketball career will be over."

These words acted like a tight band around his neck, causing him to freeze for a moment.

In that moment of hesitation, a long arm shot out like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

"Snapped!"

Sendoh Akira!

This kid abandoned Rukawa Kaede at some point.

He cut into the paint like a ghost and snatched the ball from Akagi's hands.

"Quick attack! Run!"

Sendoh intercepted the ball without pausing for a moment.

With a flick of the wrist, the basketball traced a straight arc through the air.

Fukuda Kichijou, like a cheetah smelling blood, charged ahead.

He caught the ball, made a layup, and it was a smooth, effortless motion.

Swish.

44: 34.

The point difference instantly shrank to 10 points.

"What the hell?"

Are you sleepwalking?

"You can steal that ball? You're Akagi, for goodness' sake!"

Aota Tatsuhiko, standing in the stands, angrily slammed his fist on the railing.

They looked like they wanted to jump down and fight it themselves.

"Akagi's foot... he's afraid, he doesn't dare to exert any force."

Kiminobu Kogure gripped the towel so tightly that his fingernails dug into his flesh.

The next few minutes became a nightmare for Shohoku.

Takenori Akagi, once a pillar of strength, has now become the biggest defensive leak.

They dare not jump on defense, and dare not box out on offense.

The fish lived on his head, taking whatever they wanted, as if they were playing a practice match.

Sendoh Akira, on the other hand, was as precise as a scalpel, repeatedly cutting through the defense and sending the ball into Akagi's most vulnerable corner.

"Whoosh!" Sendoh stopped abruptly and jumped to shoot, delivering a fatal blow to the opponent's spirit.

"Boom!" Uozumi scored on a second-chance putback.

The scoreboard was jumping wildly.

46: 40.

In the blink of an eye, their huge 14-point lead was reduced to just 6 points.

The entire stadium erupted in cheers, with the Ryonan cheering squad banging drums and gongs, making it seem as if they had already won the game.

On the other hand, the atmosphere at Shohoku was so oppressive that it felt like a funeral.

"beep--!"

Dead ball.

Akagi Takenori stood near the free-throw line, his lungs gurgling like a broken bellows.

Sweat blurred my vision, making the world appear indistinct.

He looked at Uozumi, who was high-fiving Sendoh across the table in celebration, and then turned to look at the bench.

There, Lin Bei was tilting his head, seemingly lost in thought.

The image of Lin Bei effortlessly destroying enemy ships and fortresses with a mere laugh replayed wildly in Akagi's mind like a slideshow.

The imposing presence of gripping the board with one hand.

The composure of absolute sealing.

In comparison, I now look as pathetic as a clown.

"What...what am I doing...?"

Akagi clenched his fist, his nails piercing his palm.

"I'm the captain... but I don't even have the courage to jump up now."

"Am I really not even as good as that brat who just wants to lie around all day?"

Self-doubt grew wildly like poisonous weeds, tightly binding his heart and suffocating him.

He stood there, stunned, his eyes unfocused, the surrounding noise seeming to transform into countless mocking faces.

Just as Akagi's Dao Heart was about to shatter.

A red figure, with an arrogant and domineering gait, swaggered into view.

Sakuragi Hanamichi.

This guy somehow wandered back from the frontcourt.

He looked extremely unhappy, as if the whole world owed him money.

All eyes in the room instantly became focused.

On the Shohoku bench, Coach Anzai's glasses flashed.

Lin Bei's lips curled into a smile of anticipation: "Oh ho, the iconic scene is about to begin."

"I have a... bad feeling."

Takamiya Nozomi, standing in the stands, stuffed a handful of potato chips into her mouth and raised an eyebrow.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Sakuragi Hanamichi walked up to Akagi and stopped.

The two are of similar height.

But at this moment, Akagi was looking down and questioning his life, and his aura was actually overshadowed by Sakuragi.

Sakuragi tilted his head and stared at Akagi's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, for two seconds.

then.

For everyone.

Under the stunned gazes of Ryonan's Uozumi and Sendoh, as well as thousands of spectators who were so shocked they dropped their jaws to the ground.

Sakuragi Hanamichi gripped Akagi's shoulders with both hands like iron clamps.

Lean back.

Gathering strength.

That head of red hair left a trail of afterimages in the air like flames.

"Bang!!!"

A muffled thud that sent chills down your spine traveled through the floor and clearly penetrated everyone's eardrums.

Headbutt!

Solid and unpretentious.

A headbutt that was even driven by a personal grudge!