This was troublesome.
Araki Masako stared into Tendou's eyes, bitterness welling up inside her—but there was nothing she could say aloud.
Tendou hadn't just neutralized Himuro Tatsuya's offense. He had nearly rendered all of Yōsen's offensive schemes useless.
Her carefully constructed tactics were completely exposed under his gaze.
Nowhere to hide.
Score: 6–0.
Kirisaki Daiichi had opened the game with three straight fast-break scores at a 100% shooting rate—making Yōsen's so-called "absolute defense" look like a joke.
At this point, the person under the most pressure was Fukui Kensuke.
As the point guard—the team's commander—his job was simple: just get the ball into the paint.
But somehow, even that had become impossible.
Once again, he was being hounded by Hanamiya and Tendou to the point he could barely make a pass.
At the crucial moment, Murasakibara stepped up.
Unexpectedly, he moved out from the paint to the perimeter and calmly received the ball.
Then, under the wide-eyed gaze of the entire arena, he charged in from beyond the arc—like a runaway bulldozer.
Boom!
With his freakishly long legs, he covered ground in just a few strides—faster than some actual guards.
In fact, he was faster than some proper guards, making him capable of keeping up with even Tendou.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa—no one told me he could do this!"
Seto Kentaro gritted his teeth and stepped in to stop him—but it was like trying to block a freight train with a twig.
Boom—!
The moment their bodies collided, Seto was launched into the air.
All of his supposed 160 IQ was useless in that instant.
"Even you, Tendou—don't think you can stop me!"
CRASH—!
The rim shook violently as Murasakibara powered forward from just inside the free-throw line, leapt, and slammed the ball into the hoop with brute force.
Yōsen finally broke their scoring drought.
It had taken Murasakibara—a center—to grab the ball at the perimeter, bulldoze past defenders, and finish with a dunk.
"…You've gotta be kidding me."
The Seirin bench was left stunned.
A player of that size executing such a play was utterly absurd.
Even their own center, Kiyoshi Teppei—standing 193cm and weighing 81kg—known as one of the most technically gifted centers in the country, couldn't do something like that.
Was he even a center? He looked more like a forward!
Joel Embiid voice: "This is how basketball should be played!"
"You guys at Teikō… so this is how you used to play?"
Kasamatsu Yukio muttered, his tone distant and slightly bitter.
He'd gone through enough losses to grow incredibly resilient—but even he couldn't help feeling shaken.
"…Yeah, I've seen this before," Kise Ryota scratched his head.
He remembered that game vividly—Murasakibara had dropped over 40 points and completely reversed the tide.
He'd been like a furious beast, rampaging through the paint, destroying everything in his path with dunk after dunk.
"Little Murasaki doesn't follow logic. His athleticism is the best among all of us."
Kise smiled awkwardly.
The coach always said that in terms of raw talent, Murasakibara was the most gifted of the Generation of Miracles.
If you were talking mimicry or learning ability, Kise was the best.
But in terms of natural gifts, Murasakibara was the brightest star among them.
His height, his absurd physical proportions, and his outlandishly agile movement for a big man made him a walking cheat code—someone who could dominate opponents with the most basic plays.
...
"You're really fired up. I like that."
Tendou met Murasakibara's gaze and smiled calmly, composed as ever.
"But Atsushi, you'd better keep that fighting spirit until the very end."
That calm expression reassured the rest of Kirisaki Daiichi, snapping them out of their momentary shock.
Right—if we're talking monsters, whose team has one more unreasonable than ours?
6–2.
Seeing that her team could finally score, Araki Masako decided against calling a timeout.
Transition play.
Tendou received the inbound from Seto and brought the ball up himself.
Now it was time for half-court basketball.
He scanned the court ahead—what he saw wasn't just formations, but moving futures.
Each time he shifted his body, the potential outcomes around him changed.
Tap.
He dribbled to the top of the arc.
Standing in front of him wasn't Himuro or Fukui…
It was Murasakibara.
"A center guarding a small forward?"
"A mismatch opportunity like this… are they seriously handing it to Kirisaki Daiichi on a silver platter?"
In the stands, plenty of fans knew their basketball.
Letting a guy like Tendou—who could slice through defenses like paper—go one-on-one against a center?
Was Yōsen asking to get burned?
"They're not that stupid," murmured someone from Shūtoku as their gaze turned toward Midorima.
"Murasakibara's defensive range covers the entire area inside the three-point line," Midorima said calmly.
If Kagami was his worst matchup due to speed and explosiveness,
Then Murasakibara was his worst matchup—simply because his range exceeded Midorima's shooting radius.
"But not everyone has that kind of range," Midorima added. "To a player like Tendou, Murasakibara's defensive range is practically a nightmare."
The anime team even kindly illustrated it.
They drew a circle centered on Murasakibara that nearly covered half the court.
...
"However…"
Snap!
Before anyone could react, the ball sliced through the seams of defenders.
Without either Okamura Kenichi or Liu Wei even realizing what happened, the ball had already landed in Seto's hands under the rim.
He spun and laid it in before anyone could contest.
...
"Once Murasakibara leaves the paint to defend Tendou, a hole opens up inside," Imayoshi Shouichi muttered.
"That kind of monster-level passing… if you're not part of the Generation of Miracles, you can't stop it."
The best defensive team in the country had no way to stop the offense.
And the reason?
Tendou's eyes.
And his passing.
"He predicts the entire court's future."
"These are passes only the Generation of Miracles can even see."
"It's like he's… invincible."
Imayoshi had always believed Aomine was the strongest.
But now?
He was starting to think Kirisaki Daiichi's captain might actually be the true strongest.
...
"But at least we can still score."
Araki Masako clenched her teeth.
Until they could find a way to counter Kirisaki's offense, their only hope was to rely on Murasakibara to keep up.
Thud—
Murasakibara received the ball and began his approach.
No fancy dribbling. Just brute strength.
Seto Kentaro groaned as he was driven back by a body blow that made his chest sting.
How do you stop a human tank?
He tried to play dirty, but the moment he got close, he was sent flying back like a ragdoll.
"You can't stop someone like him…"
Three steps.
That's how far Seto was pushed.
Everyone thought Murasakibara would bulldoze the path again and finish with another thunderous dunk.
...
"Total Focus!"
Tendou took a deep breath.
Like a Demon Slayer using their breathing technique, he appeared in front of Murasakibara to cut him off.
BOOM!
The two collided instantly.
Their speeds were too high—like two racecars crashing into each other at full throttle.
The impact stunned the entire arena.
It felt like the court itself shook.
And more shocking than anything—
Tendou held his ground.
...
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