"Even his 'no-rules shot' can't break through Akashi's defense?"
Satsuki Momoi furrowed her brows tightly, biting down on her pen so hard it was almost destroyed.
Though she had already tried to overestimate Akashi Asuka's strength based on his past performances and his tendency to hide his power in middle school, seeing him fully unleash his abilities still far exceeded her imagination.
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"Aomine's 'no-rules shot' isn't something that can be stopped by prediction alone. Even while moving at high speed, he can adjust the direction and angle of the shot at any moment, that's the true essence of the 'no-rules shot.'"
"So, to successfully defend against Aomine, anticipation is only part of it. The key lies in reflexes and defensive skill that match Aomine's offensive ability."
Aida Riko spoke with a similarly serious expression.
"I guessed right. In the match against Seirin, Akashi didn't show his full offensive power, nor even his full defensive capabilities."
On the court, the duel between Aomine and Akashi intensified. At first, Aomine had been slightly outmatched, but as he gained momentum, the two reached an even 50-50 standing.
Clearly, Aomine wasn't just slow to start. Under pressure from a strong opponent, his hands warmed up with frightening speed, like a monster.
For spectators, witnessing such a match firsthand was an incredible stroke of luck.
But thinking about the possibility of facing one of these players, including Seirin, in the future, Momoi could no longer smile.
Swoosh!
Akashi's defense pushed Aomine into a corner, leaving no angle for a normal shot. Most players would have passed the ball.
But "pass" was never in Aomine's dictionary.
Facing Akashi's airtight defense, Aomine executed a sudden backward leap, jumping out of bounds and releasing the ball from behind the hoop.
With a subtle swish, the basketball landed perfectly in the net.
69:30.
"Whoa~~"
"The gap's finally closing."
"Only 39 points behind! Maybe there's still hope!"
The cheers came from Tōō Academy's bench, at this moment, only Tōō Academy still believed the game could be salvaged.
It wasn't blind optimism; they knew Aomine's scoring ability. Even in his lowest-scoring games, he generally put up over 60 points per match, unless he hadn't played the full game.
However, the starting players on the court, like Shoichi Imayoshi, couldn't rejoice over this small reduction in the gap.
It wasn't for any other reason, it was the time.
A quarter lasts ten minutes, and Aomine had already spent nearly six minutes to close just four points.
"This is bad! Even Aomine's offense is this tough?"
At this point, Aomine had clearly returned to his peak form. Yet even in this state, breaking through Akashi's defense succeeded only half the time, and even those successful attempts were executed from near-impossible angles.
At normal attack positions, even his 'no-rules shot' would struggle to bypass Akashi.
"Damn! With this kind of power, he even had to schematically calculate before the match? Too cautious!"
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Seiho launched an offense.
Kasuga Ryuhei slowly crossed midcourt, while Akashi anticipated beneath the basket.
Since his three-point attempt had been stolen by Aomine earlier, Akashi had avoided perimeter attacks, shifting to the basket where his physical abilities shone. After all, though he'd played shooting guard in his previous life, this body's potential was better expressed under the hoop.
Tōō Academy's center, Kousuke Wakamatsu, scowled, finally feeling the despair that Ryo Sakurai had experienced in the first half.
Previously, contending under the basket with Tsutomu Iwamura had been tough but at least somewhat balanced.
But with Akashi under the hoop? He hadn't secured a single rebound. Not one.
Kasuga dribbled to the perimeter, flicked the ball to Tsugawa, who faced off against Sakurai. Receiving the ball, Tsugawa didn't hesitate and shot immediately.
"Again with this… his movement has nothing to do with shooting!"
Though Sakurai defended in time, he was a step late.
Tsugawa's release was even faster than Sakurai's. He didn't even need to aim, whether the shot went in or not, it was a perfect pass to Akashi.
No one in Seiho doubted Akashi's rebounding, just as Shutoku didn't doubt Midorima's threes, or Tōō Academy didn't doubt Aomine's scoring ability.
The moment Tsugawa released the ball, Wakamatsu, Sakurai, and Aomine simultaneously rushed to position themselves under the basket.
Even with full coverage, Akashi easily used his immense strength to push all three aside and secure prime rebounding position like a mountain crashing to the ground.
"Damn, I never realized before, his strength is far more terrifying than his build suggests!"
Wakamatsu squeezed next to Akashi. From the outside, Akashi didn't appear particularly strong, but up close, his muscles were almost unnaturally tough.
The ball floated above the hoop.
Akashi's eyes locked on the flying ball. A sudden movement in his gaze suggested he'd noticed something.
Aomine, nearby, reacted even faster, decisive and precise. Before Akashi moved, Aomine had already repositioned.
Meanwhile, Wakamatsu, knowing he couldn't win in height or positioning, jumped early to seize initiative.
"Rebound… I got it…"
Swoosh!
Before Wakamatsu finished, the ball flew into the net.
In an instant, Wakamatsu froze midair, his expression like a clown caught in shock.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria