"My defensive strategy…"
"It's completely collapsed…"
Moichi Taoka felt as if his entire worldview had shattered into pieces.
This wasn't high school basketball anymore.
This was a dimensionality reduction attack—pure domination.
[Mission Progress: 3 / 3]
[Mission Complete!]
[Reward: Stamina Potion (Medium), Skill Point ×1 — Granted]
"Whew…"
Makino Juro landed and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Finally done."
"I'm exhausted."
He glanced at the scoreboard, then at the game clock.
Eight minutes remained.
"Master! Master!"
Just then, a red blur rushed toward him.
Hanamichi Sakuragi was drenched in sweat, but his eyes shone with the excitement of a husky spotting a bone.
"That move just now was amazing!"
"I want to learn it too! Teach me! Teach me!"
"I want to scare that old man so badly he wets his pants!"
Makino Juro looked at Sakuragi and suddenly had an idea.
Since the mission was already completed, the remaining time…
He might as well let this monkey run wild.
After all, he was already too tired to keep running.
"Sakuragi."
Makino Juro patted his shoulder earnestly.
"It's still too early for you to learn that move."
"But right now, I have an even more powerful finishing move."
"One that only you can perform."
"Really?!" Sakuragi's eyes sparkled.
"Of course."
Makino Juro pointed above the rim.
"In a moment, I'll throw the ball into the air."
"No matter how high it goes."
"No matter how far off it looks."
"All you have to do is jump up… and smash it into the basket."
"This move is called…"
"The Genius Descends."
"The… Genius Descends!"
Sakuragi murmured the name, then burst into loud laughter.
"WAHAHAHAHA! What a great name!"
"It suits this genius perfectly!"
"Leave it to me, Master! I'll fly higher than anyone!"
The Game Resumes
Ryonan's attack failed.
Takenori Akagi grabbed the rebound and passed it to Makino Juro.
Makino Juro slowly dribbled past half-court.
At this point, Ryonan's defense had already begun to panic.
They didn't know whether to guard Makino Juro's drive…
or his passing.
Makino Juro stood two steps beyond the three-point line.
Suddenly—
He stopped dribbling.
Looking at the basket, a mischievous smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"Here we go."
He tossed the ball high into the air.
Very high.
Ridiculously high.
It didn't look like a shot trajectory at all—more like a wild mispass.
"What is th—"
Jun Uozumi had just opened his mouth to mock it as an airball—
When suddenly
A red bolt of lightning launched from near the free-throw line.
Sakuragi Hanamichi.
He sprinted.
Planted his feet.
And leapt.
The wooden floor groaned painfully under the force.
His entire body shot upward like a rocket.
He soared past Koshino's head.
Past the fingertips of Akira Sendoh.
Even—
Past Uozumi's head.
"WHAT?!"
The entire audience rose to their feet.
That red-haired guy…
Was he flying?!
In midair, Sakuragi's body stretched like a fully drawn bow.
His worn-out basketball shoes seemed to step on clouds.
At the peak of his jump, the orange basketball fell perfectly into his hands.
At that moment.
His eyes were level with the rim.
"I… AM… A GENIUS!!!"
With a furious roar, Sakuragi drove power through his core and smashed the ball toward the basket with both hands.
BOOM!!!
The thunderous sound shook the entire arena.
The backboard rattled violently, creaking under the strain.
Alley-oop dunk!
Sakuragi landed, stumbling two steps from inertia before regaining his balance.
He turned toward the silent crowd.
Toward the petrified Coach Taoka.
Hands on his hips.
Nostrils pointed proudly toward the sky.
He struck his iconic pose.
"Heh… heh… heh…"
"Did you see that, you mortals?!"
"This is the secret weapon!"
"This is the power of the genius, Hanamichi Sakuragi!"
"WAHAHAHAHA!"
Coach Taoka clutched his chest and gasped for air.
He looked at the red-haired monster.
Then at Makino Juro in the distance, who was quietly laughing.
Only one thought remained in his mind:
Shohoku…
Where did they find this army of monsters?!
67 : 68
Shohoku had taken the lead!
Sakuragi Hanamichi's "Genius Descends" alley-oop was like throwing cold water into a boiling pot of oil.
The explosive energy of Ryonan's home court was instantly extinguished.
And in its place—
A blazing fire ignited within Shohoku.
"Get back on defense! Don't get carried away!"
Even though excitement surged in his chest, Akagi maintained the authority of a captain.
He roared and sprinted toward the backcourt first.
"Yes, Gorilla!"
Sakuragi was still savoring the feeling of that dunk.
His palms burned painfully.
But to him, that pain was the medal of a genius.
However
The situation on the court could change in an instant.
After all, Ryonan was last year's Final Four team.
After a brief moment of chaos, Uozumi Jun's massive figure once again became the pillar of the paint.
"Give me the ball!"
Uozumi fought for position and called to Sendoh.
After being overshadowed by Sakuragi moments ago, the "Monkey Boss" now burned with fury in his eyes.
Sendoh didn't hesitate.
A sharp bounce pass landed perfectly in Uozumi's hands.
Akagi immediately stepped in to challenge him.
Two mountains of muscle collided beneath the basket, the grinding sound of bodies clashing enough to make teeth ache.
"You're not getting through!"
Akagi gritted his teeth, resisting Uozumi's powerful post-up.
"RAAAH!"
Uozumi suddenly exploded with force, spinning and rising for the shot.
Just then
The basketball bounced off the rim.
"Rebound!"
Akagi and Uozumi jumped simultaneously.
Four massive hands tangled in the air, fighting for the crucial rebound.
BANG!
Then
An accident happened.
During the descent, Uozumi's swinging elbow struck Akagi squarely on the brow.
Blood burst out instantly, flowing down Akagi's resolute face and staining half of it red.
"Captain!"
"Gorilla!"
Shohoku's players rushed forward in alarm.
Akagi clutched his forehead as blood seeped through his fingers, dripping onto the polished floor in shocking crimson drops.
The referee's whistle shrieked urgently.
"Timeout! Shohoku requests a timeout!"
Uozumi stood frozen, staring at Akagi's blood-covered face.
His fierce momentum instantly vanished, replaced by panic and guilt.
"Akagi… I didn't mean to."
He clumsily stepped forward to check on him, only to be shoved aside by Ayako.
"Don't touch him! We need to stop the bleeding immediately!"
Ayako was usually fiery, but even her hands trembled slightly now.
Akagi sat on the floor as Ayako treated the wound.
He pushed away Kiminobu Kogure, who tried to support him.
His one visible eye remained locked on the scoreboard.
"I'm fine… just put a bandage on it."
"No! The cut is too deep. You must go to the infirmary!" Ayako snapped.
"Do you want to collapse from blood loss on the court?"
"But…"
Akagi clenched his teeth and looked unwillingly toward the court.
"Go on, Gorilla."
A lazy voice interrupted.
Makino Juro stood nearby with his hands in his pockets.
Seeing the blood on the floor, he frowned slightly.
"We'll handle things here."
"And besides…"
"Your successor is already dying to get in."
Makino Juro pointed to Sakuragi, who looked like an ant on a hot pan.
"Gorilla! Don't worry and go!"
"The paint is mine now! This genius will send that Monkey Boss flying!"
Sakuragi pounded his chest loudly.
Akagi looked into Sakuragi's fearless eyes—eyes that even held a trace of eager excitement.
He fell silent for two seconds.
"Sakuragi," Akagi said in a deep voice.
"What?"
"Guard the paint with your life."
"Don't disgrace Shohoku."