Possession changed hands.
The Black Dragon Team had the ball.
Nash Gold indulged Jason Silver. Once they crossed half-court, he passed him the ball.
Jason Silver caught it and grinned.
Faced with Atsushi Murasakibara's activated Animal Instinct, Jason Silver had no intention of activating his own and meeting him head-on with brute force. Instead, he planned to challenge him using the skills of a center.
"Ready, kid?"
Atsushi Murasakibara exhaled heavily.
"I'll crush you!"
Jason Silver grinned and began his attack.
Dribbling the ball, Jason Silver slammed his body into Atsushi Murasakibara, but failed to move him.
He drove into Atsushi Murasakibara a second time, but still couldn't make him budge.
When Jason Silver feinted a third charge, Atsushi Murasakibara immediately drew a deep breath and braced himself for the impact.
But the next second, Atsushi Murasakibara froze.
Jason Silver didn't charge into him at all. He spun around him instead!
Caught in his defensive stance, Atsushi Murasakibara stood rooted to the spot, unable to react.
By the time he recovered and tried to contest the play, Jason Silver had already slammed the ball into the basket!
After scoring, Jason Silver grinned.
"Murasakibara, brute force alone won't cut it anymore!"
Atsushi Murasakibara clicked his tongue and muttered:
"That's rich, coming from someone who used to rely on nothing but brute force."
Possession changed hands.
The Dragon Slayer Team had the ball.
This time, Seijuro Akashi had no intention of passing to Atsushi Murasakibara. If he kept making Murasakibara shoulder the offense, the burden on him would become too great.
They weren't fighting alone out there.
As the point guard, Seijuro Akashi had to create the easiest scoring opportunity, not force one player to keep attacking by himself.
As soon as he reached the frontcourt, he began surveying the floor.
The moment he saw Daiki Aomine suddenly accelerate, Seijuro Akashi understood what he intended to do.
He passed the ball ahead into open space.
Nash Gold turned and saw that there was no one anywhere near the ball!
But the instant the pass arrived, Daiki Aomine arrived with it.
Zack froze for a moment. By the time he turned around, Daiki Aomine had already blown past him!
'So fast!'
After reaching the paint, Daiki Aomine immediately leaped for a dunk.
But the man waiting inside was Jason Silver!
At the sight, Zack's shock instantly turned into speechless disbelief.
'He's fast, all right, but he's an idiot.'
With that thought, Zack immediately sprinted toward the other end of the court.
He had complete confidence in Jason Silver.
Nick and Allen did the same, racing toward the frontcourt.
Shogo Haizaki saw them and immediately understood what was about to happen, so he took off after Allen.
Shintaro Midorima had no idea what was going on, but he decided to run with them anyway.
He quickly followed.
Jason Silver didn't disappoint Zack and the others. With one hand, he forcefully stuffed Daiki Aomine's dunk attempt.
After landing, Daiki Aomine lost his balance, stumbled backward several steps, and fell onto the floor. His eyes were filled with shock.
'He's that strong?!'
Daiki Aomine knew Jason Silver possessed incredible strength, but he had never imagined it would be this overwhelming!
Off the court, Makoto Hanamiya couldn't help laughing.
"Aomine really is a hotheaded idiot. Jason is known as the man with the [Body of a God]. His strength is terrifying!"
"Aomine can't even match Murasakibara in strength, yet he still tried to challenge Jason head-on."
Ryota Kise's mouth twitched helplessly. He didn't even know what to say.
Makoto Hanamiya wasn't wrong. Even Atsushi Murasakibara had to activate Animal Instinct just to gain a slight advantage over Jason Silver.
Daiki Aomine had charged in while in his normal state. He was practically asking to be blocked!
...
On the court, Jason Silver secured the ball and noticed the players racing toward the frontcourt. He immediately hurled a powerful pass down the court.
The ball shot toward the frontcourt like a cannonball.
Zack saw it coming and leaped into the air, catching it with both hands.
Shogo Haizaki immediately abandoned Allen and switched onto Zack.
Without slowing down, Zack kept dribbling at full speed and blew past Shogo Haizaki.
After getting past him, Zack spotted Shintaro Midorima ahead. He gave up on attacking and passed the ball to Nick, who had run to the baseline.
Nick caught the ball at the baseline, the corner of his mouth curling upward.
"Lucky!"
Just as Nick rose into his shooting motion and released the ball, a figure suddenly darted into view.
It was Shogo Haizaki!
Shogo Haizaki leaped, and his fingertips grazed Nick's shot!
Nick's pupils contracted.
'He touched it!'
The contact weakened the shot and knocked it off course. The ball fell straight into Shintaro Midorima's hands.
Allen, Zack, and Nick immediately prepared to race back on defense. But then all three saw Shintaro Midorima stop beneath his own basket and assume a shooting stance!
Zack stared at him in disbelief.
"Hey, hey, hey! He isn't seriously going to shoot from there, is he?! Does he have any idea how far away the basket is?!"
The next second, Zack was dumbfounded.
Shintaro Midorima actually jumped and took the shot!
Zack couldn't contain himself.
"He really shot it?! Is he insane?"
Shintaro Midorima ignored him. His eyes remained fixed on the distant basket as he flicked the ball high into the air with his left hand.
The basketball traced an enormous arc through the air, rising nearly to the roof of the gym.
Nick stared at it and murmured:
"That arc... What the hell is this?"
After landing, Shintaro Midorima calmly adjusted his glasses. Looking at the three of them, he spoke each word with deliberate precision.
"Cancer has the best fortune today. My lucky item is a scope. I entered the gym with my left foot first, and I tied my right shoelace first."
"I have done everything humanly possible and left the rest to fate. Today, fate is on my side, and fate has granted me perfect accuracy."
"Therefore..."
"My shot..."
Before Shintaro Midorima could finish, the basketball dropped cleanly through the hoop with a crisp swish.
Swish!
As the sound echoed through the gym, Shintaro Midorima calmly finished his sentence.
"Will not miss!"
After the shot went in, Zack stood frozen.
It was the first time he had ever seen anyone sink a basket from the backcourt!
He stiffly turned toward Nick and asked in a daze:
"Hey, Nick... Can you do that?"
Nick looked at Zack as though he were an idiot.
"Oh, shit, Zack. You really ought to give that mush in your skull another stir. Then you wouldn't have to strain that damn brain of yours!"
...
...
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