CLANG~
The crisp sound of iron striking iron instantly caused the expressions of everyone on Seirin to change.
"What?"
"From that distance… Kagami actually missed?"
Using Kuroko's [Phantom Shot] as bait, Seirin had worked together to create a perfect scoring chance in the paint for Kagami.
And yet, faced with such an opportunity, Kagami made a mistake.
"Damn it… shit, "
Seeing his shot miss, Kagami himself was startled. He hurriedly tried to grab the rebound to make up for it, but before he could even secure position, the ball had already been taken by Murasakibara.
"Not good, get back on defense!"
"Here comes Yosen's offense!"
"And this time, Murasakibara is actually joining the attack himself. Looks like Yosen plans to completely crush Seirin in the third quarter!"
Holding a lead close to twenty points, and with the second half just beginning, Murasakibara Atsushi had already stepped past the three-point line to actively participate in the offense.
At nearly 210 centimeters tall, simply standing on the court was enough to exert terrifying pressure on most high school players.
And now, this towering giant was also a member of the Generation of Miracles.
"H-Hey~~ bringing out the 'ace' at a time like this… isn't the situation a bit too hopeless?"
Cold sweat uncontrollably seeped down Hyuga Junpei's forehead. He glanced at their own ace, Kagami Taiga, who was clearly off his game, then looked at Murasakibara charging past the three-point line into the paint.
For a moment,
He felt utterly miserable.
"Even though I don't think you're worthy of making me act personally, someone taught me a lesson this summer…"
Murasakibara Atsushi, cutting into Seirin's paint without the ball, was like a primordial beast crashing into a flock of sheep. The aura radiating from him was completely different from everyone else on the court.
"That lesson was this: once you decide to crush your opponent, you absolutely cannot give them any chance to fight back. So even if you still have some tricks left, I'm not going to give you the opportunity to use them."
Catching the ball, Murasakibara immediately went into a solo backdown, forcibly driving forward while shouldering through Kiyoshi, Hyuga, and Kagami all at once.
"Don't even think about it, Murasakibara!"
"We never planned on stopping you with just one person, but the power of the team, "
"Huh?"
BOOM~
The overwhelming kinetic force cut Kiyoshi Teppei's words short. With a casual movement, Murasakibara sent all three defenders flying backward.
Reaching the rim, Murasakibara didn't even bother with a running start. He jumped straight up from a standstill, whipping up a violent storm.
[Thor's Hammer]
BOOOOM!
Monstrous strength blasted the three defenders away. After the Interhigh match of [Yosen vs. Shutoku], the Winter Cup rims had been specially reinforced, otherwise, this dunk would have shattered the basket entirely.
Even so, under Murasakibara's inhuman power, the entire hoop let out a teeth-grinding groan.
Hyuga, Kiyoshi, and Kagami lay sprawled on the floor, staring in shock at Murasakibara hanging in the air. That massive, beast-like frame filled their faces with disbelief.
"So then,"
Murasakibara landed and looked down at the three coldly, his gaze lingering especially on Kiyoshi. "What about the power of the team? You know, I really hate guys like you, always talking about 'effort, effort.' Basketball is a cruel sport."
"You bastard… what are you saying, "
Murasakibara's attitude instantly enraged Kagami. Just as he was about to snap back, Kiyoshi Teppei reached out and stopped him. Then, smiling at Murasakibara, he said, "I never believed that effort guarantees victory. I just think that striving together with friends and enjoying the process of the game, that's what's truly fun."
Murasakibara snorted. "You've already lost the game, what 'fun' is there left to talk about? Words like that are nothing more than losers deceiving themselves."
"I remember you saying before that you wanted to protect something, right? But reality is, weaklings don't have the right to talk about protection…"
As he spoke, Murasakibara paused briefly, glanced at Kiyoshi's leg, and continued, "And someone who can't even protect himself has even less right to protect others."
The moment those words fell,
The anger on Seirin's faces froze into stunned silence.
Having said his piece, Murasakibara turned and walked away. Watching his retreating back, even Kuroko Tetsuya found himself momentarily lost in thought.
"He really has changed… Murasakibara-kun."
"Huh? That counts as change?" Kagami Taiga said, eyes wide.
"Yes. For the old Murasakibara-kun, basketball, winning or losing, had no meaning at all. But now, at the very least, he acknowledges that winning a game can be something enjoyable."
...
The game continued.
After Murasakibara scored that basket, the score became 41:19.
The gap officially surpassed twenty points.
But soon after, through coordinated play with Kuroko, Seirin managed to get two points back.
41:21.
On the very next possession, Murasakibara once again bulldozed his way into Seirin's paint, single-handedly shattering their defense and restoring the score.
43:21.
"No way!"
"How are you even supposed to stop a monster like that?!"
"And now I'm even more curious, if even a monster like Murasakibara lost to Seiho's Akashi, just how strong is Seiho?"
Against a Yosen with Murasakibara actively attacking, Seirin's defense completely collapsed, turning into a sheet of blank paper, anyone could tear straight through it.
Seirin's defense was utterly broken. Relying solely on their players' shooting finally heating up, they barely managed to keep pace offensively. Even so, the score gap continued to widen.
"Still holding on? If that's the case, then let's raise the stakes a bit more."
Araki Masako narrowed her eyes as she observed the court. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Seirin was already at its limit, just a little more pressure, and they could collapse entirely at any moment.
And coincidentally,
Yosen had exactly that kind of leverage.
Receiving instructions from the coach,
On the next possession,
Yosen's point guard Fukui Kensuke directly passed the ball to Himuro Tatsuya…
"Huh? This one didn't go to Murasakibara?"
"How ruthless… Yosen's coach is really merciless. Is this their finishing blow for Seirin?"
"Himuro versus Kagami."
"With Kiyoshi already completely suppressed by Murasakibara inside, if Kagami gets beaten here too, the psychological damage to Seirin will be devastating."
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria