On the court, the members of the Dragon Slayer Team stared at the stands in confusion, momentarily at a loss for words.
Kagetora Aida felt a headache coming on, but for the sake of the match, he clapped his hands forcefully and shouted,
"Pull yourselves together and focus! The game isn't over yet!"
Only then did the Dragon Slayer Team snap back to their senses.
The game continued.
The Dragon Slayer Team had possession.
Shogo Haizaki once again brought the ball up the court.
This time, however, he did not dare challenge Nash Gold head-on.
Rings of light were still flickering in Nash Gold's eyes.
He still had [Belial Eye] activated.
Shogo Haizaki stopped a little over two steps away from Nash Gold and began making a quick assessment of how the play would unfold.
He didn't use the Limit of Selfless Brilliance. He only made a quick calculation, so naturally, he didn't enter the selfless state.
Once he finished, Shogo Haizaki immediately passed the ball to the position he considered the best option.
Straight into Taiga Kagami's hands.
That was right. Taiga Kagami.
Shogo Haizaki knew that a hot-blooded idiot like Taiga Kagami would never be able to resist the temptation.
He was definitely going to enter the Zone and take on Zack.
Sure enough, everything went exactly as Shogo Haizaki expected.
The moment Taiga Kagami caught the ball, he shouted excitedly,
"Come on, Zack!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, his aura changed dramatically.
Fierce red lightning flashed in his eyes.
At the same time, a sharp sound rang out.
Crackle!
Taiga Kagami entered the Zone!
Zack froze for a moment before laughing.
"Not bad, kid! Did I stumble into a nest of Zone users or something? Every last one of you keeps entering the Zone!"
Taiga Kagami did not answer. His eyes burned with fighting spirit as he stared at Zack and launched a fierce attack.
Like an arrow released from a bow, Taiga Kagami shot past on the right with a sudden burst of speed.
His speed was astonishing.
But Zack was no slouch either. With his Animal Instinct unleashed, he was extraordinarily fast.
Zack swiftly shifted his center of gravity and caught up with Taiga Kagami almost immediately.
At the same time, he reached out and attempted to steal the ball.
Taiga Kagami noticed. With the Zone enhancing his reflexes, his reactions had improved dramatically.
He slammed the ball into the floor, spun around, gathered it, and jumped, shifting into a shooting motion in midair.
His body gradually leaned backward as he rose.
It was a fadeaway jumper!
Zack did not know Taiga Kagami's game well. When he saw the fadeaway, he instinctively assumed Taiga Kagami could shoot.
He immediately stopped and changed direction. Like a Deinonychus hunting its prey, he rushed in front of Taiga Kagami, leaped high, and stretched out his hand to cut off the shot.
But at that moment, Taiga Kagami did something even Zack had not expected.
He suddenly changed his posture, turning the shooting motion into a throwing motion.
Then he put all his strength into his arm and hurled the ball hard at the basket.
The moment Taiga Kagami landed, he accelerated again and charged into the paint.
Jason Silver and Atsushi Murasakibara were still battling for position beneath the basket. Neither of them had time to react when the ball was suddenly thrown at the hoop with tremendous force.
Zack had only just landed, but he immediately sprinted after Taiga Kagami.
He had already figured out what Taiga Kagami was planning.
At the same time, Jason Silver realized it as well.
He decisively stopped wrestling with Atsushi Murasakibara, stepped forward, and planted himself outside the three-second zone to meet Taiga Kagami's charge.
Taiga Kagami caught the rebounding ball with his left hand, then launched himself off his right foot.
In midair, he drew his arm back in a motion resembling a tomahawk dunk.
Seeing this, Jason Silver roared,
"Kid, you've got some nerve!"
Jason Silver leaped, sweeping his right hand toward Taiga Kagami like a curtain blotting out the sky.
Zack stopped chasing when he saw this. He knew there was no longer any need for him to interfere.
Everyone expected Taiga Kagami to challenge Jason Silver in a direct clash.
But Taiga Kagami's next move left them all stunned.
The red lightning in his eyes grew even more violent as he roared,
"Aaaah!"
The next second, Taiga Kagami hurled the ball with his left hand as though throwing a bomb.
The ball transformed into a meteor, streaking over Jason Silver's head.
Jason Silver's pupils contracted. He had never expected Taiga Kagami to throw the ball like that.
He had been certain Taiga Kagami would challenge him head-on.
Who could have predicted he would simply launch the ball over him?!
Off the court, Ryota Kise saw what happened and shouted excitedly,
"Here it comes! [Meteor Jam]!"
Back on the court, Jason Silver still looked slightly dazed after landing.
It was the first time he had ever seen someone throw the ball at the basket like that, and the first time he had been caught off guard by such a move.
Still, Jason Silver quickly recovered. He looked at Taiga Kagami, a fierce grin spreading across his face.
"Kid, that was an interesting move! But it won't work again next time!"
Taiga Kagami met his gaze, red lightning still flashing in his eyes.
"Don't be so sure!"
Jason Silver clicked his tongue, then turned to inbound the ball.
Possession changed hands.
The Black Dragon Team had the ball.
After Nash Gold brought the ball across half court, he initially intended to pass it to Miyamoto Tokima again.
But Jason Silver suddenly ran over, held out his hand, and shouted,
"Nash!"
Nash Gold immediately understood what Jason Silver wanted and passed him the ball.
After catching it on the perimeter, Jason Silver looked at Miyamoto Tokima with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"Um... Tokima-san, could you set a screen for me?"
Seeing the normally brazen Jason Silver suddenly acting awkward, Miyamoto Tokima could not help laughing.
He also understood exactly what Jason Silver wanted to do.
"Sure."
Miyamoto Tokima walked over beside Atsushi Murasakibara and set the screen.
Jason Silver had made no effort to conceal his intentions, so Atsushi Murasakibara naturally heard every word.
He might have been a little absentminded, but he was not stupid.
Anyone could tell what Jason Silver intended by asking Miyamoto Tokima to set a screen.
So Atsushi Murasakibara simply stood still and waited for Jason Silver to move away.
After Jason Silver left, Atsushi Murasakibara even had time to say something to Miyamoto Tokima.
"Tokima, will you treat me to a feast after the game?"
...
...
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