Kuroko's Basketball template: the king of slacking off, Shohoku's strongest sixth man.

Shinichi Maki drove into the paint.

Sakuragi tried to cover, but was easily bypassed by a nimble turn.

Jump, slam dunk!

"boom!!"

The basketball hoop groaned.

56: 40.

"It's not over yet!!"

Maki Shinichi landed and didn't even bother to return to defense, directly intercepting Kogure's serve in the frontcourt.

Then, place the tray into the basket.

56: 42.

Thirty seconds, four points in a row!

"Hainan! Hainan! Hainan!"

The Hainan support group, which had been deathly silent, suddenly became incredibly energetic, with their cheers nearly lifting the roof off.

"It's over..."

Kiminobu Kogure was covered in cold sweat.

In this high-level competitive environment, he felt like a civilian who had accidentally wandered into a battlefield.

Without Lin Bei controlling the game, Xiangbei was like a team whose backbone had been removed.

Although their limbs were strong, they were a disorganized mess.

Rukawa Kaede gritted his teeth and charged forward again and again to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

But at this moment, Shinichi Maki is driving the "Pseudo-Zone" Emperor's Resonance.

Leading the entire team, coupled with his tireless body, he was simply a killing machine.

"Is this... the foundation of the Kanagawa kings?"

Fujima's expression turned serious.

"Without Lin Bei's suppression, Maki Shinichi has been completely unsealed."

"Rukawa Kaede has touched the threshold of that wildness."

"But they were outmatched in both physical ability and experience; they were still too inexperienced."

On the field.

Rukawa was once again forcibly pushed aside, watching helplessly as the basketball went into the net.

56: 48.

The difference is now in single digits.

Rukawa Kaede was breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his pointed chin.

He was not reconciled.

Those narrow, fox-like eyes reflected Maki Shinichi's arrogant figure.

Deep in his consciousness, he also saw that door.

It is heavy, ancient, and exudes a wild and unsettling aura.

He tried desperately to push him away.

His fingers dug into the crack of the door, his nails broke, and blood gushed out.

But the door remained completely still.

"Move...move right now!!"

Rukawa Kaede roared inwardly, but his body began to stiffen due to exhaustion.

Is this my limit?

No... I can't lose...

Just when Rukawa was isolated and helpless, Akagi was injured and forced to retreat, Mitsui was struggling, Miyagi was too short, and Kogure was powerless.

An unexpected figure was standing in the center circle.

He stood with his hands on his hips, deep in thought about life.

Sakuragi Hanamichi.

From the moment this self-proclaimed "savior" genius started slacking off.

Lin Beixiu was doing the operation, and he was watching.

Rukawa Kaede was fighting desperately, and he was watching.

Even as Maki Shinichi was indiscriminately killing, he was still watching.

But in his mind, a tremendous brainstorming session was underway.

"strangeness……"

Sakuragi frowned.

That usually jovial face was now filled with serious confusion.

Why?

"Why does this genius feel like I'm playing a completely different game from them?"

He looked at Maki Shinichi's eyes, which seemed to be glowing purple.

Look at Rukawa Kaede's fox-like eyes glowing red.

Then think back to Master's terrifying red eyes just now.

Sakuragi touched his red head, sinking into deep self-doubt.

"Master is sleeping now because he's too weak and not as strong as this genius."

"That middle-aged man may be arrogant now, but he clearly knelt down just now."

"And that stinky fox..."

Sakuragi glanced at Rukawa, who was teetering on the brink of collapse but still stubbornly holding on, and curled his lip.

"You're exhausted but still trying to act cool."

Why is everyone cheering for Rukawa Kaede?

"I'm clearly the main character!"

"The script shouldn't be about this genius unleashing his superhuman abilities to save the team from disaster."

"And then, Miss Haruko was moved to tears, and finally embraced this genius's broad-mindedness?"

Sakuragi looked down at his hands.

It is very big and very powerful.

When I was grabbing the rebound just now, I felt like I could jump to the ceiling.

"But why can I only stare helplessly now?"

"How can I be like them? With eyes that shoot lightning?"

"Special abilities?"

"Do we still need to shout slogans like Ultraman transforming?"

Sakuragi tried to widen his eyes and stare intently at Maki Shinichi.

"Sizzle... sizzle..."

It even has its own voiceover.

However, it was of no use.

My eyes felt a little sore, but nothing else.

"That's not right..."

Sakuragi scratched his head, looking annoyed.

"I'm a genius."

"Since he's a genius, there shouldn't be anything he can't learn."

"Master can do it, and the middle-aged man seems to have done it too, but that stinky fox is a bit lacking."

"What about that book, 'Genius'?"

"This genius is none other than Sakuragi Hanamichi, a man of both beauty and talent!"

The instant the thought arises.

The surrounding shouts, friction sounds, and impact sounds...

Suddenly everything went silent.

The world was deathly silent.

Sakuragi's consciousness seemed to be pulled into a vast white space by an invisible hand.

There are no spectators, no opponents, and no teammates here.

There is only one door.

A huge, ancient bronze door.

By the door, two blurry figures were struggling desperately.

A black beast-like figure, covered in blood, scratched at the door and squeezed his way in.

A figure resembling a red fox, Rukawa Kaede, gritted his teeth and rammed into the gate, continuing despite bleeding from his head, but the gate remained unmoved.

They all looked to be in pain and struggling.

Very... disheveled.

Sakuragi Hanamichi stood with his hands in his pockets, looking completely bewildered.

"What are those two idiots doing?"

"The door is broken?"

He whistled and swaggered past with an air of nonchalance.

The black beast roared at him: Get out of my way, mortals have no right to do so!

The red fox bared its teeth at him: Get out of the way, you big idiot!

Sakuragi rolled his eyes.

"It's so noisy."

He stretched out a hand.

There was no charging up of energy, no roar, and no bulging veins.

It's like pushing open your own bathroom door.

Casually, gently, push forward.

"Squeak—"

A soft sound.

That door to the "Zone" that Maki Shin barely managed to squeeze open with all his might, and that Rukawa Kaede couldn't budge even after smashing his head against it.

That's it...

opened.

It is wide open.

The light from behind the door poured down like a flood, instantly engulfing Sakuragi.

He paused for a moment in the light.

Then a wide grin spread from his lips to his ears, revealing an extremely arrogant and utterly infuriating smile.

"cut."

"What's going on?"

"It wasn't locked before."

"These two idiots, don't they know to turn the doorknob before coming in?"

"Indeed, there is a barrier between mortals and geniuses."

"Hahahaha!!"

……

The real world.

Shinichi Maki, with Rukawa Kaede on his back, prepares to jump and shoot.

His eyes flashed with purple light; victory was assured.

He needs to catch up before he runs out of energy.

"That's a goal! The difference is only 6 points!"

"Shohoku's luck has run out! They've got this in the bag!"

Just then.

A chill ran through me.

A chilling sensation, without warning yet extremely sharp, shot straight from the tailbone to the top of the head!

It's like being strolled in a forest and suddenly being spotted by an ancient Tyrannosaurus Rex.

It's not just Shinichi Maki.

Coach Anzai's hand trembled on the sidelines, and tea spilled all over his crotch.

Lin Bei, who was sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes with a twitch in his eyelids.

A blinding red light was reflected in his dark pupils.

On the field.

The red-haired guy who had been staring blankly moved.

No running start, no preparation.

He took a straight, firm step forward.

"boom!"

The floorboards let out a mournful groan.

A red current, like lightning tearing through the night sky, exploded in the corner of Sakuragi's eye!

It's not the pale purple of Shinichi Maki.

It's not the kind of faint, ethereal red like Rukawa Kaede's.

Rather, it is a pure, wild, and primal vitality...

scarlet!