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

It's so heavy.

My legs felt like they were filled with lead.

The basketball in my hand felt as heavy as a lump of iron.

"Snapped!"

One dribble, and it went up half an inch.

Only half an inch.

A dark shadow instantly loomed over, making no unnecessary movements, only exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

Shinichi Maki.

This thing is practically a perpetual motion machine!

Although his jersey was soaked with sweat, his purple eyes shone with an alarming brightness.

That's the most excited look in the eyes of a top predator when it locks onto its prey.

"What's wrong?"

Shinichi Maki pressed himself against Sendoh, feeling the other's disordered heartbeat, and a cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"You can't run anymore?"

"Your 'magic trick' seems to have been exposed."

His voice was deep and full of sarcasm.

Sendoh didn't speak, or rather, he didn't even have the strength to speak.

He gritted his teeth and used the last bit of agility in his body to protect the ball.

can't stop.

Once stopped, the Zone will shut down.

Once shut down, Ryonan will collapse instantly.

must……

We must score another goal!

"Get out of here!!"

Immortal Dao roared inwardly, pressed down hard, and the blue light in the corner of his eye exploded like a final burst of light.

One last time!

Even if it breaks my legs, I'll get the ball in!

In a state of extreme exhaustion, he forcibly pushed his body's potential to its limits, once again making a erratic change of direction.

He abruptly stopped with his left foot, violently pushed off the ground with his right foot, and forcefully twisted his body 360 degrees in mid-air.

A complete turnaround!

Trying to bypass Maki Shinichi!

"Too slow!!"

Maki Shinichi let out a loud shout.

Two minutes ago, he might not have been able to keep up with that turn.

But now.

In Shinichi Maki's "Emperor's Eye", Sendoh's movements are so slow that it's like watching a PowerPoint presentation.

That's the inevitable sluggishness that comes from physical exhaustion.

Instead of retreating, Maki Shinichi stepped forward.

It precisely hits the path that the immortal path must take to turn around.

Like an impregnable fortress!

"Bang!"

Sendoh crashed heavily into Maki Shinichi.

This time, he couldn't "slide" over like before.

The enormous reaction force caused him to lose his balance, and the basketball slipped from his grasp.

"Snapped!"

A large hand ruthlessly swatted the ball away.

Steal!

"Counterattack—!!"

Maki Shinichi roared, his voice booming throughout the entire venue.

Without pausing, he picked up the ball and, like a tiger unleashed from its cage, sprinted wildly towards Ryonan's half of the court.

Behind him was Sendoh, who staggered and fell to the ground.

And the despair in the eyes of the Ryonan members.

"Back up!!" Uozumi roared as he ran back.

But it was too late.

Shinichi Maki's speed was despair-inducing.

He crossed the center line, crossed the three-point line, and entered the restricted area.

Take off.

The body stretched out like a taut bow.

He grabbed the ball with one hand and slammed it hard against the basket.

"Clang—!!!"

Slam dunk!

Even the basketball hoops are groaning!

The score was 72-72.

Share equally.

Maki Shinichi did not celebrate after landing.

He turned around and looked at the blue figure struggling to get up in the distance.

There was no pity in his eyes, only a cold scrutiny.

"You can't hold on any longer, can you, Sendoh?"

Maki Shinichi's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire venue.

"Your physical strength has reached its limit."

"And me..."

"We've just finished warming up."

Maki Shinichi patted his chest, and his purple aura surged once again, seemingly endless.

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone was looking at the shaky number 7.

Sendoh lowered his head, his bangs covering his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression.

Sweat dripped down the tip of his nose.

"Huff... huff..."

Only heavy breathing could be heard.

Did we lose?

Did that genius Immortal ultimately fall at the feet of the numerical monster?

Just then.

Xian Dao slowly raised his head.

Those eyes, which should have dimmed, were now...

It's still lit up!

Although faint, although swaying uncertainly.

But that faint blue light still burned stubbornly.

No harsh words were uttered.

Sendoh silently walked to the baseline and took the ball thrown by the referee.

Serve.

Receive the ball.

To advance.

The movements are no longer flashy, no longer graceful.

But every step he took carried a moving sense of determination.

Since the technique has failed.

Since the blue bar is depleted.

Then let's fight with our bones and our flesh and blood to win this last point!

I just want to widen the gap even by one point before Zone closes!

Watching that silent, charging figure, Lin Bei in the stands suddenly sat up straight.

The playful expression vanished, replaced by a solemn one.

"Although he's a fisherman..." Lin Bei murmured softly.

"But this guy's bones are harder than anyone else's."

"but……"

Lin Bei glanced at the scoreboard, then at the imposing Maki Shinichi.

"This is also the final performance."

"The blue phantom will eventually be bathed in the blazing purple sun..."

"Burn to ashes."

……

The stadium was eerily quiet.

Only the rapid breathing echoed like a bellows.

The bright red score on the scoreboard was like a pair of bloodshot eyes, staring intently at everyone on the field.

On the bench in Ryonan, Taoka Shigeichi's folding fan was deformed from being squeezed so tightly that his knuckles were pale.

He could see clearly that Sendoh Akira had reached his limit.

The genius who always wore a lazy smile was now swaying slightly even as he stood.

"We can't afford to waste any more time."

Taoka suddenly stood up and made a gesture towards the technical table.

"Requesting a replacement! Ryonan!"

The whistle blows.

"Number 13 off in Lingnan, number 8 on!"

Fukuda Kichijo was panting heavily when he heard the whistle and froze.

He stared wide-eyed at the coaching bench, his wild face filled with defiance.

"coach!"

Fukuda growled in a hoarse voice, his eyes filled with an almost pathological desire to score.

In the final minutes, he wanted to prove himself and tear apart Hainan's damn defense with his offense.

"Afu!"

"Look at the current situation!"

"We will still need you."

Taoka Shigeichi's roar drowned out the noise.

"Ikegami! Go and bite Jin Soichiro to death!"

"Even if I have to run my legs off, I can't let him have another chance to strike!"

Ryoichi Ikegami, whose name was called, nodded repeatedly, his face as solemn as iron.

As the defensive bulwark of Ryonan, he knew how weighty this task was.

Fukuda gritted his teeth, his eyes red-rimmed.

He glanced at Sendoh, who was teetering on the edge of the field, and finally punched himself in the thigh before walking to the sidelines with his head down.

"Taoka is getting anxious."

In the media section, Aida Yayoi adjusted her glasses, her pen moving swiftly across the page.

"Remove Fukuda and replace him with defensive specialist Ikegami."

"Are they going to hold out for the last few minutes?"

"But……"

Nakamura, standing nearby, swallowed hard, watching the still-fierce purple figure on the field.

"Is defense really effective against Maki Shinichi now?"

On the field.

Shinichi Maki looked at Ikegami as he stepped onto the stage, a cold smile curving his lips.

That was the hunter's mockery as he watched his prey make its final struggle.

"Change the defensive formation?"

"Coach Taoka, you're still the same as ever, too conservative."

Shinichi Mu casually wiped the sweat from his forehead, his purple eyes narrowing slightly.

His gaze passed over the Immortal Path in front of him and landed on the massive figure on the inside.

Jun Uozumi.

The captain of Ryonan was like a bull with bloodshot eyes.

His chest heaved violently as he stared intently at Kazuma Takasago.

As Mu Shen passed by his teammates, his whispered words were so calm they sent chills down one's spine.

"Takasago."

"Uozumi has committed his third foul."