Chapter 138: ...his planning, combined with two consecutive quarters of such oppressive, high-intensity 1v1 against Qingfeng, must ha

Otherwise, with a 13-point lead in the first quarter...

When Tonghuang wanted to conserve Qingfeng's stamina by having others take shots, Yukimiya Kazuma should have taken the opportunity to switch to a passing-control style, recovering his own stamina while easily maintaining the score.

Moreover, in terms of controlling the game, saving stamina for the latter half would certainly offer higher control than both he and Qingfeng exhausting their stamina early, leaving them to rely only on their teammates later.

What is it...

What is Yukimiya wary of...

That could force Yukimiya to abandon his most proficient passing-control style and insist on a 1v1 with Qingfeng?

Soon.

The question in Midorima's heart did not wait long; Qingfeng Daiki on the court provided the answer.

The final 4 minutes of the first half.

Qingfeng scored another 2 points against Yukimiya Kazuma's defense.

But turning back, still near the free-throw line, Yukimiya Kazuma used a set of footwork, suddenly squeezed past him with sheer power, and followed up with his signature fadeaway jumper. This time, Qingfeng's speed was slightly slower.

Suza Yoshinori, who had come over to help defend, simply committed a tactical foul.

Beep~!

"Black number 7, defensive foul!"

"Two free throws!"

Qingfeng Daiki: "..."

If both free throws were made...

The point gap on the court would still be 15 points.

Even though he had given his all, this gap was like an insurmountable chasm blocking his path.

Suza Yoshinori: "Whew... sorry."

Qingfeng did not react.

Seeing this, Imayoshi Shoichi stepped forward and patted Suza Yoshinori on the back. "It's fine, it couldn't be helped."

That said...

The current situation was indeed not optimistic.

Halftime.

A 15-point gap.

And in the duel between Qingfeng and Yukimiya, although Yukimiya seemed to be having a harder time, looking at the results, if neither could defend against the other, it was hard to say who was winning or losing.

Just then.

Qingfeng suddenly let out a long breath, then walked to Sakurai Ryo's side. "Hey, Ryo, switch with me for the rebounds after this."

"Eh?"

On the other side.

Yukimiya Kazuma stepped up to the free-throw line.

He noticed immediately that Qingfeng had not come to grab the rebound.

Yukimiya Kazuma: "..."

Finally.

Couldn't hold back anymore?

At this moment, Qingfeng Daiki was standing outside the three-point line. Long Tianzhang, standing beside him, could clearly hear the other's heavy panting.

Qingfeng Daiki: "Hoo... ha..."

When did it start.

The morning of the game day.

Leaving home while yawning.

When did it start, that even winning felt like nothing at all.

There is no one stronger than me.

And it's impossible to find one.

But...

I really hope for an opponent who can make me release everything; I've been looking forward to a tense game where the outcome is uncertain until the very last moment.

Hoo...

"I'm very grateful..."

"Yukimiya."

In the depths of Qingfeng Daiki's heart, that hidden door was pushed open by Qingfeng himself; light shone through the crack, reflecting on a face that could not contain its joy.

Swish~!

Yukimiya Kazuma made his second free throw.

The moment it went in, he immediately turned his head to look for Qingfeng Daiki!

In the silence.

Qingfeng arrived at the baseline.

Wakamatsu Kosuke, who was inbounding the ball, and Imayoshi Shoichi not far away, all saw Qingfeng's current state. The moment Imayoshi Shoichi saw Qingfeng's expression, his eyes widened abruptly.

Catching the ball.

Facing Yukimiya Kazuma's defense starting from the baseline.

Qingfeng took a deep breath, and then...

Crackle~!

Snap~!

Pop~!

Cyan!

Restless electric light~!

Suddenly surged from the depths of his eyes!

Then, two electric arcs flashed before Yukimiya Kazuma's eyes, followed by a sharp sound of air being torn; before he could even react, the figure had vanished from his sight!

The "Ghost Spider," which had always been able to make some reaction before.

Completely broken!

Following that...

That He Xiuyang.

Long Tianzhang.

Oguchi Ryuji.

Tsuchiya Daiga.

Qingfeng Daiki passed through everyone from Quanzhen Hall. Before any of them could react, they only saw faint electric light flash before their eyes, and Qingfeng had already disappeared.

Looking back in astonishment!

In the half-court where the defensive players couldn't retreat in time, and the offensive players couldn't keep up with the attack.

In the empty half-court, only Qingfeng remained, scoring easily with a casual layup.

Quanzhen Hall vs. Tonghuang.

56:43.

When the ball fell through the net and rolled out of bounds with a patter, everyone, both on and off the court, was struck dumb.

"Qingfeng, he..."

"What's going on? My eyes aren't playing tricks on me, right?"

"How could he be this fast?"

"Is this Qingfeng's true strength? He just passed all the players of Quanzhen Hall by himself, including Yukimiya Kazuma, who had been tangling with him for the entire half!"

Zone.

Without a shred of unnecessary thought or emotion, focused solely on the game.

A state of extreme concentration that surpasses normal focus; it is a realm that can stimulate a player's maximum potential. Even among top-tier players, it is a rare phenomenon that can only be experienced by chance.

Only players who have undergone constant training are permitted to stand before that door, and even then, it only opens inadvertently.

It is the ultimate, supreme power that only a very few can release.

But...

Qingfeng's talent allows him to push open that door while chatting and laughing.

Quanzhen Hall bench.

Kakita Yishi stood up abruptly. "This is truly..."

He hadn't even seen such a monster in his own active era.

Yukimiya Kazuma: "..."

Originally, it was impossible to exert 100% of one's strength during a game; no matter how focused a first-rate player was, they could reach at most 80%. The Qingfeng Daiki from just now had already manifested 80% of his strength to his normal limit, but that realm could make the impossible 100% possible.

And Qingfeng's 100% was a completely unpredictable realm...

In terms of external manifestation of athletic ability.

I'm afraid...

His speed is more than double!

Tsk!

The biggest cheat in Kuroko no Basket!

At this moment, electric arcs were "crackling" in Qingfeng's eyes!

During Quanzhen Hall's offensive possession, even Yukimiya Kazuma's "Startled String" was difficult to defend against, forcing him to choose the tactic he used in middle school to counter the "Emperor Eye": backing down his opponent.

Only in this way could he steadily control the ball to the front court under Qingfeng's off-the-charts ability state.

Watching Yukimiya Kazuma being pressured to such an extent, everyone on and off the court had their jaws nearly hitting the floor; it was the first time they had ever seen Yukimiya Kazuma so disheveled.

In the spectator stands.

Kise opened his mouth wide in shock.

Having played basketball for the shortest time, he had no idea what this was.

He was just surprised by Qingfeng's ease, that he had actually hidden this power until now.

Completely...

Incomprehensible...!

And Midorima, sitting next to him across the teddy bear, knew of the existence of the Zone; his face now wore the same expression as Kakita Yishi's.

It would be understandable if he had accidentally entered that realm by chance.

However...

Yukimiya's layout from the start of the game, and Qingfeng's abrupt move during the free throw just now.

Qingfeng, he...

Did he enter it entirely through his own will!?

Yukimiya had always known this; that was why what he had been wary of from the very beginning was this—Qingfeng's true face...!

On the court.

In Yukimiya Kazuma's field of vision, set against the backdrop of cyan electric arcs, Qingfeng's eyes held a spirit of "I am the only one who matters." Although he knew the Zone was ridiculously strong from his meditation training, feeling it in reality with genuine emotions was a completely different sensation.

Qingfeng stared intently at Yukimiya Kazuma...

And the ball in his hands!

"Come on."

"Yukimiya."

Feeling that suffocating aura from Qingfeng, Yukimiya Kazuma's face gradually turned ferocious as well.

Monster Immersion · Flying Bird · Startled String!

"Alright!"

Yukimiya Kazuma turned to break through!

Just as he had anticipated, Qingfeng reached out, closing in on the ball with lightning speed!

Whoosh!

Under the super-speed reaction of "Startled String," this ball was still extremely dangerous!

And this...

Was only Yukimiya Kazuma's first dribble in his attempt to break through!

Through the legs!

Behind the back!

Even with "Startled String" active, Yukimiya still had to choose a ball-handling style that prioritized protecting the ball.

Even so...

Scratch~!

Qingfeng's fingertips brushed past it again, narrowly missing!

The next moment.

Tsuchiya Daiga and Oguchi Ryuji, having received Yukimiya Kazuma's signal, moved up to screen as planned, but before the two could get into position, Qingfeng, with terrifying electric arcs flickering in his eyes, had already rushed in front of Yukimiya Kazuma.

Just then, Yukimiya Kazuma took a sudden step back.

Hidden Bow!

A swift fadeaway shot; in this instant, the preparation motion for gathering the ball was almost invisible, and in just a blink, he had already entered the fadeaway stage!

However, Yukimiya Kazuma was fast, but Qingfeng Daiki was faster, and it was a double speed—reaction and acceleration!

The height was also much higher than the previous block!

Almost simultaneously sticking to Yukimiya Kazuma's side, he jumped to block the fadeaway!

Qingfeng Daiki: "!?"

This is?

My fadeaway?

Yukimiya's shot this time had a fadeaway arc in the air comparable to Qingfeng's!

But he clearly did not have Qingfeng's formless shot.

This ball was a pass.

Yukimiya, who had been playing 1v1 against Qingfeng for half the game, was preparing to send out the "Linkage" of a passing-control master with the goal of an assist for the first time after Qingfeng entered the Zone!

·· 0 flowers 0 ·········

This sudden, ultra-wide fadeaway startled many, but not the Quanzhen Hall players on the court.

After the screen failed just now, Oguchi Ryuji immediately chose to accelerate his positioning.

It's coming...

This ball will be fast.

I don't know if I can complete it successfully.

However, thinking of Yukimiya Kazuma holding on from the start until now...

"Yukimiya!"

In the past, it was always Yukimiya Kazuma's passes finding them, but now, it was Oguchi Ryuji observing Qingfeng's defense and actively seeking a route that was easy to catch.

Soon.

Yukimiya, leaning back until he was almost lying on the ground, saw Oguchi Ryuji in his field of vision, who had arrived in time.

At the same time, based on the opponent's position, he instantly calculated the safe distance from Qingfeng required for this pass.

Yukimiya Kazuma suddenly smiled at Qingfeng.

The shooting motion with both hands above his head instantly turned into a powerful two-handed pass!

He knew very well.

Within the Zone, Qingfeng's defensive ability would expand to what level, so this pass of his was shockingly powerful!

Hiss~!

The sound of the ball tearing through the air after being passed was very clear!

The moment it left his hands, it was like a martial arts master delivering a "Vibrating Fist" with full sound effects!

At a position far from Qingfeng, Oguchi Ryuji reached out to catch the ball. The moment it touched his hands, because the ball speed was too fast, the magical "propulsive sensation" from before was clearly a bit excessive; it felt like it was about to slip out of his control in the next second, and at the same time, the magical smoothness upon contact was reduced to only 20-30% of its effectiveness.

Trying hard to recall the feeling of Yukimiya's passes from before, Oguchi Ryuji actively exerted force the moment he caught the ball to cancel out part of the pass's momentum.

No problem...

The ball Yukimiya entrusted to me!

"I am..."