Chapter 203: Responsibility

Murasakibara unlocking his movie-version self ahead of time was beyond Tiandao’s expectations.

We’re old friends, aren't you afraid I’ll get hurt?

"Not bad, very energetic."

Tiandao shook his wrist; the current Murasakibara could even defeat the center of the Jabberwock team.

"Don't lump me in with you and Tiandao; I just don't want to lose."

Murasakibara didn't admit the fact that he was very motivated.

Even though it was the first time he felt that being able to exert his full strength was such a joyful thing.

"Then you have to win against me first."

Tiandao beckoned with his right hand, and his teammates immediately passed the ball to him.

"This isn't child’s play anymore, Atsushi."

*Snap~*

Tiandao dribbled the basketball, and then his whole body rushed out.

The speed burst from a single point was chasing after Aomine, the fastest man in the country.

Murasakibara turned and flew, completely ignoring that his position was center, competing with Tiandao like an outsider.

The two crossed the mid-court line one after another, leaving the others behind; even Tatsuya Himuro couldn't get close.

"You have indeed grown a little, but that’s about it."

"Release~"

*Snap~*

The fastest dribbling and breakthrough in the country changed direction and crashed in from the left the moment Murasakibara killed his way to Tiandao.

Murasakibara’s reflexes were fast, moving his massive body to block.

But the next second.

*Rumble~*

His massive body crashed to the ground; precisely because he reacted too fast and could keep up with Tiandao’s dribbling and breakthrough speed, he was ruthlessly shaken down.

"You’re a hundred years too early to want to win against me."

Tiandao crossed Murasakibara and killed his way into the Yosen paint.

Kenichi Okamura and Liu Wei saw this and came together like two gate gods, opening a net from left and right.

Tiandao’s gaze swept slightly over the open teammate on the right.

Kenichi Okamura noticed it and subconsciously reacted, but immediately regretted it.

The man in front of him possessed the heaven-defying Six Eyes; there was no need to observe deliberately.

He had been tricked!

Tiandao seized his flaw, dribbled the ball, nutmegged Kenichi Okamura, and turned to cross the double-team simultaneously.

By the time he regained control of the ball, the path in front of him was clear.

"Boom!"

Tiandao powerfully smashed the ball into the rim.

Masako Araki was silent; although the team’s offense was solved, the problem of how to stop that Kirisaki Daichi monster followed.

Without blocking this Teiko captain, it would be difficult for Yosen to reverse the score.

Murasakibara didn't want to consider so much right now.

He was enjoying the joy of playing with all his might for the first time.

*Boom!*

He caught the basketball passed by his teammate with both hands and leaned in hard.

Tiandao was pushed back half a step directly.

Murasakibara saw this and exerted force again, trying to get as close to the paint as possible.

He tried hard to recall Kenichi Okamura’s teachings, to use the strength of his waist and abdomen, and to coordinate his footsteps with his whole body.

He mastered it quickly; with this lean, he was confident he could push Tiandao away.

However.

Just as he was about to get close to Tiandao, the latter suddenly retreated half a step skillfully.

"Nani?!"

This retreat caused Murasakibara to lose his center of gravity, and his body fell toward the floor uncontrollably again.

"You really took me for a center."

Pulling the chair wasn't a brilliant technique; anyone who had played ball knew it.

But simple didn't mean useless.

As long as the timing was mastered, this move was a nightmare for heavy-duty centers, perfectly neutralizing all post-ups.

Tiandao, with his Six Eyes, could accurately grasp every moment.

Pulling the chair in his hands was a great killer!

The feeling of weightlessness filled every cell in his body; his fall was a foregone conclusion.

Murasakibara gritted his teeth, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw his teammate coming to assist, so he hurriedly sent the ball out before falling.

This person was Tatsuya Himuro.

After receiving Murasakibara’s pass, they didn't dare to delay, wanting to shoot as soon as they caught it.

But he underestimated Tiandao’s explosiveness.

Almost the moment he caught the ball, Tiandao’s exquisite face came into view.

*Snap!*

The ball was stolen; Tatsuya Himuro had just gathered the ball and hadn't even had time to shoot before Tiandao knocked it down.

Tatsuya Himuro struggled symbolically in mid-air, but it was to no avail.

"Different from Atsushi, his destructive power is even stronger." Tatsuya Himuro was lost in a daze.

Although Tiandao’s defensive range was as large as Murasakibara’s, covering the entire three-point area.

But there was one difference.

Murasakibara used blocks to complete his defense, while Tiandao was more straightforward with steals.

He didn't even give you a chance to start; he dismantled the offense before you could shoot.

Another Kirisaki Daichi counterattack.

Tiandao rushed toward the front court like a meteor; at his side were four Kirisaki Daichi teammates.

Kirisaki Daichi charged at the Yosen position in a fan shape.

Murasakibara had already climbed up from the ground and chased after him, forcing Tiandao to stop two steps before the three-point line.

No breakthrough—not that he couldn't get past, but it wasn't necessary.

*Boom, boom~*

Continuous between-the-legs dribbling, the body’s vibration frequency was ridiculously high...

In the time it took to breathe, Tiandao completed two fakes and flung the ball into the paint with force.

Murasakibara didn't react at all, or rather, he reacted too fast and was shaken to the spot, unable to move.

Kojiro Furuhashi caught the ball, took a step, and jumped to score an open layup.

Murasakibara looked at the widening gap on the scoreboard and pursed his lips.

Still not enough.

He hadn't done enough, because the score hadn't been chased back.

Then try a little harder?

Tokyo, at Kozo Shirogane’s home.

Kozo Shirogane, who had already retired, looked at his two disciples on TV with a smile.

Murasakibara was undergoing an important transformation; that was the moment he had been looking forward to for many years.

He put down his teacup and muttered to himself, as if speaking to Murasakibara through the TV.

"Responsibility is a very heavy word, but it is an indispensable support on our road to growing up."

"It is not only a constraint and promise to oneself, but also a contribution and commitment to family and society."

"And on the basketball court, it means leading the team forward."

Murasakibara’s path had been too smooth before; he didn't need to bear it, because if the sky fell, Tiandao and the others would hold it up.

And Murasakibara, he now indeed felt his shoulders suddenly become very heavy.

Whether it was responsibility, he didn't know; the only thing he knew was that it was something Tiandao and the others had always been bearing.

In a daze, he seemed to see Tiandao and Akashi and the others standing in front.

He used to only be able to look at their backs, but when he came back to his senses, he had unknowingly stood by their side.

Sure enough...

It’s so troublesome!

*Rumble~*

He smashed his hands into the rim fiercely, but the ball disappeared.

The cut Kensuke Fukui passed to him was destroyed by Tiandao first.

Kirisaki Daichi launched another counterattack.

Tiandao ran wildly with the ball, passing three people in a row to break into the Yosen paint, raising his right hand high, smashing the ball toward the rim in a posture of burning the sky.

However.

A black shadow climbed up from behind at this moment, shrouding his entire body.

"This isn't what was arranged in the script." Tiandao immediately pulled the ball down and flung it behind him.

Hiroshi Yamazaki was about to shoot, but little did he know that just as he jumped, that black shadow killed from the paint to the three-point line, shrouding his entire body.

This person was, of course, Murasakibara; his state was somewhat astonishing right now.

His pupils turned completely cold; Hiroshi Yamazaki looked closely and saw two purple cold electric sparks blooming from Murasakibara’s eyes.

"Is this for real!"