Chapter 251

Shutoku’s possession.

Midorima demanded the ball directly from Takao Kazunari.

He did not accept Tendou’s words; every member of Shutoku deserved respect.

But at this moment, the team truly needed him to step up.

Infinite screens!

All of Shutoku’s players pulled out to the high post to set screens for Midorima.

Tendou bypassed the first person, his right foot tapping the ground, and then—

In an instant, their brains were thinking at high speed, but they could only fall into a dead loop within the maze of their own thoughts.

Their brains kept sending them the command that he was "unbeatable."

This was despairing.

The brain is the central nervous system of the human body, the command center.

If the command center doesn't issue orders, how is this battle to be fought, and how can they win?

To break the Infinite Void, one could only be stronger than Tendou, or at least equal to him in strength.

Otherwise, it was impossible to break through this information shock.

"Snap!"

Midorima’s performance was the best among the five Shutoku starters, yet even he couldn't break through the data torrent of the Infinite Void.

Even though his brain was thinking non-stop, his body’s movements became twisted, as if he were stuck in a quagmire.

Midorima struggled to break free, but before he could even start his motion, before he could even release the ball, it was forcefully slapped away by Tendou.

"Damn it all!" Nakatani Masaaki slammed his fist hard against the bench.

He had just been thinking: if he combined the infinite screens with the alley-oop three-pointer, could they break Tendou’s blockade?

If his hypothesis held, even if Tendou ran fast, he wouldn't be able to stop Midorima from shooting.

This was difficult to achieve, because Midorima needed to make preparatory movements in an off-ball state to find his shooting rhythm.

Of course, while the difficulty was high, it was still a method.

And now?

Even if Midorima overcame the need for off-ball preparation and could find his shooting rhythm at any moment, and even if Takao Kazunari could deliver the ball to him with precision—

Shutoku still couldn't break Tendou’s death-lock.

Takao couldn't even pass the ball out; what else was there to talk about?

Thinking that the only way to break the Infinite Void was to be stronger than this monster, Tendou Tiandao Tiandao Jingyan, or at least be on par with him, made Nakatani Masaaki’s head ache.

The point gap continued to widen.

Fans could feel Shutoku’s helplessness from across the court.

Their hope for a comeback rested on Midorima, but even the strongest shooter of the Generation of Miracles couldn't break through Tendou’s death-grip and was completely frozen.

If Shutoku wanted to score, they could only rely on the coordination of the other four players.

But those four were not enough to turn the tide, because Kirisaki Daiichi still had Haizaki Shogo.

Haizaki might not be able to play in high-level games, but as long as it didn't reach the level of the Generation of Miracles, he was an unstoppable existence.

The third quarter ended.

The point gap had widened to 30 points; Shutoku had completely lost all hope.

Midorima Shintaro, this strongest shooter of the Generation of Miracles, aside from his sudden burst in the second quarter, had not been allowed a single shooting opportunity in the remaining two quarters.

It was over.

Even the tenacious Nakatani Masaaki had to admit at this moment that their Shutoku was finished for this year.

Following the Inter-High, they were eliminated again in the Winter Cup.

Never mind 30 points; there had never been a case of a team overcoming a 20-point or even 10-point deficit entering the final quarter.

There were no miracles left.

On the bench.

The Shutoku players were all silent.

They had the heart to fight, but were powerless to change the outcome.

With a 30-point gap before them, any fighting spirit or effort seemed too pale.

Midorima sat quietly on the bench.

The phrase following "do your best" is "leave the rest to fate."

It means doing everything within one's power, so that even if the final outcome isn't what one expected, one can accept it gracefully.

Midorima had once believed this.

But at this moment, something felt like it was pressing on his chest, giving him an urge to release it.

It was the unwillingness after losing, even more intense than when they unexpectedly lost to Seirin in the Inter-High.

Beep~

As the referee blew the whistle, the game entered the final quarter.

Only 10 minutes remained until Shutoku was eliminated.

Tendou remained on the court, not giving Shutoku any chances.

Midorima possessed the most ferocious scoring firepower in the country; if you gave him a chance, he could drop 30+ or even 40+ points in a single quarter.

"Really, he’s merciless."

"He’s not even coming off the court with a 30-point lead? This isn't the final game of the championship."

"What are you talking about? Tendou not coming off is the greatest respect he can show to Midorima and Shutoku."

The point gap was large, but the brilliance of this game couldn't be reflected by the score alone.

Shutoku had brought the fans a great surprise.

Their extreme tactics and undying, tenacious fighting spirit were moving.

Shutoku’s fans were still cheering with all their might.

They knew the team had truly given their all and had prepared a lot for this game.

They couldn't win, not because of their own issues, but because the opponent was too strong.

They believed that even if Rakuzan stood before them today, they would have to shed a layer of skin.

If it weren't for Kirisaki Daiichi, Shutoku’s journey definitely wouldn't have ended again.

Unfortunately, there were no "ifs."

With 3 minutes left in the game, the outcome was decided, and Tendou substituted himself out early.

The winner was clear, there was no need to continue playing, and there was no deep-seated hatred.

Shutoku took advantage of these last few minutes while he was off the court to launch a counterattack.

A rain of three-pointers suddenly fell on the court.

Without Tendou’s tight defense, Midorima was like a beast released from a cage, sinking every three-pointer he threw.

The more he did so, the more people were amazed by Tendou’s strength.

Such a Midorima Shintaro had actually been defended to the point where he couldn't even find a shooting opportunity.

He was worthy of the name "the strongest in the country"!

"Beep~"

The game finally ended.

Following Seirin, Too, Kaijo, Yosen, and Rakuzan, Shutoku was also cut down by Kirisaki Daiichi.

At this moment, the entire Generation of Miracles "dungeon" had been cleared by Tendou.

The final score was 121:100!

Shutoku had clawed back quite a few points at the end, saving a bit of face.

"You won. Congratulations."

After the game, Nakatani Masaaki took the initiative to walk over and shake hands with Tendou.

His tone was calm, but his eyes were sharp, looking as if he wanted to swallow Tendou whole.

"Be careful, kid. We’ll see each other again next year."