Chapter 56

He hung the ball directly into the paint to the center with Polish ancestry.

Attempting to resolve the battle using height and experience superior to Murasakibara's.

However........

"It's here!"

In a trance, Kasuga Ryūhei heard Tendō's whisper.

Looking up, he found a monster appearing on his passing route out of nowhere.

By the time the basketball pierced through the monster's body, the destination wasn't his teammate under the basket, but the palm of Teikō's number 14.

Tendō intercepted Seihō's pass with ease.

Standing near the free-throw line, his posture straight, his right arm extended horizontally like a large net, completely cutting off Kasuga Ryūhei and his teammates.

The next second.......

Tendō Keien slapped the basketball hard and charged toward the front court like he was stepping on wheels of fire.

"Oh no!"

"Fall back!"

"Stop him!"

Kasuga Ryūhei and their coach roared, turning to fall back on defense immediately.

This intense defensive rhythm made the audience cheer with excitement.

Tendō was soon intercepted by the opponent; the biggest difference between Seihō and other teams lay in their foundation.

Their discipline was as strict as if they had come from the military.

The monster improved Tendō's basketball IQ, but didn't improve his physical ability.

However.......

"Checkmate!"

Tendō Keien looked up and saw his monster appear at a certain position on the court.

He didn't hesitate and slammed the ball over there.

"Bang!"

The basketball hit the floor, bounced up, and landed in the hands of Aomine, who was following up.

"This....."

Aomine was surprised; he had just prepared to reach for the ball, and Tendō had already delivered it to his hands first.

"This guy....."

"You really are the best, Tendō!"

Aomine caught the ball and drove in, killing his way into the paint in one breath, letting out a shout, and slamming the ball into the hoop with force.

Seihō's people were out of reach; they had invested too much energy into Tendō.

Bang~

As if glass had been shattered, Aomine slammed the ball into the hoop fiercely.

He swore this was definitely one of the best passes he had ever received.

The lead, the force, the angle—none of them could be faulted.

The moment he caught the ball, he could release his talent to his heart's content.

After the dunk, Aomine couldn't help but laugh; after landing, he turned around, wanting to give Tendō a thumbs-up and praise him.

But when he turned his head, he saw Tendō turning around and walking back to the backcourt like an old man taking a stroll.

Behind him, that faint monster followed him closely.

"This little guy is really cool."

At this very moment, even Seihō's head coach couldn't help but have a thought pop into his mind.

"So cool!"

No, no, now is not the time to praise others for being cool.

He knew his team was in big trouble.

Tsugawa Tomoki was their secret weapon for dealing with Teikō; if even he couldn't stop that number 14, what should they do about their defense?

Double-team him?

But they didn't have enough manpower.

If they double-teamed Nijimura Shūzō and also double-teamed Tendō Keien, wouldn't the other Teikō players be left completely open?

He would absolutely never do such a thing; that would be no different from suicide.

This year's Teikō was hailed by youth media as the team with the "strongest firepower."

Leaving aside Nijimura Shūzō, the captain, and Tendō Keien, the ace player, Aomine Daiki, Midorima Shintarō, and Murasakibara Atsushi could not be left open.

Yes, in the eyes of Seihō and even most teams.

Tendō had already become Teikō's ace player.

While he was thinking, Seihō's players had already launched a new round of offense.

This time, wary of Tendō's stealing ability, Kasuga Ryūhei played very carefully, hanging the ball into the paint with absolute certainty.

The Polish center actively fought for position, which gave him a comfortable spot to receive the ball; with just one turn, he could complete an attack on the basket.

Murasakibara wasn't idle and was working hard to wrestle with his opponent.

The war between interior players often began before they even touched the basketball.

Boxing out, colliding, rude confrontation... all the primitive fighting you can think of was happening in the paint at all times, even when the camera couldn't see it.

In terms of strength, Murasakibara didn't suffer.

The Polish center had clearly done careful research on Murasakibara, knowing that the first-year behind him was a player with outstanding talent but rough technique.

This type of player is generally called a beast-style player, just like the monster currently hailed by people as being able to be traded one-for-one for James.

Use technique instead of brute force.

Haven't you seen how miserably the monster has been bullied by Yao Riyue in the league these years? It's basically a beating every time they meet.

From the moment he knew their first opponent in the round-robin was Teikō, the Polish center had prepared to win with skill.

After getting the basketball, he leaned back two more steps and found that he really couldn't push the opponent.

However, his position was already deep enough.

After arching three times in a row, giving the illusion that Murasakibara would continue to arch, the Pole suddenly withdrew his strength and took a close-range turnaround jump shot.

"Basketball isn't such a simple game, first-year." The Polish center pushed the ball out confidently.

He felt this shot felt extremely good; nine times out of ten, it would go in.

Well, if he had seen how Murasakibara would later defend from the paint to the three-point line, he wouldn't be so optimistic.

Just as he shot the ball, he discovered a large hand rising rapidly from below his field of vision, blocking the space between the basketball and the hoop.

"???"

"Bang!"

The basketball made a dull thud and hit the floor heavily.

The Polish center was surprised that Murasakibara's reaction speed was so fast, while Kasuga Ryūhei was actively looking for the basketball after a brief moment of shock.

"Rebound!"

He didn't know if this ball was a rebound, but he shouted it anyway.

At this time, the people from Seihō, including those from Teikō, woke up from their dreams and turned to look for the landing spot of the basketball.

The result.

Slap~

The basketball was caught by a large hand almost at the same time.

"Tendō?!"

"It's him again!"

The reactions of the players from both sides were different; some were pleasantly surprised, some were frightened.

The only thing they had in common was probably surprise!

It was too fast; he acted as if he knew where the basketball would land, or even as if he knew the ball would be blocked by Murasakibara.

And Wayne?