Atsushi Murasakibara looked a little irritated, so when it was time to attack, he raised his hand and called for the ball.
Miyamoto didn't overthink it and passed the ball straight to him.
The moment Murasakibara caught it, Wei Liu and Kenichi Okamura immediately closed in, double-teaming him to apply pressure.
Murasakibara was already annoyed from being targeted over the past few possessions, and now they were pulling the same stunt again.
Even the calmest person has a breaking point.
So Murasakibara snapped.
"ROAR!!!"
In his anger, Murasakibara unleashed his Animal Instinct.
A massive, ferocious bear seemed to appear behind him, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Instantly, both Okamura and Wei Liu felt as if they were being stared down by a savage beast.
A thought involuntarily surfaced in Okamura's mind.
We're screwed… we're totally screwed!
The next second—
With his back to the basket, the enraged Murasakibara planted his feet as rings of white air burst outward beneath him. He leapt straight up and spun 180 degrees in midair.
The sheer force of the movement pushed Okamura and Wei Liu stumbling backward.
A fierce light flashed in Murasakibara's eyes as the giant bear behind him beat its chest and roared.
Thor's Hammer!!!
BOOM!!!
Crack… crack…
The rim shook violently, letting out a metallic wail.
Murasakibara landed slowly, but the rim kept trembling.
Wei Liu's pupils shook as he suddenly realized something was wrong.
The backboard was shaking more and more violently, as if crying out in its final moments.
Seeing this, Wei Liu shouted:
"Run!!!"
He grabbed Okamura and pulled him away from the basket support.
Murasakibara quietly stepped back two steps.
The next second—
The violently shaking hoop collapsed.
BOOM!!!
The basket structure crashed onto the court with a thunderous sound.
The entire arena fell silent.
Over on Seirin's side—
Junpei Hyuga's mouth hung wide open—big enough to fit an apple—as he muttered in disbelief:
"A… a monster… He even destroyed the hoop…"
Shun Izuki swallowed hard. Normally the one cracking dry jokes, he couldn't think of a single thing to say.
Riko Aida looked utterly shocked. She knew Murasakibara's stats were outrageous, but she never imagined they were outrageous to this degree.
Over on Shūtoku's side—
Shintaro Midorima clenched the mascot in his hand tightly, his expression turning serious.
Kazunari Takao rubbed his eyes repeatedly, afraid he had seen it wrong.
"No way… he shattered the hoop? What kind of monster is that?!"
Because the basket had broken, the game had to be paused.
The referees and staff had no idea how to deal with the situation.
Although this was the national tournament, something like this had never happened before, and none of the courts had spare hoops prepared.
It seemed the match might end right there.
At that moment, Miyamoto stepped forward. After speaking with the referee, he went to make a phone call.
That's right—Miyamoto arranged for someone to come repair the hoop. Of course, that would take some time.
So both teams left the court to rest.
As the players rested, the discussions in the stands grew louder and louder.
Over on Kaijō's side—
Ryota Kise sighed helplessly. Ever since the game started, the wry smile on his face hadn't disappeared.
Terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
Murasakibara's power had completely shocked him. Kise never expected Murasakibara to grow to such a level.
Over on Tōō's side—
Daiki Aomine sat with his fingers interlocked, his expression unusually serious.
The rest of the Tōō players also looked serious.
After all, their next opponent would be decided by this very match.
And that opponent would be Kirisaki Daiichi.
Under Miyamoto's arrangements, maintenance staff quickly arrived and replaced the hoop.
Once the new hoop was installed, the match resumed.
After both teams returned to the court, it was obvious that Yōsen still hadn't recovered from the shock.
What had just happened was simply too overwhelming.
Some of the Yōsen players even looked at Murasakibara differently now.
Clearly, their fighting spirit had been shattered by that dunk.
In the stands, Midorima saw this and immediately stood up.
Takao asked in confusion:
"Shintaro, what's wrong?"
Midorima replied calmly:
"There's no need to keep watching. Yōsen has already given up. Let's go prepare for the next game. Our next opponent is Rakuzan."
With that, Midorima turned and left without another glance.
The rest of the Shūtoku players also stood up and followed him out.
It wasn't just Midorima who left.
Aomine also stood up and led the entire Tōō team away.
Their next opponent was Kirisaki Daiichi.
Just as everyone expected, Yōsen stopped targeting anyone.
Because there was no point anymore.
The score gap was already huge, and now they had lost the will to keep fighting.
Naturally, the game fell apart.
Kirisaki Daiichi pushed hard for one quarter, widening the lead before sending in their second lineup.
Yōsen also swapped out all five starters for their bench players, openly signaling their surrender.
After the game, Masako Araki approached Miyamoto.
"I will keep my promise."
Miyamoto nodded and led the Kirisaki Daiichi players away from the court.
After changing clothes, Murasakibara and Himuro came to find Miyamoto together.
"Miyamoto, Himuro and I want to go take a look."
Miyamoto naturally knew where they wanted to go, so he nodded in agreement.
The two of them then ran to Yōsen's locker room.
At first, the Yōsen players didn't give them very friendly looks.
But after Himuro said something—no one knew exactly what—their attitude instantly changed.
It flipped a full one hundred and eighty degrees.
They immediately dragged Himuro and Murasakibara out to treat them to a big meal.
Miyamoto smiled helplessly, finding the whole situation rather absurd.
His players had just crushed the opposing team…
And now that same team was inviting them out to dinner?
Afterward, Miyamoto took the remaining Kirisaki Daiichi players out for a meal before heading back.
...
That night.
Inside Shūtoku's basketball gym, the lights were still on.
From inside, the sound of basketballs swishing through the net echoed repeatedly.
"Shintaro, is that Akashi guy really that scary?"
Takao asked while picking up the ball under the basket.
Midorima caught the ball and shot it.
Then, remembering the strength Seijuro Akashi had shown in middle school, he nodded seriously.
"He's strong."
Takao yawned loudly, clearly exhausted.
Seeing this, Midorima said:
"Takao, you should go home and rest."
Takao shook his head.
"Forget it. If I leave, who's going to rebound for you?"
Midorima replied calmly:
"There's no need. I can train with the shooting machine Coach bought."
Takao pursed his lips helplessly.
"You really are a training maniac. Alright, I'm heading back. You should rest early too, Shintaro. See you tomorrow."
With that, Takao left.
...