"Don't even think about getting past me!"
Jin Soichiro gritted his teeth and spread his arms wide, trying to become a human barricade.
Fukuda looked at the slender Jin standing in front of him.
Then he grinned.
A row of white teeth showed beneath his fierce expression.
At this moment...
There was no defender in his eyes.
Only the orange rim hanging with a white net.
And…
The deafening roar of the crowd that was about to shatter his eardrums.
"Get out of my way!"
Fukuda roared in his heart.
His foot slammed into the floor.
The court let out a painful cry.
His body launched into the air like an intercontinental missile.
No fancy crossover.
No unnecessary footwork.
Just a pure, violent, unreasonable straight-line attack!
"Bang!"
Two bodies collided in midair like planets crashing together.
Jin let out a muffled groan.
The impact sent him flying backward like a broken kite.
Meanwhile, Fukuda used the recoil force to forcefully extend his body in the air.
One hand gripping the ball.
Like swinging a battle axe—
He smashed it toward the basket.
"BOOM!!"
The dunk carried terrifying force.
The rim groaned in pain, as if it might break apart the next second.
The whistle blew.
The basket counted.
And a free throw was coming.
"Holy crap!!"
"It's him again! It's Fukuda again!"
"He sent Jin flying! That physical ability isn't human!"
Fukuda landed.
He slammed his fist against his chest.
Then raised his head and roared toward the sky.
At that moment, he felt like he was the center of the world.
The spotlight existed only for him.
"Did you see that, Sendoh?"
Fukuda turned his head.
His burning eyes locked onto the spiky-haired figure slowly jogging over.
"I can do it too."
Sendoh smiled.
He walked over and casually patted Fukuda on the back.
"Great job, Fukuda."
"You stole all the spotlight."
The score.
44 : 59
The gap had widened to 15 points.
Only eight minutes remained until the end of the game.
Ryonan's bench had already started celebrating early.
Hikoichi Aida was jumping around with his notebook in hand, shouting "Unbelievable!" like a monkey that had just evolved.
On the Shohoku spectator stand.
"This should be over, right?"
"A 15-point gap, and Ryonan's momentum is completely on their side."
"Kainan's defensive system has already been torn apart by the combination of Sendoh and Fukuda."
Mitsui Hisashi looked at the scoreboard and shook his head.
"Yeah… Maki Shinichi is strong, but he's been doing everything himself. There's no way his stamina can keep up."
"Kainan… is finished."
Miyagi Ryota nodded in agreement.
"It's already over?"
Sakuragi Hanamichi crossed his arms and clicked his tongue unhappily.
"Tch. That middle-aged guy wasn't that impressive after all."
"They called him the King, but he's getting crushed by that Fukuda guy."
Just when everyone believed the outcome was decided—
Makino Juro's previously lazy eyes suddenly narrowed.
He stared at a certain point on the court.
"No."
His voice was not loud.
But the chill in it made everyone's back feel cold.
"The real show…"
"has only just begun."
Rukawa Kaede immediately turned his head and looked toward the court.
At Kainan's baseline.
The man wearing the number 4 jersey was picking up the basketball.
Maki Shinichi.
He didn't shout.
He didn't roar.
He didn't even show any expression.
But the instant he straightened his back—
An invisible, terrifying aura exploded outward.
Like purple lightning made real.
It spread around him in every direction.
The entire gym seemed to become heavy.
The air itself felt thick.
Making it difficult to breathe.
"Zzzzt—Zzzzt—"
On the court.
Sendoh had been retreating with a relaxed smile.
Suddenly...
The smile froze on his face.
A feeling like being stared at by the ultimate predator crawled up his spine.
Every hair on his body stood up.
His scalp went numb.
Sendoh immediately turned around.
What he saw was Maki's eyes.
Those were not the eyes of an ordinary human.
Cold.
Violent.
Filled with a desire for destruction.
If the previous Maki was a calm mountain—
Then now, that mountain had collapsed.
Revealing the boiling magma hidden beneath.
"Sendoh."
Maki finally spoke.
His voice was hoarse.
Like sandpaper grinding against metal.
It made people's teeth hurt.
Holding the basketball in one hand, he walked forward step by step.
Every step seemed to shake the floor.
"Had enough fun?"
Sendoh's eyelids twitched.
Before he could react...
Maki moved.
No tactics.
No looking for teammates.
"BOOM!"
A thunderous sound exploded.
Maki became a streak of purple lightning.
Instantly tearing through the air!
Fast.
Ridiculously fast.
Twice as fast as any drive he had made in the first half!
"Stop him!!"
Uozumi Jun instinctively sensed danger.
He shouted and rushed forward.
Koshino.
Uekusa.
Even Fukuda.
Everyone collapsed inward.
Ryonan's four defenders closed in.
Along with Sendoh in front.
A five-man trap?
No.
It was five people being crushed.
Facing the forest of arms in front of him—
Maki didn't slow down at all.
He was like a runaway heavy tank.
Carrying an unstoppable force of destruction.
He smashed straight into the crowd.
"Move!!"
With a furious roar—
Maki exploded with shoulder strength.
Koshino, who tried to steal the ball, was sent flying.
His body spun through the air before crashing down like a broken doll.
Then...
A powerful spin.
His elbow pushed Uekusa away.
Facing the combined defense of Uozumi and Sendoh—
He didn't avoid them.
Instead...
He jumped directly into their blocks!
"Not a chance!!"
Uozumi's eyes turned red.
His massive hand slammed downward.
Sendoh stretched his arm out as well.
Every shooting angle was sealed.
In the air.
Maki's body twisted under the pressure of both defenders.
But his core strength was monstrous.
He actually stopped himself for a brief moment in midair.
Carrying the weight of two people.
He forced the ball toward the basket.
"WHISTLE!!"
The referee blew the whistle.
At the same time...
"Swish!"
The ball rolled into the net.
"And one!!"
The entire gym fell silent.
Everyone stared at the man who landed from the air.
Koshino was lying on the ground clutching his chest.
Uekusa staggered backward.
Uozumi and Sendoh were breathing heavily.
Their eyes were filled with disbelief.
One person.
He had destroyed Ryonan's entire defensive line head-on.
A basket.
And a foul.
Maki landed.
He didn't even look at the shot.
He turned around.
His gaze passed through the Ryonan players.
And locked directly onto Makino Juro in the stands.
Then...
He raised his hand.
Slowly dragging it across his throat.
A throat-cutting gesture.
That dark brown face finally revealed a terrifying smile.
Like a demon god had awakened.
"So this is…"
"The former King of Kanagawa…"
"Back then, Makino Juro was also…"
On the spectator stand, Miyagi Ryota felt his throat go dry.
He swallowed.
Even from this distance...
He could feel the suffocating pressure from that single play.
Juro looked at the rampaging Maki.
Instead of fear...
The smile on his face grew wider.
He released the crushed water bottle in his hand.
Excitement flashed in his eyes.
"That's more like it."
"If you don't force a monster like this into a corner…"
"What's the point of this game?"
Makino Juro muttered.
His voice carried the anticipation of someone who wanted the chaos to continue.
"Come on, Maki."
"Let me see…"
"Just how far your current 'Zone' can go."
On the court.
Score:
46 : 59
Ryonan was still leading by 13 points.
But everyone understood.
The real game...
Had only just begun.
That streak of purple lightning…
The shadow called "despair" had already descended over Ryonan.
END OF CHAPTER
The King Of Slacking Off - MrBehringer's Secret
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