At the center of the court.
The air itself seemed to be torn apart by two invisible hands.
On one side was the deep, ethereal blue of the "Magic Mirage"—a phantom-like illusion resembling a desert mirage.
On the other was the violent dark purple of "Emperor Resonance"—a force filled with absolute order and overwhelming dominance.
The floor itself groaned.
As if it couldn't withstand the weight of these two monsters.
"Boom!"
Maki Shinchiro pushed forward with the ball.
This wasn't even dribbling anymore.
Every step felt like he was hammering a steel nail into the floor.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Terrifying.
Facing Sendoh's unpredictable "ghost-like" defense—
The emperor of Kanagawa made the simplest…
And most unreasonable choice.
Ignore it.
No matter how many afterimages there were.
No matter how much visual deception was used.
Maki lowered his center of gravity.
His dark muscles instantly swelled like inflated tires, forcing his jersey to tighten as if it might tear apart.
He turned himself into a human battering ram.
And charged straight toward the basket!
"You think you're getting past me? No way!"
The blue light in Sendoh's eyes flickered violently.
His mind was operating at maximum capacity.
The moment Maki charged—
Sendoh's body strangely shifted sideways.
He attempted to use visual distortion to create another "phasing" illusion.
His fingertips were already reaching toward the rough surface of the basketball.
But at that instant...
"Hmph!"
Maki let out a cold snort.
The sound carried the brutality of a prehistoric beast.
A steal?
Try stealing it!
His shoulder suddenly dropped.
He didn't care where the ball was.
He simply slammed his body toward that illusionary blue figure.
Real or fake.
If he crushed it—
Then it became real!
"BOOM!!"
The dull sound of bodies colliding made everyone on the sidelines grit their teeth.
Sendoh's pupils contracted violently.
This wasn't human strength.
It was like a runaway bulldozer crashing straight into him!
Before absolute power—
All fancy tricks were meaningless.
The elegance of the "Mirage" shattered instantly.
Sendoh staggered backward.
His shoes scraped violently against the floor, producing a sharp screech.
He almost fell onto the ground.
"Too light, Sendoh!!"
Maki roared.
He accelerated again.
Like a purple bolt of lightning, he tore straight through Ryonan's defense.
Uozumi tried to step up.
But he realized his legs felt like they were filled with lead.
The terrifying pressure of the emperor's aura had pinned him in place.
Jump.
Tomahawk.
Destruction.
"BOOM!!"
The rim shook violently.
Letting out a painful cry.
Score:
56 : 63
Maki landed.
His chest rose and fell violently.
Those purple eyes burned with frightening battle intent.
He wasn't intimidated by Sendoh's tricks.
Instead...
Using the most primitive and savage method…
He carved a bloody path through the "mirage."
"A monster…"
Koshino collapsed onto the floor.
Looking at that demonic figure, his throat felt dry.
At that moment...
He felt as if even his ability to breathe had been taken away.
On the spectator stand.
The Shohoku players looked so serious it felt like water could drip from their faces.
"That worked?!"
Mitsui Hisashi gripped the railing tightly.
The veins on the back of his hand bulged.
"Sendoh clearly dragged the entire game into his own rhythm."
"And that Maki guy…"
"He actually forced his way back with pure strength?!"
Miyagi Ryota swallowed.
His eyes were filled with disbelief.
"But…"
"Ryonan's momentum was already built up by Sendoh."
"Ryonan should win, right?"
"They absolutely should win, right?"
Miyagi's voice carried confidence.
"Win?"
A light scoff came from beside him.
Makino Juro leaned lazily against the chair.
He played with the empty popcorn bucket in his hand.
His expression was amused.
He stared at the blue figure on the court who was creating miracles.
Then shook his head.
"Miyagi."
"You only saw Sendoh showing off."
"But you didn't see…"
"His CPU is about to burn out."
"Huh?"
Miyagi froze.
At that moment...
Sendoh had just completed an incredible no-look behind-the-back pass.
Fukuda scored.
The movement was stylish.
Almost ridiculously cool.
Wait.
Miyagi narrowed his eyes.
Sweat.
An abnormal amount of sweat.
It was pouring down from Sendoh's chin.
The face that usually carried a relaxed smile was now pale like paper.
His lips had lost all color.
"Zone…"
"By nature, it's just a cheat ability that burns through stamina."
Juro's voice was calm and cold.
Like a bucket of ice water poured over everyone's heads.
"Maki's 'Emperor Resonance' means he carries the pressure of the entire team."
"That's physical exhaustion."
"But Sendoh?"
Makino Juro pointed toward the figure still sprinting across the court.
"His 'Mirage' requires a terrifying amount of calculation."
"Every second, he has to deceive five people's eyes."
"Predict the movements of ten people."
"And construct false coordinates inside his own mind."
"It's like forcing a computer to overclock itself by 200% to mine cryptocurrency…"
"Without even installing a cooling fan."
Makino Juro paused.
"He's burning his own life right now."
His eyes moved toward the rest of Ryonan.
Uozumi.
Fukuda.
Koshino.
Koshita.
They were fighting desperately.
But confusion could still be seen in their eyes.
"His teammates can't keep up with his thoughts."
"They can't understand his 'illusions.'"
"He has to be the magician."
"The worker."
"And the bodyguard."
"In this kind of battle…"
"The one who lasts until the end is the one with the stronger stamina."
"The one with the bigger fuel tank."
"Stamina?"
Sakuragi Hanamichi suddenly shoved his giant head over.
His expression was pure confusion.
"That spiky-haired guy looks pretty strong."
"How could he run out of stamina?"
"And if he entered that Zone thing…"
"Shouldn't he become invincible?"
"Using a finishing move needs stamina too?"
Sakuragi scratched his bald head.
Completely puzzled.
Inside his simple worldview—
Explosion of power = invincible = unlimited chakra.
Makino Juro's mouth twitched.
He looked at Sakuragi like he was observing a single-celled organism.
"Sakuragi."
"What?"
"Do you think everyone's stamina is the same as yours?"
Juro sighed.
Then pointed at his temple.
"This thing burns brain cells and nervous system reaction speed."
"It's like how you normally take a math test."
"You solve one problem and immediately want to sleep."
"Sendoh right now…"
"Is basically doing calculus…"
"While sprinting a 100-meter dash at the same time."
"If it were you…"
Juro looked Sakuragi up and down.
He didn't say anything.
"Nani?!"
Sakuragi's eyes widened.
Then he exploded in anger.
"Don't underestimate me!"
"This genius's brain capacity is infinite!"
"A mere taste chicken pow—"
"What is taste chicken powder? Can you eat it?"
Rukawa Kaede coldly muttered two words:
"Idiot."
"You damn fox, what did you say?!"
The two immediately started fighting.
Juro ignored the two idiots.
His gaze returned to the court.
His eyes gradually sharpened.
"Almost."
"That old fox Maki…"
"Should have already smelled blood."
On the court.
Only three minutes remained.
Score:
72 : 70
Ryonan led by two points.
But those two points felt incredibly fragile.
"Ha… ha…"
Sendoh felt like his lungs were filled with broken glass.
Every breath brought unbearable pain.
His vision began to blur.
The once-clear "data stream" in his mind started showing intermittent noise.
The once-smooth "Mirage"…
Was beginning to lag.
Beginning to drop frames.
END OF CHAPTER
The King Of Slacking Off - MrBehringer's Secret
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