Bab 9.The Clash of Absolute Wills

The air in the arena was electric as the fourth quarter ticked down to its final thirty seconds. The scoreboard flickered in bold red LED numbers: Seirin Baru 81 - 82 Shutoku Baru.

Sweat drenched the hardwood floor. Hoga rested his hands on his knees, his chest heaving like a bellows, while Hyuga’s glasses kept sliding down his sweat-slick nose. On the other end, Midorima stood tall, his breathing measured, his taped fingers tightly gripping the basketball as Shutoku controlled the possession.

"This is the final play!" Riko screamed from the bench, leaning over the scorer's table. "Defense! Get one stop!"

Takao signaled for a set play, clapping his hands together. "Midorima-san! Finish them!"

Midorima caught the pass near the half-court line. Hoga immediately sprinted out to meet him, his legs trembling from fatigue, yet his eyes burning with pure, unadulterated aggression.

"You're not throwing another high-arc shot over me!" Hoga bellowed, dropping into a deep defensive stance. "I don't care if my legs snap—I'll jump higher!"

Midorima didn't flinch. He began his high-shooting motion, bending his knees in perfect form. Hoga took the bait and exploded upward with everything he had left, his hand soaring toward the sky to smother the release.

A fake!

Midorima aborted the jumper mid-motion, dipping low to drive past the airborne Hoga. "Predictable, Kagami. Your jumping power is impressive, but your impulses are too easy to read."

With Hoga out of the picture, Midorima stepped up to the three-point arc completely wide open. He set his feet, gathered the ball at his chest, and began his ultimate shooting motion.

"It's over," Midorima said quietly, staring up at the rim. "Fate has already decided this match."

"NOT YET!"

A sharp, calm voice echoed directly from Midorima's blind spot. Midorima's eyes widened in shock as he felt a rush of wind beside his ribs.

Ariaki Tetsuya materialized out of nowhere. Having utilized his Presence Erase to completely disappear from Takao's perimeter field of vision, Ariaki used his Hawk Eye to anticipate Midorima’s exact drive angle after Hoga's jump!

"Tetsuya?!" Midorima gasped.

Ariaki didn't have the height to block the shot directly, but he didn't need to. He planted his foot hard into the floor, using his newly forged core strength to vault himself sideways, extending his left arm to swipe cleanly at the ball before Midorima could raise it into his shooting pocket!

STRIP!

"WHAT?!" Takao screamed from the wing.

The ball clattered free onto the hardwood, spinning rapidly toward the half-court line.

"BOLA LIAR!" Izuki roared, diving recklessly onto the floor to slap the ball forward.

The ball rolled toward the open floor. Hoga, landing from his earlier jump, turned on his heels like a wild animal, his instinct driving his body past his physical limits. He scooped up the loose ball with six seconds remaining on the game clock.

"RUN!" Hyuga screamed.

Shutoku’s entire team scrambled back on defense, but Hoga was a runaway train. Midorima sprinted back with terrifying speed, positioning himself right under the basket, raising both hands to contest the final attempt.

"You won't score!" Midorima yelled, planting his feet firmly.

Hoga drove straight into the paint. Three seconds. Two seconds. He took his step-gather, but instead of forcing a contested shot against Midorima, Hoga remembered the words from their late-night training session: We fight together.

Without looking back, Hoga flipped a blind pass over his shoulder toward the trailing shadow behind him.

"AKI!"

Ariaki caught the ball in stride right at the free-throw line. Takao lunged from the side, desperate to recover, but Ariaki’s blue eyes were cold and focused. Using his Hawk Eye, Ariaki saw the exact opening in Shutoku's interior defense.

Instead of passing, Ariaki leaped into the air. He didn't execute a soft layup or a touch pass—he leaned forward with a firm, solid form, floating through the lane and executing a crisp, perfect teardrop floater over Midorima’s outstretched fingers!

The ball floated gracefully over the rim, kissing the backboard softly before falling through the net just as the red light flashed around the glass.

BUZZZZZZZZT!

Seirin Baru 83 - 82 Shutoku Baru.

The gym went completely silent for one second before the Seirin bench stormed the court in absolute chaos.

"WE WON! WE BEAT ONE OF THE THREE KINGS!" Hyuga screamed, throwing his arms around Izuki and Riko.

Midorima stood frozen under the basket, staring up at the rim, then looked over at Ariaki, who was on his knees, panting heavily while staring at his own hands.

"A floater..." Midorima muttered, pushing his glasses up with his trembling, taped fingers. "You developed your own scoring threat... just to complete your shadow style."

Ariaki raised his head, his blue eyes locking onto Midorima. "I told you, Midorima-kun. I am no longer just a shadow that passes. I am a player of Seirin Baru."

High above in the shadows of the upper bleachers, Aoki Ren pushed himself off the concrete wall. He tossed his empty sandwich wrapper into the trash can, a dark, dangerous smirk spreading across his face as he turned toward the exit.

"Not bad, Tetsuya... not bad at all," Aoki chuckled, his eyes glowing with ruthless excitement. "You actually grew teeth. Next up... Touou Barat."