Chapter 150: Paint Beast!
"Atsushi, you okay?" Himuro Tatsuya asked with concern.
"I'm fine." Murasakibara inbounded the ball from the baseline. "Actually, I'm feeling pretty good right now."
"That's good. It's only two points—let's get it right back!" Fukui Kensuke received the pass and pushed toward the frontcourt.
"Yeah. I've made my decision!" Murasakibara's eyes burned with determination.
He couldn't keep waiting for teammates to comfort him every time. After all, this game wasn't just Yosen's battle—it was his choice.
"Though..." Murasakibara glanced toward Coach Araki Masako's worried expression on the sideline. "I should probably ask her for a hairband after this."
Yosen's possession.
Murasakibara established position in the paint and immediately called for the ball.
"Hmph, that eager to get your revenge already?" Nebuya Eikichi lowered his center of gravity, fronting Murasakibara at the waist to prevent him from sealing deeper.
"Go ahead and do it, Atsushi!" Fukui didn't hesitate, lobbing the entry pass.
Murasakibara caught it. Rakuzan immediately sent the triple-team.
Hayama Kotaro locked onto Murasakibara's ball hand. Since he couldn't muscle to the rim for a dunk, he'd have to use that hook shot again—so they had to contest the moment he released!
However, Murasakibara completely ignored Hayama and Mayuzumi in front of him. Gripping the ball with both hands, he drove it backward.
"You seem awfully confident in your strength," Murasakibara said quietly, his voice carrying an unsettling chill beneath its calm surface.
"What—?"
Nebuya's heart skipped a beat. Before he could process the words, explosive force erupted from Murasakibara's frame!
BANG!!
In one motion, Murasakibara dropped his shoulder, twisted his hips, and backed down with brutal efficiency. Nebuya Eikichi's feet couldn't hold position. He felt like he'd been hit by a truck head-on—his defensive stance crumbled instantly as his body stumbled backward uncontrollably.
Thud! Nebuya fell on his backside outside the baseline, staring up at Murasakibara with pure terror in his eyes.
This wasn't the first half. He'd already been giving maximum effort!
Murasakibara's movement never stopped. Without any adjustment, he pivoted on his left foot to face the basket and exploded upward.
"So high!!"
"That's his vertical from a standing jump?!"
Murasakibara's explosion drew gasps from every spectator.
He extended in the air with flexibility no center should possess, then raised the basketball high overhead with both hands, his arm muscles rippling.
BOOM!!!
A sound even heavier, even more violent than Nebuya's earlier poster dunk exploded through the arena!
Murasakibara slammed it home with both hands!
Rakuzan 67, Yosen 67
Tied again!
"Little Murasakibara too..." Kise Ryota's emotions were complicated.
Aomine Daiki's eyes widened slightly. "Now this is unexpected."
"That guy's a straight-up monster..." Ikegami Ryoji swallowed hard, his voice hoarse.
"I feel like he's even more ridiculous than Morishige Hiroshi!" Aida Hikoichi stared at the court in disbelief. "That pure power and explosiveness..."
"Did he get even stronger?" Uozumi Jun's expression was grave. While he was making slow progress, there was a group of monsters evolving at unreasonable speeds.
"That should be the Zone, right?" Sendoh Akira asked Yagami Sorato. "Looks pretty interesting."
After the Ryonan-Touou game, Yagami had mentioned this concept to his teammates.
"Yeah, but it's not something you can force. If you think about it too much, you'll never enter it." Yagami said. He'd been fascinated by the Zone concept early on, but during actual games he never thought about it.
"Figured as much." Sendoh replied casually. Though in the final minute against Sannoh, he'd experienced a strange sensation—like no matter what shot he took, it would go in. "Whatever..." Sendoh shook his head, dismissing the wandering thoughts.
Possession changed. Rakuzan on offense.
Akashi Seijuro brought the ball up, crossing halfcourt with multiple changes of direction to shake Fukui Kensuke.
Okamura Kenichi stepped up to help.
Swish!
Splash!
Akashi calmly pulled up from long range—mid-range jumper, straight cash!
Rakuzan 69, Yosen 67
Yosen's turn. Their offensive tempo visibly accelerated.
Fukui Kensuke pushed the ball quickly through halfcourt, scanning Rakuzan's defensive formation. Hayama Kotaro's tight pressure kept him alert, but compared to facing Akashi Seijuro, he had considerably more breathing room.
Fukui paused at the top of the key and signaled with his right hand.
Okamura Kenichi understood immediately. He suddenly broke from near the free throw line, cutting hard to the basket. Mayuzumi Chihiro reacted quickly, sealing off Okamura's path before he entered the paint.
Fukui's pass arrived on time.
The moment Okamura caught it, he lowered his center of gravity and began a physical post-up.
"Finally exploiting that matchup advantage," Yagami said, chin resting on his palm. If it were him, he'd definitely try to break down Mayuzumi as the weak link first.
Okamura's frame was solid—six-foot-seven, built like Uozumi Jun. Each step was planted firmly as he applied constant bulldozer pressure backing down.
"Damn it!"
Mayuzumi Chihiro gritted his teeth, arms pressing desperately against Okamura's back, veins bulging at his temples. He could feel the raw strength difference as he was pushed inch by inexorable inch deeper into the paint.
Nebuya Eikichi had to rotate over.
At that moment, Okamura exploded with one final push to create separation from Mayuzumi, pivoted on his left foot, and lofted the ball toward the rim with one hand.
"Beautiful pass!" Uozumi couldn't help but shout. He could've made that play himself!
Almost the instant Okamura released, Murasakibara in the paint suddenly activated. Without even needing a running start, he launched off one step, caught the ball at its apex with both hands, then engaged his core—
BOOM!!!
"Again?!"
The rim let out a deafening groan. Murasakibara released and landed, but the basket structure still hummed and shook behind him.
Rakuzan 69, Yosen 69
"ATSUSHI! ATSUSHI!"
"Murasakibara! Murasakibara!"
Thunderous cheers erupted throughout the arena. Murasakibara's expression didn't change—he simply turned silently and sprinted back on defense.
"Atsushi, you hear everyone cheering for you?" Himuro teased.
"Hmph. Like I care about that," Murasakibara replied with tsundere stubbornness.
Rakuzan's possession.
Akashi Seijuro received the ball and advanced, his eyes calm as still water, as if Murasakibara's explosive dunk and the crowd's roar hadn't affected him in the slightest.
Akashi brought the ball to Yosen's three-point arc with Fukui Kensuke defending.
He didn't bother with another wasted dribble. In an almost identical sequence to the previous possession, he exploded instantly—same violent left crossover, same forced lateral slide from Fukui, same behind-the-back ball switch.
"That damn kid!!"
Fukui concentrated fully, his defensive movement more decisive and quick than before.
Yet Akashi acted as if Fukui didn't exist, simply executing his penetration. His movement pattern looked like precisely copied code—even the deceptive shoulder fake amplitude and weight transfer timing were identical.
Fukui had rehearsed this in his mind, could even "see" the next move coming, but his body still lagged half a step.
Just one step. That's all it took.
Akashi blew past the defense again, attacking inside the three-point line.
"Not this time!"
Okamura's help defense arrived faster. But Akashi pulled up, gathered, rose, and released in one fluid motion.
The ball's arc looked cold and lethal under the arena lights.
Swish!
Pure net, barely moving the strings.
Rakuzan 71, Yosen 69
Akashi left heavy pressure weighing on Yosen's players in a completely different way.
"Strange..." Sendoh's brow furrowed. "Don't you feel like his play's gotten more rigid? Seems like he doesn't plan on passing."
Yagami glanced at Sendoh with surprise—he'd picked up on Akashi's mindset from just two possessions.
"He basically doesn't trust his teammates," Yagami shared his "previous" lingering impression of Akashi Seijuro.
"Huh? Doesn't trust his teammates?" Ikegami Ryoji looked confused. "Really? He's got plenty of assists, and he's the point guard—wasn't he passing all first half?"
"Teammates are just scoring tools. Useful ones get utilized, useless ones don't." Yagami explained casually. "When it matters, he trusts only himself to deliver. I think that's—"
Yagami suddenly stopped because Uozumi Jun, Ikegami Ryoji, and even Fukuda Kicchou had gathered in front of him, three large faces filled with suspicious and dangerous expressions.
"You don't think like that too, do you?"
"Otherwise how would he understand so well!"
"No wonder you're sometimes even more selfish than me!"
"..." Yagami couldn't help rolling his eyes. Oh, at least Fukuda knew he played selfishly.
"Sorato's not like that." Sendoh smiled, coming to his defense. "He just prefers scoring himself."
"The second half of that sentence wasn't necessary," Yagami muttered.
"Hmph, selfish jerk!"
"Hmph, pretty boy!"
"Hmph, $%@*&!"
"???" What even...
"Ikegami-senpai, give me back the money for those drinks earlier." Yagami said coldly.
"Hmph, cheapskate!"
Yosen's possession.
Fukui brought the ball past halfcourt. Himuro Tatsuya called for it on the wing.
"Isn't that the guy matched up with Akashi? Talk about overconfident—"
Swish!
Fukui passed without hesitation. "Kid, shut up and watch."
Himuro caught the ball facing Akashi Seijuro, using consecutive between-the-legs dribbles to adjust his rhythm. He didn't try to post up or force a drive—instead, he rose straight up from a step beyond the three-point line!
"That's it?" Hayama Kotaro sneered. "Just a contested jumper?"
Akashi jumped forward to contest.
Himuro maintained perfect balance, delaying his release.
"Hmm?" Akashi began descending, his eyes flickering slightly.
Himuro seemed to hang in the air for an extra moment. Just as his body was about to fall, he smoothly released.
However, Akashi's arm suddenly shot forward.
Tip!
The slightest touch—Akashi's fingertips precisely grazed the bottom of the basketball!
Clang!
The trajectory was disrupted. The ball hit hard off the back iron and bounced high into the air.
"Rebound!!"
Nebuya roared, establishing position, preparing to explode upward for the defensive board.
"I don't care about your interference," Himuro said, chin slightly raised toward Akashi. "Atsushi under the basket is invincible."
Slap!
Murasakibara's legs coiled like loaded springs. The instant the ball reached its apex, he detonated with explosive force!
"So fast! So high!"
Murasakibara came from behind, easily soaring over Nebuya's maximum effort jump. His hand grabbed the ball an entire forearm length higher!
BOOM!!!
Murasakibara crunched his abs in mid-air, violently slamming the ball he'd snatched straight down through the rim!
Putback dunk!
Rakuzan 71, Yosen 71
"The paint beast from Yosen—Murasakibara Atsushi!!!"
"Any ball near the basket—whether scoring or rebounding—he takes what he wants, when he wants!" the announcer shouted excitedly.
The next several possessions became a personal showcase between Murasakibara and Akashi. The two traded buckets back and forth, completely ignoring other players, focused solely on getting their own points.
Third quarter, final minute remaining. Rakuzan possession.
Rakuzan 79, Yosen 79
Akashi Seijuro brought the ball up, showing rare signs of fatigue, though his heterochromatic eyes still burned intensely.
Just past halfcourt, Yosen's defense suddenly tightened—Fukui intercepting head-on, Okamura stepping up from the wing, even Liu Wei collapsing half a step from the left side. Three players converged on Akashi Seijuro.
This was Yosen's desperate gamble—leave everyone else open to lock down Akashi! Best case scenario: deny him the pass and strip the ball from his hands!
"Heh."
Akashi laterally shifted to create space. Before the trap closed, he flicked his wrist. The ball threaded through the crowd, finding the wide-open Mibuchi Reo on the left wing.
"That fast?!"
Akashi shouldn't have had vision—how could he deliver such a precise pass!
Liu Wei panicked and immediately turned to recover.
Mibuchi caught the ball. The open space in front of him was almost disorienting. Without hesitation, he bent his knees, rose, his elegant shooting form textbook-perfect as the orange ball prepared to leave his fingertips—
However, a figure appeared in front of him without warning.
Not the desperately recovering Liu Wei, but Murasakibara!
He'd charged out from under the basket, covering half the paint in just three strides, launching himself into the air at the last possible moment before Mibuchi's release!
Swish!
The ball left Mibuchi's hand.
SMACK!!
A crisp rejection sound exploded!
Murasakibara's massive hand didn't simply block the shot—he swatted the ball hard toward midcourt!
"Atsushi! Run!!" Fukui reacted first, sprinting desperately toward the loose ball. He dove forward, scooping it up just before it went out of bounds, then—without even looking—hurled it toward the frontcourt with every ounce of strength!
Murasakibara landed without pause, immediately pivoting his body and sprinting toward Rakuzan's end. His sprint had no finesse—pure combination of massive stride length from his height and explosive power!
Rakuzan's players recovered from their shock. Hayama Kotaro and Mayuzumi Chihiro were closest, chasing with maximum effort. But against Murasakibara's all-out straight-line sprint, the gap only widened!
Murasakibara caught the ball, charging inside the free throw line.
"Go, Atsushi!"
Murasakibara gathered with both hands, his final step thundering into the floor as he launched with full force. His massive body extended to its absolute limit in the air. He chose no fancy moves—simply raised the ball overhead, his core bent backward like a drawn war bow, accumulating every ounce of power in his body—
Then hammered it down!
BOOM!!!
The sound was deafening, surpassing every previous dunk!
But it wasn't over.
CRACK—CRACK-CRACK—!!!
Under everyone's horrified gaze, the transparent backboard that had absorbed too much punishment suddenly exploded into countless spiderweb cracks radiating from the rim.
Then an entire section completely shattered, glass fragments cascading down like frozen rain!
The backboard was destroyed!
Murasakibara released and landed, standing amid glittering shards, his chest heaving violently. He slowly raised his head, looking across the court toward Akashi Seijuro, who had also stopped in his tracks.
Rakuzan 79, Yosen 81
TWEET!!
The third quarter clock froze at 35 seconds. The game was forced to halt.
The arena hung in stunned silence before suddenly erupting into deafening chaos...