Within Teikō's gymnasium, the air seemed frozen into ice crystals, and every breath carried a chill that stabbed the lungs. Akashi Seijūrō stood at the sidelines, his crimson eyes sweeping over every player like cold searchlights. At his feet lay the analysis report Momoi Satsuki had just finished compiling, detailing every player's "efficiency deviations" and "potential risk points." At that moment, it seemed to have transformed into an invisible whip hanging over everyone's head.
"Everyone." Akashi's voice was not loud, yet it cut through the dead silence like cold iron scraping against metal. "The previous training intensity was merely meant to meet the basic requirements of 'Absolute Victory.' From today onward, the training intensity will be comprehensively upgraded."
The words "upgrade" landed on everyone's heart like heavy lead weights.
"The reasons are as follows." Akashi's voice remained utterly emotionless, as though he were reading out a verdict:
"First, the IH tournament is approaching, and opponent strength evaluations have generally been raised by 15%. The current intensity is insufficient to guarantee 'Absolute Victory.'"
"Second, individual ability growth has encountered bottlenecks: Aomine's insufficient wildness control, Midori's low movement efficiency, Murasbara's zero willingness to help defense, Kise's poor deep imitation stability, Kuroko's presence fluctuation, and Bai Ze's Phantom move residual risk."
"Third, team coordination efficiency is 32% below the theoretical optimum. Extreme pressure must be used to eliminate redundant individual traits and forcibly meld everyone into a unified whole."
"Eliminate redundant individual traits"—those seven icy words were like the sharpest icicles, piercing precisely through the last remnants of stubborn individuality in Bai Ze You, Aomine Daiki, and every other player.
"The specific upgrade plan." Akashi's voice sounded like a merciless machine as it began issuing commands:
"First, physical reserves: increase the weighted shuttle-run distance by 50%, raise the speed requirement by 20%, and double the number of sets. Anyone who fails will continue training until they meet the standard, with no upper limit."
"Second, basic techniques: ball-control training will raise the interference intensity to a three-man double-team. Tolerance for mistakes: 0%. For set-position shooting, the required accuracy will be raised to 95%—98% for Midori. Three consecutive missed shots will result in ten additional shuttle-run sets for the entire team."
"Third, tactical drills: raise the intensity of opposition to 120% of a real game. Tolerance for tactical execution errors: 0 seconds. Timing must be perfectly synchronized. Any mistake at any stage will require the entire team to start over until perfection."
"Fourth, individual ability special training: extreme exploitation of weaknesses. Aomine: 'reasonable' finishes under high-intensity contact. Midori: catch-and-shoot after extreme running. Murasbara: expanded defensive-range simulations. Kise: stability of multiple-trait fusion. Kuroko: passing accuracy under high-intensity contact. Bai Ze: elimination of Phantom move risks and conversion into efficiency."
"Fifth, mental resilience: extend the training duration by two hours. Anyone who quits midway, complains, or displays 'non-efficiency' emotions will have their training volume doubled."
The order was issued, as though the gates of hell had been thrown open.
Training began. A hellish scene unfolded inside Teikō's gymnasium.
* Weighted shuttle runs: The players charged like dying beasts under the pressure of the heavy sandbags on their backs, Akashi's icy gaze, and a timer precise to the millisecond. Sweat streamed like little rivers, soaking their jerseys and dripping onto the wooden floor in puddles. Their lungs burned, and every breath carried the taste of blood. Murasaki-bara Atsushi was the first to let out an angry protest, but after Akashi coldly announced, "Training sets +5," he could only grit his teeth and continue. Kise Ryōta's face went from red to pale, his golden hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, his eyes beginning to lose focus. Kuroko Tetsuya's slight body swayed under the crushing weight.
* Three-man double-team ball control: Bai Ze You was surrounded by three fierce defenders, who yanked at him roughly, swiped viciously at the ball, and used every form of interference they could. Relying on his extraordinary flexibility and balance, he twisted and darted through the narrow space, the basketball seeming glued to his hand. Yet every perilous dodge made Akashi's brows knit tighter—in his eyes, they were all "risky movements." Bai Ze You felt a suffocating restraint. His instincts wanted to toy with his opponents using flashy Fake Moves, but Akashi's icy gaze was like shackles, forcing him to choose the most direct and "safest" way to protect the ball. The result was inefficient and humiliating.
* Extreme running and catch-and-shoot (Midori): Midōrima Shintarō was required to perform high-intensity off-ball movements, simulating a situation in which opponents clung to him relentlessly. Every time he received the ball, he had to instantly complete his perfect shooting motion before his body had fully adjusted. Once, he caught a pass while running. His body was still staggering, but his powerful core and muscle memory forced him to stabilize, raise his elbow, and snap his wrist. The ball traced an arc, but because his footing was unsteady, it **"clang!"**ed against the front rim. A second consecutive miss!
"Midōrima Shintarō! Two consecutive inaccurate shots! The entire team! Ten shuttle-run sets! Immediately!" Akashi's icy voice rang out like a funeral bell.
The players let out suppressed groans and dragged their exhausted bodies toward the baseline once more. Midōrima pushed up his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses cold as knives, but his tightly pressed lips revealed the immense pressure within him. The realm of perfection he pursued had begun to crack under the extreme exploitation.
* Murasbara's "expanded defensive-range" simulation: Akashi required Murasbara Atsushi to leave the comfort of the area beneath the basket and simulate helping defend the perimeter. Murasbara's massive body moved like a slow-motion replay, his face filled with extreme impatience and an unmistakable what a pain. Once, he was a beat too slow rotating over and allowed the opponent to sink an easy open Mid-Range Shot.
"Murasbara Atsushi! Defensive efficiency rating: D-minus! Additional defensive sliding drills until coverage reaches 85%!" Akashi ordered.
"Tch! What a pain!" Murasbara growled irritably. His huge palm struck the floor with a dull thud, but he still began sliding reluctantly, his movements utterly perfunctory.
* Aomine's "reasonable finish under high-intensity contact": Aomine was assigned to force his way through a double-team by Bai Ze You and Kise and finish at the rim. His wild instincts repeatedly urged him to crush through them by the most violent means possible, but Akashi's icy demand for "reasonableness" was like a tightening curse. Once, he shook Bai Ze You off by half a step. Kise was rotating over in front of him, and the basket was within reach. His instincts told him to throw down a tomahawk dunk! But Akashi's "risk assessment" flashed through his mind, and he forcibly changed it into a finger-roll. Kise disrupted it, and the shot went wide.
"Aomine! Your finishing choice was inefficient! Your success rate for forcing a layup through contact is only 65%! You should have made the safer pass—Midori was open at the time! Mistake!" Akashi's criticism was like icy water.
"Shut up!" Aomine slammed a fist into the basketball stand, his eyes bloodshot and his killing intent soaring. He felt his wildness being strangled by the shackles called "reason."
* Kuroko's "passing accuracy under high-intensity contact": Kuroko Tetsuya attempted to send out a brilliant pass amid fierce physical contact. His Misdire weakened under the high-intensity interference. Once, a pass intended for Midori went slightly off target, and the opponent saw through it and stole the ball.
"Kuroko Tetsuya! Passing error! Presence fluctuation exceeds the threshold! Focus!" A trace of imperceptible coldness entered Akashi's voice.
Kuroko silently retrieved the ball. His blue eyes lowered as sweat slid down his pale cheeks. He felt like a small boat amid raging winds and waves, liable to be swallowed completely by the extreme pressure at any moment.
Momoi Satsuki stood at the sidelines, the clipboard in her hands weighing as heavily as a thousand tons. Her face was pale, and her fingers had lost their color from gripping it too tightly. Watching the players struggle in agony, watching Bai Ze You's embarrassed yet stubborn gaze amid the double-team, watching Aomine's violent yet suppressed fury, watching the cracks beneath Midori's icy mask, watching Murasbara's extreme impatience, watching Kise's swaying body, watching Kuroko's silent perseverance... her heart felt as though countless needles were repeatedly piercing it.
On the clipboard, she recorded the cold data in trembling handwriting. Beside it, using symbols only she could understand, she carved a silent scream:
"Training Log: Hell Furnace Day 1"
"Intensity Level: SSS+ (Beyond Ergonomic Limits)"
"Physiological Indicators (Real-Time Monitoring):"
* Heart rate: Everyone sustained ＞180 bpm (critical danger threshold!)
* Body temperature: Aomine 39.1°C (high fever!), Kise 38.8°C (danger!), everyone else ＞38.5°C
* Dehydration index: Average ＞3% (severe dehydration!)
* Muscle fatigue: Murasbara (legs) 85%, Aomine (entire body) 92%, Kise (mental + physical) 95% → Collapse imminent!
"Mental pressure index: Off the charts!"
* Aomine: Violent tendencies ↑↑↑ (basket-stand incident *1)
* Midori: Order anxiety ↑↑↑ (triggered by consecutive mistakes)
* Murasbara: Resistance MAX (frequent complaints)
* Kise: Blurred consciousness (vacant gaze)
* Kuroko: Intensifying presence fluctuation (interference from pressure)
* Bai Ze: Pain from ideological rift ↑↑↑ ("Safe" movements causing humiliation)
"Akashi's Orders: No adjustments. Continue increasing pressure. Objective: Break through physical/mental limits → eliminate 'redundancy' → absolute obedience machine."
**"Momoi's Note: ??? This isn't training! It's torture! It's annihilation! You's eyes... It hurts so much... Everyone... We can't hold on much longer... Someone, stop him..."
"Urk—!" A pained retch broke the rhythm of training.
Kise Ryōta finally could not hold on any longer. After another high-intensity shuttle run, he suddenly dropped to his knees and began vomiting violently. His body convulsed nonstop from dehydration and overexertion, his golden hair drenched in cold sweat and vomit, leaving him in a miserable state.
"Kise!" Momoi cried out and was about to rush over.
"Continue." Akashi's icy voice stopped her. "Take him to the sidelines to rest for five minutes. Everyone else, continue training."
The players looked at Kise's suffering, fear filling their eyes—the terror of seeing another's misfortune and realizing it could be their own—along with an even deeper despair. Training continued amid suffocating silence. Only heavy panting, the sound of the basketball striking the floor, and Akashi's icy commands echoed through the gym.
Bai Ze You felt as though his legs had been filled with lead, and every breath carried a searing pain. He looked toward Kise, supported by Momoi at the sidelines, his face as pale as paper. Then he looked toward Akashi, who controlled everything like a precision machine. A cold fury mixed with overwhelming helplessness began to grow wildly within him.
The whistle signaling the end of training finally sounded like a blessing that had come to save their lives.
The players collapsed onto the floor like limp piles of mud, unwilling to move even a finger. The locker room was utterly silent, save for their heavy breathing.
Bai Ze You did not leave immediately. Dragging his nearly broken body, he walked back toward the empty half-court. He picked up the basketball but did not perform any of the "standard" movements Akashi demanded. He simply closed his eyes and recalled the freedom of the street courts, recalled Momoi's warm words.
He began dribbling.
His movements were slow and gentle.
A casual between-the-legs, followed by a smooth behind-the-back.
There was no double-team, no interference.
Only the sensation of the basketball bouncing against his fingertips, only the freedom of his body moving naturally with the rhythm.
Under the dim yellow lights, that white figure, after enduring a day of hellish tempering, stubbornly repeated again and again those dance steps Akashi regarded as "risks" and "redundancy"—the dance steps belonging to the White Phantom.
Sweat slid from his resolute jaw and struck the floor, splashing into tiny droplets, as though it were the silent cry of his unyielding soul.
After settling Kise down, Momoi stood in the shadows and silently watched Bai Ze You's lonely, stubborn figure. Tears slid soundlessly down her pale cheeks. At the very end of the clipboard, she forcefully wrote a line, the pen nearly tearing through the paper:
"Observation Conclusion: The Teikō Basketball Club has already become a merciless furnace in which Akashi Seijūrō forges the 'Absolute Victory Weapon.' Souls are being stripped away by the heat, and humanity is being erased by the rules. The Phantom dance steps are the last faint glimmer of resistance atop the ruins. Collapse has entered the countdown."
The furnace of demands had already been lit, burning souls in the name of victory.
The Crimson Emperor stood before the furnace, with only cold absoluteness in his eyes.
The Generation of Miracles, under extreme exploitation, were being twisted, collapsing, falling silent, or struggling.
And that White Phantom dancing alone atop the ruins was guarding the final radiance of basketball and the self with the loneliest of postures.
The prelude to destruction quietly began to play amid sweat and bloodied tears.
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