Bright Marsh Suppressed

He slowly turned around and looked at the three Bright Marsh players sprawled on the floor. In a deep voice, he said, "I am absolute. How dare you be so presumptuous!"

The three Bright Marsh players on the ground stared at Chi Tong in shock and confusion.

Everyone inside and outside the court was stunned by Chi Tong's series of moves.

It was as though someone had hit pause in the stands. Not a sound could be heard.

At that moment, the entire gym seemed to have fallen into an eerie silence.

What was that?

What exactly did he do?

All the Bright Marsh players fell down!

Did you see that?

That spiky-haired guy actually dribbled straight under their basket and scored!

Was I dreaming?

How could something like that even happen?

After an unknown amount of time, scattered gasps and murmurs finally rose from the stands.

The Bright Marsh players, coach included, were all frozen in place. They felt as though they were dreaming. The invisible pressure Chi Tong had exerted on them just now had been overwhelming. For that instant, their bodies seemed to stop obeying them, and they had even felt the urge to worship him.

Although Sacred Radiance's players had no idea what Chi Tong had done, they were all excited by the result.

Only Sendoh frowned, his gaze on Chi Tong taking on a strange look.

Chi Tong?

He felt that Chi Tong was somewhat different from when they had faced each other before. As for exactly how he was different, Sendoh could not say. Meanwhile, Sawakita Eiji stared solemnly, utterly shocked by Chi Tong's performance. He had never seen such a style of play. One person had shaken down three opponents in a row. Was it just a coincidence?

Even he could not do something like that!

Before his doubts could fade, the game continued. Yet the suffocating oppression on the court only grew heavier. Whether they were Bright Marsh players or Sacred Radiance players, they all felt short of breath. Their gazes unconsciously drifted toward Chi Tong. It was all caused by the sudden change in him.

Bright Marsh began their offense. Their power forward had the ball, and just as Kirihara Sunren was about to step up to defend, a figure beat him to it. It was Chi Tong.

The Bright Marsh power forward gripped the basketball tightly, but the instant his eyes met Chi Tong's, his resolve wavered involuntarily.

It was not as though he had never played strong teams or faced elite defenders. But Chi Tong was different. He stood there unhurriedly, as if he were merely standing there casually, yet he was like an invisible mountain that left people unable to breathe.

Chi Tong's eyes were indifferent and strange. His mismatched pupils seemed to carry a curse that looked down into one's heart, unconsciously creating a suffocating pressure.

That emotionless yet cold gaze seemed capable of seeing through everything, as though it could lay bare the deepest secrets hidden in his heart.

The Bright Marsh power forward's palms began to sweat, and his heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably.

Countless possible offensive options flashed through his mind, but the moment each thought surfaced, alarm bells rang in his heart.

No, I can't do that!

Cold sweat began rolling down his forehead, drop by drop.

He began to hesitate, to doubt, and even to feel afraid.

He felt like he had gone mad. He was actually worried that this little brat would steal the ball from him!

His eyes flickered as his gaze shifted back and forth between Chi Tong's positioning and his teammates' locations.

In the end, he made up his mind. He moved!

With a sudden swing of his arm, he passed toward his team's point guard.

However, at the instant he made the passing motion, a crisp sound rang out like a demon's whisper, making the Bright Marsh power forward's heart skip a beat. A lightning-fast hand cut in like a phantom.

Before the basketball had fully left his hand, it was firmly seized by those long yet powerful fingers.

Chi Tong stole the basketball. In that instant, time seemed to stop. He had moved half a beat ahead of time, pushing off with his feet and leaning forward slightly, his hawk-like eyes locked onto the ball's path.

He had not even fully lunged out. With just a light jump and a stretch of his hand, he intercepted the basketball out of midair.

At that moment, everyone seemed to see Chi Tong's mismatched pupils glowing with halos of light.

Had this guy seen through my move already?

The Bright Marsh power forward looked utterly incredulous. How was that possible?

He had only decided to pass on a whim. Even he had not known beforehand whether he would pass, yet his opponent had acted so decisively.

He stood rooted to the spot as though stunned stupid. It felt as if an invisible hand had clenched his heart tightly. He opened his mouth, but could not say a single word.

The instant Chi Tong stole the ball, his movement was clean and decisive, as if the ball had belonged to him all along.

He did not even spare the Bright Marsh power forward, who had been so imposing moments ago, another look. He merely slipped past him calmly, without a ripple in his eyes, as though that steal had been nothing more than an ordinary routine play.

With the basketball in hand, Chi Tong took off like a cheetah, his steps light and swift as he charged straight toward Bright Marsh's half. It felt as though the air in the entire gym had frozen.

Chi Tong dribbled at full speed, his eyes cold and his steps swift as the wind, as if the entire court were under his control.

Just before he crossed the three-point line, Bright Marsh's center had already established position beneath the basket, standing like an iron tower barring the way.

His eyes were locked tightly on Chi Tong, every muscle tense as he prepared to deal with any possible attack.

Yet just as everyone thought Chi Tong would continue driving or pass the ball, he suddenly gathered it with both hands beyond the three-point line and leaned back slightly. The movement was smooth and natural, as if he had planned it long ago.

The moment he saw that, a powerful unease surged through Bright Marsh's center.

The next second, Chi Tong soared into the air like an eagle striking the sky, his momentum magnificent.

Without hesitation, he released the basketball from his hand, sending it in a straight, beautiful arc.

The ball's flight seemed stretched out by time. Everyone's eyes followed it, their hearts rising and falling with its trajectory. Bright Marsh's center could only raise his head and watch it sail over him, his eyes full of helplessness and frustration.

For the first time, he felt that his height was completely useless.

The basketball swished through the net, and the entire court fell into brief silence, as though no one had recovered from what they had just seen.

Chi Tong landed lightly, both feet planted firmly on the floor, as if that three-pointer had merely been a casual shot.

He did not celebrate, did not look back, and did not show the slightest ripple in his eyes. He simply turned around slowly and began walking back toward his own half.

Second by second, the game continued, and an unexpected scene unfolded on the court. Every eye was focused on Chi Tong alone. Everyone was deeply shaken by him. Chi Tong was like a demon god, displaying crushing dominance on both offense and defense. Bright Marsh had no way to resist him at all. Sacred Radiance's Kirihara Sunren, Kobayashi, and Yamamoto Ryu had completely become background figures, and the three of them finally seemed to realize that something was not right.