Sawakita Eiji's Stolen Ball (1)

The thought of those three sincere yet foolish teammates still made it impossible for him to give them an accurate assessment.

They were clearly so weak, yet completely unaware of it. They had clearly made it to the finals, yet still acted as if winning or losing did not matter. They had clearly wasted the opportunity he had given them, yet still maintained such sincere attitudes.

Thinking of this made Chi Tong's head throb faintly, but it was already too late to say anything. His first and second personalities seemed to have switched places in some sense, and he had no idea how to switch them back.

At this moment, he could only watch helplessly as his second personality continued to control his body and run wild on the court.

Though he was unwilling to admit it, he could not help marveling at how strong his second personality was. Even fighting alone, that pressure and control were simply not something someone his age should possess.

Though the Eye of Heaven and Ankle Breaker used by his second personality were not complete versions, they were more than enough to handle the current predicament.

The timeout quickly ended. Chi Tong slowly rose from his seat, his movements steady and his gaze cold.

He did not turn to look at anyone, not even acknowledging the teammates beside him, as if he were the only person left in the world.

Victory was everything.

His voice was low and icy, as though it came from the depths of his consciousness.

It was Chi Tong's second personality speaking.

As he walked toward the court, he spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying unquestionable confidence and arrogance.

"See? I'll show you how ridiculous the idea of relying on teammates is."

He paused, a cold smile curling across his lips.

"Only by becoming strong yourself and firmly holding fate in your own hands can you achieve true absolution."

Before his words had faded, he had already stepped onto the court. The instant his feet touched the floor again, an even more powerful oppressive aura swept across the arena. His presence seemed to rise to another level. There was no longer hesitation or struggle in his eyes, only the pure confidence of the strong.

Both teams returned to the court. The noise from the stands had yet to fully die down, and the air was filled with tense, blazing anticipation.

But someone quickly noticed something unusual. Sawakita Eiji, who had been facing off against Sendoh, had actually taken the initiative to stand before Chi Tong.

Seeing this, Sendoh froze slightly before soon revealing a helpless smile.

It was not as though he had never considered this possibility. Now that it had truly happened, he felt a little wronged, but there was nothing he could do. Given Chi Tong's performance just now, it was only natural for Sawakita Eiji to focus on him.

Soon, Sendoh was double-teamed by two Bright Marsh players as well.

So it really is like this?

Sendoh looked at the two players double-teaming him and sighed helplessly inwardly.

On the other side, Chi Tong and Sawakita Eiji stood silently facing each other at center court, staring one another down like two savage beasts about to tear into each other.

The air seemed to turn thick at that moment, making even breathing feel heavy.

"You really are strong!"

Sawakita Eiji spoke first, his voice low but carrying a rare seriousness.

"You're the strongest point guard I've ever seen."

Standing before Chi Tong, his eyes blazed. There was not a trace of contempt in them, only pure fighting spirit.

Chi Tong remained silent. He gave no response, and his expression did not change, as if Sawakita Eiji's praise were no more than a fallen leaf drifting through the wind.

Sawakita Eiji did not feel embarrassed by this. Instead, the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile brimming with battle intent.

"Sendoh said you're like a monster. Then let me see your strength for myself!"

The instant he finished speaking, the whistle blew. A Bright Marsh player quickly passed the ball to Sawakita Eiji, and the moment he received it, he burst forward like a cheetah. He flashed toward Chi Tong like lightning, pressing in so tightly on defense that he seemed unwilling to leave even the slightest gap.

At that instant, Chi Tong's Eye of Heaven opened.

Within his field of vision, every movement Sawakita Eiji made was broken down into the smallest fragments: the slight twitch of his wrist, the adjustment of his fingers, the force in his arm, the bend of his joints, the contraction of his calf muscles, the explosive power in his thighs, the rotation of his waist, the shift in the balance of his feet. Nothing escaped his sight.

Those insignificant muscular reactions rapidly combined, filtered, and analyzed within Chi Tong's mind like a supercomputer running at high speed. Images flashed past in rapid succession before finally freezing on a single scene.

It was Sawakita Eiji's movement trajectory one second from now. It was also the Eye of Heaven's final feedback—the image of the future that was about to happen.

At that moment, Chi Tong seemed to glimpse the course of fate.

Chi Tong moved. Without the slightest hesitation, he pushed off the floor and lunged forward like a hunting beast. His arm shot out like lightning, aiming directly for the opening Sawakita Eiji had yet to create but that he had already foreseen.

In that instant, his movements seemed to transcend the limits of time, so fast that people could barely react.

And Sawakita Eiji's body moved exactly as the Eye of Heaven had shown. His center of gravity shifted slightly, his shoulder dipped, and his wrist flicked lightly, as though some invisible force were guiding him step by step into the trap Chi Tong had already laid.

A powerful sense of danger instantly surged into Sawakita Eiji's heart.

Not good. Danger!

His nerves tightened like a drawn bowstring, reaching their limit the instant Chi Tong made his move.

He finally saw it. Chi Tong had moved a step faster than his own actions.

How is that possible?!

Sawakita Eiji's pupils contracted, his eyes widening to their limit as countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Did he predict my movement in advance?

Or does he simply know what I'm going to do next?

Was it a coincidence?

Or can someone in this world really do something like this?

But he no longer had time to think about any of it.

Chi Tong's palm was already closing in on the basketball, his fingertips nearly touching its surface. At the critical moment, Sawakita Eiji gritted his teeth, his muscles tensing instantly as he forcibly twisted his body and abruptly broke off his own momentum.

At the last possible moment, Sawakita Eiji suddenly switched hands, the basketball tracing a low arc over his fingertips as it narrowly shifted into his other hand.

Just as Chi Tong's fingertips were about to touch the ball, it slipped past him.

The steal had failed. The taut nerves in Sawakita Eiji's body finally relaxed slightly. He instinctively stepped back half a pace, his chest heaving as sweat slid down from his temple.

He took a deep breath. There was lingering fear in his eyes, along with a gravity he had never shown before.

In that instant, he had nearly believed Chi Tong would steal the ball. The feeling of having his throat gripped by the hand of fate still lingered in his heart.

He stared fixedly at Chi Tong. For the first time, genuine wariness appeared in his gaze.

This guy was terrifying. It was as if he could see the future, judging every one of my movements a step ahead of time.

Sawakita Eiji's expression finally became completely serious.