Sacred Radiance's Reform (I)

He realized almost instantly that this was the true killing move. He whipped his head around toward Sendoh, and in that very instant, an orange-yellow blur flashed past his eyes like lightning. Sawakita Eiji's pupils shrank to pinpoints, and his heart sank.

Sento caught Chi Tong Lingyu's seemingly time-defying pass, the basketball landing steadily in his hands. In that moment, it felt as though he had grasped the key to fate.

Only then did Bright Marsh's players suddenly realize that the basketball in Chi Tong's hands had vanished at some point.

Everything happened too fast. Before they could react, Sento had already charged in from the wing and penetrated Bright Marsh's paint. No one was guarding him; the entire area beneath the basket seemed to have become his stage.

The Bright Marsh players' minds went blank, their eyes filled with shock and despair.

For the first time, Sawakita Eiji wore an expression of panic and helplessness.

He ran desperately, trying to rotate over on defense, but it was already too late.

Sento planted his foot and soared into the air.

His movement was clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

The basketball left his fingertips, tracing a beautiful arc through the air. A crisp swish sounded, and the ball dropped through the net.

At the same time, the final buzzer sounded.

Sacred Radiance 83, Bright Marsh 80. Winner: Saint Radiance Middle School.

The Sacred Radiance players surged toward Chi Tong and Sendoh like a tidal wave the instant the buzzer sounded.

They surrounded the two of them, cheering, hugging, jumping, and shouting.

Chi Tong and Sendoh exchanged a glance, then tacitly began celebrating with everyone.

These teammates could be a real handful, but none of that mattered now.

Not far away, Bright Marsh's players stood there foolishly, as though their souls had been ripped from their bodies.

Their eyes were hollow, their faces filled with disbelief.

They were still caught in the aftermath of that last play, unable to accept that they had lost.

They had lost!

Sawakita Eiji stood where he was, his gaze conflicted.

He lowered his head and looked at his hands, unwillingness and turmoil churning in his heart.

He had lost, and in such an inexplicable way.

He had clearly given it everything. He had clearly performed at his absolute best. Yet Chi Tong's anticipation and Sento's coordination had formed an invisible net that trapped him completely.

He looked up at the two celebrating players.

Chi Tong and Sendoh—the two men who had completely changed the game that night—their figures had been deeply branded into Sawakita Eiji's mind.

Especially Chi Tong. That cold-eyed boy, as though he held fate in his grasp, had given him an unprecedented sense of oppression. For the first time, he had tasted defeat.

His lips moved slightly, his voice nearly inaudible.

Next time, I won't lose!

With that, he turned and walked off the court without looking back.

With this, Saint Radiance Middle School had successfully claimed the championship of this tournament.

Several days later, at Saint Radiance Middle School's Basketball Club, the setting sun streamed through the windows onto the floor, stretching out a person's shadow.

Chi Tong sat quietly on a bench in the Basketball Club, his gaze deep as though he were pondering something.

He lowered his head and looked at his hands. His fingertips trembled slightly as his mind replayed the final moments of that championship game.

Back then, I actually chose to pass. That was a decision made by my second personality.

At the time, he had brought out roughly forty percent of his talent, making him far stronger than before.

Yet even so, he had still sensed danger in that situation, especially when the feedback from the Eye of Heaven showed cracks at the crucial moment.

In that instant, he realized that the future images seen by the incomplete Eye of Heaven were not necessarily the final future. It depended on the danger at the time, as well as the opponent's strength.

And in that very moment, he had silently reclaimed control of his body.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. His heterochromatic pupils flickered in the shifting light and shadow, as though they concealed countless unsolved mysteries.

Why?

He muttered to himself, his voice carrying a trace of confusion and contemplation.

Was it the awakening of my will, or resistance from my subconscious?

Or was it simply some kind of coincidence?

He did not know.

At that moment, Sendoh was standing not far away and noticed that something was off about Chi Tong.

His brows furrowed slightly, and a trace of confusion flashed through his eyes.

Ever since the match against Bright Marsh ended, he had noticed that Chi Tong had changed.

On the surface, Chi Tong was still much the same as when they had first met—easygoing, gentle, and polite.

But for some reason, Chi Tong would occasionally give people a feeling of calm detachment, even coldness.

At such times, Chi Tong always exuded an unsettling pressure that made people instinctively keep their distance.

Was it just an illusion?

Sento found it hard to shake the thought.

Ever since Saint Radiance Middle School had swept to the National Tournament championship, the entire middle school basketball world seemed to have been overturned by a massive bomb.

Overnight, the name Saint Radiance Middle School became the hottest topic among basketball-loving youths everywhere.

No one had expected that this school, which had once failed even to reach the quarterfinals and had been unknown on every major ranking list, would rise to the championship in just a few weeks like a meteor tearing through the night sky, unstoppable in its momentum. This sudden miracle shocked the entire middle school basketball world. Major basketball forums, school Basketball Clubs, and even sports newspapers related to basketball were all frantically discussing the team's rise.

Among them, Sendoh's name resounded throughout the nation.

Though he had previously gained some fame in certain regions and was seen as a promising rising star, he had still been far from the top tier.

But this time, with three-pointers as precise as blades, ghostlike drives, and calm decisiveness in crucial moments, he had thoroughly established his name.

And besides Sendoh, another name had caused an enormous stir in the basketball world: Chi Tong Lingyu.

Although he had only truly emerged after the quarterfinals, his performance struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.

People could hardly believe their eyes that a point guard could reach such a level.

His ball-handling was so terrifying that the basketball seemed fused to his body. His passes were exquisite beyond measure, always delivered at the most unexpected moment with the deadliest precision. His court vision was so vast that he seemed able to control the entire game, as though he possessed the Eye of God. Most shocking of all, he made almost no mistakes and had never been recorded as having the ball stolen from him.

These abilities left every opposing point guard dumbfounded, shattering everything they thought they knew.

The third-year players from Saint Radiance Middle School's original Basketball Club had officially announced their retirement.

This was normally an ordinary occurrence every year: veterans retired, and newcomers took their places.

But this time, it went far beyond that. Even the second-year starters, Yamamoto Ryu and Ito Hongshu, who had once competed with Chi Tong for a position, announced their retirement one after another.

This meant that the original core lineup of Saint Radiance Middle School's basketball team, aside from Sendoh and Chi Tong, had all left the Basketball Club. The moment this news spread, it caused another massive uproar throughout the middle school basketball world. Major basketball forums exploded, and countless people debated it heatedly.