This Guy Really Is a Monster

He tore through the defense like a cheetah, charging straight for the basket. He sprang into the air and raised his hand, ready to finish with a layup he was certain would go in.

After breaking through, Sento relaxed inwardly, thinking he had finally shaken off Chi Tong.

But in that instant, Chi Tong moved!

It was as if he had anticipated everything. He slid sideways half a step ahead of time, his body forming an iron wall in front of Sendoh.

Sendoh forced himself into the air, only to feel an invisible pressure bearing down on him.

Chi Tong's left hand shot high into the air, his fingertips nearly brushing the basketball, while his right arm formed a screen that blocked Sendoh's view.

Forced to adjust his shooting angle in midair, Sendoh's motion became slightly rushed.

The ball struck the back of the rim and bounced away.

Chi Tong's gaze sharpened. Seizing the opportunity, he flashed forward and secured the ball first.

He immediately launched a counterattack, dribbling straight toward the upperclassmen's half.

Just as he was about to enter the paint, Sendoh rapidly caught up from behind.

So fast!

The first-year students all stared wide-eyed at Sendoh's speed, their jaws practically dropping.

Even the upperclassmen were startled by Sendoh's terrifying recovery speed.

In the end, Sendoh caught up with Chi Tong, and the two faced off beyond the three-point line.

Only a step separated Chi Tong and Sendoh. At that moment, the air itself seemed to catch fire.

Chi Tong narrowed his eyes and suddenly made a crossover in front of his body, feinting a drive. Sento instinctively retreated half a step, trying to cut off the route.

In that flash of lightning, Chi Tong came to a sudden stop. With his left hand, he delivered a concealed behind-the-back pass, the basketball slithering through the gap in the defense like a spirit snake and landing precisely in the hands of a cutting teammate.

Sento did not realize Chi Tong had passed until the instant the ball left his hand. By then, it was already too late to stop it!

Sento raised a hand to wipe away the sweat sliding down his cheek, feeling helpless.

Chi Tong's passes were simply too difficult to defend against. The slightest lapse in focus, and the ball was already in someone else's hands. Even Taoka Moichi on the sideline was stunned.

Only when the basketball was halfway through the air did he abruptly realize that Chi Tong had already made the pass.

A rare look of shock and disbelief appeared on his face. This silent, completely unpredictable passing technique was several levels beyond anything he had seen before.

Was this his true strength?

In all his years of coaching, he had never seen a player with such terrifying passing ability.

On the court, Chi Tong's teammate caught the seemingly casual yet incomparably precise pass, immediately launched a fast break, and easily scored on a layup.

The basketball swished through the net. Chi Tong did not celebrate, nor did his expression change in the slightest. To him, that play was as natural as breathing.

He gave Sendoh a faint glance, his eyes calm and devoid of emotion, then turned and headed back.

Watching that indifferent figure walk away, Sendoh's expression tightened. Then the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a smile full of fighting spirit.

On the next possession, he took the ball again and actively faced Chi Tong. Sento took a deep breath, his eyes growing sharper.

This time, he did not rush to drive. Instead, he patiently organized the offense, using a teammate's screen to shake off the defense. At last, from the right-side forty-five-degree angle, he found an opportunity to go one-on-one against Chi Tong.

With his back to the basket, he used his body to hold off Chi Tong, then suddenly spun and rose for a jumper.

The instant the ball left his hand, Chi Tong sprang up like a ghost. His fingertips lightly grazed the underside of the ball, and that slight interference altered its trajectory.

The basketball struck the edge of the rim and bounced out once again.

Chi Tong quickly turned around. The moment the ball landed in Sendoh's hands, he suddenly reached up from below and swatted it away.

Ah!

Sendoh's pupils contracted. Only then did he realize that, at some unknown moment, a red figure had appeared beside him.

This guy!

His heart tightened, and cold sweat quietly broke out.

Chi Tong grabbed the ball without hesitation and immediately led a fast break toward the upperclassmen's basket.

Uekusa Tomoyuki hurried forward to stop him, but Chi Tong did not slow down in the slightest. The instant Uekusa Tomoyuki closed in, Chi Tong made a clean, sharp crossover and easily left him behind.

Ah!

So fast!

Uekusa!

Uekusa Tomoyuki's expression changed drastically, his heart unable to settle from the shock. Had this guy been hiding his strength all along?

Ikegami Ryoji witnessed the scene and charged in to cut him off without a second thought, but every step he took had already been anticipated by Chi Tong.

With a glance from the corner of his eye, Chi Tong looked toward Fukuda Kicchou on the wing.

Ikegami Ryoji instinctively froze, afraid that Chi Tong was about to pass. He hesitated for half a beat, and in that split second, Chi Tong seized the opening and explosively changed direction.

Damn it, I was fooled! Ikegami Ryoji realized it and tried to recover, but it was already too late.

Chi Tong swept past like the wind, while another figure raced closely alongside Ikegami Ryoji.

It was Sendoh!

He chased at full speed, rapidly closing in on Chi Tong and applying suffocating pressure with tight man-to-man defense.

Under Sendoh's relentless pressure, Chi Tong slowed down and dribbled steadily, his blade-like gaze fixed firmly on his opponent.

Suddenly, he dribbled between his legs and stepped back. Sendoh stayed glued to him.

Chi Tong paused, sold a fake, then exploded forward and drove straight at the basket.

Sendoh gave chase with all his strength. The two ran almost shoulder to shoulder, their steps crossing, their muscles taut, sparks seeming to fly through the air.

The instant Chi Tong rose into the air, Sendoh also leaped high, both arms forming a wall as he gave everything to block him. Yet Chi Tong completed an incredibly concealed double-clutch in midair, leaning backward and flicking his wrist lightly. The basketball flew like an arrow from the bow, tracing an elegant arc before softly dropping into the net.

As the ball went in, everyone was so stunned by what had happened on the court that they nearly lost the ability to react. They even began to wonder whether there was something wrong with their eyes.

No matter how they looked at it, the scene before them felt like a dream.

Sendoh, the ace they had trusted without question, had actually been suppressed by a first-year student.

The upperclassmen found it difficult to accept this fact. In their hearts, Sendoh was the team's pillar.

Even Taoka Moichi on the sideline could no longer sit still.

The strength Chi Tong had displayed had completely surpassed his expectations. He had never imagined that the guy Sendoh had introduced would be this terrifyingly skilled. After the shock came an uncontrollable surge of delight. Countless tactical ideas flashed through his mind—building around Chi Tong, building around Sendoh, or even creating tactical combinations with the two of them working together.

At the thought of Chi Tong and Sendoh fighting side by side, Taoka's heartbeat quickened.

There was hope. Ryonan truly had hope!

With these two ace players, Ryonan might truly be able to go farther this year.

At that moment, Chi Tong's standing in Taoka's heart had already become equal to Sendoh's, perhaps even surpassing it.

At last, the final whistle sounded, officially bringing this intra-squad practice game to an end.

The first-years defeated the upperclassmen, 64 to 54—a full ten-point margin.

But no one cared about the score anymore. Every gaze was fixed on the red figure standing calmly in the middle of the court.

The same thought surfaced in everyone's mind.

This guy really was a monster!

Sento took several deep breaths, trying to steady his somewhat ragged breathing.