In the time that followed, the air on the court seemed to ignite as Sendoh and Sawakita Eiji launched into an ultimate clash of wildness.
Their figures completely transformed into white and blue streaks of light, like lightning swept along by the wind. They darted frantically inside the three-point line, around the edge of the paint, and near the baseline. Every burst of speed came with a howl that tore through the air, and every sudden stop made the floor groan with dull friction.
They moved so fast that their actions were nearly impossible to follow. All anyone could see were two streaks of light constantly crossing, colliding, and separating.
Their confrontation was like a life-or-death struggle between the ruler of the deep sea, a shark, and the king of the skies, a Golden Eagle.
One excelled at suddenly accelerating through tight spaces to tear apart defenses, while the other relied on astonishing hang time and anticipation to dive from above and deliver a fatal blow.
He bit, the other pecked. Every exchange carried the brutal force of a head-on collision, and the battle was so intense that people nearly forgot to breathe.
They fought tooth and nail, neither willing to yield. One chased while the other ran, and neither would fall even half a step behind. One shot while the other defended, every attempt accompanied by suffocating pressure. One drove while the other stole, every dribble like dancing on a blade's edge.
After several exchanges, both had their wins and losses. They went back and forth, and neither could completely suppress the other.
The pace on the court was suffocatingly fast, while the score on the electronic board kept changing—53:61, 58:66, 60:68. Sawakita Eiji bulldozed through Sendoh's close defense and viciously slammed the ball into the hoop.
The basket