Even though he understood how absurd all this was, his shock was ultimately diminished because he had not witnessed the entire process firsthand.
He had missed Chi Tong turning into a crimson bolt of lightning from the backcourt, missed the breakthrough that left Fukatsu Kazunari helpless, and missed the bizarre instant that forced Nobe Masahiro and Matsumoto Minoru to their knees.
Without the buildup of those events, seeing only the final result—no matter how shocking the sight—could not truly make him feel the suffocating despair of being crushed by absolute strength.
The confusion of missing those crucial moments, mixed with his shock at Chi Tong's strength, made Sawakita Eiji's expression especially complicated.
There was both a top expert's wariness toward an unknown power and a trace of bewilderment at not having witnessed that crushing display in its entirety.
Shen Jinyicheng was now completely dumbstruck.
As Sannoh Industrial High School's captain, he had always been known for his calm and steadiness. No matter what desperate situation he faced, he could remain unfazed even if a mountain collapsed before him.
But now, the mental fortitude he had always taken pride in seemed to have crumbled in an instant. He stood there stiffly, his body still trembling faintly beyond his control. It was a terror from the depths of his soul that he simply could not suppress. He was even beginning to question life itself. The instant of power Chi Tong had displayed was simply too terrifying, too far beyond reason. That aura, as though it could tear space apart, had nearly made his heart skip a beat. Even now, his chest still retained that suffocating, stifling ache.
Shen Jinyicheng desperately tried to replay the moment he had been beaten off the dribble, trying to find even the slightest flaw in Chi Tong's