Kuroko: Mahoraga - Chapter 71: The Lead? Whatever! (Patreon)

Masato and Aomine had brought the atmosphere in the arena to a fever pitch, something Kise hadn't managed to do earlier.

By the time the second quarter ended, the spectators were left wanting more. Time had flown by so quickly that they could hardly believe it was already halftime.

Once they recovered from the excitement, they couldn't help marveling at the showdown they'd just witnessed.

"He's incredible! No wonder they call him the Ruler of Kanagawa!"

"He's actually going toe-to-toe with Aomine, and he's even getting the better of him!"

"I can't wait to see what happens next!"

"..."

...

With the arena still buzzing, the players headed to their respective benches for a break.

As soon as Masato stepped off the court, the substitutes hurried to make room for him.

He sat down, breathing heavily, and immediately reached for some water.

Facing Aomine was taking a much greater toll on him than his earlier matchup against Kise.

Although awakening his Animal Instinct had made him stronger, that newfound power came at a price.

Masato could clearly feel how much stamina it took to maintain it.

Even so, he was more than satisfied.

There hadn't been much time to think during the game, but now that he was sitting down, his thoughts began to wander.

He'd wondered before what kind of Animal Instinct he might awaken.

A leopard, a tiger, an eagle...

He'd considered all sorts of fierce creatures, from predators that roamed the land to those that soared through the sky. He'd even thought about creatures that lived underwater.

But never in his wildest dreams had he imagined awakening Mahoraga.

Back on the court, when he'd finally realized exactly what he'd awakened, Masato had to admit his brain had stopped working for a moment.

He still wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

When he'd first obtained the [Adaptation] talent, he'd jokingly called himself the Mahoraga of Kuroko's Basketball.

But that was all it had been. A joke!

Damn it, the two worlds didn't even belong to the same genre!

One was a series packed with supernatural battles, while the other was a passionate sports anime.

How the hell could they have anything to do with each other?

"Don't tell me the System actually ripped that talent straight off Mahoraga and gave it to me..."

Masato muttered to himself, a strange expression crossing his face.

His imagination promptly ran wild, conjuring up increasingly ridiculous scenarios.

What if the System had ambushed Mahoraga, automatically triggering his Exorcism Ritual?

Mahoraga would keep adapting and growing stronger until he eventually became a powerhouse on a multiversal scale!

Then, guided by some mysterious connection, he'd finally pinpoint the coordinates of the Kuroko's Basketball world.

And once he found them, he'd tear his way across dimensions to hunt Masato down!

Just imagining it sent an involuntary shiver down Masato's spine.

The coach had been keeping a close eye on him, and when he noticed the sudden shudder, he hurried over.

"Masa, are you getting a cramp?"

Masato's mouth twitched.

A cramp, my ass!

"I'm fine, Coach. Just feeling a little cold."

Seeing that Masato seemed perfectly fine otherwise, Nakamura relaxed.

Still, after feeling the temperature inside the arena, he couldn't help thinking to himself that geniuses really were different from ordinary people.

The coach's interruption was enough to snap Masato out of his ridiculous train of thought.

He knew perfectly well that Animal Instinct was a projection of a person's inner self.

Perhaps he'd spent so long unconsciously associating himself with Mahoraga that he'd ended up awakening this particular monster.

As for his Animal Instinct's ability to perceive weaknesses, the only explanation he could think of was the Sword of Extermination.

After all, he already possessed [Adaptation]. The Sword of Extermination was the only other aspect of Mahoraga's abilities that could explain this new development.

More importantly, Masato could feel something else.

His Animal Instinct wasn't finished evolving!

He had an inexplicable certainty that it would continue growing stronger.

That realization filled him with excitement.

"I can't wait!"

...

Meanwhile, over on Teikō Middle School's bench, the atmosphere was considerably less relaxed than it had been during the first timeout.

That was only natural.

After all, the team's expectations for Kise had never been anywhere near as high as their expectations for Aomine.

Aomine was Teikō Middle School's ace!

In the past, he'd always been the one crushing his opponents.

None of the Teikō players had ever seen anyone capable of going blow for blow with him, much less someone who could actually overpower him.

Yet that was exactly what they'd just witnessed.

They'd known Masato was strong, of course, but none of them had expected him to be this strong!

The players glanced toward Aomine.

He sat on the bench with his eyes closed, saying nothing.

The sight made them uneasy.

However, they could also tell that his current state was nothing like the panic Kise had shown earlier.

Realizing this helped ease the Teikō coach's concerns considerably.

As for the other members of the Generation of Miracles, their reactions varied.

Murasakibara wore an irritated pout, while Kise remained lost in his own world.

Ever since Masato had completely demolished him in their matchup, Kise had been like this.

Midorima and Akashi, on the other hand, remained as composed as ever.

Seeing how calm most of their starters were, the other Teikō players gradually began to relax as well.

After the coach offered a few brief instructions, silence settled over the bench.

...

It wasn't until the third quarter was about to begin that Akashi gave Aomine one last, searching look.

Then he stood and turned toward Kise, who was still staring off into space.

"Sit out the third quarter for now. Take some time to get yourself back together."

With that, Akashi headed onto the court.

...

The third quarter began.

Under the expectant gazes of the spectators, both teams returned to the floor.

This time, however, Teikō's lineup came as something of a surprise.

Masato glanced toward the bench and spotted Kise still sitting there.

He raised an eyebrow.

Looks like that beating really did a number on him.

Even during the earlier part of the game, Masato had noticed that Kise wasn't playing like himself.

Still, when he considered things from Kise's perspective, it wasn't hard to understand.

The guy had trained relentlessly, all for the sake of getting his revenge.

Then the long-awaited rematch finally arrived, and he'd been crushed like some stray dog kicked to death on the side of the road.

That was pretty damn miserable.

Masato couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him, but there was nothing he could do about it.

That was just how cruel competition could be!

Still, Masato glanced in Akashi's direction.

He knew Kise would eventually return to the court.

They were already in the second half, and Teikō could launch its counterattack at any moment.

He needed to take advantage of this opportunity to build as large a lead as possible!

...

Once play resumed, the game picked up right where it had left off.

Aomine received a pass and immediately went on the offensive.

He'd spent the halftime break making adjustments and regaining his composure.

This time, he intended to face Masato with nothing holding him back.

He refused to believe that Masato could still overpower him once he brought out everything he had.

Unfortunately for Aomine, reality had other plans.

The moment he found himself standing in front of Masato again, the composure he'd worked so hard to regain began to crumble.

Masato's terrifying Animal Instinct was interfering with him all over again!

Gritting his teeth, Aomine unleashed his own Animal Instinct to fight back.

Then, forcing himself through the pressure, he attacked.

The two became locked in another fierce struggle.

For a while, neither seemed capable of gaining the upper hand.

But then Masato suddenly smiled.

He deliberately left an opening in his defense.

Aomine's eyes lit up.

There it was!

Without hesitation, he charged through the gap, determined to finish at the basket.

But in the next instant, his expression froze.

Masato had already caught up from behind, his presence looming over him!

Aomine instinctively responded with his Formless Shot.

Unfortunately, this time, even his wildly unpredictable shooting style couldn't save him.

Masato's defense shifted perfectly with every movement he made.

No matter how Aomine adjusted, Masato stayed right with him!

In the end, Aomine had no choice but to force up a hurried shot.

"SMACK!"

A clean block!

Watching Masato's defense on that possession, the other Teikō players couldn't shake the impression that he was controlling Aomine's every move.

And Aomine himself felt it even more strongly.

It was as though Masato could see right through him.

He'd already begun experiencing that unsettling sensation during the latter half of the second quarter.

Now, it was even worse.

On the bench, Kise watched the exchange with a grim expression.

He knew exactly what Aomine was going through.

...

Of course, the game wasn't going to stop because of a single blocked shot.

Masato had completely seized control of their individual matchup.

He pushed the tempo to a blistering pace, forcing both sides to burn through their stamina at an alarming rate.

Naturally, that kind of relentless pace was exhausting for everyone.

But it was far worse for whoever was on the losing end.

Aomine would have loved to slow things down if he could.

Unfortunately, he was no longer the one calling the shots.

And so, the third quarter continued with both sides locked in a furious exchange of offense and defense!

The numbers on the scoreboard kept changing.

70-65, 75-67, 80-69...

As Kawari's lead steadily grew, the spectators could hardly believe their eyes.

This was nothing like Kawari's lead in the first quarter.

The game was already well into its second half!

Even the fans who'd been absolutely certain of Teikō's victory before the match were starting to have doubts.

"Isn't Kawari getting a little too scary?!"

"Masato is ridiculous! Who would've thought even Teikō's ace wouldn't be able to stop him?"

"Exactly! I never imagined anything like this happening before the game!"

"Wait, is Teikō actually going to lose? You've gotta be kidding me!"

"The Kanagawa Youth Storm is still going strong!"

"..."

With excitement sweeping through the arena, Masato scored yet another basket right over Aomine.

But after making the shot, he looked at the heavily panting Aomine and frowned.

Something felt different.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about Aomine seemed to be changing.

Even the suppressive effect of Masato's Animal Instinct didn't seem quite as strong as before.

If Aomine hadn't already burned through so much stamina, Masato was certain his speed would have recovered by now.

Still, he didn't dwell on it.

Whatever happened, he'd deal with it when the time came.

He turned around, preparing to get back on defense.

But just then, the referee's whistle sounded from the sideline.

Teikō had requested a substitution!

Masato's expression darkened as he looked toward their bench.

Sure enough, Kise was coming back onto the court.

Judging by the way he carried himself, he'd managed to sort out his emotions considerably.

His usual bright smile was nowhere to be seen, but at least he no longer looked distracted.

Masato knew what that meant.

Teikō's counterattack was probably about to begin.

He glanced up at the scoreboard, checking the difference between the two teams.

"I hope it's enough."

...

Meanwhile, during the brief stoppage for the substitution, Akashi turned toward Aomine, who seemed to be lost in thought.

"Daiki, it's time for the team to get back to playing normally."

Akashi spoke calmly. His voice wasn't particularly loud, but his words were perfectly clear.

Aomine, however, was unusually slow to respond.

Akashi frowned.

The Daiki Aomine he knew shouldn't have been this fragile.

Sure enough, after a brief moment of distraction, Aomine slowly came back to his senses.

He hadn't been driven to the brink of a mental breakdown by Masato.

He'd simply entered a peculiar state.

Aomine knew that if he could push further into that state, his abilities would reach a terrifying level.

He'd briefly experienced something similar after his previous one-on-one match against Masato.

And now, the warning signs of that same state had appeared again.

Aomine had been trying to recreate it, but no matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't quite get there.

Unfortunately, he was still in the middle of a game.

Looking up at the scoreboard and seeing how far Teikō had fallen behind, Aomine understood that he couldn't afford to keep indulging himself.

Besides, he wasn't someone who couldn't accept defeat.

Aomine turned his gaze toward Masato.

He knew he'd lost their duel today!

Finally returning to his usual state of mind, Aomine slowly lowered his gaze toward Akashi.

His voice was completely devoid of emotion.

"Is that so? Well, whatever."