Kuroko's scoring momentum had stopped.
His individual scoring for the quarter was frozen at 10 points.
At this moment, the entire arena cheered for him. Like a magician, he had completed his performance. Now it was time for the curtain call.
What came next was Seihō's—or rather, Yuuto's—targeted attack.
Whoosh!
The ball flew to Ōmuro Yoshiichi once again.
Kuroko tried to resist through sheer willpower, but one bump from Ōmuro's back completely displaced him.
You could see he was trying his hardest, but his body was simply too frail. He was instantly knocked aside.
Ōmuro turned and attacked the rim without an ounce of mercy.
At that moment, Kagami Taiga came flying in from the weak side.
They were the Light and Shadow duo—they were one.
"Just go all out! Kuroko!" He let out a fierce battlecry.
In the first quarter, his teammates had given everything to help him. Though they hadn't succeeded, he'd felt their sincerity.
Now it was his turn to clean up for Kuroko, to let him play without worry.
Slap!
His massive hand came down like an axe, violently swatting Ōmuro's layup attempt away.
Was that instinct? Or did he read my intentions? Or both? Yuuto leaned toward both.
His intention to target Kuroko had been too obvious. Even No-Motion Passes were easy to read.
However—
Slap!
Yuuto arrived at the ball's landing spot first, snatched it up, and smoothly converted a pull-up jumper.
"Damn it!"
Everyone on Seirin gritted their teeth, desperate to claw back from this deficit.
Having someone score over your head constantly—that feeling was unbearable.
They all wanted to shoulder some of Kuroko's burden.
And Kuroko?
He said nothing, returning to offense ready to use his final ace.
Misdirection Overflow!
Kasuga Ryuhei was prepared, but when Kuroko suddenly burst into his field of vision, he still couldn't help but shift his attention.
Izuki Shun seized the opportunity and blew right past him for a pull-up jumper—also good!
Kasuga clenched his fist in frustration.
This technique was simply too effective. Even with mental preparation, it couldn't be stopped.
He just couldn't help but shift his focus to Kuroko.
Unless you possessed eyes like Akashi's or Yuuto's.
"But this is merely a delaying tactic." Akashi crossed his arms over his chest.
Seirin's tenacity was admirable, but in the end, they were only treating the symptoms, not the disease.
On the next possession, Yuuto made a subtle adjustment on offense.
The primary target was still Kuroko, but this time it wasn't a pass.
"A pick-and-roll?!"
Aida Riko and the others were startled. Ōmuro Yoshiichi had come up to set a high screen, using his body to block Kagami's path.
The next second, Yuuto's defender switched from Kagami to Kuroko.
Former teammates now matched up against each other, with no exchange between them.
Kuroko assumed a defensive stance, but all he felt was a gust of wind brush past his ears. With one burst of acceleration, Yuuto vanished from before his eyes.
Splash!
Bucket.
Yuuto met virtually no resistance in scoring those 2 points.
Unstoppable.
A glaring hole had appeared in Seirin's defensive line. But they couldn't substitute to adjust—they still needed Kuroko to create openings on offense.
On the other end, Kuroko began moving rapidly, working in tandem with his teammates.
This time, his Misdirection Overflow partner was Hyūga Junpei.
Every Seirin player understood the situation.
When neither side could stop the other's attack, it came down to firepower.
Now was the time to step up.
His Dual Personality Shooter switch flipped on instantly. Combined with Kuroko's screen, he took one step inside the arc for a pull-up jumper—also good!
The ball splashed through cleanly.
Seihō continued their targeted assault on Kuroko.
Sometimes Yuuto passed, sometimes he scored himself, leaving Kagami unable to distinguish truth from feint when trying to help on Kuroko.
Both sides displayed their full arsenals, trading baskets rapidly.
One shot after another.
Basketballs kept dropping through the nets.
This back-and-forth scoring battle made for an exciting spectacle, keeping the crowd on edge.
But Kuroko's Misdirection Overflow had its limits.
With 2 minutes left in the second quarter, Kuroko tried to work with Hyūga again. But this time, Tsugawa Tomoki completely ignored Kuroko, cutting off Hyūga's drive entirely.
He had fully adapted to Kuroko's presence, showing no hesitation whatsoever.
"Has the Misdirection Overflow worn off?!"
Hyūga immediately realized what had happened.
The man before him was like a brick wall, blocking every path.
"Fine then, let's try this!" Hyūga went for broke, executing a step-back to retreat beyond the three-point line.
This was Yuuto's Barrier Jumper.
Though Yuuto had discarded this shot after mastering the double step-back, for Hyūga, it remained his signature move.
It was the killer technique he'd learned from former pro player Aida Kagetora.
The result?
The moment Hyūga completed his retreat beyond the arc, Tsugawa's figure surged forward, his defense airtight.
"He read it!"
"That was inevitable. They have Yuuto's intelligence supporting them."
Akashi's expression didn't change, as if he'd known all along.
This was Seirin's next trial.
The cost of preserving Kagami's stamina was steep. After Kuroko's Misdirection was completely exhausted, who else on Seirin could score?
Their intelligence was being utterly suppressed, leaving them with no means to break through.
"It's an almost unsolvable situation." Even Hayama Kotaro felt despair on Seirin's behalf.
Was there anything that King of Seihō couldn't do?
Slap!
Hyūga's shot was swatted away. To ensure it wouldn't be blocked, the Barrier Jumper required continuous motion from step-back to release.
The ball fell into Kasuga Ryuhei's hands. He immediately hurled it downcourt.
Seihō's number 10 and Seirin's number 10 launched almost simultaneously.
Then—
Star Bible: Speed Specialization.
Yuuto's legs coiled with power before he exploded forward, instantly opening up a two-body-length gap on Kagami.
Yuuto caught the ball and streaked toward Seirin's paint like a beam of light.
Starting from a step inside the free-throw line, his body glided toward the rim. Kagami leaped with everything he had, trying to cut off Yuuto's path.
"No you don't!" he roared, reaching desperately for the ball.
But then he saw Yuuto switch hands mid-air, his body colliding with Kagami's.
Tweet!
The referee blew his whistle immediately. Yuuto had already flicked the ball through with his left hand.
"The basket counts! And one!"
The north stands erupted, cheering for their King.
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"