Exiting the Zone in time could preserve Kagami's stamina, saving it for the decisive moment.
But there was a prerequisite.
Seirin had to survive until that decisive moment arrived for conserving Kagami's energy to mean anything.
Seihō's counterattack came with ferocious speed.
Ever since Yuuto had joined Seihō, this had become their signature scoring method.
After a summer and the Inter-High's baptism, fast-break offense had become embedded in their DNA.
"Don't think you're getting through!" Izuki Shun quickly closed in on Kasuga Ryuhei.
The latter remained calm. "I never planned to. I'm just the delivery man!"
Without a second's hesitation, after bringing the ball past half-court, Kasuga hurled it back toward the opposite end.
Slap!
Yuuto snatched the ball one-handed. Before him stood Kagami, hot in pursuit.
What now? How's he going to attack?
Kagami's expression was severe. This time, he'd even sealed off the passing lanes.
But this also increased the difficulty of predicting Yuuto's moves—it wasn't simply adding one more passing option.
And Yuuto—
Lightning characteristic of Thunder Dribble erupted from his hands.
He slammed the ball down hard. The basketball struck the floor like a thunderbolt, and in the next instant Yuuto exploded forward, his figure becoming a blur that was nearly impossible to track.
"Damn it!" Kagami raged, powerless to stop him.
After blowing past Kagami, Yuuto didn't wait for anyone else to close in. He pulled up for a mid-range jumper that splashed through.
"Even Taiga..."
Himuro Tatsuya's feelings at this moment were incredibly complicated.
On one hand, if Kagami also lost to Yuuto, their promise could continue—their rivalry would carry over to the next showdown.
On the other hand, he wanted Kagami to win. He didn't want to see that pained expression on his face.
Alexandra Garcia remained silent.
Though she was a professional women's player, at Yuuto's level, she found herself unable to offer any useful advice.
Yuuto's athletic ability, his physical advantages, even his technical skills—all surpassed her at her peak.
Just as a two-dimensional existence cannot interfere with three-dimensional beings.
By now, she could no longer comprehend the world as Yuuto saw it.
Tweet!
A whistle sounded. The first quarter had ended.
Seihō 29, Seirin 17—a 12-point lead after one quarter.
Coming off the court, Aida Riko noticed her players' spirits remained intact. They weren't as shattered as during the Inter-High, where they'd lost their will to fight after just two quarters.
Of course, that didn't include Kagami.
Part of it was from his brief entry into the Zone, but more so, it was because matching up against Yuuto exposed Kagami to pressure his teammates couldn't begin to understand.
"Kagami-kun."
"Yeah, I know. At this point, I won't waver anymore. But alone, I really can't beat Yuuto."
He was truly too strong.
Unprecedentedly strong. Even in America, Kagami had never encountered anyone like him.
"But we have sixteen people."
A fifteen-man roster, plus the coach—a team could have up to sixteen members in total.
The members of Seirin encouraged each other.
When the second quarter began and they retook the court, not a trace of dejection showed on their faces.
Yuuto watched from the side but made no comment.
"Compared to the Inter-High, they've matured considerably."
"Indeed. Failure isn't frightening. What's truly valuable is the ability to learn from failure and start over."
Kasuga Ryuhei and Iwamura Tsutomu harbored no ill will toward Seirin—they actually rather admired this team.
They were still "young," having only existed for two years, yet their cohesion was second to none.
Right from the start of the second quarter, Seirin scored a two-pointer, and the shooter was none other than Kuroko.
He'd decided the time had come—to completely exhaust his Misdirection.
"Are you sure?"
"Both Seihō and Tōō are Tokyo teams!"
Yuuto looked him directly in the eye, as if appraising him.
"Hai!"
"Even if it means I can never win again after this, I refuse to lose here!"
Kuroko's gaze was filled with determination. This do-or-die attitude could inspire every teammate around him.
"I understand."
Yuuto nodded without another word.
The pace of the game suddenly accelerated, with both sides trading efficient baskets.
Kuroko wasn't mindlessly burning through his Misdirection—when opportunities arose, he still opted to pass.
Yuuto could see through the Phantom Shot and Vanishing Drive, of course.
But the distance was too great. Kagami and Kuroko deliberately maximized their spacing, denying Yuuto any chance to interfere.
"He's been scoring continuously since the quarter started!"
"He's already got 8 points personally in the second quarter."
"Could he be planning to..."
"Looks like it. Seirin's number 11 is ready to go all out."
...
Imayoshi Shoichi opened his eyes.
Misdirection Overflow—or rather, the ultimate expression of Misdirection.
This was Kuroko's true ace in the hole.
Its effect was undeniably powerful. Without this technique, Seirin could never have defeated Tōō in the Winter Cup regional qualifiers.
But the cost was enormous.
Once Kuroko employed this, his Misdirection would become completely ineffective against Seihō from now on.
Moreover—
Both Seihō and Tōō were Tokyo teams in the same district as Seirin. This was truly going all-in, betting everything on today.
Swish!
Another basket. The ball passed through Ōmuro Yoshiichi's fingertips and dropped through the net.
"Wow, consecutive scores!"
"Amazing! Seirin's number 11—his shooting seems like it's on autopilot!"
"So this is the magician?"
...
"Seirin shouldn't be underestimated!"
"To score this much against Seihō is impressive. I heard he used to be at Teikō, but ran off to Homi Academy in his final year."
"Huh? Doesn't that mean he won three consecutive Inter-High championships in middle school?"
"..."
Cheers erupted from the stands as fans celebrated Kuroko's scoring streak.
They'd also realized that Kuroko was the biggest winner—three straight national championships!
Even if he wasn't the core, that was still something to be proud of.
But Seirin's players didn't celebrate the crowd's praise. It meant Kuroko was losing his greatest weapon.
His presence had risen to that of a normal player. His magic show was about to end.
Not about to—it was already ending.
Whoosh!
The ball cut through layers of defense and reached Ōmuro Yoshiichi's hands.
Ōmuro backed Kuroko down with his body, easily pushing him aside before turning for a fadeaway that dropped.
Kuroko couldn't stop him. He got up without looking at Ōmuro, instead fixing his gaze straight ahead.
So this is why you're still too green.
"I won't make the same mistake Tōō did. Right now, you're Seirin's biggest weakness." Yuuto spoke calmly, his tone flat yet chilling. "Don't forget who helped you get this far."
He'd honestly never understood the point of Misdirection Overflow.
Once Kuroko lost that paper-thin lack of presence, he became a natural defensive black hole—easy pickings for anyone. Whoever targeted him would score at will.
If Seirin didn't want their defense to collapse, they'd have to constantly cover for him—essentially playing four-on-five on defense.
...
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