On the sideline, Aida Riko clenched her fists, teeth biting into her lip.
She'd lost count of how many times she'd cursed Yuuto in her head.
This was truly too cruel—it was despair. The hope they'd just kindled was immediately snuffed out again.
"They were broken through after all." Kasamatsu Yukio sighed.
You couldn't blame Seirin. They'd truly given everything. Even the quality of the game had been remarkable.
Kuroko had poured out every last bit of effort.
Whether it was Misdirection Overflow or the quasi-Emperor Eye—both had been eye-opening.
The rest of Seirin hadn't given up either, fighting at full strength throughout.
It was just—
The stronger you were, the stronger Yuuto became. He could improve at any moment.
If one day his evolution stopped, don't celebrate too quickly. It most likely meant he'd completely transcended you and no longer needed to evolve.
As the ball dropped through the net, Seirin's hearts felt like they'd been struck by a hammer.
But this wasn't over.
The next possession—
Both Kuroko and Kagami simultaneously saw that red Dead Point.
In Yuuto's eyes, Kuroko and Kagami were moving simultaneously, one in each eye.
Finally—
He charged toward the Dead Point without hesitation, accelerating through like a gale.
From the spectators' perspective, Kagami and Kuroko had simultaneously lunged toward the same spot, voluntarily clearing a path for Yuuto.
"It's over!" Akashi was already preparing to face Seihō in one week.
With Yuuto breaking through Kuroko and Kagami's partnership, Seirin's defeat was sealed.
The gap was too large—not 10 points, not even 20. With Yuuto's jumper dropping through, the deficit had returned to 30 points.
Unable to contain Seihō's scoring, Seirin had no chance of a comeback.
What was even more terrifying—
Hiss~
The moment that shot went in, Yuuto landed and immediately began emitting massive amounts of white steam from his body. His black hair rapidly turned white.
"Demon Mode!"
"At a time like this?!"
"He's going to push Seirin into the abyss!"
Imayoshi Shoichi felt a chill run down his spine. Even though he wasn't on the court getting blown out, as a spectator, he felt cold to his core.
"Elevating his state immediately after completing his corrections."
Wasn't this basically telling Seirin: You're no longer useful to me. Time to end this game?
Kise thought nothing could be crueler for Seirin than this scene.
This was a devastating blow to Seirin's morale!
The feeling it gave was: I was just toying with you earlier.
Yuuto paused beneath the basket for a moment, his entire body shrouded in steam.
Then he stepped out from the steam, his expression ice-cold as he swept his gaze across every member of Seirin.
That presence made hearts tremble, crushing any will to resist.
The next possession—
Kuroko and Kagami continued their small-scale two-man game.
They charged at Yuuto together, splitting left and right at the moment of contact.
Kagami passed. Kuroko didn't hold the ball, immediately redirecting it to the free-throw line.
Kagami stepped out, grabbed the basketball, and launched from the free-throw line.
This was Meteor Jam!
However—
A wave of white steam rapidly closed in beneath him, ascending at terrifying speed.
Finally—
Yuuto's hand swept forward alongside the white steam, striking the basketball head-on.
"Yuuto!" Kagami roared, channeling all his strength, trying to overpower Yuuto.
The result—
Slap!
Star Bible specialization—strength second only to Murasakibara—allowed Yuuto to completely overwhelm Kagami.
Crash!
Kagami lost his balance mid-air and crashed heavily to the floor.
"He blocked Meteor Jam head-on?!" Alexandra and Himuro's faces went pale.
Kagami scrambled to his feet, ready to give chase, only to see Yuuto streak past half-court as a beam of white light.
At the top of the arc, another transition three splashed through.
The gap returned to 33 points!
Seirin was plunged into despair once more!
The image of the ball dropping through the net shattered their hearts. Why was their hope always so fragile, so easily extinguished?
And Yuuto?
He showed no mercy. After one successful defensive stop—
The very next possession, he suddenly began passing, assisting his teammates to consecutive scores.
"That's—!"
"Team Zone!"
Many guessed Yuuto's intention—to crush even their conviction.
Third quarter, 4:28 remaining.
Black lightning simultaneously erupted from the eyes of all four Seihō players.
For Seirin's five, this scene felt like a death sentence.
People thought this was Yuuto's final execution of Seirin, but Yuuto was merely making his final preparations.
"Now the real battle begins."
"Do everything you can, Seirin."
Yuuto stood at the forefront of his team, his entire body shrouded in steam. His features were obscured, only his cold voice emerging.
Behind him, Iwamura Tsutomu, Kasuga Ryuhei, Tsugawa Tomoki, and Ōmuro Yoshiichi stood like the Four Guardian Kings, dark lightning blazing from all their eyes simultaneously.
"Team... Zone!"
Kagami nearly lost his composure seeing this.
Having witnessed the match between Yuuto and Akashi, he'd thought about this issue after entering the Zone.
He too yearned to bring his teammates into the Zone to elevate the team's combat power.
But—
He couldn't do it!
He didn't possess Yuuto's or Akashi's court vision. He couldn't guide them with the composure of a general.
"Wh-what are we supposed to do?"
Seirin fell into complete disarray. The bench was panicking. Head coach Aida Riko was crying.
"Haha, naturally there's no way to respond!" Hanamiya Makoto laughed heartily. "Even I'm starting to pity Seirin."
The bad boy held a deep grudge against Seirin.
All that talk of friendship, bonds, trust—it made him want to vomit.
If anyone wanted Seihō to win most, it was Hanamiya Makoto.
And not just a simple victory—preferably a blowout that would destroy Seirin's beliefs. Only that would satisfy his hatred.
On the court—
Seirin faced the biggest crisis of the entire game—even greater than the 30-plus point deficit.
"This pressure!"
Hyūga Junpei had the ball, facing Tsugawa Tomoki, but couldn't even find an opening to shoot.
"I can't even execute the first step-back of the Barrier Jumper!"
This was Team Zone!
The pressure was more than double what it seemed watching from the sidelines.
He had no chance whatsoever. He passed to Izuki Shun, but Izuki fared no better.
Every single member of Seirin was being suppressed by Seihō, unable to even get a shot off.
Instinctively, he searched for Kuroko—one of the team's aces who had saved them time and again.
The result—
"Izuki!"
Kiyoshi Teppei shouted, his eyes contracting simultaneously.
But it was too late.
The instant he released the pass, Yuuto burst out from that cloud of white steam.
In a whoosh, he crossed several meters to intercept the ball.
"Damn it!" Kagami pumped his legs in desperate pursuit, only to find he couldn't close the distance to Yuuto at all.
Breathing is so hard. My limbs feel like they're not my own.
My brain is sluggish. I can't make correct judgments. Is this the end?!
Kagami was frantically anxious.
This emotion spread through the team like a virus.
"Is Kagami reaching his limit too?"
"Yeah. After all, he's entered the Zone twice, and he's been matching up against Yuuto from the very start."
Given Kagami's stamina, he shouldn't be reaching his limit this easily.
But Aomine understood this feeling. The pressure of facing Yuuto—spectators couldn't begin to comprehend it.
While evolving, Yuuto constantly forced his opponent to challenge their physical limits.
This challenge accelerated a player's stamina consumption!
...
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