"Fighting alongside comrades? That's just the Zone's second gate."
"No—more accurately, this is the Zone's true nature."
Yuuto spoke calmly, his tone composed, making everyone on Seirin tense.
This was the first time since the Inter-High that anyone had stepped through the Zone's second gate and revealed its true form.
How did Yuuto know so much about it?
Could it be that he'd known all along—or even had the ability to enter it himself?
Seirin's players looked uneasy, but Yuuto told them he couldn't enter it. That brought them some measure of relief.
But the very next second, Yuuto's state underwent a transformation.
The white steam was blown away, replaced by a layer of holy light that enveloped his entire body—as if an angel had descended beside him.
Crackle~
Pure white lightning bloomed from his eyes—unmistakably the lightning that symbolized the Zone, yet somehow different. The electricity crackling from Yuuto's eyes was deeper and more brilliant.
"What... is this?!"
No one knew what was happening. They could only feel that the pressure emanating from Yuuto had grown even more terrifying.
"Angel Mode!" Sora announced proudly, deliberately saying it loud enough for Momoi to hear—proving that her relationship with Yuuto was closer.
Momoi felt a pang of unwillingness, but her expression remained calm. "I see. So this is the evolution Yuuto mentioned before—just like how Red Eyes Mode evolved into Demon Mode."
"Y-you... you knew about this too?" Sora was stunned.
"Hmph, what's so strange about that?"
Momoi sparred verbally with Sora, trying her best to get under the other girl's skin.
In truth, Yuuto had never told anyone about Angel Mode. Momoi had deduced it herself with her brilliant mind.
After all, Demon Mode had evolved from Red Eyes Mode. It stood to reason that Angel Mode worked the same way.
The atmosphere grew tense. The match that might go down in history was about to reach its climax.
Kagami's pupils contracted. He was shaken, feeling immense pressure bearing down on him.
"Don't worry about it. Play our basketball. Believe in ourselves—we'll find an opportunity."
Kiyoshi Teppei called out loudly, stepping forward to steady the team's morale.
That's right.
Now wasn't the time to think about these things. Time wasn't on their side. If Seirin wanted to win, they had to cut the deficit to 20 points by the end of the third quarter.
"Yeah!"
Everyone shouted in unison, spreading out into full-court pressure defense, determined to claw back points as fast as possible.
Yuuto took the ball from Iwamura Tsutomu, beginning to bring it up from the backcourt.
He dribbled slowly, his lightning-wreathed eyes locking onto every member of Seirin.
The next second, he exploded forward. The white light surrounding him was incomparably holy, as if it could illuminate the entire arena, making everyone feel its warmth.
But then, beneath that pristine exterior, a ferocious aura suddenly erupted.
Two completely opposite forces were released simultaneously, clashing before finally merging into one—wielded by Yuuto as his weapon.
Whoosh~
The white light surged forward, dazzling and brilliant. Everyone saw it, yet no one could do anything.
Because it was simply too fast.
"He's broken past 100%!"
Akashi's expression changed—he'd lost count of how many times now. His pupils trembled violently.
At this moment, Yuuto had shattered every understanding Akashi had. His speed had surpassed even Aomine, the fastest of the Generation of Miracles, reaching an entirely different level.
"So fast! But we won't lose!"
The crimson lightning at Kagami's eyes blazed brighter. He pushed his state to its absolute peak and charged forward to meet him.
Around him, Seirin's players coordinated with his movements, spreading out like a great net closing in on Yuuto.
Yuuto's gaze swept across them all.
The next second, every member of Seirin saw their world go pitch black—and they all saw the same Dead Point simultaneously.
It was a Dead Point belonging to all of Seirin!
"How is this possible?!"
Kagami couldn't believe it. Their Dead Point had appeared so easily?
They'd only exchanged a few possessions. Such complex defense, and yet now...
"It's not that I saw through it. I simply possess the ability to do this."
Yuuto's tone was flat, yet it conveyed an extreme coldness.
Yes.
He hadn't completed his Weakness Correction or found a method to counter the true Zone. He simply possessed the raw ability to tear through Seirin's defense in this state.
With his body's potential already unleashed to 100%, he had broken through that limit once more—pushing his physical potential to 120%.
It was equivalent to Aomine's first Zone eruption—Seirin, even with everything they had, was powerless to stop it.
This was Yuuto's Concentrated Burst.
By manifesting the conflict between Demon Mode and Angel Mode, he could unleash power that transcended his own limits.
Aida Riko could see it. Yuuto's physical data had instantly spiked to a level she couldn't even imagine.
Yuuto began to move.
His style was supremely simple—every step a killing blow.
A shoulder drop into a crossover, blowing past Kagami's right side.
No pause. He bent low, leaning forward as he continued his sprint. Facing Kuroko's help defense, he twisted his body and slipped through like a phantom.
Then came Hyūga Junpei, Kiyoshi Teppei, and Izuki Shun—all three.
He executed a crossover dribble. A simple feint split their zone defense wide open, creating a clear path through the middle.
Finally—
Yuuto burst through the center.
Everything happened almost simultaneously. Including Kagami, every single player had been beaten in one move.
It wasn't that Seirin was too slow—Yuuto was simply too fast. He made every member of Seirin look like stationary posts.
The white light around Yuuto grew even more brilliant and blinding. He carved all the way to Seirin's basket and kissed a layup off the glass for two points.
Only then did everyone snap out of their trembling stupor, looking toward the player whose aura was so unique—like an angel and demon coexisting in one body—and found themselves unable to speak.
Words wouldn't come.
"Breaking past 100%! Has Yuuto also opened the Zone's second gate?"
Midorima didn't understand. What was happening before his eyes had exceeded his comprehension.
He had no memory of anything like this.
"It's not the Zone!"
Aomine was certain. This was absolutely not the Zone—there was a fundamental difference.
"Then what is it?"
"Maybe this is why Yuuto gave up on the Zone in the first place."
All along, people hadn't understood why Yuuto had abandoned the Zone.
At first, everyone assumed he hadn't found his "key." But during the match against Yōsen, he'd accidentally entered the Zone, proving that he'd long since mastered the method to enter it.
Now—
Perhaps the answer had finally emerged.
This was why Yuuto had abandoned the Zone and chosen this path instead.
...
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