A 34-point deficit with only one quarter—ten minutes—remaining.
In an evenly matched game, such a gap was impossible to overcome.
What's more, Seihō clearly appeared to be the stronger team.
On Seirin's bench.
No one was willing to accept this. They had given absolutely everything in this game.
Kuroko's Quasi-Emperor Eye, Kagami's second gate of the Zone—both were unexpected blessings.
And the result?
A 34-point gap, more vivid than blood, stung their eyes.
Was there any other way?
No.
Seirin had emptied their ammunition.
Kuroko's Misdirection had been completely exhausted and would never work against Seihō again.
Now he only had his passing ability and the Quasi-Emperor Eye.
Kagami was the same.
The second gate of the Zone had been a miraculous breakthrough. He had long reached his limit and couldn't improve further.
"I want to win!"
On the bench, Kuroko let out this cry, not wanting to see a repeat of the Inter-High.
Of course.
The rest of Seirin also thirsted for victory, but they truly had no cards left to play.
"There are many lions, but every pride has only one king."
The fourth quarter began, Yuuto's golden eyes gleaming even brighter.
Kuroko could only remain silent at those words. But once the game resumed, he still gave everything he had.
He would embody "never give up" until the very end, not wanting to betray the support of his friend Ogiwara Shigehiro.
But what use was it?
Seihō's possession.
Yuuto took the ball and charged, holding nothing back. Demon Mode and Angel Mode erupted simultaneously, converging together, shattering the 100% limit.
His aura blazed brilliantly, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky.
Kagami and the others roared, doing everything they could, defending with all their might.
Thunder Dribble, Tezuka Zone, fundamental skills, Himuro Tatsuya's style of feints—all unleashed at once.
In an instant, Seirin's defensive line was torn to shreds.
"Watch out!"
Kagami was shaken off his feet again. He let out a roar and spun around in desperate pursuit.
"Futile resistance." Akashi shook his head.
Seirin's tenacity was admirable, but the outcome was already decided. They couldn't change it.
BOOM!
Yuuto overpowered Kagami Taiga for a thunderous dunk.
The gap became 36 points.
At such a massive deficit, even if Seihō focused purely on defense from here on, Seirin couldn't catch up.
In the first three quarters, even during Seirin's best stretch in the second quarter—when they shot 60-70%—they never scored more than 35 points in a single quarter.
That was cold, hard fact.
But Seirin refused to end like this. They made their final stand.
Their offensive spread across the court, centered on Kagami, executing ultra-fast combinations.
Kagami's stamina was at its limit, yet he gritted his teeth and persevered.
But no matter how supernatural their coordination, no matter how fast their ball movement seemed like electrical conduction—
In the end, they still had to face Yuuto, that insurmountable mountain.
Meteor Jam!
This was Kagami Taiga's last reliable scoring method.
He launched from the free-throw line with everything he had.
It was useless.
Yuuto's hand struck the red Dead Point, swatting even the Meteor Jam away.
On the sideline, Seirin's bench—
The reserves, including Aida Riko, watched with bloodshot eyes, but there was nothing they could do. This was Seirin's everything. This was the cruel reality that couldn't be overturned by "bonds" or "trust."
Everyone trembled. This king of Seihō was truly becoming invincible. No one could imagine who could stop his advance.
Yuuto exploded with the nation's fastest speed, surpassing Aomine, like lightning, reaching Seirin's side in an instant.
At the top of the arc, Yuuto stopped and rose for a shot, ball held high above his head.
Kagami chased, reaching out to block.
But he found that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reach the ball in Yuuto's hands.
He had lost his incredible vertical. His stamina was nearly depleted. He couldn't stop this.
Swish!
Yuuto flicked his wrist, calmly dropping the ball through the net.
39 points!
Seirin was in complete despair. They all gasped for breath, lacking the courage to look at the scoreboard or the clock.
Kise, Midorima, Aomine, Himuro Tatsuya—none could find words.
Seirin had performed admirably. Their fighting spirit was worthy of respect.
But Yuuto...
For a long time afterward, Aomine and the others probably wouldn't forget Yuuto's figure as it was now.
His silhouette was like an ancient god, standing not just before Seirin, but before all of the Generation of Miracles...
At the 7:36 mark.
Kagami finally couldn't hold on any longer. He collapsed, his body having reached its absolute limit.
Perhaps.
If the score hadn't been so lopsided, he would have fought until the final second.
Throughout humanity's long history, countless miracles had occurred.
Even an elderly grandmother could summon the strength to lift a car to save her family.
But the despair Yuuto had inflicted upon Kagami and Seirin was too profound.
Aida Riko made a substitution, pulling their only hope off the court.
Yamashita Shigeo saw this and didn't hesitate, making his own substitution, giving Yuuto—who had played over thirty minutes—a rest.
Yuuto and Kagami left the court one after another. This also meant the game was effectively over.
The underdog Seirin's journey ended here.
"Good work."
"It wasn't that hard."
Yuuto took the towel his teammate offered, wiping his face vigorously.
As the towel passed through, his hair rapidly returned to black.
This game hadn't been that demanding.
His true explosive moments had only been the few minutes in Angel Mode.
Yuuto understood why. Now, among the Generation of Miracles—or rather, in all of Japan—no one was his match anymore.
Even Murasakibara, whose style countered his the most, had fallen to him.
When Jordan established his first dynasty, he was already the league's best player.
But back then, there was a saying in the NBA:
Jordan ruled the league, but Hakeem Olajuwon ruled Jordan.
This was because even at his peak, Jordan struggled against Olajuwon.
The reason was simple: Olajuwon's style was a terrible matchup for Jordan.
But Yuuto?
Murasakibara had been taken down in half a game. At this point, he had already transcended the issue of style matchups.
He had no rivals!
Beep!
Minutes later, the referee blew the final whistle.
Yuuto hadn't returned to the court after being subbed out.
Final score: 119-89. Seihō defeated Seirin by 30 points.
After the outcome was decided, Yamashita Shigeo had substituted out his starters one by one, while Seirin—except for Kagami—kept their main players on until the final second.
That's why they managed to claw back a few points, but the gap remained impossible to ignore.
...
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