"He might have known the true secret of the Zone long ago."
Akashi speculated.
Yuuto may have learned about the Zone earlier than any of them.
Perhaps as far back as middle school, he had already sunk to the "bottom of the lake" and discovered its true nature.
And then—
Having learned the truth, Yuuto chose a different path.
Rather than forging unbreakable bonds with anyone, he chose to make himself strong enough to shatter the Zone itself.
Instead of trusting others, he focused solely on his own strength.
Unleashing both Angel Mode and Demon Mode simultaneously, channeling their power into a single manifestation.
This was perhaps the brilliant insight of a true genius.
Akashi sensed trouble ahead. At this rate, Rakuzan's prospects in the Winter Cup finals wouldn't be favorable.
Yuuto could score again. For Seirin, who desperately needed to close the gap, this was devastating.
But—
"Don't give up! There's still a chance!"
Kagami refused to surrender, leading the charge toward Seihō's side of the court.
As he ran, the court beneath his feet transformed completely.
The entire floor became a grid of uniform squares, every distance and angle crystal clear.
The spectators outside vanished, replaced by vivid colors as if they were floating through the cosmos, meteors streaking past.
This was the world as Kagami and his teammates now saw it.
Seirin's offense spread across the court, their passing speed like electrical current—so fast it seemed dreamlike.
Thump!
Mid-dribble, Kagami whipped the ball down hard, sending it bouncing toward Kuroko.
Distance, angle—everything perfectly calculated.
Kasuga Ryuhei rushed forward. Having broken through the 80% barrier, he could participate in the plays now.
But Kuroko moved faster, snatching the ball before Kasuga could reach it, instantly redirecting it with a palm strike.
Slap!
The ball had barely bounced when his hand sent it flying toward Kagami.
Kagami passed to Kiyoshi Teppei, who lobbed it high into the air. Ōmuro Yoshiichi started to move, but Izuki Shun cut off his path without the ball.
Tsugawa Tomoki was similarly blocked by Hyūga Junpei, screens creating an open lane.
All of this happened within five seconds.
Kagami leaped high, showcasing his incredible vertical, catching the ball in mid-air and driving it downward.
However—
Slap!
Yuuto appeared as if he had eaten some kind of teleportation fruit, his figure seemingly phasing through the court to materialize in mid-air.
His arm swung down, five fingers pressing against the face of the ball.
The aura emanating from him was chilling—Demon and Angel coexisting, battling each other, yet all the explosive power they generated was being harnessed by Yuuto.
"Yuuto!"
Kagami had anticipated this. He roared and pushed harder, forcing the ball down.
"AHHH!" He bellowed, giving everything he had, only to find he couldn't budge it an inch. The tremendous force transmitted through the ball made cold sweat trickle down his forehead.
The Star Bible's specialization completed almost instantaneously.
BOOM!
With a thunderous sound, the basketball was violently swatted away.
White light flowed across Yuuto's body like flames. He landed and crossed several meters in a single stride.
Hyūga Junpei dove for the ball, but his vision blurred, and when he looked up, Yuuto had already arrived, stealing the ball first and tearing through the air as he blazed past.
Stop him! Kagami's mind screamed.
Wildness, Zone—everything erupted at once, pushing his state to the absolute maximum.
"You don't understand, Kagami."
"The so-called 1%—this is what it means."
Yuuto was forced to stop. Without activating Concentrated Burst, his current state was already at the 100% limit.
Even with the additional boost from Angel Mode, the improvement was marginal—barely different from 2%.
The problem was—
Kagami had rushed ahead too fast. His teammates couldn't keep up; they were all behind him.
A one-on-one in the frontcourt!
Yuuto was absolutely confident. Without even using Concentrated Burst, he dribbled the ball with all ten fingers, like playing a piano.
Without realizing it, Kagami became "entranced," his body mechanically following the rhythm.
Then—
Thud.
He fell straight onto his rear, eyes flickering with disbelief, staring blankly as Yuuto walked past him toward the basket.
It was terrifying. That posture, as if looking down on everyone—he truly was becoming invincible.
...
Seirin was suppressed once again. Even the true Zone couldn't compete. The arena fell silent, not a sound except for the cheers and celebration from the northern stands.
Compared to the earlier commotion, this silence was like being in a different venue entirely.
At this point, Seirin wouldn't stop no matter what.
They launched another full-court offensive, unwilling to end like this.
Yet the aura of Angel and Demon burst forth from Yuuto once more, intertwined, making hearts tremble.
...
Seirin successfully worked the ball into the paint, getting it to Kagami, but Yuuto cut off his path, always staying just one step away.
That single step—Kagami couldn't cross it no matter what.
His Meteor Jam launched from the free-throw line, wings seeming to sprout from his back, propelling him skyward at incredible speed.
He jumped fast enough. He should have made it.
But the next second, a massive hand appeared before him like a mountain, impossible to climb over.
Slap!
Block after block, like punches to the heart, driving Seirin into despair.
Whoosh!
Yuuto landed, then exploded forward.
Once again, he left all of Seirin behind. Only Kagami stubbornly gave chase.
But right now, he had no teammates by his side. Even having opened the second gate was no different from not having opened it at all.
...
His state had reached the 100% limit. He couldn't improve further.
Yuuto seemed to split into two, attacking from both sides of Kagami simultaneously.
Thump, thump, thump!
Convincing feints combined with the sharpest basketball moves—even the best defenders would be fooled.
Swish!
Kagami's chase-down block caught nothing but air. His body wobbled as he landed.
His stamina was nearly exhausted. He had maintained the Zone for an entire quarter, plus that initial burst—he had been in this state for over ten minutes.
"In the end, it's only 1%. I overthought it. You've already performed better than I expected."
Yuuto landed gracefully, standing before Kagami, looking down at the kneeling Kagami Taiga.
"There are no more miracles!"
"The third quarter ends! Seihō leads by 34 points!"
"No team can overturn such a deficit against the Lion King!"
"Moreover, Seirin only has ten minutes left!"
"I truly recommend that the people from Tokyo take their break and think about how to pleasantly spend their final moments in the Winter Cup."
"No wait—they still have one more game to play. If they're smart, they should give up immediately and compete with Kaijō for third place!"
The Okukozome commentator remained firmly on Yuuto's side, as always.
The Winter Cup did have a third-place match.
This game would take place a week later, as the warm-up for the finals.
Kaijō had already secured their spot. Seirin would soon follow.
...
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