Inside the car, the atmosphere was so heavy it was suffocating.
The city outside the windows stretched into blurred streaks of light, racing backward at breakneck speed.
Ayako clutched her seatbelt so tightly that her knuckles turned white, tears streaming endlessly down her cheeks.
"Juro... Coach... d-do you think he'll..."
Her voice trembled with fear.
Coach Anzai wasn't just their coach.
He was Shohoku's pillar.
The anchor that kept the team steady.
To that group of problem children, he was their father figure.
If that pillar fell...
Then Shohoku's entire sky would collapse with it.
"Enough."
"Stop scaring yourself."
Makino Juro steered with one hand while rapidly shifting gears with the other.
His face remained expressionless.
Only the ruthless determination buried deep within his eyes betrayed his emotions.
"He only collapsed."
"The old man's tougher than he looks."
"But... on the phone just now..."
"What was said on the phone doesn't matter."
Makino Juro cut her off.
His voice was as solid as forged steel.
"I have money."
"A lot of money."
"I'll hire the best doctors in the world."
"I'll buy the most expensive medicine available."
He glanced sideways at Ayako, who was still sobbing.
His tone softened ever so slightly.
Awkwardly, almost like he was comforting a child.
"So wipe your tears."
"You're Shohoku's manager."
"When we get to the hospital, you need to stay calm and handle things."
"Crying like this won't help anyone."
Ayako froze.
She turned to look at Makino Juro.
The man who usually lounged around lazily, constantly making sarcastic remarks...
Now had a profile carved from granite.
His composure...
The kind that remained unmoved even if a mountain collapsed before him...
Somehow made people feel safe.
"...Okay."
Ayako hastily wiped away her tears and took a deep breath.
"I understand."
On the other side of the world...
Orlando, United States.
The blazing sun scorched the earth.
The dry air shimmered with waves of heat.
Inside a world-class rehabilitation center...
Akagi Takenori was drenched in sweat as he pushed through another weightlifting session.
The massive machine groaned under his strength.
"Ninety-eight..."
"Ninety-nine..."
"One hundred!"
Akagi let out a low roar before dropping the weights.
Sweat dripped from his resolute jaw onto the floor.
Thanks to the "power of money" treatment arranged by Juro...
His injured ankle had recovered remarkably well.
"Great job!"
The Black trainer gave him a thumbs-up.
Akagi grabbed a towel and wiped his face before reaching for a bottle of water.
Suddenly...
Thump!
It felt as though an invisible hand had violently squeezed his heart.
A terrifying sense of dread exploded inside him without warning.
His grip loosened.
Crash!
The water bottle shattered on the floor, sending water everywhere.
"Hey! Are you okay?"
The trainer was startled.
Akagi didn't answer.
He pressed a hand against his chest.
Instead of fading...
The unease grew stronger.
Wave after wave crashed over him.
It felt as though something unimaginably important...
Was being forcibly torn away from him.
Instinctively, he looked out the window.
Orlando's sky was an impossibly brilliant blue.
Yet to Akagi...
Everything seemed covered by a layer of lifeless gray.
"...What's happening?"
He muttered to himself.
His brows twisted tightly together.
"I need to make a phone call."
Without even bothering to wipe off the sweat, Akagi turned and sprinted toward the locker room.
His retreating figure looked unusually panicked.
Kanagawa Prefectural Gymnasium.
The battle had entered its final countdown.
The deafening noise had faded away.
Only the pounding of the basketball against the hardwood...
And the ragged breathing of exhausted players echoed through the arena.
The bright red numbers on the scoreboard burned into everyone's eyes.
80:82.
20 seconds remaining.
Kainan possession.
A desperate situation.
A truly hopeless one.
"Defense!!"
"Hold them at all costs!!"
Coach Taoka Moichi had completely lost it.
His tie hung crookedly under one arm, and his voice had long since gone hoarse.
If they could get one stop...
They still had a chance.
But the man holding the ball...
Was Maki Shinichi.
The man once known as...
The Emperor.
"...Huff... Huff..."
Sendoh Akira bent over with his hands on his knees.
Sweat poured down like rain.
His vision had begun to blur.
The backlash from Zone was devouring his body.
Across from him...
Maki still stood like an immovable mountain.
He was breathing heavily too.
Yet those violet eyes remained terrifyingly calm.
"It's over, Sendoh."
Maki dribbled casually.
He wasn't in any hurry to attack.
He was simply draining the clock.
As long as those twenty seconds expired...
Kainan would be the champions.
"You want the ball?"
A cruel smile spread across Maki's lips.
Turning sideways, he planted himself firmly, using his broad back to shield the ball completely.
"Then come take it."
It was an open strategy.
And a blatant humiliation.
Sendoh gritted his teeth and lunged forward.
But Maki's strength was monstrous.
Every collision felt like crashing into a solid wall.
15 seconds...
12 seconds...
Despair spread through the Ryonan players like poisonous weeds.
Just when everyone thought the game would quietly end with Kainan running out the clock...
A seemingly insignificant shadow moved.
Ryonan No. 5.
Ikegami Ryoji.
As a defensive specialist...
He was practically invisible on offense.
Even Kainan barely paid attention to him.
But at this moment...
That invisible man became a ghost on the court.
Keeping close to the baseline...
He silently crept behind Maki.
Maki's entire focus remained fixed on Sendoh.
In his eyes...
Everyone else was background scenery.
But that piece of scenery...
Suddenly revealed its fangs.
The instant Maki switched hands to dribble—planning to stylishly finish off the game.
A hand shot out from beneath his arm like a phantom.
Fast.
Precise.
Merciless.
A perfect sneak attack.
Smack!
A crisp sound echoed.
The basketball, which had seemed glued to Maki's hand...
Was poked free.
"What?!"
Maki's pupils shrank violently.
The composure of a king who controlled everything shattered in an instant.
The entire arena exploded.
"He stole it!!"
"Ikegami stole the ball!!"
"Holy crap! When did he even get over there?!"
The basketball rolled toward midcourt.
Where a blue figure was already sprinting faster than anyone else.
Sendoh Akira!
The instant Ikegami made his move...
Sendoh had already predicted it.
It was the chemistry between teammates.
And the instincts of a genius.
"Nice one, Senpai!"
Scooping up the ball, Sendoh suddenly felt a surge of strength flood his lead-like legs.
Like a final flash before a dying flame burned out.
"Counterattack!!"
Sendoh roared as he charged down the court.
Five seconds!
"You're not getting away!!"
A furious roar erupted behind him.
Maki...
Had completely snapped.
Having his house robbed like that—
It was the greatest humiliation for a king.
He exploded with terrifying speed.
Like an out-of-control heavy truck chasing its prey.
One in front.
One behind.
They crossed half court in the blink of an eye.
Closer!
Four seconds!
Sendoh stepped inside the free-throw line...
And took flight.
His body stretched gracefully through the air.
The ball gripped firmly in one hand.
His final gamble.
At that very moment...
A massive shadow swallowed the light behind him.
Maki had jumped too.
Higher.
Stronger.
His enormous hand completely sealed off every possible dunking angle.
"Get down!!"
Maki roared in midair.
This block...
He was determined to make it.
On the sidelines...
Coach Takato furiously waved his folding fan.
"We've won!"
"Maki's positioning is perfect!"
If this were the usual Sendoh...
The Sendoh who always prioritized the team.
The Sendoh who loved making the extra pass.
Faced with this impossible situation...
He would definitely pass the ball.
On the wing...
Fukuda Kicchou was completely open.
Pass it, Sendoh!!
Fukuda screamed inwardly.
Even Maki thought the same thing.
His blocking hand instinctively shifted an inch toward Fukuda...
Preparing to cut off the passing lane.
Just...
One inch.
But for a genius...
One inch marked the boundary between life and death.
Suspended in midair...
Sendoh caught that tiny adjustment.
The corners of his lips suddenly curled upward into a wild grin.
The usual gentleness disappeared.
What remained...
Was nothing but untamed ferocity.
"Sorry."
"This one..."
"I'm not passing."