The groan of the hoop echoed through the silent arena.
Kagami and Kogishi, sprawled on the floor, shared the same look of stunned disbelief in their eyes.
"This guy…"
CRACKLE~~
Murasakibara Atsushi landed from the air, his calm eyes flashing with two streaks of purple electricity.
·····
"It went in!"
In the stands, Akashi and Aomine were the first to notice the change in Murasakibara, as they were the ones most familiar with the [Zone] among the players present.
"Huh? What went in?" Momoi Mutsuki asked curiously.
"That guy Murasakibara… Seirin's in trouble now. Only the [Zone] can counter the [Zone]. If both enter it at the same time, Kagami might not be a match for him," someone explained.
·····
"I swear, you monsters really never fail to surprise me!"
Hyuga Junpei muttered bitterly.
Even before the match, Hyuga and others had predicted that Murasakibara might enter the [Zone]. After all, aside from Kise Ryouta, everyone else in the Generation of Miracles had records of doing so.
So it wasn't shocking that Murasakibara could enter the [Zone].
But this… there's no way anyone could have expected it to unfold exactly like this.
Less than two minutes remained in the game, and the point gap between Yosen and Seirin had shrunk back to six.
74:68.
This was far from good news for Seirin.
Previously, with Kagami in the [Zone], Seirin could chase points effectively. But now, with the [Zone] advantage neutralized, they might not stand a chance against Yosen.
Even more critical, the duration each player can maintain the [Zone] is limited, and Kagami had entered it far earlier than Murasakibara.
In other words, Kagami's time was probably running out.
"This is bad! So we not only need to dominate offensively but also hold off Murasakara and Himuro's joint attack to have a chance at winning? Honestly… I don't see any hope."
Hyuga dribbled to the three-point line, but before he could shoot, his movements froze.
Ahead of him, Murasakibara's massive frame loomed like a mountain. He hadn't moved, yet Hyuga felt an icy dread rising in his chest.
"I can't attack."
"Nor can I break through."
For no reason, these thoughts suddenly filled Hyuga's mind.
He froze in place with the ball, unsure of what to do next.
Just as Hyuga was about to commit a traveling violation, a figure appeared beside him:
"Hyuga-senpai, over here…"
At a moment like this, the only player who could find a gap and evade Yosen's tight defense was one person.
The Phantom Sixth Man, Kuroko Tetsuya.
To Hyuga, Kuroko's voice was like a candle in the darkness. His brain hadn't even processed the thought yet, but his hands moved instinctively to pass the ball.
Perhaps it was the impending 24-second violation. Perhaps it was simply Kuroko's style.
Without hesitation, Kuroko lightly tapped the ball, sending it over Murasakibara's head.
At the same time, Kagami, sensing something like a switch being triggered, jumped instinctively for a dunk.
BOOM!
The ball slammed through the hoop.
74:70.
The arena fell into stunned silence.
Spectators widened their eyes. Even the Generation-of-Miracles crowd on the sidelines looked on in bewildered awe.
"What… just happened?"
On the surface, it looked like a simple, clever play between Hyuga, Kuroko, and Kagami. But those watching closely sensed something more.
It wasn't just coordination, it was something exceptional.
Though none could pinpoint exactly what had changed, Akashi's sharp eyes caught a glimpse:
"Have they even found the key to the second door? Their evolution speed is astonishing!"
·····
Yosen launched a counterattack.
With the [Zone] activated, Murasakibara's strength, speed, and reactions had surged, making him capable of easily breaching Seirin's defense alone.
Even against Kagami, Murasakibara could back him down and drive into the basket.
"This isn't good… I can't stop him by myself, and his post moves are far sharper than the footage I've seen," Kagami's expression darkened.
This wasn't Kagami's fault. Until this tournament, Murasakibara had never left Yosen's three-point line. The only footage Seirin had was from a previous Seirin-Yosen match, where Murasakibara's post moves were still raw.
During that summer, to redeem himself against Akashi, Murasakibara had rigorously trained his post moves.
Now, Kagami alone couldn't contain him in the paint.
But one player failing doesn't mean two can't…
SLAP!
Without warning, Kuroko appeared beside Murasakibara and stole the ball.
Meanwhile, Hyuga had begun sprinting toward the Yosen side.
Itsuki Teppei grabbed the ball and threw it nearly half-court. Hyuga ran solo to the three-point line and took the shot.
SWISH!
Three points.
74:73.
"Damn… this is beyond fair play!"
At such a crucial moment, Murasakibara in the [Zone] had completely ignored Kuroko's presence. No one would believe it was simple carelessness.
Did someone crank the protagonist aura way too high?
The last 20 seconds remained.
For Seirin to win, they had to not only defend Yosen's offense but also execute a counterattack.
Yosen, on the other hand, only needed to run out the clock to secure victory.
The difficulty levels couldn't be more different.
Yet Yosen didn't like winning this way. They didn't play a passive game, they launched one last aggressive offensive push against Seirin.
And then… there was no "then."
BEEP~~~
As the final buzzer rang, the scoreboard froze at 74:75.
In the last second, Seirin executed a miraculous buzzer-beater, thanks to the perfect coordination of Kagami and Kuroko, snatching victory from Yosen.