Heh~~
Akashi Asuka laughed.
Seeing Kuroko Tetsuya appear behind him, moving to defend, he didn't even know why he was laughing.
Maybe it was anger.
Maybe it was amusement.
Maybe he had already guessed some of the thoughts running through the other's mind.
But one thing was certain: he was indeed angry.
Akashi reached for the ball and spoke: "I don't know what you're planning, nor do I care. But since you dare to defend me, I assume you're prepared mentally."
No sooner had he spoken, Akashi spun suddenly and leaped, heading straight toward Kuroko for a dunk.
"Danger! Kuroko, watch out!"
The Seirin players' faces changed drastically. Seeing Akashi barreling toward them, Kuroko momentarily went blank. At the critical moment, Kagami Taiga rushed in just in time…
Thud!
BOOM!
The harsh collision echoed painfully as Kagami and Kuroko were thrown backward.
Then the hoop roared as Akashi slammed the ball through with unstoppable force.
Beep~~~
The whistle blew sharply.
Tsutomu Iwamura and Kasuga Ryuhei's faces turned pale.
"Crap!"
Exchanging glances, they both sensed that Akashi had been set up by the opponent.
The entire stadium fell silent after the referee's whistle, every eye fixated on the official.
Under this scrutiny, the referee slowly raised a hand and made a gesture.
"White #11, basket counts."
"Black team defense foul. One free throw awarded."
The declaration stunned everyone. In a mere moment, Seirin's entire team's expressions changed from hope to disbelief.
"What? How is this possible?"
Hyuga and the others' eyes widened. Even Kagami and Kuroko, still recovering on the ground, looked at the referee in shock.
They hadn't expected it.
Why, despite being the ones injured, would the call favor Akashi?
Akashi helped Kagami and Kuroko up, his gaze icy and terrifying. He murmured, "You really underestimated me, Kuroko Tetsuya… You don't think you can stop my shot by yourself, do you? Don't forget, I'm not your 'Generation of Miracles' teammate. For me, winning the game matters more than your safety."
"You bastard! What are you saying?!"
Kuroko's puppy-like eyes flickered, surprised at the turn of events. Before he could react, Kagami erupted first.
"You hit someone! You can't even say sorry?!"
Akashi sneered. "Heh~~ Kagami, you're so naive! If you want to exploit the rules, you must accept the consequences. I shouldn't have to teach you that basic truth."
·····
"Hey, isn't the referee favoring Seiho a bit too much today?"
Akashi's quarrel with Kagami and Kuroko was quiet, unnoticed by the audience. Meanwhile, Takao and Naruse were focused on the referee's earlier call.
"No, the call was fair," said Shutoku captain Otsubo Taisuke. "Takao, your perspective is too narrow. The first one trying to exploit the rules to draw a foul was Kuroko from Seirin."
"Huh?"
Takao froze, then looked at Midorima Shintarou for confirmation.
Midorima slowly nodded. "Correct."
Takao was dumbfounded. "No way! I always thought he was honest… didn't expect him to be so cunning!"
Otsubo snorted coldly. "Of course. To hold the position of 'Phantom Sixth Man,' one can't be simply inconspicuous. If I recall, in the previous game against Yosen, Seirin's #11 used this same tactic to defend against Murasakibara, successfully drawing a foul and limiting the opponent for a while."
"So Murasakibara and Akashi… the latter is smarter, huh?"
"No. Not smarter, just more ruthless."
Otsubo's expression was cold. "Murasakibara and Kuroko were teammates in junior high, so even as opponents, they would hesitate. But Seiho's player doesn't care. If Kagami hadn't blocked just now, Akashi might have drawn a foul, and Kuroko likely would have been injured and forced out."
"Trading a foul to remove a core player? That's a bargain."
Gulp~~
Takao swallowed nervously. As a freshman, the harshness of competitive sports hit him hard.
"This… isn't it too much? It's just a game, we shouldn't be hurting anyone!"
Otsubo gave him a glance. "You don't understand, Takao. This began with Kuroko. If you try to exploit the rules to create a foul, you must accept the risk. Akashi's actions may seem cold, but they're fully legal and justified."
Akashi's moves were all legitimate, yet some couldn't accept them. To the Generation of Miracles, his actions appeared ruthless.
Akashi wanted to harm Kuroko, that fact alone ensured their distrust.
On the court, Akashi didn't care about their opinions. Even if he knew, he likely wouldn't, after all, hostility from defeated opponents is nothing but the rage of losers.
·····
The free throw swished cleanly.
The score gap, which had been narrowing toward 20 points, immediately widened again after Kuroko's failed scheme.
80–58.
Less than a minute remained in the third quarter.
Although the time was short, Aida Riko called a timeout to check on Kagami and Kuroko.
After the timeout, Seiho had expected Seirin to falter, but not only did they not, their momentum seemed even stronger.
"Interesting. No wonder Akashi says you're a remarkable team!"
"Fueled by teammates' anger, it's like a Super Saiyan!"
Iwamura and Kasuga's eyes narrowed.
Anger rarely makes people stronger, it usually makes them lose control. Rarely, some may have a brief surge, but never an entire team like Seirin, rallying from nearly losing a few key players.
Indeed, Seirin's current state could be called a miracle.
"This opponent… has too many surprises," Kasuga muttered, scratching his head.
Seirin had grown to elite-level strength after consecutive awakenings; even Seiho felt it would be difficult to deal with them.
Suddenly, a large hand rested on Kasuga's shoulder. Akashi's voice followed: "Kasuga-senpai, Captain Iwamura, leave the next play to me!"
They were taken aback, but soon realized his intent.
Akashi stretched his shoulders, eyes cold. "Ah! I'm tired of this waiting game. One minute left in the third quarter, I'll just get my body moving early!"
·····
Fueled by anger, Seirin returned to the court, determined to teach Akashi a lesson.
Shun Izuki dribbled toward midcourt, thinking of the angle of attack when suddenly a huge shadow flashed before his eyes.
Before he could react, the ball disappeared from his hands.
Swish!
A faint sound of the ball brushing the net came from behind.
Then the referee's whistle pierced the air.
Beep~~~
Seirin's players turned rigid, seeing a ball drop through the hoop and bounce off the floor.
Outside the three-point line, Akashi calmly turned, two streaks of dark light flashing from his pupils…
"ZONE!"
Kagami gasped.
No doubt about it.
Such speed and aura could only come from ZONE.
"Entering ZONE at this moment…"
Hyuga felt the terrifying aura radiating from Akashi, stronger than Akashi Seijuro in the previous match. His face darkened.
He had planned to counterattack while Seirin's momentum surged, but before they could act, the opponent struck first.
Since entering high school, Hyuga had never faced a team so completely suppressing Seirin, there was no hope for a counter.
"This guy… he's like our nemesis."
Even Hyuga didn't know how close to the truth his offhand remark was. Akashi might genuinely be Seirin's nemesis, he was the only one unaffected by the protagonist's "intelligence-lowering aura."
From the start of the third quarter, Kagami's "explosion" and Kuroko's "schemes" would have been ineffective against this. Any other team would likely collapse under pressure, causing a chain reaction.
Don't underestimate it. Many teams in the original series fell into chaos from one or two broken techniques.
83–58.
Akashi in ZONE unleashed full power. His presence was even more terrifying than Akashi Seijuro. Even without direct confrontation, Izuki, Mitobe, and Hyuga felt the icy chill from his aura.
Kagami dribbled against Akashi, but under his oppressive presence, even passing felt risky.
"This guy… his aura… he's a total monster!"
Cold sweat ran down Kagami's forehead. He had never felt such dominance, like being in complete darkness, seeing no light.
About to commit a dribbling violation, Kagami caught sight of Kuroko, invigorating him.
Buzz~
Kuroko activated Misdirection, flicking past Kagami.
Seizing the chance, Kagami drove, but as he stepped forward, the ball vanished.
Looking up, he saw Akashi dribbling toward Seirin's side.
The team was stunned.
"How… Kuroko's Misdirection didn't work?"
After a brief shock, Kagami chased Akashi. But in ZONE, Akashi's speed was terrifying.
Kagami was still seven or eight meters away, while Akashi had already shot the ball.
Swish!
Another three-pointer.
Score: 86–58.
Seirin fell silent.
Their soaring momentum collapsed, and despair began spreading through the team…
=============
Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria