Crackle~~
A streak of black lightning flashed in Akashi Asuka's eyes.
After entering ZONE, his gaze wasn't sharp, in fact, it seemed almost vacant, as if his entire being had emptied itself.
But only Kagami Taiga, standing as his opponent, understood that even though Akashi wasn't looking at him, the suffocating pressure around him hadn't diminished in the slightest.
Less than ten seconds remained in the third quarter.
Kagami hesitated. Should he continue the attack with the little time left?
If successful, scoring would be ideal, but failure would almost certainly trigger another counterattack from the opponent.
Yet if he did nothing, letting the clock run out, Seirin would enter the fourth quarter trailing by 28 points.
Even though Seirin had once overcome a 26-point deficit against Rakuzan in the third quarter to win in the fourth, Kagami knew he couldn't rely on luck every time.
"You're distracted, Kagami!"
The cold words struck him like a jolt. Before he could react, Akashi moved, snatching the ball straight from Kagami's hands.
"Crap!"
Kagami's heart leapt. Just as the ball threatened to escape his control, instinct, or something deeper, made him stretch out his other hand, catching the ball again as if by divine intervention.
Akashi raised an eyebrow.
"Luck, huh?"
Even Akashi was surprised by Kagami's move.
In ZONE, steals aren't ordinary. He had already calculated several steps ahead, and this ball should have gone straight into his hands.
Normally, no one could intercept it.
But only for an instant.
Seeing Akashi momentarily exposed from his own steal, Kagami's eyes flickered, and he decisively passed the ball.
Thud!
Pop!
The ball bounced forward. Hyuga Junpei was ready to receive it.
But a second before it reached him, a huge hand shot out, snatching the ball.
"Wh…what, "
"Impossible!"
Kagami felt his mind take a direct hit. Akashi, who had just been in front of him, now appeared in front of Hyuga, intercepting the pass.
Hyuga's eyes widened, stunned.
"Hey, hey, hey~~ What the hell? Is there really a use for the 'Demon King's Zone' like this? And isn't this range… a little too much?"
Previously, Akashi's Demon King's Zone extended about 1.5 meters in front of him. After one summer, it had grown to three meters.
In other words, a three-meter radius around him was now untouchable.
Counterattack!
Intercepting Kagami's pass again, Akashi sprinted down the court, stopping sharply at Seirin's three-point line before taking the shot…
"Stop, Akashi!"
An overwhelming presence chased him from behind. Kagami's aura was unprecedentedly threatening. Even before Akashi could release the ball, a black shadow, birdlike, descended from above to cover him.
"So… high!"
"Amazing! What's going on with Seirin's guy? That's insanely high!"
"It's like he's flying."
At the last moment, Kagami displayed an unprecedented vertical leap. Even from behind, Akashi knew that this shot could be blocked.
Yet Akashi remained calm, eyes unusually serene. Even Kagami's explosive jump was part of his calculation.
Watching Kagami soar over him, Akashi didn't even hint at shooting.
Realization dawned on Kagami mid-air.
"A fake! Could this bastard have been waiting for me all along?"
Akashi hadn't been certain Kagami would break out, only cautious. He waited until Kagami reached his peak before springing off the ground.
"Damn it…"
Kagami's face twisted with anger and frustration as he watched Akashi's movement.
But in an instant, he froze, eyes wide in disbelief.
Akashi's pupils were constricted.
Just as he was about to jump, someone appeared, reaching for the ball in his hands.
Undoubtedly, if he took the three-point shot, there was at least a 70% chance it would be stolen.
In 0.05 seconds, Akashi calculated countless possibilities, none were suitable. This was no longer a normal game.
"At the final moment, things get unreasonable!"
Exhaling, Akashi abandoned the forced shot.
The only person in the Tokyo arena who could suddenly appear in front of Akashi without being noticed in ZONE was… Kuroko Tetsuya, the true protagonist.
No one knew how Kuroko got there, or how he could evade detection despite Presence and Misdirection being ineffective.
But none of that mattered now.
Facing Kuroko, one step from intercepting the ball, Akashi smiled.
"A beautiful attack… but you forgot, I'm not part of the 'Generation of Miracles.'"
Kuroko froze, pupils narrowing.
Just before he could touch the ball, Akashi flicked it, passing the crucial ball away.
BOOM!
Tsutomu Iwamura, receiving the pass, slammed it down over Seirin's substitute center, Mitobe.
Beep~~
The electronic whistle signaled the end of the third quarter.
The scoreboard updated: 88–58.
Silence enveloped the stadium.
"…30… points!"
Seeing the 30-point deficit on the screen, Seirin's players went blank. Even Aida Riko stared, stunned, before closing her eyes in despair.
"The gap… really this large?"
Before the game, Seirin knew it would be tough, but after beating Rakuzan, they believed they could contend with Seiho. Reality, however, delivered a harsh lesson.
Ten minutes. To recover a 30-point deficit, even the most spirited Seirin players would struggle.
Akashi's last-minute explosion in the third quarter shattered Seirin's mental defense, and psychological despair began affecting their physical performance.
"…Seirin's finished!"
Seiho coach Harasawa Kazuhiro watched Seirin leave the court.
"Yes! A 30-point gap is already crushing. And with that guy as their opponent, he won't give them a single chance in the final quarter," Kazunari agreed.
Harasawa continued, "But it's not just the point gap. Seirin faces an even deadlier problem, stamina."
"Stamina?"
"Seirin used up a lot of energy in the previous game against Rakuzan. Even with a night to recover, they can't replenish it fully. In today's first three quarters, they seemed motivated, but their bodies are already overextended."
"Meanwhile, Seiho conserved energy from the start of the Winter Cup, even against strong teams like Shutoku and Kaijo."
"Combine that with Seiho's overall better stamina…"
"…and Seirin may collapse before the final quarter even begins."
Harasawa couldn't help admiring Seiho's tactical planning. Their energy strategy was flawless, Seirin had already fallen behind before the fourth quarter even started.
·····
The fourth quarter began.
As Harasawa predicted, Seirin's mental blow from Akashi in the third triggered a chain reaction, and their previously spent energy backfired.
Even if their will remained, their bodies couldn't keep up. Seirin was immediately suppressed by Seiho.
"Is there… nothing we can do?"
On the sidelines, Aida Riko panicked. Despite her usual composure, she was still a second-year high school girl.
Facing Seiho's overwhelming pressure, she couldn't hold back tears.
Then, a strong hand landed on her shoulder.
"Don't be sad, Riko. The game isn't over yet. Enjoy it to the last moment!"
Turning, she saw Kiyoshi Teppei smiling warmly.
"Teppei, are you okay?"
Some people, even in despair, can bring reassurance. Teppei was one of them.
"Not exactly okay, but my teammates fought this far. At least I can fight alongside them until the last second!"
·····
Beep~~~
"Substitution! Seirin!"
Teppei's return drew attention immediately.
"Back already?" Iwamura squinted at him, greeting the team.
"It suits him perfectly. Among the 'Uncrowned Kings,' he's called 'Iron Heart,' after all," Kasuga added.
Seiho's team was relaxed, they had extended the lead to 95–62.
33 points. Less than nine minutes left. Even Akashi couldn't see a way for Seirin to catch up.
Teppei's return, however, boosted morale. One person back on the court reignited their fighting spirit.
Akashi smirked: "Even for a team that never gives up, this might be overdoing it!"
·····
"Ooooh~~ Seirin, go for it!"
"They haven't given up even now! What a strong team. Don't give up, Seirin!"