With a sharp smack, Nash and everyone on Jabberwock's side turned pale.
What just happened?
Jabberwock couldn't believe it. All they saw was the instant Nash blew past Yuuto—a figure in a white jersey cut in perfectly. Akashi had swiped the ball clean out of Nash's hands.
"This..."
"It's like that combination defense from Kagami and Kuroko!"
Momoi and the others recognized it immediately.
This was Seirin's dual aces' ultimate defense.
During this year's nationals, they'd even used this method to shut down Akashi—an airtight defensive wall.
"Those two... give me a break." Kagami scratched his head.
The reason he and Kuroko could execute such perfect defensive coordination was the chemistry they'd built over time.
But Yuuto and Akashi?
Today was literally the first time they'd been teammates. Before this, they'd always been rivals.
However.
"There's nothing strange about this. Sei-chan possesses the true Emperor Eye."
Mibuchi Reo spoke with pride.
This was the genuine Emperor Eye—not some knockoff version.
"Besides, even though it's their first time working together, those two probably understand each other better than they understand themselves."
Akashi and Yuuto teaming up—the combination was almost too dreamy.
Even if Kagami and Kuroko had pioneered it, the power they could unleash paled in comparison to Yuuto and Akashi.
"Impossible—this guy's eyes!"
What Nash thought about wasn't the teamwork itself, but Akashi's eyes.
He couldn't believe it. One of these monkeys actually possessed eyes similar to his own.
Though it was their first encounter, he immediately sensed something extraordinary.
"And this guy deliberately let me pass, then herded me into that position—closing the distance to that other one."
Nash instantly understood everything, but it was too late.
The moment Akashi struck, Yuuto had already launched into motion, crossing the distance in a single step to secure possession.
The next second.
With a sharp whoosh, he shot forward like a laser beam toward the other end of the court.
"Yu!"
Nash roared, immediately spinning around to give chase.
But.
Yuuto and Akashi's dream combination wasn't finished yet.
On the court.
The two rapidly converged. Facing Nash's defense, Yuuto didn't slow down, charging straight into the Demon King's Eye's domain.
The next instant.
A flick of his wrist sent the ball backward as he continued accelerating toward the paint.
Nash found himself in an impossible dilemma.
Behind him was Yuuto, cutting rapidly toward the basket. Before him stood a player with eyes like his own. He couldn't abandon either.
These two had locked down the spacing perfectly—a chemistry spreading between them.
They didn't need planned plays. Both had basketball IQs through the roof, both could see things at the deepest level.
In Nash's moment of hesitation, Akashi caught the ball and immediately lofted it toward the rim.
"Yuuto's jumped! He caught it—and slams it home!! Boom, Baby!"
The arena DJ was fired up, shouting as loud as possible in case Nash and his crew couldn't hear clearly.
"No verbal communication at all. Just a glance—no, they didn't even need eye contact to know what the other was thinking. High-speed coordination rivaling the Zone's second gate!"
Kagami's emotions were complicated.
The chemistry he'd built with Kuroko, with his Seirin teammates over months of practice—their basketball had been replicated so easily.
"Those two really are..."
Hyūga smiled bitterly, watching Yuuto and Akashi high-five. The scene felt too surreal.
"Now's not the time to relax." Though Kagetora cheered inwardly for their dream combination, their lead wasn't large enough to let up.
On the flip side, Nash made an unexpected decision.
He simply stopped handling the ball, giving it to a teammate. Nick became the relay point, feeding the interior.
He'd chosen to avoid Yuuto and Akashi's super combination defense entirely.
Kise and Aomine gave everything they had, only for both to get posterized by Jason Silver simultaneously.
CRASH—
Jason Silver hung on the rim with both hands, sending Aomine and Kise flying together.
The situation wasn't dire—it matched Kagetora's expectations. The third quarter was about trading buckets with Jabberwock.
Once Murasakibara returned, the advantage would naturally shift to their side.
But Kise wasn't willing to wait.
"Aominecchi—can you leave that guy to me?"
"Hah? What kind of nonsense is that?"
Why would Aomine agree? He turned to look—and found Kise's expression more serious than he'd ever seen. He'd also entered Perfect Copy mode.
"No matter what, I want to destroy them!"
He wanted to vent on behalf of his respected senpai, Kasamatsu Yukio.
"Tch. Fine, I got it!"
"Thanks. I'll treat you to dinner after the game."
As he spoke, golden lightning erupted from the corners of Kise's eyes.
Yuuto and the others turned back simultaneously—an unspoken understanding spreading among them.
Akashi pushed the ball upcourt.
This time, he didn't look for Yuuto. After drawing the defense, he dished to Kise.
"Passing to a monkey like that—what's he thinking?!"
With Murasakibara out, Jason Silver felt zero pressure. Against Kise, he felt like he could crush him with one hand.
The next second, his vision blurred. He actually saw Yuuto's shadow overlaid on Kise.
"Yu?!"
His expression shifted dramatically. Caught off guard, Kise blew right past him.
"The same playing style as Yu? No—it's mimicry. How can someone like this exist?!" Nash identified the difference between Kise and Yuuto.
But to replicate Yuuto to this degree exceeded his expectations.
Kise transformed into a golden streak tearing into the paint. Jason Silver gave chase.
"He can still catch up?!"
...
Hyūga and the others were sweating. Today's opponents were unreasonably strong.
"It's fine. The current Kise-kun can definitely do this!" The moment Momoi finished speaking, Kise's right arm slashed downward, scoring before Jason Silver's block could fully form.
"He's like a completely different person—this is basically another Yu!"
Jabberwock was stunned. They never imagined someone like this existed.
Though it was only mimicry—forget the real Yuuto, replicating even 70-80% was enough to shock them.
On the defensive end, Kise proceeded to reject Jason Silver three times in a row.
"Fast break!!!"
Riko and the others on the sideline shouted.
Jabberwock sprinted back.
"Damn it. This kind of mimicry can't come without a cost. Copying Yu puts enormous strain on his body, and he's also in Zone—that monkey can't keep this up for more than a few minutes. But..."
Nash's mind raced.
Right now, Kise was undeniably powerful—at his absolute peak, even if he could only maintain it briefly.
But letting him rampage freely would stretch the lead. Once this yellow-haired monkey dropped out of that state, the purple-haired monkey would be rested and ready.
"Damn it!"
His eyes went cold as ice.
On the court, Kise tore through like golden lightning. Akashi didn't hesitate, delivering the ball safely—he needed to maximize Kise's explosive window.
Kise didn't disappoint. He blew past two defenders and soared into the paint.
Just as he was about to score, a pale arm shot out, giving Kise no time to react, swatting the ball away.
"Know your place, monkey!"
"Nash!!!"
"Kise in Zone plus Perfect Copy mode—and he still got blocked?!"
Kasamatsu and the others gaped.
This level of strength was off the charts!
"Get back!"
Kagetora bellowed, alerting his players.
No time to think—Kise landed and immediately sprinted back.
He was fast, like a beam of light chasing Nash down.
The result?
In mere moments, Nash slipped past him. Aomine rushed to help, only to follow Kise's fate—frozen by Nash's fakes.
Something had changed!
Nash's movements had visibly transformed. He'd discarded the flashy street ball moves, returning to fundamentals.
He pierced the paint and rose, raising the ball in a scorching attack on the rim.
Almost simultaneously, a blue figure rocketed over.
"Yu!" Sora's eyes lit up.
But.
Yuuto and Nash locked eyes in mid-air. Yuuto's hand swung down—only to hit nothing. Nash dodged and converted the acrobatic layup.
"This is as far as you go, Yu!"
Nash's voice was frigid. He'd gotten completely serious.
...
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