After Seijuro Akashi reached the frontcourt, Taiga Kagami and Daiki Aomine began moving into position.
More precisely, Daiki Aomine was the only one actually moving.
There was no one guarding Taiga Kagami at all.
Zack and Nick were both defending Shintaro Midorima near midcourt!
Seijuro Akashi frowned when he saw this, sensing that something was wrong.
Shintaro Midorima's shots might be extremely difficult to block, but Miyamoto Tokima was on the court.
If Miyamoto Tokima guarded Shintaro Midorima, Midorima would have no chance of scoring.
While Seijuro Akashi was still thinking, Nash Gold suddenly appeared right in front of him.
Startled, Seijuro Akashi quickly moved the ball behind his back to avoid the steal.
Just as he was about to speak, Nash Gold sprinted past him without looking back, as though launching a fast break.
Seijuro Akashi instinctively turned to follow him.
The next second, he saw Shintaro Midorima's eyes widen.
"Watch out!"
Smack!
Seijuro Akashi suddenly felt the ball disappear from his hand.
When he turned back, he saw Zack smiling as he stole the ball away.
Seijuro Akashi had no idea when Zack had gotten there.
After making the steal, Zack immediately launched the ball down the court to Nash Gold, who was already on the fast break.
Nash Gold caught the pass and scored with a simple layup.
Shintaro Midorima walked over to Seijuro Akashi and said helplessly,
"I didn't react in time either. Zack and Nash moved at the exact same moment."
Seijuro Akashi's eyes widened as he immediately understood Nash Gold's plan.
Nash Gold had never intended to steal the ball himself. He had only wanted to draw Seijuro Akashi's full attention.
Once Nash Gold suddenly sprinted away without looking back, Seijuro Akashi's attention would naturally follow him for a moment.
That gave Zack, who had already circled around to Seijuro Akashi's other side, the perfect opportunity to launch a surprise attack and steal the ball.
As for why Shintaro Midorima had not warned him sooner, he simply had not reacted in time either.
The entire sequence had happened far too quickly.
Everything had been executed in one seamless motion.
...
Possession changed hands.
The Dragon Slayer Team had the ball.
The moment Seijuro Akashi received the inbound pass, he sensed something different.
The Black Dragon Team had changed its defensive strategy.
Zack and Nick were no longer double-teaming Shintaro Midorima. Instead, Nash Gold was guarding him alone.
That meant Taiga Kagami was no longer left open.
But could Nash Gold really defend Shintaro Midorima one-on-one?
The thought crossed Seijuro Akashi's mind.
After all, he had defended Shintaro Midorima before. Although it had been the primary personality, he had still been using a partial [Emperor Eye].
If Shintaro Midorima only had an ordinary shot, Nash Gold would indeed be difficult for him to handle.
But Shintaro Midorima now possessed another ability.
He could gather the ball and set his shooting form in midair.
In other words, Shintaro Midorima could jump with the ball at any moment. No matter what movement he began with, he could adjust himself in midair and transition into a shot.
Even the primary personality had failed to find an effective way to deal with that version of Shintaro Midorima.
That alone showed how difficult he was to defend.
With that in mind, Seijuro Akashi signaled to Shintaro Midorima with his eyes.
Shintaro Midorima understood immediately and ran into the frontcourt.
This time, he was heading beyond the three-point line.
Once they reached the frontcourt, Seijuro Akashi immediately passed him the ball.
The moment Shintaro Midorima caught it, Nash Gold closed in. The rings of light belonging to [Belial Eye] spun continuously in his eyes.
Shintaro Midorima remained calm.
He pulled the ball behind his back with his left hand, switched it to his right, and performed a behind-the-back dribble.
The next second, with his right hand still behind his back, Shintaro Midorima gripped the ball tightly and leaped.
Smack!
A sharp slap rang out.
Shintaro Midorima suddenly felt his right hand go empty.
The ball had vanished.
His right hand had been behind his back.
Even under those circumstances, Nash Gold had still managed to knock the ball away.
After making the steal, Nash Gold did not chase after the ball. He simply smiled at the stunned Shintaro Midorima.
"Aren't you being a little too naive?"
Nash Gold pointed at his own eyes and grinned.
"My eyes can see the future!"
On the other side of the court, Daiki Aomine and Taiga Kagami immediately rushed toward the loose ball, hoping to regain possession.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Heavy footsteps suddenly thundered across the court.
Jason Silver charged toward the ball like a bulldozer at full speed and scooped it up in an instant.
Without slowing down, he stormed toward the frontcourt at an astonishing speed.
Daiki Aomine and Taiga Kagami's pupils contracted.
'So fast!'
The two of them immediately sprinted after Jason Silver.
Lightning flashed in Taiga Kagami's eyes as his speed continued to rise, gradually carrying him ahead of Daiki Aomine.
Seeing that, Daiki Aomine grinned.
"You really are a pain."
His speed suddenly surged.
In an instant, Daiki Aomine overtook Taiga Kagami and raced toward Jason Silver.
Crackle!
Taiga Kagami looked ahead and saw Daiki Aomine grinning, blue lightning flashing in his eyes.
Daiki Aomine had entered the Zone!
The two pushed their speed to the limit and quickly reached Jason Silver's sides.
One on the left and the other on the right, they stayed tightly beside him.
Jason Silver glanced from side to side.
"Hah! Another one entered the Zone! Looks like I underestimated you after all!"
"In that case, let me show you what real power is!"
"Raaah!"
The next second, an incredibly savage aura erupted from Jason Silver's body, resembling an ancient, bloodthirsty beast.
Daiki Aomine and Taiga Kagami's eyes widened in shock.
Behind Jason Silver, a terrifying prehistoric creature materialized.
A Tyrannosaurus Rex!
The moment it appeared, the Tyrannosaurus Rex threw back its head and roared.
"ROAR!"
Its voice thundered throughout the court.
...