Purple lightning blazed.
This didn't just mean Murasakibara had unlocked his body's potential—he'd also found himself.
"No way."
Hayakawa couldn't believe it. Beside him, Kasamatsu asked:
"Didn't you say the requirement for entering the Zone is absolute love for basketball? What's happening now?"
What's happening?
What else could it be?
Kise was genuinely happy for his old teammate.
"It means exactly what you'd think it means."
On the court—
Yuuto's body was already airborne, single-handedly gripping the ball, gliding toward the rim.
Just as the ball was about to drop through the net, a dark shadow rapidly enveloped him, swatting his dunk against the backboard at the last possible moment.
Crackle!
The purple lightning was deep and mesmerizing.
"Zone!"
Seirin was half a beat slow, but they'd caught on to the anomaly.
"The prerequisite for entering the Zone is absolute love for basketball."
"In other words, no matter what his mouth says, deep in his heart, Murasakibara has always held the greatest love for the game."
This was Kuroko's biggest discovery of the match so far.
The teammate who'd always slacked in practice, who'd said cruel things to others for lacking talent—he actually had a side like this.
It seemed... he'd never truly understood his old teammates.
Wham!
A thunderous block on Yuuto.
Murasakibara's palm scraped the backboard as he landed. He straightened his back and looked down at Yuuto.
His fighting spirit had practically materialized. Everyone stared, jaws dropped—including Araki.
This was a development even she hadn't foreseen. That Murasakibara—who'd complain about sweating too much during practice and whine about wanting snacks—actually had a side like this.
Right now, he looked so... so determined!
"Don't look at me like that. I told you—I hate losing more than anything."
Murasakibara tried hard to deny it, though even he didn't know what exactly he was denying.
"You don't need to tell me that."
The ball had gone out of bounds—still Seihō's possession.
Iwamura inbounded to Yuuto.
At the top of the arc, he stared directly at Murasakibara before him.
He could clearly feel it—even standing at the three-point arc wasn't safe anymore.
After entering the Zone, Murasakibara's already massive defensive coverage had expanded further.
That extreme focus accelerated everything—even the three-point territory was within his reach.
"This pressure... it's insane." Kasuga and the others looked even more strained, sweat beading on their foreheads.
Just standing there.
Just standing there, and he was like a mountain blocking every path.
Whooo...
Yuuto exhaled, then stepped inside Murasakibara's territory.
"Strange."
"What's strange?"
"Yuuto hasn't entered Demon Mode."
Koganei pointed it out, and Seirin realized—
Yuuto's hair was still black. It hadn't turned snow-white.
"Is he planning something?"
"Maybe it's not a plan—maybe he just wants to test where his limits really are!"
No direct evidence, but Izuki had this feeling.
"Something he didn't do at the Inter-High—is he going to try again?" Kise remembered too.
In their match against Seihō, Yuuto had fought him in his normal state.
That time—
Kise had held the advantage, though Yuuto hadn't completed his challenge.
This time?
Would it be different?
It had to be different.
Yuuto had already experienced Nash's strength firsthand, finally understanding what world-class talent looked like.
Now—
It was time to test whether he could reach that level.
Hummmm!
Dazzling golden light blazed from his body—ancient, savage energy crashing against Murasakibara's limits.
Murasakibara immediately moved to intercept.
With the door to his potential thrown open, his physical gifts were finally fully unleashed.
The strength his subconscious had been suppressing was now completely released.
Bam!
They collided briefly, and Yuuto was knocked back.
He couldn't budge him!
Even the Star Bible enhancement couldn't change this outcome.
"Good. That's how it should be."
Yuuto's expression finally changed—not anger, but a smile. He even delivered a line worthy of Aomine.
He accelerated, attacking Murasakibara's Absolute Defense.
Everyone held their breath, watching intently, afraid to miss a single detail.
Yuuto used the Demon Eyes to observe, his lightning-fast mental attributes to calculate.
A behind-the-back crossover fake, executed halfway before skipping a large motion entirely, transforming into a beam of light attacking Murasakibara's right side.
Murasakibara reacted. His extreme concentration accelerated his brain processing speed, his commands reaching his body at peak efficiency.
It was almost comical—an interior player built like Tokyo Tower, moving like a cheetah.
"This is insane. This kind of athleticism has no business being in that body." Aomine's scalp tingled.
Can you imagine?
Shaq playing with Kobe's style. But even more terrifying was Yuuto.
Even facing this version of Murasakibara, he didn't look outmatched—holding his own against him in normal form.
Yuuto looked like a golden figure now, electrical arcs dancing around him, the fingers on his dribbling hand flickering with golden light.
"Move!" Yuuto growled, driving forward. His movements were true and false, possessing an almost hypnotic allure.
Even now, Murasakibara had no absolute confidence against Yuuto.
Tap, tap!
Yuuto flashed past Murasakibara's side and immediately rose. Murasakibara spun and launched with him.
They battled from the floor all the way into the air.
Swish!
The ball went in. Then—
CRASH!
Murasakibara's huge hand followed, slamming hard into the backboard.
If Yuuto's release had been even slightly slower, that shot would've been either pinned to the glass or swatted into the stands.
But he'd put it in. Through the hoop.
"How is this possible?! That was the Zone!"
Many found it inconceivable.
The myth of the Zone's invincibility had been shattered. A player had beaten it head-on in normal form.
Unlike that Kaijō match against Kise—this time, Yuuto had broken through Murasakibara's defense directly!
"True world-class. American elite level." Alexandra felt chills down her spine.
This wasn't simply being able to compete with those prodigies overseas—Yuuto's talent and ability had already reached the absolute pinnacle.
"I can do it, but I can do better." Yuuto clenched his fist, eyes locked on Murasakibara. "Bring it on, Murasakibara!"
...
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