Meanwhile, Nash Gold and Zack helped Jason Silver back to his feet.
Once he was standing, Jason Silver wore a strange expression.
"Hey." Jason Silver turned to Nash Gold. "Do you think... he can really [copy] Tokima-san completely?"
"No." Nash Gold shook his head, his voice grave. "Copying Tokima-san in his normal state is already his limit. And I doubt he can keep it up for very long."
"Yeah." Zack nodded in agreement. "I don't believe anyone could [copy] Tokima-san for long, even in his normal state!"
"Forget that for now," Nash Gold said seriously. "Stay sharp. Because what we're about to face... is 'Miyamoto Tokima.'"
The moment those words left his mouth, Jason Silver and Zack turned completely serious.
Against anyone else, they could still afford to joke around.
But against Miyamoto Tokima, they wouldn't dare let their guard down.
Even if this Miyamoto Tokima was a fake, they still wouldn't risk being careless.
After all, this was Miyamoto Tokima they were talking about!
...
Possession changed.
The Black Dragon Team had the ball.
Nash Gold cautiously brought the ball into the frontcourt, his gaze drifting toward Ryota Kise from time to time.
Just as he was about to look into the future, he suddenly realized...
He...
couldn't see the future anymore...
A trace of panic flashed through Nash Gold's eyes. His first reaction was to look at Seijuro Akashi in front of him, suspecting that Akashi was responsible.
But although rings of light were glowing in Seijuro Akashi's eyes, Nash Gold was certain.
It definitely wasn't Seijuro Akashi!
He whipped his head around toward Ryota Kise.
Ripples were shimmering through Ryota Kise's eyes.
They continued to shift and flow, as though something were taking place within them.
Nash Gold understood at once.
His view of the future had been cut off by Ryota Kise!
"You've got to be kidding me!" Nash Gold's expression twisted, a hint of madness entering his voice. "How is that even possible?!"
"Did he really [copy] Miyamoto Tokima completely?!"
Nash Gold was beginning to lose his composure.
He had assumed that even if Ryota Kise could [copy] Miyamoto Tokima, there was no way he could reproduce everything perfectly.
At the very least, the [Eye of Truth] shouldn't have been something he could [copy].
After all, how could an ordinary person gain eyes capable of seeing through everything just by [copying] someone?
Even when ripples had burst out during Ryota Kise's previous possession, Nash Gold had only assumed that Kise had gained the ability to observe people.
Not the ability to see the future!
But now, he could no longer make sense of what was happening.
The [Eye of Truth] Ryota Kise had [copied] could actually see the future!
"You lost focus."
"What?!"
Nash Gold jolted in shock, only then realizing that the ball had been stolen.
Seijuro Akashi had taken advantage of the instant Nash Gold became distracted and stripped the ball from him.
Nash Gold immediately spun around and gave chase.
Seijuro Akashi remained calm as the rings in his eyes began spinning rapidly.
It seemed...
he could see the future again...
Because of Ryota Kise, Nash Gold could no longer interfere with Seijuro Akashi's [Emperor Eye].
Which meant...
The [Emperor Eye]...
had been freed!
Thud, thud, thud...
Nash Gold quickly caught up with Seijuro Akashi and shouted, "Not a chance!"
Seijuro Akashi's expression didn't change. Without even shifting his gaze, he passed the ball away.
The next instant...
Whoosh! Whoosh!!!
Wave after wave of ripples swept across the entire court.
Nash Gold turned his head in shock and saw Ryota Kise burst in from the side, catching Seijuro Akashi's pass.
At that moment, Nash Gold understood.
He stared at Seijuro Akashi and exclaimed, "You saw the future?!"
"Yeah." A faint smile appeared on Seijuro Akashi's face. "Thanks to Ryota."
"Damn it!"
Nash Gold cursed and immediately turned to chase Ryota Kise.
Lightning flashed in Ryota Kise's eyes as he charged straight toward the frontcourt.
Nash Gold stayed right on his heels, only to realize that he simply couldn't catch him!
"Damn it!" Nash Gold roared. "You're just an imposter! Don't get so arrogant!"
"Screech!"
A piercing cry exploded across the court like the toll of a massive bell, brimming with raw power!
At the same time, a fierce, razor-sharp presence swept across the court, stirring up powerful gusts of wind.
A colossal creature suddenly appeared behind Nash Gold.
A pterosaur!
The instant the pterosaur appeared, Nash Gold's speed increased dramatically.
The gap between him and Ryota Kise rapidly began to shrink.
Ryota Kise noticed Nash Gold closing in and immediately activated the [Eye of Truth].
Layers of ripples once again spread out from beneath Ryota Kise's feet and swept across the entire court.
With the [Eye of Truth], Ryota Kise didn't even need to look back to know exactly where Nash Gold was.
Right now, Ryota Kise wasn't interested in safely taking two points.
He wanted to close the score gap!
Suddenly, Ryota Kise stopped just outside the three-point line, gathered the ball, and jumped. His release was unbelievably fast.
It was unmistakably Miyamoto Tokima's shooting form!
Nash Gold stared in shock.
He hadn't even caught up to Ryota Kise before Kise had already released the ball.
Swish!!!
It went in!
"Fuck," Zack blurted out. "How the hell is this any different from actually facing Tokima-san?"
Nick said nothing.
There was nothing he could say to refute it.
At that moment, Ryota Kise was practically Miyamoto Tokima in his normal state.
His strength and speed were only slightly inferior.
But he had the [Eye of Truth]!
And Miyamoto Tokima's super-fast shot!
That alone made him incredibly difficult to deal with.
After all, the person Ryota Kise was [copying] was Miyamoto Tokima!
...
Possession changed.
The Black Dragon Team had the ball.
Nash Gold brought the ball into the frontcourt, his expression now completely serious.
After all, no one dared to underestimate "Miyamoto Tokima."
For now, the only thing they could do was wear down Ryota Kise's stamina.
Miyamoto Tokima wasn't someone who could be [copied] so easily.
The stamina required had to be enormous!
...
...
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