Nash Gold dribbled the ball, focusing all his attention on Seijuro Akashi in front of him.
Then he suddenly made his move, bursting past Seijuro Akashi from one side at incredible speed.
This time, he was no longer holding anything back. With his Animal Instinct unleashed, his speed had risen to another level.
In the blink of an eye, he was already past Seijuro Akashi.
'What?!' Seijuro Akashi was startled. 'He can still go this fast?'
After breaking past Seijuro Akashi, Nash Gold suddenly felt his heart tighten.
There was no need to think about who was responsible. Right now, the only one who could give him that feeling was [Miyamoto Tokima], or rather, Ryota Kise.
Without the slightest hesitation, Nash Gold immediately used a No Motion Pass.
A burst of white light flashed from his hand, and the basketball vanished from his grasp.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!!
Suddenly, layers of ripples spread across the court, as though seeing through everyone at once!
The next instant...
Smack!!!
The crisp sound of a steal rang out beside Nash Gold.
Off the court, Kazunari Takao shouted excitedly, "He got it!"
Excitement also appeared on Tetsuya Kuroko's face.
Taiga Kagami, who had been watching the action closely, unconsciously clenched his fists.
'Hang in there, everyone...'
On the court, Nash Gold whipped his head around in disbelief.
"How?!"
He saw Seijuro Akashi take possession of the ball and immediately race toward the frontcourt.
'Fuck!' Nash Gold instantly understood. 'You're using the [Eye of Truth] to stop me from seeing the future, then using your own eyes to see the future and predict the path of my pass?!'
'You've got to be kidding me!!!'
Nash Gold completely lost his composure.
Even if Ryota Kise possessed the [Eye of Truth], Nash Gold should still have been able to break through with his No Motion Pass.
But that second pair of eyes had ruined everything!
Two pairs of eyes!
One pair to shut him down!
The other to break through his moves!
How the hell was that fair?!
Nash Gold was genuinely furious. He charged after Seijuro Akashi.
"You've gone too far!" Nash Gold roared.
The next moment, the pterosaur behind him vanished.
In its place, violent lightning erupted from his eyes!
Crack!!!
A wild, domineering presence swept across the entire court, making everyone's heart tremble.
Nash Gold's speed instantly surged to its absolute limit!
Off the court, Kosuke Wakamatsu cried out in shock, "What?! He can enter the Zone too?!"
Taiga Kagami gritted his teeth.
'Come on, everyone!'
On the court, Nash Gold caught up with Seijuro Akashi in an instant and cut him off.
Ryota Kise was already farther up the court, but if Akashi passed the ball now, there was a very good chance Nash Gold would intercept it.
He needed to get at least half a body length past Nash Gold, or otherwise create enough space between them.
So Seijuro Akashi decided to go crazy right alongside Ryota Kise.
"Come on!" Seijuro Akashi roared. "Nash!!!"
The next instant, crimson lightning flashed through Seijuro Akashi's eyes!
Even the ends of his hair lifted under the force of that violent electricity.
After entering the Zone, Seijuro Akashi's abilities rose dramatically.
He began dribbling at incredible speed, stringing together move after move as he attacked.
He burst to the left, then immediately spun around.
Ryota Kise's [Eye of Truth] had sealed Nash Gold's [Belial Eye].
That meant Nash Gold could no longer see the future.
But Seijuro Akashi's [Emperor Eye] still could!
Using the [Emperor Eye], Seijuro Akashi broke past Nash Gold.
Nash Gold was no pushover either. He immediately adjusted and recovered to chase him down.
But Seijuro Akashi's goal had never been to completely beat Nash Gold.
He only needed an opening to pass the ball to Ryota Kise!
Seijuro Akashi suddenly fired the ball ahead.
Ryota Kise caught it and charged straight toward the frontcourt.
There was no way Nash Gold could catch up now.
But there was still one person who could!
Jason Silver, who had also turned and sprinted back on defense!
Thud, thud, thud...
"You guys..." Jason Silver growled as he chased after Kise at full speed. "You're really pissing me off!"
Crack!!!
The Tyrannosaurus Rex behind Jason Silver vanished.
In its place came wildly surging lightning!
Zone!!!
A violent presence instantly swept across the court, pressing down heavily on everyone there.
Off the court, Taiga Kagami's expression changed dramatically.
"What?! Why does his Zone feel so overwhelming?!"
Kazunari Takao stared with his mouth open, unable to say a word.
Jason Silver's Zone was simply too different from theirs.
More precisely, the pressure it gave off was on a completely different level!
The sheer presence Jason Silver unleashed after entering the Zone was overwhelming!
On the court, Jason Silver's massive body appeared in front of Ryota Kise in an instant, blocking his path.
Even Ryota Kise, who had both the Zone and [Perfect Copy] active, was forced to briefly halt his fast break.
He dribbled the ball while watching Jason Silver warily.
Jason Silver's presence right now was simply terrifying.
"Don't get too cocky, kid!" Jason Silver said fiercely. He let out a heavy breath before continuing in a low voice, "In the end, all you're doing is [copying]. You can never become the real Tokima-san!"
"Yeah." Ryota Kise smiled faintly. "I really can't become him. He's incredibly strong, so..."
Ryota Kise suddenly gathered the ball and jumped, making a pushing motion with both hands in midair.
Jason Silver's eyes narrowed, and he immediately leaped to contest him.
"So..." Ryota Kise pushed the ball forward in midair. "I'll become myself."
The basketball turned into a beam of light and, in an instant, seemed to pass straight through Jason Silver's palm.
Jason Silver glared fiercely at Ryota Kise, a fire burning inside him.
Off the court, Taiga Kagami looked at Tetsuya Kuroko in surprise.
"Kuroko, that was your..."
"Yeah." Tetsuya Kuroko smiled faintly. "That was my shot."
On the court, everyone stared at what had just happened and remained silent for a long moment.
After landing, Jason Silver scoffed in irritation.
"Hah! You talk about being yourself, but in the end, you're still [copying] someone else!"
"You're wrong." Ryota Kise brushed back his hair, revealing his handsome face as he smiled. "I take the strengths of everyone else and make them part of my own game. This is my path in basketball!"
...