As the game clock ticked by second after second, Ueno realized that aside from the opponent's scoreboard constantly climbing, their own score remained at zero. He glanced at his teammates. One by one, they were gasping for breath, their hollow eyes showing not the slightest desire to resist. There were still ten minutes left before the end of the first half, yet the score had already reached 60 to 0. In just half an hour of play, two of their players had already been subbed out. It wasn't just physical exhaustion; it was the heavy toll of mental pressure.
Catching a pass from a teammate, Ueno looked at Kise's relaxed, smiling face and couldn't help but sigh softly. It seemed he had no choice but to use the Zone to score at least once. The gap in strength between the two sides was simply too vast. But if he was going to use the Zone, he had to choose the right moment. After all, the opponents he was facing were the Generation of Miracles.
Dribbling the ball and seeing his teammates completely locked down by Teiko's defense, Ueno felt helpless. It looked like he could only go ISO and break through on his own. With a burst of speed off his right foot, Ueno tried to drive past Kise on the right, but Kise spun back and cut him off. Looking at Ueno, Kise smiled.
"I'm pretty strong too, you know. Don't underestimate me."
As he spoke, Kise's expression suddenly sharpened, and his right hand snapped toward the ball Ueno was dribbling.
Bang!
With a loud thud, the basketball was slapped straight out of bounds. Although Ueno had noticed the movement, Kise was simply too fast. He couldn't react in time and could only watch as the ball was knocked away. Kise scratched the back of his head apologetically and smiled at Ueno, whose expression had darkened.
"Ah, sorry about that. Guess I used a bit too much force."
Ueno didn't respond. He simply turned around and walked back to inbound the ball. Watching Ueno's back, the corner of Kise's mouth curved slightly.
"What an interesting guy."
In all the games he had played, even against the Uncrowned Kings, opponents would inevitably show ugly expressions when facing them. But Ueno had remained calm from start to finish, which sparked a bit of interest in him.
...
Catching the inbound pass and seeing Kise press up on him again, Ueno's gaze slowly began to gather strands of black lightning. Even a clay figurine has a temper, let alone Ueno. After being provoked several times, he decided to respond properly. Originally, he had planned to save the Zone for Teikō's substitutes, where scoring would be easier and more reliable. Now, he no longer intended to do that.
Lowering his head slightly and looking at Kise's smiling face, Ueno's lips curled upward.
Enhanced Zone: activate.
Suddenly, a streak of black lightning tore through Kise's defense and charged straight toward Teikō's basket. In an instant, the black lightning crossed half the court, leaving behind a residual afterimage.
"How is that possible? That guy actually..."
Catching sight of Ueno out of the corner of his eye, Kise's smile vanished completely. His face was filled with shock and disbelief as he stared at the number 7 on that black jersey.
"Stop him now!"
Seeing Ueno about to enter their restricted area, Akashi shouted loudly. At the same moment, every member of the Generation of Miracles abandoned their assignments and sprinted toward Ueno.
The closest one was Murasakibara, who was stationed under the basket. Staring at Ueno's icy gaze as black lightning erupted wildly around him, Murasakibara roared and took a single step forward to meet him. His massive hand spread wide, blocking Ueno's path like an iron arm.
"Don't even think about getting past me!"
...
Facing Murasakibara, Ueno felt his entire body begin to ache faintly, a sign of the backlash of an overloaded body. But no matter what, this shot had to go in. The black lightning in his eyes grew even more violent. Without hesitation, Ueno took off in a single step, intending to posterize Murasakibara with a forceful dunk.
"Not a chance!"
Murasakibara's eyes widened in fury. He leaped up as well, his enormous hands slamming toward the ball in Ueno's right hand.
Boom!
A deafening crash echoed through the arena. The basketball was swatted violently into the air. Both Ueno and Murasakibara were knocked backward by the collision. But at that moment, the black lightning in Ueno's eyes tore into multiple afterimages. Enduring excruciating pain throughout his body, Ueno forcibly twisted in midair. Spotting the descending ball, he drove his right foot hard into the court, leaped again, and rose once more.
Before Murasakibara's eyes, which were filled with disbelief, Ueno reclaimed the ball and smashed it toward the rim. But at that instant, another hand appeared in Ueno's vision, cutting off his attack. The one who arrived was Aomine. Feeling the resistance, Ueno's heart filled with frustration. The pain coursing through his body reminded him that he was already far beyond his limits.
Staring at the rim just inches away, the unwillingness in Ueno's heart surged violently, and he let out a furious roar.
"Go in!"
The black lightning in his eyes exploded once more. Under Aomine's shocked gaze, Ueno slammed the basketball straight through the hoop.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The only sound left in the arena was the basketball bouncing repeatedly on the hardwood.
Looking at Aomine and Murasakibara lying on the floor, and at Akashi and the others standing behind Ueno with disbelief written on their faces, the entire arena fell silent. A moment later, a sharp whistle pierced the court.
"Beep! Basket counts!"
...
"Woooah!"
As the referee's call rang out, the arena exploded with cheers. All eyes were fixed on the number 7 in the black jersey, completely surrounded by the Generation of Miracles.
Staring at Ueno, Kise's face was ugly, his hands clenched tightly into fists. That guy was unforgivable. That basket had been lost starting from his defense; he felt an inexplicable sense of humiliation.
"So this is the so-called variable..."
Pushing up his glasses, Midorima took several deep breaths. He had chased with everything he had just now, yet was still a step too late.
As for Aomine, he stared at Ueno in disbelief. The state Ueno had just entered felt all too familiar. Murasakibara was glaring furiously, as if he wanted to tear Ueno apart on the spot. Watching from the bench, Kuroko was filled with disbelief. This was the first time he had ever seen someone beat Murasakibara and Aomine head-on.
On the sidelines, Momoi's face had turned pale as she frantically flipped through her data, murmuring repeatedly,
"Impossible... how could this happen?"
On the court, Ueno felt as though dozens of heavy trucks had run over his body. Even taking a shallow breath made his chest feel like it was tearing apart. His face was deathly pale, and his entire body was soaked in sweat. Enduring the pain, Ueno slowly walked back toward his own half. It had taken less than ten seconds, yet the burden was immense. He realized now that he had underestimated the backlash of the Zone.
As he passed by Kise and saw the ugly expression on his face, Ueno couldn't help but smile.
"Sorry... scored by accident."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ueno felt his vision go dark. The world spun violently, and he collapsed, losing consciousness on the spot.