A super-large defensive area, enough to cover the entire three-point line except for the two corners.
Even if Midorima retreated near half-court, it would be useless because Yuuto could see through Kazunari Takao.
Unless he pushed directly into the other half of the court to avoid Yuuto's defensive coverage.
But if he did that, Shutoku would commit a violation (backcourt violation)!
As for behind him, he left it to the other trusted teammates of Seiho.
"Demon Mode, at a time like this!"
"That guy plans to crush Shutoku in one breath and not give Midorima a single chance."
Aomine's hoarse voice carried a hint of worry for his old teammate.
"Hmph, mechanical basketball is as boring as ever."
"In that case..."
"Shutoku will lose."
Aomine spoke decisively.
As the only two players who could actively activate Zone and Demon Mode (Yuuto), he understood better than anyone how massive the boost from that 20% was.
At their level, every 1% improvement brings a qualitative change.
Unless Midorima also entered the Zone, Shutoku would lose any possibility of winning.
"Dai-chan, can the speed of human blood flow really create that kind of phenomenon?"
Momoi's eyes were fixed on Yuuto.
He was hidden in the hazy white steam, mysterious and carrying unparalleled oppression.
"Who knows? I can't do it anyway."
Aomine understood the Zone but knew nothing about Demon Mode.
Entering the Zone required sufficient talent, absolute love, years of training, and an extremely hard-to-find trigger.
Demon Mode didn't seem to need so many complex conditions.
He recalled the contest with Yuuto last year.
Yuuto gave him the feeling that he was angry to the extreme, and then he just exploded.
If the trigger for entering Demon Mode was "anger," with that guy Yuuto's temper, he could enter Demon Mode anytime, anywhere.
Then, through correction, remove those excess emotions.
Fwoosh~
The steam spewing from Yuuto dissipated a bit, and the scarlet in his eyes quickly hid within the white steam.
"Do everything you can, Midorima."
He took a step forward. Just one step.
But that sense of oppression swept through everyone in Shutoku through the air, including Midorima.
"What Demon Mode? From that position... it must be possible." Takao didn't believe that a person could really achieve such a level.
He gathered the ball with both hands and forcefully passed it to Midorima, who was 3 steps outside the three-point line.
"Takao!"
Midorima sensed something was wrong, but it was too late to stop it.
Fwoosh~
The white steam that had just dissipated for a moment erupted again. As Yuuto began to move, it was released from his body in large quantities.
Yuuto took a step forward, but it seemed like he crossed several meters at once. That speed shook Takao to his core.
This was practically challenging the limits of Takao's perception of speed.
Smack!
Yuuto rushed out, moving almost as fast as Takao's pass, and intercepted the basketball before Midorima could catch it.
Then.
Dazzling golden light bloomed from his body, but this time was different from before. The golden light was still dazzling, but hazy, mostly obscured by the steam.
"Stop right there, Yuuto!" Midorima shouted.
He didn't want Shutoku to stop here.
Not entirely for himself; a strong desire surged in his heart to continue playing with these people from Shutoku.
Every person in this team gave their all for the match. They were qualified to win a game.
[Dual Personality Shooter Activated]
Yuuto's eyes became calm, calm to the point of indifference.
"Lukewarm."
He spat out two words, then passed through the white steam, completely shaking off Midorima.
Midorima, who could barely keep up and chase before, was now left far behind.
Now in front of Yuuto, there was only the undefended basket.
The fans watched expectantly as he soared into the air, expecting him to smash the ball into the hoop with primal violence.
But with a flick of his wrist, Yuuto ended the attack with a very simple layup.
The Shutoku fans in the East were startled.
They could see with their naked eyes that in the clash with Yuuto, Midorima had fallen completely into a disadvantage. He was starting to lose track of Seiho's Number 10's rhythm.
"So strong. Is this Yuuto's true face that defeated Teiko last year?"
The Seirin members were shaken.
The Yuuto before them felt unfamiliar, not just because his hair color suddenly turned pale, making him look more majestic.
More importantly, it was the basketball talent he displayed at this moment.
From the time they started basketball until now, they had never seen anyone play like this.
Takao's pass was intercepted just like that. At the time, Midorima was standing at least 4 meters away from Yuuto.
"Except for the Zone, nothing can contend with Demon Mode." Kise Ryota watched his old teammate being easily defeated, deeply touched.
His basketball idol used to be Aomine, but after that match, he had another idol.
Yuuto became the opponent he wanted to defeat the most now.
This genius who walked out of the countryside had too many things worth learning from.
"However, this state can't last too long. Even with Yu's stamina, he lasted 10 minutes last year, but he collapsed from exhaustion afterward."
Demon Mode's weakness was actually obvious.
Overly strong aggressive desire once made Yuuto commit violent acts like smashing the ball into someone's face on the court.
Fortunately, his correction could make up for this shortcoming. But the excessively fast blood flow would accelerate his stamina consumption.
Even a stamina monster like Yuuto had a limit.
"It's enough. This Yuuto only needs a few minutes to widen the gap to a degree Shutoku can't accept." Aomine simulated a one-on-one with Yuuto in his brain.
Then he found out.
He couldn't simulate a result at all. The opponent's insight was much stronger than a year ago, and his actions couldn't be predicted.
Because Aomine always played by feel, not knowing what his next move would be—that was his advantage.
On the court.
Yuuto, having completed the score, stood in the frontcourt without retreating.
He stood near the free-throw line. An invisible aura spread, making Taisuke Otsubo struggle to even inbound the ball.
It was as if the entire court was under Yuuto's control.
Cold sweat trickled down Otsubo's forehead.
Unknowingly, he stood there for several seconds without realizing it.
Masaaki Nakatani reacted quickly and called a timeout immediately; otherwise, in another second or two, they would have committed a 5-second violation.
Shutoku escaped a disaster.
Back on the bench, Otsubo realized it belatedly.
He was actually intimidated by the opponent to the point where he couldn't even pass the ball.
A humiliation!
Otsubo clenched his fist hard, nails digging deep into his skin without him knowing.
Could he be blamed?
Nakatani didn't think so. He just hadn't expected the pressure the opponent exerted on Shutoku to be so immense.
...
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