That shout rang out with full force, echoing throughout the entire arena.
Inside the paint, where he was wrestling with Ikegami Ryoji, Sakuragi Hanamichi suddenly froze.
His brain hadn't even processed what "fusion" meant yet—
but his body had already reacted.
His body moved faster than his mind.
Like a red cannonball, Sakuragi blasted out of the paint and instantly planted himself beside Koshino Hiroaki and Uekusa Tomoyuki.
Like a solid wall of red bricks.
"What?!"
Koshino slammed straight into Sakuragi's rock-hard back muscles and felt like he had crashed into a truck. He grimaced in pain.
Taking advantage of that split-second opening—
Makino Juro slid one step to the left.
The space in front of him suddenly opened up.
"Thanks, Genius."
A smile tugged at the corner of Makino Juro's mouth as he raised the basketball once more.
Left hand steadying the ball.
Right hand supporting it.
A textbook shooting form.
Knees bent slightly.
Jump.
That despair-inducing hang time appeared again.
"STOP HIM!!!" Taoka Moichi screamed, clutching his head.
But it was too late.
The basketball left Makino Juro's hand.
Once again, it flew toward the roof of the gymnasium.
Everyone had no choice but to tilt their heads upward again, as if participating in some strange collective ritual of worship.
Time seemed to stretch.
The ball traced a perfect parabola through the air.
Swish!
Nothing but net.
85 : 80
"WAAAAH! It went in again!"
"My god! Did he throw that from the second floor?!"
"Is that No.16 a monster? As long as nobody guards him, it's automatic?!"
The audience completely exploded.
Even many Ryonan supporters began cheering for the miraculous shot.
"Did you see that?!"
"That's the fusion technique of this genius and my master!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi had no idea what had just happened.
But seeing the ball go in, he immediately planted his hands on his hips and burst into smug laughter.
"That's called a pick-and-roll, idiot."
Rukawa Kaede walked past and coldly stabbed him with the correction.
For the next few minutes, the game entered a suffocating shootout.
Ryonan fought back with everything they had.
Using the weakness caused by Akagi Takenori's lingering injury, Uozumi Jun forced his way inside and scored.
87 : 80
Shohoku attacked again.
Makino Juro repeated the same tactic.
"Sakuragi! Fusion!"
"Coming!!"
This time Sakuragi reacted even faster, taking a huge step to block the help defense of Sendoh Akira.
Two meters beyond the three-point line—
Makino Juro shot immediately.
An ultra-high arc.
Swish!
87 : 83
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Taoka Moichi paced frantically along the sideline, the tactics board in his hands already snapped in half.
"Why can't we stop him?! Why?!"
"Does he really make it every time he gets even a little space?!"
Ryonan attacked again.
Facing the relentless pressure of Rukawa Kaede, Sendoh's stamina was draining rapidly.
He chose to break through and dish the ball out, assisting Ikegami for a mid-range jumper.
89 : 83
Six-point difference.
Only one minute remained.
Shohoku possession.
Makino Juro dribbled, sweat sliding down his cheeks.
"Man… I'm exhausted."
"This skill may be accurate, but it's murder on the lower back."
Makino Juro felt his waist protesting.
Still, he glanced at the scoreboard.
"Just one more."
This time, Ryonan expanded their defense completely.
Even Uozumi stepped up near the free-throw line.
"Don't give him any chance to shoot!"
Makino Juro looked at the airtight defense and suddenly slammed the ball against the floor.
[Aomine Daiki · Ultra-Speed Dribble]
The basketball seemed glued to his hand as it danced with his explosive body feints.
Koshino and Uekusa instantly lost their balance.
Makino Juro burst inside the three-point line.
Just when everyone thought he would go for a layup—
he suddenly stopped, stepped back—
and retreated beyond the three-point arc again.
Jump shot.
"Not happening!"
Sendoh rushed from the side, his long arm covering the sky.
But Makino Juro's fadeaway angle was absurdly large.
He was almost lying in midair as he released the ball.
The basketball flew past Sendoh's fingertips and rose into the air.
Everyone's hearts jumped to their throats.
Clang… clang…
The ball bounced twice on the rim.
Then obediently rolled into the net.
89 : 86
The gap was now only three points!
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
On Shohoku's bench, every player had stood up, linking arms and shouting at the top of their lungs.
On the sidelines, Anzai Mitsuyoshi quietly pushed up his glasses.
A flash of white light glinted across the lenses.
"Sakuragi. Rukawa."
His voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly reached both players on the court.
"Double-team Sendoh-kun."
Hearing the command, Sakuragi and Rukawa froze.
The two looked at each other.
It felt as if sparks crackled in the air.
"Huh? Old man, are you joking?"
"You want me to cooperate with this stupid fox?" Sakuragi looked disgusted, as if he had stepped in dog poop.
"No."
Rukawa was even more direct and turned his head away.
Sakuragi gritted his teeth.
Rukawa clenched his fists.
"Cheh!"
"Hmph!"
They both turned around at the same time.
Though their faces screamed "I refuse", their bodies honestly moved toward Sendoh.
Thirty seconds remained.
Ryonan ball.
Sendoh held the basketball.
Looking at the red-haired demon and the black-haired fox closing in on him, he gave a helpless smile.
"Give me a break."
"Isn't this treatment a bit too grand?"
On the left—
Sakuragi Hanamichi, with monstrous athleticism, waving his arms like a giant crab.
On the right—
Rukawa Kaede, technically flawless, eyes sharp like a hunting cheetah.
Double team.
"Stop him!!" Akagi roared from the paint.
Sendoh took a deep breath.
If he couldn't avoid it—
he would break through.
Tap! Tap!
His dribble suddenly accelerated.
First, he feinted left, tricking Sakuragi into shifting his center of gravity.
Then he exploded to the right, forcing his way toward Rukawa's defense.
"Too naive!"
Rukawa locked his position.
But the moment their bodies made contact—
Sendoh performed an incredibly smooth spin move, squeezing through the tiny gap between the two.
"What?!"
Rukawa's pupils shrank.
"That mop-head is slippery!" Sakuragi tried to grab him but caught nothing but air.
Breakthrough!
Sendoh had just blown past Shohoku's two strongest defenders.
Ahead of him—
an open road.
If this shot went in, the game would be decided.
On the sidelines, Taoka Moichi clenched his fists, his face bursting with the ecstasy of victory.
"We've won! Ryonan has won!"
Sendoh charged toward the basket, preparing to finish the game with a safe layup.
However.
the moment he gathered the ball—
a strange feeling crept into his mind.
Too quiet.
Why did it feel like someone was missing?
Wait.
Where did No. 16 go?
The instant that thought flashed through his mind—
a hand suddenly appeared beneath the basketball.
No wind.
No killing intent.
It was as if that hand had always been there.
Smack!
A soft sound.
The basketball in Sendoh's hand—
was gone.
Sendoh remained frozen in his layup motion, but his hands were empty.
He looked down in shock.
"Ha… ha…"
"Man, I'm exhausted…"
"Good thing I made it in time."
Makino Juro held the ball, his dead-fish eyes staring at Sendoh as a mischievous grin spread across his face.
"Sendoh-kun."
"You should keep a better eye on your stuff."
With the overwhelming presence of Sakuragi and Rukawa double-teaming Sendoh—
Makino Juro had successfully reduced his own presence to the absolute minimum.
The entire arena exploded.
"He stole it!!"
"It's the invisible No.16!"
"Fast break! Fast break!"
"Makino Juro! Pass it!"
Akagi Takenori reacted the fastest, pointing toward the frontcourt and shouting.
By then, Rukawa Kaede and Sakuragi Hanamichi had already shot forward like arrows released from a bow.
Three-man fast break!