The ball swung into David Russ's hands. Without hesitation, he turned his wrist and quickly passed it out. The pass landed in the hands of the man Haizaki Shogo was defending, Levic.
Levic dribbled hard, trying to break through, but Haizaki's defense was like a sealed wall. Frustrated, Levic clicked his tongue and kicked the ball back out to No. 6, Velia.
Velia caught it with an irritated expression. As a point guard, receiving the ball back after just passing it out was practically humiliation. Worse still, it meant his previous pass hadn't created a proper scoring opportunity. He stared at Nash for a brief moment, then suddenly flung the ball high from behind his back, blocking Nash's attempt to intercept it. Another identical lob.
The ball arced through the air. Giant Jack rose again. BOOM! He smashed the alley-oop into the hoop with overwhelming force.
Jason Silver landed on his feet beneath the basket, his expression darkening. The Serbian Eagles scored again. They immediately retreated on defense.
"Jack, that No. 8, Jason Silver, he's dangerous. How do we handle him?" Velia asked.
"Don't worry," Jack replied calmly. "Next time in the paint, even if he jumps, it won't matter."
"Good."
Nash received the inbound pass and organized the offense. Haizaki Shogo and Jason Silver immediately began moving off-ball, searching for an opening. But Nash didn't pass immediately. Velia's defense was tightening. Because of the influence of Velia's so-called Illusory Eye, combined with his quick hands and deceptive "close-range magic," even Nash had to proceed carefully. Nash understood that what he saw as "future openings" were no longer fully reliable.
He hesitated. Then passed inside. Jason Silver received it. He bulldozed through his defender and leapt explosively toward the rim. A dunk. But a massive shadow descended from above. A hand appeared out of nowhere. BOOM! The dunk was erased mid-air.
Jason Silver landed on the floor, stunned. What? I didn't even see him jump. He replayed it in his mind. He never saw Jack rise before him. And yet his shot had been blocked cleanly.
A whistle blew. "Defensive foul! Basket counts! And one!"
Jason Silver stood frozen. I felt contact, but it didn't feel like a block, it felt like I hit him? Strange. Unnatural.
Haizaki Shogo narrowed his eyes. Nash didn't speak at first. Then Jason Silver clenched his fists. "I'm not done. Pass me the ball. I'll crush them."
"Quiet," Nash said coldly. "You've already been targeted."
"What?"
Nash exhaled slowly. "That was the No Fly Zone."
The court fell into silence. Even Haizaki Shogo looked up.
"Forbidden Air Domain?" Jason repeated.
Nash nodded. "It's a special ability only a few giants can develop. It requires extreme height, explosive vertical leap, timing, and physical dominance. When all of those combine, the player controls the airspace above the paint."
"Meaning?" Haizaki asked.
Nash's tone turned serious. "Meaning once Jack is in position, anything above the rim belongs to him."
Jason's expression twisted. "I don't believe it. Give me the ball. I'll break it."
Nash said nothing. He simply passed it over. Some people only understand after they crash.
Jason charged again. This time, the paint was crowded. He jumped, twisting mid-air into a reverse layup. A perfect adjustment. But BOOM! A hand came down from above again. The ball was sent flying away. No hesitation. No delay. Just dominance.
Haizaki reacted instantly, boxing out his opponent and grabbing the loose ball. Without hesitation, he fired a three-pointer. SWISH. Finally, Jabberwock scored.
The first quarter ended soon after. A whistle echoed across the arena. First quarter score: 26-23. Jabberwock trailed by three. Both teams exhaled at the same time.