Kuroko: Mahoraga - Chapter 92: You're Finished! (Patreon)

The first change of possession happened at a startling pace. In a little more than ten seconds, the situation had already turned completely around.

Nobody had expected Akashi to be outplayed by Masato in their very first exchange. Many of the spectators hadn't even had time to react before they realized something else.

Masato was about to go on offense.

On Teikō's bench, the coach frowned deeply.

He'd always believed in Akashi's talent, and that faith hadn't changed. After all, this was the captain of the Generation of Miracles.

But the enormous difference in size between Akashi and Masato was impossible to ignore.

The Teikō coach had once played professional basketball himself. He knew better than most just how dangerous a tall point guard like Masato could be.

Most junior high players were simply at a physical disadvantage whenever they matched up against him.

In basketball, physical gifts were the most fundamental form of talent. No matter how extraordinary someone's less visible abilities might be, they still had to contend with the body standing in front of them.

The coach didn't doubt Akashi's skill for a moment. Even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that his captain was in for an incredibly difficult game.

As he watched with mounting concern, the action on the court shifted again.

Sure enough, things unfolded exactly as he'd feared.

Faced with Akashi's defense, Masato simply turned sideways and leaned into him, deliberately seeking contact and exploiting his advantages in height and reach.

He wasn't afraid of the Emperor Eye seeing through his movements. If anything, he wanted Akashi to try stealing the ball.

One rash reach would be all it took for Masato to blow past him.

That confidence came from his superior static attributes. A difference of several dozen centimeters in height and reach wasn't something Akashi could simply wish away. Masato was more than two sizes bigger overall.

Even if Akashi could see the future, he couldn't afford to gamble on an ill-timed steal. He would only have one chance to make it work.

The sight that followed was almost comical.

Seijuro Akashi, the mighty captain of Teikō, was being pushed around in front of tens of thousands of people like a child trying to guard a grown man.

On offense, the gap between their physiques looked even more absurd than before. Masato seemed more relaxed than he had been on defense, steadily backing Akashi down while feeling every movement the smaller player made behind him.

Ever since the previous National Tournament, Masato had been adding weapons to his game. By now, his post moves even carried a hint of Michael Jordan's style.

And with [Bible] supporting his technique, every step threatened to turn into a scoring opportunity.

When Akashi continued to hold back instead of attempting a steal, Masato decided there was no reason to prolong the struggle.

He pressed his back against Akashi, used his shoulder to hold position, then spun away and rose high into the air.

The sequence was powerful and sweeping, leaving no room for Akashi to reach in and take the ball.

Once airborne, Masato's remarkable core control allowed him to hang in the air for an unusually long time. Many of the spectators could actually see the momentary pause in his jump.

Akashi sprang up to contest the shot at once.

But their physical disparity only became more obvious in the air. Even with his arm stretched as far as it would go, Akashi could barely reach Masato's elbow.

He couldn't even obstruct Masato's view of the basket.

Watching Akashi strain to defend him, Masato couldn't hold back a laugh, even in midair.

He didn't even need to lean back. With an easy flick of the wrist, he released the ball.

"Swish!"

The shot traced a graceful arc and dropped cleanly through the hoop, making the net ripple.

The Dome erupted in cheers.

There was nothing elaborate about the shot itself, but the simplicity of Masato's motion made it beautiful to watch. And with the famous Seijuro Akashi reduced to a helpless defender in the background, the moment was even more thrilling.

Wasn't this exactly what everyone had come to see? Two star players clashing directly on the court?

"Damn, Masato's way too strong!"

"Right? He's up against the captain of the Generation of Miracles, and he's making it look easy! That's insane!"

"Well, he did score a hundred points against Teikō!"

"Wait, hasn't he gotten way better? I don't remember him playing Akashi like this last time!"

"Seriously, he's amazing!"

"Who cares how he does it? The guy's a beast!"

"Exactly! This game's already worth the price of admission!"

"Ahh! My husband is so handsome!"

"..."

For the first time since tip-off, the crowd inside the Dome truly exploded.

Listening to the roaring cheers, Masato broke into a brilliant smile.

This was the basketball he knew and loved. The game wasn't made up solely of the competition between players. Everything surrounding the court mattered too, including the voices of fans cheering them on.

All those things together were what made basketball so wonderful to him.

His smile widened. He was enjoying every second on the court.

Looking at Akashi, who hadn't spoken a word since the basket, Masato began retreating on defense and wagged his index finger.

"Let's see which of us ends up kneeling!"

...

Akashi answered with an icy glare, as though he were looking at a condemned prisoner awaiting execution.

He forced down the emotions Masato had stirred up and strode toward the baseline to receive the inbound pass from Murasakibara.

Someone with especially sharp eyes might have noticed a subtle change in Akashi's expression.

As it happened, Murasakibara's eyesight and observational skills were excellent. He caught the change clearly while preparing to inbound the ball.

It was only the second time he'd seen Akashi look like that.

The first had been quite a long time ago.

Murasakibara found the situation rather amusing, but he didn't say anything. He scratched his head and passed the ball in.

...

As Akashi advanced with the ball, he couldn't help recognizing how much Masato had changed since their previous meeting.

Both his basketball skills and his body had developed enormously over the past half year.

Akashi suppressed his frustration, kept his face blank, and carried the ball across half court.

Masato was surprised to see him approaching with the same calm expression as ever. He'd clearly detected a disturbance in Akashi's emotions earlier, yet the Teikō captain already seemed to have regained control of himself.

Then Masato chuckled under his breath. He was getting impatient.

Akashi's second personality might be unstable, but the game had barely begun. It would be ridiculous to expect him to unravel so quickly.

Masato dismissed the thought and focused on the opponent in front of him.

Fine. They could keep playing and see what happened.

...

Akashi had learned from his first failed possession.

He didn't launch another reckless drive. Instead, he kept Masato under the Emperor Eye's observation at all times, leaving him no obvious opportunity to strike.

There was no denying it. The Emperor Eye was practically a cheat-level ability, one that gave Akashi an inherent advantage when reading an opponent.

Yet even with that advantage, Akashi was no longer willing to attack carelessly against such an enormous difference in size.

He knew Masato wouldn't defend the first step as desperately as an ordinary player. If he tried to drive, Masato could simply let him through and challenge him from behind, repeating what had happened on the opening possession.

Shooting directly wasn't a reliable solution either. Masato's reach and reactions would allow him to contest the shot even if he moved second. Akashi couldn't count on making every attempt through that kind of pressure, and the efficiency would be too poor.

Just like that, Masato had effectively taken two options away from him.

Akashi would have to get the rest of the Generation of Miracles involved first.

Once his teammates were all finding their rhythm, he believed the threat of his own offense would rise dramatically. Then he'd finally make Masato kneel before him.

With that plan in mind, Akashi began orchestrating Teikō's offense through his passing.

For a while, it looked remarkably similar to the last time these teams met, when Teikō had rallied to close the gap.

Masato didn't change his own approach in response. He continued putting pressure on Akashi while using the broad view granted by [Four-Dimensional Hypervision] to direct his teammates' movements.

The game settled into a strange balance, with neither side able to gain the upper hand.

What Akashi didn't realize was that [Adaptation] was steadily learning how to deal with him.

The scoreboard seesawed back and forth.

4–6. Then 18–16. Then 25–27...

Each swing drew fresh excitement from the crowd. More than half of the first quarter had slipped by before anyone seemed to notice.

...

On another change of possession, Teikō went back on offense.

Akashi controlled the ball as usual, searching for an opening while keeping Masato's every movement within the Emperor Eye's gaze.

Nothing Masato did should have escaped his awareness.

But this time, Masato broke the balance between them.

Akashi frowned as the safe distance they'd maintained disappeared. Masato was actually stepping forward to pressure him at close range.

For a bigger defender facing a shorter ball handler, crowding in like that was dangerous. The smaller player could beat him with a single quick step, leaving no opportunity to recover.

Masato had managed to challenge Akashi from behind earlier, but this was an entirely different situation.

Akashi's brows rose. Was Masato looking down on him again?

"Arrogant!"

He gave a cold laugh as the Emperor Eye opened fully, allowing him to perceive even the tiny blood vessels beneath Masato's skin.

This time, he was certain Masato would fall to his knees.

Then his expression changed dramatically.

The loss of balance that should have followed never came.

This wasn't like their first exchange, when Masato had forcibly restored his equilibrium with the strength of his core.

This time, it was as though the effect itself no longer worked on him.

In a heartbeat, the hunter and the hunted had exchanged places.

Masato showed no mercy. Using his much bigger frame, he drove into Akashi and kept up the pressure, leaving him no room to adjust.

Under that relentless contact, Akashi inevitably made a mistake. The basketball began slipping dangerously close to his opponent's reach.

Masato's defense coiled around him like a death grip. The longer the struggle continued, the more inevitable the steal became.

At last, Akashi's expression twisted.

"Impossible!"

But no amount of resistance could change what was happening.

"SMACK!"

Like a python tightening around its prey, Masato trapped the ball and wrenched it mercilessly from Akashi's hands.

He held it firmly in one hand, ready to launch a fast break, then cast a cold glance at the disbelief on Akashi's face.

"Akashi, you're finished!"

...

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