The atmosphere in the Serbian Eagles' bench area had sunk into a heavy silence. A twenty-point deficit was no small gap. In a match of this intensity, closing such a margin in a single quarter was never easy.
Of course, history had seen comebacks from twenty points or more, but would today be one of those miracles? Would fate smile upon the Serbian Eagles?
"Jack, what do we do now?" "The game isn't over. As long as there's time left, there's hope. I shouldn't need to teach you that." "We're not giving up. But we need a way, some kind of plan to turn this around."
The words of Velia and Jack echoed across the bench. Every player was searching for salvation. Jack, the towering giant, slowly scanned his teammates. After several seconds of silence, he spoke directly to Levic.
"Levic. You're in the Zone right now. Can you stop Nash?" "What? Guard Nash?" "Yes. You take Nash. Velia will handle Haizaki Shogo. If you can stop Nash, and Velia can hold Haizaki, and I handle Jason, then we still have a chance to win." "I don't know if I can stop Nash, but I'll try." "Good. That's the plan for the final quarter."
With the strategy decided, hope reignited in the Serbian Eagles' eyes. Their fighting spirit surged once more.
Three minutes of rest passed in an instant. Haizaki Shogo followed Nash back onto the court with his teammates. The arena erupted once again. "Haizaki! Haizaki!" "MAGICIAN!" "JABBERWOCK!" The roaring chants echoed through the stadium.
Jason glanced around with a grin. "Hey, Shogo, you hear that? Looks like the girls are calling your name." "My name?" "Yeah, 'Haizaki.' Pretty cool, right?" "Not really." Haizaki replied flatly, unconcerned, while Jason laughed.
Then the whistle blew. The final quarter began. This time, the Serbian Eagles had changed their defense. Velia, empowered by his Illusory Eyes and Zone state, was assigned to Haizaki Shogo. Meanwhile, Levic, also in the Zone and now awakened with raw "Animal Instinct," was placed on Nash.
Haizaki and Nash both paused for a moment, then went expressionless. But beneath their calm eyes, a cold smile formed. Interesting. Velia defending me? Levic on Nash? Haizaki almost wanted to laugh. "You guys really think this will change anything?"
The ball entered play. Velia immediately faced Haizaki. This time, Haizaki became serious, fully activating his Zone and Man-and-ball unity. His center of gravity dropped low.
Velia's golden eyes shimmered with a strange light. In a flash he moved, a feint, then another. Haizaki's vision blurred for a split second. That was all Velia needed.
With near-magic-level hand speed and illusion-based visual deception, he slipped past Haizaki. The defense broke. The ball was passed inside. Jack received it and dunked. BOOM! The scoreboard changed again.
Haizaki narrowed his eyes. That illusion, and that speed. Dangerous.
Nash walked up beside him casually. "Feeling the pressure?" "Yeah. That kind of monster, only you can suppress him." Nash chuckled. "Don't underestimate yourself, Shogo. You can deal with him too." Haizaki smirked faintly. "Fair enough."
Then Nash stepped forward. He received the ball and walked across half court slowly. Each step felt heavier than the last. The temperature of the arena seemed to drop.
Ten steps. Then his emerald eyes flared, a streak of electricity surging across his gaze. Nash activated his Zone. Now the court had two monsters.
Levic faced him, but for the first time, hesitation crept in. Against Nash's Belial Eye, Black and White Realm, and Zone simultaneously, Levic looked almost powerless. A single move. Bang! Levic fell.
Nash glided past and scored effortlessly. That was Nash, a player said to shape the future of American basketball. But the score gap remained: still twenty points.
Velia took the ball again. He faced Haizaki once more. "In the Zone again, you still think you can stop me?" Velia said coldly. Haizaki tilted his head slightly. "You play well." "I don't need your praise." "I'm not praising you."
A pause. "I'm just going to steal your ball." Velia scoffed. "You're overestimating yourself." "Is that so?"
Haizaki's voice dropped, cold, deep, almost inhuman. His silver electric eyes lit up with a glowing ring. In that instant, BOOM! He struck. The ball vanished from Velia's hands, stolen cleanly.
Velia froze. His golden eyes widened in disbelief. "No way, Belial Eyes?" Too late. Haizaki was already gone. He soared alone toward the basket.
BOOM! One-handed dunk. No resistance, no defense, only domination.
He landed and turned back slowly. His expression was no longer human. It was as if he was looking down on everything beneath him. All of you are ants.
The arena fell silent. Serbian Eagles stood frozen, staring at Haizaki's silver lightning eyes and Nash's emerald electric gaze. Two monsters. Two kings. And in that moment, hope was completely erased.