If the first time Shogo Haizaki experienced Midorima Shintaro's presence had ignited a burning excitement within him, then Midorima suddenly entering his zone-like state brought something entirely different—pressure and stimulation.
Pressure made a player sharpen his focus.
Stimulation pushed them beyond their limits.
It was the perfect trigger for evolution.
Haizaki's eyes flickered with a cold, electric intensity as he locked onto Midorima.
Across from him, Midorima's green gaze burned like lightning as he received a pass from Takao Kazunari, who now looked slightly numb from the intensity of the match.
And then silver-gray eyes met green eyes.
The two monsters collided once again.
For a moment, everyone else on the court felt as if their bodies had been frozen by some invisible spell. Even moving felt difficult.
To them, it looked like two streaks of lightning were clashing across every corner of the court—like this entire match had become a duel for only the two of them.
Midorima broke through Haizaki's defense the instant his body and the ball became one.
In that brief moment of unity, he exploded past Haizaki and rose into the air—
A clean dunk.
BOOM!
The force slammed through the rim like thunder.
At this moment, Midorima Shintaro was terrifying.
Even Haizaki—who normally devoured skills and copied weapons of others—could not stop him once that "man-ball" state activated.
But when it was Haizaki's turn—
The result was the same.
Because when Haizaki attacked, the ball was in his hands, not Midorima's.
Midorima could not enter that same state.
Haizaki pressed forward with overwhelming force, driving the ball through Midorima's defense and smashing it into the hoop with brutal dominance.
Neither of them yielded even an inch.
Neither of them backed down.
It was pure, uncompromising aggression from both sides.
Within seconds, they completed a full exchange of attacks—no hesitation, no buildup. Every move was maximum output.
Midorima received the ball again.
Before Haizaki could even close in—
He shot.
"Swish!"
The ball pierced the net instantly.
His release had become noticeably faster, the preparation time shrinking dramatically.
It was clear: under this state, both his power and speed had increased. His shots were now almost instantaneous.
Haizaki turned and retreated to his half-court.
In Ishida Hideki's dazed moment of hesitation, Haizaki received the pass and immediately responded with an equally overwhelming attack.
Neither side would give an inch.
The situation on the court suddenly became… strange.
After three consecutive exchanges between Midorima and Haizaki, Midorima made a decisive choice.
He stopped shooting threes.
Because he understood—if he continued like this, his stamina would be completely drained before the third quarter even ended.
If I keep forcing this pace… I won't even last until the end of the game.
And if I collapse now… I'll take the entire team's chance of victory with me.
"Haah…"
Midorima exhaled deeply and exited his heightened state.
The moment he did, exhaustion crashed over him like a wave.
It was clear—both that state and Haizaki's condition consumed enormous stamina.
Haizaki narrowed his eyes.
He stared at Midorima for a few seconds, then also stepped out of his own state.
He had already guessed Midorima's intention.
And more importantly—this level of exchange was too costly.
Even for him, his second-stage ability had limits.
If I stay in that mode… I'll break before I adapt.
The entire court finally regained its senses.
All the players looked at the two monsters in shock, their eyes filled with disbelief and awe.
Midorima brought the ball up and passed it to Takao.
It was a clear signal.
Even in that intense duel, Midorima had not forgotten:
Basketball was still a team sport.
Victory required all five players.
Takao quickly drove past Ishida Hideki and delivered a pass into the paint.
Otsubo Taisuke exploded upward—
BOOM!
A violent dunk shook the rim.
At that moment, Fukuda Sogo's players finally snapped back to reality.
They regrouped instantly, focusing their offense around Haizaki.
Haizaki received the ball and immediately passed it to Kazunari.
The player leapt high, slipped past Otsubo's coverage, and tossed the ball softly into the net.
Because Haizaki was still positioned in Shutoku's half-court, the ball naturally went back to Midorima.
It was the safest option.
Haizaki was simply too fast—any careless pass would be stolen instantly.
Facing him again, Midorima dribbled forward.
He prepared to enter his "man-ball" state once more.
And once again—he succeeded.
He broke past Haizaki and stopped just outside the three-point line of Fukuda Sogo.
Then he released a perfect shot.
A beautiful arc.
A textbook three-pointer.
But Haizaki, who had been beaten, did not immediately chase.
He stood still.
That moment stunned everyone watching.
On Fukuda Sogo's bench, coach Ichiro Kudo frowned deeply.
He stared at Haizaki, as if considering calling a timeout—but for some reason, he didn't move.
Beside him, Shimizu Rena sat frozen, her rose-colored eyes filled with worry.
In the stands, confusion spread.
"Akashi… what's wrong with Haizaki?"
"He was probably shaken by that 'unity state'…"
That was Kagami Taiga's guess.
Some agreed. Some scoffed. Some simply smiled.
"Haah? Little Kagami, from what I know about Haizaki… he's not the type to get shaken. He's the type who gets even harder to deal with."
"Then what is he doing?"
"Who knows?"
Kise Ryouta shrugged.
No one else joined the conversation.
Misaki Momoi looked confused.
Kuroko Tetsuya remained silent.
Aomine Daiki… smiled faintly.
A dangerous, interested smile.
Momoi tugged lightly at Aomine's sleeve.
"Daiki…"
Aomine scratched his head lazily and finally spoke.
"Haizaki just got passed. That's it."
"…Aomine-kun?"
But he continued.
"With his speed and reflexes, catching up would've been easy. The fact that he didn't move… means he already got what he wanted."
"What he wanted…?"
"Pillage."
"Pillage…? You mean—"
"Yeah."
Aomine's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Haizaki… can probably fully Pillage Midorima now."
"…What?"
"Huh?"
"No way…"
"Are you serious?!"
Gasps erupted across the crowd.
Fear. Shock. Disbelief.
People murmured under their breath, words trembling as they tried to process what they had just heard.