A single light burned above the shattered court, flickering like a dying heartbeat. The air trembled, thick with static and soul energy. Riku stood at center, knees bent, one hand on the ball. Across from him, Vexa hovered half a foot off the ground, her eyes glowing brighter than before.
Her smile was gone.
Now, she looked hungry.
"Ready?" Riku asked, voice steady.
"Born ready," she whispered, and the darkness answered her.
The moment the whistle screeched, the floor convulsed. Every shard of glass from the first round floated upward, rotating like planets around a black sun. The hoops bent and stretched, spinning slowly in opposite directions. Even gravity began to slide sideways.
Lira's voice pulsed inside Riku's head. Resonance level rising—this isn't a normal match anymore.
Riku smirked. Good. I was getting bored.
He lunged forward—shadow rippling behind him like spilled ink. Each dribble echoed twice, as if the court itself were mimicking him. The ball blurred. Vexa twisted her wrist, and a storm of crimson energy burst around her.
Riku's first pass ricocheted off a floating shard, rebounding at an impossible angle. Vexa dodged, spun midair, and countered with a no-look shot that curved like lightning toward the hoop.
Point 1 — Vexa.
The crowd of phantoms roared, their cheers like a thousand whispering knives.
Riku landed on a tilted shard, exhaling slowly. "You're faster."
Vexa floated closer, energy spiraling from her fingers. "No. You're just slowing down."
Her spirit—a chaotic serpent made of glitching symbols—uncoiled behind her, hissing. Its tail snapped, sending ripples of distortion that warped the court itself.
Riku pushed off, sprinting up a wall of floating shards. Each step sent shadows blooming beneath his feet. He crossed behind his back, leapt, and hurled the ball with all his force. Lira's phantom outline appeared around him, guiding the shot.
The ball split into three ghostly copies midair. Vexa flinched, eyes darting between them—but only one was real. It slammed through the hoop, bursting into violet flame.
Point 1 — Phantom.
For a heartbeat, silence. Then half the crowd erupted, divided between awe and disbelief.
Vexa licked her lip, smiling again. "Clever trick. You used my own chaos echo."
Riku smirked. "Thanks for the lesson."
The next round began instantly.
Vexa dropped both hands to the ground—black tendrils shot outward, cracking the court like ice. The shards dissolved into a whirlpool of liquid shadow, dragging everything toward the center. Riku felt his feet sinking, pressure building around his chest.
"Lira!"
I'm on it!
Her phantom form burst from his back, wings of mist unfurling. She wrapped him in spectral energy, letting him run over the surface of the liquid shadow.
Vexa was already there, gliding across like a storm spirit. Her moves blurred—she spun, dribbled, vanished, reappeared behind him.
"Too slow!" she shouted.
He ducked. The ball missed by inches and slammed into the wall, detonating into a shockwave.
Dust fell from above. The crowd screamed louder, feeding the arena's madness.
Riku exhaled once, feeling his pulse sync with Lira's. Let's raise it.
Phantom Zone?
Level Three.
The world inverted.
Colors drained; sound slowed. Only the rhythmic thump of the ball remained. Every bounce sent ripples through the black surface like sonar. He could see Vexa's movements before they happened—her breath, her intent, her focus.
He stepped once. Twice.
Then vanished.
Vexa's eyes widened. "Where—"
A blur slammed past her left side, snatching the ball from her hands and twisting mid-spin. Riku's shadow erupted into ten duplicates that mirrored his every motion, each one flickering between light and dark.
He jumped.
They jumped.
The court flashed white as all ten phantoms threw their shots at once.
Nine vanished midair.
One pierced through.
The ball blazed into the hoop with a sonic crack.
Point 2 — Phantom.
The scoreboard burned faintly on the arena wall: Vexa 1 | Phantom 2.
For the first time, the chaos queen frowned. Her spirit hissed in agitation.
"You're syncing deeper than any human I've seen," she said softly.
"Guess I just like winning."
Her eyes narrowed. "Let's see if you like surviving."
---
The lights overhead flickered, dimmed, then went completely dark.
Only red runes burned under their feet now, drawing a massive sigil across the court. Vexa raised her arms. The serpent spirit coiled around her body, merging into her skin until her eyes turned fully crimson.
Lira gasped. She's fusing—Forbidden Mode Type C.
Riku tightened his grip. Then we meet her halfway.
Shadow flame erupted from his shoulders. His heartbeat synced with Lira's; his veins glowed faint purple. The crowd's noise vanished, replaced by a ringing silence.
Vexa's voice echoed through the darkness. "Round's not over."
"Then finish it."
They moved at once.
The court cracked open. Two streaks of light—one black, one red—collided midair, spinning, twisting, breaking every rule of motion.
Every hit thundered across the arena: dribble, block, counter, slam, dodge, rebound. Their spirits clashed, forming shockwaves that shattered the upper stands.
Vexa faked left, reversed midair, hooked the ball backward—perfect arc.
Riku dove—Lira's phantom hand extended from his shadow—caught it by the edge, redirected with a flick.
It curved. Bounced once.
Straight through the opposite hoop.
The world froze.
Point 3 — Phantom.
The crowd fell silent. Even Vexa stopped, floating midair, stunned.
Then she smiled—a wide, dangerous grin. "Finally… a real game."
The red sigil underfoot reignited. The serpent spirit's fragments began to scatter and reform.
Lira hissed, She's not done.
Riku smirked, breath ragged but steady. "Good. I'm not either."
To be continued...