Beside him, Seijuro Akashi's eyes, one gold and one red, began to tremble.
'How… could this be…'
'No need to look so shocked. You've known this for a long time, haven't you? After all, Miyamoto showed that ability back in middle school.'
'Because... your current ability... is largely because...'
'Shut up, you failure! Are you trying to say that back in middle school, you wanted to become him? To possess his ability? And that's why my ability now looks so similar to his?'
'I'll tell you this! I am me! I am absolute! I am the only one! No one is allowed to defy me!'
'Not even my parents! I won't allow it!!!'
Seijuro Akashi's expression twisted into something ferocious as he argued with himself inside his own mind.
In truth, he understood it as well.
The reason he now possessed the [Emperor Eye]...
was largely because, during the time when his original personality was dominant, he had desperately wished to obtain Miyamoto Tokima's ability.
That desire had turned into an obsession, which ultimately led to his second personality awakening the [Emperor Eye].
To put it plainly, that second personality was, in many ways, a substitute for Miyamoto Tokima.
But that very personality refused to admit it, and even sought out a true replacement for Miyamoto Tokima.
That person was... Ryota Kise.
However, the answer was already obvious...
...
On the court.
Miyamoto Tokima took the lead and charged straight toward Tōō's frontcourt.
Daiki Aomine immediately lowered his center of gravity and burst forward, sprinting at full speed in pursuit of Miyamoto Tokima.
Lightning surged wildly across the court.
The rest of Kirisaki Daiichi's players stood still.
There was no need for them to move, and there was no way for them to interfere.
The same went for Tōō's players, who remained rooted in place, unsure what they could even do.
How could Miyamoto Tokima not sense the presence behind him?
Without slowing down in the slightest, he continued to charge forward at full speed.
After crossing the midcourt line and advancing a short distance, he gathered the ball and stepped in!
Shoichi Imayoshi stared in disbelief.
"Hey, hey, hey! You're already picking up the ball??"
Daiki Aomine was momentarily stunned as well, but he didn't dare hesitate and immediately accelerated to catch up.
Miyamoto Tokima took two steps and then exploded upward from a point one step inside the free throw line.
Daiki Aomine's eyes widened as his pursuit slowed.
"You've... got to be kidding me..."
All across the arena, whether players or spectators, everyone rose to their feet, stunned by what they were witnessing.
And then...
Right before everyone's eyes, Miyamoto Tokima slammed the basketball into the hoop!
Boom!
A dunk from one step inside the free throw line!
The entire arena fell silent.
Then, a voice suddenly rang out from the stands.
"[Magic Cube]!!!"
With someone taking the lead, the entire crowd erupted into chants.
"[Magic Cube]! [Magic Cube]! [Magic Cube]!"
On the Kirisaki Daiichi bench, the substitutes waved their towels wildly, shouting at the top of their lungs.
At that moment, the entire arena became Kirisaki Daiichi's home court.
No, it became Miyamoto Tokima's home court.
That was a dunk from one step inside the free throw line.
Up to this point, no one in the high school league had ever completed a dunk from the free throw line.
Miyamoto Tokima was the first.
After landing, Miyamoto Tokima turned around and slowly jogged back on defense.
As he passed by Daiki Aomine, he said calmly:
"Daiki, your turn."
Then he ran off without looking back.
Daiki Aomine remained where he stood, the corners of his mouth slowly lifting.
'Alright... my turn...'
Possession changed.
Daiki Aomine received the inbound pass and casually dribbled toward the frontcourt.
The pressure radiating from him was overwhelming.
It could be said that if Daiki Aomine hadn't been facing Miyamoto Tokima in this game, he would have been unstoppable.
But there are no such ifs.
Reality is reality. Even someone as powerful as Daiki Aomine felt a sense of helplessness against Miyamoto Tokima.
Still, he wasn't discouraged. If anything, he felt excited.
What he feared most was not losing, but having no one to fight.
If you lose, at least you have an opponent worthy of going all out against.
If there is no one to fight, it means there is no one left who can match you.
Those are completely different things.
To Daiki Aomine, having no opponent was ten thousand times more terrifying than losing.
He had just crossed midcourt.
The terrifying flames spread out once again.
That was Miyamoto Tokima's Defensive Zone.
Daiki Aomine took a deep breath and stepped straight into that defensive range.
The black mist appeared once more.
This time, Daiki Aomine met its gaze head on.
Then, the black mist disappeared.
"So as long as I face the fear directly, the black mist disappears?"
"Miyamoto, your zone really is terrifying."
Daiki Aomine entered the zone and faced off against Miyamoto Tokima at the three point line.
One crackled with wild lightning, while the other emitted a faint black glow.
Daiki Aomine exhaled sharply and began his attack.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The basketball pounded rapidly against the floor.
His speed was astonishing. Against anyone else, he would have broken through effortlessly.
But standing before him was Miyamoto Tokima.
Even with his strength, Daiki Aomine couldn't break past Miyamoto Tokima's defense with ease.
Miyamoto Tokima matched his speed step for step, cutting off every advance.
The more he attacked, the more unsettled Daiki Aomine felt.
No matter what he tried, Miyamoto Tokima seemed to already know.
Every move was anticipated, every path sealed, without ever losing position.
Daiki Aomine gritted his teeth and suddenly spun.
To execute it, he forced a sharp twist through his waist.
But it was useless.
Smack!
The ball in his hands disappeared again.
This time, Daiki Aomine immediately turned, ready to snatch it back.
But at that moment...
Something changed.
The space around Miyamoto Tokima suddenly erupted, the air turning violent.
Currents began to spiral rapidly.
Daiki Aomine quickly stepped back two paces.
A black glow slowly emerged around Miyamoto Tokima, like a darkness that could devour everything.
Everyone in the arena watched him in shock.
Miyamoto Tokima dribbled the ball slowly, under countless horrified gazes...
"Crack!"
...
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