Backcourt.
A blue glow radiated from Daiki Aomine's entire body, and even his short hair began to flutter unnaturally.
His eyes had turned a deep, dark blue, with arcs of lightning crackling wildly within them.
In an instant, Daiki Aomine burst toward the frontcourt, so fast that no one could react.
The Tōō players barely blinked before he was already in front of Miyamoto Tokima.
Shuzo Nijimura wiped the cold sweat from his face and said with a strained laugh,
"Hey… isn't this boost a bit too insane?"
To be honest, even he could barely keep up with Aomine's movements.
And it wasn't just him; everyone on Kirisaki Daiichi could only just make them out.
Daiki Aomine closed in instantly, his hands switching the ball back and forth at blinding speed.
So fast that afterimages appeared.
Shogo Haizaki was already shaken to the core.
'Damn it… the gap is actually this big?!'
Miyamoto Tokima narrowed his eyes, his focus sharpening.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Wave after wave rippled outward, spreading rapidly.
Aomine locked in and drove hard from the left.
Lightning crackled violently around him.
Clang!
Just as he was about to break through, an iron wall rose up out of nowhere, blocking his path.
Miyamoto Tokima spread his arms to cut him off, reaching in at the same time to strip the ball.
Aomine abruptly stopped, and in that instant, it felt like a pair of massive hands from the abyss had appeared before him.
His heart jolted.
He immediately pulled back, retreating all the way to the three-point line, then took two more steps back.
Cold sweat slid down his forehead as he looked at Miyamoto Tokima, his eyes filled with lingering shock.
On the court, the ripples spreading from Miyamoto Tokima's feet began to change.
The ripples began to burn.
They continued spreading until reaching a certain boundary, then stopped.
Flames flickered along the edge of that boundary.
And that boundary covered the entire three-point arc, plus one step beyond it.
Aomine glanced at the flames beneath his feet and stepped forward slightly.
Boom!
A terrifying sense of danger exploded around him.
And the moment he stepped into that area, he saw it.
He saw it.
He saw that massive black mist.
And those blood-red eyes.
Most of all, above the mist, there seemed to be a pair of enormous black horns.
The sight sent a chill through his entire body, as if something had grabbed hold of his heart.
Aomine instantly pulled his foot back, retreating out of the defensive range.
"Huff… huff… huff…"
Sweat dripped from his forehead onto the floor.
"Miyamoto… is this what you're like when you get serious?"
He lifted his head, his expression grave.
"Is the gap between us… really this big?"
He closed his eyes.
Ever since they first met, he had always been chasing Miyamoto Tokima's shadow.
He had never beaten him.
To win, he had poured everything into it.
And yet, even in this state, just stepping into Miyamoto Tokima's defensive range made his heart pound with fear.
"Does this mean… I have to open that second [Gate]…?"
Aomine muttered, almost as if resigning himself.
He glanced at the clock.
Eight seconds left.
"Hah…"
He exhaled deeply.
"I don't believe it. There's no way I can't win!"
"Miyamoto! I have to beat you just once!"
"Once is enough!"
"Even if it costs me… everything!"
"Miyamoto!!!"
Aomine roared, the lightning in his eyes surging wildly, growing more violent.
Until his entire body was engulfed in crackling arcs.
Six seconds left!
He moved.
Like a bolt of lightning, he shot straight into Miyamoto Tokima's defensive range.
The moment he entered, that overwhelming pressure crashed down on him again.
The terrifying black mist filled his vision.
But this time, Aomine didn't retreat.
He didn't fear it.
There was only pure fighting spirit.
"Ahhh!!!"
"I! WILL! WIN!!!"
Whoosh!
As he roared, the lightning around him pierced straight through the black mist.
The moment it broke through, his vision cleared.
The mist vanished.
"So… this is your [Illusion]?"
"If I can't overcome that fear, then I don't even qualify to face you seriously?"
"Miyamoto… I'm getting more and more excited!"
Aomine charged forward at full speed, with Miyamoto Tokima right on him.
[Iron Wall] rose up again and again around him, and Aomine smashed through them one after another.
Shogo Haizaki's eyes widened in shock.
"The [Iron Wall]… got broken?!"
He could hardly believe it, Miyamoto Tokima's defense, shattered!
Miyamoto Tokima naturally noticed Aomine tearing through his defense.
But he only smiled faintly.
'Daiki… you've gotten stronger. Strong enough for me to get a little serious.'
Aomine kept dribbling, breaking through layer after layer, and drove into the paint.
Without hesitation, he launched a [Formless Shot], trying to catch him off guard.
But in the very next instant,
Smack!
Miyamoto Tokima snatched the ball cleanly with one hand.
The ball vanished from Aomine's grasp mid-air.
Aomine froze in shock.
"How… is that possible…?!"
Miyamoto Tokima held the ball and slowly lifted his head.
His eyes glowed with a golden light.
"Daiki… you're still too naive."
The next second, he pushed off with his right foot and shot forward like an arrow.
The Tōō players tried to stop him.
But with just two quick crossovers, they were sent crashing to the floor.
...
Off the court.
In the stands, Shintaro Midorima shot to his feet, his face filled with shock.
"How is this possible… The [Emperor Eye]…? No… that's not it…"
"Those eyes… are even more terrifying than Akashi's!"
.......