From everyone's perspective on the court, Aomine suddenly closed his eyes—yet his body continued to move, accelerating to catch up to Kuroko.
His aura shifted.
What surrounded him now wasn't merely pressure
It was like a bottomless, fog-shrouded abyss, a black hole ready to devour everything around it.
And from behind him
A jet-black panther leapt forth with a vicious snap of its muscles.
Spectator Stands
Aida Kagetora—who had come to watch the team coached by his daughter—froze, eyes widening.
"This level of wild instinct…? It's almost the same as Shigure Akihito last year!?"
Meanwhile.
Even Kuroko Tetsuya visibly tensed as Aomine's "wildness" exploded across the entire court.
The invisible pressure locked onto him like a predator sighting prey.
"Tetsuya."
Aomine's low voice echoed across the hardwood.
"Your basketball… is seriously interesting."
Aida Riko stiffened.
That..
That technique…?!
It was the same trick Shigure Akihito once performed with his wild instinct:
Close your eyes.
Don't look.
Don't get misled.
Then
you can break through Kuroko's misdirection.
Kuroko's technique was more complex now than his original "vanishing drive," but the core principle was identical.
Clap!
The ball flew out of Kuroko's hands the moment Aomine intercepted it.
Green's glasses nearly slipped off his nose as his eyes widened.
His gaze locked on Aomine slowly opening his eyes again.
"He… actually did it…?"
"Can Aomine really reach this level…?"
Then he shifted to Kuroko.
"Calm.
So calm…"
If Kuroko had been stripped cleanly just now, Aomine in Zone would've counterattacked instantly
Kuroko would never have made it back in time.
Meaning:
They would've failed the double block the next possession.
Both sets of "Emperor Eyes" would've been useless.
Throwing the ball away to force Tōō to restart the play was the correct decision.
Murasakibara, watching from the bench
He was just… blankly impressed.
"Whoa… so strong~
Aomine didn't even use his eyes~"
On the Court
"Make this fun for me, Tetsuya."
Aomine's aura erupted again—steam-like pressure rising from his body.
To the other players watching, that pressure thickened into something like black flames.
Kagami's eyes shot open.
"What?!"
He had thought Aomine's current speed was already outside the bounds of reality.
But no.
He could still go even higher.
Fortunately… there was no counterattack this time.
"Not happening!"
Hyuga stepped up to intercept Kise and delay his pass, buying precious seconds for Haizaki and Kuroko.
Moments later
After Kagami rotated back onto defense, Hyuga exhaled heavily.
The ball had, of course, still found its way into Aomine's hands.
And Haizaki Shōgo and Kuroko Tetsuya were once again in front of him.
Dribble!
Dribble!
Dribble!
Dribble!
Now fully adjusted to Haizaki's "Monster's Immersion: Black Hole Limit," Aomine unleashed his fundamentals without restraint
Ultra-high-speed dribbling.
Behind-the-back feints.
Between-the-legs stop-steps.
Large-arc in-front crossovers.
Haizaki's Emperor Eye saw it
Aomine's next move!
Haizaki lunged
and grabbed nothing but air.
Behind him
Kuroko struck, seeing a step further into the future.
His fingertips brushed the ball
Snap!
But at that moment, the panther behind Aomine roared.
Aomine's reflexes exploded
his wrist twisted, redirecting the dribble entirely.
Kuroko's prediction evaporated instantly.
Haizaki's breath hitched.
"Shi—! That reaction speed…?!"
Haizaki's ice-cold Emperor Eye couldn't cover Kuroko from behind.
So
It was all wild instinct.
That was the only explanation.
Even if their combined prediction could follow Aomine's moves
Aomine's superhuman reflexes in this state would still break through.
If this continued…
The double Emperor Eyes would be broken.
It was only a matter of time.
Aomine knew this too.
He had known since the previous play—when he nearly broke through Haizaki's "Black Hole"—that the limit of their defense was within reach.
Then
The panther behind him burst again, aura flaring.
Aomine rotated his hips, and his speed detonated.
Right-side drive.
Between-the-legs stop
Suddenly
The ball shot between both Haizaki and Kuroko's legs,
bounced against the hardwood,
and launched high into the air.
END OF CHAPTER
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