Aomine Daiki and Haizaki Shogo had both entered it.
That state.
That "flow" where perception sharpened, bodies ignited, and the court blurred into streaks of lightning.
BOOM!
Aomine drove into Fukuda Sogo's paint. In a blink, the ball vanished from sight—released behind his back mid-motion.
A soft, impossible finish.
It went in effortlessly.
Haizaki answered immediately.
He bulldozed forward, forcing Aomine back, then rose and slammed the ball into the rim with brutal force.
BOOM!
Both of them were now beyond ordinary logic.
To everyone else on the court, it no longer felt like a basketball game.
It felt like spectators watching two storms collide in real time.
Even the players from Fukuda Sogo and Tōō Academy had unknowingly stepped out of the game.
They were just watching.
Nothing more.
=======
On the stands, Midorima Shintaro exhaled slowly.
"…Monsters."
Beside him, Takao Kazunari was barely able to speak.
"W-was that even real just now?"
"You're not hallucinating. That really happened," Midorima replied calmly.
So this is what it looks like when those two go all out…
Takao swallowed hard.
People like us… are we even playing the same sport?
======
On another side, members of Kaijo High School stood frozen.
Only Kise Ryouta watched with trembling focus, eyes flickering as if trying to capture every detail.
"Ryouta-chan… can you stop that kind of thing?"
"I don't know…"
"They're too strong…"
"They're terrifyingly strong…"
=======
On the bench of Yosen High School:
"Hey… Murasakibara, you couldn't stop that shot either, right?"
"Yeah. No way."
Murasakibara Atsushi answered casually.
But his tone was too calm.
Too certain.
It made everyone else uneasy.
Then, surprisingly, he began analyzing the play.
"When Aomine turned, he had already started shooting. If you can't predict it, you can't defend it."
"But if you do predict it and he drives instead, you're done."
"To defend it, you need prediction, reaction, and vertical reach. Miss one, and it's over."
He paused slightly.
"…That's the problem."
Then silently added in his mind:
Even Akashi might not stop that…
=======
Back on the court.
Haizaki had the ball again.
He faced Aomine.
This time, curiosity sparked in him.
That last shot… I want to try it too.
He dribbled side to side, probing Aomine's defense.
Aomine stayed locked in.
Then Haizaki spun.
Explosive first step.
A clean drive.
A clean release.
SWISH!
The ball dropped.
Haizaki smiled slightly as he turned back.
Aomine looked at him with something unusual—
admiration.
Not frustration.
Not anger.
Admiration.
How many times in life do you meet someone like this?
Aomine raised his hand for the ball.
And the duel continued.
Haizaki tightened his defense.
Aomine responded by changing rhythm violently, trying to shake him off.
But Haizaki stuck to him like a shadow.
I won't let you breathe.
I'll force you to go further.
Aomine's mind sank deeper.
Still not enough… not enough… nowhere near enough…
It felt like descending into an endless black ocean.
Only one thought remained:
More. I need more.
Then Aomine moved.
A leap.
A switch of hands behind the back mid-air.
A hooked release in the same motion.
CLANG!
The ball hit the rim… bounced… and dropped in.
A tough finish.
A beautiful finish.
Haizaki landed and stared at Aomine.
Sweat dripping.
Eyes burning.
He felt it clearly now.
Aomine was evolving mid-game.
But so was his stamina limit.
How far can you go?
And who… will be the one to stop you?
I'm really looking forward to it.
Haizaki raised his hand again.
Let's turn the heat up a little more.
His expression changed.
Cold.
Focused.
Void-like.
He activated full acceleration.
BOOM!
Man-and-ball unity state surged.
He drove straight at Aomine with no hesitation.
No hesitation at all.
Aomine stepped up.
But Haizaki broke through him cleanly.
And finished at the rim.
BOOM!
The ball dropped.
Haizaki landed, turned his back to Aomine, and said calmly:
"I think… I'm already unbeatable now."
=============
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