A mighty black panther once again materialized behind Daiki Aomine, exuding overwhelming ferocity.
This was Animal Instinct!
But not the ordinary kind.
Blue lightning crackled within the panther's eyes, flashing nonstop. Its fur grew darker—an inky, abyssal black—giving it an aura of supreme dominance.
Off the court—
Ryota Kise's pupils shrank sharply as he stared at Aomine, stunned.
"Zone Mode… Animal Instinct…"
On the court—
Electric light flickered in Aomine's eyes, mirrored perfectly by the black panther behind him.
A suffocating pressure swept across the entire court, chilling everyone present.
Dicky Anthony gave Aomine a long look before turning away.
Shuzo Nijimura scratched his head helplessly and muttered,
"Good thing I'm playing the fourth match. Otherwise, this would've been a real headache."
He had expected Aomine to improve quickly—but not this quickly.
Activating Animal Instinct in Zone Mode wasn't just difficult. It was on another level entirely.
Because in Zone Mode, what awakened wasn't ordinary Animal Instinct—it was true Zone Animal Instinct, something that drastically amplified one's power.
Animal Instinct alone was already a huge boost.
So what about Animal Instinct under Zone Mode?
Aomine's entire body shimmered with a blue glow. He fixed his lightning-filled gaze on Miyamoto.
"Miyamoto, I'm coming."
Miyamoto smiled faintly.
"Bring it, Aomine."
Aomine grinned—and then he exploded forward.
He shot out like a bolt of lightning, so fast it made people gasp.
The violent friction between his sneakers and the hardwood let out a sharp, grating screech.
Off the court—
Taiga Kagami watched with a grave expression. Even he found Aomine's current strength hard to believe.
Beside him, Shinji Koganei covered his ears.
"That's way too loud!"
On the court—
Aomine drove from the right.
Miyamoto stayed glued to him, refusing to give an inch.
Aomine's smile widened.
'Miyamoto… you're the only one who can make me this excited!'
The grin on his face was the same one he'd worn back in his first year of middle school.
He was truly enjoying this game.
He dribbled continuously—crossovers, spins, feints—throwing out every move in his arsenal.
But no matter what he tried, he couldn't shake Miyamoto's defense.
Finally, with only three seconds left on the shot clock, Aomine suddenly leapt, his body drifting to the right.
His eyes locked onto the rim. With a powerful swing of his right arm, he flung the ball out in a wide, hooking motion.
This time, even Miyamoto reacted a fraction too late.
Clang!
The ball struck the front rim, bounced up—
—and dropped through the net.
Miyamoto turned his head and smiled.
"Aomine, nice shot."
Aomine laughed loudly.
"So? Didn't disappoint you, did I, Miyamoto?"
Miyamoto nodded.
"Not at all. You actually surprised me."
Aomine's growth compared to the original storyline was on an entirely different level.
Back then, he couldn't even sustain Zone for long before running out of stamina.
Now, he had stacked Animal Instinct on top of Zone Mode.
Possession switched.
Kirisaki Daiichi ball.
As expected, the ball went straight to Miyamoto.
He dribbled slowly past half court, meeting Aomine's razor-sharp gaze.
This time—
Miyamoto decided to show a bit more of his strength.
In Aomine's eyes—
Miyamoto had entered the No-Self State.
His entire body radiated a soft, milky-white glow, exactly like the No-Self State he had displayed back in middle school.
Off the court—
The members of Seirin stared in confusion. It was the first time they had seen this form.
Taiga Kagami spoke up bluntly.
"What is that? Why's he glowing white? Is that Zone too?"
Riko Aida kept biting her finger, equally puzzled.
Then she turned to the one person who should know.
"Kuroko, do you know what state that is?"
Tetsuya Kuroko shook his head.
"I don't. This is the first time I've seen Miyamoto-kun in this state as well."
Miyamoto had only activated the No-Self State twice in middle school—once in a one-on-one against Haizaki, and once against Fukuda Middle School.
Kuroko hadn't been present for either game.
Kaijō High was just as confused.
Even Ryota Kise had never seen this before.
On the court—
Miyamoto dribbled up to Aomine, bouncing the ball steadily on his right side.
In that position, a defender could easily attempt a steal with a quick reach.
But Aomine didn't dare.
Not because he was kind—
But because he was wary.
If he reached and missed, Miyamoto would seize that instant to blow past him in a single step.
And at that speed, there would be no recovering.
So Aomine held his ground, eyes fixed on Miyamoto's movements.
Miyamoto thought the same way.
If Aomine went for the steal, he would break past him without hesitation.
Since Aomine stayed put—
Then he would attack head-on.
Before making his move, Miyamoto spoke calmly.
"Ready?"
Aomine's defense tightened instantly.
His focus sharpened to the extreme—no distractions, no slack.
Then—
Miyamoto moved.
With no wind-up, his right hand slammed the ball down. In the same instant, he burst left like a streak of lightning.
Aomine reacted immediately, sliding to cut him off—
But just as his center of gravity shifted, Miyamoto snapped the ball back from his left hand to his right with tremendous force.
The ball struck the floor with a loud crack.
'Damn!'
The sudden second crossover threw Aomine off balance, creating a sliver of space.
And Miyamoto didn't hesitate.
He shifted gears and accelerated—
Blowing straight past Aomine's defensive line in an instant.
...
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