The moment Miyamoto Tokima landed, the black mist vanished without a trace, as if it had never appeared.
But the thunderous applause, the gasps from the crowd, and the Tōō players still collapsed on the court—
all proved one thing.
That black mist just now… was real.
It truly existed.
That black mist was Miyamoto Tokima's Animal Instinct!!!
As the mist faded, the crushing weight pressing down on Tōō gradually lifted.
The sense of danger, the bone-deep chill, the overwhelming fear—all of it disappeared.
What remained was only the relief of having survived.
And a lingering daze they couldn't quite shake off.
Seeing this, Miyamoto Tokima immediately understood what had happened.
He let out a helpless smile and muttered to himself,
"Ah… I just wanted to pull off a cool dunk, so I got a bit serious."
"I didn't expect… that I'd actually trigger my Animal Instinct a little. Hope I didn't scare them too much."
Shaking his head with a wry smile, he slowly walked back to the backcourt.
Everyone on Tōō, except Daiki Aomine, looked at Miyamoto Tokima with lingering fear.
What they had just witnessed was simply too terrifying.
For a moment, it had felt like they were already standing at death's door.
"Haha… hahaha… hahahahahaha!!!"
Suddenly, loud laughter rang out.
The Tōō players snapped out of their daze and turned toward the sound.
The same went for Kirisaki Daiichi—and Miyamoto Tokima as well.
They saw Daiki Aomine standing there with his head lowered, laughter spilling out uncontrollably.
"Hahahahaha… sorry, sorry, I just couldn't hold it in…"
He slowly raised his head, a grin spreading uncontrollably across his face.
"I'm just… too excited!"
"Miyamoto! So it was you! You're the gatekeeper of that [Gate]!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
"Interesting! This is way too interesting! Miyamoto! Just like I thought—only you! Only you can make me go all out!"
"And only you… can truly defeat me!"
Daiki Aomine suddenly stopped laughing, though the smile remained. His voice turned firm, each word deliberate.
"Miyamoto! Let's have a real match! Just me—and you!"
Looking at him, Miyamoto Tokima felt something stir within him—something he hadn't felt in a long time.
It was heat.
The same heat as when he first met Daiki Aomine.
Back then, it was that very passion and fighting spirit that made him, after twelve years of going through the motions, accept Aomine's one-on-one challenge.
And now, it felt like he had returned to that very moment.
Miyamoto Tokima smiled—bright and genuine.
"Haha, got it, Aomine. Then let's really go at it. Just you—and me!"
At this moment, Miyamoto Tokima was finally stepping in for real.
He was no longer the Miyamoto who built systems and nurtured others.
Now, he was simply a player—
a player who wanted a true head-on clash!
Miyamoto Tokima!
Possession switched.
Daiki Aomine stood in the backcourt, receiving a pass from Kosuke Wakamatsu.
Everyone on Tōō understood.
There was nothing left for them to do.
The game had completely turned into a one-on-one between Daiki Aomine and Miyamoto Tokima.
Aomine gripped the ball and took a deep breath.
A fire burned in his chest.
His blood felt like it was boiling.
In this moment—
he was back at their very first meeting.
In that game, he had suffered a crushing defeat.
And now… he might lose again.
But even if he lost—
he would lose proudly.
He would lose without holding anything back.
Daiki Aomine's gaze hardened, as if it pierced through time itself.
For his past self, his present self, and his future self—
he made a vow.
"Miyamoto! I will… defeat you!"
In the next instant—
blue lightning crackled into existence within his eyes.
It surged wildly, fierce and unstoppable.
Behind him, a black panther with lightning flickering in its eyes appeared.
And then—
the panther began to merge into his body.
...
Off the court.
From Shūtoku's side.
Shintaro Midorima lowered his head, his glasses reflecting a stark white glare.
"Aomine… you've started syncing too…"
...
On the court.
The black panther fully merged into Daiki Aomine's body and disappeared.
He closed his eyes and took another deep breath.
The presence of his Animal Instinct receded sharply, almost as if it had vanished.
But when he opened his eyes again, they had deepened into a darker shade of blue.
At the same time, the lightning of the Zone grew even more violent.
It crackled not only in his eyes, but around his arms, his legs—his entire body.
Like living lightning.
The next second, Daiki Aomine burst forward, charging toward the frontcourt at a speed far beyond his usual.
Seeing this, Miyamoto Tokima's face broke into a long-awaited smile.
"You've finally taken that step… the fusion of Zone and Animal Instinct!"
Animal Instinct typically manifests behind or beside the user.
Once activated, its effects vary depending on its type—for example, Daiki Aomine's Black Panther enhances speed and instinct.
This is the most common form.
But there's another form—
when it synchronizes with the body… and fuses with it.
At that stage, it becomes difficult for others to perceive, because the body itself becomes the vessel of the beast.
The most basic requirement for this state is monstrous physical ability.
And in the Black Dragon Team, only Zack has reached this level.
There's also another state—
activating Animal Instinct while in the Zone.
In that case, the Animal Instinct operates within the Zone, making its amplification even more terrifying.
So far, Miyamoto Tokima had only seen two people capable of using Animal Instinct within the Zone.
Jason Silver—and Daiki Aomine.
And now—
Daiki Aomine had not only fused the Zone into his body, but activated his Animal Instinct at the same time.
This was the first time Miyamoto Tokima had ever seen such a state.
This wasn't a simple one-plus-one effect.
Put plainly—
Daiki Aomine right now was more than twice as strong as he had been when combining Zone with externally manifested Animal Instinct.
Even if Taiga Kagami—after opening the second [Gate] in the original story—came with the entire Seirin team—
they would still be completely overwhelmed by Daiki Aomine alone.
At this moment—
everyone else, unless they were on the level of a Zone-activated Generation of Miracles, had become nothing more than background.
Watching Daiki Aomine charge straight toward him, Miyamoto Tokima smiled from the bottom of his heart.
"Aomine… you really didn't disappoint me."
"Your talent… at this very moment… has finally been realized!"
...
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