Chapter 174:

Chapter 211: Roar!!!

Kosuke Wakamatsu clenched his teeth tightly, teetering on the edge of exploding.

Being mocked by his opponents was one thing—but now even his own teammates were mocking him.

If Shoichi Imayoshi hadn’t been standing beside him with a grim expression, holding him back, Wakamatsu might have already rushed forward to start a fight.

Yoshinori Susa had no choice.

Right now, Wakamatsu was basically a ticking time bomb.

Ryo Sakurai kept standing there repeating, “Sorry, sorry,” which hardly inspired any confidence.

If the ball was given to Imayoshi, Aomine might just snatch it anyway.

So in the end, it was safer to pass directly to Aomine.

With that thought, Susa stopped hesitating and passed the ball to Daiki Aomine.

After receiving the pass, Aomine unusually said,

“Thanks.”

Then he immediately charged toward the frontcourt without paying any attention to his teammates.

Imayoshi didn’t move to attack either. He simply held Wakamatsu back near their own basket.

“Aomine!”

Susa called out to him, but when he realized Aomine had no intention of stopping, he prepared to run to the frontcourt as well.

Even if Aomine wouldn’t pass, they could at least help occupy Kirisaki Daiichi’s defenders.

But just as Susa was about to follow, he noticed Imayoshi and Wakamatsu still standing there.

Confused, he asked,

“Imayoshi, Wakamatsu… aren’t you coming on offense?”

Wakamatsu answered first.

He glared at Aomine’s retreating back and spat angrily,

“Isn’t he so amazing?”

“Then let him play by himself!”

Susa froze for a moment and turned toward Imayoshi.

“Imayoshi… you too?”

For once, Imayoshi’s eyes were no longer half-closed.

He opened them fully and stared directly at Susa.

“Susa… do you think Aomine still sees his teammates right now?”

Susa wanted to say something, but the words died in his throat.

Right.

Did Aomine still see them as teammates?

If he did, why would he say that if someone wanted to attack, they should go steal the ball themselves?

Suddenly, Susa seemed to realize something.

He looked at Imayoshi in shock.

“Imayoshi… don’t tell me you’re…!”

Imayoshi nodded firmly.

“Didn’t Aomine say it himself?”

“If we want to attack…”

His tone became heavy.

“Then we’ll go take the ball ourselves.”

After saying that, he said nothing more.

Wakamatsu gritted his teeth and snapped,

“Susa! If you pass to Aomine again, I swear you’ll regret it!”

Susa ignored him and instead looked at Imayoshi.

“Imayoshi! Even Aomine can’t score easily right now. How are we supposed to?!”

Imayoshi glanced toward one of Kirisaki Daiichi’s players and smiled mysteriously.

“No.”

“Kirisaki Daiichi’s defense… has a gap now.”

...

On the other side.

Aomine charged straight toward Kirisaki Daiichi’s defensive line alone.

Nijimura and Haizaki exchanged a glance.

When they realized none of Tōō’s other players were coming up to support the attack, they stopped hesitating.

Both of them immediately moved beside Murasakibara to intercept Aomine.

Hanamiya knew that stepping in would only disrupt their rhythm, so he prepared to run toward Tōō’s half-court.

He was planning to stir up even more trouble.

But this time, Miyamoto grabbed him and stopped him.

After all, the goal of this game was to make Aomine learn to pass—not to let Hanamiya verbally break people again.

Seeing the three defenders in front of him, Aomine didn’t show the slightest fear.

Instead, there was excitement in his eyes.

“Bring it on!”

Aomine roared, no longer holding back.

Crack!

Zone and Animal Instinct activated at the same time, pushing his power to its peak.

Haizaki grinned.

“Let me see it, Aomine.”

“Let me take another good look at your basketball.”

As soon as he finished speaking—

A wolf’s howl echoed across the court.

“Awooo!!!”

A lone wolf appeared behind Haizaki, vivid and lifelike.

Nijimura curled his lips into a smile.

“Three-man defense against you, Aomine.”

“You’ve got something to brag about now.”

As he spoke, a shark gradually appeared behind him, radiating a bloody aura.

Murasakibara felt the dangerous and violent presence beside him and frowned slightly.

“So annoying.”

He wanted to face Aomine himself—not together with Nijimura and Haizaki.

Seeing both of them unleash their Animal Instinct, Aomine’s expression changed slightly.

Things…

seemed to have gotten worse.

...

Off the court.

Taiga Kagami’s expression had already changed drastically.

He pointed toward the court in disbelief.

“Tōō… are they really making Aomine face that alone?!”

Junpei Hyuga seemed to understand what Imayoshi and the others were feeling.

“I’m afraid Aomine brought this on himself.”

“In this entire game, he’s only made one pass.”

“And it went straight to the opponent’s feet.”

Tetsuya Kuroko said calmly,

“Aomine-kun’s passing has always been like that.”

...

On Shūtoku’s side.

Kazunari Takao stared at the strange scene on the court.

“That’s really weird.”

“It’s like the entire Tōō team is isolating Aomine.”

He never expected that someone as strong as Aomine would end up being isolated by his own team.

Midorima pushed up his glasses.

His expression showed no surprise.

“That idiot has always been like that.”

“It was only a matter of time before this happened.”

As he spoke, his tone became more serious.

“He’s too arrogant.”

“So arrogant that he ignores everyone and everything.”

...

On Kaijō’s side.

Ryota Kise watched Aomine standing alone on the court and gave a bitter smile.

He suddenly remembered something Midorima had said before.

“Aomine will one day have to face the consequences of his arrogance.”

“Is this the consequence you’re facing now, Aominecchi?”

...

On the court.

Aomine let out a furious roar.

“Come on!!!”

Electricity crackled across the court alongside the roar of a panther.

The howls of a wolf and the cry of a shark echoed in response.

Lightning flashed.

The panther roared.

The screech of sneakers against the floor rang out as the basketball pounded against the court.

Aomine pushed his speed to the absolute limit, repeatedly attacking the defensive formation formed by Murasakibara and the other two.

But every single attempt failed.

The three-man defense was terrifying.

It was practically impossible to break through.

After two unsuccessful drives, Aomine pulled back to the three-point line to reset the attack.

Suddenly—

A deafening roar echoed throughout the entire arena.

“ROAR!!!”

...

Chapter 212: The Giant Bear!!!

A furious roar filled with savage energy echoed across the entire court.

Daiki Aomine stared intently behind Atsushi Murasakibara and muttered,

“He… awakened too?!”

Off the court, Taiga Kagami’s face had completely stiffened. He shouted in disbelief,

“No way! Don’t tell me everyone on Kirisaki Daiichi has Animal Instinct?!”

On Kaijō’s side, Ryota Kise lowered his head and muttered bitterly,

“So I really am this weak…”

“I never imagined that even you, Murasakibara-cchi… would have Animal Instinct too…”

...

On the court.

Shuzo Nijimura and Shogo Haizaki looked at Murasakibara in surprise.

Clearly, they hadn’t expected him to possess Animal Instinct either.

Miyamoto simply smiled faintly when he saw this, showing no surprise at all.

Momoi had already told him earlier that Murasakibara might possess Animal Instinct.

Murasakibara slowly exhaled a long breath, his eyes filled with ferocity.

Behind him, a massive figure loomed.

Its eyes glowed crimson, its jaws wide open, revealing terrifying fangs.

It was a bear.

A gigantic, terrifying bear!!!

After activating Animal Instinct, Murasakibara radiated a violently oppressive aura that made anyone nearby feel uncomfortable.

He glanced at Nijimura and Haizaki with a fierce look.

“Move.”

Nijimura and Haizaki were stunned for a moment.

They looked at each other, unsure what to do.

Then both of them turned toward Miyamoto, waiting for his decision.

Miyamoto smiled lightly.

“Let Little Murasakibara handle him alone.”

Only then did the two step aside and leave the defense to Murasakibara.

Once they moved away, Murasakibara focused entirely on Aomine again.

Nijimura walked over, looking puzzled.

“Miyamoto, even if Murasakibara activated Animal Instinct… stopping Aomine alone is still pushing it.”

Miyamoto waved his hand casually.

“Let Little Murasakibara have some fun.”

“We’re winning this game anyway.”

“Besides, this lets him experience the pressure of the Zone by himself.”

“That will help him awaken the Zone later.”

At that moment, Miyamoto’s gaze sharpened.

“After all… Little Murasakibara has already pushed the Gate open a crack.”

...

On the other side.

As Aomine felt the violent aura coming from Murasakibara, his blood began to boil.

“Who would’ve thought…”

“Murasakibara, you actually have this kind of strength.”

“Looks like you didn’t completely slack off on training after all.”

“In that case…”

“Let’s have a proper fight!”

A grin spread across Aomine’s face as he began his drive.

He used streetball-style dribbling to shift Murasakibara’s balance, then seized a brief moment of hesitation and exploded forward into the paint.

With Nijimura and Haizaki gone, Aomine’s attack became much smoother.

Even though Murasakibara had activated Animal Instinct, he still couldn’t stop Aomine, who had both Zone and Animal Instinct active.

Aomine sprinted straight toward the basket.

Just as he prepared to dunk—

Rapid footsteps suddenly thundered from behind him.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Then a violent aura appeared behind him.

“ROAR!!!”

While still in midair, Aomine suddenly felt someone appear behind him.

That person blocked out the sky, casting a shadow over him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Murasakibara.

His eyes were blazing with ferocity, and the giant bear behind him roared violently.

It looked ready to crush everything in its path.

But even then, Aomine showed no panic.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

The hand that had been about to dunk suddenly pulled back, and his body curled up as he flew behind the basket.

Murasakibara could only watch.

He was simply too tall.

He had jumped too high, making it impossible for him to curl up and move behind the basket like Aomine.

Right in front of him—

Aomine tossed the basketball behind the hoop.

And then…

The ball hit Murasakibara’s hand.

“Whistle! Goaltending! Basket counts, two points!”

The referee immediately blew the whistle.

Aomine smiled as if everything had happened exactly as he expected.

He glanced at Murasakibara, then turned and ran back on defense.

Meanwhile, Murasakibara kept breathing heavily.

Not because he was tired.

But because he was suppressing his anger.

Watching this scene, Miyamoto suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Murasakibara’s Animal Instinct…

felt very similar to Dicky Anthony’s.

The difference was that Murasakibara could barely control it, while Dicky Anthony couldn’t control it at all at the beginning.

...

Possession switched.

Murasakibara received Hanamiya’s pass near the free-throw line.

He stared fiercely at Aomine, breathing heavily like a raging bear.

Behind him, the giant bear bared its fangs, waiting for the moment to hunt.

Aomine’s eyes sparkled as he stared at the basketball in Murasakibara’s hands.

Behind him, the black panther crackled with blue lightning in its eyes, its body poised to strike.

The two locked eyes.

Then Murasakibara attacked.

There was no fancy technique.

He simply turned his back to Aomine and began backing him down.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Each impact pushed Aomine back one step… sometimes two.

Behind Murasakibara, the giant bear raised its massive paws and slammed them down again and again onto the black panther.

The panther couldn’t withstand the blows and was forced to retreat step by step.

But its eyes remained sharp.

It was waiting.

Waiting for the perfect chance to deliver a killing blow.

...

On the court, Murasakibara continued his relentless post-up.

Aomine kept getting pushed backward by Murasakibara’s overwhelming strength.

None of the Tōō players stepped forward to help.

Of course, even if they did, Aomine wouldn’t welcome it.

Because this was a battle between him and Murasakibara.

No one else needed to interfere.

Finally, after Murasakibara backed him all the way to the basket, he prepared to turn around.

At that moment—

Aomine seized the opportunity.

SMACK!!!

He slapped the ball straight out of Murasakibara’s hands.

A flicker of surprise flashed through Murasakibara’s fierce eyes.

Just as both of them moved to grab the loose ball—

A figure suddenly dashed in and grabbed it.

That person was Shoichi Imayoshi.

...

Chapter 213: Fighting Spirit Fading

Shoichi Imayoshi picked up the basketball without looking at Daiki Aomine’s expression and immediately shouted,

“Fast break!!!”

The rest of Tōō reacted instantly, sprinting toward Kirisaki Daiichi’s half of the court.

Aomine watched his teammates rushing forward and fell silent for a moment.

So… they had taken the right to attack.

With that, Aomine exited both Zone and Animal Instinct and simply stood under his own basket without joining the offense.

At this point, Tōō had essentially split into two factions.

One was Aomine’s solo-play side.

The other was the cooperative side led by Imayoshi.

Now that Imayoshi had the ball, Aomine naturally wouldn’t shamelessly demand it.

So he decisively withdrew from Zone and Animal Instinct to conserve energy.

The current Aomine was terrifyingly strong.

Just the fact that he could freely enter and exit both Zone and Animal Instinct already made him extremely dangerous.

However, while Aomine stopped moving, Murasakibara did not.

He sprinted forward at full speed, preparing to intercept Tōō’s fast break.

Nijimura and the others did the same, quickly retreating.

Soon, they cut off Tōō’s advance.

Imayoshi’s face twisted into an awkward grimace as he looked at Kirisaki Daiichi like he was staring at monsters.

...

In the stands.

Junpei Hyuga’s lips trembled slightly as he muttered,

“That transition defense is insanely fast…”

...

On the court.

Miyamoto remained in Tōō’s frontcourt instead of retreating on defense. He walked over beside Aomine and said,

“Aomine, how does it feel to be abandoned by your teammates?”

Aomine let out a cold scoff.

“They’re just struggling pointlessly.”

“There’s no way they can score against your teammates with their level.”

“That kind of gap in ability can’t be fixed by passing or teamwork.”

To be honest, Miyamoto didn’t entirely disagree.

He knew his teammates’ strength very well.

Forget Tōō—if even Rakuzan’s players tried to attack them, they would still struggle.

“Aomine, you’re not wrong.”

“But there’s one thing you’ve misunderstood.”

Aomine looked up in confusion.

“What?”

Miyamoto looked toward Tōō’s players still trying to attack and smiled.

“Even if your teammates aren’t strong enough, that’s not a reason for you to become a lone wolf.”

“Sometimes… even small characters can explode with power.”

Aomine frowned slightly.

At the moment, he couldn’t quite understand what Miyamoto meant.

Since he couldn’t understand it, he simply stopped thinking about it.

Instead, he turned his attention to the frontcourt to see how Imayoshi and the others planned to attack.

...

Imayoshi scanned Kirisaki Daiichi’s players.

Their man-to-man defense was suffocating.

Up until now, he hadn’t seen a single passing lane.

Damn it.

Even without the [Magic Cube], their defense is still this airtight?

Looks like the only breakthrough point… is still you.

Imayoshi’s gaze unconsciously fell on Makoto Hanamiya.

In his mind, Kirisaki Daiichi only had one weak point.

Even though that “weak point” was still extremely solid, compared to the rest of their iron wall, it was the thinnest spot.

Imayoshi took a deep breath.

For once, he opened his eyes completely and stared straight into Hanamiya’s.

“Hanamiya… I never thought I’d be facing you in a situation like this.”

Hanamiya sneered.

“So what if you did?”

“Do you really think you can break through me?”

Imayoshi’s gaze became firm.

“Why not?”

Hanamiya’s eyes sharpened dangerously.

“You’re welcome to try.”

With that, Imayoshi began dribbling, probing for an opening.

Hanamiya stared intently at his footwork, constantly predicting Imayoshi’s attacking path.

Finally—

Imayoshi moved.

He pushed the ball to the right and drove forward.

Right side!

Hanamiya instantly analyzed the route and slid sideways to intercept.

Imayoshi was startled.

How?!

He immediately changed direction and tried to drive from the other side.

But Hanamiya was already there again.

Imayoshi didn’t hesitate.

He spun around and turned his back to the basket.

Hanamiya focused on Imayoshi’s shoulders.

Half-spin.

He instantly predicted the move and stayed exactly where he was.

Just as expected.

After the half-spin, Imayoshi tried to break through again.

But when he drove forward—

Hanamiya was still there.

Imayoshi had no choice but to retreat to the perimeter and reset the offense.

Shock filled his face.

How is this possible?!

His defense has become this strong?!

Imayoshi had never imagined Hanamiya’s defensive ability could grow to this level.

This defense…

It was like a spider’s web.

Suddenly—

Imayoshi noticed something terrifying.

Behind Hanamiya, a faint shadow appeared.

But it was too blurry to make out what it was.

Aomine also noticed the shadow.

He turned to Miyamoto and cursed,

“Damn it, Miyamoto! What kind of training does your team even do?!”

Miyamoto couldn’t see the shadow.

He only felt Hanamiya’s aura change slightly before returning to normal.

Thinking Aomine was simply asking, he laughed.

“Want to know?”

“I can teach you.”

Aomine’s mouth twitched.

He turned his head away.

I’ve already awakened Animal Instinct. What the hell would I learn from you?

...

On the court.

Imayoshi stared at Hanamiya in horror.

“M-monsters…”

“All of you in Kirisaki Daiichi are monsters!!!”

Hanamiya looked delighted.

He clearly enjoyed the title.

“Thanks for the compliment.”

Imayoshi clenched his teeth.

Despair began creeping into his heart.

How are we supposed to play against this?

The only gap in their defense couldn’t be broken through.

Everywhere else was solid steel.

As unwilling as he was to admit it, Imayoshi had to accept the truth.

Right now…

They didn’t even have the strength to challenge Kirisaki Daiichi.

So how were they supposed to keep playing?

Should they just…

give up?

At that moment, a voice suddenly spoke.

“What’s wrong, Imayoshi?”

“Has your fighting spirit… already disappeared?”

...

Chapter 214: Two Gates — Aomine, Which Will You Choose?

Hanamiya sneered as he said those words.

Seeing Hanamiya’s punchable expression, a surge of defiance rose inside Imayoshi.

Gritting his teeth, Imayoshi launched another attack.

Hanamiya exaggeratedly mocked him.

“Oh? Oh? Oh? Still not convinced?”

Then his tone suddenly turned cold, sending chills down the spine.

“You don’t seriously think… you can protect the ball, do you?”

The next second—

SMACK!!!

Right in front of Imayoshi’s shocked eyes, Hanamiya slapped the ball away and stole it.

He might not be able to stop Aomine…

but dealing with you is no problem.

After stealing the ball, Hanamiya immediately grabbed it and rushed forward.

But someone was even faster.

Whoosh!

Atsushi Murasakibara!

Despite his massive size, Murasakibara was sprinting at incredible speed.

Seeing this, Hanamiya immediately flicked the ball forward to him.

From the backcourt, Miyamoto watched Murasakibara rushing forward and smiled.

“Aomine, your opponent’s here.”

After saying that, Miyamoto stepped aside toward the sideline, leaving the lane open.

Aomine didn’t say a word.

He simply responded with his actions.

Crack!!!

Zone and Animal Instinct activated at the same time.

Aomine spread his arms and waited for Murasakibara.

Behind Murasakibara, the giant bear roared toward the sky.

His eyes burned with terrifying intensity.

He stared straight at Aomine, his speed not slowing in the slightest—clearly planning to charge straight through.

Aomine blinked in surprise.

“Wait, wait, wait… seriously?! Hold on!”

Even he panicked a little.

A full-speed Murasakibara charging straight at him? Who would dare block that?

But Murasakibara ignored him completely.

He continued charging forward without slowing down.

Aomine took a deep breath and braced himself for defense.

The next moment—

BOOM!

“Ugh!”

A dull groan echoed as Aomine was instantly sent flying by the collision.

Miyamoto covered his eyes.

Brutal.

That was way too brutal.

“Whistle! Offensive foul!”

The referee immediately blew the whistle and called an offensive foul on Murasakibara.

Hearing the whistle, Murasakibara stopped attacking, casually dropped the ball, and turned around to retreat on defense.

Miyamoto walked over and pulled Aomine up with a grin.

“Aomine, you’re pretty brave. You actually took that head-on.”

Aomine rubbed his chest while standing up, wincing.

“Damn it… Murasakibara didn’t hold back at all.”

...

Possession changed.

This time, Susa didn’t pass the ball to Aomine.

Instead, he passed it to Imayoshi and let him control the offense.

Aomine couldn’t complain.

Right now, he and the rest of Tōō weren’t exactly on the same side.

But just as he was about to give up on the play—

The ball suddenly flew into his hands.

Aomine looked at the ball in confusion and raised his head toward Imayoshi.

“Imayoshi… you…”

Imayoshi smiled awkwardly.

“Well… what can I do, Aomine?”

“I really can’t beat them.”

“So our ace will have to carry us to victory.”

Aomine froze for a moment.

Thinking about what he had said earlier, a sense of guilt slowly surfaced.

“Imayoshi… I…”

Wakamatsu suddenly stepped forward.

“Alright, Aomine! Enough talking!”

“Just go already!”

Aomine looked at Wakamatsu blankly for a moment.

Then he smiled in relief.

“Got it!”

He immediately dribbled toward the frontcourt.

Imayoshi looked confused.

“Wakamatsu… why did you…”

Wakamatsu sighed.

“Imayoshi, you were right.”

“We really can’t help much.”

“But compared to personal grudges… I still prefer the team winning.”

He paused for a moment, then angrily added,

“But that bastard Aomine! After the game, I’m definitely not talking to him!”

Imayoshi laughed softly.

Wakamatsu… you’re really soft-hearted under that tough mouth.

...

Aomine dribbled toward the frontcourt, completely unfazed by Murasakibara’s defense.

With a series of quick dribbles, he shook Murasakibara off and drove straight to the basket.

Then he finished with a difficult acrobatic layup.

As he ran back on defense, Aomine felt conflicted.

After everything he had said…

Imayoshi still trusted him and passed the ball.

For the first time, Aomine hesitated.

Did I… actually make a mistake?

At that moment—

“Aomine, what are you thinking about?”

Miyamoto ran beside him.

Aomine looked at him.

The person he had always chased.

Still so powerful.

Still so overwhelming.

Maybe…

only he knew the answer.

“Miyamoto… do you think…”

“In a desperate situation… I should really entrust hope to my teammates?”

Miyamoto paused.

He replayed the entire game in his mind.

Putting himself in Aomine’s shoes…

he realized something.

Aomine hadn’t really done anything wrong.

His teammates weren’t strong.

The team was cornered.

And he was the only one capable of breaking through.

In that situation…

should he really pass the ball to unstable teammates?

Yes.

But only at the right moment.

If a teammate had a good opportunity, he would pass.

After all—

in a team sport, scoring is everything.

“Aomine, I never asked you to pass unselfishly.”

“I just want you to understand the importance of passing.”

“When you’re truly cornered, only your teammates can share the pressure with you.”

“No one else can.”

“You can’t only pass and never hold the ball.”

“That kind of player depends entirely on others.”

“But you also can’t only attack and never pass.”

“Basketball is a five-player sport.”

“Two fists can’t beat four hands—let alone ten.”

“So I want you to make the best choice at the right moment.”

“Whether that choice is to pass…”

“or to attack.”

“When you truly understand that…”

“you’ll be able to see the world beyond the real Gate.”

Aomine listened quietly.

His mind slowly processed Miyamoto’s words.

Then—

his vision suddenly flashed.

When he came back to his senses…

he found himself standing in front of two Gates.

One was covered in black mist.

The other shone with noble brilliance.

A tall shadow stood as the gatekeeper of the black gate.

The other gate had a much smaller guardian by comparison.

Two Gates.

Aomine Daiki…

which one will you choose?

...

Chapter 215: The Rational Use of Eloquence

Daiki Aomine stared at the two massive gates in front of him.

Because of the strange feeling the black mist gate had given him earlier, he instinctively walked toward the other gate.

But just as he reached it, the dark shadow appeared again and blocked his way.

Aomine cursed immediately.

“Damn it! If I ever find out who you are—!”

With no other option, he turned and walked toward the black mist gate.

Before approaching it, he swallowed nervously. The pressure that gate had given him before was terrifying.

But this time, something was different.

Instead of pressure, he walked toward it with surprising ease.

Even stranger, the gatekeeper didn’t stop him this time. Instead, it stepped aside.

Aomine frowned, confused.

Still, confusion didn’t stop him.

He stretched both hands forward, pressed them against the gate—

and pushed with all his strength!!!

...

Yeah.

It didn’t open.

Retreat!!!

Darkness filled Aomine’s vision again. When he regained awareness, he found himself back on the basketball court.

Questions immediately flooded his mind.

What exactly was that black mist gate?

Who was that gatekeeper?

And why couldn’t he push the gate open?

Unfortunately, this was still the middle of a game. He had no time to think about it.

After exchanging a glance with Miyamoto, Aomine moved forward to defend Murasakibara again.

Murasakibara showed no mercy.

He repeatedly backed Aomine down with brute force, bullied his way under the basket, and finished with a hook shot.

On Tōō’s side, the offense still revolved around Aomine.

As a result, the third quarter turned into a direct duel between Murasakibara and Aomine.

Murasakibara couldn’t stop Aomine once Zone and Animal Instinct were active.

But Aomine could seize opportunities to steal the ball during Murasakibara’s post-ups.

This made things extremely uncomfortable for Murasakibara.

Later on, Tōō’s other players even started helping Aomine, combining their strength to resist Murasakibara’s power.

Murasakibara, however, had completely lost his composure and refused to pass.

Because of that, he failed to score a single point in the last two minutes.

He was completely suppressed.

The score became 93–55.

The gap remained enormous.

“Beep! End of the third quarter!”

The referee blew the whistle.

Both teams’ starters returned to the bench to rest.

...

After sitting down, Momoi glanced at the scoreboard and the renewed fighting spirit in Tōō’s players before calmly saying,

“In the fourth quarter, Haizaki and Nijimura-senpai will take the lead on offense.”

“If anyone else gets an open look, move the ball.”

Haizaki looked surprised.

“Wait, Momoi… you—”

Momoi narrowed her eyes and smiled gently.

“I think it’s about time.”

“After all… they’ve already seen hope.”

Haizaki and the others swallowed.

For the first time, they felt like they were seeing Momoi differently.

Using the gentlest words…

to execute the cruelest strategy.

Destroy their spirit.

Momoi clearly intended for them to push harder and completely crush Tōō’s last bit of hope.

Leave nothing behind.

...

On the other side, Harasawa had also figured something out.

Getting Aomine to give up the ball entirely was impossible.

And unrealistic.

Because the rest of Tōō simply didn’t have the ability to score against Kirisaki Daiichi’s defense.

But passing didn’t mean teammates had to attack.

Passing and attacking were two different things.

And judging from the current situation, whenever Aomine passed the ball, the team would gain far more options.

If Aomine passed to an open teammate while being double-teamed, that teammate could:

take the open shot.

Or pass the ball back to Aomine for another attack.

That meant multiple options—not just one.

(Some people think that after passing, the teammate must attack. That’s wrong!)

(Passing means more choices. If you play solo, you only have one option. But if you pass and reorganize the offense—or give the ball to an open teammate—you suddenly have many.)

(Don’t forget—you have four teammates.)

“Aomine, listen carefully. In the fourth quarter, you can pass the ball, because…”

After explaining the advantages and options of passing, Harasawa asked,

“Do you understand, Aomine?”

Aomine didn’t respond.

He remained silent, clearly still thinking.

Harasawa didn’t press further.

Changing the mindset of a genius was never easy.

For ordinary people, change was simple—they understood they had flaws that needed correction.

But geniuses were different.

They excelled in one area to an extreme, and their personalities tended to become stubborn.

Tōō’s entire bench fell into silence.

Harasawa didn’t even bother arranging tactics.

There was no point.

If Aomine refused to pass, what tactics could they possibly run?

Everything…

would be left to fate.

...

“Beep! Fourth quarter begins! Both teams, please return to the court!”

Nijimura smiled when he heard the whistle.

“My turn.”

Haizaki grinned.

“Nijimura-senpai, I’m here too.”

Hanamiya gave a sinister smile and put down the book in his hand.

“Looks like I can try some new techniques again.”

Curious, Miyamoto glanced at the book Hanamiya had just set down.

The title read:

The Rational Use of Eloquence

Miyamoto opened the first page out of curiosity.

…

Six pages in.

Pure national-level profanity.

And all locally produced.

What’s the difference between this and hiding adult content inside a “Five Years of Exam Questions, Three Years of Simulation” workbook?

This is practically helping pe—

No.

This is absolutely harmful to society!

Miyamoto shut the book with a dark expression.

“Disgraceful… truly disgraceful.”

...

Kirisaki Daiichi kept the same lineup as before, with Dicky Anthony resting.

Dicky Anthony was still in a state of “enlightenment,” quietly contemplating his Animal Instinct.

Tōō also sent out their full starting lineup.

The reason their stamina looked so good was simple.

For the first three quarters, almost everything had been handled by Aomine.

The only one truly exhausted was Aomine himself.

Zone and Animal Instinct had consumed most of his energy.

It was unlikely he could activate them again in the fourth quarter.

Aomine knew his condition clearly.

Activating Zone and Animal Instinct for the entire fourth quarter was impossible.

If he did, he might collapse after one minute.

Thinking about this, Aomine glanced at his teammates.

Could it be…

that I really have to rely on them?

After thinking for a moment—

Aomine finally made his decision.

...