Daiki Aomine's gaze was sharp, his deep blue eyes flickering with a fierce, predatory light.
He lowered his center of gravity, and then...
Whoosh!
He vanished in an instant.
Shogo Haizaki couldn't react at all.
"Damn it!"
He knew he'd been blown past by Daiki Aomine again, so he quickly twisted his body and tried to chase him down.
But Aomine showed no real intention of attacking the paint. The moment he got past his defender, he immediately rose up for a jump shot.
Atsushi Murasakibara tried to step in to help, but Aomine's drive and release were far too quick.
Even with his absurd mobility, he couldn't make it in time.
Aomine locked onto the rim and flicked the ball with his left hand.
Swish!
The ball dropped cleanly through the hoop.
Haizaki had just turned around in time to see it. His chest rose and fell, his face filled with frustration and unwillingness.
After landing, Aomine glanced at him, then turned and headed back on defense.
Haizaki remained where he stood, resentment surging in his chest.
"Haizaki, you and I are the same kind of people..."
Aomine spoke as he passed by him.
Haizaki froze, murmuring under his breath.
"The same kind... of people?"
He lowered his head and let out a bitter chuckle.
"Yeah. We are. We're both people obsessed to the extreme."
"You keep evolving just to chase Tokima-san's footsteps."
"And am I any different?"
"I want it... I want it so badly..."
"I want to stand beside Tokima-san and see the view at the very top of the future..."
"So, Aomine... in this match... I will defeat you!!!"
"For that!"
Haizaki suddenly raised his head, his expression twisting into something ferocious.
"I'll give everything I have!!!"
Off the court.
Shintaro Midorima seemed to sense something and immediately closed his eyes.
He arrived before the [Gate].
The moment he got there, his eyes sharpened.
He quickly scanned the dim silhouettes around him before locking onto one standing in front of the gate.
Focus!!!
The shadow gradually solidified. It was Shogo Haizaki.
Before the [Gate], Haizaki wore a twisted expression as he stared at the massive structure. Slowly, he raised both hands.
Then he shoved forward with all his strength.
Crack...
The [Gate]... opened!
Midorima clenched his fists, unwillingness filling his chest.
He lifted his head again and looked at the great [Gate].
One glance... [A thousand years!!!]
.......
On the court.
A dangerous aura began to seep from Haizaki's body, as if something inside him was breaking free.
Shuzo Nijimura clearly recognized it. He smiled, genuinely happy for Haizaki.
Aomine also turned to look.
Haizaki's closed eyes slowly opened.
The moment they did, white-gray lightning flashed violently!
Katz!!!
Aomine grinned.
"Hahaha! Haizaki! I knew you could do it!"
Then his expression suddenly froze.
"No... it's not just the Zone!"
He stared at Haizaki in disbelief.
Not only was white-gray lightning flickering in Haizaki's eyes, but a faint milky-white glow had begun to radiate from his body as well.
Nijimura's eyes widened as he muttered in shock,
"You... you've got to be kidding... No-Self?!"
Haizaki showed no expression. He simply jogged slowly toward the frontcourt, silent, without even glancing around.
His eyes were fixed on one person.
Daiki Aomine.
Aomine spoke.
"No-Self can actually coexist with the Zone? How is that even possible?!"
He was deeply shaken. In his mind, No-Self was practically a skill that belonged solely to Miyamoto Tokima.
If anyone else could awaken it, the most likely would have been Ryota Kise, since his [Copying] was so similar in nature to No-Self.
But he never expected that Shogo Haizaki would be the first to achieve it.
Aomine suddenly thought of something and muttered in surprise,
"Wait... could it be..."
A bold guess formed in his mind.
Haizaki must have realized that his [Pillage] didn't create any psychological burden on them, which meant it was essentially ineffective.
The essence of [Pillage] is to prevent others from using the skills that have been taken.
But if you take someone's move and they can still use it, then is it really [Pillage]?
Doesn't that just become [Copying]?
Haizaki must have realized this and changed his approach.
If [Pillage] doesn't work, then I'll [Copy]!
Which means...
He could switch freely between [Pillage] and [Copying].
And after entering a state of complete mental clarity, reaching No-Self, his [Copying] would become even more seamless.
Aomine curled his lips slightly and murmured,
"Kise... what could he possibly use to compare with Haizaki now?"
Possession switched.
Kirisaki Daiichi had the ball.
Makoto Hanamiya naturally didn't hold onto it. As soon as he crossed half court, he passed it straight to Haizaki.
Without even turning his head, Haizaki reached out with his left hand and caught the ball cleanly.
From start to finish, his gaze never left Aomine.
Aomine lowered his stance, fully focused, preparing to defend.
Seeing Aomine's low posture, Haizaki instinctively made the optimal choice.
He shot.
Aomine immediately leaped to block.
But the moment he jumped, he realized something was off.
"This is..."
Off the court.
A flicker of surprise appeared in Midorima's eyes.
Kazunari Takao shot to his feet.
"Shintaro! That's your...!"
Midorima quickly regained his composure and nodded.
"Yeah. My shot."
On the court.
Haizaki's body was perfectly straight. His right arm was raised high, nearly fully extended.
Aomine had jumped late, and with Haizaki's absurdly high release point, there was no way to block it.
Haizaki snapped his wrist and released the ball.
It streaked through the air, tracing a beautiful arc.
Swish!
…