"Beep! The second quarter begins! Both teams, take the court!"
At the signal, Miyamoto Tokima removed his jacket, revealing the number 4 jersey of the Black Dragon Team, then slowly stepped onto the court.
On the Dragon Slayer Team's side, Shogo Haizaki fell silent when he saw Miyamoto Tokima replacing Allen.
Wasn't it supposed to be Allen? Why the hell did they switch to Tokima-san?!
What the hell am I supposed to do against him?!
Shogo Haizaki felt like crying. He turned toward the bench, regret written all over his face.
On the bench, Ryota Kise and the others gave him encouraging gestures, their expressions deadly serious.
Clearly, they were desperately trying not to laugh.
Left with no choice, Shogo Haizaki steeled himself and stepped onto the court.
Looking utterly miserable, he walked up to Miyamoto Tokima and said awkwardly,
"Tokima-san... please go easy on me."
Miyamoto Tokima was also holding back a laugh.
He had already guessed what Shogo Haizaki had been thinking, so he patted him on the shoulder and said,
"I'll try."
The second quarter began.
The Black Dragon Team had possession.
Since Seijuro Akashi had been substituted out, Nash Gold saw no reason to activate his [Belial Eye].
There was no need.
Tokima-san was already on the court. Why the hell would he still use it?
If he activated [Belial Eye] before Tokima-san came on, then kept using it afterward, wouldn't Tokima-san's substitution have been pointless?!
Nash Gold slowly dribbled into the frontcourt. Just as he was about to pass the ball straight to Miyamoto Tokima without a second thought, he sensed something strange.
Someone had suddenly appeared in front of him.
That was right. Suddenly.
Nash Gold had not noticed this person at all while bringing the ball up the court. Only after reaching the frontcourt did he subconsciously become aware of him.
Nash Gold paused, then took a closer look at Tetsuya Kuroko.
'It's that kid from yesterday. His presence...'
'It's unbelievably weak.'
'Can someone like this... really play basketball?'
Nash Gold had no idea how Tetsuya Kuroko had even made it onto the court, but since he had been sent in, he had to be useful somehow.
So Nash Gold remained wary of him.
For all of one moment.
The next second, he passed the ball to Miyamoto Tokima.
Miyamoto Tokima caught it and smiled helplessly.
He had only just stepped onto the court, yet they were already pushing the offense onto him.
As he thought that, Miyamoto Tokima glanced at Shogo Haizaki.
Then he was left speechless.
Shogo Haizaki was trembling so badly that he did not dare defend him at all.
With no other choice, Miyamoto Tokima gathered the ball and immediately took the shot.
His form was graceful, and the release was lightning-fast.
The ball dropped cleanly through the hoop.
Shogo Haizaki merely raised a hand for appearances' sake. He did not even try to close the distance.
Seeing this, Taiga Kagami immediately shouted,
"Haizaki, switch!"
To Shogo Haizaki, those words sounded like music from heaven. He agreed without the slightest hesitation.
"Got it!"
He answered so quickly that everyone was stunned.
Possession changed hands.
The Dragon Slayer Team had the ball.
Because of Tetsuya Kuroko's unique role, Shogo Haizaki took charge of bringing the ball into the frontcourt.
After all, once Shogo Haizaki activated the Limit of Selfless Brilliance, he gained top-tier court vision and decision-making ability.
Against Miyamoto Tokima, he was meek and submissive.
Against Nash Gold, his mouth went straight on the offensive.
The moment he reached Nash Gold, Shogo Haizaki launched into a verbal barrage.
"I'll f*ck your ****, you **********!"
A torrent of censored abuse swept toward Nash Gold like a gale.
At the same time, Shogo Haizaki launched his attack.
Nash Gold stared at him in exasperation. He clearly knew exactly what kind of person Shogo Haizaki was.
He also knew Shogo Haizaki's playing style well, so he quickly cut him off.
But the next second, Nash Gold froze.
Shogo Haizaki had entered the Zone.
Crackle!
Gray lightning flashed through Shogo Haizaki's eyes, and his speed instantly surged.
That sudden burst allowed him to force half his body past Nash Gold.
Just as he was about to break through completely, Nash Gold reacted in time. He accelerated and activated [Belial Eye].
With [Belial Eye] predicting what would happen next, Nash Gold immediately saw through Shogo Haizaki's next move.
He reached out and slapped at the ball in Shogo Haizaki's hands.
Smack!
Nash Gold knocked the ball loose in an instant.
Shogo Haizaki's expression changed sharply as he cursed inwardly.
'Damn it! He still reacted even though I entered the Zone without warning?!'
The moment the ball was stolen, Miyamoto Tokima seemed to flash to its location. He scooped it up and charged toward the frontcourt.
Taiga Kagami and Shintaro Midorima turned to chase him at the same time, but all they could see was Miyamoto Tokima's back.
More precisely, they could only watch as his back grew farther and farther away.
Taiga Kagami stared at Miyamoto Tokima, who had already leaped into the air for a dunk, his heart filled with astonishment.
'He's still as fast as ever!'
At the other end of the court, Miyamoto Tokima slammed the ball through the hoop with a tomahawk dunk.
CRASH!!!
The rim shook violently, creaking and groaning under the impact.
After the basket, the entire arena fell silent.
Then thunderous cheers and applause erupted from the stands.
The members of the Dragon Slayer Team stood on the court, completely dumbfounded.
Wasn't this supposed to be a revenge match? Why were they cheering?!
The Japan fans in the stands were equally confused.
The people around them had suddenly started cheering for no apparent reason, leaving them unsure how to react.
But people naturally followed the crowd. When they saw so many others cheering, they instinctively began clapping and shouting along.
Even Miyamoto Tokima was stunned by the deafening applause and cheers.
Wait, aren't I supposed to be the villain here?
At that moment, a middle-aged man wearing sunglasses and a mask nodded in satisfaction from the stands.
He was Miyamoto Tokima's father, Miyamoto Hiroshi.
He was the one who had arranged the cheering.
As a result, some people who had no idea what was happening were swept up in the excitement and joined in.
Behind his sunglasses, Miyamoto Hiroshi watched his son shine on the court and murmured,
"Once this match is over... Japan will no longer exist."
"There will only be... Japan Province."
...