BANG!
Atsushi Murasakibara landed heavily, his expression fierce.
Behind him, the giant white bear glared viciously and threw its head back with a furious roar.
"ROAR!!!"
Daiki Aomine and Taiga Kagami rubbed their chests and gritted their teeth.
"Damn." Daiki Aomine hissed through clenched teeth. "That really hurt. You were taking hits like that head-on just now?"
"What else was I supposed to do?" Taiga Kagami replied through the pain. "If I didn't stop him, no one else would!"
"I'll help you next time," Daiki Aomine said.
"No." Taiga Kagami shook his head. "You can't leave your man. Giving up two points is still better than giving up three!"
"No, I want to gamble on it." Daiki Aomine's expression turned serious. "I'm betting that Murasakibara isn't even thinking about passing right now."
Taiga Kagami froze for a moment and fell silent.
"Heh. You think I actually want to help you?" Daiki Aomine said. "If you weren't having such a hard time guarding him, I wouldn't bother."
Taiga Kagami's expression darkened.
Seriously?
...
Possession changed.
Teikō Middle School's ball.
Once Seijuro Akashi reached the frontcourt, he passed the ball to Daiki Aomine.
Right now, the simplest strategy was to attack Kirisaki Daiichi's weak point and use it to score.
And that weak point was Reo Mibuchi.
The moment Daiki Aomine caught the ball, he attacked without hesitation.
Reo Mibuchi's eyes sharpened as his entire body tensed, fully alert against Daiki Aomine.
Step!
But even with Reo Mibuchi completely focused, Daiki Aomine still blew past him in a single step.
After all, Daiki Aomine's speed became terrifying once he activated his Animal Instinct.
The moment Daiki Aomine reached the free-throw line, Atsushi Murasakibara closed in on him.
An overwhelming pressure swept over his entire body.
"I'll crush you..."
Daiki Aomine's expression turned strange.
What the hell happened to him?
He changed way too much!
Even Daiki Aomine had never seen anything like this before.
"Aomine!" Taiga Kagami shouted.
Atsushi Murasakibara's attention immediately shifted toward Taiga Kagami, while he simultaneously prepared for Daiki Aomine to pass.
Daiki Aomine did want to pass to Taiga Kagami, but he knew his own passing wasn't particularly good.
If he forced it recklessly, the current Atsushi Murasakibara might intercept it.
Then Daiki Aomine spotted Tetsuya Kuroko.
Without hesitation, he passed the ball toward him.
Smack!
The next instant, Tetsuya Kuroko slapped the ball toward Taiga Kagami.
The three of them moved the ball around Atsushi Murasakibara in a triangular sequence.
Atsushi Murasakibara immediately tried to recover, only to find Daiki Aomine and Tetsuya Kuroko blocking his path at the same time.
Since they had set a screen, Atsushi Murasakibara couldn't simply bulldoze through them.
If he did, he would definitely be called for a foul.
While Atsushi Murasakibara was held up, Taiga Kagami gathered the ball and leaped.
"AAAHHH!!!"
Taiga Kagami roared as he attacked the rim with everything he had.
Smack!
Suddenly, a hand pressed down on the basketball in Taiga Kagami's grasp.
It was Shuzo Nijimura!
Taiga Kagami's eyes hardened.
"I can't back down!" Taiga Kagami shouted. "Kuroko and Aomine created this chance for me!"
"ROAR!!!"
In an instant, a tiger's roar seemed to shake the forest.
A mighty tiger appeared behind Taiga Kagami, fierce and bloodthirsty.
As his Animal Instinct awakened, the strength in Taiga Kagami's hands surged.
Shuzo Nijimura immediately felt the sudden increase in force and laughed.
"You're seriously underestimating me!" Shuzo Nijimura said. "Don't look down on me!"
Whoosh!
The sound of crashing waves suddenly filled the air.
A vast ocean appeared behind Shuzo Nijimura, and a shark's dorsal fin broke through the surface.
The shark surged through the water before leaping out, displaying its dominance.
The moment Shuzo Nijimura's Animal Instinct appeared, his strength increased as well.
The two began battling for control in midair.
Their Animal Instincts clashed behind them at the same time.
The tiger stood on the surface of the water, constantly scanning its surroundings.
Suddenly, the shark burst from the water with its jaws wide open, baring its vicious teeth as it lunged at the tiger.
The tiger sprang backward and swiped at the shark with one of its front paws.
But it missed.
As the stalemate continued, a flash of lightning suddenly appeared in the tiger's eyes.
Crackle...
"I told you!!!" Taiga Kagami roared.
Violent red lightning erupted from his eyes.
"I WON'T BACK DOWN!!!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Shuzo Nijimura's pupils contracted. "You're seriously doing this?!"
Come on!
Animal Instinct wasn't enough, so now he was entering the Zone too?!
BANG!
Taiga Kagami forced the basketball down through the hoop.
The sheer force sent Shuzo Nijimura staggering several steps backward.
After regaining his balance, Shuzo Nijimura sighed helplessly.
"Come on, Kagami. That's playing dirty."
"Sorry, Nijimura-senpai," Taiga Kagami said. "I can't back down."
"You're unbelievable." Shuzo Nijimura gave a helpless smile.
"I'll crush you!"
Atsushi Murasakibara suddenly growled.
Taiga Kagami turned his head.
Atsushi Murasakibara was glaring viciously at Daiki Aomine before shifting his gaze toward Taiga Kagami.
The next second, under the shocked gazes of everyone in the arena, Atsushi Murasakibara began to change.
The giant white bear behind him suddenly threw its head back and roared.
"ROAR!!!"
Then the white bear plunged straight into Atsushi Murasakibara's back, sinking into his body.
"This is..." Taiga Kagami murmured in shock. "Animal Instinct... inside the body?"
"No!" Daiki Aomine shouted. "It's not just Animal Instinct!"
Crackle...
Suddenly, violent purple lightning flashed across Atsushi Murasakibara's eyes.
At the same time, an intense purple glow began radiating from his body, surrounded by an outer layer of milky-white light.
Shogo Haizaki, who knew that glow all too well, immediately cried out,
"Selfless?!"
His shout snapped everyone else back to their senses.
"That's actually Selfless?!" Daiki Aomine's eyes widened. "Is that why his Animal Instinct suddenly changed color?!"
"But why Selfless?!" Taiga Kagami asked. "Didn't you say Selfless can only be activated when your mind is completely free of distractions?!"
"Murasakibara doesn't look like someone who can empty his mind that completely!"
...
...
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