Suddenly, Daiki Aomine passed the ball.
Miyamoto Tokima instinctively shifted his gaze over.
He saw Ryo Sakurai catch the ball with a panicked look on his face, completely at a loss.
At that moment, Miyamoto Tokima suddenly sensed something was wrong. When he turned his attention back, he was shocked to discover it.
Daiki Aomine had already gotten past him!!!
It turned out that after passing the ball, Daiki Aomine had immediately dropped his center of gravity extremely low.
Then, taking advantage of the instant Miyamoto Tokima's focus shifted, he broke through from Miyamoto Tokima's left side.
At that moment, a thought suddenly appeared in Ryo Sakurai's mind.
Pass!
He didn't know why he thought that, but that was the message his brain was sending him.
Pass the ball forward.
Ryo Sakurai instinctively followed that thought and flung the basketball ahead.
As the ball flew out, Daiki Aomine's figure suddenly appeared at the receiving point and caught it.
Miyamoto Tokima turned his head just in time to see it, but he didn't move to help defend.
Daiki Aomine and Ryo Sakurai's movements had been far too sudden. On top of that, everyone believed Daiki Aomine couldn't possibly break through Miyamoto Tokima's defense.
So no one had been ready, not even Atsushi Murasakibara.
By the time Atsushi Murasakibara reacted, Daiki Aomine had already rushed into the paint. He immediately stepped up to cover him.
But Daiki Aomine seemed to have expected it. The corner of his mouth lifted, and he leaped up hard.
Seeing that, Atsushi Murasakibara jumped as well, ready to block him.
Then something no one expected happened.
Daiki Aomine suddenly twisted his body in midair, spinning around Atsushi Murasakibara while brushing past him and getting by him in the air!!!
Atsushi Murasakibara's face was full of disbelief. He didn't react at all.
After spinning past Atsushi Murasakibara in midair, Daiki Aomine stretched out his left hand and hooked the basketball into the basket.
Swish!
The shot went in. Two points counted!
After the basket, the court was clearly silent for a few seconds.
The spectators outside the court didn't cheer. Instead, they began whispering among themselves, faces filled with disbelief.
"No way, right? Aomine actually got past [Magic Cube]?"
"He didn't just get past [Magic Cube], he got past Murasakibara with an insanely difficult move too!"
"Oh my god, was I dreaming just now?"
Over at Seirin.
Everyone from Seirin stared wide-eyed at what had just happened on the court, shock written all over their faces.
Shinji Koganei's mouth hung open as he said shakily,
"Did... did I see that wrong...?"
"Aomine just... got past [Magic Cube]... didn't he?"
Kōki Furihata swallowed and said,
"Koganei, you didn't see it wrong. I saw it too! What just happened? [Magic Cube] actually..."
Alex Garcia frowned and murmured,
"The second [Gate]?"
Tatsuya Himuro heard Alex Garcia and asked,
"The second [Gate]?"
Tatsuya Himuro's question drew everyone from Seirin's attention. They all looked toward Alex Garcia, waiting for her to continue.
Alex Garcia's expression was grave as she stared fixedly at Daiki Aomine on the court and said,
"Yes. The second [Gate] of Zone, also known as the ultimate hall of fame for basketball players."
"You should all know the basics of Zone by now, but that's only the power gained after opening the first [Gate]."
"Zone also has a second [Gate]."
"A player who opens the second [Gate] will see his strength multiply, and he'll also become connected with his teammates."
"To put it simply, once a player opens the second [Gate], he and his teammates become perfectly in sync. One thought from him, and his teammates will understand instantly!"
Tatsuya Himuro frowned and said,
"Doesn't that mean anyone who opens the second [Gate] can produce incredible results no matter who they're paired with?"
Alex Garcia nodded firmly.
"Yes. That's what makes Zone's second [Gate] so terrifying. But the second [Gate] isn't something you can open just because you want to."
"Every time the second [Gate] opens, it's like a completely new experience. Some people can't open it their entire lives, while others open it once and can never open it again."
"The second [Gate] is different from the first [Gate]. Once you open the first [Gate] a second time, you can slowly learn to control it and open it more reliably."
"But the second [Gate] doesn't work that way. Opening it is extremely difficult every single time. That's why it's called the ultimate hall of fame for basketball players!"
At that moment, Alex Garcia turned to Taiga Kagami and said,
"Taiga, you must have seen a glimpse of the second [Gate] too, right?"
Everyone's eyes shifted to Taiga Kagami once again.
Taiga Kagami nodded and said in a low voice,
"Yeah. I've vaguely seen the second [Gate] before, but only from very far away. I've never seen it up close."
"I tried walking toward the [Gate] before, but the distance between me and the [Gate] felt like there was a chasm in the way. No matter what I did, I couldn't reach it."
Alex Garcia nodded and continued,
"That was the second [Gate]. Once a basketball player has fully mastered the first [Gate] and developed it to its limit, they'll stand before the second [Gate]."
"And that second [Gate] is extremely hard to open. If the first [Gate] of Zone can only be opened by true geniuses,"
"then the second [Gate] can only be opened by geniuses among geniuses."
"In any case, back when I played professionally, I only ever saw one female basketball player open it."
Hearing that, everyone swallowed hard, their expressions changing.
Taiga Kagami suddenly asked,
"Then, Alex, has anyone in the NBA opened it?!"
Alex Garcia smiled and nodded.
"Yes. As far as I know, there are ten in the NBA. A few of those ten are old veterans, and among the players still active in the league, six can open it."
At this point, Alex Garcia turned to look at Daiki Aomine, who was still running constantly on the court, and said with emotion,
"I just didn't expect to see the second [Gate], something even many professional basketball players can't achieve, right here."
"And from a high school student."
Tatsuya Himuro suddenly asked,
"Alex, if that's the case, then Kirisaki Daiichi..."
Alex Garcia laughed and said,
"Yes. Kirisaki Daiichi probably can't stop Daiki Aomine now that he's opened Zone's second [Gate]!"
...
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