At that moment, Taiga Kagami stepped through the second [Gate]!
In the next instant, Taiga Kagami made his move and drove past Miyamoto Tokima's right side.
Miyamoto Tokima immediately followed, never falling out of position.
However, Taiga Kagami suddenly passed the ball to Ryota Kise.
The moment Ryota Kise caught it, an idea surfaced in his mind.
Acting purely on instinct, he followed that thought and passed the ball to Daiki Aomine.
As soon as Daiki Aomine received the ball, a course of action appeared in his mind as well.
He instinctively followed it.
Lightning flashed in his eyes, and a ferocious black panther materialized behind him.
Zack froze.
"Damn it! How can you activate both the Zone and Animal Instinct at the same time too?!"
After all, only Jason Silver and Nash Gold could do that on their team.
With both Animal Instinct and the Zone activated, Daiki Aomine instantly pushed his speed to the limit.
In the blink of an eye, he blew past Zack and charged into the paint.
Seeing this, Jason Silver abandoned everything else and moved over to help defend against Daiki Aomine.
Daiki Aomine did not back down. He immediately jumped, pulling his right hand behind him as he prepared to fling the ball.
Jason Silver leaped after him, but he had no idea where he was supposed to defend.
After all, this was his first time facing a formless shot.
On the other side, Taiga Kagami sprinted toward the left.
Miyamoto Tokima was about to pursue him, but he quickly stopped.
Atsushi Murasakibara and Ryota Kise had stepped in front of him at the same time, setting a double screen for Taiga Kagami.
Watching them coordinate so perfectly without communicating at all, Miyamoto Tokima smiled helplessly.
"So you really did enter the second [Gate]."
Meanwhile, Daiki Aomine flung the ball from Jason Silver's side.
His target was not the basket.
It was the top of the rim.
Taiga Kagami suddenly burst forward with Nick following close behind him.
Nick's expression changed as he stared at Taiga Kagami.
'What the hell is happening? How did he suddenly become so fast?'
Taiga Kagami planted his right foot hard against the floor and soared into the air.
Under everyone's stunned gaze, he caught the ball Daiki Aomine had thrown and slammed it through the hoop.
Boom!
The basket counted.
Nash Gold frowned as he watched the play unfold.
The Dragon Slayer Team's transformation was far too strange.
Previously, their coordination had still required gestures or signals.
Now, they were working together entirely on instinct.
They did not need to speak, communicate, or even exchange glances.
As long as they were on the court, each of them instinctively made the move that would benefit the team most.
The change left Nash Gold deeply surprised.
And he was not the only one.
Even Ryota Kise was stunned.
He looked down at his hands, unable to understand why he had set the screen.
All he knew was that a voice in his mind had told him it was the best possible move.
So he had followed his instincts and done it.
Ryota Kise stared blankly at his hand and murmured, "Is this... the Zone's final [Gate]?"
Daiki Aomine ran over, patted him on the head, and laughed.
"Take your time and feel it properly."
Ryota Kise rubbed the spot where he had been struck, then smiled as he ran back on defense.
"Aomine, don't just hit me out of nowhere!"
Zack walked over to Nash Gold with a puzzled expression.
"What's going on, Nash?"
Nash Gold shook his head.
"I don't know either."
Miyamoto Tokima caught the ball Jason Silver passed to him and dribbled up the court.
"This is the Zone's final [Gate]."
Zack and Nash Gold both froze.
They knew what the Zone's final [Gate] was capable of.
However, neither of them had expected someone from the Dragon Slayer Team to open it.
...
As the game continued, the Dragon Slayer Team seemed to have fully awakened.
Their coordination grew sharper with every possession, and they moved as though they were a single entity.
Faced with such flawless teamwork, the Black Dragon Team began making mistakes.
Their own coordination was excellent, but they still struggled against a style of play driven entirely by instinct and requiring no communication.
It felt as though all five Dragon Slayer Team players possessed the [Emperor Eye].
Every one of them seemed capable of anticipating the Black Dragon Team's intentions and responding in advance.
Even when Nash Gold used his No Motion Pass, they reacted almost instantly.
It was as though their reaction speed had been enhanced.
In truth, it had been.
Taiga Kagami's final [Gate] was different from Daiki Aomine's.
Taiga Kagami's final [Gate] focused more heavily on teamwork.
That was because the gatekeeper of his second [Gate] was Tetsuya Kuroko.
The reason the Black Dragon Team felt as though every Dragon Slayer Team player possessed the [Emperor Eye] was actually quite simple.
All five of them were now operating on the same wavelength.
Everything Seijuro Akashi observed was instantly shared with the others.
That was why it seemed as though all of them possessed the [Emperor Eye].
Under the pressure of that coordination, every member of the Black Dragon Team except Miyamoto Tokima made mistakes to varying degrees.
Even Nash Gold was no exception.
As a result, the Dragon Slayer Team cut the deficit to 19 points, bringing the score to 86–67.
They now trailed by only 19 points.
Just when everything seemed to be turning in their favor...
Taiga Kagami reached his limit.
During an offensive possession, Taiga Kagami suddenly collapsed to the floor.
Beads of sweat the size of peas poured from his forehead as he gasped desperately for air.
"Ha... ha..."
Taiga Kagami felt as though his head were about to explode.
The other Dragon Slayer Team players in the frontcourt suddenly felt as though something had vanished from their minds.
They immediately noticed that something was wrong with Taiga Kagami.
Kagetora Aida called a timeout at once.
"Beep! The Dragon Slayer Team requests a timeout!"
After hearing the referee's whistle, Zack exhaled in relief.
"He finally ran out of strength. The Zone's final [Gate] is way too terrifying."
Nick stood with his hands on his hips.
"It really is. He single-handedly made the entire team's coordination flawless. It certainly lives up to its name as the Zone's final [Gate]."
...
...
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