Within Teikō Gymnasium, the shadow of "Absolute Efficiency" continued to loom. The air was stifling, suffocatingly oppressive. Day after day, training remained precise, cold, and efficient, yet it had also drained the last trace of vitality and surprise from the court. However, within that oppressive grayness, a completely different force—primitive and violent, like volcanic magma forcibly held back—was furiously building inside Aomine Daiki, surging and searching for a crack through which to erupt.
Akashi Seijūrō's ironclad rule of "Absolute Victory" was no different from the heaviest shackle to Aomine. His innate, beastlike sense of wildness; his dazzling style of play, which pursued extreme speed and explosive power; his pure joy in every breakthrough and every difficult score... Before Akashi's cold, rational doctrines of "efficiency above all" and "avoiding risks," all of it was defined as "unnecessary," "inefficient," and "something that needed to be discarded."
The irritation on Aomine's face grew day by day. He was like a ferocious tiger trapped in a cage, pacing restlessly along the "correct" route Akashi had laid out. Every time he was forced to choose a "safe" breakthrough or pass, he felt as though his claws and fangs were being ground away. Every one of Akashi's instructions, every "correction" of his instinctive movements, was like a basin of ice water poured over molten lava, stirring up even more violent fumes of resistance.
At last, during a high-intensity intrasquad scrimmage, the magma that had been accumulating for so long erupted with a thunderous roar!
The team Bai Ze You was on was responsible for defending against the team Aomine was on. Akashi had demanded that the intensity of the game be raised to a practical-combat level. Aomine held the ball and faced Bai Ze You's defense. Bai Ze You lowered his center of gravity, his gaze focused as he tried to use his sharp anticipation and supple footwork to seal off Aomine's driving route. According to Akashi's tactical board, Aomine should have passed the ball to Midōrima Shintarō, who was in a better position.
However, the wild flame that had been suppressed for so long in Aomine's eyes ignited completely at that moment! He ignored Akashi's possible cold gaze from the sidelines, ignored Midorima's outstretched hand calling for the ball on the wing, and ignored Bai Ze You's tightly set defensive stance!
"Tch!" A mocking laugh thick with malice was forced from Aomine's throat. His body suddenly sank. Without any flashy fake move, he relied purely on Explosive Starting Speed! His first step struck out like black lightning tearing through the air, instantly seizing half a body's width beside Bai Ze You!
Bai Ze You's pupils contracted. So fast! Aomine was more than one level faster than the "reasonable" Aomine he had seen during ordinary training! He immediately adjusted his center of gravity and, relying on extraordinary flexibility and balance, forcibly shifted sideways to block him!
But Aomine's second wave of assault followed right behind! While driving at high speed and facing Bai Ze You's help defense, Aomine displayed Inhuman Core Strength and Body Control! Not only did he fail to slow down, but within an extremely narrow space, his body twisted violently like it had no bones at all, performing an Extreme Twist and forcing his way through the cramped gap between Bai Ze You and the teammate providing help defense! His shoulder collided with the other body with a dull thud, but Aomine paid it no attention. His eyes held only the basket!
And that was not the end! Beneath the basket, Murasaki-bara Atsushi's enormous body stood guard like a mountain. Under normal circumstances, Aomine might have chosen to pass. But now, his suppressed wildness had completely taken control!
"Get lost!" Aomine growled. Facing Murasaki-bara Atsushi's massive palm, he not only refused to retreat but Jumped with All His Strength! In the air, he displayed terrifying air time ability. His body bent like a fully drawn bow, performing an extreme folding layup! First, he avoided Murasaki-bara Atsushi's initial block. Then, just as his body was about to descend, his core strength erupted again, forcibly launching him into a Second Jump! Under Murasaki-bara Atsushi's astonished gaze, he slammed the ball into the basket left-handed from an unbelievable angle!
"BOOM—!!!"
The basket let out a pained groan! The entire gymnasium seemed to tremble!
"Whoa—!" Kise Ryōta involuntarily cried out from the sidelines.
The hand Midōrima Shintarō had raised to push up his glasses stopped in midair.
After landing, Murasaki-bara Atsushi rarely showed an annoyed expression and muttered, "What a pain..."
A ripple also passed through the calm blue eyes of Kuroko Tetsuya.
Bai Ze You stood where he was, watching Aomine's swaying figure hanging from the rim. Feeling the impact of being crushed by pure speed and wildness just moments ago, he was shaken to the core! This was Aomine Daiki! This was the true "wildness" Akashi had forcibly suppressed!
Akashi Seijūrō stood at the side of the court, his crimson eyes calmly watching the scene. His face showed no expression—neither approval nor rebuke. That calmness instead revealed a tacit permission that made one's heart tremble.
Aomine released the rim and landed, breathing heavily. Sweat slid down his sharply defined cheeks. He did not even look at Bai Ze You, whom he had blown past, or Murasaki-bara Atsushi, whose block had failed, and he paid no attention to his teammates' positions. A blazing fire burned in his eyes. It was the wildness of breaking free from restraints, the arrogance of scorning everything, and also... a distortion in his understanding of basketball that had taken his ideology to an extreme.
"Hey, pass!" Kise shouted from the wing.
Aomine glanced at him. His gaze was cold and unfamiliar, as though he were looking at an insignificant passerby. "Pass?" The corner of his mouth curved into a malicious smile. "No need! Give me the ball, and then, all of you get out of my way!"
The rest of the game completely became Aomine Daiki's One-Man Show, a violent release after his wildness had broken free from its cage!
* Faced with a double-team, he used pure speed and strength to force open a path, then, at the instant his body lost balance, used his fingertips to tip the ball into the basket!
* One step beyond the three-point line, he ignored Midorima's look of "inefficiency," rose straight up against the defense, and sent the basketball along a savage arc. "Swish!" It dropped cleanly through the net! After scoring, he pounded his chest and let out a silent roar!
* On a fast break, he swept across the court like a black hurricane, leaving the players chasing him unable even to touch his shadow! For the final dunk, he used an absurd 360-degree Spin, taking the aesthetics of violence to its extreme! After landing, he swept his gaze across the court, looking down on everyone as if declaring: This court is my hunting ground!
Passing? Cooperation? Tactics? In Aomine's eyes, now that his wildness had been completely released, all of them had become burdens! He no longer trusted his teammates—or rather, he no longer needed them! He immersed himself in his unparalleled individual ability, enjoying the sensation of crushing everything through his own strength. Every breakthrough and every score carried an almost pathological stubbornness and release.
Bai Ze You watched Aomine rampage across the court like a black beast, and his feelings became incredibly complicated. On one hand, he was shaken by Aomine's pure and terrifying wild talent, a frenzied hymn to the limits of the human body. On the other hand, he clearly saw that Aomine's pure love for basketball was being replaced by Extreme Heroism and a distorted understanding of "Victory as Self-Proof." He was no longer fighting for the team or for the joy of basketball itself. He was only proving—the only one who can stop me is me!
The observation board in Momoi Satsuki's hands seemed to grow unbearably heavy. Her gaze shifted back and forth between the rampaging Aomine and the terrifyingly calm Akashi on the sidelines, and her face paled.
"Observation Record: Wildness Unleashed—The Lone Wolf Is Born"
"Trigger: Long-term suppression under Akashi's high-pressure ironclad rules + Aomine's instincts rebelling against 'Absolute Correctness'"
"Behavioral Pattern:"
* Offense: Completely individualized, refusing cooperation. Selecting the most direct and violent breakthrough routes, ignoring efficiency theory. Seeking extreme difficulty and visual impact in finishing methods—high layups, heavy contact, and extremely long pull-up shots. Releasing emotions after scoring—roaring and pounding his chest.
* Defense: Increased aggressiveness toward the ball handler, but reduced willingness to provide help defense, focusing on individual matchups. Steals became more aggressive and gamble-based.
* Team Interaction: Communication severed. Ignoring teammates' movements and calls for the ball. His eyes were cold and distant, treating teammates as obstacles or spectators.
"Ability Rating: Individual Destructive Power S++ (unstoppable isolation plays), Team Contribution Value D (negative impact)"
"Akashi's Attitude: Tacit approval (neither stopped nor reprimanded him). Suspected of viewing 'Complete Aomine' as the ultimate weapon of 'Absolute Victory'—a De-Teamified Single-Point Demolition?"
"Bai Ze's Reaction: Shock (talent), concern (distorted ideology), resonance (resistance against Akashi)? Deep fear (Omen of Team Collapse)"
"Risk Warning: SSS (Team Cornerstone Disintegration, Aomine's Basketball Soul Metamorphosis, Akashi's Indulgence Catalyzes Disaster!)"
The scrimmage ended amid Aomine's one unreasonable score after another. He was drenched in sweat, his chest heaving violently, yet his eyes were unusually bright, filled with a twisted sense of satisfaction. Without even looking at his exhausted teammates, he walked straight toward the sidelines to get some water.
Akashi Seijūrō walked up to him. Aomine raised his head, defiance glinting in his eyes as if waiting for Akashi to reprimand him.
However, Akashi merely looked at him calmly, his crimson eyes unfathomably deep. After a moment, he slowly spoke. His voice remained cold, yet the words he uttered made everyone listening feel a chill in their hearts:
"Aomine, that spin dunk just now had 17% more visual appeal in terms of hang time and body control than the standard efficiency movement, but landing stability was reduced by 8%, creating a slight risk of sprain. Next time, you can choose a more... 'safe' way to land."
Akashi did not criticize his individualism, nor did he reproach him for disrupting the tactics. Instead, he offered "optimization advice" on a "Technical Aspect"! This was nothing less than Cold Recognition and Indulgence!
Aomine froze for a moment, then split into an even more uninhibited grin, the defiance in his eyes growing stronger. "Got it, Captain." There was no respect in his tone, only the indifference of you can't control me.
Watching this scene, Bai Ze You felt a chill rise from his spine and spread instantly through every limb. Akashi's tacit permission and indulgence were more terrifying than the harshest reprimand! He was personally releasing Aomine Daiki, that ferocious beast, completely from the team's cage, turning him into a lone wolf that knew only slaughter and walked alone! What kind of fragments would this lone wolf ultimately tear Teikō's team into?
Aomine had transformed into an unstoppable wild beast.
But behind that wildness lay the complete annihilation of the joy of basketball, the total collapse of team consciousness, and a deliberately indulged piece on Akashi's chessboard of "Absolute Victory"—a piece of immense power, yet extreme danger.
Bai Ze You watched Aomine's back as he walked toward the locker room, filled with aloofness and malice. Then he looked toward Akashi, who controlled everything like a Precision Chess Player. For the first time, he sensed with absolute clarity that within Teikō's seemingly invincible ship, a deep and deadly crack had already appeared. And ahead, the abyss was silently opening its enormous maw.
Before you continue