Outside the court.
Coach Takeuchi Genta's eyes widened in shock.
"You've got to be kidding me. Not even back in my playing days did I ever see a monster like this."
"Huh?"
"Playing days?"
Kaijō's players, still shaken by the sight of the zone, were equally stunned by their coach's words.
"You guys didn't know? Coach used to be on the national team."
"!?"
This chubby man, who usually taught Japanese history at school…
Takeuchi Genta…
A coach?
A former national player?
The third-years, who were already aware of this, quickly steered the conversation back to what really mattered: Nijimura Shuzo's overwhelming performance.
"Coach, what's going on with Nijimura's state? Even if the Teiko Twin Stars are monsters, this is way too terrifying."
"And besides…"
"Wasn't the one with the best reputation supposed to be Shigure Akihito?"
Takeuchi Genta nodded.
"That's zone."
"In a match, it's normally impossible to unleash one hundred percent of your strength. No matter how elite the player, no matter how much they concentrate, at best they can bring out around eighty percent."
"But the zone…"
"…turns that impossible hundred percent into reality."
"And for someone like Nijimura Shuzo, his one hundred percent is a realm completely unknown. By feel alone…"
"…his speed is probably double what it was before!"
Takeuchi clenched his fist, his heart pounding.
On the court, it was plain as day—Nijimura was willingly setting himself up as Akihito's support.
If even a monster like him was content to assist Shigure Akihito…
Then Shigure Akihito
was about to take off!
On the court.
Nijimura's eyes flashed like lightning!
His defense was frighteningly fast. Even though Kasamatsu Yukio pushed himself to his absolute limit, he couldn't move an inch. He was forced to back down, using his body just to keep Nijimura off.
Facing a zone-awakened Nijimura, Kasamatsu Yukio—one of the nation's most renowned point guards—couldn't even push the ball forward, let alone control the pace.
Kaijō's second-years looked on in disbelief as Kasamatsu struggled.
On the sideline, Moriyama Yoshitaka's jaw hung open.
Since joining the club with Kasamatsu, it was the first time he had ever seen him look so helpless.
What was this?
How could Nijimura suddenly become so much stronger? The difference was an entire tier of basketball altogether.
Could this be…
Nijimura Shuzo's true form?
In that instant
Lightning!
Dominance!
That cold, contemptuous glare!
Every move Nijimura made shook the entire gymnasium.
Slap!
As expected, Kasamatsu, smothered by the zone's defense, tried to pass. Nijimura had already read it. Like a bolt of electricity, he cut the ball clean out of the air.
"No wonder he's Teiko's captain. He's terrifying!"
"Get back on defense!"
"…Eh?"
"What the?!"
"…What's happening?"
Instead of pushing the fast break, Nijimura turned toward Shigure Akihito. Kasamatsu frowned in confusion, until he heard the words that made his heart sink:
Stop playing around. Use your full strength and end this.
The moment he heard it
Boom!
Not far away, Shigure Akihito merely stood still. But to every Kaijō player, it felt as though his body was wreathed in a shadowy flame, threatening to engulf everything around him.
The burning sensation reached them even from across the court!
Boom!
His off-ball run was frighteningly fast—blistering!
He darted toward Nijimura like a blur, as though to snatch the ball from his hands. His movement was so quick it rivaled Nijimura's, nothing like his earlier self.
"You've got to be joking…"
"Shigure Akihito…"
Bathed in dark flames, every twitch of his body traced fiery ripples through the air.
The undying spirit once embodied by Mitsui Hisashi—the legendary Man of Flame—now burned in Shigure's eyes.
A resolute gleam, born from a man who had clawed his way back from hell, igniting every second as though it were his last!
[Flame of the Man: When inspired, Mitsui Hisashi's unyielding will consumes stamina to accelerate his play. Exiting the burning state allows stamina to recover gradually, or faster through clutch plays or controlled breathing. Special Flame Three-Pointers restore energy when landed; at full energy, the Flame Three is guaranteed to hit.]
"My turn."
Shigure Akihito charged into Kaijō's half. His speed was inhuman, his jersey practically leaving afterimages in the air!
The flames in his eyes and body stretched into blazing trails across the court.
"Stop him!"
From the bench, jaws dropped once again. Coach Takeuchi rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
"…"
What… was that?
"Shigure has a special state too, just like Nijimura!"
"Is that the zone Coach mentioned?"
"Somehow… it feels different."
"But his speed! He's just as fast as Nijimura. You can't even tell who's quicker!"
"We can't catch him—dammit, we were already retreating, but he's pulling away even more!"
Tomokawa was the first to get left in the dust. Then Kaijō's backcourt—Moriyama Yoshitaka and Kasamatsu Yukio—tried to stand in Shigure's way.
"Stop him!"
"This one, we have to stop!"
Shigure suddenly slammed the brakes.
Slap! Slap!
The Flame of the Man!
Talent
Acceleration!
High-speed dribbling!
Agility!
Separation!
With talent stacked upon talent, his body surged with fiery momentum. The Flame of the Man turned every step into a devastating breakthrough!
Thud! Thud!
The violent rhythm of his stop-and-go shattered Kaijō's balance.
"Sit down!"
With Shigure's shout, both Moriyama and Kasamatsu staggered backward and fell!
The next instant, he stepped inside the arc, facing Kaijō's interior duo, Kashigawa Tatsuo and Mori Osamu.
But
Flame of the Man, spinning three-step layup!
Starting from the three-point line, he slashed with a lightning-quick crossover, spun like a gyroscope, and slipped cleanly between the two defenders. His motion was as smooth as silk—an attack launched from the arc itself!
By the time he laid it up, Kaijō's big men hadn't even lowered their arms to block.
"Right now… all I can see is the rim."
For a breathless moment, the Kaijō gymnasium fell silent.
And Shigure Akihito
"…?"
Damn it.
He'd quoted Mitsui again.
This legendary move even came with its own voice lines?!
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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