Haizaki Shōgo caught the ball and immediately pounded it forward, dribbling with thunderous force as he slashed toward the paint. His speed was a blur, his breakthrough like a crashing storm that left Hakumatsu's defenders wide-eyed, their mouths gaping in shock, unable to utter a single word.
All they could do was watch helplessly as he tore past.
"Help defense!"
"Stop him!"
Before the words were even out, Haizaki had already leapt into the lane, hammering the ball down with a one-handed dunk.
The rim rattled violently, the impact like a clap of thunder—raw, violent, and fast.
Bzzzt!
"Basket counts!"
"Hakumatsu, No. 6—blocking foul!"
"And one!"
Hakumatsu's No. 6 power forward flushed crimson. Not only had he been overpowered for two points, he'd also been whistled for a foul, giving away a free throw.
Two defenders on him… and he still scored with ease.
Players No. 7 and No. 6 exchanged a glance, both rattled.
"Wh-who was that?"
"That's Haizaki Shōgo—one of the Generation of Miracles!"
"What?!"
"He's really that strong?"
"But… isn't the ace of the Miracles supposed to be Aomine Daiki?"
Haizaki's explosive opening basket of the tournament sent the arena into a storm of whispers. Their murmurs only sank Hakumatsu's spirits even further.
"Hey! Don't lose focus!"
"They're strong…"
"But we already knew that, didn't we?"
"Come on, stay sharp!"
Hakumatsu's captain clapped his hands and shouted, "Everyone! The game has only just begun!"
But in the blink of an eye
By midway through the first quarter, Teiko was already up 19–2.
Aomine dribbled like the wind, slicing open Hakumatsu's defense in an instant as he surged into the lane.
Whoosh!
Inside, he sprang up effortlessly, spun midair, and casually tossed the ball backward over his shoulder. His movement was so relaxed, almost careless—yet by the time the ball dropped through the net, Hakumatsu's players hadn't even managed to react.
Another two points for Teiko.
21–2.
Even when guarded directly by Hakumatsu's captain, Aomine couldn't be stopped. Sweat trickled down the captain's forehead as one thought tore through his mind:
Too strong.
How can anyone be this strong? I can't even react in time!
Sensing his teammates' morale faltering again, he shouted, "Don't give up! Until the very last second, no one knows how this will end!"
With their captain's encouragement, Hakumatsu's players rallied, their energy rising slightly.
Aomine noticed—and grinned.
Murasakibara Atsushi frowned and muttered in disappointment, "Still not giving up, huh? Such a pain. If I don't crush them properly, Fukaya-senpai will just scold me again~"
Smack!
Moments later, Hakumatsu's offensive set was abruptly broken. Their careful screens had switched Seijūrō Akashi onto their shooting guard.
The SG looked at Teiko's No. 4 standing before him.
170 centimeters…
Compared to Teiko's other towering monsters
I can take him!
But just as he lowered his stance and drove forward, leveling with his opponent
the ball was gone.
Startled, he looked up at Akashi. At some point, the ball that had been in his control was already stolen. Stunned, he stammered, "When…? How…?"
By the time the realization hit, Akashi had already whipped the ball to midcourt—straight to Midorima.
The instant he caught it, Midorima couldn't help but admire it.
What a pass!
As a three-point shooter, he felt no need to adjust at all. No wasted motion, no correction required. His shot flowed seamlessly, tracing an impossibly high arc through the air.
Unlike other players' shots, which slipped through with a swish
Midorima's landed with a heavy THUMP!!
The ball plummeted through the rim, slamming into the hardwood.
"What… what kind of shot is that?!"
"That arc… it's insanely high!"
"That's like Shigure Akihito's deep threes from midcourt! But… why does Midorima's arc soar even higher?"
"There's no way that can be accurate!"
"It's absurd!"
…
Against Teiko's new starting lineup, a school of Hakumatsu's level had no chance. By halftime, they had already been blown far, far out of reach.
Akashi controlled the tempo flawlessly, Midorima stretched the floor with impossible threes, Murasakibara shut down the paint, while Aomine and Haizaki tore apart the defense as Teiko's dual scoring engines.
The terrifying power of Teiko's Generation of Miracles had the entire arena erupting in cheers.
"Whoa! Teiko's unleashing everything! Their attack is ruthless!"
"And just like the rumors say, this year's Teiko is even stronger than last year's…"
"Do they have some kind of magic that transforms first-years into monsters the moment they hit second year?!"
"The Twin Stars were like that, and now the Miracles too…"
"They're unstoppable!!!"
Early in the third quarter, substitutions came.
Kuroko Tetsuya calmly adjusted his wristbands and stepped onto the court alongside Ryōta Kise.
"...Huh? Who's that?"
"Teiko's…?"
"You've gotta be joking…"
The ones subbed out were Haizaki Shōgo and Midorima Shintarō.
"Oi!" Haizaki slapped Kuroko's hand on the way out, sneering, "It's too noisy. Shut them up. Make them eat their words."
"Yes."
Kuroko nodded. His face was expressionless, yet behind that cold exterior, beyond the faint hint of innocence, there was also a glimmer of killing intent.
On the bench, Coach Kōzō leaned in close, speaking quietly with Nijimura Shuzo and Shigure Akihito.
Meanwhile, on the court
the ball suddenly sliced through the air in an eerie zigzagging orange line, veering toward the rim.
"My ball!"
Aomine leapt like a leopard, snatching the pass midair and slamming it home.
"Huh?"
"No way—how did that pass even get there?!"
"Haha, Tetsu!"
Grinning broadly, Aomine raised his fist toward Kuroko.
Making an instant impact, the first-version Kuroko smiled faintly and bumped fists with him.
Watching from the sideline, Haizaki froze for a moment, then scoffed coldly. "Tch, as if no one else could do that. What's there to brag about?"
On the bench, Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo had just finished speaking with Coach Kozo.
Shigure chuckled. "See? I told you, these kids will be fine. One by one, they're all freakishly strong. You've been captain too long, Nijimura—you're way too cautious."
Nijimura gave a small nod. "They've still got a long way to go. But for now, let's let the Tournament play out. After this…"
"…it's our turn, Shigure."
"Sometimes, I think…"
"…I want to see for myself what it means to be the strongest in the nation."
Ha
"I'll drag you into the abyss, and then I'll pull you back out, Nijimura."
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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