Everyone held their breath.
And then
Seizing the moment before Shigure Akihito had reached his maximum jump height, Nijimura Shuzo attacked from the side with a block!
"!?"
No… something was off.
He touched the ball, but it felt far too easy.
Nijimura had expected Shigure to dodge his block, had even prepared to cover the second point in front of the rim. But instead, the ball was caught cleanly in his hands—just like that!
However…
Mammoth!
The instant Shigure gripped the ball with both hands, power surged through his arms. Crushing down against Nijimura's blocking hand, he engaged him in a raw battle of strength in midair!
The next second
A massive force surged through Nijimura's arm, straight into his body!
"…"
This guy…
Was he deliberately recreating that last play?
Locked in the air, the two of them struggled for just a moment. But because Nijimura was forced to use only one hand to counter Shigure's two, his height disadvantage quickly turned against him. Overpowered, he was dragged violently toward the rim!
Bang!
With a thunderous crash, Shigure overpowered Nijimura's block and hammered down a violent dunk. The gust of air from his arms whipping downward was so fierce it even blew back the hair across Nijimura's forehead!
Everyone who witnessed it was struck dumb.
Because this was almost exactly the same as the last play.
The difference was
When Nijimura had been the one attacking, he could still clash against Shigure with one hand while in an advantageous position.
But on defense, relying on a single arm against Shigure's full force, the result was inevitable.
What this play revealed
Was the gap between their physical abilities, even in pure static strength.
And yet…
All eyes turned back to Nijimura. Even after Shigure had broken through his defense, he had still managed to recover in time to block?
"Wait, did Captain Nijimura actually keep up with Shigure's speed, even after being beaten on defense?"
"Hold on"
"That strange state… it's gone."
"Nijimura-senpai too."
"So fast?"
"It's already been more than ten minutes…"
"What?!"
"How did it pass so quickly?!"
The words "so fast" carried two completely different meanings now. Watching this 1v1, everyone suddenly realized—it had already lasted that long.
From the moment that strange state began, the two had been locked in relentless back-and-forth attacks.
Looking back
It was dizzying.
Beyond all common sense.
On the court, Shigure Akihito released the rim and dropped to the floor, the basket still rattling loudly from the dunk.
At the same time, everyone heard Shigure's voice aimed at Nijimura:
"You prepared a lot, huh…"
"Playing full court…"
"Was all of this to set up for now?"
"Stretching the distance of each run, lengthening every possession?"
"And now…"
"Zone has worn off. Time to start the second round?"
In that instant, the emotion in Shigure's eyes burst forth. From the baseline, Nijimura could feel it too—the sharp pressure, like a blade slicing straight through his body.
He didn't answer with words.
Instead, behind him, the roaring lion rose again, mane flaring wildly in the storm.
On the court, Shigure and Nijimura continued their battle.
But their states had completely changed.
Their speed, their strength—both heavily diminished.
Sweat poured from them like rain.
Nijimura dribbled, body swaying side to side, while Shigure shadowed him step for step. Like two small boats caught in a surging river, they darted and wove across the court.
Their ultra-high-frequency movements blurred before the crowd's eyes. One moment Nijimura was breaking ahead, the next Shigure was back in front of him.
And again, and again
The scene repeated.
Soon, they blazed past half-court, racing into the paint!
Nijimura leapt for the basket
Shigure rose beside him like a great bird, wings blotting out the sun!
Smack!
A block!
But the ball didn't fly out. Instead, the clash of their strength kept it close. Nijimura instinctively lunged toward it again, snatched it back in midair, and launched a second shot!
"What"
"That's possible?!"
Shock rippled through the crowd, everyone but Shigure himself…
Shhh!
With razor-sharp focus, Shigure immediately reacted. The instant Nijimura's body tilted toward the ball, Shigure's hand shot out for another block!
This time, he couldn't fully stop it, but his fingertips brushed the ball—just enough to disrupt the shot.
The ball bounced twice on the rim before dropping through.
At the same moment
Nijimura landed first.
Shigure followed.
And the instant they opened their eyes again
Crack!
Lightning erupted.
Fierce.
Cold, merciless gazes.
Almost identical.
Shigure attacked, spinning his hips, turning his back to the basket.
Left hand!
Shhh!
Nijimura's fingertips grazed the ball!
Shigure's pivot foot slammed down
A hard contesting defense
Smack!
Shigure slipped the steal with a through-the-legs dribble!
The next moment
He snapped into a sharp stepback, then
A fadeaway jumper!
The shot was lightning-quick, but Nijimura's reaction was just as sharp, his arm flashing up to smother the shooting angle.
At some point, Zone had faded again.
Both were drenched in sweat, panting heavily. The cost of Zone was not something either could bear for long.
"Senpai… are they still going?"
"It's already…"
"It was over long ago."
"Uh…"
"Without realizing, even we forgot the score. The two of them never even looked at it once."
"It's 38:10 now."
On the court.
Score:
56:14.
Nijimura Shuzo and Shigure Akihito collapsed together.
On the sidelines, Kise Ryōta reached out a hand to Shigure.
"Senpai… are you okay?"
Smack!
Shigure glanced at Nijimura, who had also fallen, then instinctively slapped Kise's hand away and pushed himself up. "Don't touch me."
"It's not over yet…"
"Right now is the most exciting part!"
On the other side
The same.
"Don't get in my way. The real show's only just starting!"
No one knew where they found the strength, but when the score reached 72:30, lightning flickered in their eyes for the third time.
As their bodies moved at full throttle, arcs of electricity traced across the court like glowing lines.
Shigure Akihito
Behind-the-back dribble!
Nijimura pressed in hard, nearly stealing the ball.
A bead of cold sweat slid down Shigure's temple.
Just a little more, and he would've lost it!
This guy… Nijimura—he's back in Zone too?!
Shigure's eyes widened. Nijimura's gaze swept over him, carrying an unspoken message: Surprised, are you?
Just like the first time they met
That glare, that single look that said: What are you staring at?
Score:
98:38.
Boom! Boom!
What began as a 21-point game had unknowingly turned into a battle of triple digits.
After squeezing everything they could from Zone, Shigure's offense had slowed, reduced to heavy post-up plays. His weight advantage ground Nijimura back into the paint.
At first, after their "live-or-die" clash, Nijimura had briefly matched Shigure's scoring rhythm. But that peak ended between 56:14 and 72:30.
By 98:38, the final stretch became a pure contest of static physical strength—and Nijimura could no longer keep up.
On the court
Shigure spun, rose for the dunk, his eyes locking on Nijimura.
Nijimura's gaze sharpened.
A dunk.
At this moment
If it was Shigure, he'd definitely go for it.
And he did. Shigure launched high, no hesitation, one hand gripping the ball and slamming straight toward the rim.
A fake?
Not even possible.
Bang!
For the second time that game, both crashed out of bounds together.
Score: 100:38.
As the scoreboard hit exactly 100, neither of them could stand back up.
"You stubborn wreck of a mud boat… you really don't sink easily, huh…"
"Nijimura."
END OF CHAPTER
Hey everyone!
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