At this moment—Rakuzan vs. Kaijō.
On the court,
Rakuzan had unleashed a completely unorthodox set of tactics in the second half.
After a brief clash with Shigure Akihito, Hagioka Kasayuki slipped back into an even deeper level of Unpredictable Shadow, once again lowering his presence just as he had at the start of the half.
And now
the one acting as Rakuzan's core…
was none other than Nebuya Eikichi!
The former Teiko players watching were speechless.
Neither Shigure nor Nijimura had expected Hagioka's so-called "Second Phase" to look anything like this.
And as for Kurokami Shinji, who was directly matched up against Nebuya—he could hardly believe what he was seeing.
That musclehead… had technique now?
Granted, his technique was still as rough as his muscles were massive, but within Rakuzan's system—it worked.
It was simple, effective, and deadly.
After all, with the "Five Generals" now part of Rakuzan, both Reo Mibuchi and Kotarō Hayama were supporting Nebuya's newfound rhythm just like the original Rakuzan members had.
Not to mention Hagioka Kasayuki and Tondō Kaoru—both the very definition of team-oriented players.
Rakuzan's counterattack began.
Hagioka, as the orchestrator of the play, dribbled forward as point guard.
Ahead of him—stood Shigure Akihito.
Inside, Tondō Kaoru was preparing to screen for Nebuya, dragging Kaijō's Kasamatsu Yukio along with him.
But just as he was about to make his move, he stopped—because Hagioka had already leapt up from beyond the arc.
It was the same trick as always: forcing Shigure to rise with him—Swift as the Wind!
And the instant he confirmed Shigure's jump, Hagioka twisted midair
and fired a pass toward Reo Mibuchi!
Swoosh!
Reo's eyes widened.
Even though he had hidden his shift in center of gravity well, Hagioka's pass was lightning fast—and yet Fukasaya Reiji still reacted to it.
That guy's defense… his read, his adaptability—it was evolving, catching up to those two monsters.
Reo's no-dribble fadeaway after the catch was immediately blocked at the release point by Reiji's reach.
But—he didn't panic at all.
As long as he followed what Hagioka had taught them—step by step!
Whoosh!
That sideways-drifting three wasn't just about getting space to shoot.
What it truly provided… was vision.
Passing lanes.
And endless possibilities within the motion of a shot.
Drifting left, Reo didn't shoot—his angle was gone—but from that vantage, he could clearly see the movement of every teammate on the court.
For instance
the moment he caught the ball, Hayama had already broken through with Nijimura, diving into the paint.
Nebuya seized the chance, pivoting his body to wall off both Nijimura and Kurokami, arms spread wide like a barricade.
On the opposite side, Hayama was open.
But Reo knew—he couldn't pass yet.
Because Nijimura, with his instincts and speed, would still be able to catch up even after being blocked by Nebuya's sheer mass.
That was precisely the moment to highlight Nebuya's growth.
Pass
straight to Nebuya Eikichi!
And Nebuya—though far from graceful—executed the next move instantly, using that one-second window to press his weight into the defenders behind him.
From the pass,
to the turn,
to the drive
It was simple, almost crude.
But it worked.
"Ora!!"
"Muscles! MUSCLES!!"
But the next second, Nebuya felt pressure closing in—Nijimura Shuzo, in tandem with Kurokami Shinji, both activating their wild instincts to counterattack.
In that instant, the eyes of the "lion" gleamed with ferocity.
Nijimura's gaze toward Nebuya was that of a beast ready to devour its prey.
"Double team!"
"Nijimura—get him!"
"Watch out! Don't forget the last play!"
From the Kaijō bench came frantic shouts, the senior players remembering all too well what had happened earlier.
And amidst that noise—Nebuya moved.
He gritted his teeth.
You two…
Don't think I've betrayed muscle.
I'm just
trying to win.
To find more ways to use this strength.
"With your talent, you shouldn't limit yourself,"
"If a genius only sees himself, he'll eventually be surpassed."
There are always more choices.
More possibilities.
In muscle—or in technique.
"HAAAAA!! MUSCLE!! MUSCLE!!"
"Muscle… pass!!"
THUD!
A loud impact—Kurokami's hand had reached the ball from above, using his two-meter height advantage, while Nijimura's brute force pinned down Nebuya's vertical jump.
But in the next instant, Nebuya coiled his massive body midair like a shrimp, pulling his core tight
then, with both hands, hurled the ball out with raw, explosive force!
Whoosh!
The ball zipped past them.
Crackle!
Lightning burst to life.
In a flash of blinding speed, Hayama had already caught up to the pass at the left edge of the paint.
"Tch! You damn freak—you even caught that?!"
"But did you think we didn't see that coming?!**"
Slap—slap!
Two lightning-quick passes followed.
First from Hayama—a basic relay—then from Hagioka, deep in the paint, who, back to the basket and under pressure from Shigure, launched a Swift as the Wind pass to the perimeter.
Third pass!
Reo's no-dribble redirect—he couldn't shoot from that angle, so he simply redirected it.
Target
right baseline, one step inside the arc
Nebuya Eikichi.
Shigure: "…"
Nijimura: "…"
Nebuya?
At that spot?
"Watch closely—right now, I can channel my muscles into…"
"Technique!!"
"Muscle!! Muscle Shot!!!"
Nebuya actually shot the ball.
A long two-pointer.
But the motion—oh, the motion—was chaos.
His arms were too bulky to raise properly, and his control was… questionable at best.
So his so-called "Muscle Shot" was…
a single-hand push from somewhere near his neck!
CLANG!
Ugly arc, rough spin, horrible sound.
It rattled around the rim
but it went in.
Swish.
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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