"Everyone…"
"Rakuzan and Kaijō—everyone's gone berserk!"
"They're all too fast!"
"Everyone's insane—but still…"
"It's those three who are just on another level!"
The court was chaos.
Two minutes into the match, the entire game had devolved into a storm of collisions. Even Kurokami Shinji and Nebuya Eikichi were locked in a fierce battle, both empowered by the abilities radiating from their teams' cores.
"Musclehead!"
"Your half-baked technique's got a long way to go!"
"Hah?"
"My muscles will never lose to yours!"
At the paint, Kurokami and Nebuya clashed with thunderous force
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Each impact reverberated through the gym as sparks flew between them. With Shigure's "Shadow of Sendō" coursing through his veins, Kurokami stood firm, pushing back with all his might.
Behind the rim, Akagi Takenori positioned himself like a textbook—textbook box-out, textbook control.
Reporters along the baseline stared wide-eyed. The sound of bodies colliding echoed like muffled explosions.
Clearly—Kurokami's raw strength couldn't match Nebuya's. Especially with Nebuya receiving Hagioka Kasayuki's "Immovable as a Mountain" buff.
But
Kurokami had Shigure Akihito's "Unfathomable as Shadow" guiding his every move.
And that—was his perfect match.
Akagi boxed out—then snagged the rebound cleanly.
"Work on your technique, gym rat!"
"Hah?! You need more protein, toothpick!"
"Muscle!!"
"Muscle!!"
"Muscle rebound!!"
Smack!
In midair, Kurokami clutched the ball with both hands—but Nebuya, half a beat later, forced his arm between them, trying to rip it free!
Suspended in the air, Kurokami was like a leaf caught in a gale. Physically, his entire weight—plus the ball—was being dragged toward Nebuya's mountain-like resistance.
But
A ripple of Unfathomable as Shadow flickered around him. Shigure's ability pulsed through his veins, feeding him a signal—an instinctive push.
"Hmph!"
Emperor Pass!!
Whoosh!
The ball whipped away—straight to Fukasaya Reiji!
Kurokami might not have possessed Shigure's or Nijimura's all-seeing vision, but under the "Okayama Miracle" domain replicated through Shigure's Rukawa-style Eye for Eye, even his court awareness was amplified by Unfathomable as Shadow.
But the battlefield had become impossibly complex. Every single player on the court was now under the Okayama Miracle's influence.
Hino Shinya!
Boom!
Swift as Thunder!
Hino burst laterally, intercepting. Kurokami's lightning-fast pass veered off course, struck the floor, and ricocheted wildly forward!
Instantly
Several figures sprang into motion.
Two blurs Swift as Thunder. One figure Burning with Flame.
But raw ability wasn't the only factor—base stats mattered too. Of the two "Swift as Thunder" users, Hino's acceleration lagged slightly behind the other two.
Old rivals—Mibuchi Reo and Fukasaya Reiji—raced ahead side by side.
"Reiji"
"You're not getting this one~"
"…"
"Big sis…"
"Shut up!"
Bam!
Reo's teasing was answered not with words—but with collision.
Bang!
Even Reo, known for his graceful play, slammed back hard, abandoning finesse for brute force.
Their eyes burned with ferocity. Lightning from Swift as Thunder intertwined with the dark flame of the Man of Fire. Spectators couldn't look away.
Reo's lips curled into a grin.
So this… he thought, this must be what Kotarō felt.
That feeling of instinct unleashed—of running forward without a shred of hesitation.
Bang!
Whoosh!
But it wasn't his ability. The Man of Fire's burden was immense. Only Shigure could sustain the full Green Light beyond a few seconds.
Still
Something else ignited in Fukasaya Reiji.
Through the Unfathomable as Shadow link, Shigure's pulse reached him—giving him an added surge.
Godai Tomokazu—Full Acceleration!
The sound of wind tearing split the air.
Reiji was about to reach the ball first
Until
"You're not fighting alone, Reiji And neither am I! Here, let me return Hagioka-senpai's 'Calm as the Forest' to you!"
Shhh!
Shhh!
Emerald bamboo flared from Reo's body, wrapping toward Reiji.
The two streaks of motion aligned once more.
Smack!
Both hands touched the ball simultaneously
Then it slipped again, bouncing ahead wildly.
And in the same instant, both of them felt it
Their extra abilities, aside from Unfathomable as Shadow, vanished completely.
Behind them
A heavy breath. Deep, steady, almost inhuman.
"Leave it to me!"
Whoosh!
Rainbow Light
And matching electric arcs burst forth!
A prism-colored blur tore between them, outpacing both with effortless grace. The entire stadium froze. Even at that speed, that rainbow figure—Nijimura Shuzo—surged past, his afterimage burning across their vision.
Reiji and Reo instantly realized why their buffs vanished
Because the two cores sustaining the Okayama Miracle—Hagioka Kasayuki and Shigure Akihito—had abandoned their maintenance to chase full-speed behind Nijimura!
Three silhouettes.
Three Zones.
Three unique powers.
Converging—toward Rakuzan's rim!
Nijimura had sensed them closing in, but he didn't slow.
Spectators rose from their seats as the tension spiked
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Three figures took off simultaneously from impossible distances!
"Rainbow Surge!"
"Mountain Ablaze!"
"…"
(Too many abilities… what do I even call mine…?)
"…I'll just follow up the dunk!"
Three shadows flashed past the rim
And then
BOOM!
On the ball Nijimura had just slammed through, two more hands came crashing down!
Crash!
Two-on-one!
But the chaotic convergence of power sent the ball ricocheting off the back of the rim, flying high into the air.
And in that same instant
As Nijimura clung to the rim, the other two instinctively grabbed hold to steady themselves
CRRRRNNNNCH!!
The metal screamed under their combined weight.
Every spectator shot to their feet.
The backboard shuddered—then SNAPPED.
The hoop collapsed.
The possession technically wasn't over…
But with the backboard broken
There was no continuing it.
That play
was the end of the quarter.
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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