The final phase of the fourth quarter.
Rakuzan and Kaijō were still fighting with everything they had—but their conditions were nothing like before.
Neither Hagioka Kasayuki's "Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain, Shadow, Thunder" miracle that had once defined Okayama, nor Shigure Akihito's counter-mirroring of that same "Okayama Miracle" in the style of Rukawa Kaede, could be sustained any longer.
They were both running on fumes.
Their speed, strength—everything—had declined drastically.
Inside the paint,
Kurokami Shinji and Genbuya Nagayoshi were locked in a brutal wrestling match, both drenched in sweat. Yet, through sheer willpower, they kept pushing each other under the rim.
That muscle-obsessed dark-skinned bastard just wouldn't stop muttering "muscles" every few seconds.
Their minutes on court were far from even, and their roles weren't the same either.
Back in the third quarter, Kurokami had been Rakuzan's offensive core, while Nagayoshi's job was simply to pass and take isolated one-on-one drives.
So even in this fierce clash that echoed with thuds and grunts, Kurokami could sense it
the guy in front of him was nearing his limit, too.
Front seal!
Push!
Muscle collision!
Under the basket, their silhouettes alternated rhythmically
first Kurokami slipped in front using sharp positioning,
then Nagayoshi muscled his way back out again.
And the very next second…
the same scene replayed once more.
Meanwhile, Fukasaya Reiji and Reo Mibuchi streaked past midcourt, tearing each other apart beyond the arc!
Reo suddenly halted after catching the ball—not to shoot immediately, but to slip into the classic triple-threat stance he used back in junior high.
A deceptive shift in balance—"Heaven's Shot"—fooled Reiji for just an instant…
A feint!
A release from the void!
But Fukasaya forced himself forward explosively, leaping in front to block
Smack!
His fingertips brushed the ball
it bounced off course!
It didn't fly toward the rim. Instead, it dropped nearby.
Reo instinctively dove after it, snatching the ball again,
while Reiji, having overexerted himself, landed awkwardly—his legs giving out. He couldn't chase.
"This one…"
"I'm taking it!"
Whizz!
Reo fired off a standard jumper!
However
the moment he released, he knew something was wrong.
It wasn't just Reiji's exhaustion—he himself had been tangled up by that man's relentless pressure for so long that his own stamina had quietly bled away. His shot went off balance.
Just as he was about to shout for Nagayoshi to crash the board
Boom!
A flash of rainbow light sliced across his vision—blocking the shot clean!
That prismatic gleam
it could only belong to Nijimura Shuzo!
At this point, even the arcs of lightning in Nijimura's eyes had vanished.
The "Rainbow Breath" that amplified his strength and speed by flooding his lungs with oxygen was gone too.
What remained—was only the "Rainbow Stream," concentrating all force into the soles of his feet for explosive bursts.
He hadn't yet mastered the deeper resonance
the way Seirin's Coach Aida Riko once described it, linking strength, air current, and vibration
but even so…
This much was enough.
And after facing Hagioka Kasayuki's predictive "Unknowable Shadow" earlier today, Nijimura had begun to faintly sense that next threshold.
After the block,
as the player with the most stamina left on the court, Nijimura instantly burst into a fast break.
At the same time
Hagioka Kasayuki and Shigure Akihito
Crackle
Smack!
Crack, crack!
Unlike Nijimura, who now streaked freely across the court, these two continued to squeeze out the last drops of their potential,
pushing each other to the brink on both ends of the floor.
Under this relentless drive
until the very end
they both still clung to that dying spark of their Zone,
almost bullying it to stay alive.
Even now
their breathing was heavy, like beasts gasping for air
and yet…
When their gazes met, that surging spirit within them ignited again.
That burning will—to reach "the strongest"
propelled them forward once more, unstoppable!
A huge behind-the-back crossover from Shigure Akihito
he cut to Hagioka's left, leapt along the baseline,
and facing the shot-block attempt,
twisted midair into a floating reverse layup!
Hagioka's eyes flashed
at the instant Shigure was about to release, he stretched from behind to block
but—missed!
Dead zone reflex
Reverse-side layup + sudden stop floater!
In midair, Shigure's body shifted sharply to the opposite side,
and with a delicate flick
Swish!
The floater went in!
On the court,
both Shigure Akihito and Hagioka Kasayuki were visibly drained
their arcs of lightning gone, their eyes dimming, chests heaving.
For them
there was such a thing as a limit.
But that limit…
depended on who they were facing.
Instinctively, they exchanged one more glance
then straightened their backs, pretending composure,
their ragged breaths stilled in unison.
"...They're still playing this hard?"
"Even though…"
"Rakuzan has no chance of winning now."
"Huh?"
"Oh damn, I forgot to check the scoreboard. Uh… the gap's… thirty-four points already?"
On court, Hagioka and Shigure had already slowed to normal-level play
but the audience still watched, eyes glued,
not daring to blink.
Hagioka received the ball, crossing the three-point line into midrange,
and began his attack.
Nothing fancy
In–Out!
Hesitation step!
Crossover—pullback!
Hip turn
Misdirection!
Back-down!
Spin
Fadeaway jumper!
Against Shigure's defense, Hagioka's moves were pure art.
It wasn't a standard fadeaway, but a low, quick-release jumper,
using the midrange proximity to strike before the defense could recover.
Shigure's block missed by just a fingertip
the ball arced dangerously through the air
Clang!
Two points, clean.
As they both landed,
sweat dripped, breaths tangled,
their bodies trembling from exhaustion.
Rakuzan 116 – Kaijō 148.
Unnoticed, the game had already entered its final fifteen seconds.
On the court,
both had been forced into their Zones earlier—now their sweat blurred their vision entirely.
Hagioka tugged at his jersey, wiping his face.
Shigure dribbled behind his back, pushing his hair aside with one hand.
When their gestures ended
their eyes locked again.
"Let's go."
"Bring it."
They spoke in unison.
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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