Whumm
Inside Nijimura Shuzo's world.
The monstrous silhouette forged from inky-black flames suddenly split into five.
One side transformed into
Tomokazu Godai's poised, gentle three-pointer!
Smack!
It was swatted away cleanly by Nijimura.
On the other side
Kiyota Nobunaga's monkey-step spin dunk!
Boom!
Neither side even held the ball. The opponent was just a phantom—an illusion.
Yet Nijimura's confrontation with it burst into sparks, and with fierce power,
he sent the reverse-dunking Shigure Akihito flying!
Then
Shinzō Ichirō's Domain of the Gods—Time Stop Shot!
Crack!
Shattered!
The third shadow was obliterated.
And then
Sendō Akira's Shadow of Sendō!
The feint was so lifelike it could've deceived the eyes,
yet Nijimura effortlessly pierced through it—his instincts nearly perfect.
He cut past Shigure Akihito's phantom feint and lunged straight for the real body!
Boom!
The black fire of the monster was extinguished.
Finally
Fujima Kenji's Green Light!
The last ability. Nijimura met it with a calm smile—almost nostalgic
entangling with his opponent, step by step locking down his movement.
Under that eerie green glow, he sealed the left and right lanes,
as though strangling the life out of the play itself,
tightening, inch by inch.
Then
All illusions collapsed and returned behind Nijimura's back.
Within that Monster Immersion—everyone had just witnessed Nijimura's inner world.
They saw the realm that belonged solely to him
and they saw what he meant by Shigure Akihito in his first year of middle school.
At the same time
everything Nijimura experienced was transmitted to the onlookers.
That first-year version of Shigure
already monstrously strong beyond reason.
Those abilities
unimaginable.
And yet beside him stood Nijimura Shuzo,
who had seen through every single one of Shigure's moves,
defending against them all.
The effort it must've taken to reach that level
the constant observation,
analysis,
prediction,
and response
every detail refined to perfection.
Just from his aura and defensive form, everyone could feel it
as though they were personally witnessing Nijimura's reconstruction of Shigure's techniques.
It was mastery born from total understanding.
"Impressive, right? Shigure in his first year."
Kiyoshi Teppei: "..."
No… you're just as much of a monster yourself.
"Even though I didn't use any physical boosts just now," Nijimura said,
"and only relied on technique to dismantle Shigure's moves
it's a shame…"
"Because when I finally managed to reach that level
I was already in my third year."
"Before that…" he exhaled softly,
"I simply couldn't."
He motioned with his hand; in the distance, Fukaya Reiji tossed the ball back to him.
"As I grew stronger, Shigure did too.
His new abilities sprouted like bamboo shoots after the rain—one after another.
So during the second phase of my Monster Immersion,
I wandered for a long time."
"Until our final match in third year."
"I trained my body relentlessly."
"And my technique…"
"Using the monster, I kept dismantling Shigure's movements
over and over again."
"I remembered everything about him
even the way his eyes glanced at the stands before he entered the court
I engraved it all into my mind,
trying to build a more complete monster."
In Nijimura's eyes burned a roaring flame.
The monster drifted behind him—then, as though guided by instinct, fused into his body.
At that moment
Haizaki Shōgo thought he heard a voice whisper close by:
Are you ready, Nijimura?
"We," Nijimura said, "challenged Shigure head-on."
He sank into a defensive stance.
Behind him, the black-flamed monster took on a feral shape
a snarling reflection of Shigure Akihito himself.
"Essentially," Nijimura explained,
"Monster Immersion doesn't amplify your physical abilities like the Zone,
nor does it mirror the Ice World, the Man of Flame, or the Rainbow Stream."
"What it enhances"
"is skill."
As he moved, step after step,
his defensive rhythm was so lifelike it felt like he was truly facing an attacker.
Gradually
Haizaki's eyes widened.
That familiar offense and defense
the same fierce duel from back then
unfolded right before him,
and behind Nijimura, he could almost see the monster moving in sync.
"...!"
So that's it.
That's what it was.
That duel between Nijimura and Shigure
the Beast vs. Monster
at some point, Nijimura wasn't just defending.
He was dissecting Shigure's every motion,
breaking them down bit by bit through relentless clashes.
That was his "instinct."
He used confrontation itself to chip away at the seams of Shigure's technique.
And because the monster he created within was modeled after Shigure
no wonder he could never use it again afterward.
It only worked
against Shigure Akihito.
That's how he did it.
Monster Immersion.
It was practically a 2v1.
"But wait…" Haizaki frowned. "You still lost, didn't you?"
At that, Nijimura smiled—a peaceful, unburdened smile.
"Yeah."
"I lost."
"And that's when I realized…"
"The third phase."
He turned to look behind him.
"…Thank you."
"Even though I had already given up on you,
you still came back to help me once more
for the sake of those who came after."
"Heh."
"When you're here, I can't help but want to chase after Shigure again."
"That was fine before,
but I've already moved past that stage.
Thanks to you, I broke through my limits.
I came this far because of that belief."
"But just like before
I won't walk the same path anymore."
"If I keep chasing Shigure Akihito's shadow,
I'll never catch him."
"So vanish."
"Because now…"
"I no longer need the monster."
The beast inside him didn't listen.
It struggled, trying to crawl out from within.
But then
BOOM!
Wild energy burst forth
and the lion devoured the monster whole.
"When my body fought under the monster's guidance,
I could destroy opponents with pinpoint precision,
dragging the match back to the most primal, fundamental contest of basketball skill.
It looked ideal—and it did raise my level
but the constant strain,
the limited growth ceiling from chasing someone else's shadow,
and the monster's unending control…
all became shackles."
"If I didn't break them,
I'd never move forward."
"So"
"I chose to devour it."
Haizaki blinked. "Huh? What's that even mean?
After all that effort, you just… accepted the loss?"
Nijimura smiled faintly.
"No, Haizaki."
"For you—this is the best path."
"Because you're"
"a predator."
END OF CHAPTER
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