The court.
The figure that surged toward Kurokami Shinji wasn't Atsushi Murasakibara, whom Shigure Akihito had pinned down.
It was—unexpectedly—Midorima Shintarō, who suddenly shot into the paint.
Right now
Behind Midorima's lenses, countless intersecting lines flashed.
Horizontal, vertical, and spatial Z-axis coordinates—height, wingspan, jump reach, apex, lateral speed—every parameter of Kurokami Shinji was being converted into concrete equations…
And finally
Those cutting lines merged onto the hand Kurokami extended toward the rim for the layup!
But then…
75%.
That number
It startled Midorima; his pupils trembled for a brief moment!
And in front of the incoming Midorima, Kurokami Shinji saw it—countless cascading fragments of data unfurling before him!
That torrent
It was locking onto the route extending from his layup arm!
However…
Kurokami's stride from the edge of the paint toward the hoop
The very next instant
He seized the ball with one hand!
Pulled down!
Lifted his knee, tightened his core!
Then a one-arm motion—like scooping the moon from the sea—dragged the ball from the right side of the hoop, and with his height and wingspan, forced the finish to the left!
Just barely brushing Midorima's fingertips, Kurokami scored within the 25% the calculation couldn't predict.
Swoosh!
Kaijō vs Yōsen.
2–0!
From powerful back-downs, agile ball manipulation, to a rim-reverse layup that didn't resemble a center in the slightest, Kurokami Shinji's opening bucket for Kaijō hit like a shockwave!
"Ah?!"
"..."
"Kurokami Shinji…"
"He…"
"So he's actually this strong?!"
From the stands came bursts of sharp, stunned exclamations, while at Yōsen's bench, Araki's eyes flickered with shock again and again.
How…?!
In her understanding, Kurokami Shinji had always been the fourth-ranked member of Kaijō's former Teiko Quartet.
She'd never once imagined that his strength had reached this level.
From the jump ball onward, Kaijō's first possession completely escaped her control, shaking even someone as calm as Araki into repeated disbelief.
But for Midorima and Murasakibara, this was expected.
To walk beside seniors like Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo until now
To cut down the Five Generals
To fight all the way through Rakuzan
Anyone molded in that fire could never be ordinary.
As former Teiko members, as the Generation of Miracles, they understood this better than anyone.
Very soon
Yōsen adjusted their mentality and inbounded from the baseline.
Fukui Kensuke advanced the ball.
With Midorima's signal, and Kaijō's unmistakably obvious defensive formation, he immediately passed to Murasakibara, who was aggressively sealing for position near the paint.
And in his heart, he couldn't help thinking—
If the opponent is this strong, there's at least one good thing:
Murasakibara's offensive intent today was surprisingly high!
The moment Murasakibara caught the ball, the arena buzzed.
Through the IH tournament so far, it was obvious from the scores that Yōsen had been hiding their hand.
This was the first time the crowd truly saw Murasakibara participating offensively.
"He's coming!"
"Whoa—no way! That giant is actually attacking! He never joined offense before!"
"You serious?!"
"Of course! How do you think Yōsen won 9–0 games? Murasakibara just sat back and locked down defense!"
"..."
"Murasakibara vs Kurokami Shinji! A center civil war between two Teiko-era mainstays!
But damn—Murasakibara's even bigger than Kurokami!
Standing next to him makes Kurokami look small… that's ridiculous!"
"He may be the championship center, but can he stop that?!"
On the other side
Players who had faced the Miracles during middle school froze as old nightmares resurfaced.
Meanwhile
Some clueless teammates innocently asked whether Murasakibara was a defense-specialist since he hadn't attacked all tournament.
Those who'd been traumatized by the Miracles' brutality nearly choked.
"Don't joke. On court, he's nothing like his off-court laziness. Even among the Miracles, he's aggressively offensive."
"Compared to defense…"
"He's far better at offense."
"No joke—during our third year, our school scrimmaged Teiko.
Murasakibara led the second unit alone… and he scored 100 points."
Instantly, everyone's eyes bulged.
Huh?!
One hundred
100 points?!
On court
Murasakibara's expression sharpened as he backed down Kurokami.
Kaijō's defense intentionally opened space, creating a 1-on-1 in the paint.
"Senpai~!"
"I'll crush you~!"
Boom!
Body-to-body collision—raw strength.
Kurokami felt it immediately.
In that instant, it was like a massive truck gunning its engine to full throttle and ramming straight into him, pushing him deeper in without resistance!
Tch
This…
This is a freak!
A freak anyone would envy!
But using the beat created by Murasakibara's bump, Kurokami lowered his center of gravity and counter-pushed!
Boom!
Murasakibara felt the resistance increase slightly.
But only slightly.
The next instant
A sudden step and pivot, stirring wind pressure!
In Kurokami's mind
The Murasakibara who once needed full power to deliver destructive impacts…
Now achieved it with a simple turn.
Kurokami: "..."
Here it comes!
That momentum just keeps getting more ridiculous!
Murasakibara spun violently, storm wind curling behind him toward Kurokami.
Even Yōsen's players were stunned.
They knew Murasakibara was unusually aggressive today, but they didn't expect him to unleash this immediately.
No one ever escaped that force.
Even Okamura, the heaviest player on the team, always got blown over.
But
Before they could even finish being shocked
As they assumed Murasakibara had secured the basket
Suddenly!
Synchronizing with Murasakibara's monstrous spin, Kurokami struck!
Crack!
Arms and legs moving in perfect sync!
Right elbow jammed Murasakibara's waistline, left arm stabbed toward the ball, his foot cutting across to block the pivot point
Stopping Murasakibara's spin awkwardly against Kurokami's thigh!
And yet
The defensive precision didn't stop there!
Sssk!
Sssk!
A black serpent's phantom flickered behind Kurokami
Its eyes held the same razor-focus as Kurokami's own!
At Kaijō's bench, they were stunned by Kurokami's ferocity.
Like Yōsen earlier, they thought Kurokami had locked Murasakibara down.
But then
Momentum twisted again!
Pa!
Against Kurokami's precise containment,
Murasakibara dropped the ball to the side
And suddenly, lateral hop!
Kurokami: "!"
Shigure's…
Monkey step?!
Boom!
As he landed, Murasakibara rose—
The follow-through was unmistakably Shigure-like—a hook shot!
Except Murasakibara's form was even more textbook.
And his off-arm perfectly shielded Kurokami!
Swish!
Score!
Kaijō vs Yōsen!
2–2!
Standing before Murasakibara, Kurokami lowered his eyes
And together with the phantom black serpent behind him, he smiled quietly.
Ha…
This is bad
The talented Murasakibara…
Had become even more hardworking.
Compared to the younger Murasakibara, Kurokami wasn't a prodigy.
But in that moment
From overwhelming force to effortless finish
He wanted to know:
Could he be the best center to come out of Teiko?
Slap—slap.
He lightly tapped his cheeks.
No room for embarrassment.
As someone who had always been a victor
As the teammate of Shigure, Nijimura, and Fukaya—
He needed this resolve.
Soon
It was Kaijō's turn.
Kasamatsu Yukio advanced the ball.
Crossing halfcourt
Since Murasakibara had opened with solo offense, Nijimura signaled the play
Kasamatsu passed to Kurokami.
At the three-point line.
Yōsen's vice-captain Fukui Kensuke saw Kurokami holding the ball at the arc and flinched.
"Murasakibara, don't get misled by his height! Remember, he can shoot the long two! He's a stretch-type center!"
Indeed.
All along
Kurokami's biggest tag had been his refined shooting compared to other centers, and his flexible finesse.
But Fukui's warning was unnecessary.
After two years as teammates, Murasakibara knew better than him.
He was even guarding the possibility of a three due to Kurokami's growth.
At the same time
Facing Murasakibara's defensive posture,
Kurokami had one clear thought:
Those naturally hanging arms… are insanely long.
And the legs?
Ridiculous.
Plus
With reflexes like Aomine,
Murasakibara could react beyond normal human limits.
Put together, from paint to perimeter
He could close distance in a single stride.
Speed meant little against him.
At Yōsen's bench
Coach Araki was extremely confident.
Last possession, Midorima struck first and Shigure's presence disrupted spacing
otherwise Murasakibara would've shut Kaijō down.
So in a pure 1-on-1 center duel
Even if Kurokami somehow launched offense from the arc
She firmly believed there was no escaping Murasakibara.
Inside the three-point arc was entirely within Murasakibara's defensive coverage.
Only a handful in all of high school basketball—Shigure Akihito and Hagioka Kasayuki included—could do something similar.
Whereas Murasakibara did it normally.
Now
Kurokami elevated the ball from triple-threat.
If it were anyone else, Murasakibara wouldn't bother.
But if the opponent was Kurokami
He took one step forward.
Pa!
Fukui Kensuke: "…!"
So fast!
Like a serpent's tongue
The fake shot, burst drive was lightning quick!
Among players above two meters
Only Hagioka had such coordination.
Now Kurokami too.
Boom!
Predictably, Kurokami collided into Murasakibara.
Strength meant nothing against him.
But like a coiled serpent
Ssk!
Kurokami slammed a short sudden stop!
Between the legs!
From motion to avoidance
He slipped past the clash, half-turned to Murasakibara's side
And then
At a spot skirting the three-point line
The coiled black serpent UNCOILED!
Ssk—snap!
Sssk!
Kurokami gathered the ball, and in that instant while sidestepping contact, he seized the fleeting gap
Striding powerfully toward the rim!
Left-right flashes
The timing on the gather
It was like he'd taken an extra step beyond normal layup rhythm!
Before Murasakibara
Like a serpent
He weaved left and right!