Kurokami Shinji's long, serpent-like wild-step—perfectly synchronizing Black Serpent and Wild Instinct—appeared so elusive during the combined-footwork timing that even the sideline referee froze for a moment.
The whistle had already been blown halfway by air pressure, but he forcibly held it back at the last instant.
In the blink of an eye!
Kurokami Shinji's three steps slithered through like a snake weaving through grass, slipping past Murasakibara's defense to seize the offensive position. In the paint, Okamura Kenichi and Liu Wei instinctively closed off the lane together.
But
Kurokami didn't even glance at them. He treated them like air, like a venomous serpent lunging precisely at the weak point, splitting their double-team apart with ruthless accuracy.
BOOM!
He soared upward!
A serpent's body unfurled in mid-air!
One arm upraised—the dunking hand already aligned to the rim.
But
The next second!
THUNDER!
The very Murasakibara Atsushi who had been thrown behind by Kurokami's misdirection step suddenly surged upward from the floor—like a mountain erupting beneath Kurokami.
At the same moment, a violent gust slammed toward Kurokami mid-air, attempting to crush the ball he was hammering toward the rim.
"His turnaround is THAT fast?!"
"He was completely beaten just now!"
"Still caught up?!"
"…"
"What insane athleticism!"
On court.
Wild wind!
Black Serpent!
About to collide in mid-air!
And everyone could predict the outcome—just like the previous confrontations. Their strength difference was extreme. The moment Murasakibara pinned that ball, Kurokami's dunk would collapse.
SLAP!
With a crisp sound, just as everyone imagined, under the storm's assault, Kurokami clearly felt the ball slipping from his grasp.
But at that moment—under the power of wild instinct, especially serpent-type wild instinct
HSSS?!
Kurokami's pupils narrowed sharply. His fingers coiled, gripping the ball single-handed!
Then
He followed the direction of Murasakibara's block…
Borrowing force!
A massive one-arm rotation!
BOOM!!!
With a deep explosive impact, Kurokami swung his body at an extreme angle, and finally—borrowing the rim's tension—stabilized his balance!
KRANG!
The rim shook violently…
He landed!
In the next instant, there stood a stunned Murasakibara, and the ball Kurokami had forced through the rim dropped beside him.
The arena was dead silent!
Midorima Shintarō: "...!"
As expected—
75%.
But this time, that advantage belonged to Senior Kurokami.
He had started his attack footwork from the three-point line. After winning the positional lead, instead of using a safer two-hand dunk, he deliberately chose a one-armed slam to force Murasakibara into extending his arm fully at the instant of blocking.
Without arm compression, Murasakibara's blocking speed and power dropped drastically.
At the same time
The disadvantage in height
Was partially negated by Kurokami's maximized one-armed elevation.
He also clearly understood that Murasakibara would catch up no matter what. So everything up to now had been preparation for the final execution.
Even with Murasakibara's reaction speed, in this situation, he could never be faster than Kurokami's one-armed grab-and-swing maneuver.
Thus
Midorima exhaled deeply.
"…"
Captain Nijimura hadn't been joking earlier. When he spoke of mental preparation, perhaps what he meant was that Senior Fukaya and Senior Kurokami would directly crush him and Murasakibara face-to-face.
In the spectator stands, amongst those who had shown up in person, Coach Sanada Naoto's gaze sparkled—not because of Murasakibara, but because of Kurokami Shinji.
In all his years coaching Teiko, he had seen countless players.
Those big but slow.
Those fast but short.
Examples of both? Plenty.
But someone like Murasakibara—this tall, this fast—was rare. His energy level was fundamentally on another tier.
And yet, even then—Murasakibara hadn't been able to stop him just now.
Kurokami's energy, physically speaking, should never surpass Murasakibara's. What allowed him to challenge such a monster was—technique. Technique capable of compensating for his disadvantage.
"Kurokami…"
"This guy…"
"He's grown to this level."
On court.
The Yōsen players had not yet recovered from Kurokami's direct breakthrough against Murasakibara. Murasakibara, after a moment of blankness, suddenly revealed a ferocious expression.
Yōsen possession.
WHOOSH!
Kasamatsu Yukio suddenly pressured defense!
Pressured at the moment of dribble reception, Fukui Kensuke was frozen by Kasamatsu's defensive pressure, forced to brake so hard that his shoes screeched against the floor.
"!"
Damn it!
This guy isn't easy either!
Such strong defense!
SLAP!
Fukui converted to a behind-the-back dribble just in time!
On the other side
Midorima came to receive.
Half-court offense.
Once everyone settled into position, Yōsen's first option remained feeding Murasakibara. Kurokami might score against Murasakibara through technique in transition, but in set defense, clearly, he would be overwhelmed.
Murasakibara posted up, backing the lane!
THUD!
THUD!
A forceful backdown, followed by a forward spin, and Kurokami shadowed him with his snake-like defensive coils!
Then
Kurokami's eyes widened!
Kurokami: "!?"
Technique…
Beautiful!
This attack was completely different from the previous one. After front-facing the rim, Murasakibara abruptly halted and chained—between-the-legs dribble?!
He lifted his arm
Pump fake?
Could Murasakibara shoot?
Kurokami wasn't sure—but the next second, Murasakibara used a fake shot into a real dunk, exploding with height, strength, and speed!
It was even more bewildering than Kurokami's serpentine misdirection—his string of advanced moves created even a split-second advantage, enough to let Murasakibara unleash his monstrous physical superiority to the fullest.
This time, although Kurokami barely touched the ball, he was a beat behind, and Murasakibara smashed him fully into the rim.
BOOOOM!!
A violent dunk!
The shock traveled all the way into the stands.
The staff stared at the trembling hoop, hearts squeezing—but fortunately, Murasakibara released the rim immediately and let it settle after just two swings.
KRANG!
Landing, Murasakibara stared seriously at Kurokami—eyes lowered slightly, expression saying clearly:
"I'm back."
…
Time passed.
Kaijō vs. Yōsen.
Score: 20–26.
A surprising score indeed.
Since the first bucket, Yōsen's supposedly impenetrable defense had been broken. Then it became a full-on center duel. Off the court, Araki Masako stared at Kurokami the whole time, eyes never leaving him.
Before the game, she never imagined Kurokami Shinji could go toe-to-toe offensively with Murasakibara. And purely from the scoring exchanges, one couldn't deny that they were evenly matching each other.
The 6-point difference came entirely from defensive disparity.
BUZZ~!
End of the first quarter: 20–26.
Yōsen bench.
Midorima remained stone-faced.
Because the entire first quarter—Kurokami vs. Murasakibara—was advantageous for Yōsen. They not only gained the lead, but successfully delayed the moment when Shigure and Nijimura would strike.
Though such tactics felt shameful…
He wanted to win.
Meaning that next quarter, even if Senior Fukaya didn't come for him, Midorima would go straight for the matchup.
Just like the first quarter.
That way
With a double-digit lead entering the second half, even if Shigure and Nijimura went all out, Yōsen would have cushioning room.
But…
Senior Fukaya…
Thinking of Fukaya Reiji, remembering how Senior Shigure taught them back in middle school—to go all out even against weaker foes—Midorima felt uneasy.
First quarter
Murasakibara hadn't used full strength under Midorima's instructions, yet even so, he had taken a 6-point lead off Senior Kurokami.
But…
Midorima turned toward Kaijō's bench. Neither Senior Shigure nor Captain Nijimura showed any concern, and Senior Fukaya had already tied his hair back.
Without a doubt, for both Senior Shigure and Nijimura, this arrangement was clearly a part of their all-out strategy.
It wasn't hard to analyze
With Kurokami having lost to Murasakibara
There was only one conclusion:
They believed Senior Fukaya would erase the deficit in the second quarter.
Only then—entering the second half with the score even—Shigure and Nijimura, at full stamina, could face a fatigued Murasakibara and Midorima.
That would be true all-out.
Midorima's mind raced at high speed.
Game time approached.
Araki Masako stepped forward:
"No changes to the game plan. Second quarter goes entirely to Midorima. Everyone follows his lead."
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
Midorima exhaled.
If compared to shogi, the first quarter was merely the opening. The second quarter was the decisive battlefield.
This quarter would determine everything.
So first
He had to confirm the reason why Shigure and Nijimura believed in Senior Fukaya so firmly.
Second quarter begins.
Yōsen inbound from baseline.
Midorima received the ball directly from Liu Wei.
The moment he did, Fukaya Reiji rushed up to defend—and an ominous aura surged from him!
Midorima could distinctly feel Senior Fukaya's oppressive presence. In his perception, he could almost see a massive black spider with glistening fur, swinging multiple limb segments and locking onto him with eerie red eyes.
This aura…
Wildness?!
No…
Not quite.
Similar but different from Kurokami's awakened wild instinct.
Midorima lowered his stance, holding the ball low behind his hip, and suddenly raised into a shooting motion—only for his expression to twist when Fukaya struck instantly.
Midorima: "...!"
Such terrifying defense…
The timing of step intrusion and hand disruption…
Unseen defensive nuances…
It completely targeted his shooting mechanics, slowing him down—like being wrapped by spider silk!
So that's what he saw earlier?
Midorima's gaze sharpened—drop dribble—and dashed!
However
Current-state Fukaya reacted instantly, cutting off the lane while weaving his hands continuously, his limbs like spider silk restraining Midorima, visibly slowing his speed!
SLAP!
SLAP!
Midorima's ball control was terrifyingly precise
But Fukaya blocked him with total immersion… deeper… sinking further… The ability born from pursuing ZONE reached its peak!
At the same time
His eyes flashed with the same crimson as the phantom spider behind him.
"Come on…"
"Shintarō."
Midorima's eyes hardened. He executed a through-the-legs stop, then lunged again, accelerating past Fukaya, and using his speed to leap—shooting from the BACKCOURT!
The motion
Almost floating!
But the very next second
Because Fukaya had slowed Midorima's speed, the defense never fully fell behind. The instant Midorima launched the ultra-long three, Fukaya exploded upward!
Since middle school, he had cultivated one ability
A simple, brutal name—
Burst.
SNATCH~!
Their leap stirred a wind so intense their hair flew sideways. The ball that should have released from Midorima's hand—vanished.
It was trapped in Fukaya's palm!
In the erupting roar of the crowd, the atmosphere boiled over—
END OF CHAPTER
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