Hagioka Kasayuki broke past Mibuchi Reo's defense with a smooth step, but in the very next moment he was confronted by Hayama Kotarō's help defense.
At the same time, Mibuchi came in from behind to trap him.
So that's how it is…
Because Hayama was right behind him ready to double-team, Mibuchi had dared to go all-in on that earlier steal attempt.
A clever and well-prepared tactic, but the two of them still weren't enough!
Kasayuki slipped the ball through his legs, stopping sharply with a retreating step. Hayama tried to mirror his dribble rhythm, blocking left and right, but every attempt at a steal was brushed aside by Kasayuki's bizarre dribbling control!
It wasn't the reckless, raw streetball style of Aomine Daiki, nor was it sloppy or uncontrolled. Instead, under Hayama's defense, it was as if Kasayuki could forcibly change the trajectory of his dribble in real time, adapting to every motion in front of him.
Each time Hayama lunged, it was like he became a puppet tied to Kasayuki's fingertips. Every movement of his defense seemed to be drawn out and anticipated, as if Kasayuki were manipulating him from the other end of an invisible string.
Hayama reached out to steal!
Kasayuki's dribbling hand instantly pulled back!
Hayama cut off the driving lane!
Kasayuki stopped dead, then spun past him in a blur!
In this strange rhythm, Kasayuki could sway and twist in front of his defenders without restraint. Even with both Hayama and Mibuchi working together, they still couldn't lay a finger on the ball!
They couldn't touch him at all!
And then
With Hayama and Mibuchi closing in, Kasayuki boldly exposed the ball, leaving the middle lane wide open as he danced through their defense. His sequence of evasions looked like a circus act, weaving between the two of them before slipping straight through the gap!
He rose for a mid-range jumper.
From the bench, the first-year rookies stared in awe.
They can't even stop him like this?
And what is with that dribbling?
His center of gravity suddenly rose unnaturally, and he didn't even bother protecting the ball. Even when defenders reached in to swipe, he evaded only with lightning-fast reactions, chaining together dribbles that looked awkward yet always slipped away just in time.
But every time—he reacted perfectly to their defense!
On court, in that same instant Kasayuki made his breakthrough, Nebuya Eikichi abandoned his mark in the paint and charged forward to block.
But
The moment Nebuya leapt to contest, Mibuchi saw something strange: the big man plunged headfirst into the inky aura swirling around Kasayuki's body.
Then
Kasayuki's shooting motion, his hands starting to gather the ball, was suddenly suppressed as if pressed down by some invisible force!
He didn't go up with the shot.
It was a pump fake—"the Buddha's Prayer."
"A fake?!"
"No way!"
"For a second it looked exactly like he was about to release it, and it turned out to be a fake?!"
"Beautiful!"
Kasayuki drove in, pulled up, and with space clear before him, finally released the jumper. The ball swished through the net.
Mibuchi Reo stared at Kasayuki's back in disbelief.
We fell for it…
Not only Nebuya, even I was tricked just by watching from behind.
But there was no helping it.
That shooting motion, both the form and the presence behind it, looked utterly real.
What's more—when Nebuya leapt to block, there was a moment where Kasayuki's body seemed to freeze unnaturally, breaking all momentum, before chaining seamlessly into the Buddha's Prayer fake.
That move…
Its rhythm shifted like a sky torn between sunlight and storm clouds—completely unpredictable.
When the Five Generals went on offense again, Mibuchi didn't call for the ball.
The reason was simple.
From his own middle school days, he knew players like Kasayuki—on the level of Teiko's Twin Stars. In most cases, their strength on offense was overwhelming, and their defense was a nightmare for opponents to face.
But if forced into a constant full-court chase, failing on shots and getting picked apart on defense, even someone at that level could grow frustrated quickly. That was why he handed the ball to Hayama, then told the rookies around him:
"Hayama will run point."
"The rest of you, set more screens."
"Our opponents are strong. Openings will be fleeting, so don't hesitate…"
"Shoot immediately!"
"Eikichi and I will crash the boards with everything we've got!"
From the sidelines, hearing Mibuchi's words, the younger first-years were stunned for a moment—then looked on with envy at the two rookies who would share the court with the Five Generals.
Hayama advanced the ball.
BOOM!
Thunder Dribble!
Then
Second Stage!
Thunder Dribble!
The continuous explosive bursts of lightning-quick dribbling made Kasayuki's eyes widen, though this alone wasn't enough to break his defense. Hayama knew it too.
The very next instant
Amid the rolling thunder, a sharp whistle of air cut through!
Whoosh!
The ball was slung inside to Nebuya Eikichi!
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Nebuya bulldozed forward with raw muscle, savagely knocking aside Tajima Makoto before raising the ball high. He faked, drew Kasayuki to him, then with his pivot foot locked—spun around!
A feint!
Read instantly
He rose into the air!
"Muscle, muscle, muscles…!"
"In the air…"
"Muscle Pass!"
In mid-air, colliding violently with Kasayuki, Nebuya unveiled the attack he'd secretly developed just for Shigure Akihito.
It wasn't a shot
It was a pass!
Whoosh!
Even without much accuracy, the sheer force of his airborne pass sent the ball rocketing to the perimeter!
Smack!
Mibuchi caught it and instantly softened the impact with a quick dribble pull, neutralizing the raw force of the pass. Many in the audience recognized that handling
It was the same instant ball-control technique used by Fukasaya Reiji back in middle school, the man who had once defeated him.
But
BOOM!
BOOM!
Kasayuki, moving like thunder itself, even after being delayed by Nebuya in the air, still landed and chased after with lightning speed!
"Void…"
Because of Shigure Akihito, Kasayuki knew all about the Five Generals' abilities—he even knew the ways to break them.
"Void" was achieved by crouching deeper before a jumper, storing more spring in the knees. In the instant the defender had already jumped and expended their energy, the shooter paused, leaving the defender frozen midair as if in a still frame, then rose calmly into the shot.
But
Just as Kasayuki matched Mibuchi's crouch with his superhuman vision, moving to contest, Mibuchi suddenly lunged forward
Box out!
Kick out!
All in one motion!
The ball left his hands in a lightning-quick pass, while Kasayuki, who had mirrored his crouch more deeply than usual, needed extra time to rise. Mibuchi spread his arms wide, sealing him off completely.
Whoosh!
The first-year teammate received it cleanly.
Splash!
The three-pointer dropped.
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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