Clang!
The ball that Aida Kagetora had tipped at the last moment bounced hard off the rim. Until that instant—aside from Nijimura Shuzo—no one had dared breathe.
Only now did they finally exhale deeply.
Granted, Aida Kagetora's last defensive burst was outrageously over the top.
But from a sheer visual impact…
Shigure Akihito's attack just then
"Too…"
"Too insane."
"What even happened just now?"
From the triple-threat stance he set at the three-point line, to the dribble driving deep into the paint, and finally that deceptive pivot into a fading jumper
Shigure's sequence of movements was dazzlingly complex, executed at a speed that defied comprehension. Everyone was shaken.
Even
Haizaki Shōgo.
"He…"
"There's no way… he got faster?"
"Not only taller since middle school…"
"He's even quicker now?"
The monster footwork he once passed down to Murasakibara for inside scoring, the streetball style he used in that old 1v2 against Aomine and himself
"Those were all moves from junior high…"
"But…"
"In sheer power, they're already on a whole different level."
On the sidelines
As a center, Kiyoshi Teppei focused especially on Shigure Akihito's frightening ability to attack the paint.
"One hundred ninety-six centimeters…"
"As expected…"
"Even though all his other skills are overwhelming, if he plays the center role, there's basically no one who can stop him now."
"He was already quick before, but I never imagined he could reach this speed."
"And more than that…"
"It's completely different from his usual relaxed demeanor."
"The precision in Shigure's technique and application… is terrifying."
"Every layer of his attack chained into the next. Even at the end, he forced that senior to second-guess his intentions."
"During that back-down fadeaway, he wasn't even looking at the senior's reactions. At that speed, he didn't even have the time."
"So…"
"Even his point guard's vision has grown immensely."
"And yet, even so…"
"That former national player—despite being clearly shaken—still managed to recover and block the ball. As expected of someone once at that level."
Beside him, Hyūga Junpei, who hadn't followed the sequence at all, glanced at Kiyoshi with a complicated expression.
It wasn't just strength.
Even in terms of perception
The gap between himself and Kiyoshi, and the others who could actually grasp the play, was painfully clear.
Perhaps…
The only one on his level of bewilderment was the redhead across the court, Kagami Taiga.
On the court
Shigure Akihito gave Aida Kagetora a strange look. Only after realizing Kagetora was also staring oddly at him did he speak:
"Breath of the Stars…?"
"That's bizarre."
"Senpai…"
"I thought your ability would be something tiger-related."
"By the way…"
"Do you even have wild instinct? Anything like a tiger's?"
Aida Kagetora: "…"
"…The 'tora' in my name made you assume that, huh? Sorry to disappoint, brat!"
Wild instinct?
He didn't have it. That's why he developed this instead.
Tch.
Talented brat!
Clap!
"My turn."
The two switched roles. Shigure stood in front of Aida Kagetora on defense.
What Shigure said earlier wasn't entirely off. The "tiger" in Kagetora wasn't about technique—it was about style.
Simply put
Raw power.
"I'm coming."
Boom!
The moment his words fell, starlight seemed to gather at Kagetora's feet. As he launched forward, his face twisted, wrinkles cutting into an image of an aging, yet unyielding king of beasts refusing to surrender his throne.
His offense lacked Shigure Akihito's layered complexity—no elaborate deception, just straightforward assaults!
Blocked? Then a simple cross or half spin!
Relying purely on
Relentless drive!
"Ugh…!"
The starlight scattered as Shigure felt the heavy collision. The force pressing through him grew stronger and stronger—greater even than Nijimura's.
Comparing him to a tiger's might wasn't exaggeration in the least!
But then
Wild instinct.
The mammoth!
That unique, enhanced wild strength
Erupted!
Slamming into the charging tiger amidst the starlight!
Suddenly, without warning, two beasts clashed viciously in the paint!
"Breath of the Stars!"
In that instant
Everyone's thoughts stalled as Kagetora exhaled a long, thunderous breath, followed by a massive inhale.
When they came back to themselves
What followed was his ferocious rise, bulldozing Shigure Akihito beneath him, soaring violently toward the hoop. The terrifying scene unfolded before their eyes!
Bang!
Knocked back in midair, Shigure still forced his body into direct confrontation, meeting Kagetora chest-to-chest in the air, their bodies colliding!
Both hands pressed the ball with such force that the sphere itself warped under the strain!
Shigure Akihito: "…!"
Impressive!
Well then…
If we're starting simple
I'll use this.
Taken straight from Akagi Takenori's fly-swatting block…
A new move
Aerial Clash!
Talent—
[Daiki: Akagi Takenori's super-powered block, striking the ball with such force it flies even farther.]
Even though Kagetora had unleashed his signature Breath of the Stars, using his immense lungs to draw in an overwhelming amount of oxygen, boosting his strength to national-team levels
In that split-second, he still felt a massive force surge through the ball, slamming into his arm and throwing it off course!
He tried to force the ball downward into the hoop!
Clang!
As expected
Under that counterforce, his hand did grasp the rim, but the ball slipped from his control, never touching iron—only smashing against the backboard before bouncing far away!
The sound of the rim rattling, the ball striking the glass, and the double thud of their landing feet overlapped in the silence, every noise echoing stark and clear.
Though the exchange lasted only a heartbeat, the sequence replayed over and over in everyone's minds—until the lion at the sideline spoke:
"My turn."
Boom!
Amid the flickering lion's shadow, unlike Shigure who gradually savored the clash, Nijimura Shuzo stepped in blazing from the start—full firepower unleashed!
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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