On the court.
Aida Kagetora's gaze was now even heavier than when he'd faced Shigure Akihito earlier. The reason wasn't that Nijimura Shuzo before him was stronger
It was because Nijimura, unlike Shigure, showed no room for leisure, attacking with his full strength right from the start.
But…
Aida Kagetora had misunderstood.
In truth, when it came to victory, Nijimura Shuzo was always like this.
Nijimura Shuzo vs. Aida Kagetora.
Every eye around the court locked onto the two of them. On one side, Nijimura radiated the terrifying wildness of a lion; on the other, Aida's exaggerated breathing technique had sharpened into something more—a Stellar Breath.
"Come on!"
Aida lowered his stance, one hand stretched forward, beckoning Nijimura.
"Here's a friendly warning before you attack—don't think I'm still the same as I was against that kid."
"Just like him, I was only probing before."
"But now…"
"Let me show you the gate of hell!"
Wrapped in the aura of a wild lion, Nijimura didn't bother responding. Even though Aida was already activating his technique from the very first moment of defense
Thud!
A lightning-fast drive!
But Aida, too, moved with blistering speed, dropping his center of gravity low. His defensive footwork cut Nijimura off instantly!
"Stellar Breath…"
"Inhaling massive oxygen into the lungs… to reach greater strength and speed."
As Aida's defense sharpened, Nijimura's eyes narrowed. His dribbling and movements grew harsher, heavier. The lion's charge became even more overwhelming!
Bang!
Thud!
Thud!
Violent changes of direction—each collision flowing into the next, battering Aida's defense!
Nijimura's eye for detail, his ability to seize openings, his talent for reading both opponent and court in the blink of an eye—left even Aida startled at the precision of his attacks!
And yet…
He couldn't break through.
Aida, rooted in position, stamped out starlight beneath his feet. Exploding off the ground, he countered Nijimura's every assault on his weak spots, step for step!
By sinking his stance even lower than before, his defense actually accelerated. His footwork wove a rhythm, almost like he was dancing with Nijimura's body-to-body collisions.
"Stellar Torrent!"
Aida focused
And kept focusing
Under the Stellar Torrent, he began to sense the currents and vibrations in Nijimura's movements. His neural responses adapted, even surpassing Nijimura's physical aggression.
At the same time
Nijimura's gaze, usually blazing, now went utterly cold. Excitement or thrill—completely buried. His pupils dilated until the black nearly filled his eyes.
"Kid…"
"Can't get past me?"
"The last one slipped through easy, you know."
Though Nijimura's expression didn't shift, his movements clearly carried some reaction.
Rapid crossovers!
Hunched low!
Sudden burst!
His speed spiked violently!
Accelerating to Aida's open right side, arms outstretched—
But this time—
Aida didn't shuffle with his famously fast lateral defense. He didn't even turn his head. He simply held his stance and snapped his left hand out!
Smack!
A crisp crack split the air—Nijimura's ferocious drive ground to a halt!
As he skidded to a stop, the wind whipped Nijimura's dark hair up. The ball that should've still been in his hands was gone—slapped away mid-break!
Then—
Aida lunged forward, retrieving it in a blur.
"Ah?!"
"No way!"
"Violent Freak's drive—broken?!"
"How…?"
"He didn't even make any big move, just stood there and flicked it away!"
Nijimura turned, retrieving the ball.
That sense of anticipation
Too fast.
It wasn't just visual reaction speed. From the timing, it felt more like the instinctive defense Nijimura himself used against Shigure—refined from endless battles into pure defensive reflex.
He glanced down at the starlight swirling under Aida's feet.
It wasn't the breathing technique.
Stellar Torrent…
Was it…
Some kind of sensory ability?
Aida shook his head almost regretfully, standing tall as his eyes met Nijimura's thoughtful stare.
"It's the air currents and vibrations I'm feeling."
"But…"
"Your instant reactions are already incredible."
Nijimura ignored the older veteran's half-teasing tone. Spinning back into attack, his aura climbed higher and higher.
Then
He drew a deep breath.
Before the stunned eyes of everyone watching—before Haizaki's clenched fists
Crackle!
Bzzt!
Snap!
Iridescent
Surging lightning!
It erupted from his eyes!
Nijimura had sworn that no matter how strong Shigure Akihito was, with or without the Zone made a clear divide. And if Shigure didn't use it, then neither would he.
But
He couldn't hold back.
Aida: "…!?"
Hey!
Hey, hey, hey!!
You're a high schooler—there's gotta be a limit to how exaggerated this is!
His only answer—two blazing arcs of lightning slicing past his vision, followed by the piercing roar of air being ripped apart!
After so long away from the professional court, Aida never thought he'd see it again. Yet here it was—this miraculous state, the Zone—appearing in a duel against a mere high schooler!
The lion, wreathed in lightning, tore through Aida's defense. Before Kiyoshi and Hyūga could even react—there was only a flash of thunder—Nijimura was gone!
They snapped their heads up
In that instant of frozen disbelief, the paint was empty except for Nijimura alone. And with an explosive dunk, the rim thundered!
The slam resounded—leaving Hyūga and the others struck silent.
Outside of Aida on the court, and Haizaki and Kuroko watching, none of them had ever seen something so terrifying. They doubted their own eyes.
At the same time
They couldn't help but wonder—was this Nijimura Shuzo's true power? He had just blown past a former national player's defense, something even Shigure Akihito hadn't done earlier.
But then
They saw Nijimura shake his head toward Shigure on the sideline.
"I went first."
"This one doesn't count."
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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