On the court.
As the match between Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo versus Aida Kagetora deepened
Kiyoshi, Hyūga, and Kagami were stunned.
On the other side,
Kuroko and Haizaki were stunned too.
And the one being worn down by two monsters—Aida Kagetora—was even more overwhelmed than anyone else.
Especially since, by the halfway point of their twenty-point contest, Shigure Akihito had unleashed the so-called Man of Flames he had once mentioned, and Nijimura had briefly opened his Zone. Both of them now had their abilities blazing without restraint.
Aida Kagetora was already drenched in sweat.
But the terrifying rhythm of the back-and-forth left him no chance to stop, and faintly—he even rediscovered a trace of the joy of his youth.
Realizing that, Aida Kagetora couldn't help but wonder if something was wrong with him.
…
Mitsui Hisashi's textbook man-to-man defense, advancing and retreating freely!
Facing Shigure Akihito's burning black flames and his suffocating, relentless defense, Aida Kagetora racked his brain for counters, testing different techniques, clashing head-on with the fiery young demon before him!
Shhh!
Once again, Shigure seized the chance for a steal, his Man of Flames state fueling a storm of ferocity!
Even with Stellar Torrent and Stellar Breath unleashed, Aida Kagetora was forced to turn his back to shield the ball. In these exchanges, they had already crossed blades multiple times!
The battle was impossibly difficult!
Suddenly
Smack!
Age catches up eventually.
In such high-intensity duels, Shigure finally found his chance!
Or perhaps
It was simply that, in his burning Man of Flames state, Shigure's natural acceleration was so blindingly fast it nearly matched Nijimura's Zone.
Whoosh!
In that split-second opening, Shigure slipped past Aida's side!
The entire court fell silent!
"Senpai…"
"You lost focus there."
Aida Kagetora let out a deep breath. Yet far from being frustrated, the stubborn old veteran who rediscovered his youthful fire couldn't help but let a smile tug at the corner of his lips.
"Cut the chatter, brat."
"Heh~"
Seeing this, Shigure laughed softly. In Haizaki's shocked gaze, flames ignited dazzlingly, black fire rippling along with his flaring jersey
Twisting backward!
Man of Flames—Burning Consecutive Steps, Breakthrough!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Burning away his stamina, Shigure used an almost inhuman string of ankle-breaking feints, blasting past the once-impenetrable defense of Aida Kagetora!
At this moment
The difference between them was clear.
And Shigure wasn't even worried about stamina—none of the spectators, not even Nijimura, could see any sign of him tiring. Especially when compared to Aida's Stellar Breath or Nijimura's Zone.
This was entirely thanks to Man of Flames. Once deactivated, stamina would automatically recover with time, and through highlight plays his recovery could even accelerate.
On the court
Shigure soared upward.
Everyone held their breath!
But
As a former national player, even in his forties, Aida's indomitable spirit drove him to squeeze out everything. He forced both stellar abilities to their limit, shadowing Shigure step for step!
Then, seizing the moment before Shigure reached peak height, he struck from the side to block!
Aida Kagetora: "..!?"
Wait
Where are you even jumping?!
On the court
Shigure suddenly attempted an even more outrageous reverse layup than Nobunaga Kiyota's impossible baseline shots!
Mitsui Hisashi's…
Reverse Layup.
The name of the skill was ordinary, but the motion was anything but—after breaking through with a behind-the-back dribble, he leapt in the completely opposite direction of the rim's right side!
His back faced the basket as he drifted farther and farther away
So far he left the paint entirely!
And then, truly backwards
With his back to the hoop, he reached with that reverse hand
Swish!
It went in!
Even though Shigure had already done ridiculous things in Man of Flames, like flashy off-the-glass alley-oop threes, everyone still found themselves speechless, dumbstruck anew.
Their minds could only replay the move again and again—
The more they thought,
The more it dazzled them.
Compared to Nijimura's Zone, which was overwhelming in sheer power, Shigure's strength—under his title as "The Technician"—was something logic could not measure.
…
Now came Nijimura's turn.
Truth be told
Facing Zone was almost a relief for Aida compared to Shigure's unique personal ability.
This time, with the ball in hand, Nijimura's body crackled with electricity as he dribbled, swaying side to side like lightning itself. Aida, drained of stamina, staggered as he tried to follow, his body like an old boat tossed by the violent ferryman that was Nijimura.
Zone, combined with Aida's last desperate blaze of Stellar Torrent, produced a dizzying flurry of ultra-high-speed motion.
Chasing, trading blows, their silhouettes blurred again and again.
But…
As expected
Aida: "…"
I'm old now.
In a flash
The scene replayed itself, just as with Shigure moments ago.
The difference was that Nijimura, with a similar style and even greater talent, once he entered Zone, his speed aligned perfectly with his mind. He had reached a realm where he could anticipate the opponent before they moved.
Aida was left frozen as Nijimura blew past him.
In the paint
Nijimura leapt toward the rim.
The defender left behind.
Bang!
A soaring tomahawk slam from afar!
Dunk complete!
As Nijimura landed, Aida paid no attention to the lightning flickering in his eyes. Instead, what he saw in that wild, fervent gaze was
Something familiar.
"Kid, Nijimura."
Aida suddenly spoke. As Nijimura turned his gaze toward him, the veteran continued:
"Don't doubt yourself. You're not on the wrong path. Keep going straight."
"That's a realm someone has already reached before."
"Though…"
"Knowing your personality, you'll probably be different from that man."
Nijimura froze for a second. It was no surprise that this former national player could see through him, but what did surprise him was—the contradiction.
"…Who was it?"
"…"
"Sean Fegu."
"Too long ago for you. He was a player from our era. He possessed an ability that, for a brief span, could completely control the flow of everyone on the court—as if directing a play from God's perspective."
"Platinum Theater."
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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