The referee's whistle pierced through the eerie silence, halting the game. Everyone on the court held their breath as they stared at the wrecked figure of Kirisaki Daiichi's No. 11.
"..."
Too brutal, Shigure Akihito.
Moments late
Kirisaki's No. 11 was carried off the court. After such a hit, a concussion evaluation was inevitable—it would take a while, and there was no way he'd return to the game.
With no choice, Kirisaki Daiichi subbed in another player.
The game resumed.
The ball had flown out of bounds after smashing into No. 11's head, which meant it was still Teiko's possession.
Following that little "incident," Hanamiya Makoto showed no sign of disappointment. Instead, his gaze sharpened as he intensely studied the court.
He had gained an extra half-quarter to observe. And he was certain now—there was no way that freshman brat's tactics would work against his "Spider Web."
But just then, as the whistle blew and Shigure Akihito grabbed the baseline inbound and began charging up the court with visible excitement
Hanamiya's smirk froze.
Shigure Akihito...
As point guard?
Of course Hanamiya knew Akihito had excellent ball-handling skills. But a player standing at 185 cm—the typical height of a middle-school center, dribbling all the way from the baseline?
That much distance? Right in front of him?
Absurd...
Know your limits.
That higher dribble point, especially in front of someone like him—was a blatant weakness.
Or so he thought...
But he was dead wrong.
Hopelessly wrong.
Yes, 185 cm would give anyone the illusion of "he can't control the ball well."
Even if you'd seen Akihito play before, unless you experienced it firsthand, you'd never understand how his fluid, almost symbiotic control of the ball worked despite his height.
Even more so now—Akihito was, as always, glowing with that signature "Green Light."
His talent—boosted by the Green Miracle—locked him into that luminous state, while Miracle Speed drastically increased his dribbling tempo.
Whoosh!
That lightning-fast move wasn't even a special technique
Under the Green Light's acceleration, the passive activation of Slip Break synced perfectly with Akihito's instinctive dodging.
Just like how Hanamiya's "Spider Web" needed Imayoshi to close the probability gap—Akihito had found his balance, too.
Hanamiya: "!?"
His opponent's dribble height? Exactly what he expected—higher than normal. Any other big guy, and he would've stolen the ball instantly.
But Shigure Akihito...
He...
It was like he was waiting there on purpose. Hanamiya was close, dangerously close—and yet, no matter what he did, he just couldn't touch the ball.
Each control, each evasion—sharp, precise, untouchable.
And then
Akihito smiled faintly.
He reached out,
Curled his index finger in a beckoning motion.
"Come on."
"You filthy little spider..."
"Right here..."
"I'll tear off every last one of your worthless limbs."
On the court
Hanamiya had clearly stepped into Akihito's ball-control zone. Yet within that dangerously narrow space, every attempt at a steal was effortlessly dismantled.
Each dodge and pivot
Every graceful sidestep
Drew gasps from the crowd!
To the spectators, Hanamiya looked like nothing more than a toy—played with at will by Akihito.
"This is unreal..."
"Shigure Akihito's ball-handling is insane!"
"Honestly, I think it's more about his speed and reflexes... He's so relaxed, even against Hanamiya's defense. He's not even lowering his center of gravity while dribbling."
"He's just... strolling."
"Look!"
"Akihito's making his move!"
Kenji Fujima: Green Light: Shadow Step Breakthrough!
After blowing past Hanamiya, Akihito approached Kirisaki Daiichi's three-point line. Player No. 13 saw it and instantly abandoned his mark, lunging to help defend!
Tch!
Even if he left his man wide open—it didn't matter.
You don't have the guts to pass, do you? Hanamiya's "Spider Web" will catch anything that moves!
Pass?
Akihito did motion to pass.
But instead
Special Move: Akira Sendoh's Ultimate Shadow!
A flawless fake pass—so realistic, it manifested a phantom of the ball.
In that instant
Other than Nijimura Shuzo, not even Fukaya Reiji—who had mimicked parts of the Ultimate Shadow—realized that Akihito had already broken through.
Shadow: Ground Glide!
The wind slicing past his ears left Kirisaki's No. 13 stunned.
He was sure...
The person in front of him had just passed the ball.
Then what was that sound?
That wind?
A fake pass?
How could it be that real!?
BOOM!
In the shimmering glow only Akihito could see, he combined that brilliance with a crouched, diving breakthrough—erupting from the frozen moment of the fake pass!
BOOM!
In the midst of the stunned silence and the deception of the Ultimate Shadow, Shigure Akihito soared through the paint
Akira Sendoh's Flying Tomahawk Slam!
More explosive and elegant than even Nijimura Shuzo's gliding dunk, he slammed the ball into the hoop with unrelenting force.
From the stands
Every team not currently playing watched Akihito in growing dread.
Compared to Shuzo's "simple" monster power, Akihito's technical brilliance made an even deeper impression.
Ball control.
Shooting.
Passing.
Defense.
And, an unmatched nationwide top-tier speed, even faster than Nijimura Shuzo.
Any of these would make someone a team's ace.
But right now
They were all concentrated in one man.
So...
How do you even play against that?
——
On the court.
From the second half of the second quarter on, it became the Shigure Akihito & Nijimura Shuzo show.
One basket each. Taking turns.
Every play began from Teiko's half. No passing. Just raw one-man offense.
They'd made a deal
Whoever missed an attempt, the other would take over the next possession.
But
Both chose to go straight to the rim, every time. No margin for error. No missed shots.
All the way to
80:31.
A nearly 50-point lead.
Kirisaki Daiichi who once pinned their hopes on the "Spider Web" now saw it for what it really was: useless.
After all
When Teiko's twin stars went full isolation mode with zero passes, how could the Web even activate?
From then on
It was pure execution.
Akihito as point guard. No passes. Top of the arc attack.
Shuzo as point guard. No passes. Top of the arc attack.
Everyone else cleared out. Back and forth. Pure torment.
And without a doubt
These two nukes, launched without restraint, were devastatingly effective.
As the game wore on, the gap widened—leaving everyone speechless.
Hanamiya, having experienced it firsthand, finally understood what it felt like—to be crushed by a power so unlike anyone else's that it drained the will to fight.
And then
Akihito's next offensive possession.
Kirisaki, already battered senseless, had no other option—they swarmed him with a full double-team just past half-court. Hanamiya included.
At that range, there was no space to cut off a pass. Hanamiya had effectively abandoned the "Spider Web."
"Hanamiya's pressing this hard—there's no way he'll be in a passing lane, right?"
"So he'll have to pass now, right?"
"He's losing it, he's really"
"But if even a half-court double-team can't stop him, Kirisaki Daiichi's got nothing left."
On the court
Akihito's aggressive, full-throttle charge engulfed both Hanamiya and No. 13 in his overwhelming primal pressure.
Within the thick swirl of black aura, as the Mammoth Beast trampled forth, Akihito's expression sharpened
The gaze of a god, peering down from the heavens.
And yet, even now—he did not forget divine mercy.
For when gods pass judgment on the lowly, they always grant them the honor of a warning from above.
"Struggle all you want," he said softly.
"Because…"
"In the end, the result is the same…"
Tomokazu Godai's Special Move
Frozen Moment!
Akihito surged forward, then suddenly paused
A sharp step-back.
Hanamiya and No. 13's eyes widened in alarm!
Almost simultaneously, they lost their footing—toppling backward, totally out of control!
"Bow down in reverence."
Hanamiya: "...!?"
Damn it…
MOVE!!!
End of chapter...
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