Fourth Quarter.
Chōgen International has possession.
The moment Akihito Shigure lifted his head, the aura of a "mammoth" radiating from his body shifted dramatically, shaking the entire atmosphere. On the court and off, every member of Teiko locked their eyes on him, wide with shock.
Because it was far too obvious.
They could clearly feel it, the sudden surge of that wild, feral presence!
On the bench, Coach Shirogane shared the same serious expression as the players. He clenched his fist slightly, as if afraid to miss even the smallest detail.
Just like Teiko, Chōgen International had already swapped out their exhausted starters midway through the third quarter, keeping only their ace on the floor.
And then…
They sent in their substitutes, pushing for a full-court run.
Swoosh!
As the team's ace, Kotarō Hayama shouldered the responsibility of leading the attack.
But just as he was about to unleash his signature Thunder Dribble, the defender in front of him—who should have been Shuzo Nijimura, was suddenly replaced by Akihito Shigure!
Hayama took a deep breath.
Silently, he lowered his expectations. Instead of treating the Thunder Dribble as an instant kill, he resolved to use it only as a means to pry open a gap in Teiko's defense, just as he had against Nijimura.
Meanwhile, in the eyes of the audience
The instant before Hayama's dribble erupted with its trademark crack of thunder, Shigure pounced like a hunting beast, bursting forward with inhuman speed, closing in one step ahead!
Bang!
The collision froze Hayama's movement mid-dribble, the raw power slamming into him almost exactly like Nijimura's style.
His eyes widened in disbelief, pupils dilating as if he had just witnessed something impossible.
It wasn't because of the sudden clash.
It wasn't the illusion of the charging "mammoth" or the faint glow of emerald light.
It was because
At the very instant Shigure pressed in, Hayama had already sensed something was wrong. Frowning, he braced himself, ready to switch the ball's direction with a flick of his wrist, just as he had done before.
But then
"!?"
His Thunder Dribble didn't bounce back?!
The ball…
Where did it go?!
Whipping his head around, Hayama's shock deepened
The ball wasn't in Shigure's hands at all. Somehow, it had already found its way far across the court… into Nijimura Shuzo's grasp.
"What the"
"What just happened?!"
Makoto Shinsuke's secret technique—Silent Intercept!
Talent: Predatory Interception
When colliding to halt the opponent, this ability allows for an instantaneous steal at unmatched speed.
And then
Makoto's ultimate—Emperor's Pass!
So, by the time Hayama was still reeling from the bizarre turnover, the audience was already witnessing something extraordinary:
In the same heartbeat Shigure completed the lightning-fast steal, the ball had already been launched, razor-sharp, into Nijimura's waiting hands.
Nijimura moved almost unnaturally, as though he had acted before the play even unfolded. He bolted toward Chōgen's half, never once glancing back at the ball, yet still catching it cleanly in stride.
For him, that catch required only a fraction of his court vision and analytical skill. The moment he realized Shigure, with total confidence, had released the pass right after the steal, he knew..
He didn't even need to look.
It was that same pass Shigure always bragged about
A pass so precise it shattered the very limits of a teammate's catching ability, elevating them beyond themselves.
The Emperor's Pass.
Talent: Absolute Precision
The Emperor's Pass transcends the receiver's limits, activating their catch as if they were closer or further away than they truly are.
Inside the paint
Unlike his usual style
Nijimura leapt, unleashing his full athleticism.
The move
It was Shigure's signature dunk
The Flying Tomahawk!
Wrapped in the aura of a roaring lion, Nijimura slammed the ball through the hoop like a beast clamping its jaws shut on its prey.
The glide distance…
The raw power…
They were nearly identical to Shigure's level when he wasn't in "Emerald Light" mode!
Back on defense, Chōgen International's second possession of the fourth quarter began.
As the squeak of sneakers echoed, Hayama found himself smothered by Shigure's terrifying speed and strength, struggling to even connect a pass. The image of that impossible steal still haunted the point guard's judgment.
Swoosh!
The ball entered the hands of Chōgen's substitute center.
Bang!
Bang!
Bodies crashed violently—Chōgen's towering backup center battling against Atsushi Murasakibara, who had recovered some stamina during the third-quarter break.
This guy's strength… and size… How is this even middle school?!
The Chōgen center gritted his teeth.
But still
This was a worn-out Murasakibara, already drained by constant running. Otherwise, with his level, there wouldn't even be a chance to push back like this.
"Haah!"
With a roar, Chōgen's center leaned into his advantage as part of their "Cannon Barrage" squad, using his mobility to slip free.
Suddenly
He pulled back from the paint to the free-throw line, preparing for the jumper!
But then
From the corner of his eye, he saw it..
For a split second, it was as if a lion really had appeared on the court, charging in to hunt the moment he revealed a weakness!
Boom!
The block exploded off the ball, ringing out like Hayama's Thunder Dribble!
And to everyone's astonishment
The one who pulled off a Shigure-style help defense block was not Shigure… but the "Lion," Shuzo Nijimura!
"!?" Daiki Aomine's eyes widened.
Swoosh!
The ball ricocheted like a spiked volleyball kill, hurtling straight toward Aomine. His face paled, but his catlike reflexes saved him at the last instant, preventing the humiliating "smashed-in-the-face" moment the audience feared.
The Teiko bench collectively let out a breath of relief.
But then
As they replayed the sequence in their minds
Something felt… off.
Wrong.
Why did it feel like, in this final quarter, Teiko's Twin Stars had quietly… switched roles?
END OF CHAPTER
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