Next time, I'll find a way to beat you. I won't lose again.
Yeah.
I...
We'll see.
From the bench, watching Fukasaya Reiji's dazzling performance, Reo Mibuchi's heart had been a storm of emotions. Yet the moment he stepped back onto the court for the second half, facing Fukasaya head-on, what rose within him wasn't nervousness or resentment
it was an almost startling calm.
He'd imagined this countless times—thrill, excitement, even the sting of rivalry
but none of it came.
Even with memories of their junior-high duels flashing through his mind,
there was no bitterness left in him.
Wins and losses were temporary; they left behind frustration and nostalgia,
but never despair. Losing here would never erase everything he'd built.
And he would never regret fighting to the end.
Whoosh!
Reo received the ball from Hagioka Kasayuki, his motion swift as a gale—Itsu Hayaku Kaze no Gotoku!—and in that instant, facing Fukasaya's familiar, explosive defense, a small smile crept onto his lips.
Fukasaya...
You can say all the pretty words you want—but aside from winning and losing, there's one truth you can't deny: when it comes to the three-pointer... that's where my entire being lives!
Carried by the roaring wind, Reo launched himself in the same motion as his catch, rising diagonally with the flow of the ball.
He became one with the moment
Heaven.
Earth.
The void.
And beyond that
Man.
Because only with the support of teammates could man transcend himself.
"!?" Shigure Akihito's pupils widened.
"Heh!"
"Shigure!"
"It's him or me—Reo Mibuchi!"
No dribble, no hesitation—just a lightning-fast pull-up, the purest embodiment of Itsu Hayaku Kaze no Gotoku.
Block or not block
a question that allowed no time for logic.
Meanwhile, on the opposite wing, Reo mirrored the same blinding motion, sliding sideways as he shot. His form was so quick, it barely existed for an instant.
Fukasaya, though, was no longer the same player from their middle-school days. His growth was evident in every movement. Even with Hagioka's unpredictable setup, even against an unfamiliar rhythm, his defensive read came within a breath of disruption.
But Reo's composure was unwavering—he had expected this. Against Fukasaya's explosive defense, he fired without hesitation.
Swish.
A clean three.
Landing off-balance, Reo clenched his fist—an uncharacteristically fierce gesture—and roared,
"Ha!!"
"Three points back!"
"Defense! Push them back with everything we've got!"
His voice reignited Rakuzan's will.
Hagioka Kasayuki's remaining senior teammate's eyes sharpened; even the pressure of the score seemed to lift.
The crowd was caught up in Rakuzan's surge,
cheers crashing like waves
while the Zone-lit Shigure Akihito, eyes sparking like lightning, loomed on the other side like a demon king beneath the lights.
"Rakuzan answers back!"
"This game is unbelievable! Neither side repeats a single pattern—they keep countering every possible situation!"
"Rakuzan's momentum is insane. And Reo Mibuchi... he's a first-year too, just like Shigure Akihito."
"Yeah... old rivals since middle school."
Fukasaya cast a sidelong glance at Hagioka.
Reo's new rhythm—his lightning-fast release, his seamless body control—was impressive, no doubt.
But more terrifying was Hagioka Kasayuki's commanding presence and tactical precision.
Perfect timing, as always.
And if he wasn't mistaken... Hagioka's Nanchiruyin—Unfathomable as Shadow—had grown even sharper.
Was he baiting Shigure into burning out his stamina?
Even so...
the strongest one here was still Shigure.
When Kaijō regained possession, Shigure deactivated the Zone, shifting instead to his Man of Flame—Burning Form to conserve energy while facing Hagioka's defense.
Yet the pressure didn't wane—it only grew heavier.
On Rakuzan's end, Hagioka too began to release the deeper layer of his own hidden art—Nanchiruyin, the Shadow of the Unknowable.
Shigure's pace visibly slowed. From Hagioka's Chixurulin—the grace of swaying bamboo—to the heightened perception of Nanchiruyin, his movements reached a predictive level that almost froze time itself.
Then, in one decisive moment
Slash!
Hagioka's hand brushed the ball—only fingertips this time, but enough to spark a new hope.
Moments earlier, he had nearly been stripped himself. Now, with the power of Nanchiruyin, he was reading Shigure's every step.
Shigure was still faster, but the prediction advantage began to blur the gap.
So this is it... this is how it should be.
Akihito laughed aloud, even as Hagioka's fingers grazed the ball, leaping back into a massive fadeaway.
"Aggression as Fire!"
Hagioka rose to contest—his jump perfectly timed, his instincts sharpened by prediction
but Shigure's speed and vertical were monstrous.
Their fingertips met midair.
Flick!
The ball flew. Hagioka spun to track it
and the crowd gasped.
A one-handed floater, banking off the glass—an intentional choice to counter the interference.
Bang—clang—swish!
Off the board, off the rim—still in.
Hagioka exhaled, chest heaving.
Maintaining that level of mental prediction drained his spirit like a leaking dam; even if it saved stamina, it consumed focus.
But it didn't matter.
This was the only way to fight Shigure Akihito
the only way to stand against Kaijō.
From the stands, Akashi Seijūrō's composure finally cracked.
The match had become too chaotic, every pattern diverging from what he'd foreseen.
That Nanchiruyin was practically equivalent to his Emperor Eye—the difference was that Hagioka had to bear far more strain to sustain it.
Time flowed.
Two minutes passed.
With Itsu Hayaku Kaze no Gotoku and Man's Shot as anchors, Rakuzan slowly closed the score.
But Kaijō's offense came again—and Hagioka's predictive trance was fading fast.
...Too fast.
The exhaustion of constant focus gnawed at him.
Meanwhile, Shigure's body burned like a furnace, his Man of Flame—Burning Form glowing brighter with every breath.
That kid... what a terrifying ability. To maintain that level with so little loss—he really is something.
Danger.
This was the most dangerous point of the match.
If he couldn't push further now, the rest of the battle would collapse.
But Hagioka smiled anyway.
Black flame coiled around Shigure Akihito,
while dark ink shrank tightly around Hagioka's body—his mental reserves on the brink.
Shigure dribbled beyond the arc.
Focus. Focus. Come on, focus!
If I lose again... as a senior, as Okayama's ace... that'd be too pathetic.
For my teammates, for the title I still owe them...
And more than that...
I'm tired of always being on the back foot. I want to shine too. I want victory—and I'll be the one to make it unstoppable!
Prediction Mode—enter!
Buzz—buzz!
Emotion surged like a storm. For a moment, a wild flare of black ink burst across Hagioka's vision.
Shigure charged past him—but unexpectedly, Hagioka whipped around with a lightning-fast back swipe!
Even Haizaki Shōgo's eyes went wide.
Impossible!
That guy had been fading, clearly outmatched—how could he suddenly steal the ball from the monster Shigure, who hadn't slowed at all?
No way...!
From the audience, former national player Aida Kagetora leaned forward, astonished.
"Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain, Shadow, Thunder—each of his forms is powerful, but separate. The energy consumption must be insane... it's nowhere near as efficient as Shigure's Man of Flame form."
"But that last reaction... that was pure talent. Beyond Zone level, he's finally caught up with Shigure Akihito's base ability."
On court, Shigure's eyes gleamed with wild excitement.
"You're amazing, Hagioka!"
But Hagioka didn't answer—he was lost in the strange, transcendent calm of that instant.
The black flames and the heavy ink began to intertwine
one burning, one enveloping, merging into a single storm.
Maybe it was the after-effects of Shigure's earlier Zones,
maybe just destiny.
But in perfect unison, one side burned, the other predicted
Man of Flame vs. Shadow of the Unknowable.
Seconds later, Hagioka perfectly anticipated Shigure's move, slicing through the lane despite being slower, rising for a miraculous dunk!
Smack!
Shigure chased him down, swatting it with explosive force!
The ball ricocheted—straight into the stunned hands of Kotarō Hayama!
Whoosh—whoosh!
Two sounds sliced through the air
and before Hayama could blink, the ball vanished, already back in Hagioka's hands!
Under the rim, Nebuya Eikichi swallowed hard.
Their plan had only been meant to involve Reo, not him or Hayama
but those two monsters had completely rewritten the script.
Damn... this is insane.
It felt like he was watching a battle that no one else could join
even without entering the Zone, the atmosphere was just as intense.
The duel continued—Hagioka predicting, Shigure reacting.
Another drive, another clash.
This time, Shigure added Green Light.
He leapt again, sending the ball flying out of bounds
Thud!
off a reporter's camera.
The referee blew his whistle.
"Out of bounds—Rakuzan ball!"
Even Midorima Shintarō could only mutter under his breath.
Without Zone, and yet... their raw skill alone is this overwhelming?
The stands roared, disbelief and awe mingled as one.
No one could have imagined that the same two players who'd dominated the first half
would somehow take it even further in the second.
"What an unbelievable duel!"
"They're playing on a completely different dimension!"
"And look at the clock—the possession's almost over, and Hagioka still hasn't scored!"
"Just like the last clash before halftime... how will this end?"
The gym was vibrating with anticipation.
From the sidelines, Aomine Daiki watched the two, his lips curling into a nostalgic grin.
Yeah... I've seen that look before.
Ever since I first started playing streetball
the stronger my opponent, the more alive I felt.
"My hands are itching... damn it."
The crowd was entranced by the duel of the two aces.
But just as the tension peaked
Hagioka smiled faintly.
"Too bad... the experiment ends here."
His drive was stopped by Shigure Akihito again,
sealed tight at the baseline, no room to shoot.
Then
Hagioka snatched the ball with one hand, leapt behind the backboard, body stretched forward
Itsu Hayaku Kaze no Gotoku!
His target
the wide-eyed Nebuya Eikichi!
"The true second phase..."
"Let's go!"
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
🔥 Rookie Recruit – Read 15 chapters ahead
🔥 Starting Five – Jump 35 chapters ahead + 6 bonus chapters!
Huge thanks to everyone already on Patreon—you're the real MVPs! 🙌Bonus chapters, early access, and all the good stuff are live. 👀✨
And for the rest—it's not too late to be part of the team. 🚀
👉 patreon.com/MrBehringer