On the court.
Standing at the top of the arc, Nijimura Shuzo swiftly issued a series of signals—and in the next instant, Shigure Akihito sent the ball his way.
Then, Shigure suddenly drove toward the paint.
Nijimura reacted at once—launching the Rainbow Link!
Pa! Pa! Pa!
In an instant, the ball moved between three points in a triangular formation so fast it dazzled the crowd's eyes!
Whoosh!
At incredible speed, Shigure took advantage of the moment when Hagioka Kasayuki—distracted by the passing sequence—hesitated for a split second. He slipped straight into Rakuzan's defense, catching the ball deep inside the key in the blink of an eye!
"Whoa, incredible!"
"The speed of that rainbow-like pass—it's even faster than before!"
"How… how are they doing that?!"
On Rakuzan's side, Hino Shinya and Kurumiya Tōsei used Unseen Insight to quickly seize defensive positions under the basket. Yet, to their surprise, Shigure didn't go for the shot. Instead, he passed the ball again
This time toward Tajika Makoto, right beside Hino!
Hino's brows furrowed, and he had no choice but to chase.
Tajika's eyes widened.
This pass… was heavy!
Even heavier than the ones from Nijimura or Reiji!
"So this is the base form of Rainbow Link…" he thought.
To receive this kind of pass and still control it mid-movement—Nijimura and Reiji are way beyond normal limits.
They're monsters.
Still, if I'm not the finisher and just need to stabilize the ball's trajectory for Shigure—channeling all my power to guide the spin and push it forward along the pass's momentum
…I can do that!
Hiss!
Tajika fought the resisting spin and hurled the ball toward the rim with all his strength.
Shigure cut in front of the hoop at blinding speed, and as he caught it—he finally felt the full force of his evolved Emperor Pass.
BOOM!
By the time the audience realized what happened
Shigure Akihito had already released the rim, slamming the dunk home for two!
In the stands, Kise Ryōta was speechless. "That pass speed… how did they even keep up with it? And that triangle passing pattern—it was almost instantaneous!"
"And also…"
"Shigure-senpai's passes are supposed to feel smooth and natural, right? But Tajika-senpai looked like it hurt just to catch it!"
Midorima Shintarō adjusted his glasses. "...It's too complex. I can't even put it into words right now."
"Huh?" Kise blinked. "What do you mean, Midorima? Just explain it"
At that moment, Akashi Seijūrō, who'd been quietly observing, finally spoke.
"Shigure-senpai's passes come in two types," he said calmly. "The one you just saw was the enhanced version—faster and more powerful—but both share the same purpose."
"They're designed for return linkage—to be received and passed back while maintaining momentum."
"In multi-stage sequences like this, pass integrity weakens over each relay. To sustain Shigure-senpai's original force after several transitions, the initial output must be extremely high."
He adjusted his posture slightly. "And the enhanced version… simply starts at an even higher power level."
"In Kaijō's system, the first-tier receiver is undoubtedly Captain Nijimura. When he catches Shigure's pass, the loss is minimal. His extraordinary perception and instantaneous processing let him adjust routes freely at superhuman speed."
"The second-tier is Fukasaya Reiji. His reaction and catch timing are unparalleled. He can handle even Shigure-senpai's enhanced passes and redirect Nijimura's second-stage deliveries with perfect synchronization."
"The third-tier… is Tajika Makoto."
"As you just saw, his loss rate is slightly higher—he struggles against the raw impact."
"And lastly," Akashi added, "Kaijō's point guard. When the ball passes through him, the loss is greatest—but Reiji's presence bridges that gap, stabilizing the relay before sending it on."
"Of course, that applies only to the normal version."
"As for the enhanced type—like the one Reiji used earlier—it's already clear. The unpredictable, form-shifting pass? That was the enhanced variant."
"But obviously," he concluded, "if your technique isn't at Reiji's level, you won't be able to handle it at all."
Up in the audience, Aomine, Haizaki, Kise, and Murasakibara all stared blankly.
In their world, no one had ever imagined passing could reach this level of intensity.
And yet
Akashi continued, his tone unwavering.
"What we've seen so far," he said, "is still only the surface of Shigure-senpai's transmission system. Midorima wasn't exaggerating when he said it was too complex."
"At that kind of speed, Nijimura's entire command relies purely on eye contact."
"The precision of their coordination…"
"The seamless planning of each pass…"
"The synchronization between Reiji and Tajika…"
"Their real-time adjustments to Shigure-senpai's normal and enhanced variants…"
"And the trust they extend to their less-skilled teammate…"
"At this point," Akashi said quietly, "the word teamwork doesn't even begin to describe it."
Silence fell—until Kuroko Tetsuya, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke.
"The same goes for Hagioka-senpai and his teammates on the other side… doesn't it?"
Midorima's eyes flickered.
From the start, he'd been analyzing everything. And now, as he looked at Rakuzan's Unseen Insight formation—a system just as intricate as Kaijō's Rainbow Link—he nodded slowly.
Yes…
Between Kaijō and Rakuzan, he could see it now
Two stories, both built over time. Two teams led by Shigure Akihito and Hagioka Kasayuki, each painting their own masterpiece.
If Kaijō's tactics represented one story…
Then without a doubt
Rakuzan's were another.
And the brilliance of both was equally breathtaking.
END OF CHAPTER
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