Both Haizaki and Kagami clamped their hands down on Papa's shoulders at the same time.
Their eyes met—and in that instant, the fierce aura of the gray wolf overpowered the tiger.
"Oi, Kagami…"
"It's not your turn yet."
Haizaki, stepping in for Kuroko's sake, didn't even bother mocking Kagami for his trademark split eyebrows this time.
He simply shifted his hand away from Papa's shoulder—and grabbed Kagami's instead.
He yanked him back—fast.
Kagami blinked, momentarily stunned.
"Tch—so fast… and strong!"
As Kagami stumbled backward, Haizaki's sharp aura refocused on the man in front of him.
His eyes turned to Papa.
"That dark skin of yours is really getting on my nerves."
"Tell me—what's your issue with the Generation of Miracles?"
Papa tilted his head.
"Funny you should ask," Haizaki sneered. "Because I am one of them."
"Haizaki Shōgo."
The gym fell dead silent.
Even Seirin's bench players, who had gotten used to Haizaki's rough, intimidating presence, were surprised.
He was usually brash, sure—but this?
This was the first time they'd ever seen his aura explode like that.
Papa tried to speak, but Haizaki's gaze flicked to the man's hand still resting on Kuroko's head.
For a brief instant, Haizaki's eyes turned cold.
Then, before Papa could even finish a word
Haizaki strode forward.
"Take your hand off, you idiot."
"Who do you think you're touching?"
He passed Papa without even glancing at him, his steps sharp and deliberate.
And at that instant
[Monster Immersion — Activate!]
But this version…
…left everyone in Seirin completely speechless.
It was—
Akashi.
Haizaki's voice dropped to a chilling calm.
"Idiot—let me give you a word of advice."
"The only ones who can stand arrogantly in front of me…"
"…are those I personally acknowledge."
"And you—"
He smirked.
"…are not one of them."
Haizaki lightly placed a hand on Papa's shoulder
and in the next second, Papa's body collapsed.
He lost all balance, eyes wide with confusion as the floor rushed up to meet him.
Thud!
He sat there, dazed, his line of sight dropping to the ground.
Haizaki looked down at him expressionlessly.
"Underestimating the Generation of Miracles—you're far too full of yourself."
"P-Papa!"
"You bastard, what the hell did you do!?"
Haizaki snorted.
"What did I do?"
The other players from Shinkyo rushed forward in a panic.
Even the referee turned to check the commotion—only to freeze, confused, as Haizaki raised both hands innocently and walked past the fallen players.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
One after another, the Shinkyo players tripped and fell without Haizaki even touching them.
"They fell on their own," Haizaki muttered. "Who knows what kind of idiots they are."
From afar, even the referee was speechless.
He saw it clearly—Haizaki hadn't used any force.
It honestly looked like the Shinkyo players were… flopping.
Frowning, the referee stepped in to separate both sides.
Shinkyo's players stood there in disbelief.
Damn it!
What the hell just happened!?
What did that so-called "Generation of Miracles" monster even do?!
On Seirin's bench, Kuroko turned toward Haizaki.
"Haizaki—your Monster Immersion is complete, isn't it?"
Haizaki hesitated for a moment. Then, he nodded.
For him, the term "monster" meant Shigure Akihito, Nijimura Shuzo, Aomine Daiki, and the dual-personality Akashi Seijurō
the players he had fought, respected, and feared.
As for Midorima, Murasakibara, and Kise—Haizaki's subconscious always ranked himself above them.
He could never fully construct them within the "Immersion."
That's why his current limit was:
[Monster Immersion — Aomine]
[Monster Immersion — Akashi]
Those were the two he could fully manifest.
Just then, Riko Aida raised an eyebrow.
"Wait, you're starting, Kuroko?"
"Didn't we agree you'd enter as the sixth man after reading the flow of the game?"
Kuroko looked at her with uncharacteristic determination.
"Please, Coach."
"…Fine."
Riko sighed, smiling wryly.
"You're really fired up, huh?"
"Alright then—go for it."
"The starting lineup is Kiyoshi, Kagami, Hyūga, Haizaki, and Kuroko."
"But listen up!" she added, crossing her arms.
"If you're showing all our trump cards from the start, you'd better crush them completely in the first quarter!"
"Understood!"
"Yeah, leave it to me!"
"Let's go!"
The match began.
Even Seirin's bench was surprised—Kuroko, their "Phantom Sixth Man," was starting in the first quarter.
Riko smiled faintly.
"Nijimura once said—Kuroko's actually really competitive. If someone looks down on him like that, he'll respond with everything he's got."
"And as for Haizaki…"
She grinned.
"That idiot Papa messed with Kuroko. This'll be fun."
At center court, Papa—recovering from his earlier embarrassment—grinned.
"Today's opponents look so small. Do they even eat properly? And hey—there's even a kid sitting on their bench!"
He laughed.
"And that braided guy—does he use magic?"
Kuroko suddenly appeared behind him like a ghost.
"I'm not a kid."
"What?!"
"When the hell did you?!"
The referee quickly stepped in and signaled for the jump ball to start.
Tip-off.
To everyone's surprise, despite Papa's height and reach advantage, Seirin's Kiyoshi Teppei won the jump.
What?!
Papa's teammates looked shocked.
How did he lose that?
Haizaki received the ball and pushed it upcourt.
Dribble—dribble—dribble!
[Monster Immersion — Aomine!]
His dribbling speed exploded.
He slipped through defenders like water, his movement fluid and unpredictable—completely bypassing Shinkyo's defense before they could react.
Too fast!
And—he didn't shoot?
Their defender froze, expecting a jumper.
[Monster Immersion — Akashi!]
Haizaki's eyes sharpened, scanning every opening.
He passed
a no-look pass that sliced through the defense like a blade!
Kagami caught it midair.
BOOM!
The dunk shook the rim.
Seirin scored first—and not just scored.
Haizaki…
had played point guard.
2–0.
Kagami blinked, staring at the ball.
He scratched his head awkwardly.
"…Nice pass."
From the stands, murmurs spread.
"Wait, what? Seirin's point guard is that tall?"
"And so fast… I've never seen a player move like that in Tokyo's prelims."
"Hold up—isn't that Haizaki Shōgo from the Generation of Miracles?!"
"Don't tell me… he switched positions in high school?!"
The audience, though small, was buzzing.
Shinkyo's turn to attack.
As expected, they fed the ball to Papa.
He caught it near the free-throw line, Kiyoshi guarding him closely.
No pump fake, no hesitation—Papa jumped straight into a jumper.
Riko frowned.
"Too raw. He's underestimating him."
Smack!
Blocked clean.
Not even by jumping higher—Kiyoshi had read his timing perfectly and stuffed him mid-motion.
"Nice one!"
"That's Kiyoshi for you!"
Even the spectators started laughing.
Kagami clicked his tongue.
"Tch—this foreigner's so slow. If it were me, I'd have sent that shot into the bleachers!"
Haizaki nodded in agreement, unimpressed.
So this was the guy the scouts compared to Murasakibara? Pathetic.
"Damn it!" Papa growled.
His teammate patted his back. "Don't worry. He got you with technique, not power. Next time, go for the hook shot."
Kagami stepped forward, his eyes blazing.
"Oi, you! I'm making two things clear."
"First—this match, I will block your shot."
Papa snorted.
"That's impossible."
"I'll never lose to a team that has a kid on it!"
Before he could even finish
Kagami spun past him.
A pass zipped toward Papa
seemingly a mistake.
But just as he reached for it, a blue shadow appeared in front of him
Kuroko.
He tapped the ball behind Papa
right into Kagami's hands.
KABOOM!
The dunk slammed through.
Kagami grinned at the stunned Papa.
"Oh yeah—and second thing?"
"Our 'kid'—" he nodded toward Kuroko,
"—can be pretty terrifying when he's pissed."
Kuroko looked up at Papa, eyes calm but sharp.
"Please refrain from calling me a kid again."
Papa froze.
His jaw hung open.
"W–what the hell was that!?"
"Where'd he come from!?"
Shinkyo's players started to panic, their passes faltering under Kuroko's ghostlike movement.
Then
Swipe!
Kuroko appeared again, intercepting their pass like a phantom blade.
[Objective: Crush Them in the First Quarter]
The system flashed in his mind.
He immediately redirected the ball—slamming it off the backboard.
The rebound bounced high—right toward Haizaki.
Haizaki leapt.
A shadow glided through the air
and with a thunderous roar, he dunked it home with devastating force.
BANG!
The rim trembled.
Seirin led, dominating completely.
And so began
the match where Haizaki Shōgo,
the gray wolf reborn as a point guard,
fully embraced the monster within.
END OF CHAPTER
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