Sensing the heavy atmosphere in the locker room, Ryota Kise decided he had to do something.
He stood up, his voice unwavering as he spoke to the seniors present,
"Seniors, the game isn't over yet. If possible, please give me the ball in the second half. I'll give everything I have to win this game!"
The other members of Kaijō lifted their heads and looked at Kise. When they met his resolute gaze, the desire to win that had been buried deep inside them was reignited once more.
Yukio Kasamatsu felt the change within himself. He let out a relieved smile, then stood up and shouted,
"Everyone! The game isn't over yet! Let's keep fighting!"
...
"It's… over…"
Yukio Kasamatsu knelt on the floor, his eyes unfocused as he stared at the scoreboard in a daze.
The numbers on it were painfully glaring.
118–41.
In the entire second half, Kaijō had managed to score only four points.
Those four points all came from Ryota Kise against Shogo Haizaki.
After noticing this, Miyamoto Tokima immediately had Shuzo Nijimura switch onto Ryota Kise on defense.
What followed was obvious.
Ryota Kise was completely shut down.
He fought until his stamina was completely exhausted, yet he still failed to score a single point against Shuzo Nijimura.
Ryota Kise collapsed onto the bench, disbelief written all over his face, a look of confusion slowly surfacing.
'Lost… I lost… Is the gap… really this big?'
He stared blankly at his own hands, his heart unable to calm down for a long time.
Back at Teikō, he had been the favored prodigy. Even in one-on-one matchups against Daiki Aomine, he could still score.
But now, even after activating one-way [Copying], he didn't even have the qualification to score a single point against Shuzo Nijimura.
He was completely sealed off here, as if he were a fake member of the Generation of Miracles.
(PS: Here, Shuzo Nijimura is using a semi-Zone state—on the verge of entering the Zone, but not quite there. Simply put, it's the peak of his normal state.)
(As for Ryota Kise's [Copying], it cannot fully replicate Daiki Aomine. As mentioned earlier, Kise made a change—what he copied was a weakened version of Aomine, not the real Aomine. So there's no need to dwell on this or criticize it.)
For a moment, Ryota Kise was utterly lost.
On the court, the Kaijō players stood there in a daze.
Brutal.
Absolutely brutal!
They had never been beaten like this before, nor had they ever imagined they could be beaten like this.
This year, Ryota Kise—one of the Generation of Miracles—had joined Kaijō.
Their hearts had been filled with joy, and their dreams of winning the championship had grown stronger than ever.
They truly believed this year was their best chance to claim the title.
Yet here they were, mercilessly swept aside by Kirisaki Daiichi.
Hope?
There was no hope.
Only despair.
In the second half, Kirisaki Daiichi was like a demon.
On defense, they were like a massive spiderweb, wrapping up every single Kaijō player.
Any pass thrown against Kirisaki Daiichi was meaningless—every single one was intercepted.
Their offense was even more terrifying.
Shuzo Nijimura was like a god of war, casually tearing apart Kaijō's defense.
No one could stop him—not even Ryota Kise.
Ryota Kise's one-way [Copying] was completely useless in front of Shuzo Nijimura.
Nijimura didn't need any flashy techniques.
Either he blew past his defender in a single step, or he used physical contact to force the ball in.
It could be said that Ryota Kise was utterly crushed by Shuzo Nijimura, left in a pitiful state.
And when Kaijō tried to double-team Nijimura, he would selflessly pass the ball out.
No matter who caught the ball, as long as they had an open look, they shot without hesitation.
Kirisaki Daiichi's offense completely shattered Kaijō's spirit.
Even the spectators in the stands were stunned by how the second half unfolded.
"No way… Kaijō only scored four points in the second half…"
"So this is Teikō's former captain, Shuzo Nijimura?"
On Seirin's side.
Junpei Hyuga was already dumbfounded. He still clearly remembered how intense their practice match against Kaijō had been.
Even without Ryota Kise on the court, Seirin had nearly been defeated by Kaijō.
That alone showed how strong Kaijō really was.
But now? This Kaijō High School that had once given them so much trouble looked like a toddler who had just learned how to walk when facing Kirisaki Daiichi.
"Kirisaki… Daiichi… how can they be this strong…"
Riko Aida's expression was equally grim as she watched Kirisaki Daiichi's display.
The first thing that came to her mind was what it would be like when Seirin eventually faced Kirisaki Daiichi themselves.
It would probably be even more brutal than what Kaijō was experiencing.
Taiga Kagami clenched his fists tightly, his eyes locked onto Shuzo Nijimura on the court.
'So back then… you weren't even using your full strength? Or maybe… you still aren't using it now!'
A deep sense of crisis welled up inside Kagami. He felt that if he didn't get stronger soon, he might really be completely crushed.
Before, the mountain standing in front of him had been the Generation of Miracles.
Now, another mountain had appeared—one even greater than the Generation of Miracles.
A mountain that even the Generation of Miracles would have to face.
Tetsuya Kuroko's expression was just as serious. He hadn't expected Shuzo Nijimura to change this much after going to the United States.
In his mind, Nijimura had never been on par with the Generation of Miracles.
But reality was unexpected—Nijimura hadn't just reached their level, he had even surpassed it.
Of course, that was only natural.
After all, the training Shuzo Nijimura underwent in the United States was far beyond normal.
His training volume was modeled after Jason Silver.
Jason Silver never trained like this in the original story.
But now, under Miyamoto Tokima's intervention, Jason Silver's training intensity had increased drastically.
Simply put, if the current Jason Silver were to face the future Generation of Miracles…
Crushing victory.
Absolute domination.
Because the current Jason Silver… had opened the [Gate].
On Tōō's side.
Daiki Aomine sat on the bench, his face filled with shock.
'Senior Nijimura… what exactly did you experience in the United States?'
Aomine felt a familiar presence emanating from Shuzo Nijimura.
That presence wasn't Animal Instinct.
It was the [Gate]—that supreme, towering Gate.
'Zone… you'll definitely be able to enter the Zone!'
Aomine's excitement continued to rise. But this excitement wasn't just the thrill of meeting a powerful opponent—it also carried a heavy sense of pressure.
In the past, only Miyamoto Tokima had ever given Aomine that feeling of crisis.
That pressure had driven him to train relentlessly, all for the sake of one day surpassing Miyamoto Tokima.
But now, another source of that same pressure had appeared.
Shuzo Nijimura.
And the most terrifying part was—
Both of the people who gave him that sense of crisis… were on Kirisaki Daiichi.
....