Kuroko’s Basketball: Before Generation Miracles, I Already Crowned Chapter 312: The Third Phase

Whumm

Inside Nijimura Shuzo's world.

The monstrous silhouette forged from inky-black flas suddenly split into five.

One side transford into

Tomokazu Godai's poised, gentle three-pointer!

Smack!

It was swatted away cleanly by Nijimura.

On the other side

Kiyota Nobunaga's monkey-step spin dunk!

Boom!

Neither side even held the ball. The opponent was just a phantom—an illusion.

Yet Nijimura's confrontation with it burst into sparks, and with fierce power,

he sent the reverse-dunking Shigure Akihito flying!

Then

Shinzō Ichirō's Domain of the Gods—Ti Stop Shot!

Crack!

Shattered!

The third shadow was obliterated.

And then

Sendō Akira's Shadow of Sendō!

The feint was so lifelike it could've deceived the eyes,

yet Nijimura effortlessly pierced through it—his instincts nearly perfect.

He cut past Shigure Akihito's phantom feint and lunged straight for the real body!

Boom!

The black fire of the monster was extinguished.

Finally

Fujima Kenji's Green Light!

The last ability. Nijimura t it with a calm smile—almost nostalgic

entangling with his opponent, step by step locking down his movent.

Under that eerie green glow, he sealed the left and right lanes,

as though strangling the life out of the play itself,

tightening, inch by inch.

Then

All illusions collapsed and returned behind Nijimura's back.

Within that Monster Imrsion—everyone had just witnessed Nijimura's inner world.

They saw the realm that belonged solely to him

and they saw what he ant by Shigure Akihito in his first year of middle school.

At the sa ti

everything Nijimura experienced was transmitted to the onlookers.

That first-year version of Shigure

already monstrously strong beyond reason.

Those abilities

unimaginable.

And yet beside him stood Nijimura Shuzo,

who had seen through every single one of Shigure's moves,

defending against them all.

The effort it must've taken to reach that level

the constant observation,

analysis,

prediction,

and response

every detail refined to perfection.

Just from his aura and defensive form, everyone could feel it

as though they were personally witnessing Nijimura's reconstruction of Shigure's techniques.

It was mastery born from total understanding.

"Impressive, right? Shigure in his first year."

Kiyoshi Teppei: "..."

No… you're just as much of a monster yourself.

"Even though I didn't use any physical boosts just now," Nijimura said,

"and only relied on technique to dismantle Shigure's moves

it's a sha…"

"Because when I finally managed to reach that level

I was already in my third year."

"Before that…" he exhaled softly,

"I simply couldn't."

He motioned with his hand; in the distance, Fukaya Reiji tossed the ball back to him.

"As I grew stronger, Shigure did too.

His new abilities sprouted like bamboo shoots after the rain—one after another.

So during the second phase of my Monster Imrsion,

I wandered for a long ti."

"Until our final match in third year."

"I trained my body relentlessly."

"And my technique…"

"Using the monster, I kept dismantling Shigure's movents

over and over again."

"I rembered everything about him

even the way his eyes glanced at the stands before he entered the court

I engraved it all into my mind,

trying to build a more complete monster."

In Nijimura's eyes burned a roaring fla.

The monster drifted behind him—then, as though guided by instinct, fused into his body.

At that mont

Haizaki Shōgo thought he heard a voice whisper close by:

Are you ready, Nijimura?

"We," Nijimura said, "challenged Shigure head-on."

He sank into a defensive stance.

Behind him, the black-flad monster took on a feral shape

a snarling reflection of Shigure Akihito himself.

"Essentially," Nijimura explained,

"Monster Imrsion doesn't amplify your physical abilities like the Zone,

nor does it mirror the Ice World, the Man of Fla, or the Rainbow Stream."

"What it enhances"

"is skill."

As he moved, step after step,

his defensive rhythm was so lifelike it felt like he was truly facing an attacker.

Gradually

Haizaki's eyes widened.

That familiar offense and defense

the sa fierce duel from back then

unfolded right before him,

and behind Nijimura, he could almost see the monster moving in sync.

"...!"

So that's it.

That's what it was.

That duel between Nijimura and Shigure

the Beast vs. Monster

at so point, Nijimura wasn't just defending.

He was dissecting Shigure's every motion,

breaking them down bit by bit through relentless clashes.

That was his "instinct."

He used confrontation itself to chip away at the seams of Shigure's technique.

And because the monster he created within was modeled after Shigure

no wonder he could never use it again afterward.

It only worked

against Shigure Akihito.

That's how he did it.

Monster Imrsion.

It was practically a 2v1.

"But wait…" Haizaki frowned. "You still lost, didn't you?"

At that, Nijimura smiled—a peaceful, unburdened smile.

"Yeah."

"I lost."

"And that's when I realized…"

"The third phase."

He turned to look behind him.

"…Thank you."

"Even though I had already given up on you,

you still ca back to help once more

for the sake of those who ca after."

"Heh."

"When you're here, I can't help but want to chase after Shigure again."

"That was fine before,

but I've already moved past that stage.

Thanks to you, I broke through my limits.

I ca this far because of that belief."

"But just like before

I won't walk the sa path anymore."

"If I keep chasing Shigure Akihito's shadow,

I'll never catch him."

"So vanish."

"Because now…"

"I no longer need the monster."

The beast inside him didn't listen.

It struggled, trying to crawl out from within.

But then

BOOM!

Wild energy burst forth

and the lion devoured the monster whole.

"When my body fought under the monster's guidance,

I could destroy opponents with pinpoint precision,

dragging the match back to the most primal, fundantal contest of basketball skill.

It looked ideal—and it did raise my level

but the constant strain,

the limited growth ceiling from chasing soone else's shadow,

and the monster's unending control…

all beca shackles."

"If I didn't break them,

I'd never move forward."

"So"

"I chose to devour it."

Haizaki blinked. "Huh? What's that even an?

After all that effort, you just… accepted the loss?"

Nijimura smiled faintly.

"No, Haizaki."

"For you—this is the best path."

"Because you're"

"a predator."

END OF CHAPTER

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