Chapter 129 - 130 – Dominance and Tyranny

Words : 1303 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

Thud! The audience hadn't even finished cheering for Kagami Taiga's near free-throw line dunk— In the very next second, Seirin's ace gave them an even bigger show: a shocking kneel. It was like witnessing something impossible. Kagami's eyes were blank, staring up at Tendou in disbelief. "Kagami!" "Kagami-kun!" Seirin's players rushed over, helping him off the floor. None of them had seen what Tendou did. All they saw was Tendou pat Kagami on the shoulder—and then, right in front of the entire stadium, Kagami collapsed to his knees. There was no apparent cause, no reason for it. What just happened? 『Wait—is this that legendary Conqueror's Haki?!』『Haki my ass! You've watched too much One Piece. This must be some kind of Sharingan genjutsu!』『Whoever posted that above... you're a damn genius.』『How did he do that? That's crazy! So damn alpha!』『Winning without fighting—Coach, I want to learn that!』 Even viewers in the real world were left speechless. Kagami was no pushover—especially after that match against Shūtoku. Even the anime team had heavily implied that Kagami was rapidly approaching the level of the Generation of Miracles. He had superhuman jumping ability, and now he just... dropped to his knees before the game even started? No real action had even begun yet, but the impact was already explosive. "Tendou-kun!" Kuroko also walked over, naturally stepping into the space between Tendou and Kagami. His stance made it clear—he was standing up for his teammate. Tendou raised an eyebrow, but his expression stayed calm as he reached out and patted Kuroko on the head. "It's been a while, Kuroko. You've gotten taller." "We're opponents today. Please don't do that," Kuroko brushed off his hand, staring Tendou straight in the eye. In the latter half of his second year of middle school, Kuroko had fallen into a slump. Just like Aomine, he couldn't find joy in playing basketball anymore. After the final game of his third year, he even considered quitting altogether—just like those many players whose confidence had been shattered by the Generation of Miracles. Thankfully, he didn't. And because he didn't, he met his teammates at Seirin. Here, he rediscovered the fun of basketball—and he wanted to use that joy to awaken his former teammates from their arrogance. "Basketball isn't only about winning, Tendou-kun. I'll prove that to you." "You came all the way over here just to say that?" "If you always believe that basketball's purpose is to bring joy... then you'll never be able to beat me." Tendou wasn't interested in arguing the point. He continued his warm-ups without another word. "Completely different from Kise and Midorima," Even though this was only their first face-to-face encounter with Tendou, and it hadn't even lasted a full minute— It was already enough for Hyūga Junpei and the others to understand the kind of person the Generation of Miracles' former captain was. So confident he bordered on arrogant— Obsessed with victory to the point of madness. "What kind of alpha monster is this guy? I'm sweating just sitting on the bench..." muttered Koganei Shinji, hairs on his arms standing up. Despite being a designated comic-relief character, even Koganei had been recognized as someone with the rare talent of "wild instinct." "He's kind of like Seijūrō..." Far away in Kyoto, the Rakuzan players were also watching the game. Even though they couldn't hear what was being said, the body language told them plenty. "Tendou and I are nothing alike," Akashi interjected. This friend—and former teammate—had never done anything by the book. Wherever Tendou went, chaos followed. But no matter what surprises or disasters cropped up, Tendou always crushed them in the end. That was just how he operated—with force, with presence, with sheer dominance. Akashi, on the other hand, preferred complete control. He didn't allow the unexpected to happen. And if it did—he'd snuff it out immediately, right in its cradle. That was the difference between Akashi's tyranny and Tendou's dominance. Warm-ups concluded. The referee stepped onto the court with the ball—the match was about to begin. "Just stick to the plays we practiced. Don't overthink it." Aida Riko reminded her players once more. For this match, they hadn't crafted any specific strategies to counter Kirisaki Daiichi. Because truthfully, no one knew Tendou's full capabilities. Preparing for him was pointless. So instead, their goal was to play to their own strengths—to use their aggressive, attacking style to overwhelm the opponent. Seeing that everyone understood, Riko nodded in satisfaction and turned her attention back to the court— Only to freeze in place. As if she had just seen something utterly terrifying. "What's wrong, Coach?" Riko didn't respond to Hyūga's question. She looked down in deep thought, a cold sweat trailing down her forehead. "What... the hell is that presence?" It surpassed any high schooler she had ever seen. Even their own ace, Kagami, paled in comparison. On the other side of the court, Tendou took off his warm-up jacket. "Huh? Tendou, you're going in?" one of his teammates asked. "Yeah. He's an old teammate, after all. Gotta be serious about this." Like a scene straight out of Kobe Bryant's playbook, he tightened his wristband— Then led his pack of Kirisaki Daiichi "bad boys" onto the court. ... "Let's have a good match." "Let's have a good match." The game began. There weren't many surprises in the starting lineup. Seirin's starting five, from positions one to five: Izuki Shun, Hyūga Junpei, Kuroko Tetsuya, Kagami Taiga, and Mitobe Rinnosuke. Kirisaki Daiichi's starters: Hanamiya Makoto, Yamazaki Hiroshi, Tendou Kageyoshi, Hara Kazuya, and Matsumoto Itsuki. Furuhashi Kōjirō and Seto Kentarō waited on the bench. The whistle blew, and the referee tossed the ball into the air. Kagami was first off the ground, leaping high and extending his right arm—cleanly tipping the ball to Izuki. "So high..." "No wonder he can block those ridiculous shots. That jumping ability is unreal." Matsumoto stood no chance against Kagami and lost the tip-off with no surprises. Seirin wasted no time. Their offense was already in full swing. Run-and-gun! This was Seirin's signature style—lightning-fast offense. Their lineup was relatively small, so half-court play wasn't their strength. Fast breaks and counterattacks were their bread and butter. Izuki locked eyes with Kuroko. The two exchanged a subtle nod. Then Izuki flung the ball toward what looked like an empty spot on the court— Kuroko appeared, made contact, and slapped the ball with force. The ball curved sharply, as if it had a mind of its own, slicing through the defensive gap. Kagami arrived at the basket at nearly the same time, snatched the rebound in motion, and soared once again for a one-handed tomahawk slam. "So fast!" "When did he get there?" "Wasn't he just jumping for the tip-off?!" Hara Kazuya and the others were stunned. That guy Seirin fans called the "Flying Man"... His athleticism was ridiculous. "Stuff it in, Kagami!" Aida Riko was already mid-celebration. Kagami's earlier kneel had dealt a blow to team morale, and as the challengers, Seirin needed a boost in confidence more than Kirisaki Daiichi. So if they could score first—take the lead—their self-belief would rise. However— Just as Kagami was about to slam the ball through the hoop, a flash of white entered Aida Riko's vision. In that instant, Tendou closed in, faster than anyone expected, and soared up to meet Kagami head-on. BOOM! Kagami's dunk was brutally stuffed against the backboard. And from above came Tendou's casual voice: "Run-and-gun? That's such an outdated tactic."

Chapter 129 - 130 – Dominance and Tyranny

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