The ball went in.
Tendou opened the match with an elegant finger roll, officially igniting this high-stakes showdown.
"As flawless as ever—Tendou Kageyoshi," Imayoshi Shōichi muttered, knowing from the start that this match wouldn't be easy.
Their team—Tōō, and even Aomine himself—would be facing an unprecedented challenge.
In fact, it was Tōō who were the challengers now.
According to Momoi's intel, Tendou Kageyoshi hadn't lost a single match to date.
"Undefeated. Absolute strength."
Even Aomine had never beaten him—not even once.
How could any of Tōō's previous opponents compare to a monster like that?
"What are you spacing out for? Inbound the damn ball!" Aomine barked, motioning to his teammates.
Reciprocating a blow is only fair—and in Aomine's vocabulary, the word defeat doesn't exist.
Especially not when his opponent is Tendou!
Wakamatsu Kōsuke, however, was clearly annoyed.
Despite his hot temper and habit of shouting, he was someone who deeply respected hierarchy and discipline.
He always addressed Imayoshi as "senpai" and spoke in a low, deferential tone.
So seeing Aomine act like he didn't care about seniority at all made him furious.
"Don't lose your head. You haven't scored yet, remember?"
"Tōō's always been a team that values strength above all," Imayoshi said with a shrug. "If Aomine's fired up, we should be happy about it."
"Tch—"
Wakamatsu was still upset but couldn't deny that Imayoshi had a point.
Grumbling, he picked up the ball and tossed it toward Aomine, clearly reluctant.
He wanted to chew Aomine out like usual, but before he could open his mouth, Aomine had already taken the ball and dashed up the court—without waiting for his teammates to get into position.
"That guy..." Wakamatsu cursed, and took off in a sprint.
Tendou stood calmly near the three-point line. When Aomine approached, he took a step forward, meeting him head-on.
Another fierce round of one-on-one had begun!
Unlike Tendou, whose movements were complex yet controlled, Aomine's style was chaotic and violent.
To fans, it looked like the basketball was a flea trapped in a box—bouncing unpredictably and without rhythm.
Aomine moved like a berserk beast tearing through everything in its path.
Everyone watching was entranced by his dazzling plays.
Even the bad boys from Kirisaki Daiichi were stunned.
"This kind of movement… can a human really do that?"
They'd all seen streetball before—what baller hadn't?
But to play at Aomine's level? There wasn't a second person like him in all of Japan.
Tendou's expression, however, remained calm—eerily calm.
While the live spectators and people watching at home gasped in awe, his Six Eyes were already analyzing Aomine in detail.
And what he saw made Aomine's threat even clearer.
No weak hand. Both arms were equally skilled.
His ability to break through to either side was just as balanced. His body coordination and flexibility were second to none.
He was built for basketball.
But—
Got you!
Tendou's eyes flashed. His arm shot out like a blade, slicing cleanly through Aomine's bewildering series of fakes—and struck the ball.
WHAM!
The basketball flew loose, slipping from Aomine's control.
"No way?!"
Tōō's bench jumped to their feet—none of them had ever imagined Aomine could be stripped like that.
It was something that wasn't supposed to happen.
"That pair of eyes…" Aomine narrowed his brow, but he didn't freeze.
In the instant the ball slipped away, he instinctively spun backward and snatched it back midair.
His absurd court sense allowed him to locate the ball with nothing but touch—he didn't even need to look.
And in that instant, he confirmed one thing:
Tendou's eyes could see through his movements.
What a pain.
"But that just makes it more fun!"
Rather than getting frustrated, Aomine grinned—and charged at Tendou again.
His acceleration was terrifying—three steps and he was already past the free-throw line.
And from the looks of it, he wasn't aiming to break past Tendou…
He was going through him.
Tendou remained unshaken, eyes locked onto Aomine.
At the moment their faces nearly collided, he pivoted again—slipping to the other side.
Freak…
That was the collective thought of many watching.
To perform a sudden, clean spin at that speed? That alone would destroy 90% of defenders in the country.
"That's insane. One wrong move and he could get seriously hurt."
"For a normal person, sure. But with Aomine's court sense and physical ability, he won't mess up."
Kiyaaahh! A new voice joined in—Kiyoshi Teppei had returned.
Having finally recovered from his injury, he'd just rejoined the team—only to hear they'd been eliminated.
Still, he held no resentment. The competition in Tokyo this year had been brutal.
Especially with those two monsters on the court—who could beat them?
"And yet…"
"No matter how complex the move, Tendou's eye can see through it."
Kagami's expression was heavy with tension.
Back when they played Kirisaki Daiichi, they'd analyzed the tape carefully.
Tendou's Six Eyes could track every movement—he could see where players were about to move.
And sure enough, just as Aomine was about to slip past, Tendou spun after him.
Once again, the two clashed like shooting stars colliding in the night—bodies grinding, shoulders locked, both driving hard into the paint.
The rest of the players had no choice but to clear the lane and let them go head-to-head.
It was frustrating, honestly.
Both teams were filled with national-level talent.
Hanamiya Makoto was even one of the Uncrowned Kings—a player feared throughout the league.
And yet, all they could do now was watch.
WHISH—
BOOM!
The black-and-white blurs tore into the key, and neither of them looked like they were preparing to jump.
"What are they doing?!"
"They're heading straight toward the baseline!"
"What are they trying to pull?!"
People were confused—because neither of them had slowed down after crossing the arc.
It didn't even look like they were going to score—it looked like they were just… running blindly.
Until—
Aomine, feet kissing the edge of the baseline, launched himself into the air.
His body twisted midair, rising behind the backboard.
And then—he flung the ball upward from behind the rim.
Wait—what?!
The crowd watching online exploded.
What kind of basketball god move is this?!
And just when everyone thought it couldn't get more ridiculous…
Even that insane shot—didn't go in.
Tendou had leapt the moment Aomine did, launching off the baseline himself.
As Aomine released the ball, Tendou's right arm whipped out like lightning—
BOOM!
The ball exploded off his hand, soaring several meters before slamming into the wall and rebounding hard.
Only then did the two monsters finally land—gasping for breath.
『What the hell are you?! Some kind of demon?!』
『You guys are taking this out of bounds—literally!』
『SOMEONE GET JORDAN IN HERE. HE NEEDS TO SEE THIS.』
『Jordan: Don't @ me. This isn't even basketball anymore—let the gods take over.』