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The audience couldn't help being shocked.
They had never seen a basketball match this intense. It felt more like an anime than real life.
If they had to compare it to something, maybe only that absurd Taiwanese drama could hold a candle to it—
That's right, that one where players dunk from the three-point line: "Hot Shot."
It was completely over-the-top.
Everyone expected this game to be wild, but no one thought it would start with this level of explosiveness.
Though if you looked closely… it did seem like Tendou had the upper hand?
『Well, obviously! My B-King is undefeated!』
『No way Aomine's gonna lose!』
『Relax—it's just the beginning! Does Aomine look scared to you?』
The audience broke out into a noisy debate.
Aomine had plenty of fans.
Many people loved this once-pure, now completely unhinged basketball genius.
His wild, primal energy had captured the hearts of countless female fans.
Currently, his female fanbase was second only to Tendou's.
Of course, that was assuming Akashi hadn't entered the picture yet.
Once that dramatic, power-hungry aristocrat made his entrance, the fan rankings might shift again.
"No matter how many times I watch, it's still so damn demoralizing,"
From the stands, Kise and Midorima sat together once again, old friends watching the chaos unfold.
"At this intensity… can they really keep playing like this the whole game?"
"Of course not," Midorima said, eyes fixed on his two former teammates. "Which is why the one who gains the advantage early will seize control of the court."
Neither Aomine nor Tendou could keep up this pace forever.
Not even an iron man could endure such a hyper-speed offensive and defensive war for an entire match.
But without a doubt, whoever won this opening clash would shift the balance.
Their teammates would either gain a morale boost—or suffer a crushing blow.
As the saying goes: it's always easier to play with momentum on your side.
And right now, it looked like Tendou had the edge.
Tōō inbounded the ball, but the scoreboard still read 2–0.
Aomine's previous wild shot hadn't touched the rim, so the shot clock hadn't reset.
Still, he didn't even think about passing. Gritting his teeth, he stayed near the free-throw line and pulled into an outrageous lean-back jump shot.
And it really was a lean-back—his body midair was practically parallel to the floor.
Swish!
The ball kissed the rim and rolled in.
Even Tendou couldn't stop it.
If you jumped too slow, Aomine released immediately. If you jumped with him, he'd shoot while falling backward.
It was insane.
That level of body control?
2–2!
Aomine answered back. Both aces had now scored.
But visually—it was clear Tendou was exerting less effort.
Aomine couldn't rely on those kinds of shots every time. The stamina demands and low success rate made it unsustainable.
Possession change.
Tendou brought the ball up once more to face Aomine.
Without saying a word, they locked into another lightning-speed duel.
They were both the type who never backed down. When forced into a confrontation, neither would yield unless it came to blows.
After an explosive dribble and sudden stop, Tendou stepped back past the arc and launched a three-point shot.
If it had been anyone else—Kise, Midorima, whoever—they wouldn't have been able to adjust their balance in time for a proper contest.
Tendou's Six Eyes would see right through their weight shifts and punish any mistake.
But Aomine managed it. He pushed his body to the limit and leapt full force.
And it didn't matter.
Tendou's shot was simply too fast.
Curry's one-motion shot.
Aomine sensed something was wrong the moment Tendou's ten toes pointed toward the rim.
His hips and back dropped simultaneously, launching the power through his legs. The elbow locked in, fixing his aim at the basket.
This wasn't just a change in shooting form—it was a flow of energy through every joint and muscle group, from the legs, through the hips, shoulders, elbows, all the way to the wrist.
Whoosh!
A laser-straight shot pierced the net. Aomine hadn't even touched the ball.
"That was insanely fast!" Hyūga Junpei's eyes lit up.
Increasing your release speed did reduce your chances of getting blocked.
The problem was—most players couldn't maintain accuracy at that speed.
Most three-point shooters, Hyūga included, followed textbook form: lifting the ball above the head, aiming, then shooting.
But Tendou?
He didn't even wait for the ball to hit the peak of the arc—it was gone before it got there.
That kind of shot demanded absolute confidence and superhuman touch.
And even if you wanted to shoot like that, most people physically couldn't.
"So complicated…" Kise mentally simulated the motion.
He realized the force transfer in Tendou's shot was incredibly refined—every muscle group from lower to upper body moved in perfect sync, directing all energy into the release.
And he did it all in less than 0.1 seconds.
Not even enough time to aim. Not even enough time to think.
And he still made it.
Curry's one-motion shot wasn't something you could copy just by mimicking the motion.
It was like Kareem's skyhook—a nearly unreplicable move. Even if you learned the technique, it wouldn't work the same.
Why?
Because you didn't have the natural gift of the "Three-Point King."
That's why Curry became the greatest shooter in NBA history.
As for Tendou—he might not have that specific gift, but he had something else:
The Six Eyes.
And with them, he could temporarily break the limit of any one attribute on his body.
In other words, at this point…
There was nothing Tendou couldn't do.
A talent unlocked only through the offering of sacrificial fangirls!
Terrifying.
"Tch…"
Aomine could only grit his teeth. He had already done everything in his power.
Even Midorima couldn't shoot that fast under full contest.
"Damn, that buttery soft release…" Imayoshi muttered, jealousy written all over his face.
Midorima had always been considered the best shooter among the Generation of Miracles.
His three-point accuracy was near-perfect.
But now… maybe Tendou's touch was just as good—if not better.
He replayed Tendou's shooting form in his mind: one motion, no pause, smooth from start to finish.
That wasn't a shot humans could copy.
His three-point threat wasn't just on par with Midorima's—it might even surpass it.
Which meant…
Tendou was even more dangerous than they'd thought.