Kuroko no Basket: Honored One

Zzzzt—Zzzzt—

Red and silver lightning crackled through the court as both streaks of power ignited in unison.

Having shattered the 80% threshold, Akashi and Tendou now pushed their limits even further—releasing their full physical capabilities.

Akashi raced forward like a bolt of lightning, leaving everyone else behind. His hair flew wildly in the wind as he surged after Tendou.

From behind, he could see Tendou's future—every step, every movement.

But Tendou didn't need that. His intuition blanketed the entire court.

As Akashi closed in, Tendou pulled the ball to his right side and used his body to keep Akashi at bay.

"Didn't I tell you, Akashi?"

"You rely too much on your eyes! Basketball isn't about who can see more clearly!"

Tendou braced against him, took two strong strides from the free-throw line, and soared into the air.

Akashi followed—but the difference in their physiques was now obvious.

Boom!

Tendou met little resistance as he slammed the ball into the hoop.

Right now—

Their positions were just like Tendou's earlier clash with Murasakibara.

Only this time, it was Akashi who had to shut Tendou down before he took off, because in the air, Akashi had no advantage.

Once Tendou left the ground, it practically guaranteed a completed play for Kirisaki Daiichi.

When athleticism is near equal, the player with better static traits—like wingspan or vertical leap—always has the edge.

Durant earned the nickname "The Reaper" for a reason—his size and reach gave him lethal offensive potential.

"He scored!"

"Tendou… is he really the one meant to stand above the Generation of Miracles?!"

"Even Akashi can't stop him?!"

The stadium erupted into a frenzy following the dunk, with Kirisaki Daiichi's fans roaring their support.

They didn't need Emperor Eyes or Six Eyes to see the brilliance on the court.

The sheer intensity of the moment had everyone's blood boiling.

Kagami Taiga could feel it surging through his veins.

This clash between two titans—it made him tremble with excitement.

No matter how many times he saw it, Tendou's brilliance—and the overwhelming strength of the Generation of Miracles—pulled him in.

At the same time, he began to crave it:

The power of Zone.

Only with that could he ever hope to stand against them—to face Tendou as an equal.

"You think you can lecture me just because you beat me once?"

"You're too arrogant, Tendou!"

Akashi shouted as he snatched the inbound and tore up the court again, trailing streaks of crimson lightning behind him.

Tendou stood at the top of the arc. His eyes glinted.

Centered on him, an invisible pressure began to radiate outward.

It wasn't the Emperor Eye.

This was the realm of the Six Eyes—a domain of its own.

Ordinary players didn't dare approach.

But Akashi? He stepped in without hesitation.

He was more determined than ever.

He absolutely rejected Tendou's choices.

With all his talent and options, Tendou had chosen a broken team like Kirisaki Daiichi?

A strong player should stand beside other strong players.

Only that way could they continue pushing forward—creating history and stacking victories.

Akashi refused to lose to someone who played so recklessly.

His pride simply wouldn't allow it.

"I won't lose… not to someone who's chosen to throw himself away."

"Tch…"

Tendou sneered.

"You've got it all wrong, Akashi."

"True strength… is being someone others can rely on, not someone who needs to rely on others."

"Wherever I am, no matter when or where, the team I'm on is a championship team."

"Even if you built a squad of Uncrowned Kings, you still wouldn't beat me."

They clashed again—their eyes never breaking contact, bodies colliding, movement flowing like a dance.

But Tendou's defense was utterly impenetrable.

Akashi could not advance a single step.

Then:

"Cleave!"

"Swish—Swish Swish Swish Swish—"

To the viewers in the real world, the screen looked as though it had been sliced apart by countless black slashes.

When the image finally stabilized, Akashi had been shut down completely.

The ball had already fallen into Tendou's hands.

Even someone as overwhelmingly dominant as Akashi…

Was still being suppressed by Tendou.

"Remember this—I'm the one who led Teikō to three straight championships!"

Tendou roared with confidence, inhaling like a warrior using a martial breathing technique.

In the next second, he exploded with Aomine-like speed, streaking across half-court like a comet.

Akashi gave chase, but even without the ball, keeping up with Tendou was proving difficult.

He barely caught up at the free-throw line—

But Tendou was already in the air.

"That spot…"

"It's the Meteor Slam!"

Kagami still hadn't fully mastered the Meteor Slam.

But Tendou—he could use it effortlessly from any spot on the court.

The gap between them wasn't minor—it was a chasm.

"BOOM!"

Tendou slammed the ball through the hoop like a falling star.

He landed, spun, and the ball bounced once on the floor.

"Too strong!"

People couldn't stop themselves from exclaiming at his dominance.

Even elite coaches like Nakatani Masaaki from powerhouse programs were left speechless.

Everyone was starting to believe it:

Tendou was no longer within the category of Generation of Miracles.

He was aiming far beyond that.

What lay beyond the Generation of Miracles?

If they were "national-level talents," then Tendou—

He was on the path to becoming a world-class player.

Even Takeuchi Genta, who once believed Kise would eventually surpass the rest of the Generation, now felt like he had completely misjudged things.

Tendou Kageyoshi—a player who could be called a true genius on a global scale.

Back on the court…

Tendou moved like a god descending to Earth, performing miracles at will.

Murasakibara's strength.

Midorima's shooting form.

Aomine's speed.

Even Akashi's ball control—

All were present in Tendou's game.

It wasn't a perfect imitation.

It was something even perfect imitation couldn't achieve—

Innate talent, reborn in a new form.

Tendou alone embodied the strengths of four members of the Generation of Miracles.

And if he wanted, he could probably replicate the others too.

Even Himuro Tatsuya's Mirage Shot—

He had seen it once, and his overwhelming talent allowed him to reproduce it.

With talent like his, nothing seemed impossible.

His strength was something rarely seen—perhaps unmatched in the history of Japan's national tournament.

4:30 remained in the second quarter.

The 4-point lead had been stretched to 8.

During that time, Rakuzan had nearly stopped scoring.

Tendou had racked up 10 points in just 5 minutes—and looked well on his way to scoring 20+ in a single quarter.

Rakuzan was on the verge of collapse.

"Collapse? Me, lose?"

Akashi could hear the murmurs from the crowd, whispered behind cupped hands.

They were doubting him. Doubting Rakuzan. Doubting that Seijūrō Akashi could win.

That familiar feeling…

It was the same as that day in Teikō, when Murasakibara's raw power awakened, and nearly crushed him.

It was the first time he had felt the possibility of defeat in his entire life.

And now—

That same feeling was flooding through him once again.