The basketball that Kagami slammed down roared like a furious dragon, whistling as it crashed toward the rim.
However.
His Meteor Jam didn't fall into the net as expected, but instead hit the rim hard and bounced back.
"How could this happen? Taiga's Meteor Jam... missed?" Alex and Himuro Tatsuya reacted intensely.
That was a "dunk" that was even more difficult and unstoppable than the Phantom Shot—how could it possibly miss?
Could it have been due to bad luck?
The Seirin players were also stunned. In their memory, this was the first time Kagami had ever missed a dunk.
"Why did this happen?"
The Rakuzan players looked completely puzzled.
"It's the takeoff position."
Akashi had already seen through the weakness of the Meteor Jam—or rather, the flaw in Kagami Taiga's Meteor Jam.
"Kagami jumps very high—he's the player who jumps highest in the nation. In this aspect, even Tendou has to acknowledge his superiority."
"Logically speaking, his Meteor Jam should also be harder to defend than Tendou's."
"However, Kagami can't do what Tendou does—stepping inside the three-point line equals entering shooting range."
Akashi recalled the match between Yosen and Seirin.
Although Kagami had broken through Murasakibara's defense with his Meteor Jam, Akashi had also noticed one thing: Kagami's takeoff position was always the same.
In contrast, Tendou could execute his Meteor Jam from any position inside the three-point line.
This meant that Kagami's Meteor Jam wasn't completely mastered.
"The fire of hope, is it?"
Tendou raised his hand and calmly caught the rebounding basketball.
"I'll extinguish it completely."
Leaving these words behind, Tendou suddenly accelerated and charged forward.
"Stop right there!"
Crimson lightning erupted violently as Kagami landed, spun around, and chased after Tendou.
At this moment, he could no longer see the surrounding scenery, including his own head coach—his speed was impossibly fast.
The only things clearly visible were Tendou and that orange leather ball.
His speed was incredible, having unleashed his potential to 100%.
Before Tendou could cross the three-point line, Kagami came from behind and positioned himself in front of him.
At this moment, with his body as the center, the entire area inside the three-point line was under his defensive coverage.
"Super wide-range defense!"
"Seirin's man-to-man defense reacted so quickly! This way, Tendou's passing options are gone too."
"Is it starting now? The one-on-one between aces!"
Imayoshi Shoichi and others were all anticipating this moment.
The Seirin players were being vigilant about Tendou, worried whether Kagami could withstand Tendou's assault if he entered the Zone.
Contrary to their expectations, Tendou didn't step into the Zone domain, only unleashing his potential to 90%.
"Step"
Tendou took one step past the three-point line, and instantly, he felt as if he were being watched by a ferocious beast.
The dual buffs of Zone plus Wild instinct brought Kagami's current state to an unprecedented peak.
"Since middle school, no one has dared to face me like this."
"Compared to the national tournament, your light has indeed deepened somewhat, but if you want to defeat me, you're still far from it, Kagami."
Thunder Flash!
Tendou's feet seemed to have lightning coursing beneath them, illuminating the surroundings in alternating light and shadow.
After a simple charge-up, he struck like lightning.
Even Kagami, who had activated his potential to 100%, couldn't keep up.
Kagami approached with crimson electric light trailing behind him, but what greeted him was a completely unleashed basketball rampage.
"Whoosh!"
Tendou's dribbling and breakthrough speed suddenly accelerated, exceeding everyone's expectations.
"Can a human really achieve such reckless breakthrough moves?"
People were instantly shocked, their eyes widening.
Compared to the national tournament, Tendou's breakthrough had become more than twice as sharp.
"He's improved again. What a complete and utter monster," Imayoshi Shoichi smiled without warmth.
After seeing Aomine, he had always believed that Aomine was the limit for high school players.
There couldn't possibly exist a player stronger than him.
Until the national tournament encounter with Kirisaki Daiichi, until seeing the true face of the Generation of Miracles' leader, he realized there were higher mountains.
Now, with just a few months passed, this Generation of Miracles leader had advanced even further.
Kagami wasn't willing to show weakness.
He constantly moved his body, his figure continuously crossing with Tendou's as they engaged in fierce confrontation.
This was absolutely the highest level of competition in the nation.
Tendou moved like lightning, his body constantly changing positions.
First change! Second change! Third change! Fourth change! Fifth change!
He was incredibly fast, completing five direction changes in the blink of an eye.
Even though Kagami kept up with his rhythm and didn't lose position, before he knew it, Tendou had still penetrated deep into Seirin's territory.
Seeing this, Kiyoshi Teppei instinctively moved over, wanting to compress Tendou's operating space.
But Tendou used this against him instead.
His eyes flashed, and his azure pupils swept across the court like an eagle's gaze.
"Step!"
Tendou flashed to Kiyoshi Teppei's side, using his body as an obstacle to block pursuit, then jumped and quickly shot.
"Swish!"
The ball went in. Kagami had reacted fast enough and jumped high enough, but still couldn't stop it.
This was Curry's set shot—a shooting speed that ranked among the fastest even in the professional world.
This strike hit heavily on the hearts of the Seirin players, making them feel like they couldn't even breathe.
Why was this happening?
Because Tendou was competing with Kagami in his normal state and not falling behind.
This meant that Kagami had almost no room for improvement going forward, but Tendou could still get stronger!
This was too shocking.
In just a few months, this strongest high school player in the nation had already evolved to this extent.
Able to compete against the Zone domain in his normal state!
Kagami on the court wasn't thinking about any of this.
At this moment, his mind had only one thought: defeat Tendou.
During Seirin's possession, Kagami took the ball from his teammates and directly confronted Tendou one-on-one.
As the strongest buff in Kuroko's Basketball, the Zone's power needed no excessive description.
Even Akashi, in his normal state facing Kagami, was defended to the point where he didn't dare step one foot inside the three-point line.
"Even without the Meteor Jam, the current me can still..."
Buzz!
The electric light in the corner of his eyes grew deeper and more profound.
This represented that Kagami was rapidly reaching the depths of the Zone domain, his condition quickly approaching his theoretical strongest state.
Tendou used his Six Eyes to observe, employing "Dismantle" and "Thunder Flash" to counter.
Breaking through his limits with extreme speed, even in his normal state, he could compete with Kagami.
But ultimately, it wasn't the Zone!
"Bang!"
Kagami powered through Tendou's defense and forcefully dunked the ball into the basket.
"That unibrow really has become someone significant," Hanamiya Makoto said, looking at Kagami with new respect after seeing that even Tendou couldn't stop him.
However, their leader was still the strongest. Seirin's defeat was only a matter of time.
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