The second half began.
Seirin quickly regained the lead.
This surprised many fans, but considering Seirin's overwhelming intensity, perhaps it wasn't all that unexpected.
When Kuroko made his difficult choice, every Seirin player treated the match like their last, ready to stake everything. Their minds were completely clear, focused only on winning.
Just like Xiang Yu, who famously destroyed his boats and cooked pots to fight 200,000 soldiers with only 50,000, Seirin's unity and desperation completely overwhelmed Tōō Academy.
Momoi's predictions were once again shattered.
Her intelligence was always flawless against ordinary players, but whenever opponents related to the Generation of Miracles were involved, unpredictable events inevitably occurred.
"This disgusting feeling again."
Even Aomine started missing his shots, influenced by Kuroko's vastly improved misdirection.
"Am I really going to lose to Tetsu, just like Tendou predicted?" Follow current novels on novelꞁire.net
Missing that shot woke Aomine up.
He recalled his previous conversation with Tendou, who had warned him about Seirin's extraordinary potential. Unlike Kise or Midorima, Tendou didn't talk about abstract things like spirit or determination. He had simply stated Seirin was incredibly strong.
Looking at it now, Tendou was absolutely right. Seirin was undoubtedly among the top teams, strong enough to overwhelm Tōō, a team built by spending heavily to scout top talents nationwide, despite Momoi's assistance.
"But I won't lose to you, Tendou!"
Ever since middle school, he and Tendou had always competed fiercely, even in casual bets.
Without hesitation, Aomine entered the Zone again.
Seirin had put enough pressure on him to trigger his full awakening.
In an instant, the entire court atmosphere shifted dramatically.
The advantage Seirin sacrificed their future for was obliterated instantly by Aomine's dominance.
It was total devastation.
Everything—including Kuroko's enhanced misdirection and Seirin's entire defensive line—collapsed under Aomine's assault.
In mere moments, the lead Seirin fought so hard to gain vanished. Tōō caught up swiftly, then overtook them again.
"Zone..." Kagami clenched his teeth bitterly.
Since learning about this mysterious state, Kagami had tirelessly tried to reach it. He knew it was necessary to beat the Generation of Miracles. Yet cruelly, he hadn't even glimpsed the entrance to the Zone.
Watching his teammates' efforts dissolve before his eyes, Kagami couldn't accept it. During a timeout, he requested from his coach, "Coach, please let me take Aomine one-on-one!"
"One-on-one? He's a monster even three people can't stop!" His teammates urged him to reconsider.
"I'm calm. Please, Coach!" Kagami was genuinely calm, not recklessly desperate.
He believed confronting Aomine directly was the only way he could enter the Zone—by being pushed to the absolute limit, just like his wild instincts.
However, Kagami didn't know that the more desperately one sought the Zone, the harder it was to reach. Thus, his obsession was ironically preventing him from entering.
Thankfully, he still had teammates.
After the timeout, Kagami challenged Aomine but was thoroughly crushed.
Zone versus non-Zone was simply incomparable. At this moment, Kagami was utterly outmatched.
Yet life often had ironic twists.
As the game continued, Kagami gradually stopped thinking about the Zone. His mind became fully occupied by thoughts of his teammates.
Then, without anyone realizing it, Kagami Taiga entered the Zone.
"Friendship, bonds—these truly are the unbeatable finishing moves straight out of an anime," Tendou commented sarcastically, noticing Kagami's flashback montage in the animation.
On the court, a streak of deep red lightning flashed across Kagami's eyes.
He moved like a phantom, effortlessly stealing the ball from Aomine's grasp.
Instantly, everyone in the stadium was stunned.
The faces of Kirisaki Daiichi's players changed dramatically.
If they previously doubted whether Seirin truly belonged on the same stage as the Generation of Miracles, now all doubts vanished. Kagami had unquestionably stepped into the Zone—reserved only for geniuses.
"You knew this all along, Tendou?" Hara Kazuya turned sharply toward Tendou.
"Impossible. Everyone has a unique trigger for entering the Zone," Tendou denied. Predicting someone's exact trigger would be absurd even for him. But his meaning was clear: he knew Kagami had the potential to enter the Zone.
Everyone understood the implication, once again impressed by Tendou's extraordinary foresight.
The subsequent match unfolded just as depicted in the anime.
The fastest high school player in Japan versus the highest jumper clashed fiercely, shaking the entire court.
As fans often joked, red and blue naturally formed iconic rivals. Their confrontation shook the heavens, like two demonic forces clashing violently.
Strangely, as both players elevated their states simultaneously, neither side scored easily.
"Is it a compatibility issue?"
Shūtoku High players watched this epic confrontation intently.
"It's not about compatibility," Midorima said calmly. "They're evenly matched."
Midorima had exceptional clarity.
He felt Tendou had given everyone unrealistic expectations.
Tendou was so exceptional that even when facing an opponent in the Zone, he would consistently dominate. People overlooked that when two evenly matched players both entered the Zone, scoring became incredibly difficult.
Players in the Zone reached maximum concentration, making mistakes virtually impossible and defenses airtight.
"In other words, Tendou is still unmatched?" Takao Kazunari instinctively glanced towards Kirisaki Daiichi's bench.
There, Tendou calmly rested his chin on his hand, watching the match with serene indifference.
"It's lucky Kagami isn't another Tendou!" Imayoshi Shoichi took a deep breath.
Currently, Tōō still held the advantage. As long as Seirin couldn't score, victory remained theirs.
If Kagami were Tendou, however, things would be far worse.
But just as Imayoshi thought this, Kagami shattered Aomine's defense.
He sprinted furiously toward the free-throw line and, without hesitation, launched himself skyward with all his might, soaring spectacularly through the air.
Tōō's players gasped in shock as Kagami, still several meters from the basket, forcefully slammed the ball through the hoop.
The basketball shot through the net and rebounded violently off the court floor.
"Tendou's Meteor Jam?!"
"Kagami can do it too?!"
That wasn't Tendou's Meteor Jam.
That's my own technique.
From the stands, Alex Garcia heard the stunned spectators and couldn't help but sigh, speechless.