"RAAAH!!!"
With a thunderous roar, Akagi Takenori spun around.
Even though Takasago Kazuma was also a top-tier center in the prefecture, he was forcibly driven back half a step by Akagi's unrestrained, monstrous strength.
And that half-step—
was all it took.
Akagi gripped the ball with both hands, planted his feet, and exploded upward like a rocket.
Carrying a force that seemed capable of shattering the heavens, he smashed straight toward the rim!
"Don't even think about it!!"
Just as everyone believed the dunk was inevitable—
a completely unexpected figure burst in from the side.
A purple-and-white No. 10 jersey flared violently in midair.
Kiyota Nobunaga!
This super rookie, standing only 178 cm tall, unleashed an inhuman vertical leap at that very moment.
Like a hunting cheetah, he took off the instant Akagi rose—
his right hand stretching high, actually reaching the basketball in Akagi's grip!
"Holy?!"
"No way! That No. 10 jumped that high?!"
The crowd instantly exploded.
On the other side of the stands, players from Shoyo and Miuradai widened their eyes in shock.
"That height…" Fujima Kenji frowned. "Is he trying to block Akagi?!"
"You're too naive, Shohoku!!"
Midair, Kiyota's face twisted with ferocity, arrogance blazing in his eyes.
Right here—on this stage watched by everyone—
he was going to personally crush Shohoku's captain's dunk!
For a moment, time seemed to freeze.
One big, one small—
two figures collided violently in the air.
Kiyota's palm pressed hard against the ball, trying to force it down.
However...
in the very next second, the grin on his face froze.
What he felt beneath his hand wasn't a basketball—
it was a meteor crashing down at full speed!
The force surging from Akagi's arms…
was beyond human resistance.
"You damn fool…"
Akagi's eyes widened, veins bulging across his forehead like cords of steel.
Like an enraged war god.
"Don't get cocky, brat!!"
"BOOOOM!!!"
Absolute power. Absolute mass.
No tricks. No finesse.
Akagi forced the ball straight through Kiyota's block—
and hammered it viciously into the hoop!
The purest form of violent aesthetics—
and the most lethal.
The entire basket stanchion groaned under the impact.
As for Kiyota Nobunaga—
he was sent flying like a ragdoll struck by a truck,
crashing hard onto the floor with a dull thud.
"BANG!"
The ball hit the ground and bounced away.
Silence.
One second.
Two seconds.
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
Akagi landed, fists clenched, head thrown back as he roared to the sky.
That roar carried every ounce of suppression, frustration, and unwillingness—
all released in one primal explosion.
"Gorilla!!!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi was the first to rush over,
jumping around wildly, his face practically pressed against Akagi's:
"That was insane, Gorilla!"
"That dunk was awesome!"
"You straight-up blasted that wild monkey away! Hahahaha!"
Akagi panted heavily, chest rising and falling.
Ignoring Sakuragi's noise, he slowly turned—
his gaze icy as he looked toward Kiyota, who was scrambling to his feet in a daze.
Dusty. Disheveled. Shock and unwillingness written all over his face.
Akagi bent down, picked up the ball with one hand—
then casually tossed it.
The ball traced a clean arc through the air and dropped precisely into Kiyota's arms.
Looking down at him from above, Akagi's voice was low, heavy with authority—
his presence overwhelming:
"You were saying… who's naive?"
BOOM!
It was as if that single sentence ignited the entire arena.
"WAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
"AKAGI! AKAGI! AKAGI!"
Shohoku's bench exploded.
Everyone leapt to their feet, waving towels wildly.
Even the neutral spectators in the stands were completely conquered by the raw, violent beauty of that dunk—
thunderous applause erupting like a storm.
This dunk—
wasn't just two points.
It was a shot of adrenaline,
driven straight into the hearts of every Shohoku player.
"DEFENSE!!"
Akagi's roar snapped the team back together instantly, their formation solidifying like iron.
For the next few minutes, the game turned into a suffocating tug-of-war.
Akagi's dunk had opened something within Shohoku.
Miyagi Ryota no longer feared Maki's physicality, constantly harassing him with speed.
Rukawa Kaede began hunting opportunities from the wings, firing cold, precise shots.
Mitsui Hisashi clung to Jin Soichiro like glue, denying him any easy looks.
The scoreboard began to shift—
slowly, but steadily.
11:18.
13:20.
16:20.
With 10 minutes left in the first half—
the gap had shrunk to just 4 points!
"How is this possible…"
On Kainan's bench, Coach Takato's folding fan had long since stopped moving.
His brows were tightly furrowed.
"Shohoku's resilience… is stronger than I expected."
"And…"
His gaze fell on the red-haired boy on the court.
"That amateur—Sakuragi Hanamichi… there's something unusual about him."
On the court.
Kainan attacked again.
Maki Shinichi forced his way inside and kicked the ball out. Takasago received it and tried to power through Akagi—
but under Akagi's contest, the ball struck the front of the rim and bounced high.
"Rebound!!!"
The shout shook the arena.
Under the basket, it instantly became a brutal battlefield.
Takasago Kazuma. Jin Soichiro.
Even Kiyota Nobunaga crashed in—
multiple hands reaching for the ball at once.
However...
amid the chaos—
a red figure launched into the air like a rocket.
A jump that completely defied physics.
Sakuragi Hanamichi!
Though his takeoff was half a beat late—
with terrifying explosiveness, he overtook everyone midair and reached the highest point!
"Nani?!"
Takasago and Jin both felt a shadow loom overhead—
as if a dark cloud had swallowed the sky.
At the peak—
Sakuragi didn't go up with both hands like usual.
Instead...
one hand.
His right hand spread wide—
like the talons of an eagle.
Right above everyone's heads....
he snatched the ball into his palm!
No—
not snatched.
Absorbed.
That terrifying grip strength made the ball look like a toy in his hand—completely immovable.
"Hmph!"
Sakuragi landed, holding the ball in one hand at his waist, scanning the court with arrogance.
His posture screamed:
Everyone here… is trash.
"…What?"
Maki Shinichi's pupils shrank sharply.
A one-handed rebound?
That required extraordinary hand size and grip strength.
Even he wouldn't casually attempt that in intense contact.
This red-haired kid…
did he glue the ball to his hand?!
"Nice one, Sakuragi!!"
Mitsui shouted excitedly. That rebound was a massive momentum boost.
Kiyota stood there, completely stunned, subconsciously rubbing the back of his head:
"That guy… how is that possible?"
"Last time, he could barely even box out…"
It had only been a few days since their game against Ryonan.
Did this guy just… consume an experience book or something?
"Good!!"
Akagi clapped his hands hard and roared:
"Get back! Attack again immediately!!"
"OOOH!!!"
The entire Shohoku team responded in unison—
their momentum surging like a rising tide.
Thank you to everyone who is still here and continuing this journey with me. Whether you've been reading since the beginning or only recently discovered the story. The story is still far from over, and there are many exciting arcs, battles, and surprises waiting ahead.
Thank you all for being part of this adventure. Let's continue this journey together!
— mrbehringer
The King Of Slacking Off - MrBehringer's Secret
👉 patreon.com/MrBehringer