"SCREEECH!!"
The violent friction between sneakers and hardwood released a sharp scream that made everyone's teeth ache.
Maki Shinichi discovered in horror—
His legs had tangled together.
In front of thousands of eyes across the arena.
The invincible Emperor of Kanagawa.
The monster-like Maki Shinichi.
His knees suddenly gave out, as if every bone in his body had been ripped away.
To stop himself from smashing face-first into the floor....
He could only brace himself with one hand and crash down onto one knee!
Boom!
The heavy sound of his knee slamming into the court smashed directly into everyone's hearts.
The air froze.
The commentator's microphone slipped from his hand and hit the table with a clatter.
Everyone's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
What had they just witnessed?
Kainan's Emperor Maki…
Kneeling before Makino Juro?
The Maki who had ruled Kanagawa for three years without ever losing a one-on-one confrontation.
Had just been crossed so badly by a first-year rookie that he dropped to his knees in public?!
"Holy… shit…"
Someone muttered the curse first.
Then the entire arena exploded.
Makino Juro ignored the madness around him.
He didn't take the chance to drive past and score.
Instead, he stopped right in front of the kneeling Maki Shinichi.
The basketball rested calmly in his hand.
Lowering his head slightly, those crimson-gold eyes looked down upon the former king from above.
There was no mockery in his gaze.
Only cold indifference.
As if this outcome was simply natural.
"Does the court look clearer from down there?"
His voice wasn't loud.
But the words sliced through Maki Shinichi's pride like a rusted saw.
Maki suddenly lifted his head, bloodshot eyes glaring viciously at Makino Juro.
Humiliation!
This was ten thousand times more humiliating than losing to Sannoh in the national tournament!
"BASTARD!!"
A shrill roar shattered the tense standoff.
A figure charged over like a madman.
Kiyota Nobunaga.
Watching Maki Shinichi get humiliated had completely snapped the wild monkey's sanity.
With claws bared, he lunged toward Makino Juro.
He wanted to foul him.
Hit him.
Rip this arrogant bastard apart.
"I'LL KILL YOU!!"
Kiyota's scream was already tinged with tears.
Makino Juro didn't even turn his head.
He merely shifted his gaze slightly, those crimson-gold eyes sweeping coldly across Kiyota.
Buzz—
Kiyota Nobunaga's body instantly froze in place as though someone had hit a pause button.
What kind of eyes were those?
Cold.
Violent.
The gaze of an apex predator staring at prey.
As though the moment he moved another inch—
He would be torn to pieces.
Fear crashed over him like freezing water.
Kiyota's raised fist trembled violently in midair, unable to fall no matter how hard he tried.
"Scram."
Makino Juro's lips moved slightly as he spat out a single word.
Kiyota's legs gave out instantly.
He collapsed onto the floor with a thud, gasping desperately for air.
Like someone who had just been dragged out of drowning waters, cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
The entire arena fell silent once again.
One look.
Just one look had terrified Kainan's super rookie into collapse!
Makino Juro withdrew his gaze and looked back down at Maki Shinichi.
"This isn't over yet, Emperor."
Gripping the basketball in his right hand, Makino Juro slowly raised it high.
Directly above Maki Shinichi's head.
No drive.
No pass.
He simply pulled up on the spot!
The movement was smooth and elegant, standing in complete contrast to the savage ankle-breaker from moments earlier.
The basketball traced a perfect arc through the air, soaring over Maki Shinichi's head like the final strike in an execution.
Swish!
The crisp sound of the net rang out like the tolling bell of death.
21:20.
Shohoku had taken the lead.
Makino Juro landed without even glancing at the basket.
He simply turned around, leaving behind a solitary and arrogant silhouette.
Reaching up, he tugged lightly at his jersey collar.
His cold, domineering voice echoed across the deathly silent gymnasium.
"On this court…"
"Anyone who defies me…"
"Even an Emperor…"
"…will kneel."
…
Kainan's bench.
Crack!
Coach Takato Riki's folding fan snapped cleanly into two pieces.
The fan that had witnessed countless Kainan victories now looked twisted and pathetic.
Takato's face had gone pale as paper, and his hands trembled uncontrollably.
Not from anger.
From fear.
"W-What kind of monster… is this?"
Tactics?
Teamwork?
Experience?
In front of this utterly unreasonable man, all of it was meaningless bullshit!
This was dimensionality reduction.
Complete annihilation from a higher plane.
He looked toward Maki Shinichi, who still hadn't fully risen from the floor.
Kainan's spirit…
Seemed broken.
The mountain symbolizing "constant victory" had collapsed.
…
In the stands.
Hanagata Toru gripped the railing so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"He crossed over… Maki Shinichi…"
"And in such a humiliating execution-style way…"
Cold sweat covered Hanagata's forehead as he turned toward Fujima.
"Fujima… if it were you…"
"I couldn't do it."
Fujima interrupted him immediately.
His burning gaze remained fixed on Makino Juro, excitement and shock flickering deep within his eyes.
"That crossover wasn't just speed."
"In that instant… he completely seized control of Maki Shinichi's body rhythm."
"It was like…"
"…he was controlling a puppet show."
Fujima took a deep breath.
"So this is Makino Juro's true strength?"
"When he played against us before…"
"…he was basically smurfing in the beginner village."
…
Shohoku's bench.
Gulp.
Someone swallowed nervously.
Even the lawless Sakuragi Hanamichi stood there with his mouth hanging open in complete disbelief.
"That middle-aged guy…"
"…really knelt?"
Sakuragi rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he'd just seen.
That muscle monster who had smashed him around earlier—
Actually bowed to Makino Juro?!
Rukawa Kaede said nothing.
But his tightly clenched fists and trembling body exposed the storm raging inside him.
So this…
…was the gap between them?
No.
This was the goal.
"S-So cool…"
Akagi Haruko covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
Coach Anzai adjusted his glasses as light flashed across the lenses.
"Hohoho…"
"Looks like the remnants of the old era…"
"…should step off the stage now."
On the court.
Makino Juro slowly walked back toward half-court.
As he passed the still-shaking Kiyota Nobunaga, he paused briefly and let out a contemptuous snort.
Then he looked toward Maki Shinichi, who had just managed to stand back up, his face dark with fury.
"Still want to continue?"
"I don't mind accompanying you through a few more sessions of knee rehabilitation."
A faint smile curved onto Makino Juro's lips, filled with naked provocation.
Maki Shinichi took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the raging fury inside his chest.
After all, he was still a battle-hardened king.
His mentality recovered frighteningly fast.
He understood clearly—
If he collapsed now, the match would truly be over.
"The game isn't over yet."
Maki's voice was hoarse, but still firm.
"I'll repay this humiliation double."
"Really?"
Makino Juro shrugged indifferently.
"I'm looking forward to it."
"But…"
He pointed toward his own eyes, the crimson-gold glow within them growing increasingly eerie.
"In front of these eyes of mine…"
"All your struggles…"
"…are nothing more than a clown's performance."
The match continued.
But everyone knew...
The atmosphere had completely changed.
This was no longer an ordinary prefectural finals match.
This was the coronation ceremony of a new king.
And the boy named Makino Juro—
Was stepping on the knees of the old king…
Climbing, step by step…
Toward the supreme throne above all others.
END OF CHAPTER
The King Of Slacking Off - MrBehringer's Secret
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