Kuroko: Mahoraga - Chapter 58: It's Over! (Patreon)

Butai’s identity was obvious.

You could see it just from the way their players carried themselves.

They played a high-contact, high-intensity style, and their personalities ran just as hot. Once they got fired up, they tended to charge straight ahead.

So when the team saw that their captain was fine and still talking with complete confidence, Nebuya’s attitude immediately lit a fire under everyone else.

“Yeah! Let’s go!”

“Then let’s do this!”

“...”

Just like that, Butai’s morale surged.

...

Sure enough, the moment Butai went back on offense, their physical style came roaring out.

Hard box-outs. Forceful cuts. Constant body contact.

For Kawari, it was a completely different kind of battle from what they had experienced against Kurosawa.

There was nothing subtle about this one.

Whenever Kawari gave up strength, Butai’s direct physicality magnified the weakness immediately and forced them onto the back foot.

Masato, meanwhile, studied the stocky guard in front of him.

The guy dribbled loudly. Every bounce hammered against the floor with a heavy thud.

The sight made Masato think of Kotaro Hayama’s Lightning Dribble.

Except this version was nothing more than brute force. There was no special technique behind it.

And despite looking like a muscle-bound bulldozer, the guard was not actually reckless. He knew when to attack and when to move the ball.

Once he reached a safe distance from Masato, he lofted a high pass away.

Any team strong enough to be called a national powerhouse had to possess excellent tactical coordination.

Butai might look like a collection of muscleheads, but their execution was sharp.

The next player barely held the ball before moving it again.

Two quick passes, combined with their off-ball movement, created an opening for Nebuya.

He muscled Ishida out of the way and crashed toward the paint.

At the same time, a lob came floating in from above.

Nebuya caught it cleanly and went straight up for the dunk.

Ishida jumped desperately from the side and behind, trying to interfere.

But he had neither the timing nor the strength advantage.

Once again, he was reduced to background scenery.

At least this time he was not knocked flat onto the floor.

Because he had challenged from the side, Ishida managed to land on his feet, although he stumbled badly and nearly fell.

His chest was throbbing from Nebuya’s shoulder smashing into him.

Just as Ishida’s face twisted from the pain, Nebuya turned around and opened his mouth as though he were about to say something.

Then he stopped.

Masato’s warning from the previous possession flashed through Nebuya’s mind.

For all the composure he was trying to show, Masato had clearly gotten to him.

Nebuya decided not to test his patience again just yet.

He did not say a word, but he still gave Ishida a sideways glance filled with unmistakable contempt.

For a hot-blooded teenager like Ishida, that look struck directly at his pride.

He wanted to snap back, but he thought about the team and forced himself to swallow it.

Masato saw everything.

When Kawari took possession, he attacked as usual.

As the spearhead of the offense, Masato cut straight through Butai’s formation and forced their defense to scatter.

His movements were light, clean, and effortless, almost like he was strolling through the lane while everyone around him scrambled to keep up.

The contrast drew another wave of excitement from the stands.

This time, however, Masato did not finish the play himself.

He used the threat of his own scoring to move Butai’s defense exactly where he wanted it.

The moment Nebuya came over to help again, Masato whipped the ball out.

Straight to Ishida.

Nebuya’s help defense had left him completely open.

“Smack!”

Ishida caught the pass and saw nothing but open space in front of him.

A huge grin immediately appeared on his face.

He took off in long strides, ready to get his pride back with a dunk.

But just as he was preparing to jump, he caught sight of Nebuya charging in from the side.

Ishida panicked for no reason.

His rhythm broke for a split second.

He still went up, but that tiny hesitation was enough for Nebuya to catch him.

“SMACK!”

A thunderous block pinned the ball against the backboard.

Ishida had lost the matchup again.

Masato could only shake his head.

The opportunity had been perfect. Ishida had ruined it himself.

Without that brief hesitation, Nebuya would have been the one turned into a poster.

...

The next few possessions continued in much the same way.

As the game went on, the stands filled closer and closer to capacity, and the atmosphere kept rising with them.

Masato controlled the tempo throughout those exchanges and kept Kawari in front on the scoreboard.

Only while holding that advantage did he keep feeding his teammates opportunities, using the game to help them grow.

Nebuya, meanwhile, was practically overflowing with passion. His energy kept Butai’s spirits high.

Every time his team scored, he roared to fire them up.

The price was Ishida getting “hurt” over and over again.

On another possession, Masato found Ishida with an even cleaner opportunity.

But the moment Ishida spotted Nebuya in the distance, he abandoned the drive and settled for a jumper.

It missed badly.

An airball.

Masato actually laughed.

This kid really did crumble under pressure.

Mental toughness mattered, and Ishida had clearly been rattled badly enough to become afraid of Nebuya.

Even when Masato handed him a perfect chance to get revenge, he could not use it.

When the gap between two players became too large, the weaker player did not necessarily gain much from continuing the matchup.

In that case...

...

While retreating on defense, Masato waved Ishida over.

Ishida ran up with an embarrassed expression.

“Masa, I...”

Masato cut him off the moment he saw that miserable face.

“All right. Switch with me.”

Relief immediately spread across Ishida’s expression.

Butai noticed Kawari’s change just as quickly.

Nebuya’s brow tightened. He knew the real fight was finally beginning.

He squeezed his fists, feeling the muscles flex, and his gaze toward Masato grew colder.

“You said you couldn’t feel my strength?”

His expression hardened.

“Then come on!!!”

...

Masato’s defensive positioning was deliberate.

He did not simply stick to Nebuya man-to-man.

Instead, he dropped a few steps toward the interior, keeping himself in position to help quickly.

That way, Butai’s other players could not simply overpower his teammates on every drive.

Butai’s guard saw the matchup change and immediately attacked.

The advantage of his tank-like build showed itself at once as he drove straight into the paint.

But then he caught Masato’s positioning out of the corner of his eye.

For a moment, the guard felt exactly what Ishida had felt whenever Nebuya came charging at him.

A flicker of panic.

Fortunately for Butai, he was still a point guard with good vision.

He saw Nebuya in favorable position and passed the ball over.

Nebuya caught it, his expression turning serious, and attacked the paint.

He charged in for another violent dunk.

Masato had been more than three steps away.

In an instant, the distance disappeared.

He launched into the air as well, meeting Nebuya head-on.

Masato’s hand slammed against the ball just as Nebuya was bringing it down with both hands.

Nebuya’s strength was real.

For one moment, the two of them actually froze in a stalemate in midair.

“AAAH! I’m dunking this no matter what!!!” Nebuya roared.

Masato remained completely calm.

Then he felt power surge through him again.

This was where [Core Control] showed its value.

Nebuya’s expression changed instantly.

His balance broke, and his body started falling backward.

“SMACK!”

Masato ripped the ball cleanly out of his hands in midair.

A snatch block.

“It’s over.”

Masato landed and gave Nebuya a calm glance.