The golden afterglow of three consecutive championships had yet to fade. In the Teikō Basketball Club locker room, the noise of yesterday's award ceremony still lingered, along with the mixed scent of sweat and tears. The trophy had been solemnly placed at the very center of the display case, its cold, heavy sheen shifting beneath the lights, silently proclaiming the peak—and the end—of an era.
However, when the first rays of the new semester's morning sun pierced the gymnasium's towering glass windows and spilled across the polished wooden floor, an entirely different, suffocating heaviness had already begun to spread quietly.
The players stood in neat formation at the edge of the court. Their brand-new Teikō uniforms were crisp, yet they could not conceal the oppressive atmosphere that clung to the air. Nijimura Shūzō—the captain who had supported Teikō like bedrock for three years, the man who could only watch from the sidelines during the final battle yet had burned his soul into the foundations of the dynasty—stood silently at the very front of the line. The bandage had been removed from his left eye, but a fresh, slightly hideous scar slashed diagonally across his brow, adding a weathered quality and an indelible mark to his rugged face. His tracksuit zipper was pulled high, as though he meant to seal away his deeply buried resentment and regret.
Akashi Seijūrō stood one step behind Nijimura's side. His short crimson hair was immaculate, and his crimson eyes were calm and unreadable, like two bottomless pools of frigid water. He wore a brand-new captain's armband—the training-uniform version. That vivid red stood out especially sharply, and felt especially heavy, in the silent gymnasium.
Nijimura Shūzō's gaze slowly swept over the familiar young faces before him, faces that now faintly radiated different kinds of light: Aomine Daiki's wild flames seemed to burn more fiercely, yet he also appeared even more rebellious; Midōrima Shintarō pushed up his glasses, his expression as cold as ever, but the gaze behind the lenses seemed sharper and more... distant; Murasaki-bara Atsushi yawned, his massive body exuding a languid air, as though yesterday's glory had been nothing more than passing clouds; Kise Ryōta wore his trademark sunny smile, but his eyes were more complicated, filled with a search for the limits of his own mimicry; Kuroko Tetsuya remained calm, but deep within those tranquil blue eyes, there seemed to be a trace of barely perceptible worry. Finally, his gaze settled on Bai Ze You. This White Phantom, who had turned the tide in the final moments of the championship game, stood straight and looked composed, like a white volcano gathering strength. In his eyes, Nijimura saw determination, confidence, and also a trace of... keen scrutiny toward the changes that were about to come.
Nijimura took a deep breath. His voice was low and clear, hoarse with the weight he had set down, yet imbued with unquestionable resolve:
"From today onward, the captain of the Teikō Junior High Basketball Club will be Akashi Seijūrō."
The moment his voice fell, absolute silence filled the locker room. There was no applause, no cheering—only heavy breathing echoing through the empty space. Everyone knew this was inevitable, but when Nijimura announced it himself, when Akashi Seijūrō's calm yet intensely oppressive figure truly took the captain's position, an intangible, icy aura instantly descended over them all.
Nijimura said nothing more. He merely gave Akashi a deep look, then glanced at all the players. His expression was impossible to read, containing both expectation and worry, before finally becoming a nearly inaudible sigh. He silently walked aside and completely handed the center of the stage to that crimson figure.
Akashi Seijūrō stepped forward. It was only one step, yet the temperature of the entire gymnasium seemed to drop several degrees. His crimson eyes swept over every player like the most precise scanners, devoid of emotion. Wherever his gaze fell, even the most unruly Aomine Daiki instinctively reined in some of his casual posture. Midōrima straightened his back, Murasaki-bara stopped yawning, Kise's smile stiffened slightly, Kuroko's breathing seemed to grow lighter, and Bai Ze You narrowed his eyes.
"Everyone," Akashi began. His voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear, carrying a cold metallic quality that entered every ear without fail. "The Teikō Dynasty's three consecutive championships are a thing of the past. They proved our strength, but they proved even more clearly that we had grown complacent."
"Complacent?" Aomine muttered under his breath, but Akashi's sharp gaze instantly locked onto him, forcing the rest of his words back down his throat.
"That's right. Complacent." Akashi's voice did not waver in the slightest, as if he were stating a cold fact. "Against Kitano Academy, with Captain Nijimura absent, we were pushed to the brink. Our lead was completely devoured, and our mentality nearly collapsed. This is evidence of complacency! This is a desecration of the word 'victory'!"
His words were like ice spikes, piercing everyone's hearts. The suffocating pressure of the final moments of the championship game seemed to descend once more. Fujita Osamu's frenzied counterattack, his teammates' panicked mistakes, and that fragile lead of only two points... The images flashed through their minds, making even the members of the Generation of Miracles, proud as they were, tense inwardly.
"From this day onward," Akashi's voice suddenly rose, carrying an unquestionable, almost coldly ruthless resolve, "the sole creed of the Teikō Basketball Club will be—Absolute Victory!"
The four words "Absolute Victory" exploded through the gymnasium like thunder, carrying Akashi Seijūrō's unquestionable imperial will!
"To achieve this, we will cast aside all weakness, hesitation, personal emotions, and so-called 'fun'!" Akashi's gaze swept over everyone like a tangible blade. "Basketball is the game of winners. The process? Style? Entertainment value? Before victory, they are all dust!"
Bai Ze You's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. Basketball was merely "the game of winners"? Abandon fun? This clashed violently with his understanding of basketball and with the ideals Captain Nijimura had once taught them: "enjoying the game" and "teamwork." He subconsciously spun the basketball once around his fingertips.
"To achieve 'Absolute Victory,'" Akashi continued to announce his "new policies," each word as cold as a clause in a legal code, "the training volume will be doubled."
"Gah..." Several gasps came from the line. Even Murasaki-bara Atsushi wore an unwilling expression.
"Training time will be extended."
"Physical reserves will be pushed to the limit."
"Tactical execution must reach one hundred percent accuracy."
"Individual ability development will have Team Victory as its sole purpose."
"Any factor that affects victory—slacking, mistakes, individualism, and Hidden Dangers—will be completely eliminated!"
One after another, cold and harsh commands, like military orders, issued from Akashi's mouth without a trace of warmth. The atmosphere in the gymnasium became unbearably oppressive, as though even the air had frozen. Aomine's face was filled with displeasure, Midōrima remained expressionless but his eyes grew colder, Murasaki-bara had already begun muttering, "What a pain," Kise's smile vanished completely, and Kuroko lowered his head slightly, making his expression impossible to see.
Momoi Satsuki stood at the edge of the court, clutching her clipboard, her face somewhat pale. She could clearly feel the heart-stopping pressure in Akashi's words and his almost obsessive pursuit of "victory." It was entirely different from the basketball she understood, and from the basketball of Captain Nijimura's era. She looked worriedly toward Bai Ze You and saw the boy's tightly pressed lips and the complicated light flickering in his eyes.
"I demand that you," Akashi said at last, his voice falling like the hammer of judgment, unquestionable authority flashing in his crimson eyes, "abandon your fantasies and recognize reality. Devote your talents, your bodies, and everything you have to the iron law of 'Absolute Victory'!"
"Teikō's glory must not be defiled. Our victory must not be questioned."
"From today onward, under my leadership, the Teikō Basketball Club will ascend to a higher, stronger, and more absolute summit!"
"That is all. Begin training!"
There was no encouragement, no inspiration—only cold commands and crushing pressure. Akashi Seijūrō, the new captain, had announced the arrival of the Crimson Emperor era in the most direct and ruthless manner possible!
Training began. The heavy atmosphere did not dissipate. Instead, beneath the doubled training volume and Akashi's hawk-sharp, omnipresent gaze, it became even more suffocating.
* Basic dribbling drills required faster, lower, steadier ball control. One mistake meant an extra punishment for the entire group.
* Stationary shooting drills required a shooting percentage that met the terrifying figure Akashi had set—far higher than the standard under Nijimura. Otherwise, they had to start over.
* Shuttle-run sprints covered longer distances, required more repetitions, and allowed less time. Murasaki-bara Atsushi was so exhausted he nearly collapsed on the floor, yet Akashi's icy gaze forced him to climb back to his feet.
* Tactical positioning drills required precision down to the smallest detail, with the timing of every combination accurate to the millisecond. Once, Kuroko Tetsuya's pass was a fraction too slow. Akashi immediately called a halt, his icy gaze landing on Kuroko like something tangible. Although he did not rebuke him, the silent pressure nearly froze the air.
During a high-intensity scrimmage, Aomine Daiki attempted to use his trademark "wildness" to force his way past the defender. The move was flashy, but slightly reckless. Akashi immediately blew the whistle.
"Aomine," Akashi said without the slightest fluctuation in his voice, "your move carries a three percent risk of error. On the path to 'Absolute Victory,' any unnecessary risk is a desecration of victory. Next time, choose a breakthrough route that is safer and more efficient."
Aomine's expression instantly became extremely ugly. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to argue, but under the gaze of Akashi's crimson eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through everything, he merely clicked his tongue harshly and irritably raked a hand through his hair.
Bai Ze You silently completed each harsh drill. His flexibility, balance, and technical foundation allowed him to handle the basic exercises relatively easily, but beneath Akashi's suffocating gaze and the pressure of "Absolute Correctness," he also felt a weight unlike anything before. He pursued the beauty of basketball and the pinnacle of Individual Skill amid victory, while Akashi demanded that he discard everything "useless" and pursue only the most efficient and reliable formula for victory. This created a deep, difficult-to-reconcile rift with his own basketball philosophy.
At last, the whistle signaling the end of training sounded. The players were as limp as though they had been drained of all strength. Sweat soaked through their new uniforms, and every face was marked with exhaustion and oppression.
Akashi Seijūrō stood at center court, his crimson eyes sweeping over the exhausted players. His voice remained cold:
"Today's training was barely acceptable. Remember, 'Absolute Victory' is not a slogan. It is an iron law engraved into your bones. Dismissed."
The group silently headed toward the locker room, the atmosphere stifling. There was none of the laughter and horseplay of the past, only heavy footsteps.
Momoi Satsuki watched the scene with deep concern. She quickly wrote on her clipboard:
"Observation Record: Crimson Imperial Era · Beginning"
"Core Directive: Absolute Victory (discard all non-efficient elements)"
"Training Intensity: S+ (severe, efficiency above all)"
"Team Atmosphere: C- (high-pressure, oppressive)"
"Individual Status: Aomine (irritated and resistant), Midōrima (adapting), Murasaki-bara (resistant), Kise (pressure greatly increased), Kuroko (silently observing), Bai Ze (philosophical conflict)..."
"Key Point: Bai Ze's Philosophy (Basketball Aesthetics/Individual Skill) vs. Akashi's Iron Law (Efficiency/Absolute Victory)—Potential Source of Conflict!"
"Hidden Dangers Rating: A (embryonic dual-core philosophies, diverging directions)"
Bai Ze You did not leave immediately. He silently walked to the edge of the court, picked up a basketball, and stood alone on the empty half-court. Most of the gymnasium's massive overhead lights had already gone out. Only a few lonely lamps cast dim yellow halos, stretching his white figure long across the floor.
He dribbled the ball. His movements were not fast, yet they carried a unique rhythm and concentration. Between his legs, behind his back, spinning around... Every movement flowed flawlessly, filled with the fusion of strength and beauty. He was practicing the moves that might be "not efficient enough" or "slightly too risky" in Akashi's eyes—the moves that displayed the unique skills of his "White Phantom."
Momoi did not disturb him. She merely stood quietly in the shadows and watched. She could feel that Yū was resisting the cold storm named the "Crimson Emperor" that had swept through the entire Teikō Basketball Club in this way, holding fast to the purest devotion and love for basketball in his heart.
The basketball spun and leaped at his fingertips, tracing beautiful arcs beneath the dim yellow lights. Bai Ze You's eyes were calm and resolute.
The era of the Crimson Emperor had arrived.
But the White Phantom's dance steps would never easily submit to the cold iron law.
The collision of philosophies and the clash of wills had only just begun on this court, which had given birth to glory and was about to welcome a storm.
A new chapter of Teikō quietly opened its heavy, unknowable first page amid mounting pressure and undercurrents.
Before you continue