"This damn kid… he really did it." Lavinho stared blankly at the completely transformed NESS, his mouth wide open.
"This guy Ness, after that awakening, he might actually have a shot at being a first-tier midfielder. Say, Shinichi, are you some kind of midfielder collector or what? There aren't even that many midfielders in the entire New Hero Battle, and you're sweeping them all up. I'm telling you now, even if we're on good terms, I'm going to fight for them in the draft. I don't want to end up at the bottom of the rankings again like in the first phase."
"Of course. That's your freedom. But I'll be knocking you all off one by one—fair and square."
"Tch. Cocky little punk."
The two bantered as they sprinted toward Noa, who was launching yet another counterattack.
Originally, everything was supposed to be more structured—despite calling it a fast-paced scoring battle, the plan was to keep the rhythm controlled.
They even added timed substitutions every few minutes so more players would have the chance to showcase themselves.
And yet… somehow, probably thanks to the pride of being top-tier strikers, it had turned into a nonstop, full-throttle clash that no one could stop.
"If we keep sprinting for all 90 minutes like this, I can already imagine what my legs will feel like tomorrow. So to avoid that tragedy, how about we slow down a bit, Noa?" Taking advantage of Shinichi pressing Noa to a stop, Lavinho darted in and poked the ball away.
But Noa stood his ground, brushing off their joint press and regaining control of the ball with sheer strength.
"If you're tired, you can go rest on the bench," Noa replied flatly. Even though he, too, knew this tempo was well beyond what they'd planned, he wasn't going to be the first one to admit it.
"Haha! I feel great, not tired at all. Come on, Lavinho, don't tell me you're falling behind already?" Just as Noa seemed in trouble, a golden-haired blur entered the fray—Chris bulldozed into the play, using his brute strength to body Lavinho and give Noa an elite-level screen. "Looks like you're in trouble again, Noa. Need me to carry you? Figures I'm still the stronger one between us."
Noa didn't respond to the childish provocation.
Using Chris's screen, he broke through the pressure.
Meanwhile, Loki had slipped past Snuffy and was now sprinting into position.
Shinichi caught the movement and instinctively adjusted his focus to prepare to cut off a pass, giving Noa a slight opening.
Seizing the moment, Noa chipped the ball forward and muscled his way past Shinichi.
"You know that kind of little trick won't get rid of me."
Shinichi quickly caught up, staying glued to Noa's side. He might not have been able to stop Noa outright, but if Noa dared to shoot, Shinichi was more than capable of sealing every shooting angle within that brief window of motion.
"You're too obsessed with me, Shinichi," Noa said calmly.
But he had never intended to shoot himself.
With Loki continuously shifting in space and the match's chaotic structure providing unexpected windows, Shinichi had unknowingly made one critical oversight—he'd forgotten about one very important player.
"I'm counting on you." Noah came to a sudden stop, one hand pressed against Shinichi's chest to keep him from advancing.
At the same time, he swept the ball laterally across the field—And in the direction of his pass, a dazzlingly unnatural blue rose bloomed—
"Kaiser… Impact!"
It was that same terrifying shot—too fast for human reflexes to track. The moment Noah's pass reached him, the ball exploded off Kaiser's foot, rocketing across the field in a jagged, almost seven-shaped path straight toward the goal.
But just before it hit—
Two blazing flames consumed the petals mid-flight.
Isagi: "You really think we're going to fall for that again?"
Ness: "Watch closely, Kaiser. This is my magic!"
Two figures charged in and blocked the ball in unison, cutting off Kaiser's attack cold. As they dropped to the turf, they glared fiercely at him.
"Counterattack!"
Before any pleasantries could be exchanged, a teammate's shout jolted them back into action. Ness sprinted toward the loose ball and launched a pinpoint long pass to the onrushing Shinichi.
But Chris intercepted with a sliding challenge, sending the ball out of bounds. The VAR review confirmed—Chris had touched it last.
The breathless, non-stop clash finally paused for a brief moment.
"Why're you still looking at me?" Kaiser muttered as he strolled back to his half. Noticing Ness's gaze lingering on him, he clicked his tongue and turned with a scowl. "What? You want to cry about me dumping you? Or throw down a challenge like Isag?"
"No…" Ness's voice was calm. "At first, when you cast me aside, I was bitter—angry. But now, I bear no grudge. You were destined to go further, to climb higher. I had no right to hold you back. And honestly… when I first started out, when I was most lost—you reached out to me. Whatever your reasons, I'm still grateful you did."
That calm, composed gaze was unlike the Ness Kaiser remembered—timid, pliant, easy to manipulate.
Now he stood tall, self-assured, unshaken by Kaiser's presence. Of course… Ness had clawed his way up from nothing, without formal training or support, to earn his place at Bastard München. Maybe he had seemed weak, but there'd always been something steely in him.
And now—thanks to the "magic"—the real Ness finally stood before his former king.
"But I've found my own path now, Kaiser."
"You, who rebelled against the rigid constraints of the system. And me, who seeks the unknowable through magic—We were once king and servant, so alike, yet utterly opposed."
Kaiser stared into Ness's eyes. Within them burned a brilliant flame he'd never seen before.
"Let's see who can excite the world more."
"Tch. I've got zero interest in exciting the world, you childish clown," Kaiser snapped and turned away.
But a moment later, his voice drifted back—
"Still… there are more and more people I'll need to crush. One more won't make a difference. When I take the throne as the world's best, the world will go wild for me."
"…And Ness—congrats on being reborn. And… sorry."