"Don't let them penetrate any further!" Jingo surged forward to intercept Reo, determined to stop his dribble.
But before he could close the distance, Reo had already passed the ball to Seishirō — the true star of this attack.
"You shall not pass!" Asahi Naruhaya planted himself in front of Seishirō at full speed.
Though hopelessly outmatched in physique, speed, and technique, after everything he'd endured, Asahi refused to back down from the opponent's ace.
Seishirō's face remained expressionless as he charged forward like a fierce beast, as if ready to devour the smaller Asahi whole.
Yet Asahi stood his ground.
"I can steal this!" He tracked the opponent's footwork, trying to read his rhythm.
At that moment, Seishirō suddenly accelerated, forcing Asahi to shift his weight backward—
"Is this the move Kira just used?"
In an instant, Seishirō stepped on the ball, making it return to his feet in the opposite direction.
"Is this Kira's dribbling technique from earlier?!"
Though Asahi tried to recover his defensive position, his center of gravity was completely disrupted, and he tumbled to the ground.
This was Seishirō's terrifying talent — an absolute domain that ordinary people could never reach, no matter how hard they tried.
"Stop him!"
The other defenders immediately pressed forward to contain him, but Seishirō passed the ball to Reo, who was cutting in from the side.
"Is it Mikage? No, that's not it!" Yoichi, rushing to defend, instantly spotted the threat and darted toward Seishirō.
But he was too late — this was a give-and-go!
The moment he passed the ball, Seishirō burst into position at top speed.
While everyone focused on Reo, the ball sailed back through the air in a magnificent arc — one that no ordinary player could receive.
But Seishirō was no ordinary player!
He soared upward, drawing the ball to his feet as if by magnetism, adjusted his body mid-air — and shot!
Goal!
[ Scoreboard ]
[ 3:2 ]
The gap had narrowed!
"Damn it!"
Iemon collapsed to his knees, pounding the ground. Across the field, Reo's face twisted into a sneer as he taunted the still-grounded Asahi.
"See that? This is the difference between mortals and geniuses! You're all worthless! The first half was just our warm-up — in the second half, we'll show you what true superiority looks like!"
Asahi remained silent, the frustrating truth weighing heavy on his shoulders.
There really was an insurmountable gap between them and these prodigies.
Though Team V still trailed by one goal, Seishirō's strike had ignited their spirits. At this rate, a comeback seemed inevitable.
Just then, a pair of hands reached down to help Asahi up.
"You're talking big for someone who's still losing." Ryōsuke, now back on defense, turned to the boasting Reo, "Besides, that goal had nothing to do with you. It was all Nagi's work from start to finish. Anyone could have played your part."
He delivered this counter in a calm tone, while Asahi mentally applauded.
"What did you say, you bastard?!"
"Isn't it true? You've just been relying on Nagi the whole time — you're useless otherwise."
"You...!" Reo lost his composure again, lunging forward to shove Ryōsuke, ready for a fight.
But it was like pushing against a boulder — Ryōsuke didn't budge an inch, and instead, Reo nearly lost his balance and stumbled.
[Yellow card warning!]
The moment he made his move, the announcement blared over the speakers. His teammates rushed over to restrain him until he gradually calmed down.
Any mention of Seishirō was guaranteed to set him off.
"Go ahead and talk big now, Kira. We've completely shut you down, and you can't contain Nagi! We'll reverse the score soon!" Reo laughed arrogantly, as if their victory was already assured.
Ryōsuke narrowed his eyes slightly and responded with ice in his voice, "Is that so? Well, let's see about that. From now on, Team V won't score another single goal."
During the match against Team Y, Ikki Niko had said similar words to him.
And now, this arrogant child would follow in his footsteps.
"You..." For some reason, in that instant, Reo felt an inexplicable pressure emanating from Ryōsuke.
It was as if before him stood a gradually awakening monster, about to choose its prey.
He said nothing more and could only quietly retreat to his half of the field.
Meanwhile, Ryōsuke patted Asahi's shoulder, "You defended well just now."
"But I..."
"Keep it up, get ready — it's our turn again, and victory will definitely belong to Team Z."
His words didn't sound like mere encouragement but rather like stating facts that were destined to happen.
"Yes!" After a moment of silence, Asahi nodded with a smile.
On the other side, watching Ryōsuke interact with his teammates, Seishirō was puzzled.
He didn't believe he would lose this match — it was a test of both sides' talent, and in Team Z, only Ryōsuke had any talent at all.
'Why does he value those talentless people so much? How strange.' Seishirō wondered.
He was puzzled, but knew he would have to wait until after the match to ask — after his inevitable victory, of course.
Soon, Team Z mounted another attack. As before, Zantetsu and the defensive line sacrificed themselves to completely shut down Ryōsuke, cutting off both his passing routes and any space for cuts.
The ball found its way to Seishirō!
Though Team Z cycled through several passes, they couldn't create a clear shot. Then the opposing genius struck — with extraordinary technique and athleticism, Seishirō intercepted the pass and stole the ball!
Team V surged forward on the counterattack!
❖❖❖
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