"Don't come in!" Reo pressed forward aggressively, trying to limit his opponent's shooting space.
His instincts screamed that Sae would be more aggressive this round. If he scored now, it would be over!
Reo lowered his center of gravity and struck like a viper.
Without Oliver's extraordinary physical abilities, imitating those movements rapidly drained his stamina. Sweat already covered his forehead.
Having only entered in the second half, Reo knew he'd have to expend all his energy in these forty minutes. He had to secure victory and complete his revenge against Ryōsuke.
Yet facing this tight defense, Sae remained unfazed. Such resistance posed no threat to him.
He leaned forward, feinting a breakthrough at Reo. The moment his opponent shifted backward, Sae stepped with his left foot and launched the ball.
"Is it a shot?!"
"No, it's a cross!" Ikki's eyes widened — he knew exactly where Sae was aiming.
Ryōsuke was already charging into the penalty area!
Ikki sprinted with everything he had, desperate to intercept the ball before it landed! But he simply couldn't match the speed!
"Faster, faster!" He gritted his teeth, ignoring the fire in his legs.
His mind went blank, not even enough energy left for Metavision — he gambled everything on his legs! He had to stop this ball, no matter the cost!
That was his only thought!
But the ball kept sailing away. Ikki's efforts seemed futile as Sae's pass mocked his inadequacy.
Just as despair set in, a larger figure emerged from the other side.
"I'll hold the line!"
Jūbē Aryū!
Without Metavision, Jūbē relied on reading Ikki's movements to understand the field situation.
While others expected Sae to shoot, Ikki ran outward — having decoded the passing intention. Trusting his teammate's judgment, Jūbē positioned himself based on Ikki's movement!
That's why he reached the interception point before Ikki.
"I can intercept—"
"No, something's wrong!" Ikki's initial smile at Jūbē's arrival vanished as he spotted the deception.
The ball's trajectory had changed — a backspin!
This ball was a trap! Ryōsuke wasn't the real target!
Though Ryōsuke had moved into scoring position, Sae was using him as bait — a clever ploy to draw the defenders' attention.
This showcased Sae's genius as the strongest midfielder of his generation. His mastery wasn't just in ball control — even his passes could bewilder defenders!
Ryōsuke, with his Thunder Swarm ability, saw through the ball's path and Sae's intention, yet continued his run to complete the deception.
Without a word between them, they'd created a perfect combination!
Behind Ryōsuke, Shūto received Sae's pass.
"I treat every striker obsessed with scoring equally." Sae said coolly.
"Go!"
Shūto's focus peaked as he received the perfectly weighted pass!
Direct shot! His chance to prove himself!
Shūto loaded all his power into his right leg for the shot — with Blue Lock's defense completely dismantled by Sae's pass, this shot couldn't miss!
But just as he kicked the ball, another player suddenly appeared in the shot's path and deflected it —
Yoichi Isagi!
Clearance successful!
"Just as I predicted!" Yoichi shouted.
Though Sae's movements caught him off guard at first, Yoichi used his Metavision to read everyone's positions.
Ryōsuke posed a serious threat, and while Ikki wouldn't make it in time, Jūbē trailing behind definitely could.
Yoichi had also spotted Shūto lurking behind Ryōsuke in scoring position. Unable to fully decode Sae's strategy, he made a calculated risk — letting Ikki and the others handle that white-haired monster while he focused on preventing any surprise plays.
His gambit paid off!
"Damn it!" Shūto cursed in frustration.
The cleared ball soared high like a kite, all eyes tracking its arc.
And its destination was... Ryūsei Shidō!
"Lady Luck always smiles on me!" Ryūsei roared, charging full-speed toward U-20's goal.
"Blue Lock's counterattack! One goal to tie the game!"
The rest of Blue Lock surged forward behind him.
There was no room for failure — this shot had to find the net! Even with burning lungs and screaming muscles, they had to score!
"Dream on, you lower-class brat."
Miroku materialized before Ryūsei.
His focus was absolute, like a deity passing judgment, as he pressed into Ryūsei's space. The match's intensity had pushed him into the Flow state, unleashing his full potential.
He loomed like a colossal guardian statue blocking the path!
Ryūsei feinted with the ball, but Miroku pivoted like a cyclone, instantly cutting off his route again.
"You shall not pass!"
"Interesting! Interesting! This defense is godlike, Tattoo Monk!" Despite facing such an impenetrable wall, Ryūsei's face broke into a smile.
His eyes gleamed with razor-sharp intensity, as if they could slice Miroku into pieces.
"Well, if you're a god, then I'll become a god slayer!" Ryūsei's smile widened with predatory greed as his body surged forward.
❖ Flow! ❖
Ryūsei feinted a breakthrough at Miroku's side, then suddenly backed into him, spinning clockwise and using his arm to block his opponent's body.
"Lower-class brat, using this move too?"
Rin had pulled the same move during his rampage, but Miroku wouldn't fall for it twice. He stepped back to dodge the arm block while pivoting to face Ryūsei.
"Lower-class brat, go back to hell..."
"Oh, really?"
At that moment, Miroku caught the mocking glint in Ryūsei's eyes.
He realized with a start — the ball wasn't at his feet!
During his earlier turn, Ryūsei had hooked the ball with his foot, curving it behind Miroku from another angle.
Miroku had been so focused on Ryūsei's upper body that he'd completely missed the ball's movement.
"See ya, Tattoo Monk!" Ryūsei exploded into motion, circling around Miroku's other side and reclaiming his own ball.
"What is this guy?" Miroku's eyes widened in disbelief.
Ryūsei's playing style completely defied common sense.
"Stop right there, you little thief! Don't think you'll get an easy shot this time!"
But just as he slipped past Miroku, Ryūsei managed only a few steps before Oliver materialized, blocking his path!
"Hey old man, being this clingy isn't good, you know? Girls definitely won't like that!" Ryūsei's eyes narrowed as he flashed a taunting smile.
"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm actually quite popular off the field!" Oliver responded with a playful smile.
"Oh really? Couldn't tell at all, old man!"
"Hey now, we're not that far apart in age." While speaking, Oliver carefully observed his opponent, 'Shidō's abilities seem even stronger than before. I might be able to stop him here, but he's the type who uses unconventional methods to attack — what approach will he take?'
His mind raced as Ryūsei began to move.
'Will he break through from the left or right?'
But while Oliver was thinking, Ryūsei chose a third option.
A pass.
"What?!" The action caught Oliver completely off guard.
His pass target was Yoichi!
Yoichi had already positioned himself in the center, cleanly receiving the pass.
After passing, Ryūsei charged toward the forward position with even greater speed!
"It's a one-two!" Oliver realized that Ryūsei wasn't sharing possession — he was using Yoichi as a relay station to execute a one-two pass and break through his defense!
That sudden development drastically reduced his chances of stopping the play.
"No, wait — last time Isagi used a similar trick to fool me. He might not pass back to Shidō!" Oliver's thoughts raced in conflict.
This was a multiple-choice question, and any hesitation would cost them points! U-20 needed to defend this attack and launch a counter!
With no time to spare, Oliver made his choice — Ryūsei posed the greater offensive threat, so he turned to chase and defend against him!
"Isagi-chan, I'm ready!" Ryūsei called out excitedly.
But this time Yoichi didn't choose to pass the ball back. He had spotted another beast approaching!
Shoei! He had made his way to the opposite side from Ryūsei! His dominating style was unpredictable, capable of tearing apart U-20's formation!
Yoichi had already lifted his foot, seemingly preparing to pass to Shoei!
"It's Baro! He's going to pass to Baro!"
Kazuma and Teppei chased desperately, trying to block his position.
"That's right — exactly what you thought! I used Shidō, fooled Aiku, all to pass to Baro. That's what you all believed!" A smile spread across Yoichi's face as the monster within him awakened once again. "But this time, Baro is just another one of my pawns!"
He channeled every ounce of strength in his body, exhausting all his remaining stamina for one thing—
A shot on goal!
Everyone was Yoichi's pawn, from Ryūsei to Shoei. The two of them had perfectly drawn the defense's attention away from him.
From this position, his shot had an excellent chance of success!
"Time to equalize!"
❖ Direct Impact Shot! ❖
Yoichi shot the ball with all his might!
"It won't be that easy!"
But at that instant, a white lightning bolt flashed before him: Ryōsuke Kira!
While everyone else had been misled by Yoichi's movements, he alone saw through the deception.
He possessed Transparent World! After adjusting to the intensity of the second half, Ryōsuke could now wield this ability again!
The moment Yoichi touched the ball, he activated Transparent World. Under this power, time seemed to flow differently. The spectators' mouths opened in unison, about to cheer.
In this slowed time, Ryōsuke had the advantage to react!
He could predict his opponent's actions by reading their breathing, posture, rhythm, and muscle movements.
The instant Yoichi received the ball, Ryōsuke knew his true intention. It wouldn't be a pass — he was going for the shot himself!
More than that, Ryōsuke had already seen through his shooting trajectory!
In the split second after the shot, he intercepted the ball's path, clearing it away!
"Incredible! While no one else on U-20 predicted Yoichi Isagi's shot, Ryōsuke Kira read it perfectly and cleared the ball again!" The commentator's voice cracked with excitement as he pounded the desk.
"Setting up such elaborate schemes to control the game is impressive, Isagi." Ryōsuke's gaze locked onto Yoichi's black hole-like eyes, "But it's time to expose them all."
❖❖❖
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