"What?!" Yoichi stood dumbfounded, unable to believe that Ryōsuke had seen through his play.
He had thought his careful planning would fool everyone, but that guy had read it perfectly.
The ball hung in the air — its possession would determine the match's fate! With time running out, this moment was crucial!
If Blue Lock secured the ball, they'd have one final chance at survival. But if the U-20 team gained possession, Blue Lock's chances of victory would vanish.
A two-goal difference would leave them no time to recover! They had to give everything to win this ball!
Yet on the field, everyone's stamina was depleted. Now it would come down to pure willpower and endurance!
"The landing point is... there!"
Seishirō predicted the ball's destination — close to his position — and immediately sprinted toward it.
But a figure suddenly blocked his path.
"Don't even think about passing!" Shūto threw everything he had into blocking him.
Though closer to the ball, Shūto's energy was nearly gone. Having witnessed Seishirō's monstrous physical abilities before, he knew he couldn't compete for possession.
Instead, Shūto chose to block Seishirō, creating an opening for his teammates.
This was something his former self would never have done!
Though physically outmatched, his block successfully delayed Seishirō's positioning! That single-second delay let someone else claim the ball!
"You're finally somewhat useful." Sae said coolly to Shūto as he took control.
"Damn it."
The Blue Lock players instantly knew the tide had turned — the moment Sae gained possession, their situation became desperate.
Even if the U-20 team simply maintained possession by passing among themselves, they could run down the clock and end the game, leaving Blue Lock no chance to strike back!
But Sae had no interest in such tactics. To him, this kind of boring pass-around play was meaningless.
"Time to end this."
He said slowly, fixing his gaze on Blue Lock's goal before charging forward!
"Even if it kills us, we have to stop them!" Tabito shouted, his voice hoarse.
Despite having focused mainly on defense, his stamina was nearly depleted.
Before him, Sae advanced toward Blue Lock's half like an unstoppable demon. Winning the ball should have been Blue Lock's death sentence, but by choosing to attack instead of running down the clock, he gave them a slim chance of survival!
If they could defend this play, they could counter-attack and try to equalize. But first, they had to stop this attack!
If the U-20 team scored now, it would be game over. They couldn't waste this one chance at victory!
"Stop him!"
Tabito, Kenyū, and Eita all rushed forward together, determined to shut Sae down completely.
But... This level of defense meant nothing to Sae!
While the three defenders were almost completely drained of stamina, Sae — who hadn't been exerting himself until now — still had plenty of energy. And technically, there was an unbridgeable gap between them!
With a slight flick, Sae kicked the ball through their defensive circle, slipped through the gap, and used his arms to block them from turning!
This was his true ability!
"You're not getting through!" Seishirō broke free from Shūto's marking and charged at Sae.
Sae simply executed a perfect reverse cow tail feint, effortlessly getting past him!
Then, noticing something, instead of continuing his dribble, he launched a long pass toward a specific direction.
"Sharp instincts. Go tear them apart, you true monster!" Sae said slowly.
The pass soared like a precision missile, drawing a perfect arc through the air toward its intended target.
The target was Ryōsuke!
Having just cleared the ball, he had immediately sprinted toward the opponent's half! He would be U-20's final finisher!
"Don't you dare! Stop right there!" Shoei stayed tight on his tail, determined not to give him any space to break through!
However, his defense meant nothing to Ryōsuke.
❖ Rice Spirit ➠ Ankle Breaker! ❖
Ryōsuke suddenly halted, forcing Shoei to stop — then in that instant, he leaned right, feinting a breakthrough on the opponent's right side. Shoei's body moved instinctively, giving him no time to think.
But this was Ryōsuke's movement trap!
He instantly changed direction, using his right heel to control the ball and breaking through on the left instead. With a single fluid motion, he had completely fooled his opponent.
Shoei's center of gravity betrayed him as he nearly lost his balance.
"Don't... don't underestimate me!" Shoei roared, his right foot slamming down hard to maintain his balance.
He refused to submit!
But against absolute skill, everything he did was futile.
"Face reality, Baro. The world doesn't revolve around you. What kind of king are you? Just a clown trying to steal the ball from your teammates." Ryōsuke said coldly.
His left foot glided along the ball's edge, making it spring back as if alive while he turned, shielding it with his body before executing a perfect spin.
His movements were fluid, like a dance!
"There it is again — Ryōsuke Kira's beautiful dribbling skills! With time running out, can he score one more goal to achieve the remarkable feat of five goals?!" The commentator shouted.
Throughout the stadium, the crowd chanted Ryōsuke's name. The atmosphere reached its peak as even the Football Association chairman leaped to his feet in excitement.
He had never cared much for football before, seeing it as just a means to make money. But now, watching this match, Hirotoshi felt his blood boiling with excitement, and he couldn't help but cheer.
This had never happened before. He had even forgotten that the match's original purpose was to leverage Sae's fame for commercial gain.
Not just Hirotoshi, but all the spectators had forgotten they came to watch this match because of Sae. Now, they were completely captivated by Ryōsuke's performance!
Having gotten past Shoei, Ryōsuke charged straight toward Blue Lock's goal!
"We'll definitely stop you, Kira!"
Ikki, Reo, and the others immediately tightened their formation to defend against him. Only by stopping this shot would Blue Lock have a chance at victory.
Though Reo and Ikki were running on empty, they still forced themselves to use their Metavision through sheer willpower!
Ryōsuke's potential attack route was clear as day to them! They set up their defense early!
"Kira! We can see your attack route crystal clear!" Ikki shouted with all his might, trying to boost the team's morale.
But in that instant, Ryōsuke was already in front of them!
"So what if you can see it?" He said calmly, "Can you stop me?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ryōsuke had gathered power in his feet!
❖ First Form ➠ Thunderclap and Flash! ❖
Like a bolt of lightning, he found the weakness and instantly penetrated into enemy territory.
But at that moment, a smile appeared on Ikki's face. "Just as expected!"
This was the trap he had set, using his positioning to guide Ryōsuke along this attack route!
And now, he would enter Ikki's encirclement. He knew very well that with his strength alone, it would be impossible to defeat Ryōsuke. They needed to double-team him to have even a slight chance!
The moment he reached the target spot, Reo burst out. His stamina was nearly depleted, and this would be his last chance to maintain Oliver's mimicry for one more play!
Reo hadn't even considered what to do for the rest of the match — he could only bet everything on this one play.
On the opposite side of him, Jūbē had also moved up to support the defense.
"I shall assist you!" Following the other two's lead, he knew exactly what he needed to do.
No matter what, they had to stop Ryōsuke!
Ikki also turned and pressed toward this monster opponent!
Though they were also three defenders, this combination far surpassed the earlier group of Tabito, Kenyū, and Eita!
They were Blue Lock's final iron wall!
"Blue Lock's defensive line has shown excellent coordination, completely blocking all of Ryōsuke Kira's attack routes!" The commentator shouted, "Can he break free from this encirclement?"
Everyone watched the field intently.
For Ryōsuke, there was only one answer to this question!
Absolutely!
❖ Transparent World! ❖
He heightened his mental focus to its peak — this would be his last chance to use Transparent World in this match! Perfect timing to end the game!
Time seemed to slow down, and Reo, Ikki, and Jūbē appeared suspended by invisible strings in mid-air. Their defense had left him almost no space...
But "almost" was the key word.
Enhanced by Transparent World, Ryōsuke could clearly see the gaps in their encirclement. The openings in the three players' movements were glaringly obvious to him!
He lifted the ball to avoid Ikki's slide tackle, adjusted his body mid-air to evade Reo's aerial interception, and pulled the ball back while spinning to dodge Jūbē's final trap attempt!
Through Transparent World, Ryōsuke had already seen through their upcoming movements! Since he could predict their actions, avoiding their defensive formation was child's play!
To everyone else watching, it happened in the blink of an eye.
In an instant, Ryōsuke had torn through Blue Lock's defense!
"What was that?!" Ikki stared at him in disbelief; those movements seemed to completely read through their defense.
What kind of monster was this guy?!
Their stamina was completely drained; there was no hope of chasing after him now.
Only Gin Gagamaru remained in front of Ryōsuke!
Facing his fierce breakthrough, Gin was extremely tense.
Before coming to Blue Lock, he had lived in the mountains, spending his days and nights among wild beasts without fear. Yet now, facing Ryōsuke, he felt true fear for the first time, sweat streaming down his forehead.
He had no choice but to maintain his focus, eyes locked on Ryōsuke.
Everything rode on this final save!
Ryōsuke took his step!
Shot!
❖ Thunder Strike, Second Move ➠ Crackle Cross! ❖
A thunderous boom shook the field!
There was no stopping it — Ryōsuke's shot flew straight into the net.
[ Scoreboard ]
[ 6:4 ]
"Ryōsuke Kira has done it — five goals! Such a feat is rare even among professional players in league matches!"
The commentator's voice cracked with excitement as the stadium erupted in celebration of Ryōsuke's goal!
"Tomorrow's superstar!"
"Five goals!"
"So cool, Ryōsuke!"
In the stands, Riko leaped to her feet, cheering wildly!
This goal had sealed victory for the U-20 team!
And with it, Blue Lock's hopes had plunged into the abyss!
❖❖❖
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