"How is this possible?!" Shūto was in disbelief.
He never imagined that his opponent's defense would be so aggressive — he had completely underestimated the other party's strength.
After stealing the ball, Jingo didn't hold onto it for long. Instead, he made a long pass to his teammate further ahead!
Kenyū Yukimiya!
Ryōsuke had said their current tactic was to speed up the game! Accelerate the pace and make Ubers' players run themselves ragged!
After receiving the ball, Kenyū immediately increased his speed, charging straight toward the opponent's goal!
At this moment, his mind was clear of everything except one thought — attack!
But after just a few steps, he caught a glimpse of an eerie figure approaching him from the corner of his eye.
Lorenzo!
"Don't run, 2 Million~ This attack is meaningless, ok?" Lorenzo's face always wore a relaxed smile, as if he were simply playing a video game.
"This guy... is he really this fast?!" Kenyū was shocked.
He hadn't expected to be caught by his opponent when speed was his specialty. This guy's pace without the ball was incredibly fast.
Lorenzo was about to use his long limbs to disrupt Kenyū again.
However, Kenyū had already witnessed his abilities and wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.
"I've seen through your technique! Zombie man!" He shouted, forcefully pushing off the ground and suddenly changing direction.
Lorenzo's biggest advantage was his exaggerated limb length and flexibility — dribbling within his defensive range was extremely dangerous! The best method was to avoid this completely, positioning himself outside the defensive range!
That was Kenyū's strategy!
He suddenly changed direction, successfully avoiding Lorenzo's defensive range!
As long as he could evade this defense, his opponent wouldn't pose much of a threat.
Thinking this, Kenyū quietly accelerated, hoping to seize this opportunity to break past Lorenzo!
But as he rushed past the "Zombie", Kenyū caught the slight upward curve of his opponent's lips.
"I'm just the bait, ok?"
"What?"
Just as Kenyū was momentarily stunned, a familiar figure — like a bolt of white lightning — blocked his path from the other side.
Oliver Aiku, the former strongest shield of the U-20 Team!
"Well, well, Thief Number Two, do you remember how you lost to us in that match?" Oliver wore a confident smile as he looked at Kenyū.
"You're just someone who rode on Ryōsuke's coattails to victory. Nothing special about that."
Kenyū fired back mercilessly!
"I recall you're quite skilled at one-on-one! Let's see if you can get past me?" Facing one of Blue Lock's former aces, Oliver showed no fear. In his eyes, all of Kenyū's stats were already appearing.
After that U-20 Match, his brain had stored all of his opponents' data!
Kenyū fell into thought for a moment. He knew Oliver had excellent one-on-one defensive abilities — during the U-20 Match, their defensive line had limited his solo abilities, preventing him from performing.
Moreover, Lorenzo was right beside them. If they double-teamed him, Kenyū would be at a disadvantage.
Previously, his one-on-one skills were strong, but when faced with double-teams, his weakness became apparent. Oliver knew this, which is why he appeared here—
But that was only in the past.
"Sorry, but I've been evolving too." In that instant, Kenyū's eyes beneath his glasses shot out a sharp gaze.
He knew his weaknesses better than anyone. So during this time, he had worked hard to overcome them!
To further prove himself on the field, the secretly prideful Kenyū often sought out Ryōsuke to discuss and learn more techniques, particularly how to handle double-teams.
Ryōsuke would share his ideas and countermeasures with him without holding anything back.
In the original story, Kenyū had grown increasingly extreme in personality after repeatedly failing to prove himself, creating rifts with others.
But now things were different. He had plenty of playing time and a united team that created opportunities for him.
He couldn't let his teammates down!
Now facing double-teaming from Lorenzo and Oliver — two defensive powerhouses — Kenyū already had a strategy in mind!
Turn a 1v2 into a 1v1!
The thoughts lingered in Kenyū's mind for only an instant before his body began moving instinctively!
He immediately pushed the ball to the side while shifting his body further away, completely avoiding Lorenzo's defense!
Lorenzo's overall abilities were stronger than Oliver's, so facing Oliver one-on-one was currently the correct choice. Just like how Ryōsuke had handled being double-teamed earlier — find the weakest point in the encirclement and force a breakthrough!
Kenyū suddenly accelerated, intending to get past Oliver before Lorenzo could catch up.
"He made this kind of choice?" Oliver's eyes widened. These current actions didn't match the data in his mental database.
His opponent was making moves beyond his recorded information! It seemed Kenyū had also undergone a transformation!
However, Oliver had evolved as well!
Like a python discovering its prey, he tightly wrapped around the opponent, giving him no chance to break through.
"Don't block me!"
Kenyū gritted his teeth, his gaze becoming incredibly focused with a hint of ferocity!
❖ Flow! ❖
Under the complete sense of challenge, Kenyū's speed exploded to its limit. He suddenly changed direction, attempting to force his way past Oliver!
Oliver responded in kind, his heterochromatic eyes set in his mature face projecting an intensely serious gaze. He accelerated sideways, sticking tightly to Kenyū, giving him no space to break through!
Kenyū changed direction without slowing down, trying to throw off Oliver's center of gravity — but the latter, once the ace defender of the U-20 Team, wouldn't be easily beaten. He was giving his all to stop his opponent!
They were like two beasts locked in mortal combat, with only the victor able to devour the other.
"Hey, hey, hey, no way, he can really do this?" Lorenzo watched the two battling with wide eyes, sensing that Kenyū's abilities seemed to have reached another level compared to earlier.
Is this what they call evolution? Interesting!
Lorenzo also accelerated, closely following behind the two!
If Kenyū showed any sign of slowing down, he could swoop in from another position and steal the ball!
"Give up, okay?" Lorenzo shouted at Kenyū as he chased after them, "No matter how fast you run, you're just sprinting toward the edge of a cliff. You have no chance to attack, get it?"
He was stating a fact. Although Kenyū was still deadlocked with Oliver, he hadn't been able to get past him, and at this rate, he would never have space to shoot.
But at that moment, Kenyū suddenly slowed down. Only then did Lorenzo notice the smile on his face.
"I'm just like you."
"What?" A puzzled expression crossed Lorenzo's face.
"I'm the decoy." Kenyū said with a smile.
In that instant, Lorenzo felt a sudden gust of wind at his back.
Ryōsuke, like a ninja lurking in the shadows, had appeared behind him!
Lorenzo hadn't detected his presence at all until now!
This was because Ryōsuke had once again activated his Divine Reflection, copying Eita Otoya's ability!
After this period of hard training, his duration and frequency of using Divine Reflection had improved considerably compared to the last match!
Ryōsuke was using Eita's Ninja Stealth Walk to avoid Lorenzo's line of sight, silently following behind him, all to coordinate with Kenyū!
Blue Lock's former principle was to be absolute egoists, but Kenyū had learned through Ryōsuke that this was a grave mistake.
A truly excellent player acts for victory! Even if it means giving everything he has!
"Go!"
Noticing Ryōsuke's presence, Kenyū transformed himself into a decoy, keeping the opponent's defensive core focused on him to provide his teammate with the perfect breakthrough opportunity!
"Amazing teamwork! You're worth at least 50 million!"
Lorenzo shouted in praise, desperately trying to intercept the ball. But having failed to notice Ryōsuke's presence from the start, his reaction was already a step too slow!
Ryōsuke successfully received the ball!
But at that moment, another figure suddenly attacked: Ikki Niko!
With his Metavision, he could track Ryōsuke's movements. Realizing the potential coordination between the Bastard München players, he followed the shortest path, directly chasing after the biggest threat!
Like a mantis stalking a cicada while the oriole waits behind, he positioned himself in ambush. Ryōsuke must be fully focused on the ball, unaware of his presence!
The moment he received the ball, Ikki would complete the steal!
Finding opportunities to contest for possession — this was his job on the field!
Now Ikki slid across the ground like a bullet, heading straight for the ball at Ryōsuke's feet!
And Ryōsuke, with his back to the threat, seemed completely unaware of his presence!
"Job done!" Ikki shouted confidently.
"Sorry, but you'll need to work overtime!"
But just as Ikki was about to slide tackle the ball, Ryōsuke hooked it up with his foot, then slightly jumped, leaping right over him, avoiding his slide tackle.
From beginning to end, that guy never once directly looked at him, yet he seemed to know his position precisely.
"How is that possible... could it be?!" Ikki suddenly realized, "You, do you also possess Metavision?!"
Using his Metavision, Ikki could detect Ryōsuke's position!
And likewise, Ryōsuke knew that Ikki was lying in wait — thanks to his own Metavision!
While activating Divine Reflection to copy Eita's footwork, Ryōsuke had simultaneously copied Yoichi's ability, giving him a complete view of the field. Ikki's position was crystal clear to him.
"He can dodge like that?!" Oliver exclaimed in surprise.
After evading Ikki's slide tackle, Ryōsuke immediately surged forward with the ball!
"Don't think you're getting through!"
A fierce tiger was closing in from his side: Kojiro!
He had unleashed nearly all his power, desperately trying to match Ryōsuke's pace!
Despite Ranze and others attempting to block his path, their efforts proved futile — Kojiro charged forward like a rampaging tiger, heading straight for their ace!
A fierce tiger on the left, a lone wolf on the right!
Shōei was also in hot pursuit!
Burning with all his might, he rushed to the scene, his eyes reflecting Ryōsuke's image as if ready to devour him alive!
This pincer attack by the fierce tiger and lone wolf was meant to consume Ryōsuke completely!
But the monster himself remained completely unfazed!
❖ Third Form ➠ Thunder Swarm! ❖
Ryōsuke struck out his foot while moving at high speed. The soccer ball, like a bird with its own consciousness, threaded precisely between Kojiro and Shōei, gliding along the ground before curving dramatically!
This was a pass that even Sae and Haruhisa might not have been able to execute!
And the landing point was: Yoichi!
After long periods of practice, the Bastard München team had developed perfect chemistry. Seeing Ryōsuke and Kenyū break through, Yoichi immediately understood their tactics and moved to provide support from the other side!
Using Metavision to find the most suitable position, he became the perfect passing target — whether as the final attacker or not!
Even his off-ball movement radiated threat!
Yoichi was performing at the very pinnacle of his talent!
The power and arc of Ryōsuke's pass felt perfectly comfortable to him — this was his golden opportunity to score!
❖ Direct Impact Shot! ❖
Without waiting for the ball to touch the ground, Yoichi volleyed it with his excellent spatial awareness, aiming for the corner of the goal!
"Aaaaargh! Not so easily!"
At the same time, Ken desperately leaped upward, stretching out his hand to block the shot!
He touched it!
❖❖❖
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