"What?" Even Julian couldn't believe what had just happened.
It was too fast... too sudden.
He couldn't even see how Ryōsuke managed to steal the ball.
Julian had once possessed the world's fastest speed — but with Thunderclap and Flash enhancing him, Ryōsuke had surpassed his opponent!
And his abilities didn't stop there!
In the Transparent World state, Julian's speed advantage completely vanished. His movements appeared slow and full of openings!
Ryōsuke seized the moment during Julian's dribble and completed the steal!
Overconfident in his speed, Julian hadn't bothered protecting the ball during his sprint. He never imagined his opponent could be so fast!
This was an absolute difference in speed!
"How is that possible?!" Zantetsu exclaimed in disbelief.
The fact that Ryōsuke's speed could surpass Julian's was simply unbelievable!
This meant Ryōsuke possessed the most terrifying speed in the world.
Rin and Ryūsei's eyes widened; they hadn't expected his abilities to be this powerful.
Julian stood dazed, unable to believe what was happening. How could Ryōsuke expose his weakness in the domain of speed?
Though Ryōsuke barely seemed to move, the precise ball steal proved he had completely read Julian's movements.
During their first encounter, Ryōsuke had successfully defended, but the two were almost equal in speed — one couldn't break through, while the other couldn't steal the ball.
What Julian didn't know was that during this time, Ryōsuke's Thunderclap and Flash skill had leveled up, bringing his speed to a whole new level — unlocking an almost unfair ability like Transparent World.
The gap between them had grown enormously wide! The debate about who was the world's number one rookie had been definitively settled!
Ryōsuke activated Thunderclap and Flash once more!
"This is true speed!"
All Julian could hear was Ryōsuke's voice — and the fierce wind stirred up by his lightning-fast movement!
Before Julian could react, his opponent had appeared behind him.
This was the absolute difference in speed!
Julian now realized his abilities weren't even in the same league as his opponent's!
Ryōsuke positioned himself directly behind Julian, then delivered a precise long pass to Yō, who was perfectly positioned onside!
Bastard München launched their counterattack!
Zantetsu, using his maximum speed, had already caught up to Yō.
"STOP!"
"Sorry, but I'm not the one attacking!" Facing Zantetsu, Yō immediately redirected the ball.
The target: Kenyū!
"Leave it to me!" Kenyū sprinted toward the goal at full speed.
Though Zantetsu changed direction and pursued with all his might, he was still a step too slow!
Kenyū reached the goal and fired a direct shot!
Goal!
[ Scoreboard ]
[ Paris X Gen 1:3 Bastard München ]
[Ryōsuke Kira stole the ball right in front of Julian Loki, then quickly passed to launch Bastard München's attack, resulting in a goal! Perhaps earlier there were debates about whether Ryōsuke or Julian deserved the title of best rookie! Arguments about whose speed was faster! But now, the answer is clear! Ryōsuke Kira is the stronger and faster player!]
The commentator shouted excitedly!
Discussions about the direct confrontation between Ryōsuke and Julian instantly exploded across all online platforms!
| Ryōsuke's speed really is faster! |
| Julian has been completely outclassed in both offense and defense! |
| As expected of Ryōsuke! |
The previously balanced poll between Ryōsuke and Julian became completely lopsided, with Ryōsuke's vote percentage immediately soaring to ninety-nine percent.
Videos of Ryōsuke getting past Julian circulated widely online. The moment when Julian lost the ball was repeatedly shown in slow motion...
Only through slow-motion replay could viewers actually see Ryōsuke's lightning-fast steal.
With perfect economy of movement, he intercepted the ball cleanly the exact moment Julian attempted to break through!
The steal happened so quickly that Julian took another step forward before realizing the ball was gone.
Everyone noticed Julian's shocked expression after being stripped of possession.
Ryōsuke — complete victory!
| Impressive! Julian's speed was already remarkable, but Ryōsuke is even faster! |
| I can't wait to face him! |
| The U-20 World Cup is coming soon... Ryōsuke will definitely be our formidable opponent. |
At this moment, Brian Cruyfford, Natureza, Stefan — all the elite football players worldwide — knew that this U-20 World Cup would be incredibly intense.
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
"Bastard München's match has finished first."
In the monitoring room, Jinpachi let out a long sigh. The match had lost all suspense, signaling that the Second Phase of Blue Lock was nearing its end.
Without question, the Neo Hero League had been a tremendous success — even exceeding his expectations.
"Once the other teams finish their matches, the Second Phase will be complete."
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Ego!" Anri said, promptly handing him a glass of juice.
"Juice still tastes good..."
Jinpachi downed the juice in one gulp, then turned to examine another large screen where numbers were steadily climbing.
These were real-time offers from club owners to players. Among them, one person's value was skyrocketing at an alarming rate.
"Mr. Ego, what comes next? I mean, the next phase..."
"You're such a fool, little Anri. There is no next phase." Jinpachi set the glass on the table, "After the Hero League concludes, it's straight to the U-20 World Cup — the world championship we've been dreaming of is right before us."
As he spoke, his right hand reached forward slightly, as if grasping something invisible in the air.
"Soon, we'll announce the final roster."
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
Several dozen minutes later, the final whistle blew.
Bastard München ultimately defeated their opponents 4:1.
Despite coming on as a substitute, Julian couldn't score any goals for his team. Even though he repeatedly broke through Bastard München's defense with his speed, he still couldn't penetrate Ryōsuke's iron wall.
With only ten minutes of playing time before being substituted off, Paris X Gen had no chance of mounting a comeback.
"It's over... Ryōsuke is still terrifyingly strong..." Ryūsei collapsed on the ground exhausted, sweat streaming down his face.
Rin silently watched Ryōsuke, while Tabito's expression revealed his unwillingness to accept defeat.
As for Ryoma, he simply left the field without a backward glance.
"Impressive, Kira." After the match, Julian approached Ryōsuke and graciously complimented him, "I accept my defeat wholeheartedly."
"I was just lucky." Ryōsuke responded humbly.
"This isn't about luck. You're the first person to ever beat me in speed." Julian smiled and embraced him again, "Next time we meet, it'll be at the World Cup."
"Aren't you participating in the U-20 World Cup?"
"Due to a special training program, I won't be competing in this U-20 World Cup, which is unfortunate." Julian narrowed his eyes slightly, "But Kira, be careful. There are many outstanding players in this world who haven't come to Blue Lock from Europe, and after the broadcasts of these matches, you'll become a thorn in their sides."
{T/N: I believe that when the author wrote this book, Loki's presence in the World Cup hadn't been confirmed yet, as it's something quite recent. I hope you understand.}
"I understand." Ryōsuke nodded with a smile, "But... let them come!"
His gaze was incredibly determined.
Once on the field, you have to give everything for victory.
"That's the spirit!" Julian expressed his admiration, "You must come to our league sometime! If you join our club, I wouldn't mind working for you!"
Soon he began enthusiastically promoting his club.
Meanwhile, Ashito overheard their conversation and was so surprised he couldn't speak.
Julian, known for having the world's fastest speed, had actually volunteered to work for Ryōsuke...
But this made sense. After all, the title of world's fastest had just been claimed by Ryōsuke. Now, he was the most outstanding player here.
At the same time, Ryōsuke heard the system notification sound.
〘 Congratulations! Earned Competition Points: 900! 〙
— — — — — — — — — —
〚 Host: Ryōsuke Kira 〛
〚 Current Competition Points: 1100 〛
〚 Prime Human Tree Skills: 〛
〚 Skill: Divine Reflection | Level: 3 | EXP: 36.2% 〛
〚 Demon Slayer Tree Skills: 〛
〚 Skill: Transparent World | Level: 3 | EXP: 92.6% 〛
〚 Thunder Breathing Tree Skills: 〛
〚 Skill: Thunder Breathing - Total Concentration | Level: 5 | EXP: MAX 〛
〚 Skill: Thunder Breathing - First Form: Thunderclap and Flash | Level: 5 | EXP: MAX 〛
〚 Skill: Thunder Breathing - Second Form: Rice Spirit | Level: 5 | EXP: MAX 〛
〚 Skill: Thunder Breathing - Third Form: Thunder Swarm | Level: 5 | EXP: MAX 〛
〚 Skill: Thunder Breathing - Fourth Form: Distant Thunder | Level: 5 | EXP: MAX 〛
〚 Skill: Thunder Breathing - Fifth Form: Heat Lightning | Level: 4 | EXP: 31.2% 〛
〚 Skill: Thunder Breathing - Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash | Level: 2 | EXP: 95% 〛
— — — — — — — — — —
[Good work, all players.]
Just then, the stadium's big screen lit up. It was Jinpachi.
"Are you going to announce our salaries now? You who treat people like merchandise!" Jingo shouted at the screen with displeasure.
[Don't be so impatient. I am indeed here to talk about this matter.] Jinpachi pushed up his glasses, [For this match, I'm not planning to announce salaries.]
"What?"
[As I've said before, the National Team roster will be determined by the twenty-three players with the highest salaries. However, if someone sees the huge gap between their salary and others' and gives up, that wouldn't be interesting — besides, isn't it more dramatic to announce it at the very end?]
Jinpachi pushed his glasses up again, saying with a smile:
[The final salary announcement will also be broadcast globally!]
"You bastard! I'll kill you!"
[Alright, alright. Today's match is over, so let's leave it at that. Rest well and wait for the other groups to finish their matches…]
Jinpachi didn't say much more, and the screen promptly went dark.
"Let's head back then!"
"We won all our round-robin matches! Let's celebrate properly today!"
"Yeah!"
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
That evening, Bastard München's team celebrated wildly in the building. Jinpachi prepared a sumptuous, luxurious dinner for the players.
After dinner and celebrations, Ryōsuke's terminal rang. It was Noel Noah.
He asked Ryōsuke to meet him in the instructor's room.
After saying goodbye to his teammates, Ryōsuke went directly to find the coach. In the room, Noel sat in a chair with his arms crossed, his gaze immediately focusing on him.
"Have a seat, Kira!" Although Noel looked serious, his tone was much gentler than before.
"Noah-senpai, may I ask why you wanted to see me?"
"Your matches are over, and my work as a Master Striker is complete — I'll be returning all the compensation Blue Lock gave me, since I didn't really do anything as a Master Striker." Noel said slowly.
Apart from arranging initial training sessions, he had given Ryōsuke considerable authority, letting him organize training with teammates and participate in selecting the starting lineup.
Most importantly, while other Master Strikers had appeared on the field, Noel never did — some people online even joked that he was the laziest Master Striker.
But this wasn't his fault; it was because Ryōsuke was so strong that there was simply no need for him to step in.
Besides, Noel knew that Blue Lock was a stage for these young people. He didn't need to compete with them — he just needed to stay behind the scenes.
"I'll be leaving Blue Lock soon, but before that, I want you to answer one question." Noel's gaze turned serious, "I need your honest opinion — Ryōsuke Kira, do you think you can defeat me now?"
Noel wanted to gauge Ryōsuke's confidence level.
Without a moment's hesitation, Ryōsuke answered directly:
"I believe I can."
❖❖❖
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