Bachira's grin split across his face like lightning.
"Well, well, well… I'm already used to him being like this."
He turned to Isagi and extended a hand—eyes sparkling, wild with fire.
"If you want to win, the only option now is to cooperate with me."
"Otherwise? We'll all become sacrifices on this battlefield."
"Only by awakening that Oni Lord… or maybe even killing him… can we survive."
Isagi blinked, stunned.
"But… aren't you and Ryu friends?"
Bachira chuckled darkly, gaze drifting toward Ryu standing in the distance like a fallen god.
"Friends? Nah."
"He doesn't need friends."
"Only the strong walk beside him. Everyone else? Stepping stones."
"Relying on others to carry you isn't freedom."
"Relying on yourself is."
Isagi's mind reeled.
Ego's voice echoed inside him:
This field doesn't need teamwork. Only the strongest egoist survives.
His fists clenched.
"Alright…"
"Then let's shatter this field."
In that moment—something changed.
The world tilted on its axis.
Because now, Isagi understood:
If the transformation from zero to one had a trigger…
It wasn't Barou Shouei.
It was Ryu Sanada.
He was the catalyst.
The one who forced the opposing team to unify.
The one who let chaos bloom just to see who would rise from it.
If Team Z was scattered dust—
Then Ryu was the tiger forged from that sand.
Baro's squad?
A disciplined wolf pack.
Ryu knew.
Brute force alone couldn't shatter a pack like that.
So he waited.
Watched.
Or maybe...
He just wanted to watch them fail.
"Hey," Bachira's voice cut through Isagi's thoughts. "The second half's starting."
Isagi snapped back to the present.
"I'm thinking."
"About victory."
His eyes narrowed. Ideas clicked into place.
Another monster... was waking up.
Ryu's aura shifted—colder now. Sharper.
Break time ended.
Bachira's eyes blazed.
"Shall we go?"
Isagi nodded.
"Of course."
Glancing at Ryu, he muttered,
"If zero to one happens…"
"Maybe the best candidate isn't you."
"Let me break the stalemate."
Bachira tapped Ryu on the shoulder, then tilted his head toward the floodlights.
"Run, Isagi. I'll see you at the goal."
"Okay, Bachira."
The whistle blew.
Isagi exploded forward —
Without the ball.
Gasps rippled across the stadium.
"What?! He's not even taking possession?!"
Confusion spread.
But the sharpest minds understood instantly.
Bachira dribbled, body loose, flowing like water.
Eyes locked on Isagi.
Then—bang.
The pass flew like a guided missile.
Bachira stopped.
A wicked smile spread across his lips.
"This is it, Isagi Yoichi."
"Awaken your monster."
The ball curved perfectly into Isagi's path.
He killed the momentum with a featherlight touch.
"Nice pass, Bachira."
He looked up.
An open path.
The goal—empty.
And then—
Barou Shouei.
The King of the Field stepped in front of him, aura heavy with killing intent.
"If you've got the guts," Barou growled, "get past me."
Isagi's breath caught.
A flicker of fear surged through him.
His brain screamed.
You can't win this one-on-one.
In his mind, the field unfolded.
A tactical map. Angles. Possibilities.
One figure blazed red-hot on the radar—far from the chaos, unseen.
A silent storm waiting to be unleashed.
Ryu Sanada.
Isagi's leg twitched.
He passed.
Not sideways.
Not behind.
But to a ghost.
The entire field blinked.
"Where did he pass—?"
"Wait…"
"Who's that?"
They saw him.
Far side of the pitch.
Crimson eyes glowing.
Unmarked.
Alone.
Ryu Sanada.
The ball landed at his feet like fate itself had served it.
"Good ball."
His smirk widened.
Scarlet flames burned in his gaze.
"You found me, Isagi Yoichi…"
"I admire that."
"Then I won't hold back."
Opposing players froze.
"No way—he's going to shoot from there?!"
BOOM.
A cannon blast.
The net rippled.
2 – 2.
Silence.
Not a single cheer.
Only sharp, breathless gasps.
An ultra-long-range goal.
Kunigami's jaw dropped.
The mechanics… the precision…
"Perfect," he whispered.
"He was stationary. And he still hit that?"
"If he had even a short run-up…"
He swallowed.
Monster.
To Be Continued...