I've actually always known that Nagi Seishiro's heart underwent a drastic change during that match. He was no longer someone who couldn't decide whether to do something, but a player who had begun to possess his own self-awareness.
I didn't want to admit it... after all, I wasn't the one who made Nagi Seishiro stronger.
Reo gritted his teeth, his eyes fixed on Ye Liangqiu opposite him...
"Reo..." Nagi Seishiro seemed to want to say something, but ultimately didn't. From the moment he chose Ye Liangqiu, his self underwent a drastic change, not just out of curiosity.
He wanted to become stronger through this...
He believed Reo understood him, and he also knew Reo could climb to this height.
It's just that now, there seemed to be a barrier between them.
As the whistle blew, Reo darted out. He looked back at Nagi Seishiro. He had been abandoned by Nagi Seishiro before, and to reach this field, he had desperately fought to get stronger, aiming to catch up to Nagi Seishiro. He wanted to prove that only he could fight alongside Nagi Seishiro.
The ball was currently in Ye Liangqiu's hands. He took a deep breath, seemingly because the weather was getting colder, and a visible wisp of white mist even escaped from his mouth.
The next second, he dashed out.
At the same time, Itoshi Rin cursed under his breath, then followed.
Ye Liangqiu passed the ball with a kick. Before Itoshi Rin could react, the ball was already in front of him. This was a pre-emptive pass, predicting the future. You don't need to make any moves; the ball I pass to you will be precise, accurate!
Experiencing this kind of pass, Itoshi Rin finally understood why they had so easily pierced through his team's defense earlier. So that's how it was...
Ye Liangqiu's passes didn't treat teammates as people, but as tools.
For the sake of scoring, everyone could be a tool.
"An extreme egoist, huh?" Itoshi Rin curled his lip, then a smile played on his face. After receiving the ball, he didn't immediately pass it back. "Tools?"
"You're treating me as a tool?"
"I'm not like those pieces of trash."
Ye Liangqiu, running without the ball, sneered. He had guessed that Itoshi Rin wouldn't act as he expected, or rather, the moment he passed the ball, he had already seen three seconds into the future.
This guy... also won't pass the ball unless absolutely necessary!
However, their one-two pass easily tore through the opponent's defense.
Bachira's expression grew increasingly excited as he saw the completely transformed Ye Liangqiu. This was his monster... now even stronger.
"Yoru Ryoushuu, chasing you is truly difficult."
"Harder than tasting if rainwater has a flavor..."
At this moment, Itoshi Rin was dribbling the ball at high speed, his cold face showing no expression, perhaps hoping to end this match quickly...
Ye Liangqiu, meanwhile, was running without the ball towards the penalty area.
However, everyone knew Ye Liangqiu was very threatening, especially Reo. He darted forward and blocked Ye Liangqiu, his deep purple eyes seemingly wanting to devour the person before him.
"This time, you won't win so easily."
"Is that so?" Ye Liangqiu chuckled. He was currently running without the ball and still being intercepted. He probably feared entering the penalty area in the eyes of this group.
Now, shouldn't Itoshi Rin be the most threatening player on the field?
Not intercepting him, but coming to defend me, I really don't understand these people's thought processes.
Itoshi Rin saw Ye Liangqiu slow down, and his eyes shifted to the monk who had caught up on his right. Rather than passing the ball to this useless person, he might as well shoot directly.
At this moment, Igaramaru and Nagi Seishiro had already come forward to intercept him.
Their defensive coordination was very solid.
One could say they gave Itoshi Rin no chance to shoot.
The monk had run without the ball to Itoshi Rin's side, eagerly offering, "Use me, I'm a useful monk!"
After two seconds of thought, Itoshi Rin still passed the ball directly.
The monk who received the ball immediately began to sprint forward, his heart also leaping with joy. At this moment, he was cooperating with a Top 7 player. As long as he showed his worth, he would be able to play in the U20 match, and then he wouldn't have to return to that torturous temple.
Thinking this, his spirits soared even higher. He had to show his worth.
His unique worth, even if he was someone who clung to the coattails of others, the fact that he could reach this point proved everything!
However, before his self-confidence could continue to rise, Nagi Seishiro seemed to be enveloped in a swirling black flame, advancing rapidly with burning momentum.
A clear height disparity emerged between the two.
Nagi Seishiro's calm eyes were fixed on the ball...
At this moment, Ye Liangqiu and Itoshi Rin had already advanced into the penalty area. After all, they were running without the ball, so for them, defensive efforts were merely to restrict their movement. No one would be bored enough to defend a footballer who didn't even have the ball.
Facing Nagi Seishiro, the monk's previously confident expression had turned to anxious dread.
He even saw the ball at his feet being stolen.
If it was stolen... then he wouldn't be able to enter the U20!
No... don't!
Suddenly, a curse came. Ye Liangqiu looked back, his scarlet eyes filled with murderous intent, like a demon ready to tear the monk apart. "What the hell are you hesitating for!"
"Can't you kick the ball when you get it?"
"Do you want me to teach you how to play football?"
Almost instantly, the monk reacted, a flicker of panic in his expression, and immediately passed the ball.
With a "bang."
The ball arced and shot towards the penalty area.
Ye Liangqiu snorted coldly. A terrible pass. He really didn't know what this guy's weapon was. Was it a header?
And this ball was clearly passed between Ye Liangqiu and Itoshi Rin.
Igaramaru and Reo quickly moved up to cover.
However, Ye Liangqiu suddenly accelerated, quickly surpassing the three of them. The direction of the ball's landing was reflected in his pupils, a blur...
Yukimiya, who hadn't shown his face until now, curved a smile at the corner of his mouth, striding forward, then suddenly slid, rushing towards the landing spot, attempting to intercept the ball directly.
But... it was all too late.
The world Ye Liangqiu saw was different from theirs. The moment the ball hadn't even dropped, he immediately activated his weapon.
He shot directly!
With a "bang."
The ball arced towards the goal.
Giving almost no one a chance to react.
Yukimiya looked back, only to see the ball had already grazed the edge of the mechanical goalkeeper's head and gone in.
The score became 0:1