"What do you mean?! Is it finally my turn?!"
(I'll wipe you all out! Tattooed monk, bald bastard!)
(Your weapon is 'off-ball defense'? Fine—I'll beat you at your own game!)
Without even looking, Rin Itoshi passed the ball to Yoichi Isagi and immediately sprinted straight toward Miroku Darai.
He first feinted left, then the moment Miroku reacted, Rin cut sharply to the right with a sudden change of direction.
Yoichi Isagi, reading Rin perfectly, sent the ball back to him right away.
Miroku wasn't stupid—he spun around, ready to intercept the return pass, but suddenly Rin's hand pressed firmly against his back, locking him in place.
(Breaking the second defender… I'll crush you all!)
After bypassing Miroku Darai, Rin instantly found himself face-to-face with Kazuma Nio, who came charging in aggressively.
"Bring it, bastard! Hit me however you want—I'll take you on!"
Rin was already sinking deeper into madness, drool leaking from the corner of his mouth.
(I'll crush you, crush you, crush you!!)
(For a muscle-brained guy like you, physicality is your main power source, right?)
(Then I'll drag you into a pure physical fight—)
(…and set the trap!!)
Kazuma Nio took the bait. He suspected Rin was provoking him on purpose, but trusted his own strength enough not to care.
He hurled himself into a full-power collision.
(You self-important old man—roll!)
(Center of Gravity Full Burst!!)
As Nio collided, Rin quickly lowered his center of gravity and used Nio's own momentum to flip him straight onto the ground.
Seeing Rin's brutal sequence, Atsuto Tereasa exclaimed from the commentary booth:
"Dribble—dribble?! He almost fouled him! A single player breaking through an iron fortress of defenders!"
Even the Blue Lock players on the field were shaken.
"Terrifying…"
"That's Rin?!"
Isagi felt it even more strongly—he was the closest to Rin at every moment.
(That's not the Rin I know…)
(If Sae Itoshi's soccer is the precision of "Perfect Destruction,")
(then Rin's is the opposite—)
("Ugly Destruction," forcing the enemy to reveal their strongest, most brutal side!!)
Oliver Aiku looked at Rin's unhinged state, his own fighting spirit rising.
"So that's your nature? What a twisted personality you've got, genius's little brother."
Rin didn't hear a thing. He was imprisoned in his own world.
(One left. I'll crush him.)
(Destroy, break—everything that restrains me!)
(The thing I have to shatter is my past!)
(And everything on this field—)
(I'll be reborn with this goal!!)
Even with all his calculations, Oliver Aiku saw no winning line as Rin sprinted toward him.
At the moment Aiku was lured left—
Rin spun with a sharp Marseille turn, burst past him, and pulled his leg back into a decisive shot.
(I'll shatter everything!!)
[BOOM!!]
"Did you switch to dog mode, Rin?!"
But Rin's shot barely traveled two meters before Ryūma Banjō smashed it in the opposite direction.
At that spot, Sae Itoshi had already anticipated the play and secured the loose ball.
"You're still too soft."
Right as Sae spoke, the referee raised the sign: one minute of stoppage time.
Seeing the board, Atsuto Tereasa shouted:
"One minute added!! Sae Itoshi has taken the ball!!"
"Fall back, Blue Lock!!"
"Stop him—stop him!!"
Even the Blue Lock bench was in chaos, with Jingo Raichi roaring at the field.
Yoichi Isagi gritted his teeth and stepped in first to block Sae.
(If I can just—
steal it—
we can still win!)
But not only could he not steal the ball—
he couldn't even slow Sae down.
"It's not over yet."
Shōei Barō came crashing in from the opposite side—
but Sae didn't even spare him a glance.
With a simple flick, Sae avoided Barō's challenge and raced past him.
"I've got this!"
Seishiro Nagi stepped in to cover, but Sae was already prepared. He chipped the ball over Nagi's head with an outside flick.
Watching Sae blow past three teammates in seconds, Tabito Karasu shouted furiously:
"Don't charge in, idiots!!"
"I'll stall him!! We don't have enough defenders!!"
"And it's not just Sae—watch the unmarked guys too!! If they score now, it's over!!"
"Hold the line, you morons!!"
Karasu's roar finally snapped Isagi out of his daze.
"Crush you—destroy you—break you!!"
As expected, Sae once again met Rin head-on—Rin with his tongue out, eyes deranged.
"You still haven't fixed that disgusting habit of drooling and sticking out your tongue."
"That earlier miss was your limit."
"You could've stayed home and died satisfied. But no—joining Blue Lock was your mistake. You brought this on yourself."
The two brothers exchanged venom with no restraint.
"Shut up! You nauseating, full-of-yourself bastard of a brother! Who the hell do you think you are?! Drop dead!!"
Sae ignored the insult completely.
"Do you understand now, Rin?"
"You'll never become the world's best. Live as my shadow, worthless little brother."
Sae's words finally detonated Rin's FLOW completely.
"Enough—don't you dare—"
"Don't bind my 'self' with those words ever again!!"
"'Genius little brother.' 'Partner.' 'Rival.'
I'm done letting your stupid expectations define my life!!"
"I'm not a character in your story! I'm done being 'Sae Itoshi's little brother'—"
"I am myself! I'll trust this anger—
I'll give my body and soul to this destructive impulse!!"
"I am Rin Itoshi—
the Destroyer!!"
Sae actually froze for a moment, surprised.
"What the hell? You can make that kind of face?"
Then the brothers clashed—
several exchanges, neither gaining the upper hand.
"Sae-kun, over here!!"
Ryūma Banjō sprinted into the perfect passing lane.
But Sae didn't even consider passing. He kept fighting Rin head-on.
"Sae-kun?!"
Ryūma stopped, helpless. He knew Sae wouldn't pass now.
(Fine, Sae-kun. You owe me a favor for this!)
(Didn't think someone as logical as Sae would lose control around his brother.)
After several more rapid clashes, Rin read Sae's next move a split second early and slid the ball away from his feet.
Sae's pupils tightened in disbelief.
The ball shot upward, sailing over Oliver Aiku's head before he could react.
LUCK
And at that decisive instant—whether foresight or pure luck—
Yoichi Isagi arrived perfectly at the landing point and struck a Direct Shot before the ball even touched the ground.
[BOOM!!]
Not even Oliver Aiku reacted in time—
the goalkeeper even less.
GOAL!!
Blue Lock 5 – 5 U-20 Japan National Team
Beep—beep—!!
The match was over.
Both commentators shouted in shock:
"The lone number 11 remaining up front—Yoichi Isagi! A perfect Direct Shot!!"
"Blue Lock equalizes at the very last moment!!"
Atsuto Tereasa followed up:
"And at that moment, the final whistle blows!"
"The score ends 5–5! Blue Lock's Eleven and the U-20 National Team draw!!"
Most players collapsed to the ground, exhausted.
Ryūma Banjō, however, walked over to Sae with a grin.
"That last goal's on you, Sae-kun!"
"You went head-to-head with your brother and lost! Makes my passes feel wasted."
"Hmph. I'll count it as a debt."
Sae's tone was flat, but Ryūma could swear he sounded embarrassed.
"Haha, don't worry about it. A draw is fine."
Looking toward Oliver Aiku and Yoichi Isagi shaking hands, Ryūma slung an arm around Sae's shoulders.
"Go check on your brother. Come on—it's the first time I've seen Rin like that."
"Mhm."
In the distance, Rin sat on the grass, hand clutching his hair, his eyes reflecting Isagi and Aiku in the center.
"Rin… I misjudged you."
"I thought Japan couldn't produce a real striker. But maybe Isagi is the egoist who awakened your instincts and changed Japan's soccer."
"Japan can still change."
"Ahem—"
Ryūma coughed twice.
"So Sae-kun, you're saying Isagi is just a tool to unlock Rin's true potential, right?"
"You just lost to him, you know. Think your brother can be the world's best now? Still not meeting your standards?"
Sae thought for a moment, then looked back at Rin.
"Hmph. Still too green. But you're much better than before. At least you understand why you play."
He turned to leave, but Ryūma grabbed him.
"Hold it, Sae-kun! After Isagi's interview, let's have a big feast! No—a victory banquet!"
"Huh? Why should I go?"
"You forgot? You owe me a favor. Time to pay it back!"
Then Ryūma extended a hand to Rin.
"You're coming too, Rin. You two haven't had a real talk in ages. And your issues aren't that big—just talk it out."
Then he shouted to both teams:
"Everyone! Don't go yet! Victory celebration tonight! My treat—no excuses!!"
No one objected—Ryūma was well-liked.
But everyone stared at him because he had one arm over Rin's shoulder and the other over Sae's.
The next moment, both brothers spoke coldly, perfectly synchronized:
"Take your hand off me."
"Take your hand off me."
With both hands slapped away, Ryūma blinked left and right.
"Seriously… you two really are brothers. That timing is scary T﹏T"
He stepped to the sideline, snapped his fingers, and grinned.
"Alright everyone—let's celebrate!!"
...
If you like Kuroko no Basket, I have a fanfic ongoing on my profile. Feel free to drop by and give it a read. Thanks, everyone!