Chapter 148: Kira's Speed
"Oh? Looks like the other side is switching things up already..."
On the pitch, Aiku noticed P.X.G. signaling for a massive substitution.
"A triple sub this early? What is their coach thinking?"
Niko realized the situation was getting complicated. Loki had swapped out Rin, Nanase, and Tokimitsu for Shidou, Karasu, and Zantetsu in one go.
Kira, however, could see the logic behind the madness. Loki was clearly running a dual-system experiment. One was a clinical, Rin-centric offensive engine, and the other was a chaotic, Shidou-centric assault. He was curious to see how the two systems differed in execution.
Beep!
"Match restart. P.X.G. possession."
The game flared back to life, and the vibe of the French team shifted instantly. Their transition speed had become lethal. With Zantetsu's raw pace on the wing, Karasu's tactical vision, and Shidou's predatory movement in the box, they were a different beast entirely.
But Ubers was still Ubers. Their tactical depth was immense. Even against a brand-new style, they adjusted on the fly.
"Got it!!"
Niko executed a surgical interception in the backline, cutting off a pass from Charles intended for Shidou.
"Hey, bangs! Is it OK over there?"
Lorenzo spotted the turnover and immediately pushed up into the midfield, calling for the rock. Niko didn't hesitate, threading a pass toward the gold-toothed defender.
'Crap... I blew it...'
The second the ball left his foot, Niko felt a pit in his stomach. Out of nowhere, Karasu had ghosted into the lane, sniping the pass and returning possession to the French side.
"Damn crow..."
Niko gritted his teeth, cursing his own lapse in focus.
"Yo. I was watching from the sidelines. That zombie-shuffle of yours is pretty impressive," Karasu said, looking at Lorenzo with a cold, analytical gaze.
"Huh? Who are you supposed to be?"
Lorenzo didn't care for the chatter. He immediately began his disjointed, swaying press, hounding Karasu like a restless spirit. Nobody steals from the King of the Zombie Dance and gets away with it.
Karasu felt the pressure instantly. He used his signature arm-bar to keep Lorenzo at bay, but the intensity of the man-marking was on a different level. Lorenzo's timing and center of gravity were perfect. Karasu was barely holding onto the ball, sweat already stinging his eyes. This was his first taste of a world-class defender in his own age group, and the pressure was nearly as suffocating as Kira's.
'I can't hold this. If I don't move it now, I'm dead.'
Karasu's brain was redlining. He saw the rest of the Ubers defense closing in like a synchronized trap. They didn't give him a second to breathe.
"Zantetsu!!"
Karasu executed a sharp turn and fired a desperate pass toward the wing. The ball felt like a live grenade he was thrilled to get rid of.
Zantetsu ignited. He trapped the ball and prepared to blow past the defense.
"Looking sharp... you little thief..."
Aiku was already there, mirroring his movement perfectly. Zantetsu wasn't exactly a strategic mastermind, but even he knew that trying to out-muscle or out-maneuver Aiku in a direct duel was a losing game.
However, a small figure was already carving through the center. Charles.
Zantetsu didn't overthink it; he fired a hard cross into the middle.
'They're fast. This offensive pattern has been drilled into their bones,' Aiku thought, his brow furrowing.
He realized the truth in that moment. The heart of P.X.G. wasn't Rin or Shidou. It was Charles, the fifteen-year-old playmaker.
Charles didn't even look up to receive Zantetsu's pass. He met the ball and unleashed a first-time, long-range delivery.
'That's way too long. Where is he even aiming?'
'Did the kid just choke?'
Aiku watched the arc of the ball, expecting a goal kick. But then his heart skipped a beat.
Someone was already chasing the drop point. A shadow was sprinting at full tilt, head down, eyes fixed on the horizon. It was Shidou Ryusei.
"Shut him down!!"
Aiku felt a wave of cold regret. Charles hadn't missed; he had sent a precision-guided missile for Shidou to chase. Shidou's predatory instincts were in full bloom as he hunted the ball like a manic hound. Aryu, despite his long stride, was being left in the dust.
Just as Shidou was about to reach the ball, a blur of motion eclipsed him. A figure ghosted past him, reaching the ball a split second faster.
Shidou's pupils dilated. 'No way.'
It was Kira.
'How? He was just at the other end of the pitch!'
The sheer velocity was staggering. Before Shidou could even react, Kira had already killed the ball's momentum with his studs.
"Hey, Shidou..."
Kira gave him a faint, mocking smile.
Shidou swallowed hard. For a second, looking at Kira's posture and the way he moved, he saw an afterimage of their mentor, Julian Loki.
***
On the P.X.G. bench, the atmosphere turned frozen.
Rin's eyes were narrowed, his expression grimmer than ever. 'Is he finally done holding back?'
Tokimitsu's jaw was hanging open. He had never seen anyone move that fast—not in person. "Kira... has he always been that quick?"
Rin stayed silent for a moment before giving a slow, reluctant nod.
In a normal match, you never got to see Kira's top gear. But during the match against the World Five, Rin had seen it—a level of acceleration that could actually challenge the French prodigy himself. It was a memory burned into Rin's mind.
***
Across the field, Snuffy stared at the pitch, his mouth open as if he wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come.
If his eyes weren't lying to him, Kira's burst of speed was almost a mirror image of Julian Loki's.
'Does this kid study everyone?' Snuffy wondered, feeling a bit exaspered. 'How many people is he going to copy?'
"Whoa, Kira-chan. I've never seen that trick before..." Shidou said, his voice a mix of shock and excitement.
"Then keep your eyes open. Try to keep up."
Kira ignited.
Swoosh!
He transformed into a literal blur. In a heartbeat, he had put several yards between himself and Shidou. Shidou's shock instantly turned into a manic grin.
"Wait for me!!"
Shidou took off after him, but the chase was already over.
"Hey, Kira! That is definitely not in the playbook!"
Aiku watched Kira's disappearing back, stunned. He'd expected a tactical buildup, but Kira had decided to take the entire French defense on a solo tour.
'Tactics? Who needs them?'
Kira was a force of nature. He tore through the P.X.G. ranks like they weren't even there, weaving through defenders at a speed that made the world look like it was standing still.
He reached the edge of the box and unleashed a violent, high-impact strike.
The ball was a thunderbolt. The keeper didn't even have time to move his hands before the net was bulging.
2-0.
The stadium went silent, the weight of that goal sinking in.
'That kid...'
Even Julian Loki's expression had turned deadly serious.