"Ryōsuke Kira displays excellent defensive skills! He directly steals the ball from Kenyū Yukimiya! What's your take on his defense, Mr. Natsuki?"
"That wasn't a logical defensive choice. Being at the opponent's side isn't advantageous for a steal, and a failed attempt would've left him out of position — but Ryōsuke Kira pulled it off. He showed absolute confidence in his defensive abilities and precise timing in disrupting the opponent's dribble. Impressive. Though this aggressive defense consumes significant energy, it seems U-20's coach wants him to shine defensively, which appears to contradict their initial formation. I'm curious to see how this develops."
As the commentators praised Ryōsuke, clips of his steal spread instantly online.
"Even Kenyū Yukimiya's unparalleled breakthrough ability was stopped by Ryōsuke Kira!"
"What a clean defensive play!"
"Hey, I heard Ryōsuke Kira was strong, but is he really this good? Isn't he supposed to be a forward?"
In just one play, he had generated significant buzz.
Meanwhile on the field, after Ryōsuke completed the steal, Oliver successfully received the ball.
"Excellent defense, Kira. I'm almost feeling inadequate here." Oliver said with a smile, making a powerful long pass to someone who had already crossed the halfway line, "Now then, other genius, it's your turn to prove yourself."
His target was Sae Itoshi!
"Quick, get back on defense, you mediocre lot!" Tabito shouted.
In an instant, the Blue Lock players had contracted their formation at maximum speed. To counter U-20's team, they were putting in far more effort than before.
At this moment, Sae had just received the long pass from Oliver, while Hyōma had already returned to his defensive position!
He and Meguru were playing as wing-backs in this match, complementing each other. When Meguru pushed forward to attack, Hyōma would drop back accordingly, maintaining offensive and defensive balance to prevent counterattacks.
Having just received the ball, Sae didn't hesitate for even a moment, making an instant decision to control and pass the ball in one fluid motion, directly feeding it to another U-20 forward.
"What speed! Excellent decision-making! As expected of the genius midfielder Sae Itoshi who's already shining on the international stage!"
As the commentator shouted excitedly, the crowd joined in chanting "Sae".
Pass after pass, the ball moved between U-20's players, eventually returning to his feet.
Sae had now reached the penalty area.
"You won't score!" Ikki immediately moved to block his path, while Hyōma completed his chase-down defense at maximum speed, silently positioning himself behind Sae.
"Great defense!" Yoichi exclaimed involuntarily.
But Sae's expression remained unchanged. His gaze appeared fixed on Ikki in front of him, yet seemed to look beyond.
With a slight tilt of his head, he made a split-second decision. Before Hyōma and Ikki could trap him, he kicked the ball with exquisite technique.
"Let's see your performance." Sae said quietly.
The ball traced a high arcing curve toward an empty area.
"Did he make a mistake? So much for being a genius."
Seeing this, Tabito moved forward to control the ball, but Yoichi's shout rang out from afar:
"That's not a mistake, it's a pass!"
"A pass? To whom?" Tabito asked, confused.
Then another voice sounded from his side.
"To me."
"What?!" Before he could react, a lightning-fast figure flashed past him.
Ryōsuke Kira sped forward!
"How is this possible? Wasn't he just in our defensive half?!" Tabito exclaimed in disbelief.
It wasn't just him — the commentators and spectators were equally shocked.
They had all been focused on Sae, overlooking Ryōsuke's presence, missing how he had already sprinted into the attacking half in mere seconds.
"This guy? What kind of speed is that!"
"He's like a rocket!"
"But he might not be able to get the ball — Blue Lock's player has the better position!"
Tabito was closer to the ball and moved first — but he was hopelessly outmatched in speed, with no chance of stopping Ryōsuke.
He extended his arm to block his opponent's path — his signature technique of using strategic arm movements to restrict players.
But Tabito had chosen the wrong opponent.
He placed his arm across Ryōsuke's side, applying pressure to hold him back. At the moment of contact, he knew something was wrong. It felt like pushing against a mountain.
Ryōsuke didn't budge an inch; instead, Tabito nearly lost his balance.
"What kind of body does this guy have?!" As his footwork faltered, Ryōsuke had already blazed past him, charging straight toward the goal.
Only Gin Gagamaru remained as the last line of defense.
Though relatively inexperienced as a goalkeeper, Gin was a natural prodigy whose exceptional flexibility allowed him to make seemingly impossible saves.
'Left or right? It should be straight on — Kira usually relies on high-speed straight shots.' He analyzed quickly, drawing on his experience as Ryōsuke's teammate during the first selection round.
In that instant, Ryōsuke struck the ball, sending it hurtling through the air!
'The speed isn't as fast as I expected — I can save this!' Gin assessed, stepping forward to make the interception.
But just as his fingers were about to graze the ball, it suddenly swerved, slipping past his reach!
A reverse spin!
❖ Thunder Swarm ➠ Curve Shot! ❖
Like a crescent moon, the ball carved an impossible arc through the air, nestling into the corner of the net!
[ Scoreboard ]
[ 1:0 ]
For a moment, the entire stadium fell silent.
Then, thunderous cheers erupted like a tidal wave, threatening to overwhelm everyone.
"What kind of shot was that! That was incredible!"
"I've never seen a banana shot like that before!"
"This guy... not only is he amazing at defense, but he's this terrifying on offense too?!"
As spectators buzzed with discussion, a middle-aged man took out a notebook and wrote down Ryōsuke's name.
"Interesting fellow."
"Fukuda, don't stand up! Sit down and watch the game! The people behind you are going to complain!"
"Sorry, sorry!" The man named Tatsuya Fukuda smiled apologetically.
{T/N: Now we know. He is from another soccer manga, called Ao Ashi.}
"Incredible! Ryōsuke Kira has created an unbelievable goal!" The commentator exclaimed, "And we can't forget Sae Itoshi's brilliant assist — he read his teammate's position perfectly!"
"As expected of Kira..." Even Shūto, the former U-20 team's star forward, couldn't help but offer praise.
That goal was something he himself could never have pulled off.
"As a forward, your abilities are acceptable. I've finally seen a somewhat decent striker." Standing beside Ryōsuke, Sae spoke coolly, his face expressionless, showing no reaction to their team's goal.
Though his words sounded arrogant, coming from Sae, this was the highest praise he could give.
"Somewhat decent, you say? Let me tell you something — your pass wasn't ideal. If you'd sent it further ahead, I wouldn't have needed any contact with the defender. Your passing still has room for improvement. You underestimated me with that last ball." Ryōsuke said with a smile, meeting his eyes directly.
Nearby, Shūto remained silent, sensing the tension between Ryōsuke and Sae.
Sae studied Ryōsuke for a moment, then after a brief silence, nodded.
"I understand. Since you say that, I'll have to see just what your limits are. Don't end up like Icarus."
{T/N: Greek mythology, the man who fell from the skies due to his arrogance and overestimation of himself.}
"I'll send those words right back at you." Ryōsuke replied.
"Then I hope you won't disappoint me."
Without another word, Sae turned and left.
On Blue Lock's side, those who hadn't faced Ryōsuke before could only marvel at his prowess. His terrifying speed and ability to seize opportunities were impressive enough, but that precise curved shot was beyond what ordinary players could achieve.
To execute such an instantaneous shot in front of goal... he was truly a monster.
Yet he wasn't the only monster — Sae was equally extraordinary. He created impossible passes effortlessly, as if he instinctively knew Ryōsuke's exact position.
Yoichi stood puzzled, unable to comprehend Sae's feat. Despite watching his every move, he hadn't seen Sae glance even once in Ryōsuke's direction.
Though Yoichi possessed keen spatial awareness of players' positions, his ability relied entirely on what he could see. Sae, however, had perfectly read Ryōsuke's position without a single look.
How had he done it?
If he could master this skill, perhaps he could reach their level!
He had to think... think!
Isagi touched his chin with one hand, deep in thought.
"What are you doing?"
Rin's voice snapped him back to reality.
"Don't think about anything else. Just focus the play on me." Rin looked around, hearing the crowd's cheers, "In ninety minutes, I'll turn these cheers into wails of despair."
His gaze burned with determination. He possessed the strongest desire to win on the entire field.
"U-20 was already formidable with their defense-focused counterattacks, and now Itoshi and Kira have made this aspect even stronger."
From his defensive position, Ikki analyzed the situation rapidly.
"With Aiku as the absolute defensive core, Kira strengthens their defense while executing lightning-fast counterattacks, giving them devastating transition ability. Meanwhile, Itoshi acts as the midfield engine, perfectly connecting their front and back lines. We must both break through the iron wall of Kira and Aiku, and sever the connection between Itoshi and Kira."
Ikki's expression darkened. Ryōsuke's abilities alone were terrifying enough, and now Sae's presence would amplify them even further.
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
"This is terrible... Mr. Ego, you shouldn't have let Kira join U-20's ranks — they're simply not in the same league!" Anri said anxiously from the coaching bench, "Kira was our strongest weapon, but now he's become our opponent's ace! How can we win?"
"Don't worry, little Anri." Jinpachi pushed up his glasses, unfazed, "It's precisely because our opponent is Kira that we'll witness scenes we normally wouldn't see. Muscle tension, frozen thoughts — these pressures in official matches affect players' performance. There's only one way to remove these burdens: improvisation."
"Huh? Mr. Ego, aren't you going to give them tactics? No instructions at all?"
"I've already said what needed to be said. Let's quietly watch our egoists." Jinpachi raised his head toward the field, "Immense pressure can crush a person — if that happens, it means that's all they amount to. But if they can face this pressure and transform it into motivation, they can achieve rebirth through destruction."
His eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze becoming meaningful.
"And I believe they can do it now."
❖❖❖
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