Kyohei Shiguma nodded, while Kairu Saramadara repeated his usual line.
"I'll ride the wave!"
Team B's ball. Kudo Tōya kicked off from center.
Right after kickoff, Kudo Tōya charged forward alone toward Team A's half. Ryusei Shido shouted excitedly:
"Hey, you ready to explode, little Tōya-chan~?"
"Hmph. Crush them!"
As Kudo Tōya stepped into Team A's frontcourt, he faced Ryūma Banjō head-on.
On the left side, Ryusei Shido was matched up against Rin Itoshi—a king against a king, a general against a general.
The other six players, Shōei Barō included, didn't force themselves into the battlefield of those four. Arrogant as he was, Barō wasn't stupid—he knew he wasn't on their level right now.
Only by lurking like a lion waiting for its prey could he seize the perfect opportunity in the end.
"This time it's my turn to attack. Fall, Ryūma Banjō!"
Kudo Tōya's eyes turned crimson as a blood-red pentagram lit up—『God's Eye』 had activated again.
"Heh. The one who's falling is you."
Seeing Kudo Tōya's state, Ryūma Banjō unleashed his full strength as well—Slow-Motion World fully engaged.
But then an awkward moment hit—they both froze, neither willing to make the first move.
In the end, Ryūma Banjō was the one who lost patience. Even awakened, Slow-Motion World hadn't changed his love of direct confrontation.
"Enjoy standing still?"
The instant Ryūma lunged, the duel truly began.
As Ryūma cut in, Kudo Tōya dragged the ball back with his right foot and burst toward Ryūma's right side.
Ryūma moved to block right as well. Tōya didn't flinch, immediately flicking the ball toward the left. Both sprinted after it almost in sync.
Back and forth they went, exchanging feints and counters for several rounds—neither gaining an inch.
"Damn it!! Can you stop buzzing around like a fly!?"
As he barked, Kudo Tōya suddenly charged recklessly toward Ryūma's left side, as if throwing everything away.
The moment Ryūma shifted left, Tōya spun, striking the ball with his heel—creating the illusion of a desperate gamble.
In truth, he wanted Ryūma to let his guard down so he could knock the ball past him unexpectedly.
Tōya knew the flaw in God's Eye well. He was certain this would let him break through.
But Ryūma smirked.
Across their exchanges, Ryūma had finally realized one thing—Kudo Tōya had misunderstood his ability.
(Heh… this guy thinks my ability works like his.)
(Well, something as absurd as Slow-Motion World—how could he possibly guess it?)
(Might as well tell him. He'll figure it out eventually.)
"Tōya, you guessed wrong. And the price… is losing the ball!"
With that, Ryūma stepped back and effortlessly intercepted the ball Tōya had knocked out.
"What?! I guessed wrong!?"
"Damn it! What is your ability!?"
Shock filled Kudo Tōya's eyes. Ever since awakening God's Eye, this was his first time losing the ball.
Ryūma didn't give him any chance to recover. He cut the ball with his heel, sending it sharply to the right.
He had only one reason—right after he stole the ball, a figure charged in at blinding speed.
As if he had been waiting for this exact moment. But everything was crystal-clear within Slow-Motion World.
(That was close, Barō… if you hadn't entered my line of sight at the perfect moment, I really might've missed you.)
(But thanks to you, I found a flaw in Slow-Motion World!)
(If Barō stayed in my blind spot the entire time, never entering my vision, Slow-Motion World wouldn't work at all!)
(From now on, whenever I activate it, I need to constantly track everyone's movements—especially the opposing team.)
Shōei Barō had been waiting forever, only to be neutralized instantly. He roared in frustration.
"Don't think you can get past me that easily!!"
Ryūma didn't even look at him. For him, Barō was already on a different level, not someone he needed to worry about.
His focus was entirely on Kudo Tōya and Ryusei Shido's movements.
(Has Shido arrived yet? …Huh? Where is Tōya going?)
(Tch. Is Hiori being completely shut down? Having Shiguma mark him—bullying the honest guy, aren't we?)
Out of the corner of his eye, Ryūma noticed Yoichi Isagi extending his hand.
(Isagi, huh? Fine. If I dribble myself, I'll waste too much time. And once Tōya locks on, there's no avoiding a tough fight.)
With that, Ryūma fired a low curving pass straight to Yoichi Isagi, who had sprinted to the center of Team B's frontcourt.
Isagi hadn't even finished raising his hand before the ball reached him.
(Huh? I didn't even call for the ball—how did Ryūma know I wanted it?)
(Mutual understanding? Or did he learn mind-reading in his spare time?)
No time to think—Isagi dribbled quickly toward Team B's inner field. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Ryusei Shido was only a few meters away from him.
"Isagi! I'm right here!"
"Nanase? Alright—counting on you!"
(Thank god. With Nanase here, at least I'm not charging alone!)
(Hurry! Push deeper!)
(We need to break through before their formation resets—just the two of us!)
Just as Isagi prepared to pass to Nijiro Nanase so the two could work together past Kairu Saramadara, a voice suddenly rang out:
"Dealing with ordinary mortals really is much easier."
"Huh? Kudo Tōya?! How are you here?"
Isagi stared blankly at the suddenly appearing Kudo Tōya.
Across the field, Ryūma sighed—he now understood Tōya's movements.
(So that bastard read my passing from my movements, shifted God's Eye to Isagi, tracked his call for the ball, used erratic off-ball runs to throw me off, and then sprinted to Isagi at the perfect moment.)
(Damn it, Tōya… even with Slow-Motion World, I still can't escape your calculations.)
Fortunately, Yoichi Isagi had survived the torment of both Rin Itoshi and Ryūma Banjō in the past.
He snapped back quickly and forced a pass with everything he had—though it was barely controlled.
Nijiro Nanase watched the horribly off-target pass and had to completely change direction just to receive it.
His priority was simply to keep possession. But Kudo Tōya, who had already predicted Isagi's move, wasn't going to miss this chance.
Ryusei Shido intercepted the pass mid-air, sneering with a mocking grin.
"Well now… thanks for the pass~"