Chapter 72: A Pass at the Gates
On the pitch.
The instant Isagi received the pass, Rin appeared right behind him.
'It's over. The shooting course for this ball has already been blocked by Rin...' Chigiri realized Isagi's predicament immediately after delivering the pass.
'What do I do? Rin has already extended his leg to block. How can I help him?'
Chigiri realized with despair that even if he accelerated now, he wouldn't make it in time.
From the moment Rin predicted this scenario, everything was already too late.
Suddenly, Chigiri's pupils dilated.
Isagi's movements changed.
He didn't trap the ball and shoot as everyone imagined.
Instead, with his back turned to Rin...
He executed a rapid turn, his right heel smashing viciously into the ball.
A back-heel shot!!
'I see. Isagi had a backup plan.'
Watching this scene, Chigiri's body began to move unconsciously.
"Genius, did you think everything was following your script?" With a roar from Isagi, the ball flew toward the goal, skimming the turf.
Rin looked astonished.
He hadn't expected that Isagi would be ruthless enough to deceive even his own Ego.
Isagi's series of movements just now were all based on calculated predictions.
He knew that Rin would come to cover him when he made his diagonal run.
And he had pre-visualized a scenario where he would burst out and shoot into the goal unmarked.
This entire scenario was within Itoshi Rin's predictions.
Isagi believed that Rin, with his genius intellect and physical ability, would definitely be able to keep up with Isagi's vision. And then, right at the critical moment...
Isagi shattered Rin's prediction, unleashing this back-heel shot.
"Nice, Isagi! This ball is definitely..." Chigiri's cheer was cut short abruptly.
Just as the ball was about to fly into the goal...
A white figure appeared. Lying on his side on the turf, he executed a clean, crisp sliding tackle, sweeping the ball that should have scored right out over the goal line.
The entire arena fell silent in an instant.
As that figure slowly stood up, he revealed the frosty expression of Ryosuke Kira.
Everyone was frozen in place by this savior-like defensive play.
'How is that possible?' Isagi couldn't believe it in his heart. He had clearly deceived everyone. He had even deceived Itoshi Rin.
Why hadn't Kira been fooled?
Wait. Isagi suddenly recalled the moment he used Barou as a decoy. He remembered the meaningful look Kira had given him.
'Could it be that from that moment on, Kira knew all of my subsequent setups?'
'No... that's impossible, isn't it?' Isagi still couldn't believe it.
'Phew...' After defending the shot, Kira secretly thought to himself that it was a close call. Good thing he made it in time.
The truth was, after Isagi started his diagonal cut inside, Kira had immediately used the Itoshi Rin Trial Card.
In an instant, the scenario Isagi had visualized—running off the ball and scoring—appeared in Kira's mind.
Kira also understood that if it was a thought on this level, Itoshi Rin would definitely be able to defend against it.
But the opponent was Yoichi Isagi.
It was the Isagi who constantly devoured teammates and opponents alike.
The Isagi who was constantly evolving.
How could he possibly try to defeat Rin with such an obvious method?
After gaining Rin's perspective, Kira also discovered the method to defeat Rin.
It was to search for the blind spot within Rin's own predictions.
That back-heel shot was the only solution to that specific scenario.
Kira used Rin's perspective to find Rin's loophole, and at the final moment, he filled it.
That was all there was to it.
"Tsk. Who asked you to meddle? I hate the scent on you right now... are you imitating me?" Anger appeared in Itoshi Rin's tone, because he clearly felt the change in Kira's aura.
It had become as cold as his own.
A calm mind and extreme arrogance.
Is this Itoshi Rin?
When Kira had practiced with Itoshi Rin before, the feeling from the Trial Card hadn't been this obvious.
But now, on the field...
Kira faintly discovered that there were several indistinct threads attached to everyone's heads.
In his mind, he understood the characteristics and limits of every player, friend or foe, with crystal clarity.
Is this the perspective of the Puppet Master?
"No, you're mistaken, Rin."
Kira walked slowly up to Rin and said coldly, "I'm not imitating you. I'm surpassing you!"
"You bastard! Try it if you have the guts!" The chill in Itoshi Rin's eyes intensified.
"Hey, hey, hey. That defense just now was so stylish, How can we be arguing?" Aryu rarely stepped in between two people, but he came over to smooth things over.
"Surpassing or not surpassing, can we talk about it after we win this match?"
"Score the next goal, and we win. Don't act like children who haven't grown up!" Aryu was getting a little angry, too. These two were really strange.
One minute they seemed thick as thieves, and the next it felt like they were about to throw down.
Are relationships between people his age always this dynamic and volatile?
For Aryu, who pursued style, figuring this out was a bit difficult.
"Isagi, that was so close. I saw the whole process just now." Chigiri ran to Isagi's side and began to comfort him.
"You've already surpassed yourself. It's just that Kira, he..."
'Where exactly did it go wrong?' Isagi kept asking himself in his mind.
"Wait. I know where the problem is, Chigiri."
"Hmm?"
"Damn it. How could I dare to forget Kira? All of my calculations just now were targeted at Itoshi Rin alone."
"I factored in his predictions of me, but I forgot that on this field, Rin isn't the only opponent on that level!"
"Ryosuke Kira! He needs to be calculated into my mind as well!!!"
As the puzzle pieces around Isagi scattered and snapped together again, the path to the future began to take shape inside his mind.
"So you're saying, as long as you calculate Kira into the equation, you can win, right? Isagi?" Barou also appeared in front of Isagi.
"After all, the only one on our side who can compete with Rin and Kira in terms of vision is you, Isagi. It's all up to you now!" Nagi also came to Isagi's side.
"Yeah. Next, we just have to crush them."
Isagi's eyes held an unprecedented determination. 'Kira and Rin can predict all my behaviors. As long as I trust that they can guess all my moves...'
'I can defeat them!'
This was a new solution based on trust in their abilities.
***
The match continued.
White Team corner kick.
Isagi took the set piece.
Chigiri and Barou were constantly running and jostling for position.
Nagi was tussling with Aryu in front of the goal.
Kira was watching Barou, and Bachira was staring at Chigiri.
Rin was in a position to support them at any moment.
'They must all be guarding against my pass?'
Isagi saw through the Red Team's thoughts in an instant.
Then, in that case...
'Rin, what will you do?'
'Kira, what will you do?'
Isagi began his run-up and kicked the ball directly.
A shot!
"Tch." Rin knew it. Isagi took the bait.
Deliberately revealing a defensive formation guarding against a pass, Rin leaped high, preparing to easily head the ball away.
Suddenly, the trajectory of the ball shifted?
A curving shot?
Rin frowned slightly. But this direction... it's a pass!
The ball, which should have flown toward the goal, took a turn. Its arc changed, and it actually fell toward the top of Nagi's head.
"Great pass. Even I was almost fooled."
Nagi leaped high. Just as he was about to head the ball into the goal...
Aryu jumped as well. He jumped later than Nagi.
He had been deceived by Isagi's shooting posture just now, but he actually managed to touch the ball first.
Aryu headed the ball out.
'Right here!'
Isagi appeared. The ball was bound to be headed out.
Isagi had been observing the landing point early on.
'I just have to shoot from here!!'
But following close behind was the figure of Kira.
"Hey, hey, hey, Isagi. You're facing both me and Rin now..."
"Oh, is that so?" Isagi suddenly flicked the ball laterally.
A pass?!
Chigiri, following up closely, fired a shot.
He kicked the ball into the net.
GOAL!
The White Team pulled one back.
3-4.
'In this egoistic Blue Lock, everyone thinks I should create opportunities for myself to shoot.'
'Including me.'
'Then if all my movements are to create shooting opportunities for others, I've broken through your predictions, right? Kira, Rin.'
A different kind of light shone in Isagi's eyes.
"Do you still count as a striker?" Rin responded coldly.
"As long as the ball flies into the net, I am a STRIKER!!" Isagi didn't doubt his decision in the slightest.
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