Chapter 124: Duel of the Brothers
"Hell of a goal."
From the other end of the pitch, Gin Gagamaru watched the celebration. To him, playing keeper today felt like a vacation. Most of the match, he was just a spectator watching the chaos unfold at the other end.
"Dammit. I missed my chance to be the hero," Yukimiya muttered, his face tight with frustration.
Karasu didn't hide his envy either. "That goal... it makes me sick with jealousy."
As a defensive mid, Karasu hadn't been part of that specific wave of the attack. If he had been, he was certain he would have been the one putting it in the net.
***
On the sidelines, Anri Teieri was practically vibrating with excitement. "Unbelievable! We actually took the lead!"
Jinpachi Ego, however, remained a statue of calm. This was exactly what he had calculated. With Kira on the pitch, a goal wasn't a question of "if," but "when." He watched his diamond in the rough shine, a dark, satisfied smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
***
"Tch..."
Itoshi Rin's expression was ice-cold. He was glad the team scored, sure, but his own failure to be the one who did it was eating him alive. He looked like he wanted to burn the grass beneath his feet.
"Twenty-five minutes left in the first half. Let's see if Blue Lock can hold this momentum or if the National Team has an answer," Atsuto Tereasa's voice echoed through the stadium. "The tension is suffocating!"
The U-20 team took their positions. Shuto Sendo kicked off, sending the ball straight back to Itoshi Sae.
Sae had barely taken two steps when Kira was in his face. Kira could feel the Oliver Aiku Trial Card reaching its limit, and he was curious to see just how much the "Officer's" defensive intuition would hinder a genius like Sae.
"Here we go! The two aces are squaring off!" Tereasa shouted. "Itoshi Sae vs. Ryosuke Kira. Sae doesn't look like he's looking for a pass—he's going straight for the throat!"
The stadium went quiet. Sixty thousand people held their breath, eyes glued to the two titans at the center of the pitch.
Facing Kira's press, Sae didn't blink. He just started to move. His fundamentals were terrifyingly perfect—every touch was surgical, every shift of weight calculated to the millimeter. Even with the Aiku boost, Kira found it impossible to just snatch the ball away.
"You don't defend like a striker. You move like a pro center-back," Sae noted, pausing his dribble for a heartbeat to stare Kira down. He was genuinely curious. How could someone with such high-level offensive instincts possess such a refined defensive palette? In the football world, those were usually two different languages.
"Heh. Everyone's got a few secrets," Kira replied with a cocky grin. "You want to know how I do it? Beat me first."
Before Sae could respond, a shadow lunged into the space between them.
"Rin?" Kira blinked.
Rin didn't look back. His eyes were fixed on his brother, burning with a singular, obsessive focus. "Kira, back off. This one is mine. Don't you dare interfere."
Kira felt a vein throb in his temple. 'Ordering me around? Who does this brat think he is?'
He almost told Rin to shove it, but then he took a breath. 'Fine. Let the kid have his therapy session. I'll keep the peace... for now.'
"Whatever you say, boss," Kira said, holding up his hands and backing away. It was a tactical retreat for the sake of team chemistry...
Sae's eyes flickered with a hint of disappointment. He seemed much more interested in testing himself against Kira than dealing with his younger brother.
That look wasn't lost on Rin. His blood began to boil. "We've been on the pitch for half an hour, and you haven't even said hello," Rin hissed, his voice trembling with suppressed rage. "You just keep staring at everyone else."
"Who's your actual brother here? You old bastard."
Sae finally turned his cold, indifferent gaze toward Rin. Rin's face was a mask of deadly seriousness.
"This isn't a game between you and Kira," Rin continued. "This is the match where I finally bury you."
Kira, watching from a few yards away, just nodded along. 'Yeah, yeah. You're the main character. We get it. Just don't blow it.'
Sae didn't waste any more words. He let his feet do the talking. His legs became a blur, executing a series of step-overs as he drifted toward Rin.
Suddenly, the rhythm broke. Sae dropped a shoulder, a violent burst of acceleration taking him toward Rin's right.
Rin had seen it coming. He lunged to his right, his timing perfect. Against any other player, that would have been a clean steal.
But this was Itoshi Sae.
Sae knew Rin's habits better than Rin knew himself. The move to the right was a feint. With a sudden, explosive lateral shift, Sae dragged the ball back across his body, catching Rin completely off balance.
Sae blew past him on the left.
Rin didn't quit. He pivoted instantly, managing to stay on Sae's hip. Sae was faster, using his shoulder to shield the ball as he drove forward, but Rin was a dog that refused to let go of the bone. They scrambled across the midfield, a frantic, high-speed duel that electrified the stands.
"Sae! Over here! I'm wide!" Teru Kitsunezato shouted, waving his arms as he found a pocket of space.
Sae ignored him. He didn't even look at the wing. He was focused entirely on the ball and the obstacle in his way.
The Blue Lock defenders moved to assist Rin, but one look from the younger Itoshi stopped them in their tracks.
"STAY BACK! This doesn't involve you!" Rin roared at Isagi, who had been closing in to help.
Isagi froze, stunned by the sheer venom in Rin's voice. 'Great. I'm an extra in their family drama now,' Isagi thought.
"Tch... playing house in the middle of a national match?" Kazuma Niou muttered from the backline, looking disgusted.
Aiku, however, just shrugged. "Let them go at it. We just focus on the wall. Let the offense figure out their own mess."
"Look at this! This is unreal!" Tereasa shouted. "Who is this kid? He's actually holding his own against Itoshi Sae in a one-on-one!"
"I think he's about to get a reality check," Harutaro Natsuki added.
The fans were captivated. It was rare to see such a raw, ego-driven duel in the middle of a tactical exhibition.
"Enough," Sae said. The game was over.
"As long as you keep defining yourself as 'my brother,' you'll never be on my level."
The words were a physical blow. Before Rin could process them, Sae's tempo shifted. He wasn't just fast anymore; he was a blur. The frequency of his touches doubled in a heartbeat.
Before Rin could even breathe, Sae executed a flawless Elastico—a flick twist that sent the ball one way and his body the other.
He left Rin standing in the dust.
"BEAUTIFUL! HE'S THROUGH!"
"Sae has dismantled the midfield!" Tereasa screamed, pumping his fist. "The scouting reports were right. Rin put up a fight, but when it comes down to it, the big brother is still the king!"
"So the kid is Sae's brother?"
"Makes sense. He's got the talent."
"But a shadow is still just a shadow. He can't touch Sae."
The insults from the stands poured over Rin like ice water. His expression went from cold to absolutely glacial.
Down the pitch, the Blue Lock defense tightened. Sae was coming, and he wasn't alone. The U-20 forwards were already making their runs, smelling blood in the water.
Karasu sighed, his eyes narrowing as he stepped up to meet the threat. "Tch... you were supposed to win that, you moron."
"Total amateur move. Now we have to clean up the mess again."
"Don't complain, Karasu. They're coming for us!" Jyubei Aryu shouted, his posture shifting into a defensive stance. The pressure was about to become unbearable.
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