"Kira!"
As Ryōsuke broke through, the red panther charged straight at him!
Hyōma stood in front of him, his speed now even faster than before!
"Kira, when it comes to speed now, I might not lose to you anymore!" Hyōma said confidently.
"Oh?" A smile appeared on Ryōsuke's face, "Let's see about that!"
Hyōma maintained perfect defensive positioning. After training at Manshine City, his defensive abilities had improved considerably. From this distance, he could easily block any shot while preventing breakthrough attempts.
However, in front of Ryōsuke, this distance meant nothing!
Ryōsuke lifted his foot, seemingly preparing to shoot.
"He's going to shoot from this position?!" Hyōma's eyes widened.
Though shooting from here was risky, this was Ryōsuke — his terrifying shooting ability forced Hyōma to press forward and interfere.
But this was exactly the trap!
The moment Hyōma leaned forward, Ryōsuke's right foot pulled back, instantly changing direction to charge past his opponent's side!
Though the red panther reacted immediately, leaning back to maintain position, he was still a step too late!
Ryōsuke had already gotten past him!
"This speed is amazing!" From Manshine City's coaching bench, Chris smiled as he watched the spectacular play unfold.
Though Hyōma's speed was terrifying for his age group, against Ryōsuke it seemed ordinary. This guy's speed was simply breathtaking.
"Faster than Hyōma... no, has he reached Julian's level already? He might even be faster..."
Ryōsuke reminded Chris of Julian, perhaps even surpassing him with that lightning-like godspeed!
No wonder before the Blue Lock project began, Julian had told the other star players about Ryōsuke's incredible strength — even England national team player Adam Blake couldn't stop praising him.
"Ryōsuke has the skill of an Master Striker, yet he can play freely on the field. It's so unfair!" Chris's legs trembled involuntarily, his whole body electric with excitement, "I want to play! I want to play!"
Just then, after getting past Hyōma, another person stood in Ryōsuke's path.
"Finally, we have a chance to face each other directly." Haruhisa stood before him.
"You had the chance in the last play, but you chose to pass."
"I simply thought it was the better choice — my body moved before my mind could decide." Haruhisa said, meeting his gaze.
"In a way, we're quite similar." Ryōsuke replied with a smile.
Both maintained a rational style of play, never recklessly charging in when others might get caught up in the moment — even though they possessed the raw power to break through defenses by force.
"However, for our team right now, getting past you is the optimal strategy!" Ryōsuke said calmly.
Before the next breath, he suddenly accelerated.
Haruhisa matched his speed, his hawk-like eyes fixed on the ball at his opponent's feet, searching for the perfect moment to strike!
But Ryōsuke had already seen through Haruhisa's movement!
❖ Transparent World! ❖
❖ Rice Spirit ➠ Play Time! ❖
Ryōsuke stepped on the ball's edge with his right foot, making it jump backward and land on his calf, deftly avoiding Haruhisa's tackle!
In one fluid motion, he read his opponent's weight shift and used his right leg to move the ball behind him, suddenly accelerating toward Haruhisa's unbalanced side.
Breakthrough successful!
"Impressive!" Haruhisa turned to watch Ryōsuke, unable to contain his praise.
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"His ball control rivals Lavinho's!"
"Haruhisa's defense was excellent, but Ryōsuke still broke through!"
"Well, that's Ryōsuke for you!"
Online discussions buzzed while Nozomi watched the TV, his eyes wide with amazement at the first official clash between the two players.
"Such composed handling... Even though Kuribayashi found the perfect moment to tackle, Kira evaded it and turned it into a breakthrough! Incredible!"
Despite his own professional career, Nozomi knew the technical prowess of both Ryōsuke and Haruhisa far exceeded his own.
"That's exactly why sending Haruhisa to Blue Lock was the right decision." Tatsuya said with a smile.
The club had originally planned to develop Haruhisa until he turned eighteen before sending him overseas. But Blue Lock's League accelerated this timeline — its world-class instructors offered even better training opportunities. His visible muscle gain proved how much he'd progressed.
At Blue Lock, Haruhisa could finally face worthy opponents. His exceptional talent meant he'd rarely found true rivals before.
Now he could compete against world-class players, pushing his abilities even further.
"Let's see what happens next." Tatsuya said, his eyes narrowing with anticipation.
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Having broken past Haruhisa, Ryōsuke charged toward the goal as Manshine City's defense closed in, cutting off his path forward.
But this was exactly what he wanted! By drawing the defenders, he created openings for his teammates!
Ryōsuke spotted Rensuke unmarked on the far side!
With his Thunder Swarm technique, he unleashed a powerful curved pass through the crowd, landing it perfectly at Rensuke's feet!
"Leave it to me!" Rensuke called out, immediately preparing to shoot with his left foot.
"Not so fast, Kunigami!"
Like a striking cobra, Reo appeared at his side with frightening speed, firmly blocking his left!
❖ Chameleon ➠ Oliver Aiku: Total Defense! ❖
"Kunigami, your left foot is blocked — you won't be able to shoot!"
Reo shouted, positioned perfectly at his opponent's left side, completely shutting down the shooting lane!
During their training at Blue Lock, he had meticulously studied Rensuke, mastering his playing style and left-foot preference. By mimicking Oliver and analyzing opponents' weaknesses, he'd learned to think like his coach!
Under normal circumstances, there should be no shooting space available!
But Rensuke remained composed despite Reo's sudden appearance — his gaze only grew sharper!
"Mikage, I can sense how much you've evolved during this time..." His eyes drifted past his opponent to focus on something else.
The goal!
"However, I've evolved too!" Rensuke tapped the ball to the right with his left foot.
Then, he pulled his right foot back — preparing for an unexpected shot!
"What?!" Reo couldn't believe his eyes — a right-footed shot was the last thing he expected.
This was a move Rensuke had never shown in previous matches, yet here it was unfolding before him!
A thunderous shot, matching his left foot's power, rocketed toward the goal! The strike was so dangerous that even the goalkeeper had to launch himself into action!
BANG!
Though the goalkeeper couldn't reach it, the ball curved off target, smashing into the goalpost!
"Damn it!" Rensuke growled in frustration — while his right foot matched his left in power, it still lacked the same precision.
Meanwhile, Reo wiped cold sweat from his brow, realizing just how dangerous that shot had been.
But upon reflection, it made perfect sense. Just as he had grown stronger, his opponent had surely done the same!
"Second attack!" After the ball rebounded off the post, Yoichi secured possession.
But before he could organize another attack, Haruhisa materialized before him with breathtaking speed. The sudden pressure made Yoichi flinch — he instinctively backpedaled while turning to shield the ball.
However, Haruhisa had perfectly anticipated this instinctive reaction! The moment Yoichi turned, Haruhisa pounced like a wolf spotting its prey's weakness, going straight for the throat!
In one swift motion, he disrupted Yoichi's movement and cleanly stole the ball!
Though Ryōsuke rushed at top speed to defend, Haruhisa was already making his move!
"Kira's speed and defensive ability are excellent — there are three passing options right now, and that side is most suitable." Haruhisa's analysis began the instant he touched the ball.
But before his thoughts were complete, his body was already in motion!
Action faster than thought!
Before Ryōsuke could arrive, Haruhisa launched a long pass toward Agi on the opposite side!
The pass traced a unique trajectory that made interception impossible for Ryōsuke, its incredible speed leaving no chance for others to intervene!
"What kind of pass is this? What kind of pass?" Exclaimed Ranze Kurona as he attempted to intercept — the pass was incredibly risky, missing him by mere inches.
Had Haruhisa calculated this exact distance?
The ball sailed past Ranze, landing perfectly at Agi's feet.
"I see, so that's what you want me to do?" Upon receiving the pass, Agi surveyed the field as if sharing his teammate's thoughts, "What a perfect ecosystem indeed — terrifyingly perfect. Good thing we're opponents this time."
As he controlled the ball, he couldn't help but marvel at Haruhisa's extraordinary ability!
However, Agi knew securing victory was now the priority.
"Let's add a bit more imagination, Seishirō!"
Without hesitation, he turned and fired a powerful pass to Seishirō's feet!
This was Haruhisa's intention all along — Agi was merely the relay point he had set up, and he knew it well.
"What a fast pass!"
Seishirō leaped up, once again using his supernatural trapping technique to control the ball perfectly while turning to prepare for a direct shot.
At the same time, Genzō rushed forward to defend! He had already stopped one of Seishirō's shots before, and this time would be no different!
"Here it comes."
Having faced defeat before, Seishirō knew Genzō's defensive prowess was formidable — a straightforward shot wouldn't break through.
He needed to create an opening!
How to do it? Use creativity...
Imagine the impossible!
With this thought, Seishirō stepped forward and kicked the ball as Genzō dove to defend. Suddenly, the defender's eyes widened in disbelief!
Instead of shooting, Seishirō had forcefully driven the ball into the ground, completely deceiving Genzō!
The ball bounced high — exactly as Seishirō had planned. He sprinted at full speed toward the rebounding ball!
"Don't think you'll get past!"
Genzō whirled around to chase, but in Seishirō's eyes, his opponent might as well have vanished. His focus remained solely on the ball.
Creativity unleashed!
Seishirō leaped once more, cushioned the ball with his ankle... then shot!
[ Scoreboard ]
[ 1:0 ]
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