"Let's finish this match in one go." Ryōsuke shifted his gaze toward Team V's goal, "This attack will decide it. Time to teach those big talkers a lesson."
"Yeah!"
"Victory will be ours, Team Z!"
"Take them down!"
His excellent defensive play had energized the whole team like a shot of adrenaline, steadying their morale.
Now it was time to punish those who had mocked them!
Iemon passed the ball forward, and Team Z launched their counterattack!
Ryōsuke had already dribbled past the halfway line.
"Defend! Defend!" Reo shouted anxiously — they had to stop this attack at all costs.
"Got it!" Zantetsu immediately moved to block the incoming attack.
But his opponent breezed past him without any fancy moves, relying on pure speed.
Exhausted from his earlier all-out defense, Zantetsu could no longer produce those explosive bursts of acceleration. He posed no threat to Ryōsuke.
Just then, a tall figure appeared before Ryōsuke.
Seishirō. Sweat covered his forehead, his eyes even more determined than before. His vision locked onto his opponent.
He stared intently at Ryōsuke — this time, he wouldn't let himself be fooled by any feints.
This time, he would shut him down completely!
"This stalemate has gone on long enough. Time to end it." But at that moment, Ryōsuke lifted his leg.
A shooting motion!
"What?!" Behind them, Reo, who was ready to provide backup defense, looked shocked, "That's over forty meters away?! He's going to shoot?! He must be dreaming!"
Seishirō was equally confused — from such a distance, he wanted to shoot? Was it a fake?
No, from this distance, a fake shot wouldn't fool anyone. Ryōsuke really meant to shoot!
Seishirō's keen instincts as a genius sensed danger, and he immediately lunged forward to block the shot.
But because he had initially kept his distance expecting a breakthrough run, plus that moment of hesitation, he missed his chance! Ryōsuke had already kicked!
❖ Total Concentration ➠ Thunder Breathing! ❖
❖ Thunderclap and Flash ➠ Thunder Kick! ❖
❖ Thunder Swarm ➠ Curve Shot! ❖
In that instant, time seemed to slow as he channeled all his power into his right foot.
Then it exploded like a bomb!
BOOM!
Like divine fury, thunder erupted across the field! The blast made Team V's defenders leap in shock.
The ball streaked through the air like an artillery shell.
Despite Seishirō's lightning reflexes and desperate attempt to block, he was helpless as the ball blazed past him at impossible speed. He could only feel the fierce wake of its passage.
"We have to stop it!" Reo screamed, leaping with all his might to intercept the shot, but falling short — which secretly relieved him.
"He kicked it too high!"
Seeing the shot's steep angle, Reo convinced himself that Ryōsuke was merely trying to intimidate them with a wild attempt.
"No, I didn't." Ryōsuke replied calmly.
This strike combined three skills! The First Form provided the shot's incredible speed and power, while the Third Form made it unpredictable!
At impact, he controlled the ball's spin through precise contact and form — creating an ultra-high-speed curved shot!
The ball rocketed toward goal, its spinning trajectory bending in mid-air — aimed perfectly for the dead angle!
The goalkeeper dove desperately, but there was no tracking this shot's path!
Goal, in the net!
[ Scoreboard ]
[ 4:2 ]
The ball tore at the net like a wild beast until its fury finally subsided.
The field fell dead silent.
"What... what was that?" Reo collapsed to his knees, his earlier smile vanished, looking utterly drained.
What had just happened?
A forty-meter shot with terrifying speed and an impossible curve?
Could any human do that? What kind of monster was Ryōsuke Kira?
Now Reo deeply regretted his pre-match boasting. That guy was beyond monstrous.
"Mikage, hurry up and take the kickoff!" Seishirō called urgently, his competitive spirit blazing, "There's still time — if we score three more goals, we can still win!"
But Ryōsuke's shot had shattered their team's fighting spirit. Not just Reo — every teammate had lost the will to continue.
"There's no way we can beat that kind of monster..."
"All that talk about Team V winning easily was just empty boasting."
"Let's just leave it. We're already qualified to advance anyway, right? No need to push ourselves this hard!"
"Damn it, damn it." Nearby, though Zantetsu felt frustrated, he too had no energy left to continue the match. The intense activity had given him a leg cramp, and he could barely even stand.
On the other side, Ryōsuke's teammates swarmed around him in celebration! His shot had sealed their victory!
"That was a forty-meter shot!"
"Amazing! How did you do that?! Tell me!"
"This shooting technique... I'm truly humbled..."
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
In the monitoring room, Jinpachi watched the match and nodded with satisfaction.
"Looks like there's only one true monster here. The match is decided."
"What a terrifying player... Just how strong is Kira? He defended against Nagi's shot at incredible speed, then made that super long-distance shot. He's absolutely frightening..." Anri exclaimed.
"Indeed, he even makes me feel afraid." Jinpachi pushed up his glasses, "I'm afraid he might completely tear apart the Blue Lock."
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
Soon, the final whistle blew.
[ Scoreboard ]
[ 5:2 ]
That was the final score.
Until then, Team Z had held the advantage, but Team V had stayed within striking distance — the match could have turned at any moment.
But Ryōsuke's masterful defense and midfield attack killed the game. With a two-goal lead and little time left in the second half, Team V's chances of equalizing had vanished.
Reo's spirit had crumbled completely. Zantetsu was forced to leave with leg cramps from his relentless running, while the other teammates — who had merely supported the three stars throughout — lost all motivation once they fell behind. They reasoned that since qualification was already secure, this final match wasn't worth their full effort.
Only Seishirō kept fighting for Team V, but even his immense talent couldn't overcome Team Z alone.
The match's outcome became inevitable.
"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Reo knelt on the ground like an empty shell, fighting back tears. His pre-match boasting had come back to haunt him with brutal reality.
Zantetsu sat helplessly nearby, his cramping finally subsiding, frustrated but powerless to act.
Seishirō stood still, sweat streaming down his cheeks, his heart racing, his breath coming in rapid gasps.
For the first time, he tasted unwillingness in his heart. This was his first defeat, and it stung.
Yet beyond the frustration, Seishirō found his interest in football growing deeper. He also couldn't forget what Kira Ryōsuke had said earlier.
Meanwhile, Team Z celebrated their perfect record as they returned to their dormitory.
"We're first in our group!"
"Undefeated, not a single loss!"
"Kira, you're our superman!"
Joy lit up everyone's faces as system notifications chimed in Ryōsuke's ears. He quickly opened the system interface.
〘 Congratulations! Earned Competition Points: 210! 〙
— — — — — — — — — —
〚 Host: Ryōsuke Kira 〛
〚 Current Competition Points: 210 〛
〚 Current Skills: 〛
〚 Skill: Thunder Breathing - Total Concentration | Level: 3 | EXP: 31.17% 〛
〚 Skill: Thunder Breathing - First Form: Thunderclap and Flash | Level: 3 | EXP: 23.7% 〛
〚 Skill: Thunder Breathing - Second Form: Rice Spirit | Status: Upgradable | Level: 2 | EXP: 100% 〛
〚 Upgrade Cost: 100 Competition Points 〛
〚 Skill: Thunder Breathing - Third Form: Thunder Swarm | Status: Upgradable | Level: 1 | EXP: 100% 〛
〚 Upgrade Cost: 50 Competition Points 〛
— — — — — — — — — —
Although skill proficiency increased more slowly at higher levels, the doubled daily time in the Competition Space combined with the proficiency bonus from matches greatly improved his skill development efficiency.
This match's stronger opponents and Team Z's improving teammates helped Ryōsuke earn significantly more Competition Points than before.
After celebrating with his teammates, he pulled out his phone to make a video call.
As always after a match, he needed to report his "work situation" to his girlfriend.
Within seconds, Riko's pretty face appeared on the screen.
[How did it go, Ryōsuke!]
Her face lit up with a radiant smile upon receiving his call.
Though she asked, the immediate post-match call and the celebrations she could hear in the background already told her the answer.
"Yeah, we won." He replied with a smile.
"Wait, is Kira talking to sister-in-law?"
"Shh, don't disturb Kira!"
"Quiet, quiet!"
The noisy crowd instantly fell silent, all eyes turning to Ryōsuke.
[Um... hello everyone!]
Despite her shyness, Riko greeted everyone warmly.
Unlike before, she now naturally accepted being called sister-in-law — after all, she was officially Ryōsuke's girlfriend.
"Everyone say hello to your sister-in-law." Ryōsuke smiled as he turned the screen, and all ten teammates squeezed into view, waving at Riko.
"Hello sister-in-law!"
"Thanks for the snacks, sister-in-law! They were delicious!"
"Sister-in-law and Kira really are a perfect match!"
Hearing their enthusiasm, Riko smiled shyly.
[Let's all hang out together when we get the chance! I'll treat everyone to a meal! Keep up the good work!]
"Okay, thank you sister-in-law!"
Everyone replied in unison.
[Oh right!]
Riko seemed to suddenly remember something.
[Hey Ryōsuke, did you finish the bear bento I made for you last time?]
"Mm, I finished it." Ryōsuke nodded, though his eyebrows twitched slightly.
After all, she had woken up at 4 AM to make that loving bento for him — he had to eat every bite.
[How was it?]
"Um... it was good!" Ryōsuke swallowed and nodded.
Besides him, the other team members fell silent at that moment.
That day, they had witnessed their usually composed teammate's first pained expression. The bento, meant to be an adorable bear design, had instead resembled a demon from the depths of hell — complete with fangs and claws.
They wisely kept their thoughts to themselves.
[That's wonderful!]
Riko beamed with joy.
As she continued chatting with Ryōsuke, his teammates tactfully excused themselves and headed to the training field.
"Since we've finished all the first-round matches, do we really need to train today? I'm beat."
"Don't care where we go — just can't stay in the dorm right now. I might catch a whiff of something awful and lose it."
"What now? We could always just sit here counting numbers. Hey, how come none of you have girlfriends?"
"Shut up."
❖❖❖
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