Ryūma Banjō burst past the ball, pivoting on his left foot as his body whipped leftward—then fired a shot!
[Thud!]
The ball curved in an almost horizontal "U" shape.
(Damn, too much curve! Sure, it slipped past every defender—but there's still that fat bastard!)
Just as Ryūma expected, the ball cleared all defenders, only to be knocked aside by Yushu Furukawa!
"Hahaha! Come on, again, again!"
Even flat on the ground, Furukawa's eyes blazed with excitement.
(Tch! Fat pig… once I smash one past you, let's see if you're still laughing!)
Ryūma searched frantically for the rebound—only to see Rin Itoshi already there, winding up for a shot!
But Rin wasn't looking at the ball. His eyes were fixed on Ryūma and the space behind him.
Then Rin struck!
[Thud]
The ball rocketed straight toward the goal—and at that very moment, Ryūma exploded into motion!
(That damn Rin! I don't need your hints to keep up!)
Just before the shot reached the net, Shūhō Aoki hurled himself forward, blocking it with his face! Blood streamed down his nose, but he still roared:
"Don't even think about breaking through our defense, bastard!"
As the ball deflected off Aoki's face and spun toward the left sideline—
Ryūma, who had already started moving when Rin took the shot, reached it first!
He braced on his left hand, angled his body, and lashed forward at 45 degrees, smashing the dropping ball!
[Thud!]
(Damn Rin, trying to control me again with that look… If you could read this far ahead, then score it yourself!)
Ryūma knew this desperate strike wouldn't break through. Against a team defending with all eleven, even the smallest mistake meant the shot was doomed.
"Not a chance! I stopped you again!"
Akemi Inoue came rushing in, blocking the shot with a triumphant shout.
But Ryūma's growing power sent the deflected ball flying away at blistering speed.
Just when Team Z thought the danger had passed, Rin Itoshi appeared on the right wing, already lined up for a shot!
The ball reached him, and he slammed it cleanly!
[Thud]
To Team Z, it was like the ball had just been cleared—only to come screaming back at their net the very next instant!
Yukio Ishikari sprinted into the box, trying to use his height to stop Rin's attempt.
But the angle was brutal—impossible to reach!
"Oh yeah!! Watch me stop this!"
Yushu Furukawa dove desperately, hoping to grab the ball and reset play himself.
But Rin's shots kept finding sharper angles, and Ryūma's kept getting stronger. Furukawa's stamina was draining fast—just holding them off was exhausting, never mind securing the ball.
When Furukawa's save deflected toward Shūhō Aoki, Ishikari yelled desperately:
"Clear it, Shūhō!"
The ball dropped at his feet, and Aoki's heart raced.
(Perfect! This time I'll be the one to stop Ryūma's attack!)
But before he could move, Ryūma's figure cut across his vision, his furious voice tearing through the air:
"Go in already! Dammit!!"
The ball dropped into the perfect spot. Without giving Aoki time to react, Ryūma hammered it!
[Thud!]
Still gasping for breath, Yushu Furukawa flung himself forward again, roaring:
"Block it!!!"
He braced his stomach in the way—his signature move!
But every shot from Ryūma now carried raw fury. He was venting everything: the fight with Rin, the frustration of failed breakthroughs, the humiliation of being stopped by nobodies.
The ball slammed into Furukawa's gut, knocking him flat as it rebounded at breakneck speed.
"Great save, Furukawa! Haiichi, clear it!"
Akemi Inoue shouted at Murakami Haiichi, who stood at the edge of the box.
But as Murakami turned, Rin's eyes flashed green as he appeared in front of him.
Without hesitation, Rin struck again!
[THUD!!]
Even faster this time, the ball ripped back toward the net!
Shūhō Aoki panicked as the just-cleared ball returned at even greater speed.
"Throw me! I don't care if I die—I'll stop this!"
This was Team Z's emergency plan: when no one could reach the ball, they'd hurl a defender forward to block it with sheer size.
Rin's blistering strike smashed straight into Aoki's face. His nose gushed again, but he still shouted with wild excitement:
"I stopped you, monster!"
"Tch! What kind of defense is that?!"
The play had broken Rin's prediction—his read had failed!
His calm vanished. He refused to let the attack end here!
"Ryūma Banjō! Don't stop! Keep pushing no matter what!"
But the rebound was already soaring high toward midfield, where two of Team Z's players were waiting.
"Go! Anyone! Kick it out—end their attack!"
From the box, Ishikari screamed at his nearest teammates.
"Ah… shut up already, Rin!"
Ryūma slammed his right foot down, purple flames erupting around him. His eyes burned violet as he poured everything into his legs, jaw clenched tight.
"Right now…"
"…I'm kicking like hell!!"
He exploded forward like lightning!
While Team Z's midfielders waited for the ball to drop, Ryūma's cold voice cut between them:
"Move it, trash!"
They froze, stunned, as Ryūma blurred past them.
Using his explosive burst as momentum, Ryūma launched upward.
With the ball still four meters above the ground, he swung his arms back and hammered upward with his right foot, striking dead center!
[BOOM!!]
The angle was unstoppable, the speed monstrous. Team Z's defenders could only watch helplessly as the ball tore into the net!
Exhaustion had broken them. Aoki lay clutching his bloody nose. Inoue and Murakami were too drained to jump. Ishikari had stamina, but he was too far away.
Their only hope was the keeper—
But Furukawa was already finished. After taking Ryūma's furious strike to the stomach, he was still staggering to his feet. All he could do was watch as the ball ripped past him into the net.
GOAL!! Team V 1–0 Team Z
After a grueling back-and-forth, Ryūma Banjō and Rin Itoshi finally broke Team Z's iron wall!
This was the chemical reaction of Monster × Monster.
In just three relentless minutes, they combined for seven shots—an overwhelming assault.
This was the unique synergy of Ryūma Banjō and Rin Itoshi—
the "Blitz Shot"!
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser