Chapter 37: In Front of the Box, I Am Absolute Defense
"It's all yours, Okawa!"
Ikki Niko struck the ball hard, sending it in a perfect arc through the air, landing precisely at Hibiki Okawa's feet as he cut inward from the flank.
"Nice pass!"
Okawa controlled the ball steadily, glancing toward the center with his peripheral vision. Kira was blocked off his defensive route by three players.
Kira would no doubt break past them eventually, but these few seconds were enough for Okawa to widen the gap.
With everyone joining the attack, Team Y could commit more manpower forward.
Most wouldn't directly join the offensive play—their purpose was simply to interfere with the defenders.
"Kira! I admit I can't get past you! But what about your teammates?!"
Okawa shouted, voice filled with pent-up frustration and fury.
"Stop him!"
Imamura rushed in front of Okawa, but Okawa slipped the ball through his legs with a nutmeg, bypassing him effortlessly.
He may have been crushed by Kira, but that didn't mean Okawa was weak.
In fact, among the four teams, Okawa's offensive ability ranked near the top.
"So fast!"
Kunigami and Naruhaya hurried over to reinforce.
Okawa knocked the ball to the right, shifting both of their centers of gravity—then instantly pulled the ball back the opposite direction.
An elastico!
Effortlessly, Okawa passed through both defenders.
"Beautiful, Okawa!"
Niko's face lit with satisfaction. Using his full-field vision, he had crafted this exact strategy.
Some teammates were assigned to obstruct Kira's movements; others crashed into predetermined spaces in Team Z's half to scatter their defensive attention. All of it was to reduce the number of defenders Okawa would face.
Everything was under Niko's control.
"I'm the one controlling this field!"
Niko clenched his fist, confidence overflowing.
If this shot went in, the flow of the match would once again become unpredictable.
At this moment, only one man stood between Okawa and the goal: the goalkeeper, Lemon.
Okawa lifted the ball, preparing to shoot.
"Don't even think about it!"
Lemon had already leapt forward, refusing to give Okawa any shooting space.
He hadn't even moved much, yet sweat poured down his face—this attack was undeniably dangerous.
A lethal threat.
Seeing Okawa raise his leg, Iemon lunged in to disrupt his shot.
But his expression shifted in shock.
Because Okawa didn't shoot. His kicking leg abruptly relaxed and instead tapped the ball forward lightly, continuing his charge.
A feint!
Okawa successfully tricked Lemon. The keeper's weight had already shifted forward, leaving him unable to retreat in time. Okawa slipped by easily, and even though Iemon desperately tried to turn and chase, he toppled to the ground due to his disrupted balance.
It was proof of Okawa's remarkable technique.
"No!"
Lemon shouted in frustration from the turf.
Meanwhile, Okawa wore a triumphant smile.
"This one's mine!"
Before him was an undefended, empty goal. He lifted his leg to shoot.
Once it went in, the score would close to 2–1.
This goal seemed guaranteed.
"Don't even think about scoring!"
A familiar voice rang beside Okawa's ear, freezing him. His eyes widened in terror.
The voice belonged to—
Ryosuke Kira.
At the instant Okawa shot, Kira had already arrived, raising his leg and clearing the ball with a powerful kick!
The ball soared high into the air.
"Impossible?!"
Everyone on the field stared in shock—even Team Z's players.
None of them imagined Kira could appear at that spot.
"How is that possible?! How did he get there?!"
Niko shouted, just as stunned. Seconds earlier, he had believed Okawa had a guaranteed goal and momentarily lost track of Kira's position.
He had confirmed that when Okawa went one-on-one with the keeper, Kira was still far behind.
So how was he suddenly right beside Okawa?
"That guy… did he really cross that entire distance in just a few seconds?!"
...
"How did he do that?!"
Anri Teieri's jaw dropped. She was certain Okawa's shot would go in—yet Kira arrived in time and cleared it.
"He just did."
Jinpachi Ego calmly adjusted his glasses.
His expression appeared indifferent, but even he was slightly surprised.
Kira had squeezed past the three-man block, then sprinted at incredible speed to catch Okawa from behind and stop the shot.
His physical abilities, his speed—were simply absurd.
"Remarkable…"
Ego murmured despite himself.
...
Just moments ago, Kira had entered his Total Concentration Breathing state, boosting his physical power. Then he activated Thunderclap and Flash, exploding with acceleration that granted him unmatched speed, allowing him to intercept Okawa.
Thanks to his improved physique and skill proficiency, the physical stress from using abilities in the first half had mostly recovered, and distributing power between both legs reduced the negative effects.
Okawa now knelt on the ground, his expression blank with shock.
"N–No way…"
He looked toward Kira, already back in defensive position, and a chilling sensation spread through him.
Kira wasn't a wall—he was a mountain rising before him.
Could anyone actually defeat this monster?
The thought clawed into Okawa's mind.
A few seconds later, the ball Kira had cleared finally fell back down.
A Team Y player received it at the landing spot, but faced with Team Z's fierce defense, he lacked the courage or skill to continue the attack. He could only pass the ball back toward midfield, returning control to Niko to reorganize the offense.
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〔TL〕
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