Blue Lock : Third Selection. The Grand Hall.
Team White walked into a massive, cathedral-like hall. It was silent, vast, and expensive.
"We did it," Bachira stretched his arms. "5 players! We cleared the Second Selection!"
"Finally," Rin muttered. "Now I can get away from you losers."
"Don't be shy, Rin-rin," Bachira poked him. "We're buddies now!"
"I'll kill you."
Isagi stood at the front.
Stage Cleared.
We have the perfect team. Speed, Technique, Creativity, Versatility, and Logic.
There is nothing in Blue Lock that can stop us.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed. A spotlight hit the center of the pitch.
Ego Jinpachi appeared on the giant screen.
"Congratulations on clearing the Second Selection," Ego said, eating instant noodles. "You five are the cream of the crop. The survivors."
"However," Ego slurped a noodle. "Blue Lock isn't about being the best in a high school dorm. It's about being the best in the World."
Ego pointed a chopstick at the camera.
"Before you advance... you must learn the distance between you and the summit."
The Gate Opens.
Five figures walked onto the pitch from the opposite side.
They didn't look like high schoolers. They moved with a weight, a presence, that made the air feel heavy.
The World Five.
Julian Loki (France). The God Sprinter.
Leonardo Luna (Spain). The Scion of Real Madrid.
Dada Silva (Brazil). The Heavy Tank.
Adam Blake (England). The Goal Junkie.
Pablo Cavasoz (Argentina). The Freestyler.
Isagi's eyes widened.
That's...
Julian Loki. The French superstar. He's 17, same age as us, but he's already playing for the Senior National Team.
Leonardo Luna. The ace of Real Madrid. Sae Itoshi's teammate.
"A match?" Rin's eyes narrowed, focusing on Luna. "Real Madrid..."
"Yes," Ego announced. "A 5 vs 5 match. Team Blue Lock vs Team World Five. Consider this... a hazing ritual."
KICKOFF.
"They look relaxed," Chigiri noted, tying his hair back. "They're smiling."
"Let's wipe those smiles off," Reo said, stretching his neck.
Isagi took the center spot.
World Class.
Let's see. Let's see how far my vision reaches.
Phase 1: The Illusion of Competence.
Team Blue Lock started with the ball.
Isagi passed to Bachira.
"Let's go!" Bachira dribbled at Pablo Cavasoz.
Pablo smiled. "Cute."
Bachira used a high-speed scissor feint. Pablo didn't react.
Bachira tried to pass. Pablo stuck a foot out lazily and deflected it.
The ball rolled to Isagi.
Isagi saw the grid. The World Five are loose. Their formation is sloppy.
Gap found.
"Rin! Chigiri!"
Isagi played a through ball to Chigiri on the right.
Chigiri sprinted. Mach Speed.
He blew past Dada Silva.
"I'm faster!" Chigiri centered the ball.
Rin and Isagi rushed the box.
Leonardo Luna was standing there.
Rin looked at Luna. I'll kill you.
Rin used Isagi as a decoy (Isagi knew it and moved to drag the defender).
Rin received the cross.
He shot. Drive Shot.
GOAL.
Team Blue Lock: 1 - Team World Five: 0
"YES!" Bachira cheered.
"We scored!" Reo pumped his fist. "We can do this! We can beat the World!"
Rin glared at Luna. "Is that all, Real Madrid?"
Luna smiled. It was a polite, terrifyingly handsome smile.
"Oh, nice shot," Luna said in perfect Japanese. "You guys are pretty good for high schoolers. Isagi, Rin... cute names."
Isagi felt a chill.
He's not angry.
He's not frustrated.
He's... patronizing us.
Phase 2: The Reality.
Restart.
Julian Loki stood over the ball.
"Okay," Loki said in French, then switched to English. "My turn."
Isagi activated Metavision.
Loki is fast. I know that. I need to position myself to cut his angle.
Isagi moved back. Chigiri moved to mark Loki.
"I'm the speedster here," Chigiri declared.
Loki kicked the ball.
A long kick? No.
A self-pass.
Loki disappeared.
"Huh?" Chigiri blinked.
A gust of wind hit him.
Loki was already ten meters past him.
"So slow," Loki's voice trailed behind him.
Isagi saw Loki coming.
Fast. Too fast. He's closing the distance to the goal in 2 seconds.
I can see his path!
Isagi moved to intercept. I predict—
Isagi stepped into the path.
Loki didn't slow down. He didn't feint.
He simply accelerated again.
God Speed.
He moved from 0 to 100, then 100 to 200.
He breezed past Isagi like Isagi was a hologram.
Isagi stood frozen.
I saw it.
I saw him coming.
But my body... my body couldn't even twitch in time.
Loki reached the goal. He tapped it in.
GOAL.
Team Blue Lock: 1 - Team World Five: 1
"That's one," Loki smiled, jogging back. "You have good eyes, Number 15. But your legs are heavy."
Phase 3: The Massacre.
It didn't stop.
Dada Silva bullied Reo and Kunigami (if he were there) combined. He simply jumped higher, holding them down with one arm. Header Goal.
1-2.
Adam Blake engaged in a physical duel with Rin.
Rin tried to hold him off.
Blake laughed. "You call that a press? You're like a twig."
He shoved Rin aside with his hips and blasted a shot that nearly tore the net.
1-3.
Leonardo Luna got the ball.
Rin charged him. "Don't look down on me!"
Luna didn't dribble. He simply walked.
Every time Rin reached for the ball, Luna moved it an inch out of reach.
"You're stiff," Luna noted. "Your shoulders are tense. You really want to beat me, huh? Sae's little brother?"
Rin's eyes snapped. "Don't say his name!"
Luna nutmegged Rin. Then he nutmegged Isagi who came to help.
Then he chipped the keeper.
1-4.
Phase 4: The Limit of Logic.
Isagi was panting. He was on his knees.
My logic... isn't working.
I can see what they are doing. I can predict the pass. I can predict the shot.
But they are physically superior to my predictions.
Metavision allows me to read the future.
But the World Five... they simply rewrite the future with raw power.
Isagi looked up. Julian Loki had the ball again.
Isagi stood up.
I have to stop him. Just once.
Isagi used his brain to find the one weakness.
Loki relies on space. If I close the space immediately...
Isagi sprinted. He cut off Loki's angle.
Loki looked at Isagi.
"Oh? You're trying to trap me?"
Loki smiled.
"Not bad."
Loki kicked the ball behind Isagi.
Isagi turned.
Loki was already there.
He used Isagi's blind spot against him.
GOAL.
Team Blue Lock: 1 - Team World Five: 5
GAME OVER.
The whistle blew.
Team Blue Lock lay scattered on the pitch like corpses.
Rin was punching the turf.
Bachira was staring at the ceiling, dazed.
Chigiri was holding his legs, trembling.
Reo was gasping for air.
Isagi Yoichi lay on his back.
Leonardo Luna walked over and stood above him.
"You have a good brain, kid," Luna said. "But your body is a cage."
Luna pointed at Isagi's chest.
"Until your physical specs catch up to your vision... you will never touch us."
The World Five walked away, laughing and chatting about dinner.
They didn't even sweat.
Isagi stared at the lights.
I thought I was a God.
I thought I was a Genius.
But in the face of the World... I am just a child.
He clenched his fist. The despair didn't break him. It crystallized him.
Physical specs.
That's the missing variable.
My vision is world-class. My body is high school class.
I know what I need to do.
Isagi sat up. His eyes were burning with a new, colder fire.
"I will devour them," Isagi whispered. "I will devour the world."