Luna never expected Tendou to appear in this position. He had already observed the situation on the field when he received the ball.
"Even if we disregard him making a judgment in advance and moving first."
"Isn't this speed a bit too fast?"
Luna was impressed. This speed was probably very close to the European prodigy Loki's, reaching a top-tier European level.
"And I'm a professional player, after all. This physical confrontation... it seems his header just now wasn't all just Adam letting him have it."
BAM!
Luna was knocked out of position and, of course, lost possession of the ball as well. He immediately started to press to win it back, but Tendou didn't give him such an opportunity.
Tap!
He nimbly flicked the ball with his foot, using Reo as an obstacle to block Luna's pursuit, and then decisively took off.
"Run, little leopard."
"Dismantle!"
Tendou fiercely struck the ball with the outside of his foot. With a release speed of over 17 m/s, the ball instantly lifted off the ground, drawing a banana-like arc in the air, and landed on the left side of the opponent's penalty area.
"This curve..." Luna was even more surprised.
He had seen this kind of outside-of-the-boot curveball from many players. But they were professional players. What the hell was Tendou Kageyoshi?
"The direction of the run-up is opposite to the direction the ball is rolling."
"The supporting foot is planted to the side and behind the ball, with the body leaning to the right."
"A flicking motion with the lower leg, striking the lower-middle part of the ball with the outside of the foot. The ankle rotates outward at the moment of contact."
What a standard curve pass.
The players of the World All-Star Team couldn't help but be impressed. A player who can kick this kind of curveball is no simple character. One couldn't say that he could become a star midfielder or even a midfield master in the future, but at least this little brat had that kind of potential. This soul-stirring outside-of-the-boot pass reminded them of the leader of the Plaid Army, Luka Modrić.
"Roger!"
Chigiri had already started running the moment Tendou spoke. At this moment, he was accelerating along the left wing, constantly accelerating. He was worthy of being the fastest man in Blue Lock. When his speed reached its peak, speedsters like Zantetsu and Otoya could only eat his dust.
Tap!
The ball landed steadily in the left half-space of the opponent's penalty area. Chigiri arrived, and he could immediately cut inside.
44-degree Snipe!
This was Chigiri's golden distance. At this moment, the number "44" was reflected in his pupils.
"Watch Tendou carefully for me! My 44-degree Snipe!"
Chigiri was fully concentrated. His right leg swung back and forth in a large arc, his eyes aiming for the far corner of the goal, focusing all his attention. This was a shot he had figured out on his own. Tendou had only played the role of a suggester, but Chigiri stubbornly believed that he had developed it together with Tendou. So this shot, Chigiri swore to score!
And then.
BAM!
An exceptionally loud sound, as if the ball were about to explode. Chigiri heavily struck the ball, kicking it towards the far corner of the goal, a position the goalkeeper couldn't reach.
But...
"You're fast."
"But not fast enough."
What?!
Chigiri was suddenly startled. At some unknown point, Loki had appeared at the corner of the goal. He was really like a beam of light, quickly flashing past Chigiri's field of vision. The moment the ball was about to enter the net, he leaped and simultaneously stuck out his foot, blocking his own certain-goal shot.
"But I was already..."
Chigiri bit his lip. His proud speed had been crushed to smithereens.
But Tendou was not prepared to let the European prodigy have the stage to himself today.
"Loki!"
A loud reminder from a teammate came from behind. Loki, who had just cleared a certain goal, suddenly turned his head and saw Tendou charging over like a comet.
Thud!
The ball hit Loki's foot and rebounded, landing outside the penalty area.
The brain.
The eyes.
Both activated at the same time.
Tendou accurately got to the ball's first landing spot and rushed up at the first moment. At this moment, in his field of vision, multiple bullseye patterns had appeared inside the goal, with the success rate of scoring clearly marked!
Tendou chose the one with the highest rate!
BAM!
Another loud bang echoed across the field. Before the ball could land, Tendou had already swung his right leg and volleyed the ball.
The ball, without any suspense, flew past the goalkeeper's fingertips and spun fiercely in the back of the net.
"GOAL!!"
The ball is in.
The ball is in again.
To everyone's surprise, Tendou's team, facing the World All-Star Team, was the first to score two goals. This was a result no one had expected, including Ego. He had thought that it would be good enough if the players he cultivated could score a goal against the World All-Star Team.
And the result? Tendou had even scored a brace!
Moreover, Tendou's choices in this match also caught his attention. In the first few minutes of the game, although Tendou had repeatedly resolved crises for the team, his positioning was really erratic. To put it bluntly, he was "running around blindly," with no fixed position at all. This violated the modern football concept of zonal defense.
But oddly enough, every choice he made was correct. He would always appear in the position where he should be.
Combined with the fact that Tendou had been constantly watching Beckenbauer's match videos during this time, Ego thought of a possibility he had never considered before.
"He's playing as a libero!"
"What's a libero?" Anri's expression was dazed. For young fans, "libero" is a relatively unfamiliar term. Because in today's football world, the "libero" is not a critically endangered protected animal, but has truly gone extinct.
But now, Tendou wanted to develop in this direction, and it seemed he was doing it quite well? This was too scary. This Blue Lock he had created was a place to cultivate forwards! It would be a blessing from the ancestors if they could produce one world-class striker, but you actually want to play as a libero?
No wonder Tendou's team was playing a 2-1-2 formation in this match. Tendou was trying to handle offense, organization, and defense all at once. Once could be an accident, but twice, three times... then it was a pattern.
The members of the World All-Star Team had all seen the trick.
Libero.
These five letters (two Chinese characters) had been absent from the football world for a long time. The all-around players in today's football world are, at most, liberos who play in the front, middle, or back.
The football emperor, Beckenbauer? Such a primeval creature hadn't appeared for many years.
They finally put away their contempt. At least, they no longer dared to underestimate Tendou. This little brat had already scored two goals on their heads.
The match continued.
The World All-Star Team still chose to give the ball to Loki. The European prodigy didn't even bother to waste words with Karasu this time. He just burst past him.
Swoosh!
He was like a laser beam. In the span of a breath, accompanied by a cool sound effect, he was already behind Karasu.
The Crow-bro felt aggrieved. Tendou scored the goals, why are you taking it out on me?
Karasu's weapons were his brain, his feints, and his sense of distance. But in the face of Loki's absolute speed, all of this was like a fleeting cloud.
What made him even sadder was that Loki didn't even have him in his eyes. The European prodigy's gaze was now fixed on Tendou, who was rapidly charging towards him like a bolt of lightning.
...
Get 30+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"