Chapter 147: The Dual Kings
"Beautifully done, Lorenzo."
On the bench, Snuffy leaned back with a satisfied smirk. This was exactly what Lorenzo was paid for. He was the Ace Eater—the man who existed solely to devour the center of the opposition's story.
Across the technical area, Julian Loki rested his chin on his hand, his eyes tracking the play with calculated interest.
On the pitch, Rin stood frozen for a split second, his mind racing. He couldn't wrap his head around what kind of freak he was facing.
"Aah..."
"I saw right through you. Your pass was as predictable as a rerun, little contrarian," Lorenzo said. He completely ignored Rin, his eyes locking onto the boy with the number 6 jersey behind him.
Charles. The fifteen-year-old prodigy midfielder.
Charles gave a cheeky flick of his tongue. "I've seen those gold teeth a thousand times, Lorenzo, and they're still revolting. You should really consider not smiling."
"But I love smiling. It's good for business, OK?"
With those words, Lorenzo ignited. He started moving with that swaying, disjointed gait—the "Zombie" dribble. Rin's expression darkened. To him, the movement looked like a taunt, a lack of respect for the game. He lunged forward to reclaim the ball.
"Counter-attack, Ubers!! Let's get to work!!"
Lorenzo's body contorted in a way that defied physics. Rin lunged to intercept, but Lorenzo executed a grotesque, high-speed twist, sliding past Rin's flank before the striker could even plant his foot.
'What is with this guy?'
Nanase scrambled to cover the gap, but Lorenzo didn't even slow down.
"Ugh. You look like a background extra," Lorenzo muttered, skipping past Nanase like he wasn't even there.
Then came Tokimitsu, a wall of pure muscle. Even the human tank couldn't pin down the ghost-like Lorenzo. On the sidelines, Karasu watched the display with wide eyes.
'He's a center-back, but he's carving through the middle of the pitch like a world-class playmaker,' Karasu thought.
But the real shock was yet to come. As Lorenzo crossed the center circle, the rest of the Ubers players moved in perfect synchronization with him. They operated as a single, multi-headed organism. The midfield didn't just support Lorenzo; they predicted his every move, clearing lanes and drawing defenders.
Kira watched the play unfold. 'Exactly like the drills. The second Lorenzo snipes the ball, the gears start turning.'
It was a total system overhaul, leaving the French defense in a state of absolute chaos.
"Are you kidding me? He's already in the box?" Karasu shouted. A defender leading a solo break into the final third was tactical madness—unless it worked.
"Shooting now, OK?"
Lorenzo squared his shoulders toward the goal, winding up for a strike. The P.X.G defenders swarmed him, desperate to block the lane. Rin had even managed to sprint back into the play.
"Not on my watch!" Rin barked, throwing himself into the path of the shot.
Lorenzo's lips curled into that jagged, golden grin. Rin felt a sudden chill. He realized too late—the defense had been lured in. Lorenzo's shooting motion vanished, replaced by a delicate, no-look pass.
"I'm right here..."
Charles appeared out of nowhere at the drop point, his timing impeccable.
"Tch. Not very OK," Lorenzo grumbled. He hadn't managed to shake the kid off; the fifteen-year-old had been tracking the entire play like a shadow.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ryosuke Kira."
Kira materialized at the drop point at the exact same moment.
"I'm faster," Charles said, but his smug expression shattered instantly.
Kira launched himself into the air, reaching the ball first. He killed the momentum with his chest, letting it drop to his feet in a perfect aerial trap. It was Nagi's signature move, executed with clinical precision.
"Whoa... what are you, a circus performer?" Charles asked, his shock turning into genuine fascination.
"I'm just getting started."
Kira hit the ground and immediately executed a high-velocity Marseille Turn. Charles was a genius, but against that level of raw speed and technical fluidity, his defense was a joke.
"Ugh... this is so embarrassing! I can't let you score, Kira!" Tokimitsu wailed, finally catching up. He slammed his massive frame into Kira's side.
The collision was a stalemate. Kira didn't go down; his physicality was high enough to absorb the impact. He stumbled for a fraction of a second but kept the ball under his spell, driving forward.
'This kid is a freak,' Karasu thought from the bench.
Even Shidou, who usually spent his time on the sidelines looking bored, sat up and opened his eyes.
'Kira-chan is still as messed up as ever,' Shidou thought, his tongue licking his lips.
"Get ready, Karasu. The coach is about to put us in."
"What?" Karasu looked at Julian Loki. The master striker's expression hadn't changed, and he hadn't signaled for a sub.
Karasu looked back at the pitch. Was P.X.G really about to concede?
Kira was being funneled toward the corner by Charles and Tokimitsu. He did a quick mental calculation. He could force the breakthrough, and his odds were good, but that wasn't how Ubers played. He decided to follow the system.
'Your turn, King.'
Kira unleashed a hard, arching cross into the center.
"Oh, it's for me!" Lorenzo shouted, his voice drawing every remaining defender toward him like a magnet.
But the ball sailed right past him. Barou, who had been ghosting in the shadows for the entire play, finally stepped into the light.
"RRAAAAH!"
With a guttural roar, the King met Kira's cross with a thunderous volley. With the entire P.X.G defense distracted by Kira and Lorenzo, Barou was completely unmarked. His shot was a cannon blast that tore through the French defense and nearly ripped the net off its hinges.
1-0.
Less than fifteen minutes in, and Ubers' interlocking tactics had produced a masterpiece.
"Nice hide-and-seek, Barou," Kira said, running over to give his teammate a high-five.
Barou's face was lit up with the fire of a man who had finally reclaimed his throne.
"Hah!!"
He let out another roar toward the stands as the Ubers players swarmed him.
"Stylish," Aryu noted, offering a nod.
"The pass was perfect, but the execution was all tactical," Niko said, already resetting his mental map.
On the sidelines, Julian Loki stood up and walked to the edge of the pitch. He spared a long, meaningful look at Snuffy.
'I thought Noel Noa was the only one I had to worry about in Japan,' Loki thought. 'I should have respected the Crown Messenger. That was a beautiful setup. The dual-king configuration.'
Kira was the King in the light, the obvious threat. But Barou was the King in the shadows, the one who actually delivered the execution.
Loki turned back to his bench. "Requesting a substitution."
Kira looked over, his eyes narrowing as he saw Shidou Ryusei standing at the touchline, already warmed up and vibrating with manic energy. Shidou was grinning at him, and though it was too far to hear, Kira could read his lips perfectly.
"I'm coming for you, Kira-chan."
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