Chapter 70: Two Steps Behind? Then Catching Up Is Enough!
Kira Ryosuke used his terrifying speed to forcibly snatch the ball from under Bachira Meguru's feet.
The entire field fell almost completely silent.
"What an impossibly stylish piece of defending."
Aryu Jyubei wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking at Kira Ryosuke with eyes full of admiration.
"Y-You've got to be kidding, right?"
Even Niko Ikki, who was Kira's teammate, couldn't stop himself from blurting it out.
He had already witnessed Kira Ryosuke's outstanding defensive ability, but what he had just seen was far more exaggerated than anything before.
It was obvious now: whether it was the Team Y they were once on, or the team he formed yesterday with Barou and Reo, none of them could ever have possibly beaten him.
In fact, it was very possible that yesterday's match hadn't even forced Kira Ryosuke to get serious.
Only now did he witness Kira's truly terrifying strength.
Meanwhile, Itoshi Rin stood in place as if his brain had crashed.
He had planned everything meticulously, treating every player on the field like a puppet — including Kira Ryosuke — and all of them had been moving exactly according to the script he designed.
But in the end, Kira Ryosuke destroyed it all.
Originally, Rin had set up an almost unsolvable multiple-choice question for Kira. No matter what he chose, the Red Team's scoring was supposed to be inevitable.
Yet Kira Ryosuke used his monstrous individual ability to force out a third option.
Rin passed the ball to Bachira, but Kira simply used raw speed to chase him down and destroy the attack.
'What the hell is this guy?'
Even Rin — who had always been arrogant — now felt a sense of pressure emanating from Kira Ryosuke.
A pressure similar to what he had once felt the only time he had ever faced Itoshi Sae one-on-one.
For an instant, Rin's faith wavered.
But after that brief moment, Rin's expression became even more focused, and he gritted his teeth, muttering to himself:
"If I can't take down this guy, then there's no way I can crush Itoshi Sae. No matter what, I have to win. I will win!"
He immediately retreated into defense, returning to his own half.
Meanwhile, Kira Ryosuke and the others launched their attack at the same time!
Kira dribbled forward rapidly, charging straight toward the Red Team's goal.
Rin locked his eyes on Kira, refusing to give him the slightest space to break past.
He had been beaten by Kira last round — this time he absolutely would not repeat the same mistake.
Not only that, but Tokimitsu Aoshi and Aryu Jyubei also quickly tightened their formation, preparing to assist in defending against Kira's attack at any moment.
They had already witnessed Kira's overwhelming strength — they absolutely could not allow him another chance to break through.
"I won't let you score again."
Rin focused his full concentration on Kira Ryosuke.
In a sense, he now regarded Kira as his number-one enemy.
Rin himself was a powerful football prodigy; the only person who had ever beaten him was his brother, Itoshi Sae.
Aside from Sae, Rin had never lost a single match. On the field, he was always a complete dimensionality-reduction blow against others.
And now, even though they were only one goal behind, Rin felt as if he were standing at the edge of a cliff.
The pressure Kira gave him was no less than what Sae once had.
But Kira Ryosuke still looked completely at ease.
"Oh? Is that supposed to be hard?"
As Kira spoke, he suddenly accelerated again, charging toward Rin's flank.
'Will he try to break through me with pure speed again, or will he do another feint? It doesn't matter — this time I'm shutting him down!'
Rin's mind raced, and he deliberately let his body tilt to the side, creating what looked like an opening.
Kira accelerated even further, shooting past Rin's flank like an arrow released from its string.
And all of this had been Rin's intention.
He had tilted his body intentionally to lure Kira into attacking from that exact direction.
Because Rin had already used his eyes that saw through everything to detect that Tokimitsu and Aryu had retreated behind him, and Bachira was also nearby. As long as Kira chose to break through there, the three of them could instantly converge and completely trap him!
This entire setup was a trap designed by Rin.
But for Kira Ryosuke, this was also an opportunity.
He broke past Rin's side — and in the next moment, Tokimitsu Aoshi, who had been lying in wait, burst forward.
"N-No… I can't let you through!"
Tokimitsu spoke timidly — but it was only an appearance.
Underneath, Tokimitsu possessed terrifying physical strength. In the original story, he was even able to suppress Barou, who also had monstrous physical power.
At the very moment Kira broke past him, Rin also turned sharply, chasing right behind him.
In Rin's calculations, Tokimitsu would be holding the front, using his powerful physique to disrupt Kira's momentum.
As long as Tokimitsu could create the right body contact, not only could he block Kira's advance, he might even break his balance.
Even if Kira attempted a feint, as long as Tokimitsu delayed him by even half a second, Rin would immediately snatch the ball away.
In other words, Rin and Tokimitsu's double-team was like a beast opening its jaws wide to swallow Kira whole.
"I see."
The moment Kira saw Tokimitsu, he understood Rin's trap.
If it were anyone else, this attack likely would have been doomed to fail.
But for Kira Ryosuke, this tactic was meaningless.
A trap designed to catch wild dogs cannot restrain a lion.
Kira didn't slow down — he crashed directly into Tokimitsu's side.
"That's way too reckless!"
Niko Ikki shouted in panic. He had clearly seen the physical clash between Tokimitsu and Kunigami earlier — Tokimitsu's strength was terrifying, even putting the well-built Kunigami at a disadvantage.
Kira should have known this too — yet he still chose to force his way through. If he used a dribble feint instead, he would give Rin time to catch up and trap him from behind, and passing wasn't a great option from that angle.
Did Kira really believe he could overpower Tokimitsu head-on?
Niko didn't understand, but he had seen Kira's monstrous ability. Having been defeated twice by Kira, he knew Kira was someone who created miracles.
So he sprinted, using his sharp observation to predict the next development, running toward a certain spot.
"He's really trying to break through him head-on?"
Rin was shocked — though for him, this wasn't necessarily bad.
Trying to break through Tokimitsu was the worst possible option. With Tokimitsu's physique, disrupting Kira's rhythm would be easy.
If they intercepted him, the Red Team could instantly counterattack and threaten the White Team's goal.
Tokimitsu also lowered his center of gravity, bracing for impact.
In the next second, Kira had already positioned his body to shield the ball as his shoulder slammed into Tokimitsu's.
Legal shoulder contact was allowed in football — and often used aggressively on both offense and defense.
But the moment the collision happened, shock spread across Tokimitsu's face.
It felt like Kira wasn't a person — but a boulder crashing into him. A sharp pain shot through Tokimitsu's shoulder.
With just one impact, Kira's speed and momentum weren't affected at all — but Tokimitsu lost his balance and was knocked back an entire step.
"How is that possible?!"
Rin, chasing from behind, was stunned. Even though he always looked down on both opponents and teammates, he knew Tokimitsu's physical strength far exceeded the others around him.
Yet now, Tokimitsu had been completely crushed in the realm of physical power.
What the hell was going on with this guy?!
He had already shown ridiculous speed and exquisite technique — and now he had this kind of physical strength?
Tokimitsu was blasted aside, and Kira continued charging toward the goal!
"I'm guarding this spot — you shall not pass!"
Aryu Jyubei burst forward next. With his long limbs and strong athletic ability, his defensive strength was also impressive.
Unlike Tokimitsu, who relied on physical contact, Aryu used his long limbs to interfere — his long legs were perfect for tackles, and his long arms helped him take favorable positioning.
But just as Aryu lunged out, he heard Rin shouting in alarm:
"Idiot! It's a trap!"
Rin had realized what Kira's chain of breakthroughs meant.
Their defensive formation had been completely torn apart! Kira's intention was the same as Rin's strategy earlier — to draw the defenders' attention entirely toward himself—
Aryu didn't understand Rin's warning — until, suddenly, he realized the ball was no longer at Kira's feet.
Kira had passed the ball immediately after breaking through Tokimitsu.
His target was Niko Ikki!
"As I thought — Kira, you really are a monster who creates miracles!"
Niko never expected Kira to actually overpower Tokimitsu head-on. He didn't think anyone on the field could do that — yet Kira had.
But Niko's body had moved instinctively.
Because he knew better than anyone: Kira Ryosuke was someone who turned impossibility into reality.
So while Kira broke through, Niko had already cut in from the side.
And Kira had noticed him too.
"I won't let you get through!"
As soon as Niko received the pass, Bachira rushed over to defend.
Bachira had originally intended to support Rin against Kira — he never expected Niko to appear here, but he still arrived as fast as possible.
However, in Niko's sharp eyes, Bachira's move was actually the worst possible choice.
Three defenders had been drawn by Kira, and Bachira was now marking him as well —
Which meant Nagi Seishiro and Kunigami Rensuke were both completely unmarked!
Niko didn't hold the ball for even a moment — he immediately sprinted and passed the ball away.
Closest to him was Kunigami Rensuke!
"Great pass, Thick Bangs!"
Kunigami gathered power into his left leg and fired—
Like a tank shell blasting forward, the ball tore past the Red Team's BLUELOCK MAN and slammed into the net!
2–0!
The White Team scored again!
"Nice work."
Kira Ryosuke stepped forward to high-five his teammates.
"I didn't expect you to appear in that position and make that pass."
Nagi Seishiro looked at Niko with interest. Back in the V vs. Y match, he thought Niko was a mediocre player with no talent. Even after Kira picked him, Nagi hadn't thought he would contribute much.
But Niko's performance just now surprised him.
"It's not my ability. It's because Kira pulled three defenders."
Niko's gaze fell on Kira Ryosuke.
"Originally, I didn't think Kira could just force his way into the opponent's formation like that, but my body moved on its own — as if I instinctively believed Kira could do it."
"Is that so?"
Nagi nodded thoughtfully.
He had never understood why talentless players still persisted in football. But after facing Kira and then becoming his teammate, he gradually understood what Kira had once told him.
Kira Ryosuke had the kind of overwhelming strength that allowed his teammates to unleash their potential and experience a leap in ability as well.
It was somewhat similar to Rin's all-field control — yet also completely different.
Nagi grew even more curious about Kira, and was increasingly convinced that choosing to team with him had been the right decision.
Meanwhile, on the Red Team's side, the atmosphere turned extremely heavy.
None of them had ever been pushed into a situation like this in any match before.