"Reo, seriously are you guys even trying anymore?"
Ryan yawned as he watched Team V line up for kickoff. "Honestly, I'm about to fall asleep. I expected this match to be exciting, but at this rate… it's kind of boring."
Reo bit his lip. He had no comeback. He never imagined he and Nagi would lose this badly and the gap between them and Ryan was still so overwhelming.
Nagi walked up beside him.
"Reo, we haven't lost yet. We just need to score four more goals. Leave it to me I'll put them all in."
Reo's eyes dimmed. Only twenty minutes remained. Four goals? Impossible.
Ryan smirked.
"Big words, snow-head. If you think you can, go ahead and try."
Then he turned toward his own team and shouted:
"Alright, everyone push up! All of you go on the offensive. I'll handle the back half alone."
The rest of Team Z froze.
"Huh? Ryan, are you insane?"
"Yeah, we're leading big, but we can't just abandon the defense!"
"Hold on let's hear him out first."
Ryan turned slightly, one eye glinting coldly.
"Quit whining. I said I can handle it, so I can handle it. My word isn't enough for you? Then shut up and get upfield."
His teammates looked at one another, realizing his mind was set.
Even so, they couldn't help but think: There's no way one person can guard half a field by himself.
Reo scowled.
"Ryan, what's that supposed to mean? You think we're not worth your effort?"
"I think exactly that," Ryan replied flatly. "Catch up on the score first then talk. You're about twenty thousand years too early to beat me."
"Bastard…!"
It was the first time Reo had ever been insulted so directly.
No, that wasn't true. He'd always been looked down on by Ryan. He'd just started believing otherwise these past six months.
Now that illusion shattered, and the old fear the terror of being completely outclassed came flooding back.
Reo hung his head, face unreadable.
Nagi laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Reo… we can do this. Believe in me one more time."
Reo gave a small nod. "Yeah."
Ryan's Plan
This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. Ryan had been planning it.
He'd realized lately that he was only using the surface of the Generation of Miracles' powers he'd absorbed. He'd never tried to fuse them, never dug deeper.
Murasakibara's lightning-fast reflexes were phenomenal on a basketball court, where the space was tight but on a football pitch, several times larger, it wasn't enough.
So he decided to pair that with Aomine's explosive speed and fluid agility.
Maybe, just maybe, that fusion could let him defend half the field alone.
A real challenge.
Ryan grinned. Now this might be fun.
The Second Half – Ryan's Half-Field Defense
Team V kicked off.
Following Ryan's orders, Team Z surged forward, pressing high.
Reo received the ball only to find no passing lanes at all.
"Damn it, there's nowhere to send it!"
Ryan smiled. "Of course not. Anyone behind me would be offside."
From behind Reo, Zantetsu yelled,
"Reo, pass back! I'll blow past him with speed!"
Reo quickly sent the ball backward.
Zantetsu caught it and sprinted.
Ryan cracked his neck.
"Oh, you wanna race? Fine, I'll give you a three-second head start. But when I catch you, don't cry about it."
"Don't underestimate me, you bastard!"
"Wrong, dumb Zantetsu, it's looking down on people."
The jab lit a fire in Zantetsu. He poured every ounce of strength into his run.
"Three… two… one."
The instant Ryan finished counting, he shot forward like a thunderbolt.
Zantetsu grinned at the open field ahead. Even with your speed, you can't make up a three-second gap.
The goal grew larger in his sight.
This is it it's mine!
"Got you, four-eyed turtle."
"What ?!"
Ryan burst out of nowhere, overtook him in an instant, and cut directly in front.
Zantetsu's jaw dropped. He made up three seconds… and still passed me? That's not human, that's a monster!
"End of the road," Ryan said coolly.
Zantetsu froze. He couldn't think of a move that would work.
"Zantetsu behind you!"
Nagi's voice. Relief flickered in Zantetsu's chest. He turned and passed.
Ryan waited just a heartbeat to make sure it wasn't a feint, then reacted. His reflexes kicked in like a lightning strike.
He cut the pass cleanly before it could reach Nagi.
"Damn, his reaction time's insane…" Zantetsu muttered.
Upfield, the rest of Team Z watched in disbelief.
He'd done it Ryan was actually defending half the field by himself. No one had ever seen anything like it.
They'd asked themselves a hundred times if he was human. Watching that, the answer felt obvious.
Ryan passed the ball forward to Bachira.
Isagi's Revelation
Meanwhile, Isagi replayed the earlier sequence in his mind.
When Raichi passed to Chigiri, he had seen it the gap, the weakness in the opponent's shape, and the path to fill it.
If I can erase those weak points before they appear, I can control the field itself.
Every tiny fragment in his mind clicked together into a single, perfect puzzle.
I get it now… This is how I use it: my eyes, my brain they can guide me toward the future of the field. With that, I'll score.
Their next attack didn't convert, and Team V earned a goal kick.
"Go, Zantetsu! Counter!"
The keeper rolled the ball out.
Chigiri intercepted immediately. "I'll stop you."
Zantetsu smirked. "Too bad, princess because now… we've got an awakened genius!"
He launched a long pass.
"Long ball?"
" It's for Nagi!"
Nagi sprinted, tracking the ball with calm precision.
"Nice one, Zantetsu. You actually noticed."
Isagi was right behind him.
"This spot is a weak point. I'll cover it."
Nagi smiled faintly. "We sure run into each other a lot."
Isagi analyzed fast. He'll reach it first. If I challenge, he'll trap and win it anyway. Better to hang back and buy time until the others return.
The ball was descending toward Nagi.
"Jeez, Isagi," a voice cut in, "didn't I say I've got this handled?"
Ryan came soaring in from the side.
He leapt high, chest-trapping the ball before it could reach Nagi.
Nagi blinked. He'd already been preparing his own trap.
Isagi froze too. When did he get here?
"When did you ?"
"Just now," Ryan said with a grin. "I could've cut him off earlier, but this looked way cooler. Descending like a god to save the team from fire and brimstone. Don't ask what fire and brimstone, though."
He tossed the ball to Isagi.
Isagi took it, eyes burning. Almost out of time… this'll be our final counter.
The Final Attack
He could see it feel it.
The ones moving forward were him, Bachira, Kunigami, and Chigiri.
These three lines… the rhythm smells like a goal.
With his eyes and his sense of the field's future, he would carve the road himself.
They charged as one.
Reo dove for a slide tackle Isagi passed to Bachira.
Bachira danced around a defender but a hand grabbed his shoulder, trying to foul him.
"Bachira here!" Isagi shouted.
Bachira kicked it back to him, and Isagi immediately sent it wide to Chigiri.
Chigiri tore down the sideline, but defenders swarmed in.
"Chigiri!"
Isagi burst forward at just the right moment. Chigiri passed back. Then, pretending to play a one-two, Chigiri sprinted past the defenders.
They bit on the fake, chasing Chigiri
but Isagi had already cut inside.
As expected. Perfect.
He had the whole field in his grasp. He was going to score.
Two defenders blocked the box. He passed to Kunigami.
Together, we'll break through. Once we clear this zone, it's just the keeper.
But Zantetsu came sliding in at full throttle, stripping Kunigami of the ball.
"Don't even think about shooting!"
"Well done," Reo shouted.
A defender ran in to recover the ball
"Heroes always arrive last," a new voice declared.
Ryan.
He sprinted from the wing, snatching the ball away before anyone else could touch it.
Chigiri, Kunigami, and Bachira all rushed toward the box.
"Come on!"
"Pass to me!"
"Let's finish it!"
Isagi saw their positions, their runs the defenders' angles.
If they all cut in, they'd collide in traffic.
But there left side of the box, 19 meters out that was his shooting zone.
He sprinted for it, locking eyes with Ryan.
Come on, Ryan you understand, right?
Ryan advanced, glanced at Isagi watching him. Why's he staring at me like that? Do I look that good? Kidding…
Still he grinned. You want it that bad? Fine. It's yours. But if you miss, I'm making you wear a maid outfit back at base.
He crossed the ball perfectly into Isagi's path.
Isagi's eyes flared blue. You're amazing, Ryan.
Trap it, line up, shoot simple.
But then
the scent of a goal vanished.
Nagi was charging in from behind.
"I really do run into you a lot."
Why is he here?! Think fast!
At the drop point, I'll be first. If I reach it first, I can control it. The key is in the trap.
Nagi cut inside.
If I slow down, he'll get ahead. I can't trap normally. I have to shoot at full speed. But can I even pull that off?
No he couldn't picture the goal.
The future he saw on the field was blank.
"You can't beat me," Nagi said.
"Shut up!"
"Isagi!" Chigiri shouted from inside the box. "Here!"
No. This one's mine.
His mind fragmented pieces of the puzzle scattering.
My shot… I see it now. The reason I freeze it's because I have a choice. The time I waste trapping the ball… that's the flaw that turns me back into a normal player.
I can't allow that.
In speed, power, technique I'm below others. But to stay here, in Blue Lock, I have to eliminate every delay. My final piece, the last puzzle fragment is this: never give anyone time to catch up.
He planted his left foot hard and swung his right leg up.
Direct Volleys.
His foot smashed into the ball
It screamed toward the goal.
Isagi fell to the turf.
This… is my formula for success.
The keeper dove desperately but couldn't reach it.
GOAL!!!
Isagi stood, shouting with all his might.
"That was my awakening!"
Team Z surrounded him, cheering wildly.
Across the field, Team V collapsed, exhausted.
The whistle blew.
"Full time! 5–1! Team Z wins!"
The stadium erupted.
Reo looked at Nagi.
"We gave it everything… and still lost. So this is what it feels like. Damn, it's frustrating."
For the first time, Reo saw a genuine, frustrated expression on Nagi's face.
Then the announcement came over the speakers:
"All matches in Building 5 have concluded.
Here are the results of the first selection:
Out of the five teams in the round-robin,
1st place – Team Z (11 players).
2nd place – Team V (11 players).
And among the eliminated teams,
the top three individual scorers
Junichi Wanima, Ikki Niko , and Barou Shoei
will also advance.
In total, 25 players from Building 5 pass the first selection."
Team Z roared in victory.
The first Blue Lock selection was over
and their evolution had only just begun.
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