Chapter 16: The Goal Equation
"Hey, Nagi… you actually didn't ditch practice halfway like usual these days. Is this because of what that guy from Team Z said?"
Inside Team V's dorm room, Mikage Reo questioned Nagi Seishiro, who was wiping sweat from his neck.
Normally, at this hour, Nagi would already be grabbing his phone impatiently to start gaming.
But today was completely different—astonishingly, he had stuck it out and finished the entire training session.
Then again, it made sense.
Ever since their humiliating near-defeat loomed over them—risking a shutout loss to Team Z—everyone in Team V had been training frantically day and night, not daring to slack off even a little, pushing their bodies to the limit to grow stronger.
Unexpectedly, Nagi didn't even bother raising his head.
He just shook it lazily a few times and answered flatly:
"Not because of that."
Bang!
At the training ground, Reo tied his hair back into a small ponytail before firing another ball at the goalpost.
He knew he should be resting.
But he ignored his own exhaustion, sending ball after ball into the goal without stopping.
In his mind, Naruhaya Asahi's words kept replaying.
No wonder you can be so lazy every day despite being so weak.
Why would an elephant go all out when stepping on ants?
This is BLUE LOCK. If someone didn't know any better, they'd think a high-school-mother-looking lady was gently caring for her crippled son, who wants to play football…
The more Reo stared at the goal, the more irritated he became.
Every shot he made only made that short brat's words feel even more infuriatingly true.
He and Nagi were the twin stars of Hakuho High School's football club.
Since the very start of their careers, they had never lost a match.
But in a few days, they would face that little tyrant from Team Z.
The opponent was a super-genius with 21 goals and 10 assists.
No team had scored even a single point against Team Z so far.
If this continued, he, Nagi—Team V as a whole—would be crushed mercilessly and humiliated by that tyrant…
With a deafening BOOM!, Reo fired another ball like a cannonball straight into the frame of the goal using all the strength he had left.
After that shot, his entire body sagged like a deflated balloon, gasping for air.
"What kind of joke is this…?!"
Wiping the huge beads of sweat from his forehead, Reo muttered to himself:
"If we can't even beat that unimpressive shorty tomorrow, then what right do Nagi and I have to call ourselves contenders for the title of the world's best striker…?"
At that thought, his eyes hardened with resolve.
Just then, a voice came from across the training area.
"Reo! You should rest a little already."
It was Zantetsu Tsurugi, standing beside Nagi.
Both of them were watching Reo, who was drenched in sweat and panting heavily.
But Reo shook his head without hesitation.
"No. I can keep going! Tomorrow's match is absolutely critical. Team V must win!"
He bent down, picked up another ball, and prepared to start shooting again.
---
Meanwhile, in Team Z's dorm.
At that moment, Naruhaya Asahi was curled up quietly in a corner, pen dancing across his notebook as he took notes with complete concentration.
His eyes never once left the screen in front of him, and he seemed utterly unconcerned with anything his teammates were doing behind him.
After all, for Naruhaya Asahi, wasting time coaching those technically mediocre football-scrap teammates was a complete waste.
Compared to that, watching more of Mr. Arthas's awe-inspiring shooting videos was far more valuable and meaningful.
Even though Mr. Arthas was young, and much shorter and slimmer than his American teammates, the power he displayed on the field was impossible to underestimate.
Every shot he scored was dangerously lethal—always able to slip past defenses unexpectedly and deliver a fatal blow.
More importantly, Mr. Arthas treated his specialty, the "Killer Shot," with incredible caution.
Before using it, he would intentionally press his other leg into the leg that would perform the Killer Shot.
After observing carefully, Naruhaya Asahi reasonably deduced that this was likely a temporary self-induced anesthesia technique.
By restricting blood flow, he could numb the leg briefly.
This way, when unleashing the Killer Shot, the pain he felt would be reduced—lowering the risk of passing out from sheer agony.
Judging from his reaction after using the Killer Shot, the preparatory steps and aftereffects were clearly enormous.
If he didn't prepare properly, even a single kick might be enough to cripple a player and force them off the field.
Tch…
Watching Mr. Arthas and his rivals perform brilliantly only made Naruhaya Asahi want to leave Building 5 even more.
A stadium packed with spectators, powerful opponents from all directions, football techniques beyond human limits—
That was the field he was meant to stand on.
And every time he dragged the progress bar back to rewatch the Killer Shot, he wanted to reproduce it even more.
If only he could afford the medical bills for broken bones—he'd have at least tried it once.
Behind him, the others stared at the arrogant tyrant who ignored them completely.
Raichi Jingo ointed at him and asked the others:
"Hey, can I punch that stuck-up bastard just once?"
Kuon held him down.
"Forget it. One punch from Naruhaya would flatten you. Besides, what we should be thinking about isn't beating him up—it's figuring out how to beat Team V without his help."
Everyone lowered their heads in frustration.
After all, in the past three matches, Naruhaya Asahi had been leading them the entire time.
In Team X's match with Barou Shouei, Naruhaya showed overwhelming strength, turning Team Z from zero into one.
Against Team Y and Nikko Ikki's group, he gave up scoring opportunities, using his incredible long-range passing skills in combination with Bachira's control to let everyone bring out their weapons.
Against Team W and the Wanima brothers, he gave them the chance to challenge the team hierarchy.
But after these three matches, in Naruhaya Asahi's eyes, their performance was simply pathetic—so now the little tyrant had abandoned them entirely.
In the final match, he would likely discard teamwork altogether and challenge Team V alone.
As the most composed member, Kuon Wataru clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention.
"Everyone… we can't rely on Naruhaya anymore. Like he said—our victories have always depended on the strongest player carrying us. If we want to keep staying in Blue Lock, we can't rely on his passes. We have to use our own weapons to win."
He picked up a remote and displayed a slide on the screen.
"In the final match, Team V's key players have scored 18 goals across three games."
"With absurd offensive strength, these three—Zantetsu with 5 goals, Reo with 6 goals, and Nagi with 7 goals—must be stopped, or we have no chance."
The room fell silent.
These three were second only to Naruhaya Asahi in all of Building 5.
The screen then lit up.
"Long time no see. This is Ego Jinpachi. Aside from Naruhaya, your performances have been so pathetic that I've decided to give you a reminder."
"You probably think your results were earned through hard work. They weren't—they were coincidences. That kind of playstyle has no value. A world-class striker must be able to reproduce their shots."
A holographic ball appeared in Ego's hand.
"Dramatic goals leave impressions—but players who disappear after scoring one unbelievable goal? There are countless. Why can't they score again the same way? Because their success was a fluke."
"Naruhaya's shots are reproducible because they rely on his skill. But the rest of you trash only scored thanks to handouts from your team's strongest player. Once he abandons you, all your previous goals are worthless garbage."
Everyone's brows furrowed.
He wasn't wrong.
Against the Wanima brothers, even though they secured possession at the opening, scoring became nearly impossible.
Without the tyrant's assistance, every attempt was blocked.
And because of that, Naruhaya easily stole the ball from them.
On screen, the holographic ball expanded, showing three simulated figures performing different motions.
"What you need now is to create your own Goal Formula. Analyze your weapon and understand the exact state required to score."
"How many meters from goal, how many defenders, where you receive the ball, what sensations you feel—internalize everything and reproduce it."
"Positioning, offense, dribbling, shooting—show me your formula."
"Every world-class striker has their own goal formula."
"You celebrate coincidences—that's why you're garbage. If you want to evolve, then find a formula that can reproduce success."
"Matches change every instant. On the battlefield, whoever can prove their formula can mass-produce explosive goals. Those are world-class attackers."
"Don't rely on coincidences. Crave victory and seize it!"
After Ego's message, the screen turned into a 24-hour countdown.
That was the countdown to their match against Team V—
and the final match of the First Selection.
Everyone stared nervously at the timer.
In the tense atmosphere, Isagi Yoichi was already itching to find his own Goal Formula.
When he headed toward the training field, he accidentally bumped into someone.
"Sorry."
Only then did he realize, with horror, that the one he collided with was Naruhaya Asahi—the tyrant who should've been alone taking notes in the corner.
But instead of being annoyed, the tyrant stared with interest at the countdown screen, murmuring:
"Goal Formula… interesting."
It seemed Ego's words had reached him.
For some reason, Isagi felt the little tyrant had just been inspired by something—something dangerous.
He slipped away silently, hurrying to the training field to find his own formula.
19:58:03 remaining.
When Isagi returned, the dorm lights were off. Everyone was already in their futons.
He sat down quietly, thinking about the formula he discovered because of Barou.
(Absolute Weapon) A × (Situation That Uses A) B = (Mass-Produced Goals) C.
He glanced toward the corner where Naruhaya was resting.
Thankfully, the tyrant was asleep and didn't notice his troubled gaze.
As the strongest in Team Z, Naruhaya Asahi had far too many absolute weapons.
Positioning—despite his small build, his footwork was agile, fast, and hard for defenders to track.
Passing—his long-range passing in the match with Team Y, paired with Bachira, was flawless.
Shooting—judging from his past goals, his effective range was around 30 meters.
Physical strength—despite his size, he had incredible power, negating his physical disadvantage.
The more Isagi thought about the tyrant's abilities, the more unfair the world felt.
His own weapon was spatial awareness—and it couldn't score goals on its own.
Then he noticed his hands trembling.
Tomorrow was the final match.
After it ended, he would have to stand against monsters like Naruhaya Asahi.
Could someone like him even hope to beat a monster like that?
If he couldn't defeat Naruhaya Asahi by the end of Blue Lock's first stage, he would be thrown out—and his football life would end.
The endless fear made rest impossible.
"Isagi… you awake? Tomorrow… everything ends."
"I-Igarashi…?"
Isagi realized that Igarashi Gurimu wasn't asleep either—fear filled his eyes.
"I'm too scared to sleep… If I can't play football, I'll have to go home and inherit the temple. Blue Lock is my last chance. I didn't know 'the end of a dream' could be this terrifying."
He stared up at the dark ceiling—silent, suffocating, endless.
It only made him feel colder.
"When the First Selection ends… we'll stand against Naruhaya. I'm scared… thinking that someone like him is the opponent we have to defeat… it's like a death row inmate being told the exact date of execution."
"…"
And it wasn't just Igarashi.
Isagi, all of Team Z, the three from Team V, Barou from Team X, Niko Ikki from Team Y, the Wanima brothers from Team W—
everyone who survived round one felt the same dread.
Isagi looked at his trembling hand and forced out steady words:
"It's okay. We fight because we're scared. Fear is what makes us stronger."
"Isagi…"
"We have to win. We can't end here."
…
Heh-hehehe~ That's the spirit. Come defeat me, football trash. Offer your souls, and make the match more interesting!
In the corner of the room, the one everyone thought was asleep—
Naruhaya Asahi—
snapped his eyes open.
The playful glint in his gaze was gone.
All that remained was an uncontrollable joy—
the excitement of wanting the match to begin right now.