"So incredible... The three players on the field now have completely transcended our level. Rin and Kira, like two blazing flames, face off against Shinichi, a raging inferno... The dynamic on the field is about to change!"
Without hesitation, Isagi overturned the team model he had been meticulously constructing. His mind raced, analyzing the rapidly evolving situation.
Meanwhile, the battle on the field continued at an electrifying pace.
The ball deflected off the tip of Shinichi's foot, but the interception had been rushed and pushed to the limit.
The contact surface was too small to fully absorb the ball's momentum, so it rolled forward slightly instead of stopping completely.
As Shinichi landed, Kira was already closing in at the same time.
Bang!
Shinichi and Kira's feet struck the ball almost simultaneously, but Kira's intent wasn't to gain possession.
Instead, his full-force clearance was solely aimed at disrupting Shinichi's control, sending the ball flying off to the side.
"My grandma always said, 'When the team needs you, give it everything you've got!'" shouted Kyohei, his dark complexion and muscular build contrasting sharply with the heartfelt words he uttered.
At that moment, he surged with power, veins bulging as he shoved Taiga aside, leaped with all his strength, and used his head to pass the ball toward Rin, who was sprinting toward the goal. "Now's the time!"
"Nice one, mama's boy!" Akira yelled excitedly, thrilled that such a rare chance had landed in their hands.
But his excitement was short-lived, as though someone had hit the mute button—Isagi had intercepted Kyohei's pass!
"This is it, isn't it? I've figured out your moves completely!" Isagi's eyes sparkled with excitement.
In that moment, he felt he had finally understood Rin's strategy, elevating himself to the level of a competitor who could stand on equal footing with them.
"Move," a cold voice commanded, breaking through the tension. Rin appeared out of nowhere, effortlessly snatching the ball from Isagi's feet with a single touch.
Isagi didn't even have time to react before he was knocked aside in their physical clash, falling to the ground in defeat.
Without missing a beat, Rin continued his charge toward the goal.
Shinichi, chasing after him, flashed past Isagi as well, throwing back a quick remark: "Not bad. Your delay was effective."
As Shinichi caught up to Rin, he immediately blocked his advance.
A moment later, Kira, trailing slightly behind, joined the fray.
'I have to get involved… I've figured it out! Their movements, their goals…'
Isagi gritted his teeth and stood up, determined to join the fight.
But when he finally took in the scene on the field, he froze.
'What… That level… I can't go in… If I join, I'll just drag them down. Just like how Rin stole the ball from me so effortlessly, my ability can't keep up with this kind of battle…'
"I can see their movements clearly… I can understand their strategies perfectly… but my body just can't keep up! I can't even manage to join the battle!"
Isagi stood frozen in place, his fists clenched tightly.
Never before had he regretted his choices as much as he did now.
He longed for the physical training after the first selection round.
How he wished he had worked harder, pushed his body further, so he wouldn't feel this powerless now.
"Next time, I'll never let this happen again. I refuse to be nothing more than a spectator!"
While Isagi silently vowed to himself on the sidelines, the fierce battle between the three monsters on the field continued.
At this moment, Shinichi was using his body to block Kira, preventing him from falling back to assist, all while completely ignoring Rin's feints.
With precision, Shinichi intercepted the ball flawlessly.
Shinichi kicked the ball away and used his physical advantage to firmly block both Rin and Kira behind him.
The brief but intense physical clash stalled their forward momentum, allowing Shinichi to charge ahead and take control of the ball.
However, as soon as he secured possession, Shinichi was met with Kira's fiery determination and Rin's aura, which seemed to be accompanied by the roars of countless phantom beasts.
Both players closed in on him, their eyes brimming with unyielding resolve.
"You're underestimating me, aren't you? Just because one of you barely touched the threshold of the New Generation World Prodigies, you think you can stand against me?" Shinichi wasted no time, his eyes flickering with lightning-like intensity.
As he spoke, massive butterfly wings, so vast they seemed to overshadow the entire field, unfolded slowly. "When it comes to skill, I've never lost."
"Come on, let's dance!"
Shinichi's words were like the starting gun of a race, instantly igniting the battle.
Kira and Rin charged toward him from the front and back, while Shinichi calmly maneuvered the ball.
As Kira closed in, Shinichi suddenly accelerated, using the inside of his instep to sharply cut the ball inward.
His body followed the motion, leaning into the turn.
Kira attempted to intercept with quick steps, but Shinichi's right leg straightened, flicking the ball inward in a rapid motion.
A lightning-fast elastico left Kira stumbling, unable to keep up.
After shaking off Kira, Shinichi quickly half-turned, switching legs and performing a Marseille turn, forcing Rin to adjust his steps.
Just before their collision, Shinichi abruptly stopped, pivoted, and avoided physical contact, coming to a controlled halt with his back to Rin.
Rin, fooled by Shinichi's sudden change in rhythm, instinctively slowed down to regain his balance and assess Shinichi's movements.
But that split-second pause was all Shinichi needed.
He immediately accelerated again, spinning past Rin, who froze in place as if paralyzed, unable to react.
All Rin could do was watch as Shinichi effortlessly surged forward, leaving him behind.
The footwork, derived from Iverson's signature crossover, combined seamlessly with the elegance of the Butterfly Dance, creating a mesmerizing display.
As the delicate wings of Shinichi's butterfly flapped, his opponents could do nothing but move awkwardly, their clumsy actions serving as an unintentional accompaniment to Shinichi's fluid and graceful movements.
With each step Shinichi took, the sound of bodies colliding with the ground echoed repeatedly across the field.
One by one, the rebel team members fell, sprawled chaotically across the pitch.
The field resembled a battlefield littered with casualties, and at the end of this path of fallen players stood Shinichi, towering over those who dared to oppose him.
Even the virtual Blue Lock goalkeeper was sent sprawling to the ground, unable to withstand Shinichi's dazzling moves.
With an open goal before him, Shinichi casually tapped the ball into the net. "How does it feel to dance?" he asked.
...
The field fell into complete silence.
If Shinichi had previously been the level of New Generation World XI at the absolute limit—capable of overwhelming Rin but still barely manageable—then the current Shinichi had ascended to a whole new level.
He had reached the pinnacle of the world-class tier, a level far beyond the floor of global talent.
Compared to Rin, who barely scraped the lower ranks of the New Generation World XI, and Kira, who occupied the absolute bottom, Shinichi's ability was nearly two classes above.
His otherworldly talent was now unmistakably on display before them.
Only now did the team realize how wrong their earlier assumptions had been.
This wasn't a player benefiting from world-class opponents holding back, merely scoring by chance.
No—Shinichi was the real deal. A true world-class player.
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