"You've got to be kidding… Did he really score two goals against Noel Noa and his team in a straight-up fight?"
In the viewing room, the onlookers couldn't help but murmur in disbelief.
Their shock was understandable—after all, their perspective was still largely limited to the confines of Japan.
They had little real understanding of the levels that existed beyond their current scope.
Even though many of them had faced world-class players before, their impressions were vague.
They knew the gap was significant but assumed their opponents had been holding back.
How large the gap truly was remained unclear to them.
For these players, who had yet to grasp the vastness of the global stage, the levels above them were still an unknown frontier.
So while they were aware that Shinichi was in a different league, they had only thought of him as a potential superstar—a rookie who could make waves in the top five leagues, perhaps someone comparable to the legendary Sae Itoshi.
The notion of Shinichi being truly world-class, however, had never crossed their minds.
"Have we… really been fighting against someone like this all along?" murmured Tokimitsu, his voice trembling. "A world-class player this young… Even I've rarely seen examples like this."
"But on the flip side, if I beat him, it means I've already reached the level of the world's top players, right?"
In stark contrast to the others' stunned expressions, Barou's eyes were brimming with fighting spirit.
Clenching his fists with excitement, he exclaimed, "I was worried I didn't have a concrete target to surpass after playing against world-class players. But to think we've had someone like him right here with us all along… This is perfect!"
"I'll defeat that guy here in Blue Lock first, prove that I have world-class ability, then head to the top five leagues, and finally challenge Noel Noa to become the world's number one striker," declared Barou confidently.
His words snapped the others out of their daze. "That's right. If the goal is to become the world's best striker, then no matter who the opponent is, they're just obstacles we must overcome," someone echoed resolutely.
"I won't complain about God's unfairness anymore," Yukimiya murmured, instinctively touching the skin under his glasses. "Having a dream of my own and being able to play football is already my greatest blessing. Everything else, I'll achieve through my own effort!"
"On the path to becoming the world's number one, I'll keep moving forward, running until I either realize my dream or collapse along the way," Chigiri whispered, clutching his right leg. "The one who will become the world's number one striker..."
"Is me!" ×N
...
While the spectators in the viewing room were fired up, declaring their resolve, the players on the field had no such luxury.
With the score at 4-0, they were standing on the edge of a cliff—one more step back, and they'd plummet into an abyss.
"Huff... huff..." The rebel team gasped for air, their breathing ragged.
Ever since Shinichi fully activated his ZONE, the invisible pressure had grown unbearable.
It felt as though a massive boulder was crushing their chests, making even the simple act of breathing a struggle.
"How are we supposed to fight against someone like that...?" Akira's gaze was unfocused, his confidence shaken.
Just moments ago, when he tried to block Shinichi, the latter didn't even make a major move.
With nothing more than a simple change in rhythm—fast to slow—Shinichi had left him sprawling on the ground.
That overwhelming strength gave Akira an almost insurmountable sense of inferiority.
"The final play… I want everyone to sprint forward right after the kickoff and pass the ball to me," Reo said as he approached the team, hesitating as he glanced around.
He knew that in this dire situation, harboring personal desires was normal, and even outright infighting for possession wouldn't be surprising.
Yet, for him—a player who had been dragging the team down—to make such a bold request seemed hard to accept. But even so, he stepped forward. "I..."
"Don't waste time with useless talk. Just state your goal," Rin interrupted coldly, cutting straight to the point. "This request of yours… is it to score?"
"Yes! It's to score! But after this play, I won't be able to keep fighting. Everything after that will have to depend on you guys," Reo replied, his eyes lighting up with determination.
Rin nodded briefly before turning and heading toward the field. "Then that's fine. Let's go and make it happen."
To Reo's surprise, not only did Rin, whose place on the lineup was secure, refrain from further questioning, but even Akira and Kyohei—both of whom were at risk of losing their spots—didn't object or press him further.
Instead, they silently took their positions, adjusting their breathing.
"This… this is what I've been searching for… this feeling… fighting only for victory," Reo thought as he felt the heavy weight of his teammates' trust pressing on his shoulders.
His heart tightened.
It was a sensation he had never experienced before, not even when partnering with Nagi.
'When I was with Nagi, I always instinctively handed the ball to him, watching as his talent solved every obstacle… Shinichi was right. During my time with Nagi, I unconsciously became completely dependent on him, living as nothing more than his parasite.'
"But this time, it's different. I will rely on myself… I will change the future of this field on my own!" Reo's eyes shifted from confusion to determination, finally settling into an unshakable resolve. "This will be the final strike, created by everyone's efforts to help me recover!"
Beep—beep!
The whistle blew, and Rin took the lead, dribbling forward aggressively.
Noticing Shinichi moving in to intercept, Rin quickly passed the ball back to Reo, who was still near the midfield line.
At that moment, the entire rebel team suddenly accelerated, sprinting wildly across the field.
This explosive shift in pace caught Shinichi's team completely off guard.
As they scrambled to mark their opponents, the defensive formation momentarily fell into chaos, leaving a small but critical gap on the field.
"And that brief defensive lapse is all we need!" Reo's gaze locked onto the ball bouncing in front of him, his eyes becoming calm and focused as he faced the tyrant of the field. "I still haven't fully recovered my muscle memory, so this will probably be my last pass… But you can't steal the vision of the game itself, can you?"
"Let's use Shinichi's control to carve a path for our rebellion!"
Bang!
The ball soared into the air after colliding with Reo's right leg.
The fate of the match was now tied to this final play, and the outcome would soon be decided.
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