Yoichi Isagi stared fixedly at the last unopened gate, tension gripping his chest.
(Kunigami and the others will definitely come!!)
As his thoughts raced, the mechanical female voice echoed once more.
“Now, please welcome the seventh advancing team—enter!”
The first to appear before everyone’s eyes was a tall, slender figure with a wolf-tail hairstyle of blazing red, his sharp gaze cold and intimidating as it swept across the room.
Ryūma Banjō’s pupils shrank slightly the moment he saw him, blurting out instinctively, Dıscover more novels at novel·fiɾe·net
“What the—? Kudo Tōya?!”
When the fourth person stepped out of the tunnel, Seishiro Nagi murmured softly,
“See, Nagi? I told you!” Ryūma let out a relieved sigh, while Yoichi Isagi kept his eyes locked on the passageway, waiting for the last figure to appear.
(Just one more!! The last one is—)
(There’s still one more player!!)
Not only Isagi, but also Meguru Bachira and Hyōma Chigiri stared toward the passage in anticipation.
However, when the final person emerged, everyone froze in shock. Isagi’s eyes widened in disbelief.
The newcomer had light brown skin, golden eyebrows, and hair of the same color fading into pale pink at the tips. His irises were a striking pink hue.
7th CLEAR TEAM: Kudo Tōya · Tetsu Sokura · Ranze Kurona· Reo Mikage · Ryusei Shido
Ryūma took one glance at Ryusei Shido before turning to Nagi and Yo Hiori beside him with a smirk.
“Holy crap, look at that guy—what a peacock!”
“Haha, pretty accurate, Ryūma.”
Meanwhile, Yoichi Isagi’s voice trembled in disbelief.
“Kuni...gami?! Where’s Kunigami?”
(No way… this can’t be happening!)
The next announcement shattered the last of his hope.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
“All qualifying players for the Third Selection have entered the arena!”
Still unwilling to accept it, Isagi turned to Reo Mikage.
“Hey, Reo! Why aren’t you together? Answer me!”
Reo’s expression was calm but distant.
“We lost. Then I was chosen.”
“It means he doesn’t have the potential to become the world’s best striker.”
Hearing those words, Isagi shouted, voice filled with frustration.
“I don’t believe it! There’s no way Kunigami was just… eliminated!”
Before Reo could respond, Ryusei Shido—hands stuffed in his pockets and his body slightly bent forward—spoke mockingly,
“Eliminated? Yeah, I sent him straight to hell.”
He lifted his gaze as though recalling the moment.
“Sure, he had a strong body, a pure heart, and a sense of justice.”
“But on the field, who gives a damn if you’re a good person?”
“If you can’t live for that instant explosion of power—you’re trash.”
“In my story, that pure, righteous fool of a hero has no value.”
“To me, he was nothing more than a slime—not even worth using as a warm-up.”
Fury erupted in Isagi’s eyes as he shouted,
“Don’t joke around!! You don’t know Kunigami at all!!”
Shido didn’t even flinch. His gaze slid toward Isagi, voice cold and dismissive.
“I told you—no one cares.”
“I’m not interested in your story.”
Then he leapt up, twisting midair as his right leg swept toward Isagi’s head.
If that kick landed, Isagi would be joining Hajime Nishioka in the infirmary.
Chigiri’s expression changed instantly as he sprinted forward, trying to pull Isagi out of harm’s way.
But before he could reach him, a figure shot past at blinding speed, launching a counter-kick aimed squarely at Shido.
The next instant, their legs collided with a loud crack. Shido was forced back two or three steps before regaining his balance.
“Hey, bastard!” the newcomer barked.
“Touch my teammate, and I’ll kill you!”
Isagi gasped. “Ryūma!?”
It was indeed Ryūma. In an instant, he had dashed to Isagi’s side, delivering a powerful kick at Shido.
Shido grinned, eyes burning with wild delight.
“Fine. I’ll kill you first!”
Just as he was about to lunge again, a firm voice stopped him.
“If you’ve got something to prove, do it on the field. This isn’t a place for fighting!”
At that, Shido actually stopped, flashing a wide grin.
“Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you, Tōya.”
“But when we play, you better feed me the ball—I’ll show him what hell feels like!”
Ryūma ignored his words, but inwardly, he couldn’t hide his surprise.
(Shido actually listens to Tōya? Interesting.)
(So the two of them work well together, huh? At least Shido seems to think so—otherwise, why would he obey him?)
(Things just got interesting… Kudo Tōya actually managed to tame this horned demon. His growth must be terrifying.)
“Ryūma, next time, it won’t be you who wins,” Kudo Tōya said, arms folded, eyes filled with fighting spirit.
“Huh? So he’s the Ryūma you told me about?”
“Hah! I’m getting excited for this matchup already!”
Ryūma smirked, tilting his head back with a mocking sigh.
“Sigh~ You guys really don’t get it, huh?”
“How can losers act so damn cocky?”
Before Kudo could reply, Jinpachi Ego’s voice boomed from the giant screen.
“Alright, that’s enough, my diamonds.”
“Stop the chatter. Any more violence, and you’ll be forcibly removed.”
“And one more thing…” Ego adjusted his glasses, his tone sharp and cruel.
“You have no time to worry about those who’ve been eliminated—”
“Because your own soccer careers might soon become worthless trash, disappearing into the crowd along with Blue Lock itself!”
The players’ reactions varied—some indifferent, some shocked, some confused—but most were simply stunned.
Ego rubbed his chin and continued,
“Ah—before that, let me first say, good work, everyone.”
“The match against Team World Five… that unforgettable defeat must’ve scarred you for life, right?”
“I’ll tell you what it all meant—later.”