At that thought, Ryūma Banjō let out a knowing smile, his fighting spirit burning as he continued inwardly:
(Judging from the way this is starting… this is going to be another fun match. I really hope these guys can escape the hunt of my “Slow-Motion World” this time!)
Team C had possession. Eita Otoya kicked off from the center circle.
Right as the ball rolled, Otoya sprinted forward and passed to Tabito Karasu on the right side of midfield. The two of them charged straight into Team A’s territory.
Reo Mikage and Zantetsu Tsurugi immediately rushed forward to intercept the incoming Otoya and Karasu.
“Tsurugi, find a way to shut down his Passing!”
Reo Mikage moved to block Otoya from the front, preventing Karasu from sending a sudden pass his way.
Zantetsu Tsurugi didn’t even need the reminder—he was already racing at full speed toward Tabito Karasu.
“Hmph. So you two are the ones coming to stop us? What an insult.”
Karasu extended an arm, pinning Zantetsu as he applied pressure to break his balance. With one Chop Feint, he slipped past the off-balance Zantetsu.
(What—this technique?!)
Before Zantetsu could recover, Karasu already had two meters on him.
The very next moment, Karasu swung his foot and sent the ball left.
And there was only one reason for it—Ryūma Banjō was sprinting straight toward him at terrifying speed.
Karasu had been watching Ryūma from the beginning, fully aware that he was the greatest threat on the field. So the instant Ryūma began closing in on him, Karasu passed to the left without hesitation—exactly where Eita Otoya was arriving.
Seeing Otoya receive the ball cleanly, no one was more shocked than Reo Mikage.
(When did he slip away from behind me?!)
At that moment of shock, Rin Itoshi stepped calmly in front of Otoya.
Otoya only glanced at Rin before bursting sideways toward the left wing.
But Seishiro Nagi appeared right in his path. Otoya’s eyes flicked left and right, and the next second he decisively sent the ball toward the left side of Team A’s midfield.
That spot happened to be just behind Nagi. Nagi turned, ready to leap and trap the ball— Updates are released by novᴇlfire.net
—but someone got there even faster.
“Huh? That glasses guy?”
Sure enough, the one receiving Otoya’s pass was Kenyu Yukimiya.
Yukimiya instantly accelerated to full speed, rushing toward Team A’s goal.
But before he could reach the backfield, Rin Itoshi cut him off.
Yukimiya halted, gently nudged the ball left with his right foot—
—and then suddenly exploded forward, throwing out a step-over and forcing a breakthrough past Rin’s left side.
Rin reacted late and immediately turned to chase.
Luckily, Reo Mikage stepped in at the perfect moment, blocking Yukimiya’s path.
“Don’t think you can get past me that easily, four-eyes!”
Yukimiya didn’t slow down at all. As he reached Reo, he unleashed a flurry of rapid feints, blowing past the bewildered Reo, who froze in place.
“Hey, Yukimiya! Pass it!”
Karasu shouted anxiously. Not only did he see Zantetsu sliding over to cut him off, but Ryūma Banjō was also sprinting toward Yukimiya at an even more terrifying speed.
“No need, no need! That’d just be redundant.”
“My philosophy is to solve things peacefully.”
As soon as he said it, Yukimiya adjusted his stance, swung his right leg back, and fired a powerful strike at the ball.
Reo Mikage, still retreating, froze at the motion, his eyes widening.
(Huh?! He’s shooting from thirty meters out?!)
(There’s completely no shooting lane!)
The ball shot upward—then suddenly dipped.
Reo’s pupils tightened as shock raced through him.
(What is that trajectory?!)
(And curving straight for the far post—)
(A Spiral Drop Shot!!)
(Is this guy a monster?! The keeper can’t reach that!)
As Reo feared, the Blue Lock keeper launched himself with everything he had… but the ball was already out of reach.
GOAL!! Team A 0:1 Team C
Yukimiya turned, flashing a charming smile at everyone.
“I'm a pacifist, you know~”
“Haha, Yukimiya, you're doing that act again!”
Karasu and Otoya walked over, complaining as usual.
On the other side, Ryūma Banjō watched Yukimiya’s expression and fumed internally.
(Damn, really? This handsome? No wonder they call him Blue Lock’s male model T﹏T)
(Ugh… I can’t stand guys prettier than me. I’m definitely beating him up later.)
(Still… wow, these guys are weak.)
Ryūma let out a small laugh and glanced at the three players talking.
“So this is your full strength? Doesn’t seem any different from Round One, Karasu, Otoya.”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Karasu turned to him, and Otoya and Yukimiya also looked over, expressionless.
“Nothing. Just—if this really is what you’re capable of…”
He paused, letting the smile fade.
“Then we’re not on the same level. Next, I’ll show you what real domination looks like.”
With that, Ryūma turned and headed back to his side of the field.
“Hah? This guy is still as cocky as ever!”
Karasu scowled at Ryūma’s retreating back.
Yukimiya, unfazed, asked curiously,
“You mentioned it before—did you and Eita really lose to him? Was that match him crushing you?”
“And from what you said, his one-on-one is on par with mine?”
Karasu shook his head, thinking back before answering.
“It wasn’t exactly crushing. It was pretty much like now—he and Rin faced me and Eita.”
“Only difference is they also had the useful Yo Hiori on their side.”
“But this time it’s different. With you here, who wins is anyone’s guess.”
Yukimiya let out a bright laugh, teasing Karasu.
“You rarely get this fired up, Karasu.”
“But after hearing all that… I really want to face him one-on-one too.”
“See who actually comes out on top.”
Battle lust burned in Yukimiya’s eyes as he locked onto Ryūma’s back.
Ryūma could feel several stares on him—
—but he didn’t care in the slightest. Instead, he turned to Seishiro Nagi beside him.
“Once the kickoff starts, pass straight to me. I want to see exactly where these guys’ limits are.”