Chapter 235: Blue Lock vs. Bastard München — Second Goal (1)
Shinichi could clearly feel Noa's gaze on him as the man did not drop back to defend.
Because of that, Shinichi had no choice but to take the ball himself and slowly push forward—any rashness and Noa would absolutely steal it. Only after crossing the halfway line did Shinichi pass to Hiori, because past midfield, Shinichi himself was too dangerous, forcing Noa to stick to him step-by-step.
Hiori scanned the field, patiently waiting for his team's formation to shift.
Left-back Otoya and right-back Hayate both surged forward. Otoya weaved through traffic with nimble footwork, but he wasn't unchallenged—Raichi, though a bit slower, used relentless sprinting and brute physicality to keep Otoya contained.
Zantetsu, meanwhile, couldn't find any space at all with Barou glued to him.
Right now, Blue Lock only had one clear potential advantage: the right side, where Nishioka and Yukimiya's combination looked promising.
Which, of course, Bastard München knew as well.
As a result, both Sendou and Hiiragi were already shifting to cover that flank.
If Hiori passed that way now, Yukimiya would be instantly trapped in a pincer.
Hiori absorbed all of this while fending off Charles's probing tackles, gradually increasing the tempo of his dribbling.
'You're getting impatient… ready to bite, aren't you?'
Sensing Hiori's rising intent, Charles's focus sharpened—and right on cue, Hiori exploded into a sudden direction change.
But Charles, prepared, slid across with him, cutting off the lane. Hiori sighed in mild annoyance, straightening his torso again to widen his view.
Seeing Hiori's posture reset, Charles relaxed—
And that was exactly when Hiori struck again.
A second feint—sent with perfect timing.
Upright torso, strange balance, then a sudden "poke-through" past Charles's legs.
A brilliant human-ball split, executed at full speed.
The normally conservative Hiori had just pulled off a highlight-level move in the most crucial match possible—a sign of his evolution.
As the man who outshined Ness to become München's true midfield general in Stage One,
Hiori had finally grown the confidence to impose his will on a deadlocked game.
And he was right.
Charles's physicality lagged just enough behind his own that even if Charles caught up, Hiori was sure he wouldn't lose the ball.
This was a calculated risk—and it paid off.
Breaking free, Hiori suddenly found something bizarre in front of him:
A wide-open, undefended corridor.
Everyone else was glued to their mark, guarding their zones, preparing to cover the wings—
No one expected Hiori to simply walk through the front door.
Of course, Bastard München couldn't let him continue.
Even if his dribbling was weaker than the other billion-yen players, everyone here had firsthand experience with how Hiori's vertical drives ripped defensive structures apart.
But that was precisely what Hiori wanted.
As defenders converged, he angled his run slightly toward a crowded area—
Then whipped the ball sideways through a narrow gap.
Straight toward Zantetsu.
Although Barou wasn't distracted by Hiori's run—because Snuffy had drilled into him a cardinal rule:
"If your vision or judgment can't guarantee the correctness of a decision, then the best move is to execute your current task perfectly."
Barou maintained his marking.
Hiori's dribble wasn't a direct threat; thus Barou assumed a pass was inevitable.
But Snuffy had also said:
"Sometimes even the right move creates the wrong outcome. Because your decision must also be in sync with your teammates— if you shift when others aren't prepared, you create chaos."
And Barou…for all his ferocity, was never a big-picture defender.
When playing with unfamiliar teammates, he simply couldn't incorporate all those variables.
Thus, when Hiori's pass slipped through the cracks—
Zantetsu was already accelerating.
His explosive first step blasted him through the crowd before Barou could even force his way out.
Then, the instant Zantetsu burst free—
He crossed.
And Hiori, having recovered his off-ball rhythm, received it perfectly.
Even after such a long absence from playing together, Blue Lock's original core still had their synchronicity.
Now, with Zantetsu's assist, Hiori penetrated into the penalty area.
Raichi had been pulled away by Yukimiya's movement, and the stand-in center-back stepping up to face Hiori was—
Karasu, the player with the most personal history with him.
"You've changed so much I barely recognize you,"
Karasu said quietly, lowering his stance.
Hiori—once a timid chaser—was now a midfielder valued at the highest tier of Stage Two.
And Karasu felt all of that in his bones.
"Come on. Don't run now. It's been a long time—let's have a proper chat, little lamb."
"I don't plan on wasting time with a small fry."
"Hah. Be careful. If the mechanics are right, sometimes the small fry are more annoying than the boss. Let me teach you that firsthand!"
--------------------
If you want to read 20 advance chapters ahead.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Kinglass