Chapter 236: Blue Lock vs. Bastard München — Second Goal (2)
"I've already seen through all your movements. Your dribbling isn't sharp enough. Your shooting power isn't strong enough. Considering all that, your solo offense carries no real threat."
Karasu spoke with complete conviction as he broke down Hiori's weaknesses.
A player who originally specialized in targeting an opponent's flaws had become even more dangerous after partnering with data-monster Hiiragi Reiji.
And the sad part?
He wasn't wrong.
With pure dribbling alone, Hiori absolutely could not break through Karasu—the defender who spent so long anchoring the back line at P–X–G.
One major reason was simple: Hiori's offensive ability was not something he was born with.
It only began improving after he met Shinichi.
In just half a year, Hiori had raised his physical attributes to above-average, and even acquired dribbling good enough for solo attack—already a massive achievement.
After all, in the original story, if Isagi hadn't specifically requested him, Hiori's playing order in Bastard München placed him after Kiyora Jin.
And given München's strict data-based hierarchy, that meant: Even with Hiori's elite passing—an attribute that boosted his averages—Kiyora's raw numbers still surpassed him.
Meaning Hiori was never built like a physical monster.
Moreover, in Blue Lock, midfielders were never designed as solo attackers.
Aside from Sae Itoshi, none of the midfielders possessed true self-created offense.
New Hero matches treated midfielders as assist units, while forwards scored goals—a fixed equation.
Why?
Because these midfielders were all created to complement someone:
Kaiser paired with Ness
Loki designed Charles to chase Noa
Hiori crafted to support Shinichi
"Original" Hiori switched to support Isagi after realizing his own limits
They were service-type characters, and the narrative needed them to remain so.
But in reality…
This limitation meant Hiori's individual attacking power lagged behind.
Which is why Shinichi, even after raising Hiori so much, still extended an invitation to Sae.
Because Sae was a true all-round midfielder: elite vision, passing, organization, and strong self-attacking ability.
Just like in the NBA—a point guard MUST have scoring power, not just passing.
But football is different.
On a basketball court, if a point guard can't score, the entire offense collapses—the space is too small, too crowded, too easily shut down by a single elite defender.
Football is massive.
Even ten players stacking the box can barely guard it.
And in such a wide space, Hiori's passing is more than enough to break open defenses.
And right now—
After a series of misdirections, Hiori finally carved out a sliver of space.
With a sharp shove, he shook off Karasu's physical pressure, nudged the ball left to bait Karasu's center of gravity shift—
Then snapped his right foot, blasting the ball diagonally across the pitch.
The ball skimmed the grass, slicing from center field toward the far-right corner of the penalty box—
Where Shinichi was accelerating, overpowering Noa's arm to break free.
"Watch out! Shinichi's about to take it!"
Karasu's pupils shrank.
Hiori's dribble wasn't deadly, but his whole goal had always been to:
Protect the ball → Create the window → Deliver the perfect pass
Karasu had successfully prevented solo penetration—
but he had absolutely no way to stop Hiori's pass.
"You don't seriously intend to shoot from that angle, do you?"
But this time—
Noa didn't get shaken off.
He stuck to Shinichi like a shadow, certain that Shinichi could not shoot from that body orientation.
Whether left foot or right foot—Noa believed he could block both.
"I'm not giving you that chance."
"Che. You clingy bastard."
Shinichi growled, face unusually twisted with exertion as Noa's massive strength kept compressing his shooting posture.
Even so, he bulldozed forward—
Then suddenly used Noa's pressure as leverage, twisting and leaping into the air.
"—What?!"
For the first time, Noa's expression cracked.
Because Shinichi was jumping facing his own goal.
If he kicked like that, he'd be shooting backward—toward Blue Lock's goal.
For a split second, Noa even wondered if Shinichi intended a backheel bicycle kick.
But then—he understood.
Too late.
BAM!!
Shinichi whipped his body into a full overhead bicycle kick, smashing the ball backward in a perfect arc.
It wasn't the insane "heavy artillery" he was famous for, but it still carried monstrous force.
And then—
A figure who had been quietly moving into position appeared.
"Nngh—this ball's so damn heavy!"
Ness staggered but absorbed the pass.
Then instantly released a diagonal cross—
To the opposite corner of the penalty box.
There…
A phantom-like silhouette with crimson hair shimmered into existence.
"Even if I can't perfectly copy players who rely on a single overpowering trait…Copying the part that does fit my technique? That much is easy enough."
"Wah—what a nasty angle!"
Goalkeeper Canali, who once stopped Reo's copied cannon shot during Shinichi's training, found himself pulled apart by the massive passing triangle.
With his steps constantly disrupted by the ball's movement, he arrived just a fraction too late.
The shot curved around him—
GOOOOOOOOOAAAL!!!!
"Forty-four degrees. Scarlet Leopard Sniper…Copy complete."
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