For a split second.
The moment Isagi stepped into the realm of Flow, he surpassed all the players on the field, except for Tendou.
Chigiri's speed was useless, and Reo's imitation was useless.
Isagi got to the first ball, standing out among the two great geniuses, Nagi Seishiro and Barou Shouei.
But.
With Tendou's sudden appearance and clearance, the assist was not to be.
BAM!
The ball soared high from Tendou's team's penalty area, shooting towards the other half of the field. This kick was not just a clearance; it also found Karasu Tabito at the back.
Karasu reacted quickly, noticing the opportunity at the first moment. He sprinted from the backfield. With no worries about being offside, he was like a crow spreading its wings, charging towards the other half.
"Stop right there, Crow!!"
Otoya Eita turned nimbly and quickly pressed his old teammate. Even at the cost of a foul, he had to stop Karasu.
And Karasu.
At this moment, Otoya's words from not long ago were still echoing in his mind.
"Not stepping out of my comfort zone..."
If it were before, he would have absolutely dismissed Otoya's words like a fart. A mere idiot wants to teach me how to play football? But Otoya's progress forced Karasu to take it seriously and consider it.
Could it be that my approach of targeting the opponent to death is really wrong?
By always attacking the opponent's weak point, have I been missing out on clashing with the strong, and thus stopped my own progress?
For all of this, he still couldn't find an answer for now. The only thing he knew at this moment was that Otoya was charging at him with the determination to commit a foul.
"The future can wait."
"Right now, don't even think about beating me."
Karasu's eyes turned cold, and he sent out a diagonal pass. The ball was transferred over a large area, to Chigiri Hyoma, who was making a high-speed run on the right wing.
Isagi's team was powerless, only able to watch as Chigiri sprinted with the ball. Otoya was the only player on their team known for his speed; the others' speed couldn't compare to Chigiri's.
Chigiri charged all the way into the opponent's penalty area and, meeting the ball, fired a shot.
BAM!
The ball flew past the goalkeeper's fingertips and slammed into the goal with great force.
"GOAL!!"
The ball is in again!
Tendou's team 4:0 Isagi's team, pushing them to the very edge of the cliff.
There were no more miracles. Even for guys like Isagi, who didn't know the meaning of giving up, at this moment, they didn't feel there was any hope of a comeback.
Score 5 consecutive goals? The difficulty for them was too great; it was almost impossible to complete. This was a feeling of helplessness they hadn't even felt when facing Rin's team.
But at this time, the attention of Chigiri, Reo, and even Karasu was not on the match itself. Their eyes were all fixed on Tendou.
Isagi's outburst had exceeded everyone's expectations. In that state, he had momentarily surpassed the other 6 players on the field. And Tendou, he seemed to be very clear about Isagi's transformation.
Flow... what is it?
"Tendou, what is this 'Flow' you were just talking about?"
They had only one purpose for coming to Blue Lock: to become the world's strongest striker. Now that there was a shortcut to becoming stronger right in front of them, how could they not be curious?
"It's not a shortcut. It's a state of competition."
Tendou simply explained the existence of Flow to them.
"You can only enter by choosing a moderately difficult target..."
The group looked at each other and, for the second time, focused their gazes on Tendou.
"Why do you know so much? Have you already mastered Flow?"
If that were the case, the man in front of them would be too terrifying. Tendou, who was already outrageously strong to them, had not yet used his full strength. He could still become stronger.
This time, Tendou did not respond.
The state of Flow, in some ways, was actually very similar to the Zone. Both were about improving a player's state and stimulating their potential by concentrating their attention.
However, compared to the Zone, the improvement brought by Flow was too small, yet it also had the weakness of increasing stamina consumption. After coming to this world, it didn't take Tendou much time to become aware of this state called Flow. He could enter it whenever he wanted, as long as there was a worthy opponent.
Silence.
It was the best answer. Karasu and the others didn't ask any more questions. Tendou's attitude had already said it all. If Isagi entering Flow was a coincidence, then Tendou had probably already completely mastered it.
"What a complete monster," Karasu shook his head. The current Tendou already made him feel a vast distance between them. The group really couldn't imagine how strong Tendou would be after entering the Flow. After all, that Isagi... he was now the second strongest guy on the field.
...
In the control room, Ego watched the entire process, including the players' conversation... After his surprise, he felt that everything was a matter of course.
...
After the match restarted, Isagi's team braced themselves again. They no longer held much hope of winning and only wanted to show their value in the final moments, or score a goal to save face.
Isagi was undoubtedly the most eye-catching one on their team. Having stepped into the state of Flow, his actions became even more swift. It wasn't that his speed had become faster, but his reactions. Almost at the same time as a teammate made a move, his body had already reacted and responded.
Reo could no longer contain him. He copied Karasu in an attempt to cut off the distance between Isagi and the ball. In the end, he found that before his hand could even touch Isagi, the latter had already dropped his shoulder and gotten past him.
This was an Isagi "with a body."
A brain that is good at using all available conditions, excellent spatial awareness, coupled with swift actions—he would be difficult to stop. It was no accident that he would later become the player with the highest market value in Blue Lock and stand out in the competition against the New Generation World XI forward, Kaiser. He was like a sponge, constantly absorbing the nutrients of Blue Lock.
But...
BZZT!
Tendou, wreathed in lightning, arrived in front of Isagi. In that instant, Isagi felt an immense pressure, like a tidal wave crashing towards him. Although it was only one person, it felt even more difficult than facing Karasu and Reo before.
The state of Flow... couldn't help him defeat Tendou, because the current Tendou was beyond the scope of what Isagi could defeat.
"It ends here, Isagi."
Tendou's light words deeply stung Isagi. The other was so composed, as if he had never considered him an opponent.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes turning into mosquito-coil-like vortexes, unwilling to give up just like that.
"At least... just getting past him once would be enough!"
Having made his decision, he didn't pass but charged forward bravely, heading straight for Tendou.
At this moment, his perception and the speed at which his brain rotated had reached an unprecedented peak.
But...
As the azure Six Eyes rotated, Tendou softly said, "Dismantle!"
With a tap, Isagi lost control of the ball.
"The scene you can see is merely the tip of the iceberg of the future."
...
Get 30+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"