With Man City trailing 1:0, Tendou remained unconcerned on the sidelines.
"Still not going in? You're about to be down 2:0," Loki was already prepared to enter the game, but Tendou remained in the technical area.
"My work is done, theirs is not," Tendou said, true to his word.
If the Man City players were shut out, then he would stay on the bench the entire time.
That was the deal he had made with Prince.
"Tch," Loki turned his head away.
That bunch of amateurs?
What's so worthy of cultivating?
A true genius, like himself and Tendou, should be recognizable at a glance.
His own speed, Tendou's eyes.
These were world-class talents!
However, since Tendou chose not to play, he had no interest in bullying rookies either.
"Damn it."
On the field, Reo wiped the sweat from his cheek.
PSG's offense was too diverse and complex, with two different systems.
He felt that just dealing with Charles and Karasu was troublesome enough, and on top of that, he had to keep an eye on the two monsters, Itoshi Rin and Shidou Ryusei.
"But, just like those guys from Bayern, their two cores never interact. I can use this point," Reo took a deep breath.
At this moment, he remembered when Nagi had chosen to go with Isagi instead of conquering Blue Lock with him.
And Reo did not want to be the one being chosen again.
He had to score a goal himself.
"Come to think of it, it was me who wanted to win the World Cup in the first place, so I dragged Nagi into playing football with me."
"Perhaps it was my fault for arbitrarily imposing my ideals on Nagi. So Nagi is not at fault. The one who needs to change is me."
Reo was determined to score this goal himself.
He didn't know what the condition was for Tendou to enter the game.
If it were him, to ensure victory, he would probably sub in as soon as the opponent gained an advantage.
Then he only had one chance: before PSG scored their second goal, I will score a goal for Manchester City!
But then.
Just as he made up his mind, Nagi Seishiro walked over, scratching his head. "Hey, Reo. I want to beat them."
"Huh?"
Reo looked at him, stunned.
"I tried the stuff Agi taught me, but it doesn't feel right at all."
"Right now, I don't think football is interesting at all."
Nagi's tone was calm, as if even speaking with effort was tiring.
He remembered what Tendou had said before, and a desire suddenly rose in his heart.
"Who cares about you," Reo said coldly. "That was your choice. It has nothing to do with me."
"I know. But when I play football with Reo, I feel that it's fun."
One sentence.
It struck Reo right in the heart, shaking his newly hardened resolve.
"Please, Reo. To beat them, you are necessary."
Hearing this, Reo's mood became even more agitated.
He felt that Nagi hadn't considered his feelings at all.
Am I just a puppy that comes when he calls?
But, Seishiro had always been this kind of person.
So Reo's heart softened.
He was defeated by Seishiro's words, "Didn't we promise to win the World Cup together?"
"You selfish bastard!"
"Then let's play together again."
Reo wrapped his arm around Nagi's neck, and the two chose to team up once more.
In the bullet comments, the shippers instantly set off celebratory fireworks, congratulating the "old couple" on their reunion and holding hands again.
And they looked forward to Reo's explosion.
Manchester City's attack.
PSG, led by Charles and others, launched a high press in the midfield.
Agi pushed forward on the right and was heavily marked by PSG.
And Reo, at the moment Agi needed him most, charged up from behind.
Agi saw him and decisively passed the ball horizontally to Reo.
"We can't delay any longer! Let's use this ball to prove our existence!" Reo began his copy mode.
A precise, guided through-pass like Hiori Yo's was sent to Nagi's feet.
The latter shielded the ball with his back against Karasu and Tokimitsu Aoshi (one was missed in the lineup report earlier).
Nagi's physical strength had visibly improved.
Because Tokimitsu Aoshi was previously Blue Lock's ultimate powerhouse, a tank-type forward.
He passed the ball on his first touch.
Reo moved up to receive the ball again and, at the moment Nagi turned past the defender, he copied Itoshi Sae and passed the ball back.
Then Nagi passed it back again.
Just like that, with a series of rapid one-two passes, they tore apart PSG's defensive line.
All of it was one-touch passing, a kind of seamless chemistry that was astonishing.
"I get it, Reo. Your vision has appeared in my mind," a path to the goal finally appeared in Nagi's mind.
It was an inspiration he couldn't achieve alone, one that required the help of a player like Reo.
"What are you doing, Reo?! Don't just control Nagi like that!" Agi shouted anxiously from behind.
Nagi was currently his chief "patient."
His biggest goal was to help Nagi solve his "dependency" of not being able to score on his own.
And now, Reo was leading and directing Nagi to score.
"You are killing his creativity!"
"Shut up, Agi! You're the one who failed to awaken him! He is hoping for me, Mikage Reo!"
Reo couldn't care about that anymore.
...
Because.
They had promised from the beginning to win the World Cup together.
Therefore.
They were supposed to be one, inseparable.
The part that Nagi was missing, he, Reo, would complete it for him!
"I'm heading to the most scorching battlefield that belongs to the two of us!"
Two clumps of purple flame erupted from the corners of Reo's eyes.
He had entered it. Flow State!
Led by Reo, with Nagi coordinating, and finally with Nagi delivering the final blow.
"Disgusting. A guy like you is worthy of being a forward?!" Itoshi Rin shot out again, entering his "corpse" mode.
His tongue was fully extended. This was the destructive football he had awakened in the match against the U-20 team, where he would draw out and then destroy the opponent's most prized weapon.
"You just don't understand!"
"Nagi and I are one and the same!"
Reo's pupils instantly split into 8 sections.
...
First Flow, now Metavision.
As expected of Nagi's man. For Nagi's sake, almost all of his potential had erupted.
"Go, my treasure!"
"Release!"
He shouted, slamming his foot into the ball like a whip.
Itoshi Rin's eyes widened in astonishment. This was Tendou's "Release."
Swoosh
The ball flew at high speed towards the PSG penalty area.
At that position, Nagi and Charles appeared.
He's been read!
The soul of PSG, the true core, Charles, had seen through his intention.
But then, a shocking scene occurred.
Nagi rushed towards the ball and feigned a one-touch shot. Charles immediately stuck out his foot to block.
But Nagi didn't shoot directly. Instead, he used the shooting motion to trap the ball.
Two-Stage Fake Volley!
This was Nagi's specialty.
"Amazing!" Charles exclaimed, but his head was already moving towards the ball.
Even though it was the first time he had seen it, he had seen through Nagi's purpose.
However.
Thwack~
At this moment, Nagi surpassed himself, completing another trap.
Three-Stage Fake Volley! (Not a typo, the manga really had him do a three-stage fake volley in the air.)
"A guy who can't play without someone else, die!"
Itoshi Rin charged in again. The moment Reo passed the ball, his prediction had already pinpointed the position.
However, Nagi's performance was not over yet.
Facing Itoshi Rin, Nagi completed another trap.
Four-Stage Fake Volley!
At this moment, the fans watching the live broadcast all over the world looked as if they had seen a ghost.
And finally, the fifth stage!
Nagi trapped the ball behind Itoshi Rin and, before the goalkeeper could charge out, he delivered the final blow.
BANG!
...
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