Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
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"How... how is this possible?"
Inside an inconspicuous corner of the VIP section at the Meazza, Lionel Messi sat wearing a hat and sunglasses while watching the Madrid Derby final beside Antonela Roccuzzo.
Logically, Messi shouldn't even have been here.
In truth, he hadn't wanted to watch the match at all.
Antonela had already planned a yacht vacation in Monaco before they returned to Argentina for the Copa América.
Everything had been perfectly arranged.
Yet the day before their departure, Messi suddenly proposed coming to watch the Champions League Final.
Antonela had been stunned.
And now...
The stunned one was Messi himself.
Originally, when Cristiano Ronaldo converted the penalty to complete his hat-trick and give Real Madrid a 4-0 lead, Messi had already intended to leave.
The match felt boring to him.
Atlético Madrid, the team that eliminated Barcelona.
The Atlético Madrid side he himself couldn't overcome despite giving everything.
The man who had completely surpassed him...
Was actually getting crushed by Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid?
What kind of joke was that?
Could it really be that Lance countered Messi, Messi countered Cristiano Ronaldo, and Cristiano Ronaldo countered Lance?
That made no sense whatsoever.
The only reasonable explanation was that Atlético Madrid's injuries and suspensions had crippled their midfield and defensive structure from the beginning.
The final had never been fair.
4-0 was completely understandable.
Messi had planned to quietly leave early.
The cameras hadn't spotted him yet, and nobody knew he was there.
But...
Messi still wanted to see just how far the man who eliminated him could go.
Even if it was only one goal.
Or two.
Just enough to show some resistance.
Without realizing it, Messi had actually started rooting for Lance.
And then...
Atlético Madrid scored four consecutive goals.
Two of them arriving during the final moments of stoppage time.
Between 93:30 and 94:30...
What exactly had just happened?
The 4-4 scoreline completely froze Messi in place.
His entire body seemed petrified.
"Honey? Honey?"
Antonela looked worried seeing his expression, but Messi remained motionless for several seconds before finally exhaling deeply.
"Let's go."
After saying those words, Messi quietly stood up and turned to leave.
Ironically, Antonela no longer wanted to leave at all.
She desperately wanted to know who would ultimately win the championship.
...
At this moment, nobody on or off the field knew the answer.
If a 0-4 deficit could become 4-4...
Then what in football was still impossible?
"This is absolutely the strangest final I have ever witnessed!"
"It deserves to be called the greatest final in football history and will forever remain etched in everyone's memory!"
"If you happened to watch this entire match live today..."
"Trust me, kid. You've hit the jackpot."
Even Sky Sports legend Martin Tyler couldn't stop himself from sighing emotionally.
His hair was already gray.
His heart could probably fail at any moment.
But if he were to suddenly meet God tonight because of this match...
Martin Tyler believed he would have absolutely no regrets.
Because he had witnessed greatness firsthand.
No matter who ultimately lifted the trophy, the Atlético Madrid side led by Lance had already earned the respect of the entire football world.
Watching the young Atlético Madrid players embrace before immediately reorganizing into formation again, Martin Tyler's eyes filled with admiration.
Meanwhile, the stadium itself had long since descended into insanity.
Cheers.
Applause.
Whistles.
Meaningless screams of excitement.
The noise never stopped.
And amid this worldwide madness, almost nobody noticed the terrifying clarity inside the eyes of every Atlético Madrid player.
That's right.
Despite miraculously clawing back from 0-4 to 4-4...
Nobody looked overly excited.
Because something even crazier was still waiting ahead.
The moment Lance proposed that insane plan, every Atlético Madrid player had been shaken to the core.
"Do you remember how we started the second half?"
"That's right."
"Let's do it one more time, brothers."
"Can I borrow your strength again?"
The usually quiet Fernando Torres became the first to extend his hand.
"Count me in."
"And me!" Antoine Griezmann's eyes burned brightly.
"How could you leave me out?" Saúl Ñíguez could barely suppress the explosive excitement inside his chest.
"And me!"
"Me too!"
"Add me in!"
One by one, all ten Atlético Madrid players stacked their hands together.
Even goalkeeper Jan Oblak joined them.
Meanwhile, the Real Madrid Galácticos moved into position looking completely dazed and defeated.
A few seconds later, when referee Mark Clattenburg blew his whistle for the restart, Atlético Madrid was already fully organized.
Their backs no longer ached.
Their legs no longer felt heavy.
Inside every warrior's body, adrenaline had fully exploded.
Inside every warrior's eyes burned the determination to destroy everything behind them.
This was risky.
Insanely risky.
But compared to the Champions League trophy...
Nothing else mattered.
"Wait... don't tell me..."
On the sidelines, Diego Simeone was the first person to realize something was wrong.
He knew these players too well.
Logically, they should've collapsed from exhaustion by now.
Yet every single one of them looked eager to charge into battle again.
Clearly, Lance had told them something.
"What should we do? If they overcommit and the defense becomes exposed, it'll be disastrous. Cristiano Ronaldo is still up front."
The assistant coach looked extremely worried.
Even after substituting off Benzema and Gareth Bale, Real Madrid still possessed players like Modrić, Kroos, Marcelo, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
One efficient counterattack could destroy Atlético Madrid instantly.
From a rational perspective, dragging the match into extra time seemed much safer.
But Simeone slowly shook his head.
"Extra time may actually be worse for us."
"They're already exhausted."
Playing ten against eleven would magnify the stamina disadvantage infinitely during extra time.
Once the match entered the additional thirty minutes, Real Madrid would regain overwhelming physical superiority.
Atlético Madrid's structure could completely collapse.
Not to mention...
Real Madrid still had one substitution remaining.
Entering extra time might simply allow Real Madrid to unleash five or more dangerous shots in succession.
Atlético Madrid might not survive long enough to even reach penalties.
So perhaps Lance's seemingly insane decision...
Was actually the optimal choice.
After all, what exactly were they risking?
Nothing more than a Champions League title they had already lost once before.
"You have to understand something."
Simeone spoke every word with immense force.
"We had already lost."
"There was no championship anymore."
"It was Lance."
"He personally dragged the possibility of becoming champions back out of hell."
"Trust him."
"No matter what happens tonight..."
"He is already a hero."
For the first time in his life, Simeone felt completely awestruck by an 18-year-old player.
Beep!!
The match resumed.
Clattenburg glanced at his watch.
Technically speaking, the scheduled 90 minutes plus five minutes of stoppage time had already expired.
Including celebrations and delays, the clock had reached 95:13.
According to the rules, Clattenburg could legally blow for full time at any second.
But referees also possessed discretion.
And after personally officiating the greatest final of his life...
Clattenburg didn't want the match to simply drift quietly into extra time.
He wanted to see one final attack.
One last moment.
"I'll allow one more attack."
"No matter who launches it."
After that...
He would end the match.
At this exact moment, Real Madrid cautiously restarted play.
The fear spreading through them was now visible to everyone.
Nobody dared risk a dangerous pass.
Nobody wanted to become the sinner blamed for losing the championship.
Atlético Madrid's insane pressing, combined with Lance's hat-trick and impossible equalizer assist, had shattered Real Madrid's confidence completely.
Even Cristiano Ronaldo, the most confident player in football history, had begun doubting himself.
Originally, he intended to pass sideways toward Modrić.
But at the final second, hesitation struck him.
Instead, he chose the safest option possible.
Backward.
To Casemiro.
"Bingo."
At that instant, Lance correctly predicted everything.
[Spatial Perception] fully activated!
The understanding of the field inherited from [Isagi Yoichi] exploded to its absolute limit.
"This..."
"This is the final puzzle piece leading to victory."
The moment Lance charged toward Casemiro, Torres, Griezmann, and Saúl simultaneously closed in from different directions.
None of them looked like players who had just fought for ninety-five exhausting minutes.
They were still sprinting.
At this stage of his career, Casemiro wasn't yet the invincible wall he would later become during Real Madrid's three-peat dynasty.
He was still young.
Still inexperienced.
And under pressure...
He panicked.
He wanted to pass backward to Navas.
But he feared making a mistake.
So instead, he hesitated while shielding the ball before trying to play a safe horizontal pass toward Toni Kroos.
And that hesitation...
Killed Real Madrid.
Now!!
The instant Casemiro delayed the pass, Lance had already begun moving toward Kroos.
By the time the ball left Casemiro's foot, Lance had already appeared directly on the passing lane like a bolt of lightning!
Every thought inside the Real Madrid players' minds had been predicted perfectly by him!
"What?!"
"Impossible!!"
"Oh my God!!"
"My God!!!"
"LANCEEEEEEE!!!"
Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi.
Zidane.
Simeone.
The commentators.
The fans.
Everyone reacted simultaneously in horror.
Could it really be...
"INTERCEPTION SUCCESSFUL!!!"
"LANCEEEEEEEE!!!"
Jian Jun's voice cracked completely from screaming.
But nobody cared anymore.
In the 95th minute of the Champions League Final...
Lance actually created another miracle.
The moment he intercepted Casemiro's pass, Lance immediately spun away from Kroos using a flawless Marseille Turn before chaining directly into a [Fried Meatball] dribble to eliminate Lucas Vázquez!
Luka Modrić launched himself diagonally into a desperate sliding tackle.
But Lance effortlessly neutralized him with another elegant Rainbow Flick!
One move.
Three defenders beaten.
"LANCE!!!"
"LANCEEEEEEEEE!!!"
"LAAAAAAAANCEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"
Every commentator in the world had exhausted their vocabulary.
Regardless of language...
The only thing anyone could scream now was his name.
As the Rainbow Flick carried him beyond Modrić, Lance instantly stabbed a diagonal pass toward Torres before Nacho Fernández could close him down.
At the same time, Lance accelerated forward around Pepe.
Pepe's attention shifted toward Torres.
But Torres never controlled the ball.
With one touch, he heel-passed directly toward Griezmann!
Atlético Madrid's attacking trio continued fighting like madmen!
"Torres!!"
"Griezmann!!"
Griezmann dribbled diagonally, narrowly avoiding Dani Carvajal while simultaneously bursting beyond Sergio Ramos into the penalty area!
At that moment, every single defender focused entirely on Griezmann.
Only Cristiano Ronaldo sensed the terrifying truth.
"Watch out..."
A horrifying chill spread upward from the soles of his feet.
For the first time in his life...
Cristiano Ronaldo mentally collapsed.
When the entire world believed Griezmann was preparing to shoot...
When Navas rushed desperately toward the near post...
Griezmann instead chose the most selfless option imaginable.
Half-turn.
Right-foot chip.
Back post.
And there...
The red-and-white number 10 had already risen high into the air.
Almost directly above Pepe's head.
His body inverted gracefully in midair.
At that exact moment, perhaps the most artistic and meaningful shot in football history was born.
BANG!!!
Using nearly the final ounce of strength remaining in his body...
Lance completed the shot in midair.
The instant he landed...
His vision went completely black.