"Hmph, quick reflexes."
"But..."
"STOP!"
Ryūma's body, which had been driving right, suddenly halted. In the next instant, he exploded toward the left.
(His triple Chop Feint, huh? Fast, sure—but I've already seen through it!)
As Tabito Karasu cut off Ryūma's left side, his right arm locked onto him, preventing a full-speed change of direction.
(This really is different from the manga I read in my past life! His ability to control distance with his arms is such a pain!)
(He braces against me, slows me down, and can still block me the moment I try to change direction again.)
(Hmph, interesting!)
"I've never once been stopped one-on-one!"
With that, Ryūma nudged the ball from his right foot to his left, pinned it underfoot, and spun backward with the ball, breaking free of Karasu's arm control. Seizing the chance, he burst forward again toward the right!
(I knew it wouldn't be that easy to stop him! Good thing I was ready.)
Karasu forced himself to turn and cut off Ryūma's right side. Just as the ball was about to be intercepted by his left foot, Ryūma gave a faint smile.
"I told you—I've never been stopped one-on-one!"
Under Karasu's stunned gaze, Ryūma used the inside of his right foot to slip the ball straight through his legs!
(Did he make me think it was just a Chop Feint, only to bait me into exposing a gap for a Nutmeg? Most players would've fallen for it here.)
"But..."
"My principle is simple—I don't fight battles I can't win!"
As if he knew exactly where the ball would roll behind him, Karasu spun left and used his heel to flick it away.
(What? He read me? This guy must've studied our match footage all night.)
(Otherwise, how could he know my dribbling that well?)
"Hmph, but what good is familiarity?"
Just as Karasu shifted to send the ball left, Ryūma's purple eyes gleamed. He exploded forward, instantly cutting left.
The ball had barely left Karasu's heel when Ryūma was already there, intercepting it—stealing it before it even traveled a meter.
Then he drove the ball straight toward the center of Team X's midfield.
The X attacking midfielder nearby froze in disbelief. In his mind, their strongest player shouldn't have been stripped so easily.
"What are you standing there for? Stop him!"
Karasu's shout snapped him back to reality, and he rushed at Ryūma in a panic.
Karasu himself hesitated for a split second, retreating as he thought in shock:
(I underestimated his speed! And his reflexes are insanely sharp.)
(To react the very instant I flicked the ball—no wonder the other teams call him a 'monster.')
And sure enough, Ryūma's reputation as a "monster" spread once again.
Charging into Team X's midfield, Ryūma eyed the three defenders closing in.
(Four men in the box, three in front of me... Should I try the Heavy Cannon shot?)
(Too forced. But dribbling past them will take too long.)
(And Karasu might recover in time. What now?)
(Huh? Nice one, Hiori! That run you made...)
(It's basically shouting, "Pass it to me!")
Ryūma, reaching the midfield center, immediately passed to Yo Hiori on the left.
"Choosing this spot was perfect! Let's go, Ryu—"
Before Hiori could finish, a shadow cut in front of him, intercepting the pass.
(Wh—what? When did Otoya get here?!)
(Damn it! I kept reminding myself before the match to track Otoya's movements, and he still slipped in unnoticed!)
Hiori spun to chase Eita Otoya, but when he glanced over, he realized something odd. After stealing the ball, Otoya wasn't sprinting forward—he was still standing there, frozen.
Just as Hiori wondered why, another figure behind him gave the answer.
(Huh? When did Rin get behind me?)
(Wait... could it be Rin predicted Ryūma's pass would get intercepted by Otoya, so he was tracking him the whole time?)
(And the instant Otoya took the ball, Rin stole it away! Amazing—his anticipation has gotten even sharper!)
Before Hiori could think more, Rin Itoshi was already pushing forward with the ball.
Otoya snapped out of his daze, spun, and gave chase, his thoughts racing:
(So this is Rin Itoshi? The one even Karasu can't figure out? He's terrifying!)
(The moment I intercepted and let my guard down, he appeared and stole it clean.)
(Karasu was right... without realizing it, I'd fallen straight into Rin's trap. I thought I intercepted Ryūma's pass, but I was only setting it up for him!)
Hiori, seeing them dash toward Team X's backfield, joined in the rush.
The backfield center quickly became crowded—both X fullbacks were stationed there. Their right back already moved to block Rin, and with Ryūma charging in too, by the time Rin reached the zone, seven players would be converging on it.
Sure enough, as Rin entered the area, Team X's right back closed in.
But Rin's calm eyes didn't waver. As the defender stuck out his leg, Rin caught the ball with his heel and spun—a flawless Marseille Turn—to beat him.
Now in the backfield, Rin immediately drew three more defenders. But with a quick glance, he caught Hiori's movement.
Hiori instantly understood Rin's intent.
(I only wanted to pass to Ryūma... but now's not the time. Pass it, Rin!)
As Hiori expected, just as the three defenders collapsed on him, Rin released the ball leftward.
The moment he passed, Rin surged forward again, shaking off the defenders who had turned toward the ball.
Hiori met the pass in stride, not stopping it—he immediately sent it forward again, returning the ball to Rin, who had already advanced further.
In that single instant, the two of them sliced straight through Team X's triple team, leaving the defenders stunned.
"Crap! The box is wide open! He's going to shoot!"
One of the beaten defenders shouted frantically.
Sure enough, as soon as Rin reached the penalty area, he swung his right leg back.
He had timed it perfectly—the ball from Hiori was arriving at just the right moment.
He wasn't planning to trap it. He was going straight for the shot!