[Thud!]
Rin Itoshi angled the ball into a sharp trajectory, sending it hurtling toward Team X's goal.
But a figure leapt across the goalmouth.
"Don't think you'll score that easily, genius!"
It was none other than Tabito Karasu! He sprang in front of his own goal, blocking Rin's shot with his head.
Just like Team V, Team X's tactic paired Tabito Karasu and Eita Otoya against Ryūma and Rin Itoshi.
Rin's expression didn't change. He immediately turned and sprinted into a new position.
The deflected ball arced toward the right side of Team X's penalty area, where two figures were already racing to intercept it—Ryūma, charging in from midfield, and Eita Otoya bursting out from the box.
Both were speedsters. Seeing Otoya slightly behind, Ryūma smirked.
"Finally, someone close to my level. Don't disappoint me, Ninja."
"By the way, do you know any ninjutsu or something?"
"What?"
There was no time for banter. The ball was about to drop, and Ryūma reached it first.
Otoya was only a step behind. Just as Ryūma prepared to take control, Otoya slammed into him, trying to throw off his balance and time a clean steal.
But he had clearly miscalculated—either overestimating his own strength or underestimating Ryūma's.
The impact did shake Ryūma slightly off balance, but Otoya's own footing was thrown off even worse.
(This guy's build is about the same as mine… so how is he this strong? When Karasu told me, I didn't fully believe it.)
(But he really is a monster!)
Leaning to the right from the collision, Ryūma spun nearly a full circle while dribbling, controlling the ball in place.
Otoya, sprinting beside him, was in worse shape. Already off balance, he tried to stop when Ryūma stopped—but forgot the state he was in. He stumbled, barely catching himself, and almost fell.
By the time Otoya turned back, Ryūma was already setting up for a shot!
"Watch me slide you down!"
"Hmph."
A purple gleam flashed in Ryūma's eyes. He shifted his stance and chipped the ball upward.
The ball lifted cleanly over the sliding defender's head, and before it hit the ground, Ryūma struck again, unleashing a low, driven power shot toward the goal!
[Thud!]
"I told you, scoring won't be that easy!"
To Ryūma's surprise, Karasu had once again read his shot trajectory and blocked it!
"Tch!"
As the ball rebounded, Ryūma didn't hesitate—he exploded forward, chasing its path.
The ball shot toward the center of Team X's backfield, where the triplets were battling against four defenders. Neither side could gain control.
Yo Hiori and Rin were also sprinting toward the zone.
The ball dropped, and the eldest triplet reached it first.
"I'll pass to—"
Before he could finish, an X midfielder slid in from behind, stealing the ball.
The loose ball bounced toward Team X's left midfielder, but another of the triplets lunged in, blocking him and preventing the clean pickup.
The scramble kicked the ball further toward midfield. Waiting there were the youngest triplet and two X players.
A flicker of panic crossed the last triplet's face.
(Two on one… no chance I get this. Should I force a back pass? No, everyone's marked...)
Just as he hesitated, Hiori cut in and took the ball first.
"Nice one, Hiori! Let's attack again!"
Ryūma, who had been rushing toward midfield, immediately changed course, charging straight into the penalty area. He trusted Hiori would understand.
(That spot, Ryūma? Got it!)
[Thud!]
Hiori's eyes locked onto a target zone in the box. Without breaking stride, he adjusted his angle and lofted the ball toward the right side of the area.
(It's not perfect like Remote Control Passing—but it'll do!)
As Ryūma accelerated toward the drop point, Karasu's voice rang out, as if he had seen it all in advance:
"Just as I thought. With a pass like that, you'll almost always go for the bicycle kick!"
"I've seen right through you, Ryūma!"
Karasu used one arm to hook into Ryūma's body, restricting his jump.
(Hah? He can do that? It doesn't fully stop me...)
(But it ruins my setup for the bicycle! Damn it!)
(So this guy used one arm to shut down my shot?)
"Get off me!"
As the ball dropped, Ryūma wrenched free of Karasu's hold, rushing to strike.
(Hm? A direct shot? There's no angle—he's forcing it?)
(Or faking to shake me off?)
(Doesn't matter. A monster like him is predictable enough to test.)
Karasu lunged in.
Sure enough, just before contact, Ryūma twisted his right foot, redirecting the ball to his left. Then he instantly burst in the same direction.
Karasu was already prepared. His eyes gleamed as he smiled faintly.
"Guessed your move, idiot!"
He cut across Ryūma's left, blocking his path once again.
(Hmph. Karasu really isn't like the opponents before. If this were one of the earlier teams, they'd have been beaten by those moves a dozen times. But he doesn't show a single gap.)
(Hm? Hiori's coming up… a one-two could work!)
But in his peripheral vision, Ryūma spotted Otoya lurking near Hiori.
(Tch. No good! With Ninja watching him, any pass would get intercepted.)
(Forget it—I'll take him on myself!)
"Then let's find out—whether your defense is stronger, or my attack!"
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser