Chapter 81: Total Domination
"Nice work, Kira!" Bachira sprinted over from a distance, practically tackling Kira with a hug. "That was incredible! You actually got past Luna!"
"He's a world-class star forward." Isagi's face was flush with excitement. Isagi, who had been on the brink of despair, realized they still had someone on their side capable of trading blows with these monsters. Now that they had the lead, if they could just hold on, did they actually have a chance to win?
Rin walked over slowly, his expression as frosty as ever. "I hate to admit it, but right now, you're the only one who can actually compete with them."
Kira wiped the sweat from his brow. Only he knew just how difficult that goal had actually been. From the initial steal with Rin to the final face-off with Luna—where he'd stolen Loki's move to go against the grain—it was all the result of sparks flying in his brain. Absorb, mimic, reproduce. That was the power of experience Loki had talked about.
***
Monitoring Room.
Anri stared at the screen in shock, the cup of water in her hand completely forgotten. "Ego-san, Kira is..."
For a long time, Ego didn't respond. When Anri turned to look at him, she saw that his eyes were bloodshot as he stared intensely at the monitor. Anri understood immediately. All the pressure Ego had been carrying was released the moment Kira delivered that perfect performance.
"Ahahahaha! Hahahahaha!"
Ego slammed his fists frantically against the desk in front of him.
"Ryosuke Kira..."
"He really is a diamond in the rough"
"Hahahaha! Did you see that, Anri? Did you see the looks on the faces of those national team players? They've been shut down!"
Ego was so ecstatic he was nearly beside himself. From the founding of Blue Lock until now, he had buried all the bitterness and hardships deep in his heart. With a player like Kira, his confidence in the U-20 World Cup had increased exponentially. As for those old geezers at the Football Association, those two minutes of footage were enough to shut them up for good.
***
Back on the pitch.
The Blue Team was cheering loudly. Luna spread his hands, signaling he'd done his best, though his expression sharpened into something unusually serious.
Blake broke his silence, walking to the center and calling the White Team into a huddle. "Don't forget. We came here thinking we'd just mess around, but if we lose, we don't get a single dime." Blake's tone was more serious than it had ever been.
Cavazos nodded solemnly. "The others are pretty average, but that guy named Kira... he might actually be on our level right now."
Loki chuckled. "Now you guys want to get serious? Before they scored, Silva and Blake were totally slacking off."
"Hmph. I trusted in your ability and Baby Face's ability. I didn't expect you two to be so useless," Silva said, trying to absolve himself.
Blake opened his mouth to retort but didn't say anything. After all, during that last goal, he really had just stood there watching Loki, Baby Face, and Luna deal with the opponents.
"Alright, alright. Let's get a little serious, boys." Luna cracked his neck. "We need to give them a taste of world-class shock and awe."
"Beep! Match resumes."
The White Team kicked off.
Kira's 'Loki Trial Card' had about two or three minutes left. Unfortunately, he couldn't stack the cards. Otherwise, Kira was confident he could beat them single-handedly. As for what would happen after the card expired... looking at their expressions, Kira knew Team World Five wasn't going to go easy on them anymore.
Did they have a chance to win?
Kira had absolutely no confidence in that. On his side, apart from himself, maybe Rin could keep up. The others were really just going to be spectators.
Forget it. Just play seriously for now. Kira shook the doubts from his mind.
Loki passed the ball to Cavazos, then immediately accelerated to top speed.
Whoosh.
Kira was right on his tail. The two sprinted side-by-side down the flank.
"Whoa. It's rare to find someone who can keep up with me," Loki said, his interest in Kira growing. He was getting curious about what secrets this boy from Japan was hiding.
"Hmph. That's because you haven't seen Japan's true speed prodigy, Hyoma Chigiri," Kira bluffed. "He's faster than me."
In a certain sense, Kira wasn't wrong.
"Oh? Hyoma Chigiri. I'll remember that name." Loki was surprised. Did Japan really have that many geniuses?
(Hyoma Chigiri: ??? Thanks a lot, Kira.)
Just as the two were jockeying for position, Cavazos wound up for a kick. Kira turned his head—wait, it wasn't a pass to Loki. Kira immediately tried to peel off to cover his own penalty area.
"Trying to leave? Won't stay and play with me?" Loki stuck to him like glue.
Kira felt helpless; he couldn't shake Loki off to get back in time.
Thump.
Cavazos launched the ball. It was a long pass.
Locked in a struggle with Loki far from the play, Kira could only watch as Isagi and Bachira failed to intercept the pass.
Whiz.
The ball sliced through the gap between Bachira and Isagi.
"It's a high-speed topspin ball!!" Kira realized the trick and shouted a warning.
Aryu heard Kira's shout and ran toward the ball's landing point. Isagi and Bachira felt their hearts settle slightly. After all, when it came to high balls, not even Nagi could beat Aryu. Aryu was the stylish king of aerial supremacy.
But on the other side, a massive, imposing figure was muscling his way in. Silva, the heavy tank, had arrived.
"Hrah!"
With a guttural grunt, Aryu and Silva jumped for the ball simultaneously. Aryu immediately felt a crushing weight pressing down on him. He couldn't reach his full jump height. Silva had practically hung part of his body weight on Aryu during the jump.
At the moment of collision, Silva effectively used Aryu as a launchpad to propel himself higher.
Bang.
Silva headed the ball toward the center.
"Aryu... actually lost."
Isagi watched as the nearly 2-meter-tall Aryu failed to win the header. It was the first time he had ever seen Aryu eat dirt on an aerial ball.
"Tch. This spot... just as I predicted." Fortunately, Rin was there. His read on the ball's landing point was accurate.
But just as he prepared to trap the ball, Blake from the White Team loomed over him. Rin frantically tried to shield the ball.
Thud.
Rin felt a massive force slam into his back. His center of gravity shattered instantly, and he stumbled backward a few steps. The ball was stolen by Blake. Against a world-class player, Rin's physique couldn't handle the contact at all.
Blake shoved Rin aside and, with a blank expression, fired a shot at the goal.
GOAL!
2-2.
Blake scored with ease.
Kira watched it all unfold helplessly. Loki hadn't given him a single inch to go back and defend, blocking his path the entire time.
"This is the gap between us and you," Loki said seriously. "They haven't even reached the threshold yet. It's a pity for you to be stuck here."
"Shut up. I know that better than you," Kira retorted coldly.
What to do? What the hell do I do? Loki alone can lock me down completely. In a 4v4 situation, Rin and the others are no match for them. Kira's mind raced, desperately searching for a way to break through.
"Hey, is this the level of world-class players?"
Isagi witnessed the entire sequence leading to the goal from a distance. Speed. Prediction. Physicality. Height. Ball control.
"We're inferior in every single category."
"The skills we honed in Blue Lock look like child's play compared to this."
"To be beaten so easily... this is the high level I've been dreaming of..."
"Football!! It's absolutely amazing!"
"I want to become like them."
A raging fire ignited in Isagi's eyes.
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