Sampo swung his leg.
The instant he shot, everyone on the field seemed to freeze. Every player stopped what they were doing and stared at the ball as it floated toward the goal.
"Uh…"
Razor blinked.
Wasn't this shot… a little too slow?
"Where's the special move?"
Even Sampo was dumbfounded.
He had put everything he had into that kick.
Fine, maybe he didn't summon some ridiculous monster, but there should at least be some flashy effects, right?
Instead, the ball drifted lazily through the air like a balloon.
Hadn't Valerius said that as long as you popped the ball into the air before shooting, your special move would activate?
So where was his?
Then a horrifying realization struck him.
He was indeed absurdly strong physically. Even if others used special shots, they probably couldn't knock him over.
But…
He might not have a shooting special move at all.
"Oh no."
Watching Razor casually catch the ball in his arms, Sampo's heart sank.
Their goal was completely empty.
Didn't that mean—
"Pass it! Razor, pass!"
Amber had just gotten back to her feet. Seeing such a perfect opportunity, she immediately called for the ball.
"Oh."
Razor nodded and threw it to Amber.
"Amber, quick! Send it upfield!"
"This is our chance!"
Mondstadt's entire bench was on their feet.
The opposing goal was wide open.
This was the perfect chance to extend their lead.
"Heh. Why pass when I can shoot?"
Amber ignored them all.
An empty goal was sitting right there.
As far as she was concerned, she couldn't possibly miss.
She popped the ball into the air and kicked.
The soccer ball burst with light and transformed into a pair of gliding wings.
It shot straight into the sky and disappeared among the clouds.
"Wait, what?"
"She kicked it that high?!"
The Mondstadt team stared in horror.
Sure, she wanted to show off instead of passing.
But launching the ball into orbit?
That was a bit much.
"Amber!"
Eula was the first to explode.
She grabbed Amber by the shoulders and shook her furiously.
"Do you realize what you've done?! We had a perfect chance!"
"I-I…"
Amber looked like she was about to cry.
She had only wanted to look cool.
How had this happened?
"Hahaha! What a shot."
"That was close."
Belobog's players collectively let out a breath of relief.
For a moment, they thought they were about to go down 2–1.
"My dear Amber, beautifully done."
Sampo flashed her a thumbs-up.
"You saved me from becoming the team's biggest sinner. Don't worry—I'll send over the reward I promised after the match."
"W-What?!"
Amber waved her hands frantically.
"That's not true! Don't listen to him!"
When had she ever accepted any bribes?
"Heh. Let's keep up the good work."
Sampo gave her a meaningful grin and jogged back toward his goal.
At that exact moment—
The glider that had vanished into the sky suddenly reappeared.
It folded its wings and dove straight down toward the goal.
"Oh! It comes back?!"
The Mondstadt side was stunned.
So Amber hadn't blasted the ball into the stratosphere by mistake.
That was simply how her special move worked.
And honestly, the dive attack looked incredibly cool.
Whoosh!
The glider tore through the goal and only transformed back into a soccer ball after it had passed through the net.
The scoreboard changed.
2–1.
"Hmph. See?"
Amber proudly lifted her chin.
"I planned all of that."
She turned to Eula, who was standing there speechless.
"Well? Say something."
"You… were amazing."
What else could Eula say?
Even she hadn't expected Amber's special move to work like that.
And it was surprisingly effective.
Back at midfield, Belobog kicked off again.
This time, every Belobog player was thinking the same thing.
Sampo was unreliable.
They needed to score more.
Meanwhile, Venti glanced toward Sampo and casually trotted back toward his own goal.
"Razor, listen carefully…"
He whispered a few words into Razor's ear.
Razor's eyes widened.
"R-Really? T-That works?"
"Trust me. It'll definitely work."
Venti gave him a reassuring nod before jogging back upfield.
He was eager to test his theory.
The chance came quickly.
Rosaria stole the ball from Seele again and passed it to Venti.
"Razor, catch!"
Without hesitation, Venti sent the ball straight back to Razor.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, Razor dribbled out of his own goal.
"Lord Barbatos…?"
Jean blinked in confusion.
What exactly was their archon doing?
What if Razor lost the ball?
But then the crowd witnessed something unbelievable.
Razor bulldozed through Gepard.
Then he slammed through Star.
Then Welt Yang.
He charged all the way into the penalty area, straight toward Sampo.
"He's that strong?!"
The audience erupted.
They had suspected goalkeepers were physically stronger after seeing Sampo.
Now Razor had confirmed it.
"Come on!"
Sampo spread his arms wide.
His own shot had been pitiful, so Razor's probably wasn't dangerous either.
He was confident he could stop it.
But Razor never shot.
Instead, he nudged the ball to the side.
It rolled directly to Lisa.
"Good boy, Razor."
Lisa smiled in satisfaction.
Her adorable little student had done exactly what she wanted.
Without hesitation, she unleashed her special shot.
This time, the ball didn't transform.
Its speed wasn't especially impressive either.
But electricity crackled around it.
"I can block this."
Seeing the slow shot, Sampo's confidence returned.
He leaped high and reached out with one hand.
The moment he touched the ball—
A surge of electricity coursed through his body.
His muscles spasmed.
All the strength drained from him.
With a pathetic thud, he dropped to the ground.
The ball rolled neatly into the net.
3–1.
"Uh…"
"We're doomed."
Bronya wanted to cry.
Belobog had entered the match with 9 points.
If they won this game, they would secure overall victory.
But if they lost…
Mondstadt couldn't overtake them, true.
But if another team won the tournament, Belobog's first-place position would vanish.
In the stands, players quickly analyzed what they'd learned.
"So goalkeepers are physically overpowered, but their shooting abilities are terrible."
"And special moves seem to fall into offensive and defensive categories."
"If necessary, you can even send your goalkeeper out to attack."
Whispers spread through the crowd as every team hurriedly adjusted their tactics.
"Give me the ball!"
Seele was furious.
How were they down by two goals already?
She needed to score one back.
She dribbled forward.
Rosaria kicked her down.
"Give me the ball again!"
She got it.
Rosaria kicked her down again.
"I refuse to believe this!"
She charged a third time.
Rosaria sent her sprawling once more.
Seele finally snapped.
"Why are you targeting me every single time?!"
Rosaria shrugged.
"Because you're the one carrying the ball."
Seele: "…"
That was it.
She was done.
Her special move was a shooting skill.
Rosaria's special move was clearly designed for beating people up.
There was absolutely no way she could win this matchup.
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