Blue Lock: Beyond Greatness

"What should we do next—!" As they reached midfield, Reo instinctively asked but was instantly silenced by Shinichi's overwhelming, almost palpable aura of intimidation.

"Just give me the ball. That's all."

Beep!

The whistle blew. Reo, acting almost reflexively, passed the ball to Shinichi. Without waiting for his teammates to reposition, Shinichi charged forward with the ball.

"Has he lost his composure after conceding a goal?" Sae frowned as he advanced toward Shinichi, who was completely disconnected from his team's formation. "If that's the case, it's a real waste of your talent."

"No! Stay back!" The moment that familiar sense of danger resurfaced, Hiori urgently warned Sae to retreat. But it was already too late. A flash of lightning flickered in Shinichi's eyes, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished from Sae's sight.

"No way! Sae Itoshi got left behind in just one move!" The unexpected and swift conclusion of the showdown between the two geniuses stunned everyone.

Only Hiori Yo reacted in time, rushing toward Shinichi.

However, Shinichi showed no mercy, deftly shaking off Hiori with quick, deceptive dribbles, exploiting a split-second opening to accelerate past him.

"Shinichi is single-handedly breaking through with the ball! Sae Itoshi has been beaten in one step! The other players haven't reacted yet—Hiori Yo is chasing him... Oh no! A misjudgment! Shinichi has already entered the defensive line... He's still accelerating, accelerating! His sprint speed is like that of a sprinter! Miroku Darai can't keep up! Now, it's just U20 captain Oliver Aiku standing firm as the final line of defense against Shinichi!"

As the commentator roared passionately, Shinichi, who had been sprinting like an unstoppable force through the field, was finally blocked.

Oliver Aiku's lips curled into his signature carefree smile, but a closer look into his heterochromatic eyes revealed unprecedented focus.

"You're really something, huh? Almost tore right through our entire defensive line. You gave me a real scare," Aiku admitted, his tone light but sharp. "But abandoning your teammates like this—are you sure that's okay?"

Aiku's eyes widened as he locked onto Shinichi's every movement. "You know what it means to get forced to a halt in this position, right?"

"So, what will you do in this desperate situation?"

"Don't get the wrong idea. You didn't stop me." Despite the defenders converging on him, Shinichi's expression remained unfazed. Yet the aura around him grew darker and heavier. "I just want to utterly destroy you all."

With those words, Shinichi moved again. This time, Aiku, fully focused, accurately predicted Shinichi's sprinting direction and lunged to block him. Yet the moment he made contact, Aiku realized something was off.

"Damn it! This guy... he wanted me to read the play!"

Aiku felt as though he had slammed into a wall.

While not entirely powerless, he was clearly overwhelmed by Shinichi's terrifying strength.

Desperately, Aiku braced his shoulder against Shinichi's, struggling to hold him back for just a few seconds longer, hoping his teammates could catch up.

But Shinichi had no intention of letting that happen.

A sudden crackling flash in Shinichi's eyes heralded the eruption of raw power throughout his body.

With an explosive surge, Shinichi drove forward, literally carrying Aiku on his shoulder as he bulldozed into the penalty area.

With sheer effort, Shinichi lifted his leg and struck the ball.

Bang!

GOOOOOOOAL!!!

U20 National Team 1:1 Blue Lock Team

The ball soared into the net without a doubt. As the goalkeeper, Gen Fukaku remained frozen mid-turn, staring at Shinichi in disbelief.

What was that ball speed?!

He hadn't even had time to react. How could Shinichi, locked in a physical battle with Aiku, still deliver a shot of such terrifying quality?

The roaring stadium fell into a brief moment of deathly silence.

But in the next instant, deafening cheers erupted, as if shaking the stars from the sky.

Some overly excited fans even ripped off their U20 jerseys and ran straight into the Blue Lock cheering section.

"M-My god! Viewers, please forgive me for being at a loss for words... I truly don't know how to describe the impact of that goal." Natsuki, speechless for a long moment, finally stammered out. " Kanzaki Shinichi, all by himself — he single-handedly broke through the entire U20 defensive line! He didn't even rely on any complex tricks or skills, just sheer, unmatched speed that left everyone behind, including Itoshi Sae!"

"Exactly! His sprint reminded me of the 'Prodigy' Loki, who's recently making waves in the global football scene," added commentator Atsuto. "But what followed was even more unbelievable — Kanzaki Shinichi bulldozed his way past Oliver Aiku, the final defensive barrier, like a human bulldozer, forcing his way into the penalty area and blasting a goal."

"There's no doubt about it. That goal alone ensures Shinichi will become the hottest target for scouts worldwide!"

"Absolutely! That's pure talent on display! Especially during those physical confrontations — Shinichi's performance reminded me of the legendary physical beast, Haaland. Even in the physically demanding Premier League, Haaland dominates with his strength, and Shinichi's moves just now had a hint of that same energy."

"Shinichi is practically a walking embodiment of talent — a monstrous genius radiating brilliance from every fiber of his being!"

...

"What... what kind of monster is that?!" Even Kazuma, the physically strongest player on the U20 team, stood in stunned disbelief, watching Shinichi's silhouette as he calmly walked back. He muttered under his breath, unable to process what he'd just witnessed.

Setting aside everyone else, Oliver Aiku's physical abilities were certainly no joke.

As one of the best defenders in the U20 lineup, Aiku's strength and body control were top-tier.

Yet even with those qualities, he had just been utterly overpowered by a boy listed as under 16 years old in the scouting reports.

"Yeah... that was way beyond normal," Aiku admitted with a wry smile, pulling himself up with Kazuma's help. "I tried to block that shot, but he knocked me right over with that move. No wonder he has the guts to talk big. The kid's got serious game."

"Beard guy, you're in charge of marking him exclusively." Sae strode over during their conversation, his sharp gaze fixed on Kazuma as he gave orders. "Your judgment isn't as good as this annoying captain's," Sae remarked bluntly, pointing at Aiku. "So you'll act as Shinichi's personal wall. Block him at all costs. Captain, you cover the gaps as you see fit."

Sae's tone turned cold. "There's no way I'll let that kind of unskilled, brute-force goal happen a second time in front of me."

"Oh my, looks like our genius is getting serious now," Aiku chuckled, watching Sae walk off with a dissatisfied expression.

"Genius versus monster... I wonder who will come out on top?"

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