Blue Lock: Beyond Greatness

"Hey, hey, what was that? No technique at all — he just bulldozed his way through purely on physical talent," Raichi scoffed, curling his lips in disdain.

However, despite his dismissive words, the envy in his eyes was undeniable.

Damn it, if I had that kind of physique, I'd be Blue Lock's top player!

"Even so," Bachira chimed in, "even the cheers from these U-20 fans have shifted because of Shinichi's performance. That goal was truly impressive." His eyes gleamed with admiration as he stared at Shinichi.

"Actually, that kind of straightforward, brute-force play might be the most effective," someone noted thoughtfully. "After all, not even Shinichi's ability to steal skills can take away someone's inherent physical attributes. Physical disparities like that aren't something you can just fix with strategy—if you can't outrun someone, then you simply can't outrun them."

"You useless bunch still have the energy to chat?" Rin interrupted coldly, his face brimming with hostility. "Didn't any of you notice that Shinichi completely abandoned us during that last play?"

"Rin's right," Yukimiya agreed with a nod. "I didn't fight my way onto this lineup just to be a spectator. I'm here to show the world what I've got. If I let this chance slip by, I'll never forgive myself."

"Tch, who do you think you're talking to, idiot?" Karasu took a deep breath. "No way I'm letting that guy hog the spotlight."

"The one destined to be the protagonist… is me!" (xN)

As Shinichi walked back to their side of the field, he remained silent, suppressing the lightning flicker in his eyes. His gaze sharpened as it locked onto Sae across the field.

Next, I'm going to devour you.

Beep!

The whistle blew again. Sae advanced with the ball, while Rin stepped up aggressively to defend.

"Get lost. I don't have time to waste on a defective product like you." Sae's words were merciless as he glanced at his younger brother. Rin's forehead immediately throbbed with bulging veins, but he forced himself to stay calm, maintaining a rational and disciplined defense.

"You're still as repulsive as ever, you trash heap of a brother," Rin muttered through gritted teeth.

"But... I'm not the same as before!" Rin roared, his defensive intensity spiking as he clearly entered his Restrictive Destroyer mode.

"Such an annoying little brother." Though Sae's face remained emotionless, it was obvious to everyone that frustration was simmering beneath the surface.

Without hesitation, Sae used the outside of his foot to thread an impossibly precise pass through a minuscule gap between Zantetsu and Kurona.

"What an incredible pass! To maintain such accuracy while physically battling Rin... Has this guy turned every action into pure muscle instinct?" Hiori muttered in awe after witnessing the high-skill play firsthand. Yet instead of discouragement, his fighting spirit only burned brighter. "But I'm not planning to give up!"

"The one who will become a strongest midfielder... is me!"

The ball soared forward with a stunning curve toward the front line. Shidou's eyes gleamed with excitement as he locked onto it, leaping up for a direct shot despite being tightly surrounded by Raichi and Jyubei.

However, to everyone's shock, the ball was just barely out of reach, narrowly avoiding Shidou's scissor kick.

"What?!" Shidou exclaimed in disbelief. Even he hadn't expected this.

Just as the crowd began wondering whether it was a mistake, a figure suddenly appeared at the perfect landing point for the ball—Isagi Yoichi.

Impressive, Hiori. Isagi admired Hiori's brilliant play.

The pass looked like it was targeting Shidou, deliberately disrupting the opposing defenders' judgment.

But in reality, that curve was meant to use Shidou as a decoy and find me behind him!

With a sharp glint in his eyes, Isagi lifted his right foot, preparing to strike the descending ball.

"Running all over the place... so annoying."

A cold voice echoed from behind. Shinichi suddenly appeared, pressing against Isagi with a subtle but precise nudge that completely broke his balance.

Forced into an awkward posture, Isagi could only manage a weak, powerless shot that was easily caught by Gagamaru.

Did he read my play? But where did he come from? Isagi's mind raced. With his speed, he could have intercepted the ball more cleanly.

Why disrupt my shot instead and leave it to the goalkeeper...? Wait—no!

As realization dawned, Isagi, sprawled on the ground, could only shout desperately to his teammates.

"They're launching a counterattack!"

"Counterattack!"

Shinichi's roar cut through the field.

Gagamaru flung the ball forward with tremendous force.

Shinichi received it, instantly delivering a sharp ground pass that zipped between Sendou's legs and landed perfectly in front of Zantetsu.

"Go. Clear the path for me."

"With everything I've got..." A fierce gleam flashed in Zantetsu's eyes. He exploded forward with a burst of speed, quickly overtaking the spiky-haired Hayate. His incredible acceleration sent him surging toward the goal.

"No way—another one this fast?" Hayate was stunned but quickly composed himself. "Teppei, it's all yours!"

"Got it." Teppei, with his calm demeanor and squinty eyes, effortlessly intercepted Zantetsu's advance. "I'm not the strongest physically, but running is my specialty. How about a race? Think you can get past this herbivore defender?"

"No." Zantetsu smirked slightly. "My mission is already complete. Now... it's all up to fate!"

With that, he passed the ball backward. There, Shinichi was charging straight into the heart of the U-20 defense through the gap Zantetsu had just torn open.

"The Blue Lock winger has torn through U-20's defense with sheer speed! But Teppei, also renowned for his speed, has closed the distance... and stopped him! Now Zantetsu is in an awkward position," the commentator exclaimed.

"But wait—Shinichi has moved in as well! A pass back to him... but Sae is already in position! It's another face-off between Shinichi and Sae. Will Shinichi, with his overwhelming speed, break past Sae again? Or will the more experienced Sae put a stop to his offense?"

"You're thinking too simply!" Just as the commentator speculated, Sae had already anticipated Zantetsu's intentions.

He positioned himself perfectly, blocking Shinichi's path the moment he received the ball. "Come on. Let's see if that crude breakthrough of yours can beat me this time," Sae taunted, eyes gleaming with defiance.

Genius vs. Monster — the clash of aces was officially underway!

----------------

Want to read 20 advance chapters ahead?

Go to my patreon: patreon.com/Kinglass