NOVEL NEXT Chapter 77: Win-Lose-Win
The juniors hid their faces from Jon's glare. Their teacher, Gregory, frowned when he saw the sophomores aim for two extra points by choosing another run.
They lined up for a scrimmage once more, but the faces of the juniors were more solemn, their eyes sharp.
Fortunately, the sophomores weren't backing down either. The moment Orwen snapped the ball to the quarterback, who was Snow, chaos erupted.
Both sides collided like twin stampedes, and Snow, without hesitation, tossed the ball to Godfrey again. This time around, Godfrey's catch was firm, and he shot forward, boiling within with fervor.
"This is foolish. They're basically repeating the same thing and expecting it to work." Gregory scowled, watching with a faint smile as Ulric, Wulfric, and Leofric, the triplets, sprinted toward Godfrey with daunting speed.
Seeing that Godfrey kept gaining on them despite the other defenders he faced, the triplets came closer and fused into their eldest brother, Ulric. Their outfit stretched and expanded, but it had already been made to accommodate such.
They grew big, their combined height reaching nine feet. It was a wonder what kind of summon created his gear because none of it went out of place, only the other two lost theirs.
The earth tore open with each powerful step they took, moving through the field like a dart. Siegfried, who acted as a blocker for Godfrey, felt an ominous sensation from behind and looked.
A monstrous giant was already behind him. Siegfried transformed his skin to jade as he was slapped with the back of the Hound's right hand.
That slap flung Siegfried across the field. From the left end, Godfrey ran over the right end and into the audience. It was a devastating slap that made everyone shiver.
Even Siegfried's helmet broke!
'Drop the ball!' Snow said inwardly as those following Godfrey to aid him had all been cut off or brought down, Godfrey was moving alone into the enemies' territory.
Seeing the defenders multiplying around him, Godfrey's eyes became golden, crackling with lightning for a split second before he suddenly leaned left, dodging a grab, slid with his feet and one hand supporting him, narrowly evading another who dived, and continued his run.
His reflexes made him move like a blur, able to react before his mind could process the thought.
The Hound dived, aiming for his legs, and without looking back, Godfrey leaped. The triplets' helmet kissed the grass as they slid on it while Godfrey ran through the others.
"Another touchdown!" Those supporting them went wild. Their points had risen from six to eight!
"For someone who had trained for just a week, he's incredible." Rowana's comment earned her a terrible glare from Lilith.
With their possession completed, Dale kicked off the ball to the other team. As the ball soared midair, the sophomores went after it.
Edric caught the ball and began to run. He charged right through Maldred, sending the sophomore crashing to the ground.
A swift lateral pass sent the ball into a junior, who sent it to Jon. The moment Jon held the ball, his demeanor changed, and he blasted forth with great speed.
His knight, Yuan, ran following him. He sighted Dale and slammed him to the ground. To Yuan's surprise, Siegfried, who should have been injured, was racing for Jon.
He had timed that Yuan would be slowed down by Dale so he could take the advantage. Unfortunately, Siegfried was sorely mistaken.
Yuan moved on all fours like a wolf, his feet and hands alone touching the ground. In just two bursts, he crashed into Siegfried, paving a free path for Jon.
Snow dived at Jon, but the Manhattan King flipped over him, continuing his beautiful run with many chanting his name. The only student between him and the end zone was Godfrey.
Godfrey watched Jon, trying to predict where he would go but soon realized the King was coming straight for him.
His eyes narrowed. At that moment, they clashed. Jon slammed one hand into Godfrey's chest, all the force from his run channeling into the clash, yet to his surprise, Godfrey skidded backward, the earth tearing open, but he stopped before the end zone.
Seeing this, Jon dematerialized into smoke, moved past Godfrey, and materialized behind him, right in the end zone, scoring a touchdown.
"Jon pushed him with just one hand!" A freshman's eyes widened.
While running back, Jon pointed at the sophomores. "We're doing what they did. We're going for the extra two points."
They gathered, this time, they were on the offense and the sophomores were the defenders.
The moment the ball was snapped to Edric, he went back and launched it across the field into Jon's grasp.
Snow, who had seen it coming along with some others, raced for him, but without looking, Jon backflipped over them, spinning mid-flip so he could land right in the end zone.
And he did.
A faint smile graced his face as their score increased to fifteen! But to Snow's amazement, he spotted Godfrey standing in one spot.
He didn't even try to block him. Had he given up after that first collision?! That didn't sound like the defiant Godfrey he knew.
That golden-haired sophomore would rather fight the entire government if he believed he was in the right. That was how tough his head was, and Jon had seen a glimpse of it at the party.
The kickoff would give the ball back to the sophomores, but he had made plans for Godfrey.
"We're good, but I don't think our class stands a chance against Jon. He's flawless." Lucy said to Isolde.
Isolde's eyes narrowed.
"I can't deny your trump card was slightly effective, but winning this match would be a dream, Edwin." Gregory said with crossed arms, his conviction in his class unwavering.
The ball was once more kicked towards the sophomores, and the student who caught it was Godfrey, standing on both feet with one hand raised.
The ball, with all its force, lost its power before that iron clamp disguised as human hands. He lowered himself and blasted forward.
"Don't let him cross!"
Juniors gathered; some were slammed off by sophomores, but lots of them, almost like they were expecting Godfrey, clamored to bring him down.
The triplets once again merged together, but Godfrey leaped, spiraling horizontally like a bullet over the fused triplets and two other defenders.
"There's no way he can land on both feet."
Those words Lilith said barely registered in the minds of the hearers as Godfrey landed on his feet. His body went low and his knees bent, but he didn't fall.
He blasted forward and slammed into Edric with a thunderous crack, launching the junior two meters into the air. Gasps echoed across the field.
Lilith blinked several times, unable to believe that it was Edric.
Since Godfrey scored a touchdown, the points rose from eight to fourteen. Meanwhile, Edric slammed his helmet on the grass, glaring at Godfrey, who barely spared him a glance.
Snow found himself clapping softly as Godfrey was jumped over by the others.
....
A/N: Chapters came early today!!