Blue Lock, I, Kira Ryosuke, Obtain Thunder Breathing at the Start

As long as Barou Shoei was completely crushed, Team X's morale would shatter along with him.

Kira Ryosuke had already decided—he would create a 1v1 situation with Barou Shoei later—

And then crush them completely.

Chapter 21: If You Are the King, Then I Am the God

Kira Ryosuke narrowed his eyes slightly, like a fierce beast selecting its prey.

Soon, Team Z launched another attack. Their teamwork and rotations were slightly better than before. Just as Team X treated Barou Shoei as their absolute core, they too placed the offensive focus on Kira Ryosuke.

After some ball circulation, the ball finally returned to Kira Ryosuke's feet.

With the same astonishing speed, Kira Ryosuke effortlessly tore through the opposing defensive line, charging straight toward the goal with almost no obstruction.

And at that moment, a familiar figure blocked Kira Ryosuke's path.

Barou Shoei!

Barou Shoei possessed speed and physicality far beyond his teammates, and he also had an exceptional instinct, having predicted Kira Ryosuke's likely attacking route.

All of this was within Kira Ryosuke's expectations.

What he needed was precisely a 1v1 situation with Barou Shoei—

And then, in front of everyone, crush him completely.

"A direct confrontation between Barou and Kira?"

In the monitoring room, Ego Jinpachi pushed up his glasses, staring intently at the screen.

Although Kira Ryosuke had the advantage in speed, there was a significant size difference between the two, which was crucial in a 1v1.

Earlier, Kira Ryosuke had used his physicality to overpower Raichi Jingo and Kunigami Rensuke in 1v1s, but Barou Shoei's physical strength was above both of theirs. Moreover, in terms of technique, Barou Shoei was certainly far ahead of those two.

Even for Kira Ryosuke, getting past Barou Shoei was no easy task.

However, both of them were essentially the star players of their respective teams. The outcome of their duel would heavily influence team morale.

Whoever came out on the losing end of this clash—his team would inevitably be affected.

"One could say that their direct confrontation might very well determine the flow of the entire match."

At this moment, in front of Kira Ryosuke, Barou Shoei lowered his center of gravity, staring him down with intense focus.

"Hey, you're Kira Ryosuke, right."

"I told you—I'm the king of this field. Don't you dare stand in front of me!"

"Can you get past me?"

Barou Shoei exuded an overwhelming pressure. Invisible hellfire seemed to blaze around him, threatening to burn Kira Ryosuke to ashes.

For some reason, looking at Kira Ryosuke stirred an inexplicable irritation within him.

But standing before Barou Shoei, Kira Ryosuke's expression remained unchanged.

"I didn't think much of it at first, but now that I think about it, saying something like that in this setting is actually pretty embarrassing."

Kira Ryosuke narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze locking onto Barou Shoei.

"But at this moment, I'll play along with you a little."

"What the hell are you rambling about on your own?"

Barou Shoei's brow twitched.

"You say you're the king of the field? Then I'm the god of the field—with a god around, a king like you is utterly worthless."

"Bastard, I'll kill you!"

"Just impotent rage. Today, I'll make everyone here see clearly how a king meets his downfall."

As he finished speaking, Kira Ryosuke adjusted his breathing and entered the state of Total Concentration Breathing once more.

Even though Total Concentration Breathing had reached LV2, its duration was still only a little over ten seconds.

But those brief ten seconds, on an intense and fast-paced field, could make a massive difference.

The breathing technique temporarily enhanced the user's explosive power—this was Kira Ryosuke's capital for going head-to-head with Barou Shoei.

Barou Shoei keenly sensed a shift in Kira Ryosuke's aura, but he had no idea what was happening.

He also didn't notice that his own forehead was already slick with sweat.

Without any flashy dribbling moves, Kira Ryosuke charged straight toward Barou Shoei's left side.

Barou Shoei's eyes widened. Even though he was fully focused and reacted instantly, by the time he moved, Kira Ryosuke had already brushed past him.

"I'll kill you!"

Barou Shoei roared, immediately turning around, trying to use his size advantage for legitimate body contact to disrupt Kira Ryosuke's movement.

But the moment their bodies collided, he felt as though he had slammed into a mountain—his own body even lost balance for a split second.

Barou Shoei was extremely surprised—Kira Ryosuke's physique didn't look that sturdy, and he was half a head shorter than Barou himself, yet right now Barou was losing the physical battle.

What the hell is this guy's deal?

Unlike Raichi Jingo, who had hit the ground directly after body contact, Barou Shoei forcibly adjusted his center of gravity and then took off, trying to interfere with Kira Ryosuke's dribble from behind.

But that half-second he spent adjusting his body gave Kira Ryosuke enough distance to pull away.

Not far, but enough space to shoot.

Kira Ryosuke had already lifted his leg again—except this time it was his left leg.

Power rapidly gathered in his left leg, then burst out in an instant!

A thunderclap rang out across the pitch once more.

The next moment, the ball had already slammed into the net, tearing at the mesh as if it might break free and escape the very next second.

And Team X's goalkeeper stood frozen in place, unable to make a single move.

He hadn't even reacted.

2-1!

"That's amazing, Kira!"

"Yeah, we've got the advantage again!"

"What king? He's nothing special!"

Team Z's players erupted in cheers again—

This time, the two teams' aces had clashed head-on, and Kira Ryosuke's victory had massively boosted Team Z's morale.

Kira Ryosuke simply turned his head, looked back at Barou Shoei, and said with a smile:

"So this is what they call a king. That's all there is to it."

"You bastard, I'm going to kill you!"

Barou Shoei's eyes were bloodshot, his body trembling with agitation—clearly, he was already burning with rage.

"Pass me the ball! Do you hear me?!"

Barou Shoei shouted furiously at his teammates.

Kira Ryosuke's lips curled slightly. Everything was going exactly as he had planned.

Barou Shoei had fallen completely into his trap.

Chapter 22: In Football IQ, There's an Uncrossable Gap Between You and Me

On the pitch, a player's performance comes down to three main factors.

Physique, technique—and football IQ.

Physique determines a player's floor. Generally, players with outstanding physical attributes are seen as promising prospects, because skills can be trained later, but breaking through physical limits is nearly impossible.

What determines a player's ceiling is technique—which can be developed through training—and football IQ.

Football IQ, simply put, is the ability to read the game, understand both sides' strengths and weaknesses, constantly think and assess the situation on the field, and do the right thing at the right time. This is crucial because almost no player can guarantee every offensive choice is correct. Whether to attack or pass to a teammate—a single small decision can change the entire course of the match.

The Blue Lock project was designed to create a super striker with a powerful body and refined technique—but it overlooked the most critical element: football IQ.

That's what truly decides victory or defeat.

Although Barou Shoei had nearly reached his peak in both physique and technique, he was clearly lacking in football IQ.

He could dominate the pitch, but his emotions were easily swayed. Provoked by an opponent, he struggled to control his temper, desperately wanting to beat them on the field. And with his arrogant personality, he would never pass to his teammates—making it easier for Team Z to limit him on offense.

This created a vicious cycle for Team X's attack. Barou Shoei would get double-teamed, his offensive efficiency would plummet, and the more frustrated he became, the more he wanted to score himself—so he passed even less.

Moreover, Barou Shoei's behavior was undoubtedly damaging team morale, completely eroding whatever trust his teammates had left in him.

At this point, Team X's defeat was almost certain.

"Pass me the ball! You useless servants!"

When it was Team X's turn to attack again, Barou Shoei barked at his teammates without hesitation.

"But—"

No matter who it was, hearing a teammate speak to them so rudely would sting at least a little. Even if they felt resentful, they had to swallow it and find a way to set up Barou Shoei.

But all of this was within Kira Ryosuke's calculations.

Barou Shoei's presence had brought the scattered, chaotic Team X back together—but at the same time, it made their offense painfully one-dimensional.

His teammates would try to feed him the ball, which severely limited their passing options.

That made steals even easier.

The ball had just left a teammate's foot, about to reach Barou Shoei, when Kira Ryosuke suddenly cut in from the side and completed the interception.

Counterattack begins!

"You useless piece of shit!"

Barou Shoei angrily berated his teammate.

But just as he was blaming his teammates, Kira Ryosuke had already driven the ball deep into the opponent's half.

"Quick, double-team him!"

Team X's players saw Kira Ryosuke regain possession and immediately rushed forward to double-team him, absolutely not giving him another chance to score!

A 2:1 and a 3:1 gap was enormous—if Team Z scored another goal, they would struggle to catch up.

Team X practically swarmed out in full force, aiming to lock Kira Ryosuke down completely, even if it meant fouling him, they absolutely could not let him score again. Even Barou Shoei closed in, wanting to settle the score with Kira Ryosuke.

And this was exactly the situation Kira Ryosuke wanted to see.

Both his legs had already used Thunderclap and Flash under Total Concentration Breathing once each. Using it again in quick succession might strain his legs, which wouldn't be worth it. He naturally needed some time to adjust his physical condition and let his legs rest. During this period, his offensive ability would certainly be somewhat affected.

However, no one else knew this. They still believed Kira Ryosuke was a threat on offense, forcing them to commit a large number of players to guard him. This was also why he chose to use his skills to blast in two goals as fast as possible in the first half.

"We can't let him do whatever he wants!"

"Even if we have to foul, it doesn't matter!"

"Stop him, quick, stop him!"

Not just the other players, but Barou Shoei also stood in front of Kira Ryosuke with a furious expression:

"I won't let you past again! Don't you dare stand in front of me! I'll kill you!"

"Oh."

Kira Ryosuke showed a smile—

The next instant, his leg nimbly hooked the ball, threading it precisely through a tiny gap to the teammate who had already arrived at his side.

Raichi Jingo.