Blue Lock, I, Kira Ryosuke, Start with Thunder Breathing

"What?"

The members of Team Z were stunned. They hadn't expected Kira Ryosuke to choose to pass at this moment.

"Nice pass!"

Even Raichi Jingo, who had been somewhat unconvinced by Kira Ryosuke before, couldn't help but praise him after receiving his pass at this crucial moment.

All defensive focus was on Kira Ryosuke, and Raichi Jingo, who had just rushed over from the backfield to support, had a huge amount of space to shoot!

Shoot!

Goal!

3:1!

"Nice pass, Kira! That's the way!"

Raichi Jingo immediately cheered. Just an hour ago, he had found Kira Ryosuke extremely annoying, but now he quickly ran up to Kira Ryosuke and high-fived him. The previous hostility completely vanished with this coordinated play.

"Beautiful shot!"

Kira Ryosuke nodded as well.

His greatest role right now was to draw the opponent's defense, creating more space for his teammates.

Moreover, that pass had earned him Raichi Jingo's complete trust. He had turned the hot-tempered, unstable factor of the team into his supporter, further gaining control of the team.

In addition, his actions formed a stark contrast with Barou Shoei. In the eyes of Team X's members, the gap between the two was clearly evident.

"You trash!"

Barou Shoei said fiercely to Kira Ryosuke, extremely displeased with his decision to pass.

"Didn't I score right in front of you not too long ago? And your tone makes it sound like you've already won."

Kira Ryosuke merely smiled slightly, ignoring him. Barou Shoei was left standing there, furious.

Chapter 23: First Match Ends, Barou Shoei Sees Red

The score at halftime became 3:1. Coupled with the significant difference between the two team captains, the second half of the match gradually turned into a one-sided affair.

Just as Kira Ryosuke had predicted, Barou Shoei focused solely on his own offense in the second half, completely disregarding passing to his teammates. The others basically just ran back and forth with him.

Although Barou Shoei possessed excellent individual skill, his offensive efficiency was very low against Team Z's double and triple teams. Even though he managed to score, it consumed a large amount of ball possession and time. Furthermore, receiving passes from his teammates became increasingly difficult, and he would loudly berate his teammates for their incompetence.

"Can't you guys do anything useful for me!"

"Pass the ball! Pass it to me!"

"You're just pawns, understand! I'm the king on the field!"

This made the atmosphere within Team X even worse, and Barou Shoei's relationship with his teammates plummeted to an all-time low.

Many of his teammates also lost their tempers. If they had been leading, they would have unhesitatingly passed the ball to Barou Shoei—but now, with a large deficit, the situation was completely different.

The defeat of this match was sealed. The outcome of the remaining matches was uncertain, and each of them couldn't help but think of the other advancement rule: becoming the top scorer within the team.

Barou Shoei had already scored. To compete for a spot in the next round, they could only try to score more goals than Barou Shoei.

Therefore, they stopped passing to Barou Shoei and chose to attack on their own. However, their abilities were truly limited, and everyone was vying for scoring opportunities. The entire team descended into chaos once again, just like before.

"You useless pawns!"

Barou Shoei was driven to fury by his teammates' choices but was powerless to do anything.

On the other hand, Kira Ryosuke's Team Z grew stronger as the match progressed.

Kira Ryosuke, having had sufficient rest, not only scored two more goals in the second half using Thunderclap and Flash in his Total Concentration state but also created assists for his teammates, further gaining their trust and uniting the eleven players, who had only known each other for a few days, into a cohesive team.

The final moments of the match essentially became garbage time, with the score ultimately settling at 8:3.

As the final whistle blew, veins bulged on Barou Shoei's forehead, as if about to burst through his skin. His entire face had turned crimson due to the intense exertion and his burning anger. He wanted to say something but ultimately uttered nothing, leaving the field with a furious expression.

The other members of Team X also remained silent, a suffocating silence spreading among them.

In contrast, on Team Z's side, the players surrounded Kira Ryosuke:

"Amazing, Kira! How did you do that shot!"

"That was incredible! That guy Barou on the other team, when he scored the first goal to tie it up, you scared me to death. Luckily, you stepped in!"

"Long live Kira! King Kira!"

The players cheered, surrounding Kira Ryosuke. This was their first official match in Blue Lock, and the victory was crucial.

"8:3, an unexpected score."

After the match ended, Ego Jinpachi was repeatedly reviewing the details of the game.

He hadn't expected Team X to lose by such a significant margin.

"When the Blue Lock project first started, I thought Barou's team would be able to defeat Team Z. I didn't expect it to turn out this way."

Ego Jinpachi leaned back in his chair, lightly stroking his chin with one hand.

As he had expected, Barou Shoei, using his outstanding abilities, had successfully transformed Team X from zero to one, uniting the team—

However, shortly after, their team fell apart again because Barou Shoei was too fixated on one-on-one battles.

While not certain if it was true, Ego Jinpachi had a bold guess in his heart.

From start to finish, Kira Ryosuke was guiding Barou Shoei's actions, luring him into a cycle of constant attacks, and then he himself would reorganize the offense and assist his teammates. Under this stark contrast, Team Z became more united, while Team X collapsed once more.

All of this, he suspected, was planned by Kira Ryosuke. He manipulated the entire match like a puppeteer, even his passes to teammates had purposes beyond scoring.

"This is just a guess, it can't be confirmed..."

Ego Jinpachi pushed up his glasses and muttered to himself, "If it's true, then I'm afraid a terrifying monster is being held within Blue Lock... He's been hiding his fangs, and even I was fooled."

"Awesome, Kira!"

Kira Ryosuke returned to the room where Team Z was located amidst the cheers and admiration of everyone. Raichi Jingo was among those shouting the loudest.

"That pass was amazing! Let's keep winning like this!"

"Mhm."

Kira Ryosuke nodded and replied with a smile.

[Congratulations! Combat Points +80]

'As expected, official matches yield far more Combat Points than the previous tag game. Moreover, there are significant bonuses based on performance during the match.'

Kira Ryosuke immediately opened the system interface.

[Host: Kira Ryosuke]

[Current Combat Points: 110]

[Current Skills:]

[Combat. Thunder Breathing. Total Concentration LV2 Proficiency 38.07%]

[Combat. Thunder Breathing First Form. Thunderclap and Flash LV2 Proficiency 35.17%]

Using skills in actual combat provided Kira Ryosuke with a massive boost in proficiency, something unattainable through regular training—however, even if actual combat offered considerable proficiency gains, daily practice could not be neglected.

Currently, the proficiency for Total Concentration Breathing and Thunderclap and Flash had not yet reached 100%, so Kira Ryosuke couldn't upgrade them. His gaze continued downward.

[Combat. Thunder Breathing Second Form. Rice Spirit (Locked, Unlock: 100 Combat Points)]

[Combat. Thunder Breathing Third Form. Swarms of Mosquitoes Become Thunder (Locked, Unlock: 150 Combat Points, and Rice Spirit unlocked)]

[Combat. Thunder Breathing Fifth Form: Heat Thunder (Locked, Unlock: 250 Combat Points, and Distant Thunder unlocked)]

[Combat. Thunder Breathing Sixth Form: Electric Roar Thunder Roar (Locked, Unlock: 300 Combat Points, and Heat Thunder unlocked)]

[Combat. Thunder Breathing Seventh Form: Fire Thunder God (Locked, Unlock: 350 Combat Points, and Electric Roar Thunder Roar unlocked)]

Chapter 24: New Skill, Unlocked!

Kira Ryosuke currently possessed 110 Combat Points. He couldn't upgrade anything, so he could use these points to unlock new skills.

[Combat Points: 10]

[Congratulations! Successfully unlocked Combat. Thunder Breathing Second Form. Rice Spirit]

After unlocking the skill, Kira Ryosuke felt a flash of electricity momentarily flicker in his eyes.

As the system issued a prompt, the interface in his eyes changed.

[Combat. Thunder Breathing Second Form. Rice Spirit LV1 Proficiency: 0%]

'A new skill has been unlocked. Proficiency and the like will need to be practiced again. This will definitely take a lot of time. I wonder if it will be enough...'

Kira Ryosuke thought to himself. Just then, the system's voice sounded again, and a new screen appeared.

[Achieved 'Novice': Scored a goal in an official match for the first time. Physical fitness slightly increased.]

Kira Ryosuke felt a surge of power flow into his body, then disappear.

[Achieved 'Hat Trick': Completed a hat trick in an official match for the first time. Unlocked Combat Space privilege.]

[Combat Space: A unique space independent of the real world. The host can enter it for practice, and within the Combat Space, no fatigue will be felt. Upon entering the Combat Space, time in the real world will pause.]

[Combat Space: 10 Combat Points/1 hour]

"There are achievements too? And this Combat Space..."

Kira Ryosuke focused his attention on the description of the Combat Space. He quickly realized its immense importance.

Combat Points influenced the strength of abilities, and another crucial factor was time.

Kira Ryosuke needed time to practice and familiarize himself with these skills. It had taken him over a week to raise the proficiency of Total Concentration Breathing and Thunderclap and Flash to 100%. Now, with the upgrading and unlocking of skills, he would need even more time for practice.

Although there would be at least a few days between two matches for the same team to ensure player stamina and fair play, it still wasn't enough for Kira Ryosuke.

However, with the Combat Space, it would be a different story. Kira Ryosuke could have additional time for practice.

And most importantly, one wouldn't feel fatigued in that space, which could greatly improve practice efficiency. A mere hour there might be equivalent to a full day of practice for an ordinary person.

At that very moment, the screen in the room suddenly lit up again—Ego Jinpachi's face appeared on it.

"To all the raw stones of Team Z, although this was just one match, I must admit you all performed beautifully."

Ego Jinpachi said slowly, but his gaze seemed to focus on Kira Ryosuke.

"You seem to have found your weapon, and you've found a way to create soccer from scratch. However, I have a question for you, Kira Ryosuke: why did you choose to pass instead of attacking directly when you faced Barou for the second time?"

"Because passing was the most correct choice."

Kira Ryosuke replied with a smile.

"You won, but I still have to remind you that this mindset won't get you any further. A forward must be selfish. Only by constantly scoring can one be called the world's number one forward. If you fear on the field, or if you hold the idea of helping others, then you are gravely mistaken."

Ego Jinpachi's expression gradually became serious. The others present looked at Ego Jinpachi's face and felt a chill run down their spines, not daring to interrupt their conversation.

But the smile on Kira Ryosuke's face didn't change one bit.

"I don't entirely agree with that statement, Mr. Ego. A truly great forward isn't judged by how many goals they score, but by whether they can lead the team to victory. Isn't Barou the best example?"

Kira Ryosuke continued, "I passed not because of fear or any other reason, but simply because I believed it would lead to victory. I want victory, not goals. A truly excellent player makes the correct judgment at the correct time. In other words, only someone who can lead their teammates to victory is a truly excellent player. Compared to Barou, I'd rather cooperate with my current teammates."

Kira Ryosuke's words, invisibly, further increased his influence within Team Z.

"Since you don't agree with my philosophy, why did you come here?"

Ego Jinpachi pushed up the glasses on his nose, his dark and deep eyes focusing on Kira Ryosuke's face, as if trying to see through him.

"Because I'm here precisely to prove that your philosophy, Mr. Ego, is wrong."

Kira Ryosuke answered with a smile. This was the very reason the original body participated in Blue Lock.

"And if I, this dissenter, reach the very end, won't that be incredibly ironic?"