Blue Lock, I, Kira Ryosuke, Begin With Thunder Breathing

"If you watch closely, you'll understand, little Anri."

Ego Jinpachi replied, his eyes not leaving the screen for a moment.

"When a monster is about to hunt, it naturally bares its fangs."

Niko Ikki sent a long pass, which landed perfectly at Oogawa Hibiki's feet.

"He's finally here, Niko!"

Oogawa Hibiki smiled as he received the ball, then sprinted towards the opponent's goal at top speed.

Oogawa Hibiki possessed exceptional individual attacking ability. In the original story, he easily broke into Team Z's penalty area and scored!

At this moment, Team Z's half-field defense was very weak. The few remaining defenders watched Oogawa Hibiki charging at them with serious expressions, feeling extremely tense. Iemon, the goalkeeper, even had sweat beading on his forehead.

Their opponent was the top scorer in a certain region; his strength could not be underestimated, and defending against him wouldn't be easy.

Just as Oogawa Hibiki was charging forward, a figure appeared before him like a barrier.

Kira Ryosuke.

At this moment, Kira Ryosuke was stationed deep in Team Z's defense.

"Come on, try to get past me."

"Arrogant guy!"

Seeing Kira Ryosuke in front of him, Oogawa Hibiki felt a surge of anger.

Kira Ryosuke, the ace of Team Z, was playing in a defensive position. Oogawa Hibiki felt that his Team Y was being underestimated.

"Watch me get past you! I'm scoring the first goal of this match!"

Oogawa Hibiki shouted loudly.

He possessed delicate attacking skills no less than Barou Shoei's, which was why Oogawa Hibiki was chosen as Team Y's sole attacker.

Kira Ryosuke is a forward. His defensive ability must be very mediocre!

Oogawa Hibiki made this judgment and prepared to accelerate, intending to blow past Kira Ryosuke directly.

If they could score first, they would not only establish an advantage but also gain a significant boost in morale.

At this very moment, Kira Ryosuke adjusted his breathing, entering a state of total concentration. An intense pressure emanated from him, falling heavily upon Oogawa Hibiki.

What's with this guy...?

Oogawa Hibiki, who had been preparing to accelerate and dribble past, felt the change in Kira Ryosuke's aura and became somewhat nervous. However, he was already committed and had no choice but to grit his teeth and try to force his way past Kira Ryosuke with speed!

But Kira Ryosuke's speed was even faster than Oogawa Hibiki had imagined. No matter how much he accelerated, he couldn't get past Kira Ryosuke. The latter stood like a high wall, firmly blocking his path.

Oogawa Hibiki could only shift sideways, unable to get close to the penalty area.

"Not out of position at all! Good defense! As expected of Kira!"

Kuon Shosei praised with a smile.

"Oogawa's speed is already fast... yet Kira Ryosuke is even faster..."

Niko Ikki, in the other half, couldn't help but sigh. Although Kira Ryosuke had displayed incredible speed in the recordings, that was during straight-line sprints for offense. Defensive lateral movement required different skills.

Yet, Kira Ryosuke's lateral movement was also on another level.

This guy... he's a complete monster, capable of both offense and defense...

"However, Oogawa isn't ordinary either!"

Niko Ikki still had confidence in Oogawa Hibiki, as his greatest asset wasn't speed, but his incredibly refined attacking techniques!

"Damn it... this guy's defense is also this good? I can't gain an advantage even with physical contact..."

Oogawa Hibiki knew that continuing like this wouldn't work. Although he had only been entangled with Kira Ryosuke for a few seconds, it was enough for the other defenders to close in for a double-team.

Niko Ikki's defensive counter-attack strategy made Team Z's defense in their half weak. The entire team relied on Oogawa Hibiki's powerful offensive capabilities.

But this also meant Oogawa Hibiki had no teammates to link up with; all his other teammates could only stay back in their own half.

Oogawa Hibiki had no passing options and could only choose to attack himself.

But if he, the player with the team's strongest offensive ability, was shut down one-on-one by Kira Ryosuke, who was appearing in a defensive line for the first time...

"No, I can't let this happen!"

Oogawa Hibiki roared, "Since I can't beat you in speed, I'll beat you with skill!"

Oogawa Hibiki changed his footwork, his feet constantly stepping around the ball—

The step-over!

It was one of the most flamboyant dribbling moves in soccer, using leg movements around the ball to disrupt the defender.

"A step-over! And the rhythm is excellent..."

Kuon Shosei, also a defender, couldn't help but praise as he watched Oogawa Hibiki's move.

The most important aspect of the bicycle dribble is good rhythm, along with excellent body coordination. It uses bicycle-pedaling-like movements to deceive defenders.

On one hand, this move can disrupt a defender's center of gravity through rhythmic body movements, while also allowing the attacker to break through at an increased speed the moment the defender's balance is compromised.

Oogawa Hibiki possesses exceptional skill in this area. If any other defender on Team Z were facing him, they would very likely be beaten directly.

At this moment, Oogawa Hibiki stared intently at Kira Ryosuke, searching for an opening—

As soon as Kira Ryosuke's center of gravity shifted even slightly, Oogawa Hibiki would be able to get past him!

In front of him, Kira Ryosuke was also watching Oogawa Hibiki with equal focus.

The bicycle dribble was indeed very realistic, easily fooling defenders.

However, Kira Ryosuke now was vastly improved compared to the first match.

He had unlocked Rice Spirit and possessed excellent dribbling skills. The bicycle dribble move had also undergone a qualitative change under his feet.

Furthermore, the abilities of Rice Spirit had deepened Kira Ryosuke's understanding of dribbling.

In other words, Kira Ryosuke not only had a new move but also knew how to counter such moves.

This was also the reason he was positioned on the defensive line.

Feints with the feet, shifts in body weight, and even misdirection with the eyes—Oogawa Hibiki had reached the pinnacle of mastery in these aspects. Kira Ryosuke was no different.

Chapter 33: Top Scorer? Nothing Special!

While in the state of Total Concentration Breathing, Kira Ryosuke's focus and observation skills were greatly enhanced.

In that instant, he noticed the shift in Oogawa Hibiki's center of gravity.

The bicycle dribble was essentially a psychological battle between attacker and defender, and Oogawa Hibiki had already shown signs of panic.

He knew he didn't have time to drag this out with Kira Ryosuke. If he continued, other defenders would catch up, and his attack would fail.

This could not be allowed to happen!

Oogawa Hibiki changed his footwork, preparing to get past Kira Ryosuke in that instant—

But Kira Ryosuke had already reacted!

The moment the movement changed, the opening was revealed!

Thunderclap and Flash!

Kira Ryosuke suddenly extended his foot and intercepted the ball the instant Oogawa Hibiki prepared to break through with the dribble!

Thunderclap and Flash could not only be used for shooting and breakthroughs but also to increase one's explosive power during defense. The sudden burst of speed and change in rhythm could leave attackers completely unprepared.

"How is this possible?!"

Oogawa Hibiki was dumbfounded. He never expected his proudest dribbling skill to be seen through and thwarted by his opponent.

The other players on Team Y were also shocked by the scene, as was Niko Ikki:

"Kira Ryosuke actually managed to steal the ball from Oogawa?"

Oogawa Hibiki's 1v1 ability was well-known to everyone on Team Y. No one on their team could defend against Oogawa Hibiki in a one-on-one situation.

Yet, in his very first encounter with Oogawa Hibiki, Kira Ryosuke not only disrupted him but even managed to steal the ball.

"Good steal, Kira!"

Kuon Shosei shouted excitedly. If he had been the one facing Oogawa Hibiki just now, he might have been fooled by the feints.

"Oogawa Hibiki was actually dispossessed by Kira Ryosuke?! I remember Oogawa Hibiki being a very famous player!"

Teieri Anri exclaimed from the monitoring room.

"And Kira Ryosuke is a forward, right? He doesn't have experience as a defender, yet he was able to completely suppress a player of Oogawa's caliber in a one-on-one defensive situation... Incredible."

"He has excellent judgment and saw through Oogawa's feints."

Ego Jinpachi couldn't help but praise as he watched the replay.

He rarely showed admiration for any player, but Kira Ryosuke's play just now had prompted an involuntary compliment from Ego Jinpachi.

Oogawa Hibiki's bicycle dribble was of very high quality. Most defenders would have lost their balance, but Kira Ryosuke successfully saw through the feint, found the moment Oogawa shifted his rhythm, and completed the steal.

Furthermore, Kira Ryosuke applied his speed to the steal. The sudden burst of power caused Oogawa Hibiki to misjudge the distance between them, leaving him no time to protect the ball.

At the start of the match, Ego Jinpachi hadn't understood why Kira Ryosuke was playing on the defensive line. Now, he finally realized something.

Kira Ryosuke's talent was likely not limited to the forward position.

"You said you were going to get past me?"

At this moment, as the two players brushed past each other in the Z team's half, Oogawa Hibiki's face was still frozen in utter astonishment, his entire being seemingly dazed. Only Kira Ryosuke's calm voice echoed in his ears:

"Sorry, that's absolutely impossible. When I'm defending in my own half, you will never get past my defense."

Kira Ryosuke sent a long pass forward. The ball flew through the air like an anti-aircraft missile.

"Quick, defend!"

Team Y was caught off guard by this sudden turn of events. They hadn't expected Oogawa Hibiki to be defeated in a 1v1 offense-defense battle, but there was no time to react. They could only tighten their formation again, absolutely unwilling to give Team Z a chance to counterattack.

"Was that pass too strong?"

At this moment, Niko Ikki carefully observed every position on the field. Although Kira Ryosuke had completed the steal, this pass seemed to have too much power. No one on Team Z was close to where the ball was landing.

And in that instant, he noticed a red cheetah sprinting within his field of vision.

"That's!?"

Niko Ikki's eyes widened beneath his bangs, his face filled with disbelief.

That figure was Chigiri Hyoma!

This player, who had been unknown in the previous match, was chasing the ball with a speed that others simply couldn't match.

"What kind of speed is that?! Besides Kira Ryosuke, there's another person on Team Z with this speed?"

Niko Ikki exclaimed, simultaneously sprinting towards the ball's landing spot with all his might.

Although Niko Ikki was closer, his physical abilities were limited, and the momentary hesitation caused by his confusion over Kira Ryosuke's long pass prevented him from reacting immediately--

Chigiri Hyoma had already touched the ball!

Even though Team Y had tightened their formation quickly, Chigiri Hyoma had already burst into the core of their defense with even greater speed!

"Nice pass! Kira!"

Chigiri Hyoma shouted loudly.

He had originally lost his passion for soccer, but after arriving at Blue Lock and seeing Kira Ryosuke's back, the flame within him had involuntarily reignited.

Looking at Kira Ryosuke's pass, his body moved almost instinctively, charging towards the landing spot of Kira Ryosuke's pass at full speed.

It was the spot he could reach with his absolute best effort.

Only Kira Ryosuke could make a long pass of this caliber.