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

As Oogawa Hibiki raised his foot and Iemon Sonjin rushed forward to interfere with his shot, a look of surprise quickly appeared on his face.

This was because Oogawa Hibiki didn't shoot directly in front of him. He suddenly retracted the force in his right leg, then gently nudged the ball forward and continued to charge.

It was a feint!

Oogawa Hibiki successfully tricked Iemon Sonjin with a feigned shot. The latter's center of gravity had already shifted completely forward, making it impossible for him to retreat immediately. Oogawa Hibiki easily dribbled past him. Iemon Sonjin desperately tried to turn and chase Oogawa Hibiki, but he ended up falling to the ground due to his disrupted balance.

This was enough to show that Oogawa Hibiki possessed incredible skill!

"No!"

Iemon Sonjin, lying on the ground, let out a roar of regret.

Meanwhile, Oogawa Hibiki's face showed a triumphant smile:

"This goal is mine!"

In front of Oogawa Hibiki was an empty goal with no defenders. He had already raised his foot, ready to shoot.

As long as this goal was scored, the score would be reduced to 2:1!

This goal was a sure thing.

"Don't even think about scoring!"

Just then, a familiar voice sounded next to Oogawa Hibiki's ear. He widened his eyes in terror.

The owner of the voice was none other than Kira Ryosuke!

The moment Oogawa Hibiki shot, Kira Ryosuke had already arrived beside him and raised his foot to clear the ball!

The ball was kicked forcefully into the air!

"How is this possible?!"

Everyone on the field was stunned, including the players from Team Z.

They never imagined that Kira Ryosuke would appear in this place.

"What's going on?! How did he do it?"

Niko Ikki also exclaimed in disbelief. He had thought Oogawa Hibiki's shot was a sure goal, so he had overlooked Kira Ryosuke's position at that moment.

But he had confirmed earlier that when Oogawa Hibiki was facing the goalkeeper one-on-one, Kira Ryosuke was still far away. How could he be beside Oogawa Hibiki now?!

"This guy... did he really get here in just a few seconds?!"

"How did he do it!"

Teieri Anri's mouth gaped in surprise. She thought Oogawa Hibiki's shot was a sure goal, but she never expected Kira Ryosuke to arrive in time to clear the ball.

"He just did it."

Ego Jinpachi calmly pushed his glasses up.

Although his expression was calm, he was actually a little surprised internally.

Kira Ryosuke had just squeezed out enough space from the triple-team and then chased after Oogawa Hibiki at extreme speed to make the interception.

This physical ability, this speed, had reached an astonishing level.

"Amazing..."

Ego Jinpachi couldn't help but exclaim.

Just now, Kira Ryosuke entered the state of Total Concentration Breathing, increasing his physical strength, and then activated Thunderclap and Flash, increasing the explosive power of his legs, granting him unparalleled speed, ultimately allowing him to successfully intercept Oogawa Hibiki.

Although his physical abilities and skill proficiency had improved, the physical strain from using skills in the first half had mostly recovered. Furthermore, applying force with both legs simultaneously had somewhat distributed the negative effects of the skill.

At this moment, Oogawa Hibiki knelt on the ground, his expression completely dazed.

"No, it's impossible..."

He looked at Kira Ryosuke, who had returned to his defensive position, and a sense of fear arose in his heart.

Kira Ryosuke was like a giant wall—no, a mountain peak—standing directly in his path.

Could anyone truly defeat this monster?

Oogawa Hibiki couldn't help but doubt.

A few seconds later, the ball kicked away by Kira Ryosuke finally landed.

A player from Team Y happened to be at the landing spot and caught the ball. However, facing the fierce defense of Team Z, he lacked the courage and skill to attack and could only pass the ball back to the midfield, allowing Niko Ikki to reorganize the attack.

Chapter 38: Steal! And the Counterattack Begins!

"Don't rush! Secondary attack!"

Niko Ikki shouted loudly after receiving the ball, trying to calm his teammates and reorganize the attack.

But at this moment, his heart was filled with anxiety.

Even with this setup and the creation of such a good opportunity, they still couldn't score.

What kind of monster is Kira Ryosuke?

Niko Ikki realized that he had completely underestimated Kira Ryosuke's strength; the opponent was even more terrifying than he had imagined.

Following the failure of their first attack, although Team Y luckily got a second chance, the rhythm of the game had unconsciously slowed down.

This was not good for them, who were trailing in the score.

'Think, think! Think, Niko Ikki!'

Niko Ikki was incredibly anxious at this moment. His painstakingly crafted plan had fallen apart, and he had to find a way to break the deadlock.

He turned his head to look at Oogawa Hibiki in the distance and noticed that his face had completely lost the will to fight, and even his positioning had become sluggish.

"Since Oogawa is already... I can only rely on myself now!"

Niko Ikki clearly realized that Oogawa Hibiki could no longer be effective and that he had to rely on himself to launch an attack.

Abandoning defense and organization, he would focus all his energy on offense!

This was the only option; Niko Ikki had to break the deadlock himself.

Niko Ikki's eyes widened. At this moment, the entire half of the field was laid out before his eyes.

It was as if he were looking down on the entire stadium from a bird's-eye view.

Simultaneously, Niko Ikki precisely identified the most suitable offensive route, a path that was almost completely unobstructed!

Niko Ikki suddenly accelerated. On the incredibly complex field, the offensive route he had found had the weakest defense. In an instant, he had already penetrated deep into enemy territory.

This was the clever application of his ability to survey the entire field when attacking on his own.

"How did this guy manage to break through to here?!"

The members of Team Z were momentarily surprised, completely not expecting Niko Ikki to be able to attack this far directly.

"Niko has spotted the weakest point in our defense!"

Isagi Yoichi suddenly understood. He possessed an ability similar to Niko Ikki's, which allowed him to guess the opponent's strategy.

He also realized, just as Kira Ryosuke had said, that Niko Ikki was the most threatening player on Team Y!

"There's an opportunity!"

Niko Ikki continued to push forward, using his specialty to approach the opponent's goal at the fastest possible speed.

But just as it entered his field of vision, a rapidly moving figure appeared before him.

Kira Ryosuke.

It should have been the weakest defensive route, but Kira Ryosuke, with a speed that Niko Ikki could not match, intercepted his offensive path.

"Kira..."

Niko Ikki looked cautiously at the person blocking his way.

This guy was simply a monster.

The Blue Lock project was supposed to cultivate super strikers, yet Kira Ryosuke was playing defense in this match.

Not only that, but he was more terrifying than any defender Niko Ikki had ever seen; he was like a demon guarding the goal.

However, Niko Ikki still had his own plan in mind.

"Launch an attack with the entire team, have Oogawa Hibiki push up the flank, and then have the other players provide cover."

Kira Ryosuke said slowly.

"I know you are the core of Team Y, and you have devised a very thorough plan for this attack, but it's useless. In the face of an absolute gap in strength, your strategy is nothing but a joke."

"Then let me show you who the master of the field is!"

Niko Ikki shouted defiantly. Although he claimed he would attack proactively, he was simultaneously observing the positions of all his teammates, looking for someone to pass to.

He had anticipated this situation: if Kira Ryosuke didn't come to defend him, he might be able to break directly into Team Z's penalty area and create a scoring chance.

And if Kira Ryosuke came to defend him, it would mean less defensive pressure on the others!

This was Team Y's last chance.

Oogawa Hibiki!

At this moment, Niko Ikki was drawing the attention of many defenders; their eyes were all on him, and Oogawa Hibiki was in a position to threaten the opponent's goal!

'Damn it, pull yourself together!'

Niko Ikki could only gamble. Although Oogawa Hibiki had lost the will to fight, if he could get the ball in that position, he would definitely be able to score!

Niko Ikki had already aimed and was preparing to pass the ball forcefully to Oogawa Hibiki.

But he had overlooked one fact.

The fact that there was a world of difference in strength between him and Kira Ryosuke.

Kira Ryosuke noticed Niko Ikki's momentary hesitation to pass. The instant he was about to pass, Kira Ryosuke's foot shot out--

With speed far exceeding Niko Ikki's, he intercepted the ball and kicked it away forcefully!

"No way?!"

Niko Ikki's mouth hung open in shock, finding it hard to believe everything happening before him.

His momentary hesitation was all it took for Kira Ryosuke to seize the opportunity!

What was going on with this guy?

"Defend, defend!"

Having lost possession, Niko Ikki immediately realized things were turning bad. He loudly urged his teammates behind him to fall back, and without a second thought, sprinted towards his own half.

He knew all too well that if Team Z found a chance to counter, it would be game over!

The ball then landed back on the ground, and Bachira Meguru successfully caught it.

"What a steal!"

Bachira Meguru said with a smile, "Let's counterattack!"

He immediately dribbled the ball towards the opponent's half. However, because Bachira Meguru caught the ball too far back, and he wasn't known for his speed, some of Team Y's players had time to fall back and defend.

"Double-team him! We absolutely can't let them score again!"

Two figures suddenly appeared before Bachira Meguru, clearly intending to double-team him and completely blocking his path to the goal.

Pass it over there.

A voice echoed in Bachira Meguru's mind.

It was the monster within him, his terrifying football intuition.

The spot the monster indicated was an empty space, quite a distance even from the nearest player, Kira Ryosuke.

Just then, he noticed a change in Kira Ryosuke's movements—he spread his legs, clearly in a stance ready to sprint.