Evolution? It's Useless Before Absolute Power

Kira Ryosuke quickly dribbled toward the opposing half, and the person marking him was none other than Mikage Reo.

"I'll make Nagi realize that choosing you was the worst decision!"

Mikage Reo stood in front of Kira Ryosuke, with no intention of giving him any chance to get past. At that moment, his mind was unusually focused. He carefully watched Kira Ryosuke's movements while maintaining a certain distance, preventing him from breaking through easily.

After these ten days of training, Mikage Reo's abilities had improved another level. He had already treated Kira Ryosuke as his imaginary enemy, constantly studying his footage and hoping that one day he could complete his revenge.

He had never expected that the chance for revenge would come so soon.

"Then good luck."

But Kira Ryosuke moved at that very moment.

Thunderclap and Flash!

In the next instant, Kira Ryosuke's body suddenly leaned forward and shot out like a bullet fired from a gun!

"Damn it!"

Mikage Reo roared. He felt that Kira Ryosuke's speed seemed even faster than before, but the distance he had deliberately left at the beginning gave him some time to react.

He immediately leaned backward and shifted his center of gravity behind him, intending to keep up with Kira Ryosuke's speed.

However, in that instant, Kira Ryosuke suddenly stopped his advance, abruptly spun around, and used one foot to nudge the ball. He instantly opened up some distance from Mikage Reo, then accelerated again and went straight past him.

The combination of explosive speed and exquisite dribbling technique made it impossible for anyone to stop Kira Ryosuke one-on-one.

But at that moment, Kira Ryosuke suddenly caught a figure out of the corner of his eye on his flank.

Niko Ikki.

He possessed outstanding football intelligence and vision. The instant Kira Ryosuke got past Mikage Reo, Niko Ikki sensed his attacking route and attempted to steal the ball from Kira Ryosuke's blind spot.

But Kira Ryosuke reacted faster. He turned around again and shielded the ball with his back, giving Niko Ikki no opportunity to take advantage of. At the same time, he surveyed his surroundings and immediately spotted Nagi Seishiro in an unmarked position. He instantly passed the ball, sending it along a very high arc.

Kira Ryosuke had done this deliberately. It was the easiest way to avoid interference from the opponents.

And Nagi Seishiro would definitely be able to receive it.

"A somewhat difficult pass, but I can catch it."

Nagi Seishiro leaped high into the air and hooked the ball directly with his foot—Super Ball Control!

Then he adjusted his body in midair and shot!

1:0!

The White Team scored first!

Chapter 66: Evolution? It's Useless Before Absolute Power

"Nice goal."

Nagi Seishiro and Kira Ryosuke high-fived. Although this was their first time playing side by side, they had produced an extremely high-quality combination.

"Your ball control was beautiful."

Kira Ryosuke praised him as well. Nagi Seishiro's unique Super Ball Control was something no one else in Blue Lock could perform.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

Watching Kira Ryosuke and Nagi Seishiro successfully combine, Mikage Reo burned with fury. His excessive possessiveness filled him with intense jealousy.

"Calm down."

Niko Ikki consoled him from the side while calmly analyzing the situation.

"Kira Ryosuke is the commander of their team. He's the only one capable of passing. As long as we..."

"Enough nonsense!"

At that moment, Barou Shoei interrupted Niko Ikki. He raised his head and looked down at the three people before him.

"All I have to do is tear their formation apart. You just keep passing to me and let me score. The victory condition is whoever scores five goals first, isn't it? As long as we do it first, that's enough!"

Even while facing Niko Ikki and Mikage Reo, Barou Shoei still did not take either of them seriously.

"What an arrogant bastard. Did you forget how your team lost to us?"

Mikage Reo sneered.

"What does that have to do with you? Besides, my teammates were simply useless."

Barou Shoei struck back without mercy.

"What did you just say?"

"Calm down. For now, let's follow Barou's plan."

Niko Ikki immediately stepped between them to mediate.

"After all, Barou's attacking ability is indeed the best among us."

Although Mikage Reo was extremely displeased by Barou Shoei's self-centered personality, he actually agreed with this point. He had witnessed Barou Shoei's abilities.

If attacking ability were rated out of one hundred, Niko Ikki would probably have eighty points, Mikage Reo himself around ninety, while Barou Shoei could reach one hundred and ten.

Although Mikage Reo was extremely well-rounded and excelled in every area, making him the team's most perfect piece, he also lacked any particularly outstanding strength. This caused him to fall behind whenever he faced off against a true genius player.

Mikage Reo verbally agreed to the tactic of supporting Barou Shoei, but he still did not stop thinking.

Even winning this match would be far from enough.

What Mikage Reo wanted was to completely defeat Kira Ryosuke in front of Nagi Seishiro. He wanted to prove that his own abilities were superior to Kira Ryosuke's.

He had to find a way to defeat Kira Ryosuke!

There was not much time to think. It was now the Red Team's turn to attack.

Mikage Reo quickly dribbled past the halfway line while carefully observing the situation.

'Although the field is smaller, the number of players has also been reduced to three, so it feels more spacious. There's more room to attack, and more choices.'

As he analyzed the situation, he looked ahead. Kira Ryosuke stood in front of him like a wall.

"Damn it."

Mikage Reo muttered. He clearly remembered Kira Ryosuke's terrifying defensive ability from their previous match. Just standing in front of him had placed enormous pressure on Mikage Reo.

It was like a beast waiting for its prey to walk willingly into its trap.

Although Mikage Reo wanted to defeat Kira Ryosuke one-on-one, he still instinctively chose to pass to Barou Shoei.

At that moment, Barou Shoei was matched up against Kunigami Rensuke. Although Barou possessed extremely powerful attacking methods, Kunigami Rensuke had excellent defense and a strong physique. In the original story, he had caused Barou Shoei considerable trouble on defense.

The moment Barou Shoei received the ball, he immediately prepared to launch an attack—

At that instant, Kira Ryosuke, who had originally been marking Mikage Reo, suddenly appeared behind Barou Shoei and completed a steal with the incredible burst of Thunderclap and Flash!

In small-sided football matches with fewer players, coordinated defensive support was much more difficult than in official matches. Once someone joined the defense, it was easy for an opposing player to be left completely open. The game would essentially become three separate one-on-one battles.

It could be said that the fewer people participating in a match, the more difficult it was to employ coordinated pressing and double-teaming tactics.

But for Kira Ryosuke, this was not a problem. It was an advantage!

A smaller field meant faster transitions between attack and defense, allowing Kira Ryosuke's versatility to shine to the fullest.

Most importantly, Kira Ryosuke knew very well that Barou Shoei was absolutely unwilling to pass. He could only be the finisher of an attack—which meant the other members of Kira Ryosuke's team could temporarily abandon their marks and directly double-team Barou Shoei.

"Damn it!"

Barou Shoei cursed and tried to chase Kira Ryosuke from behind—but Kira Ryosuke had already used Gathering Mosquitoes into Thunder to deliver a brilliant curling shot and score!

2:0!

"Hey, Barou! You should have passed the ball back immediately just now!"

Mikage Reo was extremely dissatisfied with Barou Shoei's decision. The moment Kira Ryosuke double-teamed him, he should have passed the ball back, because Mikage Reo would have been completely open.

"What the hell are you talking about? Why should I pass to worthless fools like you? As servants, just do your jobs!"

"You self-important bastard! Have you forgotten how you lost to us before?"

Mikage Reo and Barou Shoei erupted into a fierce argument, while Niko Ikki remained silent at the side, his mind racing.

'Kira Ryosuke completely abandoned Reo to double-team Barou... He knows perfectly well that Barou will never pass. Although Barou's attacking ability is impressive, it's impossible for him to win alone against this level of defense... Kira is treating us like puppets and playing with us. Damn it, we have to think of a way. At the very least, we can't keep treating Barou as our first attacking option.'

Soon, Niko Ikki pulled Mikage Reo aside and told him his thoughts—they both had to show some presence on offense. Otherwise, the opponents only needed to focus on Barou Shoei.

"I understand."

Mikage Reo nodded, then turned to look toward the half where Kira Ryosuke was.

At that moment, his heart was filled with frustration. He had wanted to prove his worth in front of Nagi Seishiro, but in the end, Kira Ryosuke was still suppressing him completely.

This absolutely could not continue. He had to defeat Kira Ryosuke at least once!

And in Mikage Reo's heart, a bold idea gradually took shape.

The Red Team attacked again, with Mikage Reo advancing with the ball.

"Hey, pass!"

Barou Shoei was struggling slightly as he battled Kunigami Rensuke for position. He raised a hand high to call for the ball.

But this time, Mikage Reo did not choose to pass. Instead, he focused his gaze directly on Kira Ryosuke in front of him.

It was precisely because Kira Ryosuke existed that Nagi Seishiro had abandoned him and teamed up with Kira.

Mikage Reo had been born into a wealthy family with billions in assets. He had always had everything he wanted, which caused him to instinctively believe that anything he desired would become his, fostering an intense possessiveness.

Kira Ryosuke had taken away both his victory and Nagi Seishiro, whom he regarded as a treasure. This pushed Mikage Reo completely into a deranged state.

He had to prove to Nagi Seishiro that he was more important than Kira Ryosuke.

For that purpose, he was prepared to use a tactic he had never tried before.

"Today, I'll definitely defeat you!"

Mikage Reo shouted, then immediately charged forward with the ball, using his actions to tell everyone present that he intended to face Kira Ryosuke one-on-one.

At the same time, the difficult moves Kira Ryosuke had performed in the previous match replayed continuously in his mind, and his body began moving along instinctively.

If he could not defeat Kira Ryosuke with his original abilities, then he would become someone like Kira Ryosuke.

He tensed the muscles in his legs and rushed toward Kira Ryosuke's side at top speed—but just as Kira Ryosuke was about to move, Mikage Reo suddenly stopped, then nudged the ball, turned around, and accelerated a second time!

"This is my new tactic! Chameleon!"

Mikage Reo shouted excitedly, believing that he had gotten past Kira Ryosuke.

At that moment, he had successfully copied Kira Ryosuke's technique!

In the original story, Mikage Reo had only mastered this technique before the Third Selection. But now, the intense pressure and sense of crisis brought by Kira Ryosuke had allowed Mikage Reo to evolve ahead of time.

Only by becoming like one's enemy could one defeat the enemy!

"Isn't that Kira's technique?!"

Kunigami Rensuke was surprised. He had not expected Mikage Reo to directly replicate Kira Ryosuke's movements. Although the combination of movements just now was not particularly difficult, its sense of rhythm was crucial—and Mikage Reo had even copied Kira Ryosuke's excellent rhythm.

Mikage Reo truly stood within the realm of genius.

Mikage Reo could feel the gazes of those around him landing on his body, and a smile appeared on his face as well.

"I finally got past you!"

At that moment, there was no one in front of Mikage Reo. Only the simulated goalkeeper BLUELOCK MAN remained. Victory was already within his grasp.

"Watch me carefully, Nagi!"

At that instant, Mikage Reo felt Nagi Seishiro's gaze fall on him as well...

No...

Only then did Mikage Reo notice that Nagi Seishiro's attention was not on him—

It was behind him.

At the same time, the hairs on the back of Mikage Reo's neck stood on end, as if a terrifying presence were hiding behind him.

Kira Ryosuke.

"You did well, but I'm sorry. It's useless."

Kira Ryosuke's calm voice rang out behind Mikage Reo. Then, a menacing black shadow suddenly appeared beside him.