Ending the Match-Go Back and Start Over!

Bachira Meguru had just displayed dribbling skills far beyond anything they could hope to match. He had come within a hair of scoring.

Kira Ryosuke had successfully stopped the shot at the last moment, further proving just how powerful he was.

However, Bachira Meguru had still created a corner-kick opportunity.

The match continued.

"For a corner kick, surely the person himself should be the one to stylishly take it."

As he spoke, Ariko Juubei walked over to the corner.

Just then, a cold voice rang out beside Ariko Juubei:

"Get lost."

Ariko Juubei turned and saw Itoshi Rin standing behind him.

He keenly sensed the change that had occurred in Itoshi Rin. The other boy seemed to have become a completely unfamiliar existence.

At the same time, a terrifying killing intent radiated from Itoshi Rin, making Ariko Juubei feel a trace of fear.

It was as if a terrifying monster stood before him.

Sweat beaded on Ariko Juubei's forehead. It wasn't from exhaustion, but from the terrifying pressure emanating from Itoshi Rin. He had no choice but to leave the corner and head toward the area in front of the opposing goal. His jumping ability and physical advantages made it easier for him to create opportunities during corner-kick plays.

However, all of this depended on Itoshi Rin's choice for this corner kick—and for him, there was no second option.

At that moment, Itoshi Rin's gaze was locked firmly onto the goal, and his eyes were filled with more than hatred. There was even a trace of madness in them.

He took two steps back, then suddenly accelerated, spreading his legs and concentrating his strength into his foot!

The ball shot out like an impossibly precise tracking missile, tracing a beautiful arc through the air.

Its target was perfectly clear: the White Team's goal!

A corner kick could indeed create a scoring opportunity, but it was extremely difficult. The angle there was practically zero degrees from the goal, making a shot incredibly tricky. Thus, ordinary players never took scoring as their objective when delivering a corner kick.

But for Itoshi Rin, there was no other choice.

Shoot, shoot, shoot! Shoot! Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot!

Kill everyone else. Whoever stands in my way must be killed!

No one can stop my advance! I will definitely take revenge on Itoshi Sae! These people are nothing more than stepping stones on my path to revenge!

Kill them all. Kill them all. Kill them all!

"Hey, are you shooting directly from here? Isn't that too much of a stretch?"

Kunigami Rensuke hadn't expected Itoshi Rin to make such a crazy move.

"No, this ball is extremely dangerous!"

Niko Ikki understood exactly what made the shot so terrifying.

Even from a zero-degree angle, and despite being struck with his weaker foot, Itoshi Rin's ball still followed a perfect arc. If no one stopped it, it could enter the far corner of the goal at an incredibly tricky angle!

Not only that, but the shot had terrifying power and tremendous speed!

Even though the White Team was temporarily in the lead, Niko Ikki absolutely couldn't allow the opponent to breach his goal.

He chased after it with all his might, trying to intercept it along its path—but the ball seemed to have seen through Niko Ikki's limits. Its trajectory skimmed past just beyond his reach!

Itoshi Rin had seen through Niko Ikki's current limits!

"Damn it!"

But just as the ball was about to enter the net, a familiar figure appeared once more!

Kira Ryosuke!

Although he didn't possess the same spatial awareness as Niko Ikki or Itoshi Rin, Kira Ryosuke could still see through the ball's trajectory with Gathering Mosquitoes into Thunder.

He leaped high into the air and blocked the extremely dangerous shot with his head, breaking up the corner-kick attempt!

But the danger wasn't over yet.

The ball bounced far away and landed right in front of Ariko Juubei.

"I've got a chance."

Just as Ariko Juubei prepared to dribble, a ghostlike figure suddenly swept past him and snatched the ball away from beneath his feet.

When he saw who it was, an incredulous expression appeared on his face.

The Red Team.

Itoshi Rin.

Itoshi Rin had calculated that his shot would be blocked by Kira Ryosuke and predicted that the ball might land here. He had rushed over at top speed and mercilessly stolen it from beneath Ariko Juubei's feet.

Even after losing the ball, Ariko Juubei remained silent.

"Stealing the ball from a teammate? Has he completely gone berserk?"

Nagi Seishiro was somewhat astonished. At that moment, Itoshi Rin seemed to have completely lost his reason.

Itoshi Rin's tongue hung out of his mouth, and saliva even dripped from the corner of his lips. Not a trace of rationality remained in him.

Erase. Erase. Erase!

Destroy everything. Destroy everything!

Especially you, Kira Ryosuke!

With the ball at his feet, Itoshi Rin charged straight at Kira Ryosuke.

I'm going to erase you head-on, Kira Ryosuke!

What are your weapons? Technique, speed, strength!

I'll use the same methods to devour you completely!

Itoshi Rin's eyes were filled with madness. He looked like a zombie that had discovered its prey, saliva continuously spilling from his mouth.

This was his FLOW: drawing out other people's potential, then using the same methods to destroy them completely!

His puppet-master style from before had been an ability that allowed him to see through and control the entire field. It was the result of his painstaking imitation of his older brother, Itoshi Sae.

But this was Itoshi Rin's true nature!

Football so mad that it was almost ugly! A football that would destroy everything.

Arrogant to the extreme, mad to the extreme!

At the same time, it brought his abilities to their absolute limit.

In the original story, Itoshi Rin would enter FLOW during the final moments of the later battle against the U20 national team, even successfully stealing the ball from Itoshi Sae in that final instant.

But Kira Ryosuke's appearance had caused Itoshi Rin's "awakening" to come early.

The pressure Kira Ryosuke brought him was just like the pressure Itoshi Sae had once given him, something he had never experienced since facing the latter.

And Bachira Meguru's performance just now had further unleashed the already twisted emotions in his heart.

He yearned to defeat everyone and crush every existence.

Whether it was Itoshi Sae or Kira Ryosuke, he had to eliminate them both!

"I'll kill you! I'm going to kill you!"

Itoshi Rin shouted. Because his tongue was hanging out, his voice sounded slurred.

"Try to pay a little attention to your image. Looks like what I said earlier about making you repeat elementary school and start over wasn't wrong after all."

Kira Ryosuke stood in Itoshi Rin's way. More than anyone else, he understood exactly what state Itoshi Rin was in.

The maddest—and likewise, the strongest.

It could be said that this direct confrontation between him and Itoshi Rin would completely decide the outcome of the match.

The true one-on-one that would determine the course of the game!

Almost simultaneously, everyone else felt suffocated. They knew perfectly well that they couldn't participate in the battle between these two monsters.

They existed on an entirely different level from them.

Technique, speed, strength—I'll surpass you in everything!

I'll crush you. Kill, kill, kill!

Once I do that, nothing and no one will be able to restrain me anymore!

Itoshi Rin didn't slow down as he charged straight at Kira Ryosuke—but when the distance between them fell below a meter, Itoshi Rin suddenly stopped.

The abrupt stop was just like the one Kira Ryosuke had performed earlier.

Mikage Reo's ability was imitation, but Itoshi Rin was completely different.

He drew out his opponent's abilities, then surpassed them!

He used an extremely fast stepover to test Kira Ryosuke's center of gravity. Kira Ryosuke didn't fall for it. Instead, he stepped forward and actively applied pressure to his opponent.

But Itoshi Rin wasn't affected. He immediately changed the rhythm of his movement, pulled the ball backward with his left foot, then stamped down on it with his heel before sharply lifting it up. The ball leaped into the air and skimmed over Kira Ryosuke's head, while Itoshi Rin accelerated sharply, preparing to rush past Kira Ryosuke's side and complete the dribble.

"What an incredible move and rhythm!"

Bachira Meguru couldn't help praising him.

Kira Ryosuke naturally wasn't going to give Itoshi Rin any chance to receive the ball. He immediately turned around, preparing to block Itoshi Rin's path and touch the ball first.

Itoshi Rin likewise knew what the other boy might do. He held one arm between himself and Kira Ryosuke, trying to disrupt Kira Ryosuke's positioning with his arm.

The two became almost completely entangled. Whoever touched the ball first would gain the advantage!

"Is Rin faster?!"

Kunigami Rensuke shouted. As the attacker, Itoshi Rin was facing the goal, allowing him to accelerate immediately. Combined with the movement of his arm, he seemed able to gain a slightly more favorable position and touch the ball first!

Whether it was technique, speed, strength, or control over his body, Itoshi Rin had reached the absolute peak! There was originally no one else in all of Blue Lock who could match him!

But—

Kira Ryosuke was the one at the peak now!

Total Concentration Breathing!

Thunderclap and Flash!

In an instant, terrifying power erupted from Kira Ryosuke's body, like a volcano bursting with lava. Although Itoshi Rin's arm had secured the position first, Kira Ryosuke's superior speed and strength let him break free of the arm's restraint, even throwing Itoshi Rin's balance off.

"What?!"

"I told you—the one who wins in the end will definitely be me. Stop right here! With that arrogant attitude, you'll never beat me!"

Kira Ryosuke had completely positioned himself in front of Itoshi Rin and touched the ball first!

"Truly... dazzlingly brilliant... stylish to the extreme. I admit my inferiority!"

At that moment, Ariko Juubei could only stand there in awe.

He knew perfectly well that in those brief seconds, the strength, speed, and technique Itoshi Rin had displayed had all reached heights he could never surpass. That guy was a true monster.

And even that monster had still lost!

He had lost to Kira Ryosuke!

Was Kira Ryosuke an existence that surpassed monsters?!

"Take back that talk about rabble and ants, then apologize properly!"

The instant Kira Ryosuke touched the ball, he had completely brought it under his control. He turned at the same time, skillfully using his back to shove Itoshi Rin away before sending the ball flying with a powerful pass!

Only after the Red Team players saw the ball's trajectory did they realize that Niko Ikki and the others had already sprinted toward the other half of the field at top speed!

Another goal!

Chapter 73: Ending the Match—Go Back and Start Over!

Soon, the final whistle of the match sounded, and several members of the Red Team lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

It was another 5–0 victory. It looked as though Kira Ryosuke's White Team had won the match by an overwhelming margin.

But anyone who had watched the game knew that its intensity and tension had surpassed anything before it.

"I lost. I'm completely convinced. That was an unreachable brilliance."