Chapter 74: The Strongest Opponents, the World Five!
[Upgrade successful! Combat. Thunder Breathing. Third Form. Gathering Mosquitoes into Thunder has reached LV3. Proficiency reset.] [Upgrade successful! Combat. Thunder Breathing. Total Concentration has reached LV4. Proficiency reset.]
Kira Ryosuke quickly completed the upgrades for both skills. The improvement to Gathering Mosquitoes into Thunder allowed him to create passes and shots with more treacherous curves, while raising Total Concentration Breathing to LV4 allowed him to enter the state more frequently and maintain it for longer.
At LV3, Kira Ryosuke could maintain Total Concentration for roughly half the time. LV4 would definitely extend that duration further.
At this rate, if he upgraded it to LV5, Kira Ryosuke should be able to achieve the Constant Reduplication level of Total Concentration Breathing.
Maintaining Total Concentration Breathing at all times, even while sound asleep, would also bring about a qualitative leap in his physical abilities.
However, the difficulty of upgrading from LV3 to LV4 was already extremely high. Thanks to the Combat Space and the doubled Combat Points he earned from training every day, Kira Ryosuke had managed to maintain a still-acceptable pace.
As for upgrading from LV4 to LV5, that would certainly take even longer.
But Kira Ryosuke was willing to accept the challenge.
"There are 10 Combat Points left. It's not much, but I'll keep practicing in the Combat Space."
A smile appeared on Kira Ryosuke's face as he entered the Combat Space.
The next day, Kira Ryosuke and the others stepped into the corridor leading to the match venue.
Bachira Meguru's body trembled slightly. It wasn't just nervousness; he was even more excited.
The chance to face world-class players was an opportunity countless people dreamed of.
Kunigami Rensuke and Niko Ikki looked rather solemn, while even Nagi Seishiro, who usually appeared so listless, wore an unusually serious expression.
Just as they were about to reach the exit, Kira Ryosuke suddenly stopped walking.
"What's wrong, Kira?"
Everyone's eyes fell on Kira Ryosuke.
"Ego Jinpachi selected five world-class players to face us. His purpose should simply be to let us witness the gap between ourselves and the world's best, while having them assess our abilities. He never intended for us to win."
As Kira Ryosuke spoke, he slowly raised his head.
At the same time, a smile appeared on his face.
"But precisely because of that, we have to slap them hard in the face. If we can defeat them, we'll definitely shock the world. So give it everything you've got and show those guys what we can do."
"Yeah!"
Bachira Meguru nodded vigorously.
"We'll beat them fair and square!"
"We'll definitely win."
"I don't want to feel what losing is like a second time."
The other three nodded as well.
The flames of battle had already been lit in their hearts.
"Then let's go."
Kira Ryosuke nodded and started walking again.
At last, they arrived at the match venue.
The World Five stood on the opposite side of the field—
looking at them as if they were animals in a zoo.
"Just as I said, their muscles aren't well-developed. You owe me ten thousand dollars."
"Haha, they're much more delicate than us. Are these really all they've got?"
"Ego Jinpachi said one of them might pose a threat to us. Don't make me laugh."
"The match is starting earlier than expected. Itoshi Sae's little brother isn't here? I thought he'd be the first one. Whatever. Let's finish the match and get back to the hotel. Nothing beats easy money."
Apart from Roki, the other players spoke in English. They completely disregarded the Blue Lock five, their every movement filled with arrogance, their mocking expressions utterly undisguised.
Believing that their opponents couldn't understand English, they taunted them without restraint.
If Ego Jinpachi hadn't paid them enough, they wouldn't have bothered coming here.
"Are they speaking English? I can't understand them..."
Bachira Meguru frowned.
"Kira."
Nagi Seishiro turned to Kira Ryosuke. Although he seemed indifferent to everything, he had always been a top student at school and could naturally understand what the men were saying.
"I know."
Kira Ryosuke narrowed his eyes slightly and fixed his gaze on them. He understood them too.
"Hello, everyone."
Julian Roki quickly walked over to Kira Ryosuke and the others and greeted them. He didn't use English and was much more polite than the other four.
"Please take care of us."
Kira Ryosuke shook his hand while carefully studying him.
Although he wasn't particularly tall, the definition of his muscles was clearly visible even through his clothes.
Roki, a genius player possessing terrifying Godspeed.
And the others were just as frighteningly strong.
The intensity of this match far exceeded anything before it.
In the original story, they had crushed Itoshi Rin and Isagi Yoichi's team with ease without even taking the match seriously.
However, in Kira Ryosuke's eyes, the victor of this match was still uncertain.
The players soon returned to their own halves. When the referee's whistle sounded, the match officially began!
The Blue Lock team kicked off!
Kira Ryosuke passed the ball to Bachira Meguru, who immediately sprinted toward the opposing half at top speed.
"Huh? It's started already?"
Standing in front of Bachira Meguru was Pablo Cavazos, known as the Freckled Baby. He was the smallest and thinnest of the five, but his strength was not to be underestimated.
At that moment, however, Cavazos looked extremely relaxed and wasn't taking the match seriously at all.
Bachira Meguru used an ultra-fast stepover followed by a turn to get past him, then immediately crossed the ball—Nagi Seishiro was already in position!
It was an extremely high-arcing pass, but it wasn't difficult for Nagi Seishiro to receive.
He hooked the ball in midair, completing Super Ball Control, while simultaneously spinning his body.
In an instant, he shifted into a shooting stance!
A powerful shot! It found the back of the net!
They took a 1–0 lead!
"We did it!"
Kunigami Rensuke couldn't help cheering. Scoring so quickly at the start, and in front of world-class players no less, was undoubtedly a huge morale boost. Everything had gone far more smoothly than he'd imagined.
"The real match hasn't started yet."
Kira Ryosuke spoke slowly.
He knew the opponents hadn't taken them seriously at all. They had left the players unmarked, as if they could come back and win no matter how many goals the Blue Lock team scored.
That was absolute arrogance.
"Not bad. Let's kick the ball around seriously for a bit."
Black spoke slowly.
"Yeah. The contract says we don't get paid if we lose."
"So long as we don't lose, right?"
"There's a bonus for scoring goals too!"
The other players became slightly more serious, but in their eyes, the match was still no different from a game.
"Okay."
Roki nodded and cast a calm gaze toward the opposing goal.
Possession changed hands. The World team kicked off.
Roki leisurely dribbled the ball past midfield, and Niko Ikki immediately moved up to mark him tightly.
"May I?"
Roki looked at Niko Ikki and asked in a relaxed tone.
"What?"
Niko Ikki frowned while using his abilities to observe the field, trying to determine what passing options the opponent might have.
"There are openings everywhere along my attacking route."
Roki spoke slowly.
"Huh?"
Before Niko Ikki could react, a raging wind slammed into his face like a wall.
With his next breath, Roki had already reached his back!
"What?! What is this explosive speed?!"
Niko Ikki didn't even have time to react before Roki blew past him.
There had been no change of direction and no dribbling move. He had simply used sheer speed to get past him, like a jet racing past his side!
By the time Niko Ikki turned around, Roki was already far away, charging straight toward the goal!
"Stop him!"
Kunigami Rensuke and Nagi Seishiro immediately moved to block him, but before they could make any defensive move, Roki broke through with even more terrifying speed!
There was no one left in front of him.
1–1!
"What... What kind of speed is that?!"
Kunigami Rensuke's voice trembled as he stared at Roki in disbelief.
Within Blue Lock, there was no one who could compare to him. Neither Tsurugi Zantetsu nor Chigiri Hyoma came close to matching him in speed.
This guy was a genuine monster...
"Pass the ball next time, asshole!"
The other teammates laughed as they called out to Roki, as if they were already used to his speed.
An easy smile spread across Roki's face.
"Okay. I've had enough fun. Let's finish the match and go take a shower."
Although Roki's movements and manners seemed more polite than the others', he was actually the most arrogant of them all.
To him, this was nothing more than a game. There was no need to exert himself any further.
The gap in strength was absolute.
They kicked off again. Bachira Meguru drove forward with the ball once more, but just as he prepared to get past Cavazos again, the latter suddenly stepped forward.
With a single move, he cleanly stole the ball from beneath Bachira Meguru's feet!
Bachira Meguru's eyes widened. He couldn't believe the opponent had taken the ball from him so easily.
"Your rhythm is threatening, but your movements are too predictable."
That was Cavazos's only assessment of Bachira Meguru, who possessed one of the best dribbling techniques in Blue Lock.
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