Blue Lock, I, Kira Ryosuke, Obtain Thunder Breathing at the Start - Chapter 5

A person with long red hair and a delicate, feminine face sat to the side. Chigiri Hyoma, possessing unparalleled speed, had been unable to fully display his abilities due to a career-threatening injury.

Kira Ryosuke knew his journey in Blue Lock had officially begun.

Soon, he would face the first selection.

"Kira, it's great to see a familiar face here!"

Inside the room, Isagi Yoichi, also assigned to Team Z, greeted Kira Ryosuke with a smile.

"Yeah, it's great."

Kira Ryosuke responded politely.

In the original story, Isagi Yoichi, the protagonist, didn't seem to have any outstanding abilities, but he possessed eyes that could grasp the entire situation, serving to connect the whole team.

Moreover, in the original story, it was he who directly caused the original body's elimination.

However, in the end, it was a combination of luck and the original body not being prepared for the Blue Lock project that led to its elimination.

The current Kira Ryosuke would not make the same mistake.

"Have you all changed, my budding football stars?"

On the steel-forged walls, a giant screen projected Jinpachi Ego's somewhat eerie face. Beneath his thick lenses, a pair of pitch-black eyes cast a cunning gaze.

"Listen up, the people in the same room are now both roommates and rivals who will push each other to improve. I have quantified your abilities and ranked you with my intuition and prejudice. The number on your opponent is your name..."

Listening to Jinpachi Ego, everyone confirmed their numbers and then began to check each other's. Their gazes eventually settled on one person.

Kira Ryosuke.

In Team Z, the rankings were the consecutive numbers 289 to 300, meaning Kira Ryosuke was the strongest among them.

The strongest person would also be the one everyone targeted.

"...Alright, it's time for a game of tag. The time limit is 136 seconds. Whoever is touched by the ball is 'it.' The person who is 'it' when the countdown ends will pack their bags and leave! Also, no handballs!"

With almost no preamble, Jinpachi Ego announced the content of the first selection.

In short, the person who was last touched by the ball before time ran out would be eliminated. This tested the mobility and reaction time of forwards.

The original body failed to realize this, failing to see the cruelty of Blue Lock, and was thus eliminated.

As soon as Jinpachi Ego finished speaking, a small opening appeared in the ceiling, composed of dozens of metal cubes. A soccer ball dropped out, and at the same time, the big screen displayed a countdown and a name.

Igarashi Gumon.

While others were still confused, a short boy with a hairstyle resembling a monk walked up to the soccer ball. He was the owner of the name Igarashi Gumon.

Kira Ryosuke carefully observed Igarashi Gumon. In the original work, he could be described as a complete scoundrel.

Despite having bottom-tier abilities in every aspect, he always managed to latch onto strong players, winning without contributing anything, and even making it to the end.

In a sense, there was also an element of unfair luck in Blue Lock.

Chapter 10: Just Now, Did You Call Me a Scapegoat?

"I, the lowest of the low, will be 'it' first... Bring it on, whoever loses, don't hold a grudge!"

Igarashi Gumon stepped on the soccer ball, his gaze sweeping around to find a suitable target.

He was already sweating before the game even began.

After hesitating for about ten seconds, Igarashi Gumon finally moved. He dribbled towards the crowd like a headless fly—but in terms of physical ability and soccer skills, he was absolutely last, completely unable to kick anyone.

Kira Ryosuke knew what he would do next. Everything here was unfolding almost exactly as in the original work.

After about a minute, Igarashi Gumon finally found a suitable target.

Bachira Meguru, who was still sleeping on the ground.

Just as he was about to kick the ball, Bachira Meguru, who had been lying down, instantly sprang up and deliberately kicked the ball into Igarashi Gumon's face.

"Hey, hey, hey, that's a foul! You'll definitely get a red card!"

"Only handballs are forbidden."

Bachira Meguru looked half-asleep.

"Hey, don't use such sneaky tactics, let's have a fair fight!"

Kunigami Rensuke reached out and placed his hand on Bachira Meguru's shoulder. Being straightforward by nature, he disliked Bachira Meguru's methods outside of football.

However, before he could finish speaking, the soccer ball had already kicked him.

"Namu san!"

Igarashi Gumon excitedly stuck out his tongue, thrilled by his successful sneak attack. The name on the screen changed from Igarashi Gumon to Kunigami Rensuke.

"You damn idiot, I'm going to take you down!"

Enraged by Igarashi Gumon's despicable method, Kunigami Rensuke's veins bulged on his face. He raised his foot, preparing to powerfully kick the ball towards Igarashi Gumon.

Igarashi Gumon immediately looked around, trying to find a human shield to block Kunigami Rensuke's furious strike.

The closest person to him was Kira Ryosuke.

"Found my scapegoat!"

Igarashi Gumon clung to Kira Ryosuke like a monkey, hiding behind him and forcefully restraining his arms to limit his movement.

"Kira!"

On the other side, Isagi Yoichi called out with concern, as Kira Ryosuke was the only person in the room he was somewhat familiar with.

At this very moment, the expression on Igarashi Gumon's face, who had been gloating over his petty cleverness, changed, his smile gradually disappearing.

He felt as if he were clinging to a hard stone, unable to even budge the other person's arm.

This person named Kira Ryosuke possessed a physique no less terrifying than Kunigami Rensuke's.

He didn't know that this physique was the product of devilish training combined with breathing techniques.

At the same time, Igarashi Gumon's gaze met Kira Ryosuke's as he slightly turned his head to glance at him. The person before him was completely different from the refined gentleman he appeared to be when they first entered.

Who was this person?

Almost instinctively, Igarashi Gumon released his grip on Kira Ryosuke and ran in another direction.

All of this was witnessed by Bachira Meguru.

"He actually got scared off? Like a monkey seeing a lion... Interesting."

Bachira Meguru stared intently at Kira Ryosuke, a look of eagerness on his face.

"Ahhh!"

Kunigami Rensuke unleashed an angry kick, its trajectory unchangeable, flying directly towards Kira Ryosuke. The terrifying speed of the ball indicated the immense power it contained; if a slender person were hit by this strike, they would likely not be able to stand again.

But Kira Ryosuke had no intention of dodging. He used his solid chest to take the full impact of the ball, simultaneously tilting his body to absorb the force, stopping the ball in front of him before stepping on it.

"Did you just call me your scapegoat?"

Kira Ryosuke's lion-like gaze fell upon Igarashi Gumon.

It was as if he were declaring his hunting target.

In the original story, Igarashi Gumon was a character who basically relied on his unpleasant personality, luck, and clinging to others to get ahead. His personality was also very flamboyant, and Kira Ryosuke didn't have a good impression of him.

And now, Igarashi Gumon had used himself as a human shield, an act that had already provoked Kira Ryosuke. One could say he was digging his own grave.

At the same time, Kira Ryosuke knew that one person had to be eliminated in this round, and the remaining individuals would form a temporary team to compete for qualification spots against other teams.

Since he had already chosen his target, Kira Ryosuke would do everything he could to advance, so he needed to choose the path with the highest probability of winning.

Sufficient personal strength combined with the highest probability of winning—this was the most likely way to achieve his goal.

And Igarashi Gumon, who was practically useless, was the most suitable candidate for elimination.

One could say that from the moment Kira Ryosuke participated in this selection, Igarashi Gumon was destined to stop here.

Kira Ryosuke did not dodge Kunigami Rensuke's kick for two reasons: firstly, he wanted to further confirm the extent of his physical abilities combined with his breathing technique.

Secondly, he wanted to keep possession of the ball and decide who would be eliminated.

In Blue Lock, where everyone was a forward, Kira Ryosuke knew that he needed to take the lead in the team to easily pass through the next, more brutal selection rounds.

Although only one person would ultimately emerge from Blue Lock, teamwork was still essential at this stage.

Moreover, doing so would also prevent unexpected situations, especially from unpredictable individuals like Bachira Meguru.

If Bachira Meguru had gained possession of the ball, he would have directly challenged Kira Ryosuke to a one-on-one duel, which was an unnecessary hassle.

"What kind of physical strength is that..."

Everyone on the field was somewhat surprised, especially Isagi Yoichi.

As the only one who had previously fought Kira Ryosuke, he knew the man was strong...

But he hadn't expected Kira Ryosuke to be this strong.

In last week's match, although Isagi Yoichi's team had lost, they had simply failed to seize the opportunity for a comeback.

Isagi Yoichi felt that Kira Ryosuke was strong, far stronger than himself, with a gap in skill of about a hundred and eight thousand miles.

And at this moment, Isagi Yoichi subconsciously felt that the gap between himself and Kira Ryosuke was likely several times greater.

The name on the screen also changed to Kira Ryosuke.

"Looks like I can't get the ball! Kira, this is too boring!"

Bachira Meguru dejectedly rubbed his head.

Time ticked by, and Kira Ryosuke showed no signs of making a move. However, his objective was clear: Igarashi Gumon was his target. The others, for the moment, stopped moving or dodging.

Chapter 11: Kira Ryosuke, An Ignored Beast

"That was an accident just now, don't target me like this!"

Igarashi Gumon forced a smile, realizing that his actions had caused a huge problem. Everyone now knew about his petty tricks, and they all kept their distance, giving him no opportunity to use them as shields.

Damn it...

Igarashi Gumon grumbled inwardly, his heart pounding as if it would burst out of his chest. He glanced at the countdown timer on the screen.

Ten seconds remaining.

Looks like Kira Ryosuke plans to make his move in the last second? That way, I won't have a chance to counterattack—but if I can dodge, then he'll be the one eliminated. There's a chance! A pretty good one! The less time there is, the easier it will be for me to judge when he'll kick! The distance between us isn't that short; I should be able to react!

The thought reignited a spark of confidence in Igarashi Gumon's heart.

Time trickled by.

And at this very moment, Kira Ryosuke spoke:

"I know what you're thinking. I thought attacking in the last second would give you no chance to counter."

"But actually, I just wanted to tell you that scoring against you is as easy as pie. You might think you can react at this distance, but that's where you're wrong."

Kira Ryosuke's tone was calm, devoid of any anger.

Kira Ryosuke took a step forward, entering the state of Total Concentration Breathing once more.

His heart rate quickened, his breathing sped up, and the blood coursing through his veins felt like it was about to boil.

Everyone else around them could feel the powerful aura emanating from Kira Ryosuke. For a moment, they forgot how to breathe, no one daring to blink, lest they miss this crucial moment.

Igarashi Gumon's legs even felt a little weak.

In the final second, Kira Ryosuke's right foot drew a beautiful arc, sending the soccer ball flying with force.