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

This small incident also planted a thought in the minds of everyone present.

Perhaps Kira Ryosuke really could lead them out of this round.

"Then let's start assigning positions and drawing up tactics. I believe I can take the center forward role, organizing the offense around me..."

Kira Ryosuke's words carried no hint of arrogance—he was simply choosing the path most likely to secure victory.

"...Raichi Jingo, you have excellent stamina and strong aggression, so you'll take defender. The responsibility of goalkeeper goes to Iemon."

"You dare—"

Hearing himself assigned to the defender position, Raichi Jingo flew into a rage and was about to lash out, but his eyes met Kira Ryosuke's, and the hand he'd just raised lowered again.

"...Whatever. As long as we win."

"What do you all think?"

Kira Ryosuke asked for everyone's opinion.

The others nodded one after another. Kira Ryosuke had assigned positions based on each person's technical traits and physical abilities, and with his own outstanding strength, no one opposed him.

"Then we should start preparing too."

About an hour later, Kira Ryosuke led the rest of Team Z to the designated match venue.

Their game was the first one. From the moment they received the notice, they'd only had two hours, with no chance to gather intel on their opponents and formulate a response—the same went for Team X, who they were about to face.

Everyone was on edge, uncertain, with no idea how strong the enemy was or what tactics they'd use.

Only one person in the entire venue remained completely calm.

Kira Ryosuke. Because he knew exactly how strong Team X was.

At that moment, from the gate on the opposite side of the field, Team X strode in with an aggressive air, and Kira Ryosuke's gaze locked onto one person among them.

It was a tall, powerfully built man with his hair spiked high. Beneath that hair was a stern, hard-lined face devoid of any trace of a smile, giving off an extremely difficult-to-approach vibe.

But radiating from him was an intense pressure, along with a deep-seated arrogance that came from within.

Barou Shoei—Team X's ace.

In the original story, he was an arrogant man who would never pass the ball, styling himself the King of the soccer field, viewing opponents as ants and teammates as servants. The entire team had to revolve around him. He could be called one of the biggest team cancers in Blue Lock.

But there was no denying that Barou Shoei had the capital to be arrogant.

Not just his robust physique—he possessed terrifying breakthrough ability and ultra-high-precision mid-range shooting. The King of the soccer field wasn't just an empty title.

In the original story, his record wasn't great, but that was mostly because he refused to cooperate with his teammates. Barou Shoei only fought solo; passing was never an option. He believed all his teammates' actions had to revolve around his offense—but his offensive ability could easily rank among the top in Blue Lock. In his match against Team Z, he smashed through their goal five times, crushing them with an overwhelming 5:1 advantage.

But with Kira Ryosuke's presence, the outcome of this match had become an unknown.

He had no intention of handing victory over to anyone else.

Kira Ryosuke opened the System Interface.

[Host: Kira Ryosuke]
[Current Combat Points: 30]
[Current Skills:]
[Combat. Thunder Breathing. Total Concentration LV2 Proficiency 18.07%]
[Combat. Thunder Breathing First Form. Thunderclap and Flash LV2 Proficiency 15.11%]

Three days had passed since he'd leveled up Thunderclap and Flash, and Kira Ryosuke had gained another 30 Combat Points.

And just as expected, after the skill upgraded, raising its proficiency had become much harder, the progress noticeably slower.

He closed the System Interface, fixed his gaze on Barou Shoei, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

Barou Shoei was very strong—

But he was destined to fail in this round, because his weakness was too fatal.

Kira Ryosuke had already figured out how to deal with him.

"All foul calls and other judgments in the first round of selection matches will be handled via video assistant referees."

After everyone had entered the field, the broadcast echoed from all directions. This Blue Lock facility was built using the world's most cutting-edge technology.

The indoor pitch was no different from an ordinary outdoor field, except that the surroundings were all hard walls embedded with countless high-tech devices. No sky was visible, no spectators were present—only countless cameras aimed at the field.

"Then, Match 1 of Block 5, 45 minutes, Team X vs Team Z—kick off!"

As the broadcast finished, a sharp, crisp bell rang out.

The match officially began!

In the center circle, Kira Ryosuke received a pass from Isagi Yoichi and immediately charged with the ball toward the opponent's goal.

In the original story, Team Z had fallen into chaos shortly after kickoff due to infighting over ball possession, but Kira Ryosuke had successfully prevented that from happening.

Everyone stayed obediently in the positions they were supposed to be in.

In the monitoring room, Ego Jinpachi was watching the live match on the screens with rapt attention.

Countless cameras had been placed on the field, allowing him to observe the game from every angle.

"Just two hours... and he's completed the transformation from zero to one. Impressive."

Ego Jinpachi muttered to himself.

Chapter Eighteen: Score Within One Minute!

'The top scorer from each team is guaranteed to advance'—Ego Jinpachi had deliberately set this rule to ignite the selfishness and offensive drive of these strikers.

It wasn't just the overlap in positions; each team had only been formed three days ago, with no time for adjustment or training. Under this rule, Ego Jinpachi could foresee that a makeshift team of eleven strikers would descend into chaos fighting for possession—especially since this was the first match of this round of selection. The opening would inevitably be as messy and disorganized as kids kicking a ball around.

The scenario Ego Jinpachi envisioned was someone on the field displaying absolute offensive dominance, making this hastily assembled team coalesce around them, completing the shift from zero to one. In his estimation, Barou Shoei was the most fitting example.

But Ego Jinpachi hadn't expected that before the match even began, Kira Ryosuke had already achieved this.

At that moment, every member of Team Z was moving within their designated zones, with no infighting whatsoever.

Aside from private spaces, almost every inch of Blue Lock was under surveillance, and Ego Jinpachi had witnessed everything that happened in Team Z. Kira Ryosuke had used his own strength to preemptively resolve conflicts that hadn't even erupted yet.

Throughout Blue Lock, no one besides Kira Ryosuke would have even considered this scenario.

And having a sharp mind and big-picture vision alone wasn't enough—to fully command a team in such a short time, one also needed the strength to command respect.

Kira Ryosuke possessed all these qualities.

"Was he always this impressive?"

Ego Jinpachi wondered, puzzled. Even though Kira Ryosuke had made a name for himself young, he hadn't rated him highly—in fact, he'd thought Kira Ryosuke might be among the first to be eliminated.

Only now did he realize he had underestimated this man.

"But I'm still looking forward to seeing you perform on the pitch. No matter how well you do, Blue Lock is nothing like an ordinary match."

Kira Ryosuke dribbled swiftly, charging straight toward the opponent's penalty area under the cover of Isagi Yoichi and Bachira Meguru.

His goal was to breach the enemy's defense and score in the shortest time possible.

With proper allocation of time and stamina, Kira Ryosuke could unleash the true power of Thunderclap and Flash up to four times in a single match.

And the prerequisite was securing a scoring opportunity at the start of the first half!

Only by successfully using Thunderclap and Flash in the Total Concentration Breathing state during the early part of the first half could Kira Ryosuke have ample time to recover his stamina and adjust his physical condition.

Moreover, scoring right from the start would massively crush the opponent's morale while boosting his own team's spirits.

In the original story, Barou Shoei led Team X to breach Team Z's goal five times. Now, Kira Ryosuke aimed to dismantle them with even greater efficiency.

All he needed to do was crush Barou Shoei alone.

"So fast!"

The defenders stationed on the back line couldn't help but exclaim again.

Even though Kira Ryosuke had already displayed astonishing speed during the one-on-one segment, actual matches were a different beast—physical condition, mental state, and both teams' tactical formations all affected a player's performance.

But for Kira Ryosuke, such limitations seemed nonexistent.

"What the hell, what kind of speed is that!"

Team X's players were equally stunned by Kira Ryosuke's pace. They scrambled to tighten their formation, but in the blink of an eye, Kira Ryosuke had already blown past several men.

"Damn it! Double-team him!"

"Don't let him score!"

"I know, stop fucking telling me what to do!"

Three players immediately charged at Kira Ryosuke with aggressive momentum, blocking almost every possible breakthrough route.

"A surround like this—no matter how fast you are, you can't get through!"

"Their formation tightened too quickly. We should reorganize the attack!"

Isagi Yoichi, following behind Kira Ryosuke, shouted. Kira Ryosuke's speed was indeed incredible, but this was their first offensive push. The opponent, stationed in their own half, could compress their formation at top speed, making a breakthrough extremely difficult. The best option now was to pass back to a teammate, reorganize, and look for an opening.

The moment he heard Isagi Yoichi speak, Kira Ryosuke did slow down, turning his head toward Isagi Yoichi's direction.

"He's going to pass!"

One of the defenders, seeing Kira Ryosuke's movement, made a snap judgment and shifted his weight, lunging toward the likely passing lane, ready to intercept the moment Kira Ryosuke released the ball.

And in that instant, Kira Ryosuke moved again.

The head-turn had been a feint, meant to throw off the defender's center of gravity and mislead them about his next attacking route.

In high-level competitive matches, even a momentary lapse in positioning can be exploited by a skilled attacker.

Thunderclap and Flash!

Kira Ryosuke unleashed his ability, power gathering in his legs, granting him even greater explosive speed as he burst straight through the triple-team.

They had the numbers advantage, but without any defensive strategy, Kira Ryosuke tore through their line with ease.

"This guy, is he even faster than before?!"

"He can still accelerate?"

"Is he a monster?!"

Team X was stunned by Kira Ryosuke's strength.

On the other side of Team Z's half, Chigiri Hyoma stared at Kira Ryosuke's back, a little dazed.

Once upon a time, he too was a genius player who prided himself on speed, but a career-threatening injury nearly made him say goodbye to football. His movements became hesitant, and he lost the speed he had once been so proud of.

At this moment, Chigiri Hyoma's eyes widened slightly. Kira Ryosuke's speed in that instant seemed to rival his own peak—perhaps even surpass it.

"This guy... what is he made of..."

His pupils trembled. Once, he too had possessed speed far beyond others.

But Chigiri Hyoma kept watching Kira Ryosuke's back, and without realizing it, a fire seemed to ignite in his heart.

At the other end of the field, Kira Ryosuke had completely broken through Team X's defense, charging straight for their goal.

Team X's goalkeeper felt his heartbeat suddenly quicken. He never imagined that within less than a minute of the match starting, the opponent would pose such a terrifying threat to the goal he guarded.

Chapter 19: Thunderclap and Flash—A Shocking Power Shot!

At this moment, in the goalkeeper's eyes, Kira Ryosuke was like a bolt of lightning, rushing straight toward him.

Surprise, tension, and fear brewed in his heart.

But he knew one thing for sure: he absolutely could not let Kira Ryosuke score so easily.

A one-on-one chance had formed. He had to try to stop him.