This little interlude also gave everyone else present the same thought.
Perhaps Kira Ryosuke really could lead them out of this selection round.
"Then let's start assigning positions and working out our tactics. I think I can take the striker position and organize the attack around myself..."
There was nothing arrogant about Kira Ryosuke's words. He had simply chosen the easiest way to secure victory.
"...Raichi Jingo, you have excellent stamina and strong aggression, so you'll play defense. I'll leave the important task of goalkeeping to you, Iemon."
"How dare you..."
Hearing that he had been assigned to defense, Raichi Jingo flew into a rage and was about to erupt. But his eyes met Kira Ryosuke's, and the hand he had just raised slowly dropped.
"...Whatever. As long as we win."
"What do you think?"
Kira Ryosuke asked everyone for their opinions.
The others nodded one after another. Kira Ryosuke had assigned positions based on everyone's technical traits and physical abilities. Combined with his own impressive strength, there was no one who opposed him.
"Then we should get ready too."
A little over an hour later, Kira Ryosuke led the rest of Team Z to the designated match venue.
Their match was the first one. From the moment they received the notice, they had only two hours, leaving them no opportunity to gather information about their opponents and prepare accordingly—and the same was true for Team X.
Everyone was extremely nervous and lacked confidence. They had no idea how strong their opponents were or what tactics they would use.
There was only one person who remained completely calm.
Kira Ryosuke, because he knew exactly how strong Team X was.
At that moment, Team X entered the field through the gate on the opposite side, advancing aggressively. Kira Ryosuke's gaze met that of one of them.
He was a tall, powerfully built man with hair standing straight up and a firm, stern face beneath it. There was not the slightest hint of a smile, and he looked extremely difficult to get along with.
Yet he radiated intense pressure, along with an arrogance that came from deep within.
Barou Shoei, Team X's ace.
In the original story, he was an arrogant man who absolutely refused to pass. He called himself the King of the soccer field, regarded his opponents as insects and his teammates as servants, and demanded that the entire team revolve around him. He could be called one of the greatest cancers to teamwork in Blue Lock.
But no one could deny that Barou Shoei had the capital to be arrogant.
He possessed not only a powerful physique, but also terrifying dribbling ability and highly precise mid-range shots. The King of the soccer field was no empty title.
In the original story, his record was not particularly good, but that was basically because he refused to cooperate with his teammates. Barou Shoei only played alone, without even considering passing, believing that every action his teammates took had to revolve around his offense. Still, his attacking ability ranked among the very best in Blue Lock. In his match against Team Z, he blasted the ball into their goal five times, crushing them by an overwhelming score of 5–1.
However, with Kira Ryosuke present, the outcome of this match had become uncertain.
He had no intention of handing victory to anyone.
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 Thunderclap and Flash had leveled up, and Kira Ryosuke had earned another 30 Combat Points.
As expected, after a skill leveled up, increasing its proficiency became more difficult, and his progress slowed considerably.
He closed the System Interface and turned his gaze toward Barou Shoei, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Barou Shoei was extremely strong—
But he was destined to lose this match, because his weakness was too fatal.
Kira Ryosuke had already thought of a way to deal with him.
"During the first selection, all judgments regarding fouls and similar matters will be handled by video assistant referees."
After everyone had entered the field, the announcer's voice echoed from every direction. Blue Lock could be said to be a product built with the most advanced technology in the world.
The indoor soccer field was no different from an ordinary field outside, except that the surrounding walls were all hard and embedded with countless high-tech devices. There was no visible sky, no spectators, and only countless cameras aimed at the field.
"Now, the first match of the fifth game. Forty-five minutes. Team X versus Team Z. Kickoff!"
The moment the announcement ended, an incredibly loud, crisp buzzer rang out.
The match officially began!
In the center circle, Kira Ryosuke received Isagi Yoichi's pass and immediately dribbled toward the opposing goal.
In the original story, Team Z had descended into chaos shortly after kickoff because its members fought over possession. But Kira Ryosuke had successfully prevented that from happening.
Everyone stayed obediently in the position they were supposed to occupy.
In the monitoring room, Ego Jinpachi watched the live match on the screen with total concentration.
Since countless cameras had been placed around the field, he could observe the match from 360 degrees.
"In just two hours... he completed the transformation from zero to one. Impressive."
Ego Jinpachi muttered to himself.
Chapter Eighteen: Breaking Through in One Minute!
'The top scorer on each team will definitely advance.' Ego Jinpachi had deliberately established this rule to stimulate the selfishness and attacking desire of these forwards.
It was not merely a matter of overlapping positions. Each team had only been formed three days ago, and they had not yet had time to coordinate or train together.
Under this rule, Ego Jinpachi could predict that a temporary team made up of eleven forwards would become incredibly chaotic as they fought for possession. What was more, this was the first match of the selection round, so the opening would definitely devolve into a disorderly game of children's soccer.
The scene Ego Jinpachi had envisioned was for someone to display absolute attacking ability on the field, make the temporary team revolve around him, and lead the team through its transformation from zero to one.
In his expectations, Barou Shoei was the perfect example.
But Ego Jinpachi had not expected Kira Ryosuke to accomplish this before the match had even begun.
At this moment, every member of Team Z was moving within the area where he was supposed to be. No one was fighting over possession.
Aside from private rooms, almost all of Blue Lock was under surveillance. Ego Jinpachi had also witnessed everything that had happened to Team Z earlier. Kira Ryosuke had used his strength to resolve a dispute before it had even occurred.
No one in all of Blue Lock except Kira Ryosuke would have considered this possibility.
Moreover, an outstanding mind and a broad view of the field were not enough. To completely control a team in such a short time, one also needed the strength to command everyone's respect.
Kira Ryosuke possessed all of these qualities.
"Was he always this impressive?"
Ego Jinpachi was somewhat puzzled. Although Kira Ryosuke had become famous at a young age, Ego had not thought highly of him. He had even believed that Kira Ryosuke might be among the first group of players eliminated.
Only now did he realize that he had somewhat underestimated this person.
"Still, I'm looking forward to seeing what you do on the field. No matter how well you perform, Blue Lock absolutely cannot be compared to an ordinary match."
Kira Ryosuke advanced rapidly with the ball, heading straight for the opposing penalty area under the cover of Isagi Yoichi and Bachira Meguru.
His goal was to break through the opposing defense and score in the shortest possible time.
Under a reasonable allocation of time and stamina, Kira Ryosuke could unleash the true power of Thunderclap and Flash at most four times in a single match.
But the prerequisite was that he had to get a chance to score at the beginning of the first half!
Only by using Thunderclap and Flash while in the state of Total Concentration Breathing during the first half could Kira Ryosuke leave himself enough time to recover his stamina and adjust his physical condition.
Moreover, scoring right at the beginning would severely crush the opponents' morale while boosting his own team's spirit.
In the original story, Barou Shoei had led Team X to score five times against Team Z. Now, Kira Ryosuke intended to crush them even more efficiently.
Crushing Barou Shoei alone would be enough.
"So fast!"
The players stationed along the defensive line could not help exclaiming in amazement once again.
Although Kira Ryosuke had already displayed astonishing speed during the one-on-one segment, things were different in an actual match. Physical condition, mental strength, and the tactics and formations of both sides would all affect a player's performance.
But for Kira Ryosuke, those limitations seemed not to exist.
"Damn it, what kind of speed is that?"
The players from Team X were equally stunned by Kira Ryosuke's speed. They pulled their formation back as quickly as possible, but in the blink of an eye, Kira Ryosuke had already dribbled past several players.
"Damn it! Double-team him!"
"Don't let him score!"
"I know! Don't fucking order me around!"
Three players immediately charged at Kira Ryosuke aggressively, practically blocking all of his possible routes forward.
"With this kind of encirclement, you can't get past them no matter how fast you are!"
"They pulled their formation back too quickly. You should reorganize the attack!"
Isagi Yoichi, who was following behind Kira Ryosuke, shouted loudly. Kira Ryosuke was indeed extremely fast, but they were the attacking side in the first selection, while the opponents were in their own half and could pull back as quickly as possible. Breaking through would be very difficult. The best choice now was to pass the ball back to a teammate, reorganize the attack, and look for another opportunity.
The instant he heard Isagi Yoichi speak, Kira Ryosuke did slow down. At the same time, he turned his head toward where Isagi Yoichi was.
"This guy's going to pass!"
Seeing Kira Ryosuke's movement, one of the players immediately made his judgment. He shifted his center of gravity and rushed toward the possible passing lane, intending to intercept the ball the moment Kira Ryosuke passed.
But at that instant, Kira Ryosuke moved again.
The turn of his head had been nothing but a feint, meant to shift the defender's center of gravity and make him misjudge Kira Ryosuke's next attacking route.
In a high-level competitive match, even a momentary loss of position could be seized by an excellent attacker.
Thunderclap and Flash!
Kira Ryosuke activated his ability. Power gathered in both his legs, granting him stronger and faster explosive force as he burst directly through the three-man double-team.
They had the numerical advantage, but they had no defensive tactics. Their formation was torn apart effortlessly by Kira Ryosuke.
"This guy is even faster than before?!"
"He can accelerate again?"
"Is he a monster?!"
Team X was stunned by Kira Ryosuke's strength.
At the back of Team Z's half, Chigiri Hyoma stared blankly at Kira Ryosuke's back.
Once upon a time, he had also been a genius player who prided himself on his speed. But after suffering an injury severe enough to destroy his career, he had nearly been forced to say goodbye to soccer. His movements had become timid, and he had lost the speed he had once been proud of.
At this moment, Chigiri Hyoma's eyes widened slightly. The speed Kira Ryosuke had displayed in that instant seemed comparable to his own peak speed—and might even have surpassed it.
"What is this guy... made of...?"
His pupils trembled slightly. Once upon a time, he too had possessed speed far beyond that of ordinary people.
But Chigiri Hyoma continued staring at Kira Ryosuke's back. Before he realized it, the flame in his heart seemed to have been rekindled.
At the other end of the field, Kira Ryosuke had completely torn through Team X's defense and was charging straight toward their goal.
Team X's goalkeeper felt his heart suddenly accelerate. He had never imagined that the opposing side could pose such a terrifying threat to his goal in less than a minute after kickoff.
Chapter Nineteen: Thunderclap and Flash, a Powerful Shot That Shocked the Entire Field!
At that moment, in the goalkeeper's eyes, Kira Ryosuke was like a bolt of lightning charging straight toward him.
Surprise, nervousness, and fear brewed in his heart.
But he knew that he absolutely could not let Kira Ryosuke score so comfortably.
The one-on-one situation had already formed. He had to try to stop him.
Before you continue