Blue Lock: Beyond Greatness

"Have you all had enough fun?" A gust of wind accompanied Shinichi's arrival as he blocked Eita's path just as he was about to secure the rebound.

'Even in such a rushed moment, he managed to position himself to block my shot path—what a pain.'

For once, Eita's usually expressionless face showed a hint of caution.

However, there wasn't the slightest hesitation in his raised leg.

Eita swung his foot, but the ball was never struck.

At this critical moment, Eita performed a feint instead of shooting!

Caught off guard by the sudden deception, Shinichi, who had rushed back on defense, could only react to Eita's fake movement.

Instinctively, he leaped in the direction of the supposed shot, attempting to block what turned out to be an illusion.

Using the brief opening created by the feint, Eita swiftly adjusted and flicked the ball sideways just before Shinichi could recover and press again.

The player who insisted on playing at his own rhythm had chosen this moment to pass the ball! And the direction the ball flew was…

"As expected, the final target is you, Karasu!" Hiori suddenly stepped in front of Karasu, cutting off his path. "Your play has already been read like a book!"

"You've improved quite a bit, Hiori," Karasu growled, his face twisted with exertion as he raised his arm to fight for position.

However, after his prolonged struggle to hold off Shinichi, Karasu was already fatigued.

Meanwhile, Hiori's body had become much stronger from his intense training.

For the moment, Karasu couldn't overpower Hiori.

"But unfortunately, you still can't see the full picture!"

Hiori's pupils contracted sharply as he heard Karasu's words.

In a sudden reversal, Karasu shifted from attacking to blocking Hiori's movements, while Hiori scrambled to shake him off.

It was too late.

"I've arrived in style!" Aryu shouted dramatically.

The moment Eita passed the ball, Aryu had begun a sprint across the field.

Now, with a giant leap and his extraordinarily long legs, Aryu intercepted the pass just ahead of the two struggling players.

Landing slightly unbalanced, Aryu didn't even have time to stabilize his footing.

Without hesitation, he swung his leg and struck the ball toward the goal.

Though the shot was hurried, it carried remarkable precision.

The ball spun with intense rotation, creating a subtle curve that the goalkeeper failed to anticipate.

The slight but critical deviation in the ball's trajectory caused the goalkeeper to misjudge.

His outstretched hand failed to fully block the ball, and instead, it deflected off his fingertips, sending the ball downward.

It was headed straight into the net.

"One after another—this is endless!"

A slightly disheveled figure slid across the ground, extending his leg to block the ball.

The shot deflected off his shin and weakly bounced away.

It was Shinichi! From the moment Aryu appeared, he had already anticipated the possible shot trajectory.

Watching his team's goalkeeper closely, he had prepared to cover any gaps and ultimately executed a perfect sliding tackle to stop the ball.

"Don't relax! The ball's still in play!" Shinichi shouted furiously at his teammates from the ground.

But it was too late.

Eita appeared precisely where the ball was falling, his empty eyes now burning with determination.

He locked his gaze on the spinning ball, and with no hesitation, he unleashed a powerful strike.

"I told you—we're playing at my rhythm."

Swish!

Gooooooooal!

1:3 → 2:3

"OOOOOOHHHHHH!" Karasu screamed, tackling Eita to the ground in wild celebration.

Aryu, meanwhile, swung his long hair dramatically, mumbling words like "stylish" and "elegant," his dazed expression leaving everyone baffled.

Hiori rested his hands on his knees, panting heavily as he studied the three celebrating in front of the goal. "These guys… first, they set up the illusion that two players would trade off against Shinichi, leaving the ninja to handle him alone. But in reality, it was all a ploy to exhaust Shinichi and force him into rushed decisions."

"If Shinichi rushed back to defend, the ninja would pass the ball, while Karasu acted as bait to draw me in. The real target was using Aryu's massive reach and wide coverage to challenge my defense. And the subsequent shot wasn't meant to score—it was to force Shinichi into action."

"With everything linked together, the ninja would eventually be left unmarked. Then, with his lightning-fast reactions near the goal, he'd finish the play."

"We were outplayed," Hiori muttered, his empty eyes now gleaming with excitement. "So that's why they put their faith in the ninja, who isn't great at independent attacks. It was all a decoy, a perfectly executed strategy that made full use of all three players' strengths. As expected of you, Karasu. But this just makes it even more fun! A game that's easily cleared isn't worth the time."

"Shinichi, let's go and get… our revenge…" Hiori turned to call out to Shinichi, but his voice faltered. "Shinichi?"

"Ah, it's nothing…" Shinichi replied, rising from the ground and casually brushing off the dirt and grass stuck to him from the slide tackle. "I'm just… inexplicably annoyed."

For a moment, Hiori thought he saw black flames rising from Shinichi's body.

The oppressive aura that radiated from him made it hard to breathe, centering entirely around Shinichi.

As Shinichi wiped the sweat from his face with the hem of his jersey, he turned to Hiori, his gaze sharp and cold. "Let's go. Let's crush them."

"Y-yes!" Hiori instinctively stood at attention, only relaxing after Shinichi looked away. Taking a few deep breaths, he glanced sympathetically toward Karasu. "You're in for it now."

"But I don't have time to pity them. If I want to keep up with Shinichi in this state, I'll have to be prepared to risk everything," Hiori muttered, sighing deeply. "Following this tyrant really is a nightmare."

Beep! Beep!

"Yo, how's it going, genius?" Karasu smirked, blocking Shinichi's path. He raised an arm to limit Shinichi's movement while his feet constantly probed, forcing Shinichi to adjust his steps repeatedly to maintain control. "Does this little trick catch your eye this time?"

"It seems that goal brought you a lot of joy," Shinichi replied calmly, advancing slowly while securely shielding the ball. "For mediocrity, it's not bad. In fact, since I've been playing, you're the first to score against me when I'm serious."

"Well, that's an honor."

"It is. And for your remarkable achievement, I'll grant you a special gift."

Suddenly, Shinichi accelerated into a sprint, turning slightly to use his shoulder to block Karasu's chest.

At the same time, he prepared to kick the ball forward.

'Is he going to shoot already? Judging by the angle, he's passing to Hiori? But you're rushing it, King!'

Karasu thought, his mind unusually sharp in the moment.

He waited until Shinichi's foot connected with the ball before making his move, timing his interception perfectly.

"Got it!" Karasu felt a surge of excitement, but it quickly turned into panic as his expression froze in disbelief.

The ball, which Shinichi had seemingly kicked, hadn't left his foot.

Instead, it stuck to his toes like it was glued there.

With an elegant motion, Shinichi's pointed foot scooped the ball upward like a spoon, drawing a perfect arc that slipped the ball through Karasu's legs.

The scoop turn!

As Karasu struggled to turn around, Shinichi had already bypassed him, regaining possession of the ball effortlessly.

Glancing back, Shinichi's cold gaze met Karasu's helpless expression, which was reflected and consumed in his dark, fiery eyes.

"The gift is… the deepest… despair."

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