NOVEL NEXT Chapter 46: The Clash of Egos
The scoreboard flashed: Zeta 2 – Omega 1.
But there was no time to celebrate. Omega's players were already back in position, their eyes burning with intensity. And on Team Zeta's side, the fire kept rising.
Renji Kurogami stood near the halfway line, his breathing steady, but his heart raced with anticipation. He could feel it — the evolution happening inside him. Every touch, every movement, every instinct was sharpening. And he wanted more.
"Don't lose focus," Sora Amagi warned, his sharp gaze cutting through the tension.
"I know," Renji muttered, but his eyes stayed locked on Omega's captain — Tetsuya Aikawa. The rival who had already scored once. The one who controlled Omega's tempo. The one Renji had to surpass.
The whistle blew. Omega's counterattack began.
Shohei Kuroda received the ball in midfield, and the game shifted instantly. His ball control and vision were on another level — every pass was calculated, every movement purposeful.
"Mark Aikawa!" Riku Saionji shouted, but Aikawa was already in motion, a blur on the field.
Kuroda's pass was lightning-quick — a diagonal ball splitting the defense. Yamada Goro rushed in, but Makoto Yajima flicked it past him with a perfect Cruyff Turn.
"They're too fast—" Kaede Arata gritted his teeth, closing the distance.
But Aikawa was already there. A one-touch pass. Yajima didn't even look — he knew where Aikawa would be.
It was flawless coordination.
"Not this time!" Renji surged forward, his spatial awareness flaring. He read the pass before it even happened — and intercepted it.
The crowd — or the silence that replaced it — seemed to hold its breath.
Renji didn't waste a second. He launched the counterattack.
"Go!" he roared, and Team Zeta responded.
Sora broke down the left wing, his Hawk's Vision scanning every inch of the field. Riku accelerated on the right, using his Rapid Gale bursts of speed to outpace his marker.
But Renji didn't pass.
He surged forward on his own. Aikawa came to meet him, but Renji's ego burned hotter.
Phantom Step — but faster, more refined. He twisted past Aikawa, the ball never leaving his foot.
"Don't get ahead of yourself!" Sora called out, but Renji was in his own world.
Shohei Kuroda closed in — and Renji copied him. A sudden La Croqueta, modified with his own speed, left Kuroda spinning.
He was unstoppable.
He reached the box — only the keeper stood in his way.
"Renji—!" Kaede shouted, wide open.
But Renji didn't pass. His ego demanded the goal.
He fired — a powerful, driven strike. But the Omega keeper read it perfectly, diving low to block.
The ball rebounded — and Aikawa was already there.
"You're not the only one evolving," Aikawa said coldly, launching a counterattack.
Team Zeta scrambled back, but Omega's coordination was perfect. Yajima broke free, and with a perfectly timed Fake Shot, sent Jin Kazama diving the wrong way.
Goal.
Zeta 2 – Omega 2
Renji stood frozen as the reality hit him. His selfishness had cost them.
"Get your head on straight!" Sora barked, his frustration finally boiling over. "This isn't just your fight!"
But Renji's fists only clenched tighter. His evolution wasn't done yet — and the fire within him refused to be extinguished.
To be continued…