Unlike last time, Yoichi chose to pass rather than shoot, noticing how his movement had drawn Sae toward him.
His breakthrough had disrupted U-20's defensive line, leaving one person completely unmarked in the entire half: Seishirō Nagi!
Yoichi delivered a precise pass to his feet. Seishirō, rotating mid-air, showed incredible ball control as he prepared to shoot—
"Don't underestimate us!" Kazuma, one of the defenders, rushed in to block.
But Seishirō didn't shoot — instead, he kicked the ball's underside, making it soar upward!
A fake shot!
"It's an aerial feint!" The commentator exclaimed.
Seishirō's feint completely fooled Kazuma, throwing off his positioning.
At that moment, another swift figure appeared silently: Ryōsuke!
"Just as expected!" Yoichi gritted his teeth.
With his Metavision, he had clearly seen Ryōsuke's starting position and predicted his defensive charge.
Yoichi's pass to Seishirō had calculated exactly this!
He knew Kazuma would defend first, Seishirō would fake him out, but this feint would give Ryōsuke time to move in. Against Ryōsuke, Seishirō would have no choice but to pass back!
After passing the ball, Yoichi had made a high-speed cut with Sae trailing behind. His earlier fake-shot-turned-pass had given him a distance advantage.
At close range, he could receive Seishirō's pass and aim where Ryōsuke couldn't reach, greatly increasing their scoring chance!
From the start, his pass was meant to create his own shooting opportunity!
"Nagi!" Yoichi shouted, knowing he was in his teammate's field of vision.
But his expression quickly changed.
Because Seishirō had no intention of passing — he hadn't even noticed Yoichi!
While Yoichi was using his peripheral vision to gather information, Seishirō's vision had narrowed to a laser focus. In his eyes, there was only Ryōsuke.
He had entered a state of perfect concentration. Self-forgetting. He had entered a state of—
❖ Flow! ❖
In Seishirō's mind, only one thought remained: defeating Ryōsuke. He had to defeat him, no matter what!
Ryōsuke had reached him now, his speed far surpassing both Oliver and Kazuma — like a deadly sword!
But Seishirō didn't stop. Instead of shooting, he drove the ball hard into the ground, making it bounce back up into the air.
Second feint! His fake completely threw off Ryōsuke!
"Did he fool him?"
"Not yet!"
Just as Ryōsuke passed Seishirō, he planted his right foot in reverse, unleashing Thunderclap and Flash — spinning around to chase back at top speed for a second defensive attempt.
This was monster-level defense! A shot now would only lead to certain failure!
"Not finished yet!" But Seishirō pressed on.
He used the same trick again, kicking the ball upward once more, barely avoiding Ryōsuke's defense from his limited position.
This was... the third feint!
"Great defense, Kira!" Oliver, who had made the first clearance, had already returned to his defensive position.
Ryōsuke's consecutive defensive moves had bought him plenty of time to help defend against Seishirō.
Oliver was amazed, never expecting such skill from his opponent. Blue Lock was truly remarkable — besides Ryōsuke, there were so many other powerful players!
"But I absolutely won't let you score!" He roared, charging toward Seishirō, determined to make this defensive play count.
But Seishirō made another move!
He stepped forward powerfully, appearing ready for a real shot, forcing Oliver to press forward to disrupt his shooting space!
But Oliver had fallen right into the trap!
Though this wasn't Seishirō's conscious design — his body moved purely on instinct, driven by his burning desire for victory!
In one fluid motion, he hooked the ball with his instep and ankle, lifting it skyward!
Fourth feint!
"You've got to be kidding!" Oliver shouted in disbelief.
Ryōsuke had already adjusted his position and was closing in on Seishirō!
But in a fraction of a second, Seishirō stepped forward. This time, it was a real shot!
"I am Seishirō Nagi!"
❖ Five-Shot Revolver Fake Strike! ❖
For the first time ever, the usually detached Seishirō shouted his own name, announcing his presence to every spectator in the stadium.
Four consecutive fake shots — unprecedented! Yet he had pulled it off!
Both teammates and opponents stood stunned by his impossible technique!
Yoichi was speechless. Even with his Metavision that let him read the field with crystal clarity, Seishirō's moves had completely shattered his expectations!
This five-part aerial manipulation defied imagination!
The ball rocketed toward the goal!
Every spectator held their breath, all eyes locked on the shot.
Bang!
The miracle was born but couldn't bloom — the ball slammed into the goalpost and ricocheted away!
Though Seishirō had managed to shoot before Ryōsuke's defense connected, his opponent's lightning speed had still disrupted his shooting space!
The strain of his earlier feints against Ryōsuke had taken their toll, throwing off Seishirō's form just enough to make this impossible shot even harder.
Ryōsuke's defense had worked after all!
But the danger wasn't over!
As the ball bounced away, Yoichi tracked its trajectory perfectly.
While Seishirō's string of feints had exceeded his predictions, Yoichi had used Ryōsuke's defensive charge as his new starting point.
His Metavision showed him everything: Seishirō's compromised form, Ryōsuke's successful pressure, the inevitable miss. So Yoichi gambled everything on the ball striking the post.
His gamble paid off!
Sae hadn't arrived, and Ryōsuke remained tangled up with Seishirō.
Yoichi stood completely unmarked!
❖ Direct Shot ➠ Meta Strike! ❖
This was Yoichi's scoring formula. His mind went blank, every fiber of his being focused on this single shot.
Pure instinct took over! His eyes locked onto the perfect striking point!
Before the ball could touch ground, Yoichi's foot was already in motion.
Shot!
The goalkeeper's save — failed!
The ball rushed into the net!
[ Scoreboard ]
[ 2:1 ]
Blue Lock pulls one back!
After Yoichi's goal, the entire stadium fell silent as everyone processed what they had just witnessed.
"GOAAAAAAAL! What an incredible play!"
"Did you see that teamwork? Nagi and Yoichi are monsters!"
"Blue Lock! Blue Lock! Blue Lock!"
"Who said high schoolers can't compete with U-20? This is amazing!"
"The way Yoichi read that rebound... pure genius!"
Seconds later, the stadium erupted with earth-shattering cheers. The chants echoed throughout the arena. Though spectators knew little about Blue Lock, their hearts now soared with every moment of this offensive masterpiece.
From Yoichi's breakthrough to Seishirō's miraculous performance and finally to Yoichi's finishing goal — it was perfect!
Like watching miracles unfold one after another, everyone in the venue burned with excitement!
"Blue Lock's number 7, Seishirō Nagi — those consecutive fake shots were beyond imagination! He missed by a hair! But number 11 Yoichi Isagi was there to complete the play, bringing the deficit to just one goal! Blue Lock isn't giving up — they're only growing stronger! This match is far from over!"
The commentator's voice grew hoarse with excitement.
On the field, Sae gazed calmly at Yoichi, completely unfazed.
"This wasn't luck — you saw it, didn't you?"
From Yoichi's movements and final choice, Sae realized his opponent might possess the same observational abilities as himself.
"That's right, I saw it." Yoichi turned and nodded.
"This isn't coincidence. Blue Lock has indeed produced some interesting individuals. Was it because of Kira? His overwhelming ability helped trigger your 'awakening'." Sae lifted his chin slightly, "Though you still have far to go, at least there's been progress."
"What?"
Before Yoichi could process Sae's words, his teammates had already swarmed around him.
"Well done, Isagi!"
"You seized the opportunity and summoned luck!"
"I never thought you could achieve something like this! Amazing!"
"No, this isn't just my achievement. This miracle happened because of Nagi." Yoichi looked at Seishirō, who had also come over, "If it weren't for his incredible five consecutive aerial shots, I wouldn't have had a chance. It was Nagi's performance that forced Kira to focus his defensive attention on him, giving me the opportunity to strike. He deserves the most credit for this goal."
"But I still didn't score. I was so close, but I couldn't beat Kira." Seishirō lowered his head, looking at his hands.
He didn't know exactly what had happened — his body had moved on pure instinct.
That excitement, that surge of adrenaline, was something he had never experienced since starting football. Though he hadn't scored, Seishirō's heart raced with even more intensity. His desire to score burned stronger than ever.
Almost all of Blue Lock's teammates had gathered around Yoichi, celebrating.
But one person kept his distance: Rin Itoshi.
He had just overheard his brother Sae's conversation with Yoichi. Not just Ryōsuke, but even this insect had now earned his acknowledgment.
The fury in Rin's heart blazed more intensely, threatening to consume him whole.
Not just Yoichi, but even Seishirō had nearly breached U-20's goal. They had become the protagonists of this match, while he remained an insignificant side character.
Even his chance for revenge against Sae seemed to have been stolen away.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Rin clenched his fists, his body trembling with rage.
In his heart, a familiar monster stirred awake.
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
"Goal! Goal!" Anri's eyes glistened with tears, her whole body leaping with excitement.
"Why are you so surprised? This was only to be expected." Jinpachi spoke slowly, his tone and expression seemingly calm.
But his left hand gripped his right tightly, trying to suppress his own trembling.
During the match, he too had been burning with excitement.
"Nagi almost scored a miraculous goal! Thank goodness Isagi finally put that one in!"
"No, we should be grateful he didn't make that shot." Jinpachi adjusted his glasses and continued, "Nagi's shot just now can't be replicated. It was merely a collection of inconsistencies. Success that exceeds one's abilities breeds dangers that could destroy oneself — that's why I'm glad his shot missed. Yoichi capitalized on it and received fortune's blessing to complete the scoring. This goal itself was a miracle, born from the pressure of facing such powerful opponents."
He paused, then continued with a serious gaze.
"However, I must admit one thing: to win this match, this team will need more miracles." His gaze rested on Rin, "Either be reborn and create miracles, or drown under the pressure."
❖❖❖
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