"Amazing!"
Ryūsei joyfully raised both arms to the sky, his face beaming with pure enjoyment as if announcing his presence to the world.
"Did he really just shoot like that? Blue Lock has produced another remarkable player..." Oliver remarked with admiration.
Ryūsei had demonstrated extraordinary offensive abilities with a style completely different from Blue Lock's usual approach — one that could only be described as wild.
And he wasn't alone. Shoei's shots were equally forceful, though he played with complete disregard for his teammates, refusing to pass even when cornered. He didn't even celebrate when others scored.
Yet they had to admit — if not for Shoei's aggressive style, this goal wouldn't have happened. Blue Lock had leveraged these two players' fearsome offensive abilities to break through the defense.
While there was no teamwork to speak of, they had caught U-20 completely off guard.
"Damn it, they found a counterattack!" Shūto said with frustration.
"Don't worry." Oliver patted his shoulder reassuringly, "We just need to defend well from here. They won't score so easily again."
His eyes narrowed as his expression turned serious.
Though Blue Lock had tied the game, it was mainly due to the element of surprise. This completely individualistic style of play hadn't been in Oliver's database.
But now that he'd seen it once, he understood their approach. He wouldn't let them catch him off guard again.
On the other side of the field, Yoichi couldn't help but clench his fist in celebration. The goal had evened the score, bringing both teams back to square one.
Yet he knew this level of play wouldn't be enough. While Shoei and Ryūsei had successfully disrupted the opponent's defense, it was mostly because of the surprise factor.
Such an attack would be difficult to replicate unless they could enhance their offensive capabilities further.
Yoichi's mind raced. These two weren't team players — especially Ryūsei, whom Jinpachi had said no one in Blue Lock could control.
Could he somehow push that guy to reveal even greater potential?
If they used the Metavision... An idea began to form.
Soon, U-20 launched their attack, with Sae calmly advancing the ball.
"So you're Sae! The brother with the striking lower eyelashes! They really are just like his!" Ryūsei stood before him, his defense completely chaotic — no tactics, pure interest, "Hey hey hey, I've been watching you from the sidelines! Your passes are amazing! If we were on the same team, we could create some incredible goals! Let's exchange contact info!"
He bounced with excitement, radiating endless energy.
"Oh, it's you." Sae fixed him with a cool gaze, "I did consider selecting you initially."
"Oh? Then why didn't you choose me? Am I not good-looking enough?"
"Because someone more outstanding appeared. Compared to him, you're merely an inferior product." Sae said coldly.
Ryūsei's creative offense had piqued his interest at first. But after Ryōsuke appeared, that interest vanished.
"Oh?" Ryūsei's eye twitched, veins bulging on his forehead, "You'll regret those words."
"Then prove yourself first. Show me you're worth more than Kira." As Sae spoke, he suddenly accelerated.
Ryūsei retreated to defend—
But Sae changed direction instantly, threading the ball between his opponent's legs with a perfect nutmeg.
"Quick, stop him!"
The others rushed to help defend, while Yoichi and Ikki's group stuck close to Ryōsuke.
Their priority now was cutting off the connection between Sae and him. With their Metavision, this shouldn't prove too difficult.
Watching several players mark Ryōsuke, Sae showed no surprise, "Boring."
Then he stepped forward and kicked the ball.
"It must be a pass to Kira!" Ikki shouted, sprinting toward where he predicted the ball would land.
Reo was mimicking Oliver's ability, marking Ryōsuke tightly.
"What does it matter if you inferior products can see the same view as me?" Sae said with cool indifference.
Ikki calculated Ryōsuke's previous top speed and predicted the ball's landing spot.
"Just as calculated!" He called out triumphantly, lifting his foot to clear the ball, "Pest elimination..."
"Be careful, Niko!" Reo shouted.
"Sharp instincts, but meaningless."
In that instant, Ryōsuke's voice came from right beside Ikki's ear.
As Ikki ran toward the ball, Ryōsuke had moved too, staying perfectly in his blind spot while reaching the ball's landing point with devastating speed.
Though Ikki had used Ryōsuke's previous speed to predict Sae's passing range, and Reo was positioned to block the running path, they had overlooked one crucial fact:
They simply couldn't stop Ryōsuke.
Even with perfect prediction, the gap in technique and physical ability was unbridgeable.
Reo mimicked Oliver's movements — boosting his defensive ability — trying desperately to contain Ryōsuke for even a second. But reaching only 90% of Oliver's capability made him nothing more than an inferior copy, impossible to match the original.
And even if the real Oliver had been there, he couldn't have stopped Ryōsuke either!
Before Reo could react, Ryōsuke was already past him.
His off-ball movement was lightning-quick!
Despite Ikki's predictions, Ryōsuke's superior speed was overwhelming. Even with a head start, Ikki was overtaken from behind.
Sae had known this exactly — it's why he made the pass. No matter how Ikki defended, he could never stop Ryōsuke.
Reo and Ikki's miscalculations caused Blue Lock's defensive line to crumble instantly!
Ryōsuke soared high, controlling the ball at his feet before Ikki could even touch it!
"You're not getting past!"
Ryūsei charged forward along the shortest path with all his might, determined to prove himself superior to Ryōsuke!
"Hey Ryōsuke! Sae said he originally wanted to pick me, but you stole that opportunity! I'll prove that I'm the one who truly deserves it!" He called out while stepping back to maintain distance.
Having witnessed Ryōsuke's terrifying speed before, Ryūsei knew marking him too closely would only create openings. He needed space to react.
But Ryōsuke spoke calmly, "Shidō, you seem to be mistaken about two things."
"What?" Ryūsei furrowed his brow.
"I wasn't chosen by Sae. I only agreed to join his team because Jinpachi Ego asked me to. I don't care what his intentions were." Ryōsuke said coolly, "And the second thing is that you don't seem to understand just how wide the gap is between our abilities."
"Such arrogance!" A combative smile spread across Ryūsei's face.
But at that moment, Ryōsuke had already started moving.
He was going to shoot right here — the few steps his opponent had taken back gave him plenty of space!
"This is thirty meters from the goal!" Ryūsei shouted.
"Thirty meters? That's a bit too close." Ryōsuke said.
All his body's power concentrated into his right foot, and in the next instant, a tsunami-like force poured into the ball, causing it to deform as if squeezed by an invisible giant's hand.
Then — it exploded forward!
❖ Fourth Form ➠ Distant Thunder! ❖
Similar to Thunderclap and Flash, but with crucial differences. It could only be used for shooting, enabling long-distance shots — and the power unleashed by this Form was even greater than the First!
The moment Ryōsuke's foot contacted the ball, a thunderclap erupted through the stadium! Even spectators in the last row could hear that deep boom with perfect clarity!
The previously noisy stadium fell silent at his shot.
"You're not shooting!" Ryūsei tried to block Ryōsuke's shot with his head.
But in that instant, a terrifying sensation spread throughout his body. Like a primal biological fear, every cell screamed at him to stop moving.
And because of this instinct, Ryūsei froze, letting the ball rocket past!
Straight toward the goal!
"I can reach it!" Gin Gagamaru made his prediction, diving while reaching out to stop the shot.
It was a gamble, but he had to take it!
He guessed right, diving in the exact direction of Ryōsuke's shot!
His hand touched the ball... but he couldn't stop it! The sheer force deflected his hand away as the ball continued its path, sending him crashing to the ground.
The ball thundered into the goal!
The shot was like a demon incarnate, tearing at the net with a fierce hissing sound from the friction — as if it might break free at any moment and unleash destruction upon everyone present!
Only after several seconds did this monster's fury finally subside, the ball settling quietly on the ground.
[ Scoreboard ]
[ 3:2 ]
U-20 had taken the lead again.
Both players and spectators remained stunned for several seconds before an explosion of chatter erupted.
"What kind of shot was that?"
"That thunderous sound—did I hear that right?"
"Like real thunder... terrifying..."
The spectators could hardly believe a high school player had produced such a shot.
"Ryōsuke Kira, with a mid-range shot, has blown open Blue Lock's goal!" The announcer's voice quavered, at a loss for words to describe what he'd
witnessed.
"The accuracy was still a bit off." Ryōsuke muttered to himself on the field.
Distant Thunder's power exceeded Thunderclap and Flash, but that meant direction was harder to control. He had trained extensively to master it.
Moreover, this Fourth Form drained tremendous stamina. Even now, Ryōsuke couldn't use this ability freely, or the negative effects would be even more severe than before.
The timing was perfect. Not only did he have ample space to shoot, but this devastating shot would halt Blue Lock's momentum while energizing his U-20 teammates.
Ryūsei sat on the ground, his legs giving way beneath him. He felt as though he'd narrowly escaped death — as if actual lightning had struck mere inches from where he stood.
On the other side of the field, Gin stared at his hands in disbelief. Despite making contact with the ball, he hadn't been able to stop it at all.
What kind of shot was that?
"As expected, you're nothing but an inferior product. Know your place." Sae approached Ryūsei, his words measured and cold, "You and Kira aren't even in the same league."
❖❖❖
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