Chapter 12: The True Core of Team Z

“Hiori, flank me and support! Let’s go!”
(Yeah, having Hiori on my side will draw over the defenders marking him—but no matter how many small fry there are, they’re still small fry!)

As Ryūma Banjō charged toward Team Z’s front line, two midfielders and a forward quickly stepped in to block him, calling out cautiously:
“Everyone, stay tight and work together! Just slow him down as much as possible. Even if he gets past us, as long as we reduce his speed, our four-man wall will definitely stop him!”

Ryuma’s expression didn’t change. With a sharp left-right feint, he shook off the forward.
Before the two remaining players could even react, he exploded forward and blew past them in an instant.

“Damn it! We knew his burst was crazy fast, but even knowing doesn’t mean we can react in time!”
“Is the gap really that huge? Three of us tried to block him, and we couldn’t even slow him down!”
“Don’t lose hope—mark Yo Hiori instead! That way at least we’ll cut off his passing!”

Knowing they couldn’t stop Ryuma’s dribbling directly, Team Z’s three players switched focus and stuck tightly to Yo Hiori.

Meanwhile, Team Z’s four-man defensive unit split: one stepped forward to intercept, while the other three shifted left, sealing off Ryuma’s shooting lane from the left.
Unless he beat two more defenders and fired before they could recover, his shot would be blocked—just like last time!

The one stepping up was Akemi Inoue, the player he had embarrassed earlier. Scowling, he barked:
“Kid, this time I’ll take that ball off you for sure!”
“That last one was a sneak attack. You think you can steal it from me one-on-one? You’re a hundred years too early.”

As he spoke, Ryūma dipped his right shoulder and tapped the ball right with his instep, then instantly flicked it left.

(What? The elastico? Watching the replays, I thought this kid only had speed and quick changes of direction!)
(Is he actually an all-rounder? Damn—barely reacted in time! No choice but to throw my body in the way!)

As Ryūma feinted right, Akemi Inoue’s weight had already shifted to that side. He was sure Ryūma would just accelerate past him. He never expected the elastico.
Forcing himself, Inoue lunged left to block. But instead of the ball crashing into him, a calm voice cut through:

“I told you. Stopping me one-on-one? You’re a hundred years too early.”

At that moment, Ryūma Banjō used the inside of his left foot to flick the ball back right. As it landed, he accelerated, leaving Inoue sprawled on the ground, stunned.

(Huh? First he made me think he’d accelerate, then hit me with an elastico to throw off my balance!)
(Then he forced me to lunge across—but that bastard tricked me again!)

Inoue scrambled up and yelled furiously:
“Damn it! I’ll steal the ball back today!”

But RyūmaBanjō, sprinting toward the box, ignored him completely, focusing instead on the two defenders closing in—Murakami Haiichi ahead and Shūhō Aoki chasing from behind.

(Tch! No angle here. I need to beat both of them before that bastard Inoue catches up.)
(If I do that, Ishikari won’t be able to stop my shot!)

Charging at Murakami Haiichi, Ryūma suddenly cut left.

(Hah? Trying to blow past me on the outside? No way!)

Murakami lunged left to cut him off—but the instant he did, Ryūma spun backward with the ball!
With a seamless heel flick, the ball slipped cleanly through Murakami’s legs before he could react.
Ryūma spun back around and burst past, driving straight toward Team Z’s penalty area!

Inside the box, six defenders stood ready: Shūhō Aoki charging him, Yukio Ishikari waiting in front of goal, and Yo Hiori marked tightly by two players. The last man hovered, ready to back up Ishikari.

And Team V? Their situation wasn’t great either. To avoid leaving their defense empty, Ryūma had kept three players back. Rin Itoshi was lurking, ready to pounce on any turnover. The rest were either boxed out or, like Hiori, tightly marked.

Catching Akemi Inoue sprinting back in his peripheral vision, Ryūma grew anxious.

(No time! I need to carve out a shooting lane right now. If that’s the case...)

Using the momentum from beating Murakami, Ryūma wound up for a shot!

(He’s shooting? Must be that mid-air curving shot. If so, I’ll block it before it bends—while it’s still straight!)

Shūhō Aoki zeroed in on Ryuma’s right foot, lunging into the shot’s path just as he swung—

But it was a fake! Ryuma’s foot skimmed over the ball, then snapped back, lifting it into the air with backspin. As it reached the perfect angle, he struck with precision!

[Thud]

Flat on the ground, Aoki watched the ball soar high. His frustration turned to excitement as he shouted:
“Yes! He messed up!”

But this wasn’t a mistake. The next instant, the ball suddenly dipped downward, rocketing toward the goal!

Just as it was about to go in, a bulky figure leapt up and smothered it. The scene looked like a giant ball engulfing a smaller one.

The hefty man rose slowly, still clutching the ball, an unsettling grin spreading across his face.
“I just love seeing the looks on your faces when your confident shots get snuffed out! Hahaha!”

This was Team Z’s true defensive core—Yushu Furukawa! In their match against Team X, he had blocked seven shots, earning the title “Absolute Defense.”

(Huh? This fat guy can jump that high? I’d almost forgotten about him. Seriously, is he even a forward?)

Ryūma thought in disbelief. But the next moment widened his eyes further—finally explaining why this massive player was listed as a forward.

Furukawa restarted from the box, then suddenly bolted forward and unleashed a thunderous strike!

[BOOM!!]

Team V froze in shock as the ball flew across the pitch and out over their left sideline—at blistering speed!

Seeing their stunned faces, Furukawa grinned even wider, his laugh twisted and manic.
“Ah~ All that hard work breaking through, erased in one save. Feels so damn good!”
“Yeah, that’s it! Come on, forwards! Attack like mad and entertain me!”

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