Chapter 161: Everyone’s Future!
Meanwhile, Kudo Tōya stood in position, speaking to Ryusei Shido in a voice no one else could hear.
“I’ll take the kickoff. After that, forget everything else—just charge straight toward their goal.”
“I’ll deliver the ball to you right in front of it.”
Before Ryusei Shido could reply, Kudo Tōya turned to the other three.
“You three can run wherever you want. I’ll bring out the full potential of each of you.”
“Be grateful—you get to be my teammates.”
Team A’s possession. Yo Hiori to kick off!
After the kickoff, Yo Hiori sent the ball to Rin Itoshi on the left side of the center circle, then sprinted toward the middle of Team B’s half.
But instead of facing Kudo Tōya as expected, Rin Itoshi found himself confronted by Ryusei Shido charging straight at him.
“Where you goin’, Rin-chan?”
Just as Ryusei Shido laughed and moved in, Ryūma Banjō slammed into him, stopping him cold.
“Heh… and where do you think you’re going, Ryusei?”
“Oh? I see. So you are my opponent now?”
Taking advantage of the opening, Rin accelerated past Ryusei Shido, driving down the left side of Team B’s midfield.
At that very moment, Shōei Barō sprang in from the opposite side of Ryūma and Ryusei, lunging at Rin as he carried the ball forward.
Shōei Barō planned to use Ryūma and Ryusei as cover, then steal the ball from Rin by surprise.
But that was only wishful thinking. If Rin Itoshi were so easy to dispossess, he wouldn’t be Rin Itoshi.
Just as Shōei Barō was about to touch the ball, Rin pulled it back with his right foot and twisted his ankle sharply, sending a pass out.
Then, in the same motion, he cut around Shōei Barō with a Chop Feint.
Receiving the ball on the right, Yo Hiori immediately played it back to Rin, who was already sprinting ahead.
With flawless synergy, the two of them bypassed the still-frozen Shōei Barō in an instant.
“If you want a fight with me, then come.”
Kudo Tōya also dashed toward the ball Yo Hiori had passed—
only he approached horizontally, while Rin approached vertically.
“Come, red-haired!”
Rin reached the ball first, spinning and using his back to shield Kudo.
But the instant Rin turned, Tōya adjusted as well, circling around to the front.
The two locked into a close duel. After several exchanges, Rin began losing ground.
But Rin had expected this. With Yo Hiori and Yoichi Isagi positioned nearby, they became his way out.
After a few intentional lures, Rin finally drew out a momentary opening. He seized it and passed toward Yoichi Isagi’s position—
—but something unexpected happened.
Kairu Saramadara rushed in from behind Isagi, cutting him off.
Isagi knew that if Saramadara reached him, his pass would be disrupted.
(Passing back to Rin is pointless—he can’t break free from Kudo! Then it’s up to me and Hiori!)
(Rin is being suppressed by Kudo… but that also means Rin is suppressing Kudo!)
(No choice. For some reason, Ryūma keeps locking up with Shido, which leaves the freest players on the field… us non-‘TOP 4’ guys.)
(Alright then—I'll break the goal again!)
Decision made, Yoichi Isagi gritted his teeth and passed toward Yo Hiori.
Unfortunately, he miscalculated by just a step.
It wasn’t Saramadara who stole it—it was the lion who’d been hunting him all match: Shōei Barō!
“What?! Barō?!”
“The ball’s mine, Yoichi!”
Cutting off Isagi’s pass, Shōei Barō spun and blasted down the left side of Team A’s front line.
Watching from afar, Ryūma finally confirmed his suspicion.
(Just as I thought… Tōya can not only see farther into the future—
he can anticipate everyone’s next steps!)
(I didn’t notice earlier in our close-range one-on-one…)
(But now, looking at Kudo Tōya’s movements from a distance… I finally understand why he called himself invincible.)
Ryūma had no time to hesitate—he was the only one close enough to stop Barō.
He shut off Slow-Motion World.
A heartbeat later, Limit-Breaking State activated.
Ryūma exploded forward, shrugging off Ryusei Shido and charging straight at Shōei Barō.
Feeling the crushing pressure from Ryūma, Shōei Barō broke into a cold sweat.
He knew he couldn’t get past him—no chance.
Gritting his teeth, he hated admitting it, but he knew he had no way to beat Ryūma right now.
(Am I really on a different tier from them…? Is losing all that’s left for me?)
(No… I’m the King!)
Just as Barō braced to force his way through, Kudo Tōya suddenly appeared on his left, turning sharply toward him.
“Pass it! I’ll draw out your full power. Give it—to me!!”
Barō’s pupils tightened.
Grinding his teeth, he passed.
“I’ll trust you… this once, red-haired!!”
“Hmph. You’ll see how right you were. Keep up!”
Receiving the ball, Tōya immediately sent it to Kyohei Shiguma on his left—
moving it away from Ryūma’s charge and evading Rin’s pursuit from behind.
Kyohei Shiguma took one touch, slipping past Nijiro Nanase’s block, and sent the ball into the space just behind Rin.
Kairu Saramadara had been waiting there and quickly returned the ball to Kudo Tōya.
Receiving again, Tōya pulled the ball back with his right foot and executed a Marseille Turn, slipping past both Ryūma’s collision and his attempted tackle.
With no choice, Ryūma switched back to Slow-Motion World.
He knew if he stayed in Limit-Breaking State, Tōya would just toy with him.
Even so, he still couldn’t stop Tōya’s pass—
the ball went back to Shōei Barō once more.
With Tōya at the center, Shōei Barō, Kairu Saramadara, and Kyohei Shiguma formed a rotating offensive triangle around him.
Ryūma and Rin, entirely focused on stopping Tōya, failed to notice that Team B’s four players had unknowingly assembled into a clean attacking formation.
It was Yo Hiori, watching from afar, who caught the change.
Frowning, he shouted urgently toward Ryūma and Rin:
“Ryūma! Rin! Something’s off! They’ve formed an offensive formation!”
Author's Note
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