Chapter 42: The Heavy Cannon Shot

“Hm… I know Rin’s still observing, but I can’t shake the feeling that Y’s attacking midfielder isn’t ordinary.”

“Huh? You think so too, Ryūma?”

“Of course! He can pull off low Bicycle Kicks, his speed’s sharp—how could someone like that be simple?”

“Uh…”

Yo Hiori fell silent. It seemed Ryūma only cared about flashy techniques.

“I’m not just talking about his skills. Haven’t you noticed, Ryūma? He’s different from the rest of Team Y. Every time they’re in real danger, he’s the one who saves them.”

“Really? But other Y players have stepped up in clutch moments too. You can’t just call him their core based on that.”

“I get it, Ryūma. It’s just… he feels different.”

“Enough, Hiori. Don’t fry your CPU over this.”

“This is Rin’s kind of job anyway. Let him do the analysis—I can’t be bothered. I’ll just wait for his answer.”

Hiori shook his head with a wry smile.

“Haha, Ryūma, that’s only because you annoyed Rin into leaving. Otherwise we could’ve been analyzing together.”

“Don’t make it sound like that, Hiori! He walked off on his own, I didn’t drive him away.”

“Whatever. I’m taking the kickoff, Hiori. Time to get payback for that goal we conceded!”

...

Team V ball. Ryūma takes the kickoff at center!

Standing over the ball, Ryūma was still burning inside.
Y’s endless chain-passing attacks only stoked his rage further.

He needed an outlet. This drive was his perfect chance to let it all out.

(Hmph… You guys love passing, huh? Then I’ll show you what a real striker looks like!)

This time, he didn’t think of passing. He took the ball himself and charged forward.

“Spread out! Don’t engage him head-on!”

“Right! If we go straight at him, he’ll blow past us and take out several at once. Stick to the plan!”

Y’s ten outfield players scattered across midfield and the front line. At first glance it looked chaotic, but their spacing carried a strange order within the disorder.

Ryūma smirked inwardly.

(Interesting defense. Looks like they’re just standing at random…)
(But no—every one of them is spaced at exactly the right distance to cover for the next. If I beat one, the second and third immediately close me down.)
(Team Z gave me an Iron Wall. Now Y’s giving me tactical traps…)

“Blue Lock really is…”

“…perfect!!”

His violet eyes flared as he exploded forward, charging Y’s wall of defenders.

“Don’t panic! Even if he breaks through, we’ve got cover behind!”

Y’s left and right midfielders shouted, but their stiff bodies and pale faces betrayed their fear.

(He’ll probably use a Chop Feint… no, maybe some crazy dribble trick. I need to be ready.)

The left midfielder braced himself as Ryūma thundered in—

“What’re you standing there for, small fry?”

In a flash, Ryūma blasted between the two of them, leaving them stunned.

The instant he slipped through, two more Y players moved to block his path.

“STOP!”

Like someone hit pause, Ryūma froze with the ball.
Then he spun with a Marseille Turn, swinging to the right.

The right midfielder reacted instantly, rushing in. But Ryūma was ready—he flicked the ball back left with his right foot, then pushed it through the gap the midfielder had just vacated.

“Not happening!”

The left midfielder scrambled to close the gap—

But with a sharp grunt, Ryūma lunged low, brushing the ball with the inside of his right foot, redirecting it.
He cut hard left, exploding past again.

“Finally stopped you, monster!”

His eyes blazing purple, Ryūma laughed madly.

“You? Stop me?”

And just like that, he halted again—then exploded with a Chop Feint to the right.

The three defenders saw nothing but a blur streak to the right. The right midfielder was still frozen mid-block, his body angled left.

“Huh? That speed—”

No replay could capture the shock of Ryūma’s speed in person.
The three Y players were left dumbfounded.

By then, Ryūma had surged into midfield—only to meet Kobayashi Shima and Matsutani Kageaki moving in to intercept.

(Hah… these two might be a pain. But still…)

As he closed in, his legs blurred, pounding out rapid step-overs.

“Ultra-fast step-overs?! Damn it, we can’t predict his next move!” Matsutani realized.

Too late. Ryūma hammered the ball sideways toward Y’s central midfield.

“Quick, Kobayashi! He’s trying to blow past with speed!”

Kobayashi was already charging before Matsutani spoke. But Ryūma was faster—far faster.

Two body lengths ahead, he glanced back and grinned.

“You know when someone’s sprinting full speed, they can’t just stop instantly, right?”

“But me? I’m different. STOP!”

He slammed on the brakes, killing his momentum in an instant. Then he lashed the ball rightward and tore off after it.

Matsutani and Kobayashi, carried forward by inertia, overshot before they could stop.

“Damn it! Stop him!” they shouted, spinning back.

Y’s attacking midfielder and two more defenders sprinted across from the back line to cut him off.

But Ryūma was already on the ball again. As they rushed in, he burst out laughing.

“Break!”

He swung his leg and launched the ball forward.

“What’s he doing?”
“A mistake?”

The Y playmaker’s eyes widened—he recognized this setup.

“No! He’s going for—”

Just as the three Y players closed in, Ryūma’s body—wreathed in violet flames—erupted into their path.

“Watch closely—my Heavy Cannon Shot!”

【BOOM!!】

GOAL!! Team V 7–6 Team Y