026 Blue Lock: System Ten Years Early

"So what, that pass just now was a bit slow, huh? Couldn't keep up with the rhythm?" Karasu Tabito sneered teasingly, while Otoya Eita walked back expressionlessly.

"You're the one who should be following my tempo. What was with that inexplicable pass just now?"

"Ah, sorry about that. That sideways pass forced you to slow down to chase the ball—that's on me. If I'd been able to send a long pass straight forward, you wouldn't have gotten caught up to."

"But that guy's defensive pressure is just way too strong. Even if you became an unexpected variable he failed to calculate, the standard passing lanes were basically all sealed off. I didn't really have any options."

Karasu Tabito shrugged helplessly.

"That's how uncomfortable it is playing against a protagonist. Fortunately..."

"In any novel, the supporting characters' highlights get endlessly compressed. Hiori... on the football field, there's only winning and losing."

"I'll ruthlessly poke at your weak points until they become fatal wounds. After all, I'm a cunning crow."

...

"Hiori, don't worry about it."

Even Shinichi could only shake his head helplessly at this play. The three of them fully utilized their own strengths while also designing special tactics specifically against them. With this kind of chemical reaction, it really was hard for the two of them to deal with it on their first encounter.

Shinichi stepped forward and patted Hiori on the shoulder.

"That guy's height and limb length are far beyond normal people's. Even if I fight for a high ball, I might not necessarily win. Next time, just lock down his lower body and limit his jump."

"Hah... got it. Don't worry, I'm fine." Hiori took a deep breath and nodded firmly toward Shinichi.

'I've always known that it's hard for my current self to keep up with Shinichi. But since I've made up my mind, I won't hesitate anymore. Right now, all I should think about is how to use my own abilities to help Shinichi as much as possible.'

Hiori Yo ran parallel with Shinichi, and the first one blocking their path was Aryu Jyubei.

"I, come." Pitch-black long hair fluttered like a ghost as Aryu Jyubei half-squatted his body.

"Come on, I... will very stylishly stop you."

"Don't block my path, small fry." Shinichi quickly shook his leg, his left shoulder sinking slightly.

'Hmm... directly relying on speed to change direction and sprint? But there's also the possibility of a feint. He lifted his leg... which side? At a time like this...'

"You can't hesitate!"

Aryu lowered his center of gravity and directly predicted a step to the left, but Shinichi merely lifted his foot and gently pushed the football with the inside of his foot to create the illusion of charging forward. Then he lifted his foot again, hooked the ball to change its trajectory, and flicked it straight outward.

"How is that possible! An inside cut? He can do that too?" After Aryu Jyubei lunged left, Karasu Tabito, who was revealed behind him, shouted in disbelief.

Their original plan was to have Aryu Jyubei serve as the first line of defense and only guard one side, while the other side would be blocked by Karasu Tabito hiding behind Aryu Jyubei.

They couldn't say it would absolutely stop him, but at least it could create some trouble and prevent him from scoring too easily. Moreover, if they successfully blocked Shinichi, then when Aryu Jyubei recovered defensively, his long limbs would give him a higher chance to intercept and regain possession.

However, this sudden inside cut completely disrupted their plan, and it also made no sense at all. With Shinichi's speed, changing direction and beating defenders directly to maximize his own advantage was the most efficient and lethal weapon.

But when dribbling, making lateral movements would slow down even the strongest players. Shinichi actually abandoned his strongest weapon?

"No one ever said you must use your strongest weapon to defeat your opponent." After an inside cut that toyed with his opponents, there was no one around Shinichi. He even had time to adjust his posture slightly, then raised his left foot high.

Bang!

With a dull collision sound, the football shot out, tearing through the air with whistling sounds. No other techniques, no need for spin or directional deception to fool the goalkeeper's judgment—pure extreme speed alone was enough to break any defense. The football surged into the goal unstoppable.

Gooooooal!

1:0 → 1:1

"Besides, the inside cut is originally a very versatile technique. And my speed lets my inside cut become faster than others'. Even if it's not as lethal as charging straight with the ball, it's useful—and that's enough."

Shinichi jogged backward, glancing back at Karasu Tabito who was still standing there stunned.

"If this is all just petty cleverness, don't bring it out to embarrass yourself. At least bring something that can get me excited."

...

"Damn it, what the hell is this monster... He's already that strong, and he's still getting stronger?"

Karasu shook his head helplessly. His face remained calm, but the sweat constantly seeping from his forehead betrayed his emotions.

"Top-tier defense, top-tier speed. His vision is only excellent, but within a certain range around him he can almost perfectly control the situation. His organization and passing are also first-class. As for physique... it's not as despair-inducing as the speed gap, but it still surpasses anyone here."

"Just thinking about it makes me a bit desperate. How am I supposed to output anything? This fight has no confidence at all."

"Oh~ what a stylish shot. Shinichi, I acknowledge you." Aryu propped his chin with one hand and praised appreciatively.

"But I will very stylishly take the victory. On this field, the most stylish one will be me."

"...Yeah, right now it's only the score being equal." Hearing that, Karasu nodded, put his hands on his hips, and took a deep breath.

"At least our offense is also working."

"Aryu, you continue maintaining the original tactics. The data that Shinichi can use an inside cut has already been input into my brain. I'll handle it." As he spoke, Karasu Tabito looked toward Otoya Eita.

"As long as Shinichi is still controlling the ball, Otoya, you continue off-ball defending Hiori. Your agility is the best ability to deal with him. As long as you don't let the two of them form a connection threat, it'll be much smaller."

"I can also defend Shinichi. I should be able to react to that kind of change of direction."

"Otoya, your agility is indeed stronger than mine, but strength is hard to match against Shinichi. Against you, he probably won't even need to change direction and will just charge straight through. Only Aryu and I, who can use our hands to control distance, have a chance to stop him and delay until teammates recover."

"Tch... this time there's no choice. But on offense, it has to follow my tempo." Otoya Eita shoved his hands into his pockets. Karasu Tabito shrugged helplessly.

"Alright, alright. But don't go too far, or else don't blame me for not passing you the ball."

"I didn't ask you to." Otoya Eita said as he ran off, but he still obediently roamed according to the tactics outside Shinichi's defensive range.

"This guy... forget it. The current situation is that both sides find it hard to stop the opponent's offense. As long as the ball is kicked to Aryu, it's hard for Hiori, with his physical attributes, to compete with Aryu for aerial balls. And conversely, it's also hard for us forwards to defend against Shinichi, this over-spec existence."

"This match will very likely become a head-on offensive battle of scoring." Facing Shinichi, who had set up his defensive stance, Karasu Tabito struggled to suppress his wildly pounding heart.

"Then let's do it. As forwards, competing in goals—there's no ending more fitting than that."

"Now then, it's time to counterattack!"