Blue Lock: Beyond Greatness

"I see now," Anri said, marveling at Shinichi's strategy. "Offside is only determined at the exact moment the ball is played, meaning the receiver's position matters only then. Shinichi deliberately placed himself at the edge of the offside line and, using his incredible reflexes, retreated just before his teammate passed the ball. Then, with his speed, he outran the defenders and received what looked like an offside pass."

"Not only did he break free from the limitations of speed imposed by the ball, but he also used the offside rule to lower the defenders' vigilance, effectively disrupting their organization," she continued with admiration. "Ego-san, this might be an indefensible move!"

"Well, considering the execution time, it was indeed impressive, even beyond my expectations," Ego admitted, a rare note of approval in his tone. However, he shook his head. "But if his creativity ends here, I'd be a bit disappointed."

"Using an anti-offside strategy as a way to innovate is clever. Shinichi likely applied his ability to predict opponents' movements to his teammate Hiori, allowing him to time his actions so perfectly," Ego explained. "In fact, without guidance, Shinichi has subconsciously reached the next stage of development—reproducibility."

"The goal he just scored can be replicated. However, in the same position against the same defenders, Shinichi wouldn't necessarily make the same choice. This inconsistency shows that he doesn't yet fully understand his weapon, relying instead on flashes of genius for judgment."

"But instead of being satisfied with accidental success, Shinichi has shifted focus from unclear ball-handling to maximizing his speed and reflexes off the ball. This redefines his role and creates a new formula for scoring goals."

"Now, as long as he's off the ball, Shinichi can replicate this type of goal indefinitely. However, for someone aiming to be the world's best, such a method is ultimately meaningless," Ego declared.

"As the ace of a team, as the world's best forward, you will be constantly under scrutiny. Opponents won't ignore you. Every movement you make will be magnified, and you'll always face one or even two defenders marking you. In such situations, these clever little tricks won't work anymore."

"In other words, the equation A (an absolute weapon) * B (situations where A is applied) = C (mass production of goals) forms the foundational theory. However, for Shinichi, the B condition in this equation will gradually be obstructed on the path to becoming the world's top forward."

Ego's gaze, somewhere between a chilling stillness and manic fervor, practically glued itself to the screen.

"This goal has shown me that Shinichi's talent might exceed even my expectations. But at the same time, his 'hunger' is severely lacking. Is it because he's surrounded himself with subordinates forming a 'pride of lions'? To rely on something as cooperative as 'group hunting'—he's fallen into the game of camaraderie, a pathetic regression."

"Kanzaki Shinichi, I will strip you away from this false collective and make you realize that you and these beasts—sharp-fanged and clever as they may seem—are entirely different in nature. For you, becoming the 'Lion King' is not enough!"

"I will forge you into a 'dragon'—a force that can control the wind and rain, all on its own!"

...

"Game Over? Coming from someone else's lapdog, you sure have the guts to say that," Nishioka muttered, taking a deep breath, trying to keep his emotions in check. "Stay calm... I'm Aomori's Messi. This is nothing..."

He reassured himself while carefully observing the field.

The blue-haired guy was hiding behind Shinichi again.

Seriously, this guy who lurks in others' shadows, waiting to scavenge for leftovers—it's so irritating!

Instead of passing the ball to a teammate to reset the play, Nishioka chose to keep dribbling forward.

Shinichi approached him with a confident smirk. "Haven't learned your lesson yet? You can't break through alone."

"Oh, says the guy relying on a two-man trap," Nishioka retorted, quickening his pace.

The ball danced elegantly on his toes, moving like a playful sprite.

His flamboyant dribbling style was dazzling but dangerous. "But that just makes it more interesting."

So it's Shinichi cutting off one side, with Hiori coming in to block again, huh?

This basic defensive setup won't work twice, you fools.

Feigning a double-direction change, Nishioka's second touch to evade Shinichi's block was followed by a sudden burst of acceleration.

He positioned his body ahead of the ball, pulling it with the inside of his foot toward the opposite leg, and then flicked it upward with a backward swing of his leg.

The ball arced beautifully as it soared behind Nishioka, passing over Hiori's head. At the same time, Nishioka slipped through the narrow gap between the two defenders, leveraging his slender frame.

Rainbow Flick!

I'm through! How's that, you rigid-thinking fools… huh? A shadow?

A looming shadow shot upward, blocking out the light as it enveloped Nishioka.

To his astonishment, Shinichi had leapt into the air, intercepting the elegant rainbow flick mid-flight with precise timing.

"Damn it! Wasn't he supposed to seize the opportunity to steal the ball once Hiori blocked me? Even if he noticed my flick, he'd need time to react—how did he jump right away? Can this guy see the future?"

Nishioka gritted his teeth and chased after the now-dribbling Shinichi.

At least his dribbling isn't that fast—I can barely catch up without the ball.

As soon as he slows down to touch it again, I'll stop him. Wait… what?!

To his shock, even while sprinting at full speed, Shinichi had the audacity to glance back, stick his tongue out mockingly, and taunt him.

"My next touch might slow me down, but you still won't catch me," Shinichi quipped, unfazed.

Nishioka couldn't fathom how Shinichi, while he was already at his physical limit, still had the energy to talk.

At that moment, Shinichi made his next move—he forcefully pushed the ball forward with a powerful strike, sending it hurtling toward the sideline.

This move, a replica of Chigiri Hyoma's weapon, "No Deceleration Dribbling," came with the same drawback.

By kicking the ball far ahead, Shinichi temporarily sacrificed control.

However, Shinichi took it a step further, kicking the ball toward the sideline instead of straight forward.

The ball, launched at such high speed, wasn't something an ordinary player could intercept.

Even someone with average physical attributes like Isagi might struggle to predict and stop it cleanly; the likeliest outcome would be an out-of-bounds interception attempt.

This was Shinichi's way of optimizing the technique to his own advantage.

With the ball momentarily out of the equation, Shinichi finally unleashed his full physical prowess on the field.

His blinding acceleration, unencumbered by the ball, was a definitive display of talent—undeniable, untouchable, and absolutely dominant.

Shinichi's pure speed, clocking in at a staggering 97 without any special enhancements, made him an unassailable force on the pitch, establishing himself as an unmatched point of strength.

"Why don't you just crawl slowly like a turtle back there?"

Despite Nishioka already being at full sprint while Shinichi was just starting after releasing the ball, the gap between them widened instantly.

The difference in their speeds was on a completely different level!

Shinichi's near-maxed-out speed, rivaling even elite track athletes, finally revealed its full potential in Blue Lock. It was a hunting weapon befitting a predator at the very top of the food chain.

Shinichi surged forward, overtaking everyone effortlessly, and reached the ball just as it was about to cross the sideline.

He stopped it with precision, evaded the approaching defender with a quick feint, and raised his right leg for a powerful strike.

'He's aiming for the right side!'

The makeshift goalkeeper, a forward forced into the role, instinctively dove toward the predicted shot.

However, Shinichi's right foot stopped just before striking the ball.

Only after confirming the goalkeeper had fully committed to the feint did he calmly push the ball straight into the goal with an unremarkable, effortless tap.

Meanwhile, Nishioka, utterly stunned by Shinichi's inhuman actions, stood frozen at the halfway line.

Gasping for air that refused to come, he started coughing uncontrollably.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he watched helplessly while Shinichi toyed with his teammates.

The scoreboard now read: 2:0.

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