Blue Lock: Beyond Greatness

"It's incredible! I never imagined he could go toe-to-toe with world-class forwards like this." In the monitoring room, Anri watched in awe as Shinichi effortlessly evaded one top-tier player after another.

Excitedly, she shouted at Ego, "Could it be that Shinichi has already evolved to the level of a world-class player?"

"Ego-san?"

"..." Ego, seated in his chair, no longer displayed the excitement he had shown earlier when witnessing Shinichi's awakening.

His eyes carried a complex expression.

After a long pause, he let out a sigh. "Don't say such foolish things. The reason Shinichi can create the illusion of competing with world-class players right now is simply because... he's burning himself out."

"Burning... himself out?"

"That's right. You've probably heard similar stories before, haven't you? Like a father lifting a multi-ton car in a desperate attempt to save his daughter trapped underneath." Ego's tone carried a subtle, indescribable emotion. "Most of those stories are exaggerated, but one point remains certain..."

Ego's gaze returned to the screen.

In the footage, with the threats behind him closing in, Shinichi didn't waste time relying on feints or ultra-high-speed changes of direction to throw off Chris's balance.

Instead, he charged straight at him.

However, the moment they made contact, Shinichi neutralized the impact with an awkward yet effective movement, much like a judo technique, nullifying the collision with Chris.

Then, as Chris attempted to regain his balance, Shinichi forcefully shoved aside Chris's obstructing arm, struggling but ultimately pushing past him.

"Human potential is limitless. Even an untrained body harbors terrifying power—it's just that this power is constantly suppressed by the body's protective mechanisms."

"What Shinichi is doing right now is forcibly breaking through that barrier, continuously excavating his potential. It's this unleashed power that allows him to momentarily overpower this group of players who haven't fully entered their FLOW state yet."

Anri clearly didn't fully understand.

She shrank her neck slightly, bracing herself for the scolding to come before cautiously asking again, "Sorry, Ego-san, but what's so bad about tapping into one's potential?"

"..." Unexpectedly, the usually sharp-tongued Ego let out a soft sigh. "Why do you think it's called a protective mechanism? The truth is, the human body simply cannot withstand the consequences of fully unleashing its power. It's like a machine operating beyond its limits—eventually, it will break."

"Shinichi is burning through his professional career to shine the brightest in this match," Ego said as he stood from his seat and headed for the door.

"Ego-san? What's wrong?" Though shaken by Ego's words, Anri instinctively asked upon seeing his sudden action. However, he responded coldly, "I'm going to stop this match."

"Uh, if you want to stop it, you can just use the broadcast system here—" Before she could finish, Anri felt her hand firmly gripped by Ego. He stood in front of the controls, fixing her with a terrifying gaze she had never seen before.

"Don't do something stupid, Anri," he warned in a low voice.

"Are you saying that I should extinguish the brilliance of one of my players, who is burning everything he has to showcase his talent, right at this pivotal moment in football history?!"

"I'm going to the field, just in case the worst happens. But during the time it takes for me to get there, this is Shinichi's moment to fully display his talent. Right now, that stage belongs to him. No! One! Is allowed to interrupt this match!"

...

In the deepest depths of his consciousness, Shinichi slowly opened his eyes.

Right after weaving past Noa and the others to score his third consecutive goal, he once again sank into this sea of awareness.

Beyond the first door, which he had already shattered, stood another—representing the second stage of ZONE—and its so-called gatekeeper.

With striking blue hair and a not-so-tall frame... unfortunately, it wasn't Kuroko Tetsuya. At least, not in Shinichi's eyes. Standing before him was none other than Hiori.

"What's the matter, Shinichi? Hurry up. Don't you want to win? You'll do anything for victory, won't you? Then push open this door!" Hiori, standing in front of the gate, lacked the mysterious aura typical of a gatekeeper in Kuroko's Basketball.

Instead, he wore a sycophantic expression, coaxing Shinichi to push open the door.

But before he could get closer, Shinichi smashed his head with a single punch.

"Doing anything comes at a price. If this match is going to limit my future, then I'd rather lose," Shinichi said, his face showing clear impatience. "ZONE, the so-called second stage, is just about teamwork, isn't it? What use is that to me?"

The shadowy figure, unfazed, casually picked up the shattered fragments of its head and pieced them back together.

To Shinichi's surprise, its appearance shifted, becoming Rin.

"Isn't that ideal? Everyone working together as one, united. Compared to relying solely on individual strength, a cohesive team would achieve an overwhelming victory, even against world-class forwards. And the original owner of this face," the figure said with a sly smile, pointing to itself, "would undoubtedly bow to you willingly while in ZONE."

"I don't need that kind of submission," Shinichi said disdainfully, smashing the shadowy figure again.

He completely rejected the conclusion presented in Kuroko's Basketball.

While teamwork was important, the idea that individual growth should rely entirely on the team was something he absolutely refused to acknowledge.

Even players who seemed heavily reliant on their teammates—those who became famous for their passing skills—created opportunities through their own abilities, rather than passively adapting to the team.

"Opportunities created by relying on teammates? No matter how well-coordinated you are, that doesn't make you a star player—it just makes you a role player assisting others," Shinichi said, his tone dripping with disdain.

He thought of the NBA duo of Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire.

Together, they had popularized the famed "Seven Seconds or Less" offense.

Yet, when they parted ways, Nash, relying on his own abilities, remained the same "Phoenix Sun," while Stoudemire, who had thrived on opportunities created by Nash, immediately dropped a level.

This was precisely why Shinichi resisted the idea so strongly.

As Ego had once said, such a system had no replicability. Replace one high-synergy teammate with another who lacked chemistry, and the entire structure would crumble.

But when opportunities were created by one's own ability?

Then, no matter how many teammates were swapped in or out—even if it were a thousand—it wouldn't affect the player's ability to create those chances.

For Shinichi, the so-called second stage of ZONE held no value.

To him, it was nothing more than a crutch for someone like Kagami Taiga, who lacked the ability to push through to the second stage on his own and instead relied on his teammates to forcefully unlock that power.

Should his team dynamics change, Kagami would instantly lose access to the second stage.

"What's the point of a power you can't control on your own? Does that mean every time my teammates change, I'll suddenly become weaker and have to rebuild synergy just to get back to form?" Shinichi shook his head in disdain. "That's stupid. And it wouldn't even mean I'm strong—just that the team is strong. In the end, I'd be nothing more than a so-called system player."

"So stop wasting my time. Tell me—what's the real test of the second stage?"

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