Blue Lock: Beyond Greatness

"Just maintain the ZONE state until the end of this match." The shadow figure glanced meaningfully at Shinichi before raising a hand to tap his forehead.

A pulling sensation followed, and Shinichi's consciousness rapidly withdrew from that space.

Countless thoughts surged through his mind, yet in reality, only an instant had passed.

Shinichi, who had just evaded Chris, had no time to ponder the meaning of the figure's final words.

Seeing Lavinho already closing in on him, Shinichi's eyes flashed with lightning-like determination.

He flicked the ball up with his heel, twisting mid-air.

Just as Lavinho assumed Shinichi was about to unleash a forceful volley, Shinichi suddenly dropped the tip of his shooting foot sharply.

The ball shot downward almost vertically, slipping through Lavinho's legs before bouncing high into the air.

It was a disguised nutmeg pass that appeared to be a shot, and the target of the pass—was Shinichi himself two seconds later.

As he landed, Shinichi sprinted with everything he had, reaching the ball before Lavinho could recover.

Facing the last remaining obstacle, Snuffy, Shinichi immediately swung his foot for a powerful shot.

Almost instinctively, Snuffy stepped forward to block Shinichi's shooting path, shielding his vital area with his hands.

However, the expected explosive sound never came.

Instead, the ball soared high, tracing a beautiful arc through the air, curving gracefully around Snuffy before landing smoothly into the net.

Shinichi had accomplished it—a miraculous feat of dribbling past five opponents and scoring!

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BLUE LOCK Team 3:2 World Five Team

"Ha... ha..." As the ball hit the net, Shinichi collapsed to his knees, gasping greedily for air as if narrowly escaping the clutches of drowning.

His chest heaved, his muscles spasmed uncontrollably, and the lightning in his eyes dimmed instantly, teetering on the brink of extinguishment.

"Ha... so... that's it." With a grimace of pain, Shinichi clutched his chest.

During the second goal, when he barely managed to overcome Chris and Noa's defense with the help of his teammates, he had merely been in the first stage of the ZONE.

However, driven by his overwhelming desire to win, he had unknowingly stepped into the initial phase of the second stage of the ZONE.

If the first stage of ZONE is about fully unleashing one's abilities and achieving complete focus, then the second stage is about deeply tapping into the body's potential—a true act of overexertion.

Shinichi smiled bitterly as he stood up, realizing why he had felt an endless reserve of power in the ZONE state.

"But... it's not without gain. I need to maintain the ZONE... If I can re-enter that state before the next match while this feeling lingers, I'll be able to control the switch to the second stage," Shinichi thought.

He had a hunch that what he had just experienced was not the entirety of the second stage.

Full mastery would allow him to delve even deeper.

Ignoring the immense burden brought on by the ZONE, Shinichi, aware of a bug-level recovery trait locked in his reward list, showed no concern for his current state.

His face was as pale as a sheet, yet excitement burned brightly in his fatigued eyes.

"Whoa! Shinichi?!" A few teammates, caught up in their celebration, noticed Shinichi's odd condition and rushed over.

But Shinichi forced himself to stand, gently refusing Hiori's offered hand.

After what had just transpired, Shinichi felt a bit of PTSD when looking at Hiori's face, afraid he might punch him out of sheer reflex. "I'm fine. Let's keep going."

"Hey, kid, are you sure about this?" Lavinho frowned, visibly concerned.

Shinichi's poor state was evident—his face was ghostly pale, as if he had... well, overdone something. "I'm honestly afraid you'll drop dead on the pitch."

"Relax... even if you died 100 years from now, I wouldn't kick the bucket," Shinichi retorted, his breath steadying as he slowly straightened his back. "I know exactly what I'm doing, and the consequences are nowhere near as bad as you're imagining."

Shinichi locked eyes with Snuffy, who had approached him. After a brief silence, Snuffy picked up the ball and headed toward the center line. "Let's go. Nothing serious. Let's continue the match!"

The group exchanged glances but ultimately chose to trust Snuffy's judgment.

The previously tense atmosphere began to dissipate, and even the fiery resolve in their eyes quietly faded after the interruption.

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Almost the instant the whistle sounded, the ball flew horizontally across the field, landing at Noel Noa's feet.

Snuffy's response was immediate—a lightning-fast shot that tore through the field at a speed even Shinichi couldn't react to.

BLUE LOCK Team 3:3 World Five Team

"This is... the shot of the world's number one striker! But what's even more impressive..." Shinichi turned his gaze toward the player standing at the center line, "is the ability to instantly spot the gaps in our formation, deliver a lightning-quick pass, and set Noa up perfectly for a first-time shot without any need for adjustment."

"I respect your resolve, but I can't stand by and watch you destroy your body." Snuffy took a deep breath, and the ever-smiling aura around him shifted, replaced by an indescribable intensity. "So, I'll stop you… in my own way."

"For instance, by ending this match as quickly as possible." Snuffy adjusted his headband and looked squarely at Shinichi. "Why push yourself so hard for work? Why not clock out early with me?"

On the field, one of the five world-class strikers finally entered a complete FLOW state.

"Now this is more like it," Shinichi muttered, a grin creeping onto his face. "A bunch of pity-filled expressions? No thanks—I don't need anyone's sympathy."

Though his eyes, now faint with only traces of arcing electricity, had nearly dimmed, they reignited with a brilliant burst of lightning that exploded across the pitch.

"Sure, I've been wanting to clock out too. So why don't you just give up already?"

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As the whistle blew, Shinichi took the kickoff.

Lightning flared in his eyes as he launched a blitzkrieg-style attack, aiming to disrupt the opposing formation in an instant.

However, the anticipated crowd of defenders never materialized.

Instead, only Snuffy stood in front of Shinichi, precisely blocking the ultra-fast dribbling technique Shinichi had learned from Loki. "You seem slower than before. Why push yourself so hard?" Snuffy said with a calm smile.

Shinichi didn't reply.

Instead, he kept switching between various styles of play—Lavinho's butterfly-like dribbling, Chris's physical strategies, Snuffy's football techniques rooted in jiu-jitsu, and even Noa's ever-ready shooting movements.

At this moment, Shinichi appeared like a fusion of the five top-class strikers, shifting between styles so rapidly it was dizzying to watch.

But... Snuffy kept up!

As arguably the world's most versatile and well-rounded player, Snuffy in his FLOW state was leagues beyond the watered-down defensive capabilities of the other forwards.

His dramatically heightened defensive intensity left Shinichi momentarily overwhelmed.

For the first time in this match, the true essence of a world-class duel was on full display.

Snuffy continued to hound Shinichi relentlessly.

Perhaps, given more time, Shinichi might figure out a way to break through.

Or maybe Snuffy would adapt fully to Shinichi's diverse arsenal and seize the ball.

Their battle was so intense that no matter who emerged victorious, it would be no surprise—a deadly clash of equals.

Shinichi in his ZONE state versus Snuffy in his FLOW state—their duel would be decided by a single fleeting moment, a minuscule opening.

Victory or defeat hung in the balance of a razor-thin margin.

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