BAM!
The ball lifted off the ground, shooting into the net like a bolt of lightning.
The goalkeeper, the Blue Lock Man, couldn't even make a save attempt before the ball slammed heavily into the net, spinning.
"BEEP!"
The whistle blew, the goal was valid.
1:0!
Less than 30 seconds into the game, Tendou had charged into the dragon's den alone and scored.
There was no combination play, only pure stats.
"..."
The field was silent, as if everyone was so stunned that they couldn't make a sound for a moment, their brains still in a state of shock from this scene that was beyond their comprehension!
This one goal, more or less, made them realize how Tendou had managed to score 3 goals against the World All-Star Team.
"This is basically like facing another Loki!" Imamura Yudai's expression was grave. The helplessness he had felt when facing Tendou just now was the same as when he had gone one-on-one with Loki. He had been passed cleanly without even being able to react.
"This is... the current Tendou..."
Cold sweat dripped from Isagi's forehead. No wonder Chigiri and Reo were unwilling to choose Tendou's Team A. For Tendou, perhaps even they as teammates were superfluous.
Nanase Nijirou, who was with him, was also dumbfounded.
"He scored a goal all by himself... he doesn't need teammates."
There were many geniuses in Blue Lock. But even strong players like Rin, Barou, and Shidou all needed their teammates' cooperation. To go on a solo run from the moment of kickoff, break through the opponent's entire defensive line without a single pass in between... such individual ability was simply unheard of.
He had only ever encountered it when playing against the World All-Star Team. At that time, Loki was just like this, power-dribbling all the way, eating everyone alive with his speed, completing a solo breakthrough and scoring.
...
"In that case, finding players who are compatible with Tendou won't be too easy," Anri observed from the control room.
"Yeah. After all, his level is already high enough to play in the first division of the top five major European leagues; it's no longer at an amateur level. Plus, his style of play..." Ego shook his head.
In the Blue Lock Eleven, the core would undoubtedly be Tendou. It was just that his style was different from what he had expected. He had originally prepared to shape Tendou into a goal-scoring machine like Ronaldo. The "alien" was recognized as the most perfect center forward!
Who would have known that Tendou, in order to better utilize his own abilities, had started to observe Beckenbauer and was now playing as an extinct libero. This way, finding players who could be compatible with him would be difficult, extremely difficult!
He took his tactical board and tapped on it a few times with his pen.
"I feel that instead of looking for players who are compatible with Tendou, it's better to find some players who can better bring out Tendou's strengths," Anri suggested.
A creature like a libero is, at the very least, an all-around warrior who is one-super-many-strong. To keep up with the rhythm of such a creature, to coordinate with his actions... ordinary people can't do it. Because their influence on the game situation and the field surpasses all other positions. They can always appear in the most suitable position.
Want to understand their world? Unrealistic.
So, instead of forcing people to try and coordinate with Tendou, it was better to let Tendou stimulate the abilities of other teammates. Her suggestion coincided with Ego's.
...
The match continued.
Being behind by a goal less than 30 seconds into the game put a lot of pressure on Team B. After kicking off, Chigiri and Otoya made high-speed forward runs along the left and right wings. One was fast, the other's movements were silent. They caused a lot of trouble for Team A.
"The left wing? Chigiri?!"
This was unexpected for Isagi. Chigiri, whose dominant foot was his right, had actually moved from the right wing to the left. What on earth had happened to him in these few short days?
There was no time to think. He had already joined forces with Rin to press the other members of Team B. The two of them, going from opponents to teammates, had played a total of 3 games back and forth and were familiar enough with each other. Coupled with their excellent spatial awareness, the defensive line they formed together was impenetrable.
Imamura didn't dare to be careless, especially when facing the No. 2. After attracting the opponent's attention, he threaded a through-ball to Otoya on the right.
Otoya received the ball and sprinted, his ninja-like, strange movements making him impossible to defend against. In that instant, he had brought the ball to the right half-space of the penalty area. And at this time, the players from both sides had basically already charged to the vicinity of the box.
Without any extra thoughts, Otoya immediately sent in a cross. This ball's target was Chigiri. His "44-degree Snipe" had threatened the World All-Star Team's goal twice. Otoya was very confident in Chigiri's shooting.
...
In the penalty area, people were already preparing to fight for the spot. Everyone was pushing and shoving, fighting for position.
Isagi and Rin were the exceptions. They keenly captured Chigiri's movement and, from that, deduced the target of this ball.
"The far post!"
"It's Chigiri!"
Rin and Isagi were suddenly alarmed and immediately took action. And at this time, the "young lady" had already come out from the far post, his eyes full of fighting spirit.
It's too late!
Isagi thought to himself that this was bad. His old teammate was already fast, and with his own ability, he definitely couldn't stop him.
However, an accident happened.
"Didn't I tell you to just give the ball to me?" Shidou Ryusei bared his demonic fangs.
Otoya's cross flew past him at high speed, heading for Chigiri at the far post. But Shidou, relying on instinct, turned his body sideways in the air. His powerful body balance allowed his movement to be without a trace of deformation.
CRACK!
In that instant, the picture Isagi had pieced together was shattered. This was a scene he had never anticipated. Under his watch, Shidou, in mid-air, turned his body sideways. His two legs swayed lightly, and then he fiercely lashed out.
Accompanied by a loud bang, the ball that had already flown past him, the ball that was supposed to be passed to Chigiri, was actually kicked towards the goal by him in this fashion.
"I'm not playing football!" Shidou laughed wildly, a strange flush appearing on his face. It was a high.
But his high quickly faded.
Time seemed to have stopped. The ball, flying towards the goal, slowly rotated, getting closer and closer to the goal, bit by bit. All around was empty space, only the Blue Lock Man goalkeeper and a goal.
But the next second, under the audience's gaze, a bolt of lightning streaked across with a bzzzt, and then Tendou's figure appeared in front of the ball.
Tap!
Tendou, wreathed in lightning, inserted himself into the six-yard box at high speed. The moment the ball was about to approach the goal, he leaped and kicked Shidou's shot out of bounds with one foot. He didn't even give the opponent a corner kick opportunity!
"BEEP!"
The whistle blew again. A throw-in for the opposing team.
Isagi stared blankly at Tendou. A crisis that neither he nor Rin had noticed, Tendou had noticed. While he and Rin thought they had seen through the opponent's actions and were crazily pouncing on Chigiri, Shidou had broken the script they had constructed in their minds.
He still couldn't see Tendou's world!
"Damn it!"
"Just how far do you have to leave me behind to be satisfied!"
Isagi had improved. He had even led a team to defeat the No. 2, Rin. But in the end, the gap between himself and Tendou had not been narrowed in the slightest.
...
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