Aka received the ball near midfield.
Yusuke threw himself forward.
The challenge missed by inches.
The crowd gasped.
Then the referee raised his whistle.
Not for full time.
For a foul that had happened seconds earlier near the touchline.
The entire stadium froze.
For a moment, everyone thought the match was over.
Then the fourth official stepped forward.
The electronic board lit up.
+10
Ten minutes of added time.
The stadium erupted.
Southside's supporters roared.
Nocturne's fans answered immediately.
Ten minutes.
The match wasn't dead.
Not yet.
Yuma stared at the board.
Then laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was insane.
"Ten minutes."
His grin looked almost unhinged.
"We've got ten damn minutes."
Hiroto was bent over, hands on his knees.
Every muscle in his body hurt.
But when he looked up and saw the board, something reignited behind his eyes.
"Then stop standing around."
The free kick restarted play.
Nocturne immediately slowed everything down.
Pass.
Pass.
Pass.
Every touch felt deliberate.
Every second stolen.
Every second precious.
Réservoir controlled possession near the center circle and casually switched the field.
Southside chased.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The ball felt impossible to win.
Like Nocturne was playing a different game entirely.
Then Pambara saw it.
A pattern.
A tiny one.
The same outlet pass.
The same rotation.
The same escape route.
His eyes widened.
"LEFT!"
Ren reacted instantly.
The pass came.
Ren intercepted.
The crowd exploded.
For the first time in several minutes, Southside had possession.
Real possession.
Not a clearance.
Not a lucky bounce.
Possession.
Takumi received.
Turned.
Accelerated.
The attack began.
The stadium rose to its feet.
Yusuke sprinted through the middle.
Yuma attacked the right side.
Sora overlapped.
Everything moved at once.
Takumi slipped a pass between two defenders.
Yusuke reached it.
One touch.
Then another.
The crowd was screaming now.
Yusuke entered the box.
A defender closed.
Then another.
He shot.
The ball flew low toward the corner.
Adrien dove.
SAVE.
The rebound spilled loose.
Chaos erupted.
Bodies crashed together.
Yuma arrived first.
He swung.
BLOCKED.
Marc Pelletier threw himself in front of the shot.
The ball ricocheted away.
Another chance gone.
Another opportunity wasted.
Yuma dropped to one knee.
"HOW?!"
No answer came.
Because nobody knew.
Nocturne escaped again.
The counterattack started instantly.
Theo sprinted down the wing.
Lucien joined him.
Aka drifted through the center.
The danger returned immediately.
Southside scrambled backward.
Tired legs.
Heavy lungs.
Desperate movements.
Aka received near the edge of the area.
The crowd held its breath.
Yusuke arrived.
Again.
Always again.
Aka looked sideways.
Then forward.
Then sideways again.
Almost like he was testing something.
The smile returned.
A dangerous smile.
Then he passed.
Theo struck first time.
Tsubasa flew.
The save was spectacular.
The stadium exploded.
Tsubasa landed hard and immediately got back up.
"COME ON!"
His scream echoed across the field.
For the first time all match, Southside's players answered.
Yuma shouted back.
Hiroto shouted back.
Even Takumi slammed his fist into his chest.
The game had become chaos.
Pure chaos.
And for the first time all day, Nocturne looked slightly uncomfortable.
Not scared.
Not worried.
Just uncomfortable.
Because Southside refused to die.
The clock ticked forward.
Ninety-three minutes.
Still 3–1.
Still alive.
Still fighting.
And somewhere in the middle of the madness, Aka looked toward Yusuke.
Then toward Pambara.
Then toward the scoreboard.
His smile slowly faded.
For the first time since Southside scored, he looked serious again.
And that was the most dangerous thing anyone on the field had seen all day.
To Be Continued.