Blue Lock: Beyond Greatness

"Now then, this concludes the current list of the 11 selected players. The final outcome will be revealed to football fans worldwide in fifteen days."

Ignoring Shinichi's habitual snarky comments, Ego continued speaking on his own. "Additionally, while the remaining players have not secured a spot in the main lineup, the substitute roster is still incomplete aside from certain positions. Including substitutes, the total number of registered players is capped at 23."

"Up until now, aside from the starters and the confirmed substitutes, Chigiri Hyoma and Kira Ryosuke, I haven't decided on the remaining 10 spots. Those who were not selected must prove themselves over the next half month and seize this final opportunity."

"Alright, that's all I have to say for now. Over the next fifteen days, I'll conduct further training with you. Remember, this is a collision between the new and old forces. I hope you will strive to improve yourselves instead of thinking you're all set just because Shinichi is on the team. Underperforming will ruin your future. Keep in mind—this is a game where we cannot afford to lose."

"Enough with the nonsense, four-eyes. This match is just the first step toward my global dominance," Rin interrupted impatiently, cutting off Ego's motivational speech. The other Blue Lock players nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, at this point, who would still be cowering in fear?" Karasu sneered, while Bachira, casually resting his hands behind his head, added with a relaxed grin, "That's right. I've already bet everything on this since coming to Blue Lock. In fact, I'm excited to see what kind of strength the true national team has."

"I've been waiting for this for a long time," Raichi clenched his fists eagerly, his eyes glinting with anticipation as he glanced at the U-20 national team players. Zantetsu, adjusting his glasses once more, said calmly, "Do your best... and leave the rest to fate."

"You get it now, right? It's not like we're desperate to showcase ourselves to the world. We're just graciously giving the world some time to adapt," Shinichi stretched lazily and grinned at Ego. "They better get used to us—the unstoppable hurricane that's about to change the history of world football—"

"Blue Lock!"

...

"Quite the spirited bunch, huh?" Nio, stirred by Shinichi's rousing speech, almost clapped and cheered along. However, he quickly caught himself, forcibly lowering his raised hands and instead grumbling indignantly. "But the fact that they're already assuming we'll be the losers? That's seriously irritating."

"That's not even the worst part," Aiku grinned bitterly, shaking his head. "Ego deliberately kept us around during the selection process and went out of his way to explain each player's characteristics and roles in detail. It's basically a roundabout way of leaking all their team information and tactics to us."

Yet, when Aiku turned, the usual playful gleam in his eyes was replaced by an unprecedented focus. "So, we old-timers can't just let these rookies trample over us without a fight."

"Time to show them what it means to respect their seniors."

"Oh!" The players responded in unison.

...

In the following days, Blue Lock returned to the high-intensity training reminiscent of the end of the first phase, interspersed with irregular small-scale matches.

"Huff..." After completing a grueling set of drills, Chigiri took a moment to catch his breath before walking to the edge of the field and sitting down.

Around him, players lay sprawled in exhaustion.

"I'm done... there's no way to keep up. They're absolute monsters," he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

After taking a large gulp of water, Chigiri finally voiced his frustration loudly. "That guy is totally overpowered! Even when facing world-class forwards, I never felt my speed was useless—it's just that my other skills weren't good enough to let me fully leverage it. Only Loki, with his insane speed, ever made me feel at a loss."

"But what is Shinichi? What breed of monster is he?" Chigiri continued, his tone filled with disbelief. "Every stat of his makes me feel the same crushing sense of helplessness that Loki's speed gave me—the kind that destroys your strongest, most confident ability."

"You should get used to it by now," Karasu shrugged nonchalantly. "That kind of genius is beyond us ordinary folks. He's got more power than Tokimitsu, way faster than you two speedsters, with top-tier reflexes, insane dribbling, and shooting skills. Who could possibly keep up with him?"

As Karasu finished speaking, the few remaining players who were barely holding on finally left the field one by one.

Only Raichi, Barou, and Rin remained, gritting their teeth as they desperately tried to keep up with Shinichi's training intensity.

"Ugh..." A muffled grunt echoed across the field as Rin was the first to stop. Despite his unwillingness, he knew forcing himself to continue out of pride would only harm his body.

Following Rin's withdrawal, Barou reluctantly exited the field as well, frustration evident on his face.

Raichi, now red-faced and visibly struggling, was on the verge of collapse when—

Beep!

"Attention, all players. Please gather in the meeting room."

The sudden announcement felt like divine intervention. Raichi immediately stopped, gasping for breath. "Ah, what a shame. I didn't get to settle things this time. We'll finish it next time!"

"Raichi... you shameless brute."

"Hah? What did you just say, Gagamaru?!" Raichi snapped angrily.

...

The group made their way to the meeting room amid Raichi and Gagamaru's playful scuffle and bickering.

The neatly arranged benches inside evoked a nostalgic sense of returning to school life.

Yet, what lingered even more was a surreal feeling, as though ages had passed.

Though their time in Blue Lock hadn't been long, everyone knew they had already undergone significant transformations.

...

"Yo, greetings to all you unpolished gems," Ego greeted them with his trademark opening line, holding a tactical board in his hand as he scanned the group drenched in sweat. "Today marks the first day of training camp for the U-20 match. How's everyone feeling? Bodies warmed up by now?"

"Warmed up? More like completely broken down," someone muttered under their breath, sparking laughter throughout the room.

After the noise gradually subsided, Ego spoke again. "Since the physical grind is done for the day, let's shift gears and exercise your minds instead."

"Let's talk about the formula for miracles—the mysterious phenomenon known as FLOW."

"I'm going to teach you what makes the world's greatest striker unstoppable—the very method of burning your life to achieve greatness."

-------------------

Want to read 20 advance chapters ahead?

Go to my patreon: patreon.com/Kinglass