Blue Lock: Beyond Greatness

"Kurona."

As everyone moved to their positions in preparation for kickoff, Shinichi suddenly called out to Kurona.

"It's time for you to step in."

"Be ready to run yourself to death."

"Ah... yeah, yeah, you tyrant, always pushing people to their limits." Though he grumbled, Kurona's eyes gleamed with excitement. "I'll give it my all and catch up to you!"

"Good." Shinichi nodded before turning his gaze toward the massive scoreboard behind the spectator stands.

"There are still a few minutes left in the first half... Let's use that time to score another goal."

Beep—!

The whistle blew, signaling the kickoff. As usual, Reo

started the play by passing to Shinichi. Behind them, Aiku felt a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead as he locked his eyes onto Shinichi's movements.

"Is he going for it again? Then how will he do it this time? There's no way he can keep forcing his way through our defense every time… but he's receiving the ball outside his danger zone. Is it because his teammates can't break past Hiori's vision to support him? Is he left with no choice but to take on the last attack himself?"

"But no matter what, if you go all out, you completely lose your ability to connect with your teammates. We've already seen through that. As long as we understand this, we can ignore your teammates… and steal the ball from you, Shinichi!"

Just as Aiku was thinking this, Shinichi eyed the oncoming defender—Teppei, who had decent speed and could quickly recover even if beaten.

Behind him, Kazuma stood on high alert, ready to close in. But in an unexpected move, Shinichi passed the ball to his teammate beside him—Kurona—who immediately sent it across the field.

"What?"

Even Sae was momentarily taken aback. Instead of fully utilizing his speed advantage, Shinichi was actively coordinating with the other Blue Lock players, constantly repositioning himself.

"Is he… abandoning his greatest individual strength to create opportunities for his teammates?"

Aiku murmured in disbelief as he watched the play unfold.

"How is this happening…? Shinichi is willingly suppressing his strongest weapon? This isn't the player I know at all…!"

"A tyrant like you… actually lowering yourself to be a minesweeper? You're willing to do all the dirty work just for victory… What are you, some enlightened king who has finally found his way?"

Shinichi, without his usual aggressive approach, didn't carry the same overwhelming pressure as before. Yet at that moment, Aiku couldn't stop the cold sweat from forming on his back.

"That's right. As the spearhead of the attack, Shinichi has hidden his sharp edge. But with a player of his caliber leading the way, Blue Lock's overall level is only rising. More importantly… that edge isn't gone. It's merely concealed, waiting for the perfect moment to strike—when it will pierce straight through our weak spot!"

As Aiku processed this, Zantetsu had already begun his charge forward, perfectly in sync with Shinichi.

The defender, Hayate, was already at a speed disadvantage against Zantetsu and, distracted by Shinichi's presence beside him, was cleanly beaten in a single step.

"Tch!"

But just as Hayate was passed, Hiori seized the moment, cutting in from the side and swinging his leg in a precise interception, kicking away the slightly overextended ball from Zantetsu.

"Cleared it!"

"Nice work, Hiori!"

It was a well-timed clearance. However—Shinichi was still there! Without hesitation, he stepped directly in the path of Hiori's clearance, stopping the ball dead in its tracks. From the spectators' perspective, it almost looked as if Hiori had intentionally passed the ball straight to Shinichi.

Instead of forcing the play with Zantetsu, whose momentum had slowed, Shinichi immediately laid the ball off to Kurona, who had pushed himself to the limit just to keep pace with them.

But the moment Shinichi made the pass, Sae, who had been watching from the back, finally made his move.

"He's not some self-sacrificing foot soldier clearing the way for others—Shinichi is using everyone else as a mere decoy. Every piece on the board is just there to shield his advancing pawn!"

Itoshi Sae instantly saw through Shinichi's strategy. Sprinting forward, he raised his voice to alert his teammates.

"He's not some benevolent king looking out for his allies. This guy… he's a ruthless strategist who discards his war machines the moment they've served their purpose. Every action he takes is designed to have his teammates escort him across the board—until he evolves into the strongest piece on the field, the queen! A pure, cold-blooded egoist!"

Aiku, hearing Sae's call, finally grasped the truth.

"That's it! Shinichi may look like he's doing the dirty work of a supporting player, but his goal remains unchanged. Since no one can deliver the ball to his feet in the perfect position, he's working with his teammates to gradually push it forward himself—until he reaches the front line, where he'll use his individual brilliance to finish the job!"

"The moment the ball reaches the final third, when Shinichi has absolute control over the play—that's when the hidden arrow will be unleashed!"

"You've figured it out, huh? Then let's move to the next stage."

Shinichi wasn't surprised in the slightest that his plan had been exposed.

After all, he had never intended to hide it.

This was an open strategy, a move that needed no deception.

And the terrifying thing about an open strategy—was that even if you saw through it, you still might not be able to stop it.

"Come on, Rin. This is your chance to steal the spotlight from me. Don't tell me you're going to mess up at a moment like this?"

"Shut the hell up. No one's stopping you from keeping your mouth shut, you bastard!"

With a cold expression, Rin advanced, surrounded by an air of overwhelming pressure.

Alongside him, Reo—also mimicking Shinichi's movements—kept pace.

The three of them formed a tight triangle, pushing forward as one, with Shinichi and Reo acting as Rin's shields, clearing the path for his next move.

"Come on… under that bastard's watchful eyes, I'll take you down, you annoying big brother, and announce my presence to the world! This is the perfect stage—even better than a dream!"

Rin locked his gaze onto his older brother's movements, adjusting his footwork with every step as he sought the slightest gap to break through.

"Hmph. You've improved a little, I'll give you that. But as long as you're still caught up in your ridiculous obsession—still calling yourself my little brother—you will never surpass me!"

Sae, face emotionless, intercepted Rin's every attempt, cutting off any possible connection between him and Shinichi.

However, he couldn't afford to spread his focus too thin, which meant he had no way of covering the passing lane between Rin and Reo.

But Rin didn't even spare Reo a glance. He clenched his teeth and pressed forward with single-minded determination.

"Ignoring your teammate just to satisfy your own emotions… making such an irrational decision in the face of victory… You're just as childish as ever."

Even Shinichi, when deprived of passing options, could be contained.

And Rin—stubbornly refusing to use his available teammate—was no exception.

It didn't take long for Sae to spot the flaw in his reckless approach. In an instant, he stepped in and stole the ball away.

"You defective, useless little brother!"

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