Blue Lock: Beyond Greatness

"You don't need reason. Don't think about anything else. Victory is guaranteed by 'that thing' anyway. Right now, I just need to push myself to the limit and test my boundaries!"

"I'll do what I can... my own challenge... If I can't catch up to that guy just yet, then my target will be the one right beneath him—the one I most want to take down!"

Rin's eyes gradually turned vacant, and the monstrous shadow behind him let out a deafening roar, as if breaking free from its restraints.

However, unlike the overwhelming presence of Shinichi's aura, the monster didn't spread out uncontrollably.

Instead, it merged into Rin's body.

The only visible changes were the flames of his fighting spirit turning solid black in his eyes—and the unconscious extension of his tongue.

"You idiot, you still haven't gotten rid of that drooling habit… disgusting."

With an expression of cold indifference, Sae blocked Rin's path. "And once again, you're acting recklessly. When are you going to grow out of that childish mindset?"

"None of your business, you trashy big brother. And since you call me childish, what's wrong with indulging in some selfishness, just like you said?"

The veins on Rin's once-refined face bulged as he glared at Sae with a fierce, almost feral expression. Then, he flicked the ball forward.

Both brothers took off at the same time.

Rin made the first move, nudging the ball to test the waters before immediately pulling it back to evade Sae's right leg, which had lunged in for a tackle.

But Sae swiftly raised his arm, pressing against Rin's chest to disrupt his forward momentum.

"Ugh." Rin let out a muffled grunt as he raised a hand to shove Sae's arm away, but Sae had already caught up. Their shoulders crashed together, neither willing to give an inch.

"Since my opponent is Shinichi, I don't have time to waste playing this childish 'brotherly battle' nonsense with you."

As he spoke, Sae's processing speed surged once more, and he kicked the ball out from under Rin's feet. But Rin reacted instinctively, blocking it just in time to keep it from leaving his control.

"Get out of my way!"

Rin roared as he turned, forcefully shoving against the unyielding Sae. He feigned a brute-force charge, pretending to break through Sae's defense with sheer physicality. However, at the last moment, he executed a slick step-over move, deftly slipping the ball through Sae's legs.

"Still... too naive."

Sae had anticipated Rin's move. Instead of reacting to the nutmeg, he simply let the ball pass through his legs while keeping his focus on stopping Rin.

As a result, the ball rolled helplessly toward the backfield, where no Blue Lock teammates were in position to receive it.

"You don't have the ability to handle everything on your own, yet you've abandoned the support of your teammates. That's why I keep saying—you're just a half-baked failure. You should just go home and live the rest of your life as a worthless leech under my shadow, because you'll never be the world's best."

"I have to agree with that."

The familiar voice snapped Rin out of his tunnel vision. Shinichi had already slipped past him, cutting in front of Aiku to collect the unclaimed ball.

"This is your last warning. If you mess around in my team again, get the hell off."

"Damn it, how did that guy get this far forward?!"

With no one else to stop Shinichi, Aiku braced himself for a one-on-one challenge.

Ignoring the sweat dripping into his eyes, he activated his vision.

His heterochromatic eyes locked onto Shinichi, and in his field of view, countless symbols appeared around his opponent—representing the probability of every possible move he could make.

However, at that moment, all the numbers fluctuated chaotically, shifting at an unreadable speed.

"Tch, has he already reached a level beyond my comprehension? This guy's strength is seriously monstrous!"

Even though he knew the outcome was inevitable, Aiku still threw himself forward in defiance.

Seeing Aiku charge at him, Shinichi calmly nudged the ball forward, preparing for contact.

But just as they were about to clash, he used the inside of his foot to pull the ball back, avoiding Aiku's right foot.

Then, with a delicate chip, he flicked the ball over Aiku's attempted tackle and angled his body for a clean breakthrough.

"It's not over yet!"

Aiku refused to give up. He forcefully planted his right foot, abruptly halting his momentum, while his left leg kicked backward in a last-ditch effort to intercept the ball.

But Shinichi reacted instantly, twisting his ankle subtly.

The minor adjustment caused the ball, which had been under his instep, to freeze for a split second—balancing on the tip of his foot.

Then, with a slight flick of his toes, he lifted it over Aiku's desperate "scorpion kick" attempt, smoothly evading him once more.

"Whoa, that was slick!"

Just as Shinichi fully broke past Aiku, Shidou suddenly lunged forward, raising a hand to bump into him. "But it's no fun if you're playing the protagonist all by yourself! If you're gonna steal the show, at least take me with you!"

"Shinichi, since we're opponents, I won't let you go through so easily."

At the same time, Isagi and Hiori also charged in. The three-man pincer formation completely boxed Shinichi in.

This was exactly why Sae had criticized Rin's reckless play.

At that moment, anyone could tell that Rin had no passing options left.

Even without exceptional vision or football IQ, the opponents could read the situation and collapse on the play.

By rushing forward to receive Rin's ball, Shinichi had unknowingly walked into an ambush.

"Beautiful! Three people have blocked Shinichi's advance! Hiori can take on Sae's previous role and cut off his passing options. Shidou can at least stall him, and I can make it back in time! There's no way he can break through a triple-team again and again!"

Aiku immediately sprinted back into position. At the same time, the chaotic, rapidly fluctuating numbers in his vision began to slow down, stabilizing gradually—until they froze at—

"…%? What kind of joke is this?!"

"So, there was still a chance for failure, huh?"

Shinichi's voice cut through Aiku's thoughts with precision, as if he had read his mind.

In such a high-pressure moment, he still had the composure to turn back and flash a faint smile at Aiku.

Then, in the next instant, his eyes erupted with lightning.

Before his words had even fully landed, Shinichi suddenly placed his hands on the chests of both Isagi and Shidou, who had locked onto his shoulders.

A burst of raw power sent him airborne, creating the space he needed to execute his next move.

Before Hiori could reposition to block him, Shinichi flicked the ball up with a backheel.

Using Hiori's advancing body as leverage, he flipped himself into the air.

Suspended upside down, his free left foot locked onto the ball.

At that moment, from the sidelines, Noel Noa instinctively clenched his fists.

"What about now?"

BOOM!!!!

Aiku's eyes froze on the violently distorted ball as it rocketed forward with a deafening explosion.

Within his vision, a single line of numbers stabbed into his brain like a sharp blade:

"Interception probability… 0%."

GOOOOOOOAL!!!

U-20 Japan Team 2 : 5 Blue Lock Team

Shinichi landed smoothly, exhaling lightly as he stood up.

Facing the entire U-20 team, he extended both hands—one showing a '2,' the other a '4.'

"Just in case you forgot, let me remind you." His voice was calm, almost indifferent. "This is my personal score against your entire team. If you guys don't start putting in some real effort and prove you're better than this..."

"Then I might just triple this score all by myself."

...

On the bench, watching the triumphant Shinichi, Ego's lips curled into a sinister grin.

"No, no, this isn't right at all. If he's completing his promise this easily, it takes all the fun out of it."

His gaze shifted toward a certain player on the field—one whose eyes had gone slightly unfocused, his body drenched in sweat.

"Since he could dominate one reckless egoist, let's see how he handles a second one."

Ego's smirk deepened as he leaned forward and issued a simple, yet game-changing command.

"Barou Shouei."

"You're going in. Replace Mikage Reo."

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