Blue Lock: I, Ryōsuke Kira, Start With Thunder Breathing

Ken possesses excellent jumping ability, giving him an extremely wide defensive range in front of the goal.

Yoichi's shot was very threatening, but Ken managed to barely block the ball thanks to his outstanding physical abilities.

Although he only touched it with his fingertips, the ball's trajectory changed, directly hitting the goalpost and bouncing away. Ken lost his balance and fell to the ground.

"Beautiful defense, Wakashimazu!"

Shūto, who arrived late, shouted praise, but there was no sign of relief on Ken's face.

"Be careful, the danger isn't over yet!" He roared.

The deflected ball landed right at the feet of Ashito who had come up to support.

With no time to hesitate, he knew shooting now was the best choice. While Ken hadn't fully gotten up yet, Ashito kicked the ball with all his might—

"I'll defend!"

Another tall figure suddenly appeared in front of Ashito, blocking the ball away like a wall.

Jūbē had rushed back just in time!

Although Ashito was quite fast, the height difference between him and Jūbē was enormous. Jūbē was able to block the ball thanks to his height advantage.

The ball landed on the other side, right where Oliver and Kenyū were positioned. Both jumped up simultaneously, trying to fight for the ball, as if continuing their unfinished battle—

This time, Oliver had the upper hand.

With his excellent jumping ability, his head touched the ball first. He headed it toward the other side, successfully allowing Ken, who had already adjusted his position, to receive it.

Ken trapped the ball under his foot, signaling the end of this attack.

Ubers had successfully defended!

[My goodness, both teams just displayed an unparalleled offensive and defensive battle on the field! Kenyū Yukimiya's breakthrough! Oliver Aiku's defense! Ryōsuke Kira's pass and Ken Wakashimazu's save! Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!]

The commentator shouted, his voice already strained from excitement despite the match being far from halfway done.

Every match in the Blue Lock is exciting — but this match's brilliance far exceeds any previous ones!

Both teams excel in offense and defense! This is truly a strategic battle between top teams!

This is a contest of skills between elite players!

❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖

"Amazing, even more impressive than when they faced us. Can Bastard München improve even further?"

In the England Stratum, Haruhisa and others watched the match, unable to contain their admiration.

Bastard München's coordination and overall teamwork were improving at a visibly rapid rate, like a constantly evolving monster.

Is it because of Ryōsuke?

And Italy's Ubers was equally formidable — their team was just as terrifying.

In the coaches' room, Chris watched the screen with a disgruntled expression.

The previous match's defeat plus having the spotlight stolen by Ryōsuke during commercial activities made him very upset with that guy — but he still couldn't help watching the match.

Even if he didn't want to admit it, he knew that Ryōsuke's abilities were frighteningly powerful. Chris wanted to know just how far he could go.

❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖

"They… they defended it!"

Nozomi's voice trembled. The match rhythm had been so fast it was almost suffocating, and only now did he have a chance to speak.

"It's unfortunate the physical difference was so great, otherwise Ashito's shot would have had a real chance."

"Yes, that's the difference in natural talent." Tatsuya said slowly, "But I never expected him to reach that level."

Being able to position himself for that shot proved that Ashito was no longer the almost useless presence he once was in the club. He had truly achieved tremendous growth.

"However, Bastard München's offensive momentum has been stopped. I suppose we should expect Italy's counterattack next. Being blocked on offense affects morale, so Ubers will likely have the advantage moving forward."

"My view is exactly the opposite." Tatsuya smiled.

"Why?"

"Because of rhythm." Tatsuya pointed at the screen, "Although the attack just failed, there's no doubt that Bastard München has raised the tempo of the match! Ubers is a slow-paced team that emphasizes efficient attacks and flawless defense. They want to keep the rhythm slow — but Bastard München has successfully increased the pace through these counterattacks, raising the frequency of offense and defense.

In an uncomfortable rhythm, Ubers might find themselves forced to trade attacks with their opponents, which would reduce their defensive advantage.

And most importantly is stamina. Ubers emphasizes attacking efficiency, but high-frequency passing and positioning will cause their players to consume more energy than their opponents. Given enough time, no matter how abundant their stamina is, it will eventually be completely drained, and then Ubers will likely find themselves in a desperate situation."

"Then what should they do?" Nozomi asked anxiously.

"Ubers will probably bet everything on their next attack — if they can score, they'll be in control and can more freely dictate the rhythm, trying to widen the score gap before their stamina runs out. But if they fail to score, they could fall straight into a quagmire." Tatsuya's gaze became extremely serious as he said, "The next offensive will be the critical turning point of the match!"

❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖

Meanwhile, on the field, after the intense battle of offense and defense, many players showed signs of fatigue.

Ken's face was covered in sweat, his clothes stained with dirt, and Ikki's chest heaved violently. During that defensive battle, they had held nothing back.

Bastard München's side was faring slightly better, though Kenyū gasped for breath after his long sprint. Not only that, but his vision was becoming somewhat blurry. He suffered from an eye condition called optic neuropathy. After intense exercise, his vision would gradually deteriorate, which was why he needed to wear glasses.

However, even with this eye condition, his dream of playing soccer had never dimmed. It was this unwavering belief that drove him to give everything on the field, burning up whatever energy he had left.

"How are you doing, Yuki?"

As Kenyū jogged back to their half of the field, Ryōsuke walked beside him and gently patted his shoulder.

"I'm fine." To hide his exhaustion, Kenyū carefully controlled his breathing and nodded with a smile.

Although he didn't reply, Ryōsuke could tell from Kenyū's breathing rate and sweat that he had just expended a lot of energy.

Yet the fighting spirit in Kenyū's eyes hadn't diminished in the slightest.

"Too bad we couldn't score just now." Kenyū said, shaking his head with disappointment.

"It's alright, we were very close. We've successfully worn down their stamina and are gradually taking control." Ryōsuke replied.

"Yeah." Kenyū nodded, "We must win. Our Bastard München team has to achieve a perfect record—we absolutely cannot lose a single match."

"Yes, I feel the same way." Ryōsuke agreed.

On the German team's bench, Yō Hiori watched Ryōsuke and the others with undivided attention.

Though they hadn't scored, he felt his blood boiling with excitement. It was like being a child again, touching a soccer ball for the first time.

In that moment, Yō felt a longing in his heart, wishing he could be part of the action too. This was a feeling he hadn't experienced in years. Having grown to hate soccer, now it seemed the flame had been reignited.

"The result of the next exchange could very well determine the direction of the match... Come on..." The next round was crucial, and Yō knew this, silently cheering on his teammates on the field.

Soon, Ken kicked the ball to the back field, with Ikki slowly carrying it across the halfway line.

What they needed now was to slow the pace, which would amplify their team's defensive advantage while giving players a chance to catch their breath. Everyone's stamina was rapidly depleting, and Ikki was no exception.

But just as he crossed the halfway line, Yoichi rushed forward at top speed to press!

Ikki immediately turned around, using his back as a shield to keep the ball firmly under control!

He knew how crucial this possession was — he absolutely could not make a mistake at this critical juncture. This round, they had to score!

Ikki turned again, attempting to break through from Yoichi's side — but in the moment of turning, he pulled the ball back with his right foot, creating a feint to deceive his opponent!

But Yoichi didn't fall for it!

He knew very well that Ikki wasn't the type of player to force a breakthrough, so he stayed tight on his mark.

"Damn it... Yoichi!" Ikki realized that this guy's defensive abilities were even more impressive than before, and he simply couldn't get past him easily.

However, his job wasn't necessarily to dribble through!

❖ Metavision! ❖

In Ikki's eyes, the entire field appeared like a puzzle of countless pieces, and he could clearly see the position of every player!

The same was true for Yoichi!

They both possessed Metavision, so what followed was a battle of decision-making! Like two card players showing their hands — a pure battle of wits!

"Sendō is rushing this way!" With his Metavision, Yoichi caught Shūto's movement.

From the previous match, he had understood that guy's role in the team!

He was Ubers's transition hub — whenever someone found themselves in trouble, Shūto would immediately come forward to provide support. In terms of positioning, he was quite similar to Ranze!

However, Shūto was probably superior in offensive capability.

But even knowing that Shūto would come to support Ikki, Yoichi didn't rush to block the passing lane — because he knew it would be useless.

Ikki's organizational abilities were excellent, and Yoichi was well aware of this. Even if he blocked Shūto's receiving lane, this "Watchtower" could still pass to someone else!

So, Yoichi deliberately left enough space for a pass, knowing that once his opponent released the ball, he would have a high chance of intercepting!

At this moment, Ikki began to move, turning slightly to face Shūto, seemingly about to pass to him as Yoichi had predicted... But he didn't!

"I know what you're thinking, Isagi!" Ikki shouted.

Currently, Shūto was his most suitable passing target — but Yoichi wasn't trying to intercept the potential passing trajectory.

Ikki knew his opponent had the same eyes as himself. If it were someone else, they might not have noticed Shūto's presence, but with Yoichi, that was absolutely impossible!

He knew this was a trap! He absolutely could not pass to Shūto!

This ball had to go in!

To break through this situation, Ikki had to make a bolder decision! He made a long pass, targeting not Shūto but someone further away!

Kojiro Hyuga!

"No way?" Yoichi was surprised, as this move was too risky.

Shūto should have been the best passing target, while Kojiro was being closely marked by Jingo and Benedict, and shouldn't have had any space to receive the ball.

If they could disrupt this attack and complete the interception, Bastard München could counter-attack again and completely turn the match around.

"Who do you think you're looking down on!" Jingo shouted as he spotted the incoming pass, positioning himself for the interception.

"I am dust, I shall be elusive." Benedict muttered while also moving to intercept the ball.

Under pressure from these two defenders, Kojiro should, by all logic, have been unable to receive this pass!

However... he was someone who existed beyond the realm of common sense!

"Leave it to me, Niko!"

In that instant, Kojiro's body exploded with tremendous power as he spread his arms backward, holding both Jingo and Benedict behind him!

He had secured his position first!

❖❖❖

T/N: Hey! Liked what you read? Support your friendly neighborhood translator on Patreon! Think of it as buying me a coffee... or ten!

For just $1.50 (that's less than your daily meme budget), get extra chapters! Want more? $2 gets you bonus content, $5 unlocks premium stories, and $10 makes you my hero (and gets you everything I have, including earlier acess to new books)! You can have access to almost 15 books!

That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)

https://www.patreon.com/collection/1305258