"So this... is the intensity of the second phase of the New Hero Battle..."
It wasn't just Isagi Yoichi—nearly everyone on the field was stunned by the sudden spike in match intensity.
Even Kaiser couldn't help but glance begrudgingly at Shinichi.
"As much as I hate to admit it… with this guy running the team, I really can unleash my full potential. But maybe that's a good thing. Only a rival stronger than me is worth aiming to surpass..."
"Wow!! That was amazing, Shinichi!"
Before Kaiser could dwell any longer, Charles had already bounced over, jumping around Shinichi with unrestrained excitement.
"How the hell do you do it?! I'm a born contrarian, and yet I didn't feel any resistance to following your lead at all!"
"I didn't give you a command," Shinichi replied calmly, pushing Charles off as the latter tried to leap onto his back.
"I just showed you what I intended to do. You chose to go along because it felt interesting to you, didn't you?"
Then he turned to Kaiser with a glance.
"By the way, I've always forgotten to ask—where's your little sidekick?"
"Ness… couldn't keep up with me anymore," Kaiser said, unfazed.
"He couldn't help me climb higher, so I let go of the leash."
Hearing that, Charles slung both arms behind his head and smirked, fanning the flames.
"Oh, so you ditched your loyal puppy, huh? Makes sense. In the final match, you were forced to join someone else's system just to survive. When you're drowning, who has time to worry about their pet?"
"Yeah, I lost to Isagi back then," Kaiser admitted without hesitation, surprising everyone with his frankness.
"That's why I have to grow stronger. I don't have the luxury to worry about Ness's feelings."
"After losing to Shinichi, I've already tasted enough humiliation. Your cheap provocations don't matter to me. I've hit rock bottom—and I won't let petty pride trip me up and hand another win to some smug monk."
"I will get stronger. And you, Charles... you're not even in my league. So I don't need to waste energy on the sour grapes of someone destined to fall behind."
"Oh, you've got a mouth on you!"
Charles's face instantly twisted in rage, grinding his sharp teeth like he was ready to take a bite out of Kaiser.
But before he could pounce, Shinichi grabbed him by the collar and started dragging him off.
"Cut the crap. The game's not over. Don't waste my time."
"Let me go! I'm gonna wreck that smug king's pretty little face!"
Charles thrashed wildly in Shinichi's grip, shouting all the way.
"Looks like it's our turn. Got any ideas, Hiori?"
As the players took their positions again, Isagi turned instinctively to Hiori, knowing they'd built solid chemistry back in Phase One. But instead of answering, Hiori looked toward Zantetsu and Kurona.
"It's been a while since we've played together. Want to see what we're capable of now that we've gotten stronger?"
"Agreed, agreed. We can't let Shinichi look down on us."
Kurona nodded quickly, while Zantetsu merely adjusted his glasses and gave a silent nod of approval.
"Alright then, I'll take control of the ball—any objections?"
Hiori looked to the rest of the team. Chigiri had no issue with that—he wasn't the type to dominate possession anyway.
Isagi also agreed, since most of their link-up play usually began through Hiori.
The last opinion that mattered was Sae.
"Fine. You're the midfielder I trained, and we're still roommates, so I'm curious to see how much you've grown." Sae responded nonchalantly, though his condescending tone clearly rubbed Hiori the wrong way. Still, there was no time for arguing.
Hiori exhaled deeply, eyes narrowing as the radar pattern flickered into his pupils. He scanned the opposing formation with surgical focus.
Beep—!
As the whistle blew, Isagi passed the ball to Hiori and sprinted forward. Hiori began to dribble, accelerating upfield.
"Didn't expect to face you this quickly," Kaiser said as he stepped in to block him the moment Hiori crossed midfield.
"Dribbling forward and shaping the defense to your rhythm—that's what you picked up from Bastard München. But all it takes is a strong enough defender to lock you down, and you're just a glorified passer again."
"Come on then. Let's see if that weak dribbling can beat me."
"Not looking good for me, huh? Then let's go for a one-two."
Just as Kaiser was about to shut him down, a shadow appeared behind him—Kurona. At the same time, Hiori's perfectly timed pass slid between Kaiser's legs, catching him completely off guard.
Kurona then quickly sent a grounded pass to Zantetsu, who took a single touch and burst past another defender with explosive speed, drawing their attention.
And just when it seemed like he'd keep going, the ball had already slipped away—back to Hiori's feet.
"No way… these guys' chemistry is insane!"
The trio, though never on the same team in Phase One, still shared a deep understanding forged during their Blue Lock days.
Now, that connection had only matured with time. With nothing but sharp, fluid passes, they tore through the youth defenders like a blade through paper.
"Tsk. I can't let you keep dancing around like this," Charles muttered as he cut in just as Kurona was about to pass again.
"Nice footwork, shark teeth, but I'm ending your little show now." He intercepted the ball with a sweeping tackle.
"You damn contrarian, don't get cocky."
But before Charles could settle the ball, Hiori—who had silently closed in—launched a clean tackle from behind and launched the ball forward in a spinning arc.
A red streak flashed across the pitch like a comet.
"Go, Crimson Cheetah—show them your fangs!"
"Awooooo!"
Chigiri roared as he rocketed forward, leaving defenders in the dust.
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