"So you understood me all along?" Dada glared intently at him, surprise flickering in his eyes.
"Yes, I can understand you." Ryōsuke smiled back, speaking calmly while keeping the ball under his foot, in no rush to attack, "Despite being called a heavy tank, you're much scrawnier than I imagined. Are you hurt, little plant? Need help getting up?"
"Don't get cocky, you punk! The ground was just slippery!" Dada burned with rage, his eye twitching as he clenched his fists until his joints cracked and pulled himself up.
"Then try to catch up with me." Ryōsuke said casually before striding toward the opponent's half.
The counterattack begins!
"How could Silva lose in physical strength to anyone? That's impossible!" Pablo exclaimed in disbelief.
"He must have just slipped." Adam said, his expression hardening, "This guy is truly arrogant. Let's teach him a lesson and show him what a real gap in skill looks like."
Ryōsuke had crossed the halfway line now, with Adam moving up to mark him closely. His expression was dead serious, a stark contrast to his earlier casual demeanor.
"Those guys are getting angry..." Ikki swallowed hard, sensing the shift in their opponents' intensity.
Earlier, Julian had effortlessly broken through their defense line alone, and this team had four more players at his level. If they all got serious, how terrifying would the situation become?
As he stood there uncertain, a hand landed on his shoulder.
"Kira has fearlessly stepped into the world of elite players — we can't hold him back!" Meguru said with a smile.
"Right." Ikki nodded and followed his teammates as they charged into the opponent's half.
Ryōsuke had reached Adam now, who moved in close with intense focus, completely different from before.
"Kid, let me show you what a real gap in skill looks like." Adam said slowly. His intent was clear — he wanted to initiate physical contact.
Though he didn't believe Dada could have been physically overpowered when he lost his balance, Adam wanted to verify this himself.
Moreover, after Ryōsuke's verbal jab at his teammate, Adam couldn't accept such disrespect. As an international superstar, he had to restore their dignity.
Time to teach this kid a lesson!
"Hey Adam, is that really necessary?" Pablo called out, but Adam ignored him.
He had closed in on Ryōsuke now, his defensive stance intimidating, his refined technique and superior physical attributes ready to force mistakes from any attacker.
In Blue Lock, almost no one could beat him one-on-one. This was the absolute difference in physical ability.
Most players facing such tight marking would slow down first, then look for another opening. But Ryōsuke didn't hesitate, making direct contact with Adam without any attempt to avoid it.
"He's not slowing down — is he trying to prevent Silva from coming in from behind?!"
Pablo exclaimed, while Leonardo beside him furrowed his brows.
"No, this guy isn't worried about Silva at all — he's simply accepting Blake's challenge. He wants to beat him one-on-one head-on!"
As a fellow world-class player, Leonardo knew well that Adam's individual defensive capabilities were an insurmountable mountain for sixteen or seventeen-year-olds.
Yet at this moment, Ryōsuke fearlessly engaged in close combat with him.
Adam leaned forward and struck quickly, like a sharp spear stabbing at the ball under his adversary's feet — but Ryōsuke reacted swiftly, pulling the ball back with his right foot and maintaining perfect control.
"Not bad judgment." Adam praised reflexively.
Even international-level players might panic when faced with his top-tier pressing, but this kid remained perfectly calm, controlling his movements with excellent rhythm and showing no trace of anxiety.
With just that one move, Adam realized Ryōsuke was no ordinary player — definitely not the average talent they had expected.
"In that case, let's turn up the intensity!" His face broke into an excited smile as he made his stance more aggressive, leaning forward to use his shoulder and arm to disrupt his opponent's balance.
But the moment his shoulder made contact with Ryōsuke, it was like hitting an iron wall.
Though perhaps not matching a monster like Dada, Adam's physical abilities were explosive. Even so, he couldn't gain any advantage over his opponent.
"What's going on with this guy?!" Adam was shocked.
The moment their bodies made contact, he realized Dada hadn't fallen because of slippery ground. This guy's physical abilities had truly reached a frightening level!
"Looks like you're not up to much either, old man. Is it because you've let yourself go soft?" Ryōsuke maintained his relaxed demeanor as he looked at his opponent.
"You little—!" Adam was clearly provoked, anger suddenly surging within him.
Originally, they had just signed a contract with Jinpachi to scout players in Blue Lock. For a top player like Adam, this was basically free money — something to handle casually.
But he hadn't expected that a match that should have been straightforward would force him to get serious.
Adam continued shifting his weight, pressing his entire body against Ryōsuke, trying to apply even greater force and pressure. But he still couldn't gain any advantage — like an ordinary person trying to move a mountain.
At that moment, Ryōsuke accelerated further, practically carrying Adam's weight as he strode forward. His speed gradually increased, the ball still firmly under control, while his opponent started losing pace, his balance faltering as he was left behind.
"Damn kid." Adam cursed, and though unwilling, he had to admit to himself that in this exchange, he had lost.
"This guy actually beat Adam, and he definitely wasn't holding back!"
As soon as he saw Adam's defeat, Pablo rushed in to cover. Though his physical abilities weren't on par with the team's other tanks, his superior agility and technique had allowed him to easily steal the ball from Meguru.
Ryōsuke saw Pablo coming to defend but didn't slow down, charging straight toward his side.
"Trying to overpower me with speed? Your physical abilities might be good, but you're still too inexperienced. I just need to find the right moment to steal."
Pablo adjusted his posture, carefully observing his opponent's dribbling rhythm, searching for the perfect moment to strike.
'He's not slowing down, and it doesn't look like he's planning to change direction? This will make it easier to steal!' He leaned his body back.
But just as Ryōsuke was about to make contact with Pablo, he suddenly stopped!
A hard stop!
This move demanded immense core strength and balance, and through his excellent sense of rhythm, Ryōsuke created himself decent space.
"You can stop like that? But don't underestimate me!" Pablo reacted swiftly — his light weight allowing for smaller momentum.
He planted one foot firmly on the ground, maintaining his balance and pressing forward immediately, refusing to give Ryōsuke any chance to break through.
By now, Pablo had become completely serious, focusing all his attention on his opponent.
"Well, it seems Blue Lock really does have some extraordinary players." He said seriously, "Your movement rhythm is excellent, even better than that guy from earlier, and your physique seems quite impressive too. You'll have bigger stages in your future."
"Perhaps, but right now my goal is to win in the present." Ryōsuke answered with a smile.
"Though you're strong, defeating us is impossible. This match will end in your defeat."
"After all, if you lose, you won't get paid a single cent, right?" Ryōsuke narrowed his eyes slightly, "Winning and losing are part of the game — just don't hold it against me."
"What an arrogant guy!"
Before Pablo could finish speaking, Ryōsuke was already moving again.
Like Meguru, he performed the bicycle motion, his legs constantly circling in front of the ball — but his speed was faster than his teammate's, his rhythm even more precise.
Pablo stayed focused, feeling pressure from Ryōsuke's movements that rivaled what he experienced in his professional league.
'His rhythm is perfect, the frequency is too fast, and there's no opening to steal. This is trouble.' He thought while pressing forward, repeatedly extending his foot to probe Ryōsuke's defenses.
Adam and Dada were coming to double-team from behind — if they could delay for just a few more seconds, they could trap him completely!
But Ryōsuke wouldn't give them that chance!
❖ First Form ➠ Thunderclap and Flash! ❖
Ryōsuke's movement suddenly transformed. He had been using fancy footwork but abruptly charged forward, catching Pablo off guard — he hadn't expected a direct breakthrough.
"Such speed!" He couldn't help but exclaim.
His earlier forward pressure had created an opening, making it impossible to react to Ryōsuke's sudden acceleration, and his small frame left him unable to physically block his opponent.
In one breath, his opponent had slipped past him!
"Damn it!" Pablo desperately turned around, trying to chase after.
As a world-class star, he had just been beaten by an unknown high school athlete.
Unacceptable! What was going on with this guy?!
As Pablo desperately gave chase, he realized the ball wasn't even at Ryōsuke's feet. In the instant Ryōsuke had beaten him and forced him to turn, he had used the blind spot to make a pass.
He turned his head to see the ball flying like a precise missile toward its target.
"Hey hey hey, planning to go over my head? Aren't you underestimating me a bit too much!" In another area, Leonardo carefully analyzed the ball's flight path and jumped high, ready to intercept directly.
But when he jumped, he realized the ball's trajectory was different than expected, curving sharply to the left!
"What?! A reverse spin? Not bad at all." Leonardo was impressed by Ryōsuke's perfect control over the ball's path, which had managed to fool even him.
And there, at the ball's landing spot, stood his teammate.
Ikki! With a clear path to the goal!
Shot!
[ Scoreboard ]
[ 2:1 ]
Ikki ran to Ryōsuke in jubilation, giving him an enthusiastic high-five.
"You're amazing! Kira!" His voice quivered with excitement — he had just witnessed Ryōsuke completely outclass these world-class players in direct competition.
Though it seemed impossible, Ikki knew without doubt that his teammate had reached world-class level.
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
"Kira... he actually defeated world-class players?!"
In the monitoring room, Anri's voice shook with disbelief at what she had witnessed.
She knew Ryōsuke was strong — he had even beaten Rin with ease — but defeating world-class players seemed beyond extraordinary.
"This is exactly what concerned me, little Anri. While Kira's philosophy conflicts with mine, and his presence may disrupt my plans..." Jinpachi paused before adding, "I am very curious to see just how far he can go."
❖❖❖
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