Chapter 49: Harmony
"Beautiful, Rin!"
Yūshin Seiichi gave Itoshi Rin a thumbs up, smiling with admiration. That volley wasn't just precise—it was filled with intention. Rin clearly wanted to devour him, and Seiichi respected that hunger.
"Bachira, that was amazing," Hiori Yo walked up and added with a cheerful grin. "Your pass was spot on."
"Yeah! That's the new me! The evolved Meguru Bachira!" Bachira clenched his fists with pride, light flickering in his wild eyes.
…
"It's time to stop holding back," said Blake, Crusaders international. "Otherwise these insects are going to crawl onto our heads."
"Mm. They're better than expected," Loki added as he calmly tied his laces.
"That braid guy…" Luna muttered, eyes narrowing. "He looked down on me."
…
DING! The match resumed.
Cabassos passed to Luna. And once again, Seiichi stood in his way, lowering his stance.
"You again, pigtails," Luna smirked. "Your ego reeks."
Luna's feet turned into a blur. Step-overs slashed across the turf like twin swords. It felt like Seiichi was staring into a golden cyclone.
Too fast!
"Don't bite—stay centered!"
Sweat trickled down Seiichi's face. But Luna darted forward and nutmegged him in one fluid motion.
"Tch—!"
Seiichi whipped around, trying to grab Luna's shoulder, but Luna already shot off a low, curving strike—
DING! Goal. 2–2.
"Damn it…" Seiichi clenched his fists. "So that's their full speed…"
…
DING! Kickoff.
Zeya passed wide to Rin, who immediately faced off against Blake. Rin went in with an ox-tail + Marseille combo—but Blake leaned in, using raw upper body strength to knock him off his axis.
"You've got moves," Blake muttered, "but no experience."
Rin tried to fight back, but Blake shoved him again. "Off you go. Not interested in men's bodies."
Blake passed quickly to Cabassos.
"Bachira, stop him!" Seiichi barked.
"I got it!"
But Cabassos launched a perfect long ball into the box—curving and backspinning.
Hiori read it and leapt.
But Silva thundered in.
BOOM! Header. Back of the net.
DING! World Stars lead. 3–2.
"Hiori! You good?!"
"I'm okay…" Hiori sat up, shoulders trembling.
"Glass bones don't belong in football," Silva sneered.
"What did he say?" Seiichi asked.
Zeya's golden eyes narrowed. "He said we should quit."
"Bastards…" Seiichi whispered, heat rising in his chest.
…
DING! 4–2.
Cabassos stole a pass and fed Loki, who beat Zeya on the wing and crossed to Blake for another goal.
…
Seiichi bent over, hands on his knees. Gasping.
"…Zeya. Can we even win this?"
Zeya stood tall. "Don't tell me you forgot our vow?"
That one line hit Seiichi like a lightning strike.
Their childhood promise. Their dream. One goal:
To become the best in the world. Together.
Seiichi straightened. "Yeah… You're right."
They locked fists.
BOOM!
Light exploded off them—blue turned to gold.
"What the hell is that aura?" Bachira muttered.
"They've awakened again?" Rin squinted.
Even Luna flinched slightly. "These guys…"
…
DING! Restart.
Zeya tapped to Seiichi.
Their movement was flawless.
No looks. No calls.
Just perfect connection.
They breezed past Cabassos. Silva couldn't read their angles.
"They're predicting each other's moves!" Silva shouted.
"Mark the short-haired one!" Luna yelled. He sprinted into Seiichi's path.
"I've seen top-tier duos in the World Cup," Luna said, eyes hard. "But this?"
"Don't underestimate the power of one," Luna growled.
He radiated golden energy, smothering Seiichi's options.
But Seiichi remained still—expression unreadable.
He feinted a shot with his right foot—Luna bit.
But—
Pass!
"What?!"
Zeya was already moving. The ball curled behind him—
He leapt—
Scissor kick.
BOOM!
DING! 4–3.
To be continued…