Chapter 17: The First Round of Selection Matches Begins!

Several minutes later.

"Well then, if that's the case, I'll temporarily take on the role of team captain for this round of selection matches," Kira Ryosuke said calmly.

In the past few moments, he not only defeated Raichi but also successively won against Kunigami Rensuke and Bachira Meguru.

"This speed... It's really unfair."

"Is there anyone in the entire Blue Lock who can surpass Kira Ryosuke in terms of speed?"

"It's too exaggerated. He doesn't even need any techniques, just relying on his speed to get past opponents..."

The crowd discussed fervently. Only three people challenged Kira Ryosuke, and without a doubt, they all failed. After witnessing these three matches, the others clearly understood the gap between themselves and Kira Ryosuke.

The others also recognized Kira Ryosuke's position as the team captain. Even if Raichi felt somewhat resentful, he could only sit silently on the side.

While he claimed that it was just luck on the surface, deep down, he truly felt the terrifying strength of Kira Ryosuke during their confrontation.

And this little interlude also sparked an idea in the hearts of the others present.

Perhaps, Kira Ryosuke could really lead them to break through this round.

"Well then, let's start assigning positions and devising tactics. I believe I can take on the center forward position, organizing the attack around me as the core..."

Kira Ryosuke's words didn't carry any sense of arrogance. He simply chose the most likely path to victory.

"...Raichi, you have excellent stamina and strong aggressiveness. Take on the role of defender. The responsibility of goalkeeper will be entrusted to Iemon Okuhito."

"You dare..."

Upon hearing that he was assigned to the defender position, Raichi became furious, ready to erupt. His gaze met Kira Ryosuke's, and his raised hand dropped back down.

"...It doesn't matter, as long as we can win."

"What do you all think?"

Kira Ryosuke asked for the opinions of the others.

The rest of them nodded in agreement. Kira Ryosuke allocated positions based on each person's technical characteristics and physical abilities, and combined with his own outstanding strength, no one opposed him.

"Then we should also make some preparations."

.....

About an hour later, Kira Ryosuke and the rest of Team Z arrived at the dedicated venue for the match.

Their match was the first one, and they only had two hours' notice before it began, without any chance to gather information about their opponents just like the opposing Team X.

Everyone was extremely nervous, uncertain about the strength of their opponents and what tactics they would employ.

Only one person remained calm throughout.

Kira Ryosuke, because he knew exactly how strong Team X was.

At this moment, the gates on the opposite side of the field swung open, and Team X entered the arena with great momentum. Kira Ryosuke's gaze locked onto one of them.

It was a tall and muscular man, with hair standing tall on his head. Underneath the hair was a rugged and serious face, devoid of any trace of a smile, making him seem difficult to get along with.

However, he exuded a strong sense of oppression and an inherent arrogance.

Baro Shoei, The ace of Team X.

In the original work, he was portrayed as an arrogant person who never passed the ball, considering himself the king of the football field, viewing opponents as ants and teammates as servants. He demanded that the entire team revolve around him, making him one of the biggest problems in the Blue Lock team.

But it couldn't be denied that Baro Shoei had the capital to be arrogant.

Not only did he possess a robust physique, but he also had terrifying breakthrough abilities and highly accurate mid-range shooting. The self-proclaimed king of the football field was not just an empty title.

In the original work, his record wasn't great, mainly because he didn't cooperate with his teammates. Baro Shoei only played as a lone wolf, with no option for passing, believing that all his teammates' actions should revolve around his own attack. However, his attacking abilities could easily rank among the top of Blue Lock. In the match against Team Z in the original work, he scored five goals, overwhelming the opponent with a 5-1 absolute advantage.

But because of Kira Ryosuke's presence, the outcome of this match had become unpredictable.

He wasn't planning to hand over victory on a silver platter.

Kira Ryosuke opened the system interface.

[Host: Kira Ryosuke]

[Current Competitiveness Points: 30]

[Current Skills:]

[Competitiveness: Thunder Breath - Full Concentration LV2 Proficiency: 18.07%]

[Competitiveness: Thunder Breath - Thunderclap Flash LV2 Proficiency: 15.11%]

Three days have passed since the upgrade of Thunderclap Flash, and Kira Ryosuke has gained another 30 points.

As expected, after the upgrade, it became more difficult to increase the proficiency of the skills, and the progress had slowed down considerably.

He closed the system interface and directed his gaze towards Baro Shoei, a slight smile forming at the corner of his mouth.

Baro Shoei was indeed very strong.

However, he was destined to fail in this round of the match because his weaknesses were too fatal.

Kira Ryosuke had already figured out how to deal with him.

"The judgments regarding fouls and other aspects of the first round of the qualifiers will be handled by the video assistant referee."

After everyone had entered the arena, the sound of the broadcast echoed from various directions. This Blue Lock was undoubtedly a product of the world's most cutting-edge technology.

The indoor field was no different from an ordinary outdoor field, except that the surroundings were all made of sturdy walls embedded with countless high-tech devices. There was no sight of the sky, and there were no spectators. Only numerous cameras were pointed at the field.

"Match number five, first round, 45 minutes, Team X versus Team Z, kick-off!"

As soon as the broadcast announcement ended, a loud and crisp bell rang.

The match officially began!

In the center circle, Kira Ryosuke received a pass from Isagi and immediately dribbled towards the opponent's goal.

In the original work, shortly after the kick-off, Team Z fell into chaos due to their players' struggle for possession. However, Kira Ryosuke successfully prevented that from happening.

Everyone remained in their designated positions, behaving themselves obediently.

...

In the monitoring room, Ego Jinpachi was focusedly watching the live broadcast of the match on the screen.

With numerous cameras placed on the field, he could observe the game from every angle.

"Just two hours... and a transformation from zero to one is completed. Impressive," Ego Jinpachi murmured to himself.