A double awakening
"Don't do anything dumb. Pass it to me if you want to win."
Ishikari's lazy voice sounded in the awkwardly silent stadium. The ambiance was extremely tense, both sides of the field knew that this game might be decisive for them and their future.
As soon as the loud whistle echoed, he passed the ball back toward the player behind him before running forward. Almost all of Team W rushed forward in a synchronized manner, a mix of hope and desperation flashing in their eyes as they started the second half with an extremely aggressive playstyle.
"You guys are reminding me of our first game, that's so cute." Jude teased, standing in front of the midfielder who was moving up with the ball.
He knew very well that his sole presence was enough to put an even greater pressure on the poor midfielder, who was already given the huge responsibility of being the foundation of Team W's offence. When it came to mind games, Jude learned a lot in his short career.
"Go ahead, too scared to advance any further?"
The midfielder frowned, acknowledging that he would be unable to move ahead on his own. After taking a quick look around, he made the wise decision to pass the ball to his right.
Giving the ball to another midfielder, Miyata stood in his way, hoping to completely stop him in his track. Unfortunately, the young player easily dribbled past him, making use of Miyata's weak body to slightly push him off balance and get past him.
"I really can't count on you when it comes to defending." Yanagi joked, appearing from behind Miyata, and launching a dangerous slide tackle on Team W's midfielder.
He successfully stopped their attack, earning himself a yellow card for fouling Team W's player.
"Thanks for the help," Miyata noted.
While it might have looked like nothing more than a risky tackle, stopping them in their run was a great way to impede their sudden offensive rush, allowing Team X to regain their composure and a sense of control over this overly chaotic second half.
After a little arguing between the players, Hiiragi was designated to be the free-kick taker. The ball was way too far for anyone to shoot it, yet if it was taken by a player who knew how to pass and center then it might become more dangerous.
Everyone went back to guard the most dangerous zone, the penalty area. Jude was tasked with guarding the giant, Ishikari.
Jude was one of the tallest players in team X, and although he was far from Ishiraki's height, his jumping and strength stats were here to make up for that.
"I admit you're a great player, but do you really believe you can stop me?" Ishiraki questioned.
"We will have to see about that," Jude replied with a small smirk.
As soon as they realized that Hiiragi was about to strike the ball, the tension grew higher and higher, players kept pushing against each other to gain a more advantageous position.
Soon after, the ball flew in the air, spinning towards the penalty area. Both Ishiraki and Jude leaped up in the air, pushing each other in mid-air and struggling to hit the ball.
"That's a perfect pass, Mr samurai."
A faint whisper was lost in the loud chaotic noises of the field, as the ball curved right before Jude's face, going past both Jude and Ishikari.
A lanky figure could be seen swiftly weaving through players, silently dancing within the chaos of the field, carving a path for himself. He used his peerless agility to slide through tight pockets of spaces, unnoticed by the defenders.
'So that's the source of the second system notification.' A flash of realization rushed through Jude's mind. From the corner of his eye, he watched the scene unfolding in front of him, dumbfounded by the level of skills necessary to pull off that kind of move.
Eita Otoya, the ninja of Blue Lock — when moving without the ball, his aura was as good as nonexistent when he didn't have the ball, but as soon as he controlled the ball with the inside of his left foot, every player's eyes turned to him.
While the ball was still in the air, he shot it with a surprisingly fast and powerful volley. Making the ball fly past the goalkeeper and lodge itself in the net.
2-2.
'I finally understand why that monster is ranked above Yukimiya, he might not be as flashy but he's by far the most dangerous of the two.'
Jude watched cautiously as Otoya went back to his usual lack of presence as soon as the ball left his foot. Jude was amazed by how his special weapon worked, but that was to be expected from the first A-ranked special weapon Jude had ever seen.
Otoya's special weapon put him on a whole other level of danger. Jude knew that if he was unable to stop Otoya, the same situation as with Yukimiya would repeat itself.
With that thought in mind, Jude went back to his position alongside everyone else. His mind was working twice as fast as usual. He was trying his best to come up with a way to stop Otoya now that he reached a state similar to Yukimiya in their last match.
Getting ready for the kickoff, Jude's eyes darted around the field one last time, searching for the best way to gain back the advantage. The whole time, his leg rested on the ball to make the best use of his [Emperor's Aura].
'Maybe the best solution would be for me to go on another solo run, keeping the ball glued to my feet would make the best use of-' his thought process got cut short, his ears picking up on the heavy breathing of his teammate.
Akira's eyes were glued to Jude, his star-shaped eyes radiating a new kind of light. A more gloomy, yet brighter light. His whole aura was begging for the ball, and Jude didn't miss that.
"If you fuck up I'll be putting you as the goalkeeper for our next match." Jude teased, sending the ball towards him as soon as the whistle's sound echoed.
"I'll let them get a taste of the new Akira special," Akira whispered. His brain not even registering Jude's words. His sole focus was on the ball etching closer to him.
A wide smile appeared on his face as he controlled the ball and watched the opponent's left-wing rush toward him.