Chapter 18: Scoring a goal within one minute!

"Each team's top scorer will definitely advance." Ego Jinpachi intentionally set this rule to stimulate the selfishness and attacking desire of the forward players.

Not only were their positions overlapping, but each team had only been formed three days ago, without any time for coordination and training.

Under this rule, Ego Jinpachi anticipated that a temporary team composed of eleven forwards would inevitably become chaotic in their quest for ball possession. Moreover, this was the first match of the qualifiers, so the initial stages would resemble children playing a disorganized game.

The scenario envisioned by Ego Jinpachi was for someone on the field to demonstrate absolute attacking ability, rallying the temporary team around themselves and leading them through the transformation from zero to one.

In his expectations, Baro Shoei was the most suitable example.

However, Ego Jinpachi did not anticipate that Kira Ryosuke had already achieved this before the match even began.

At this moment, every member of Team Z was active in their designated areas, and there was no sign of any disputes.

Except for the private spaces, the Blue Lock was almost entirely under surveillance, and Ego Jinpachi had witnessed everything that had happened with Team Z. Kira Ryosuke had resolved the conflicts that had yet to occur using his own strength.

Apart from Kira Ryosuke, no one in the entire Blue Lock would consider such a situation.

Furthermore, having an excellent mind and a broad perspective was not enough. To fully control a team in a short period, one also needed the ability to gain the respect of others.

Kira Ryosuke possessed all of these qualities.

"Was he always this remarkable?" Ego Jinpachi was somewhat puzzled. Even though Kira Ryosuke had gained fame at a young age, Ego Jinpachi didn't hold high expectations for him. He even thought Kira Ryosuke might be among the first to be eliminated.

Now he realized that he had underestimated this person.

"But I'm still looking forward to your performance on the field. No matter how well you do, it can't be compared to an ordinary match within the Blue Lock."

.....

Kira Ryosuke swiftly dribbled the ball, with Bachira Meguru and Isagi Yoichi providing cover, heading straight towards the opponent's penalty area.

His goal was to break through the opponent's defense and score in the shortest possible time.

Given the reasonable allocation of time and stamina, Kira Ryosuke could unleash the true power of his Thunderclap Flash up to four times in a match.

However, the prerequisite was to have a scoring opportunity at the beginning of the first half!

Only by successfully using the Thunderclap Flash while in a fully concentrated state in the first half of the match, Kira Ryosuke would have ample time to recover his stamina and adjust his physical condition.

Moreover, if he could score right from the start, it would greatly demoralize the opponents and boost the morale of his own team.

In the original work, Baro Shoei led Team X to breach Team Z's goal five times. Now, Kira Ryosuke had to defeat them with even higher efficiency.

Just defeating Baro Shoei alone would be enough.

"So fast!"

The defenders stationed at the backline couldn't help but exclaim once again.

Even though Kira Ryosuke had already demonstrated his exaggerated speed in the one-on-one phase earlier, it was a different story in an actual match. Factors such as physical condition, mental composure, and tactical formations of both sides would affect a player's performance.

But for Kira Ryosuke, these limitations seemed to be nonexistent.

"What the hell, what kind of speed is this!"

The players from Team X were equally shocked by Kira Ryosuke's speed. They quickly contracted their formation at the fastest speed, but in the blink of an eye, Kira Ryosuke had already evaded several of them.

"Damn it! Surround him quickly!"

"We absolutely can't let him score!"

"I know, stop fucking commanding me!"

Three players immediately rushed towards Kira Ryosuke with great momentum, almost blocking all of his breakthrough routes.

"With this kind of encirclement, even if you're fast, you won't be able to get past!"

"The opponent's formation contracted too quickly. We should reorganize our attack!"

Isagi Yoichi, who was following closely behind Kira Ryosuke, spoke loudly. He acknowledged that Kira Ryosuke's speed was indeed very fast, but they were the attacking side in the first half, and the opponents could quickly contract their formation in their own half. It would be extremely difficult to break through. The best choice now was to pass the ball back to a teammate and reorganize the attack, looking for an opportunity.

The moment Kira Ryosuke heard Isagi Yoichi's words, his speed did slow down, and he turned his head to look in Isagi Yoichi's direction.

"This guy is going to pass!"

One of the players observed Kira Ryosuke's movement and instantly made a judgment. He shifted his weight and rushed towards the possible passing lane, ready to intercept as soon as Kira Ryosuke passed the ball.

However, in that instant, Kira Ryosuke moved again.

The action of turning his head was just a deception, aimed at shifting the defender's focus and causing a misjudgment of his next attacking route.

In high-quality competitive matches, even a momentary positional error could be seized by an excellent attacker.

Thunderclap Flash!

Kira Ryosuke unleashed his ability, concentrating power in his legs, giving himself stronger and faster explosive force. He broke free from the encirclement of the three players.

Although they had the numerical advantage, they had no defensive tactics and were easily torn apart by Kira Ryosuke.

"This guy is even faster than before?!"

"Can he still accelerate?"

"He's a monster!"

Team X was shocked by Kira Ryosuke's strength.

In the rear of Team Z's half, Chigiri Hyoma watched Kira Ryosuke's figure, somewhat dazed.

There was a time when he, too, was a talented player proud of his speed. However, a severe injury that nearly ended his football career made him hesitant and timid in his movements, causing him to lose his once-proud speed.

At this moment, Chigiri Hyoma's eyes widened slightly. Kira Ryosuke's speed in that instant seemed to be on par with his peak self, or perhaps even better.

"What... what has he done..."

His pupils trembled. There was a time when he possessed speed far superior to others.

But Chigiri Hyoma kept watching Kira Ryosuke's figure, and unconsciously, the flame in his heart seemed to have been ignited.

On the other end of the field, Kira Ryosuke had completely torn through Team X's defense and was heading straight for the opponent's goal.

The goalkeeper of Team X felt his heartbeat suddenly accelerate. How could he not have anticipated that the opponent would pose such a terrifying threat to the goal he was guarding in less than a minute into the game?