[Bonus chapter]2nd half; a battle for the ages

FWEEEE!

Bam!

Robertson22 kicked the ball towards the midfield.

This time, the players didn't scramble for the ball. After the fiery first half between them, they already totally understood the rules of the 8-man game of one-touch football.

It wasn't the player that hit the ball first that really mattered, it was the player that retained control of the ball in mid-air that really mattered.

All of them formed a circle around the player that the ball flew towards.

Ultron had a fiery look on his face as his red hair glowed.

Thud!

As soon as the ball landed in front of him, excitement flooded his body but he didn't make any rash decisions as he observed his surroundings.

This was when he noticed it, he was already surrounded.

'Dribbling is not my strongest trait, I won't be able to go through them'.

As soon as this thought came, from the midfield, Ultron set his sights on goal and this was when he noticed that Robertson22 slightly came out of his goal.

'This is my chance!' His eyes gleamed.

Swinging his leg back with force, he hit the ball powerfully.

"Special Skill: Dragon Shot!"

BOOM!

Again, it was another power shot as the ball was engulfed in fire.

The air made a whooshing sound as the fiery ball flew on a collision course towards goal. Not this time though, Robertson was at the top of his game, taking a few steps backward, this goalkeeper leaped up high.

Stretching his body to the limits, he was able to barely punch the fire ball out as it bounced back towards the open field while sustaining damage for it.

Instantly after the ball bounced away though, a scene like sharks smelling blood began as all the players charged towards the 18 box.

"Get out of my way!"

Apeman forced his way through all the players with overwhelming power.

In no time, he was alone before the goalkeeper. With a grin on his face, this aggressive player unleashed a shot but this was when someone came sliding in.

BAM!

{1 Successful Block completed!}

Turtle909's face was a frown and it was filled with dogged determination.

"You shall not score!"

He was able to intercept the ball completely but due to the rough contact, he could not control the ball, it bounced away out of his leg into open space.

The ball bounced away out of where majority of the players gathered, but a certain player reacted like he predicted this movement ahead of time.

Legion's assassin instincts kicked in.

Bam!

"Special Skill: Turtle Defense- 1 Leg!"

Legion's shot accuracy was pinpoint, Robertson22 would have never caught it but a determined player was as hard to break as a well-trained elite soldier.

Activating his special skill, the silhouette of the turtle appeared again as one of its legs intercepted the ball. This time, it fell directly in front of Turtle909, he had his first sight of goal in the 2nd half.

'Shoot!' An instinct screamed at him.

Turtle909 instinctively raised his leg to shoot but his mental switch turned on as he hesitated. 'This is not the path of a defender!'

'My path is to defend goals; scoring is for the strikers'.

'F*ck the Bogeyman!'

Bam!

Turtle909 cleared the ball out of goal.

This was when Endrick and Enigma finally made their debuts, having both hovered just behind the other players, they got this loose ball first.

Endrick dug in with speed to get the loose ball but Enigma was having none of it, a simple shove was all it took for Endrick to be overpowered, he was swept off his feet.

Enigma's path to goal was now unobstructed.

He didn't wait for the ball to hit ground, Enigma hit a first-time volley.

He barely hit the ball when another sound of collision reverberated.

Bam!

{1 Successful Block Completed!}

This time, deducing that his legs would not carry him fast enough to block the shot, Turtle909 dove in with his full body to block the shot.

At this moment, Turtle909 was really at the top of his game.

It hit his chest and bounced away; Enigma was shocked.

"You shall not pass!" Turtle909 roared.

The ball floated in the air back towards the midfield but this was when a certain player having taken his time since jumped up after the ball.

Drip-Lord's tall frame and powerful legs helped propel him upwards.

He soon got to a ridiculous height close to the ball.

At this ridiculous height, Drip-Lord bent his body, bringing his upper body downwards as his right leg swung for the ball.

"Special Skill: Rainbow Shot!"

Endrick recognized it. 'A Bicycle Kick!'

BAM!

"Witness the power of drip football!"

The ball was hit with power this time, it's trajectory towards goal was filled with drip colorful lights like a rainbow, distracting the goalkeeper.

Robertson22 dived in a despairing manner, and this time, after 3 successive blocks, Turtle909 could not block anymore, the ball homed into the back of the net.

GOAL!!!

Drip-Lord ran like a mad man towards the corner flag to celebrate.

On getting there, he turned before doing a back flip, he did 3 consecutive back flips before finally pumping a fist into the air in his celebrations.

"WITNESS ME!"

Drip-Lord turned around and glared pointedly at Legion. At the 33rd minute of the game, Drip-Lord scored his first goal.

The tension and electricity in the air turned even more concentrated.

FWEEE!

When the game restarted, strategy was thrown out of the window, all the players charged after the ball as they aimed to create a goal out of nothing.

Legion resumed his lethal assassination ball attacks.

{+24 Damage!}

{CRITICAL HIT!}

{+35 Damage!}

BAM!

He hit his first shot at goal but Robertson22 made a beautiful save.

Ultron and Apeman were the most energetic in the pitch, they pursued after the ball like their lives depended on it, they were truly desperate to score.

What prevented them from scoring though was the dogged determination from Turtle909, only Drip-Lord's drip tricks managed to fool him occasionally.

For the next 15 minutes, in defense, Turtle909 was like a rock.

At the 48th minute of the game though, an already frustrated Enigma upped his game. His incredible body coordination kicked in as juggling the ball with pin-point touch and accuracy, he dribbled with neat flicks across the field.

His solo run towards goal was like the legendary gladiator, Maximus' run in the gladiator battles, his only problem became Apeman.

"You won't win!" This player aggressively collided against him.

Enigma's veins popped out as he tried to stand his ground but he could not.

"F*ck!" Enigma cursed for the first time as he lost his balance.

Apeman also lost his balance after the collision.

Before either of them could recover their balance in the 18 box, they saw a long leg stretch towards them. The familiar green hair exposed his identity.

Drip-Lord stole the ball from directly under their noses and poked it towards goal, at this range, Robertson22 could not react, the net shook… again.

GOALLLL!!!

Drip-Lord's celebrations were even wilder this time.

He scored his brace in the 2nd half while the others were still goalless.

Drip-Lord's determination to score turned this game on its head.

FWEEE!

When the game restarted, all the players changed their strategies.

They became more aggressive, more determined, and they took more risks. Despite the fear of a yellow card, Apeman dove into ball duels frequently with reckless abandon.

At the 50th minute of the game, the inevitable happened.

Dribbling through Turtle909 and Ultron who were the last men in defense, Enigma finally broke the deadlock, drilling a shot into the bottom right corner.

"Goal!" This maverick celebrated loudly; he got his hattrick of the game.

His loud celebration said something, he already acknowledged the difficulty of this game, his frustration was already leaking out and this goal relieved him.

From the sidelines, a certain coach grinned as he observed.

FWEEE!

With Enigma having got his goal, Endrick's determination exploded.

'I must also get my hattrick!'

For the next 5 minutes, Endrick used every trick in his book from decades playing as a right winger as he constantly went on marauding runs down the flanks.

At the 56th minute, a swift change of pace enabled him to beat both his markers as he approached goal from the right like a prowling predator.

Endrick set his eyes on his target, then he unleashed an unreal outside the box shot. Turtle909 made use of his Special Skill but for the first time, it failed.

Endrick added power and curl to his shot.

It evaded the long-stretched leg of the turtle, including Robertson22's outstretched hands as it ascended towards the top left corner, the net shook again for Endrick's hattrick.

"GOALLL!!!" Endrick roared like a maniac as he repeatedly punched the air.

FWEEE!

The war continued.

At the 58th minute of the game, an aggressive Apeman shoved everyone out of his path with the ball stuck on his legs as he went for goal.

He didn't shoot until he was directly before goal, Robertson22 dived at him. At the last second, he shifted the ball to his left before poking it at goal.

It was a goal but Apeman's strong body collided with Robertson22 as the goalkeeper recoiled in pain from the collision.

{1 Goal to Apeman!}

{Player Apeman has received a 2nd Yellow Card!}

{Please make your way out of the pitch!}

Apeman was penalized for his clash with the goalkeeper but he clearly didn't mind, a grin was on his face as he walked off the pitch like a winner.

He clenched his fist. "I got my 2nd goal!"

FWEEE!

With one player gone, when the game restarted, it was more open but the problem was that due to the time, the players scrambled more for the ball.

At the 60th minute, Legion's assassin instincts kicked in again. Having mistimed his shot, Ultron was demoralized as he raised his hands in frustration.

The ball was about to fall to the goal kick when a player dived in like a superhero, Legion recreated Robin Van Persie's legendary world cup header goal.

The ball homed into the back of the net.

GOAL!!!

Of all the goal scorers of the 2nd half, only Legion's celebration was quiet.

{+2 Additional minutes till game ends!}

FWEEE!

For those last 2 minutes, the intensity of the war on the pitch increased.

'I can't have the same number of goals as Endrick!'

'I am the best!'

'I have always been the best!'

'I should be the best!"

At the 62nd minute of the game, Enigma's fierce determination and effort paid off, his outside the box shot caught Robertson22 off guard, the net shook.

"Goal!" As Enigma celebrated wildly, the referee's whistle blew again.

FWEEEE!

The game…, the war, it finally came to an end.

****

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