Chapter 66: No Effect

"Nice play."

Nagi and Kira high-fived each other. Although it was their first time fighting side by side, they displayed a remarkably high level of coordination.

"Your ball control is impressive."

Kira also praised Nagi. His unique and extraordinary ball control was something no one in the Blue lock could achieve.

"Damn it!"

Watching Kira and Nagi successfully coordinate their play, Reo burned with anger.

"Calm down."

Ikki comforted him from the side while calmly analyzing the situation.

"Kira is the playmaker of their team. Only he has the passing ability. We just need to..."

"Enough with the nonsense!"

At that moment, Shoei interrupted Ikki's words. He lifted his head and looked down on the three people in front of him.

"As long as I tear apart their defense, all you have to do is keep passing the ball to me and let me score. The victory condition is simply who scores five goals first. As long as we achieve that, it's enough!"

Even when facing Ikki and Reo, Shoei didn't consider them a threat.

"What an arrogant guy. Have you forgotten how your team lost to us?" Reo sneered.

"What does that have to do with you? Besides, my teammates were simply useless," Shoei retorted mercilessly.

"What are you saying?"

"Calm down. For now, let's just follow Shoei's words," Ikki immediately stepped in between them, trying to persuade both parties.

"After all, Shoei's attacking ability is indeed the best among us."

Although Reo was extremely displeased with Shoei's arrogant personality, he actually agreed to some extent. He had witnessed Shoei's abilities.

If we set the maximum score for attacking ability as 100 points, Ikki would score around 80 points, Reo himself would score around 90 points, and Shoei would reach 110 points.

Although Reo was highly versatile and excelled in various aspects, making him the perfect puzzle piece in the team, he didn't have any particularly outstanding areas. This always put him at a disadvantage when facing truly talented players.

Although Reo verbally agreed to support Shoei's tactics, his mind was still not at ease. Even if they won this match, it wouldn't be enough.

What Reo wanted was to surpass Kira in front of Nagi, to prove that his strength surpassed that of Kira.

He had to find a way to defeat Kira!

With little time for further contemplation, it was now the red team's turn to attack.

Reo quickly dribbled the ball past the halfway line while carefully observing the current situation.

"Although the field has become smaller and the number of players has been reduced to three, it appears more spacious. The attacking space has become larger, and there are more options available."

As he analyzed the situation, he looked ahead, where Kira stood like a solid wall blocking his way.

"Damn it."

Reo muttered to himself, vividly remembering Kira's formidable defensive ability from their previous match. Just having him standing in front of Reo exerted immense pressure on him.

Like a beast waiting for its prey to fall into the trap.

Although Reo desired to surpass Kira in a one-on-one situation, he instinctively chose to pass the ball to Shoei.

At that moment, Shoei was facing Rensuke. While Shoei had powerful offensive skills, Rensuke's defense was excellent, and he had a good physical condition. In the original story, he had caused significant trouble for Shoei on the defensive end.

Shoei immediately prepared to launch an attack as soon as he received the ball.

However, in that instant, Kira, who was originally marking Reo, suddenly appeared behind Shoei and swiftly intercepted the ball using his explosive speed with Thunderclap Flash!

In this small-scale football match with fewer players, double-teaming becomes much more challenging compared to formal matches. Once you engage in double-teaming, it's easy for the opposing team to have one player left unmarked, essentially resulting in three sets of one-on-one situations.

It can be said that the fewer the number of participants in the match, the more difficult it is to execute double-teaming tactics.

But for Kira, this was not a problem; instead, it was an advantage!

A smaller field meant faster transitions between offense and defense, allowing Kira's versatility to shine through.

And most importantly, Kira knew very well that Shoei would never pass the ball. He was always the one to finish the attacks. This meant that the other members of Kira's team could temporarily abandon their defensive assignments and directly double-team Shoei.

"Damn it!"

Shoei cursed, wanting to catch up to Kira from behind. However, Kira had already used Thunder Swarm and successfully scored a brilliant curved shot!

2-0!

"Hey, Shoei, you should have passed the ball back in the first place!"

Reo was extremely dissatisfied with Shoei's recent decision. When Kira double-teamed him, Shoei should have passed the ball back because Ikki was left unmarked in that situation.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Why should I pass the ball to the likes of you? As a servant, just focus on doing your own job!"

"You arrogant fool! Have you forgotten how we lost to them before?"

Reo and Shoei erupted into a heated argument, while Ikki remained silent on the side, his mind spinning rapidly:

'Kira left Ikki unmarked to double-team Shoei... He knows very well that Shoei won't pass the ball. Although Shoei has good attacking abilities, it's impossible for him to handle this level of defense on his own... Kira is just toying with us like puppets. Damn it, we must find a way. At least, in the future, we can't rely on Shoei as the primary attacking option.'

Soon, Ikki pulled Reo aside and shared his thoughts, realizing that they also needed to make an impact on the offensive end. Otherwise, the opponents would focus solely on Shoei.

"I understand," Reo nodded, turning his gaze towards the half of the field where Kira was positioned.

At this moment, he was filled with frustration. He had wanted to prove his worth in front of Nagi, but in the end, he was still tightly oppressed by Kira.

This won't do. I have to win against Kira at least once!

And in the heart of Reo, a bold idea began to form.

As the Red Team launched another attack, Reo dribbled the ball forward.

"Hey, pass it to me!"

Shoei was struggling to keep up with Rensuke's marking and raised his hand, signaling for the ball.

However, this time, Reo didn't choose to pass. Instead, he directly focused his gaze on Kira.

Reo was born into a billionaire family, always getting what he wanted. This subconscious belief led him to think that whatever he desired would become his, fueling a strong possessiveness.

But Kira had taken away his victory and the treasured Nagi, driving Reo into a state of complete obsession.

He wanted to show Nagi that he was a more important existence than Kira.

To achieve that, he decided to use a tactic he had never used before.

"Today, I will definitely surpass you!"

Reo shouted loudly and immediately charged forward with the ball, informing everyone present that he was going to face Kira in a 1v1.

At the same time, in his mind, he replayed the difficult moves Kira had made in the previous match, and his body involuntarily followed suit.

Since his original abilities were unable to defeat Kira, he would become someone like Kira.

He tightened his leg muscles and sprinted at the fastest speed towards Kira's side. But just as Kira was about to take action, Reo suddenly made an abrupt stop, flicked the ball, and turned around, accelerating for the second time!

"This is my new tactic! Chameleon!"

Reo excitedly shouted, believing that he had successfully replicated Kira's move!

In the original work, Reo only realized this technique before the third selection round. However, now, due to the intense pressure and sense of crisis brought by Kira, Reo had evolved one step ahead.

"Only by becoming like the enemy can one defeat the enemy!"

"Isn't that Kira's move?!"

Rensuke was astonished.

the combination move just now wasn't particularly difficult, the sense of rhythm was crucial. Yet Reo managed to replicate even Kira's excellent rhythm.

Reo truly belonged to the realm of geniuses.

He could feel the gaze of everyone around him focused on him, and a smile appeared on his face.

"I finally got past him!"

At this moment, there was no one in front of Reo except for the simulated goalkeeper, BLUELOCK MAN. He was determined to succeed.

"Watch me closely, Nagi!"

In that instant, Reo felt that Nagi's gaze was also fixed on him...

No, that's not right...

It was only at this moment that Reo noticed that Nagi's attention was not on him

But behind him.

Simultaneously, the hair on the back of Reo's neck stood on end, as if a terrifying presence was lurking behind him.

Kira Ryosuke.

"You did well, but I'm sorry, it's of no use."

Kira's calm voice sounded from behind Reo, and then a menacing figure appeared beside him.

"How is this possible?!"

Reo's pupils dilated, and his voice trembled. He thought that by using the same move, he could get past Kira.

But he didn't know that even if he imitated it flawlessly, he was still just an imitation. Despite Reo's unexpected ability to mimic, Kira could still discern the technique he intended to use from his movements.

Kira had intentionally given Reo the illusion of success, and then, when Reo let his guard down for a moment, he used his speed and physical abilities to make the interception.

"This can't be..."

Ikki stood on the side, dumbfounded.

"Reo couldn't get past Kira even with that level?!"

He understood very well that Reo had done exceptionally well just now and had indeed created ample space for himself. However, it was all meaningless. He was still within Kira's defensive range. The latter burst out from behind and caught up to him, making the interception. Reo didn't even have a chance to make a few steps forward.

Is this guy even more terrifying than in the first selection round?

And with just a moment of distraction, Kira had already dribbled the ball into the Red Team's half!

Goal!

The ball went in!

....

Ten minutes later, the match ended.

The three members of the Red Team sat exhausted on the grass, unable to make any progress on the offensive end, and on the defensive end, they were unable to stop Kira. The opposing team seemed to get whatever they wanted, and quickly ended the game with a score of 5-0.

The revenge battle for the three of them made them acutely aware of the gap in their abilities, to the point of almost feeling hopeless.

After the match, it was time to select one person from the losing team to join the winning team as a teammate.

The loser was like a trophy for the winners.

"How about choosing Shoei? He has a tall stature and can be effective on the offensive end," Rensuke pondered for a moment and said.

"I think it should be Reo. He's more well-rounded," Nagi calmly replied.

However, both of them cast their gaze upon Kira, leaving the final decision to him.

"Kira, what do you think?"

"I already have a suitable choice in mind."

Kira answered with ease, then walked directly to a person among the Red Team.

"Then come with us as part of our team Niko Ikki."

"What?"

Ikki's eyes widened, filled with surprise. He hadn't expected that he would be chosen by Kira.

His offensive skills and physical abilities were far inferior to Shoei's, and he lacked the versatility and practicality of Reo. Ikki believed that he was the last person who could be selected.

"Let's go, we're getting ready to move to the next room."