The sun rose over the EOS facility, casting long shadows across the training field. The atmosphere was tense — electric. Today was the final day of Ryusei Hoshigaki's [Old Legend] training, and everyone in Group 1 knew it was going to be brutal.
Kazuki Shindo rolled his shoulders, feeling the lightness in his body for the first time in days. Hoshigaki had finally removed the 20 kg weights he'd forced Shindo to wear after his earlier failure. Now, with every step Shindo took, his movements felt sharper — faster. His confidence surged as he dribbled the ball, his speed nearly blurring across the field.
"Man, I feel unstoppable!" Shindo grinned, firing off a powerful shot that cracked against the goalpost.
Ryusei Hoshigaki watched from the sidelines, his arms crossed. "Good. You're finally starting to wake up, Shindo. But today's training isn't about speed or strength. It's about something far more dangerous — and far more necessary if you want to reach the top."
The five players of Group 1 — Renji Kurogami, Kazuya Mori, Tetsuya Aikawa, Yuto Kisaragi, and Kazuki Shindo — gathered around, anticipation thick in the air.
"Today's training is about devouring," Hoshigaki said, his sharp eyes scanning each of them. "Football at the highest level isn't just about using your own strengths — it's about stealing the strengths of others and making them your own. If you can't devour your opponents… they'll devour you."
Renji's breath caught. He understood the concept better than anyone. His entire ability — his key — was based on copying and modifying the skills of others. But this… this sounded like something far beyond simple imitation.
"Here's how it works," Hoshigaki continued. "You'll each go one-on-one against the others. Your goal isn't just to beat them — it's to steal their strengths. Watch them. Learn from them. Break them down and rebuild their weapons as your own. And by the end of this… we'll see who becomes the ultimate predator."
The players exchanged glances, the spark of rivalry igniting.
"Let's begin."
The training was relentless. Every match-up pushed them to their limits — and beyond.
Renji faced off against Kazuya Mori first, the top-ranked player in the entire EOS program. Mori's tactical genius and ability to use his teammates like weapons made him a terrifying opponent. But Renji's training from Seiji Nakamura [Old Legend] last night paid off.
His field vision had sharpened — he could see the flow of the game more clearly, anticipate movements he'd never noticed before. And with his modified version of Hoshigaki's key — "Specter Drive" — he weaved unpredictably through Mori's defenses. It lacked the full impact and fluidity of the original, but the sheer unpredictability kept Mori on his toes.
"Not bad, Renji," Mori admitted with a smirk. "But it's not enough."
With a sudden shift, Mori turned Renji's own strategy against him, using his positioning to trap him and steal the ball. Renji gritted his teeth — but even in defeat, he learned.
Every battle was like this — a clash of evolving strengths. Shindo's newfound speed after shedding his weights made him a blur, his confidence soaring. Yuto Kisaragi's perfect passes dissected defenses with surgical precision. Tetsuya Aikawa's powerful shots and aerial dominance forced everyone to adapt or get crushed.
And through it all, Renji devoured.
He absorbed their techniques, their movements — their mentality. Piece by piece, his arsenal grew sharper, his understanding of the game deeper. But he knew he wasn't the only one evolving. They were all doing the same.
By the end of the devouring session, the air was heavy with exhaustion — and exhilaration.
Hoshigaki clapped his hands. "Good. You've all taken your first steps toward becoming true strikers. But the training's not over yet. Now it's time for the final test."
He stepped onto the field, his presence suffocating.
"Five on one. But this time… you'd better come at me like you mean it."
Renji's heart pounded as he met the eyes of his rivals. This time, things would be different. They had evolved. They had learned how to devour.
But so had Hoshigaki.
And the final battle was about to begin.
(To be continued…)