A few minutes later.
"In that case, I'll temporarily serve as the team captain for this selection round." Ryōsuke said.
During this time, he had not only defeated Jingo but had also successively beaten Rensuke and Meguru.
"That speed... it's completely unfair. Is there anyone in all of Blue Lock who can match Kira's speed? It's ridiculous — he doesn't even need technique, he just blazes past everyone..."
Murmurs rippled through the group.
Only three people had challenged Ryōsuke, and all had failed decisively. After witnessing these matches, everyone understood the vast gap between themselves and him.
They weren't even in the same league.
The team accepted Ryōsuke's position as captain. Even Jingo, despite his dissatisfaction, could only sit silently. Though he'd claimed it was luck, their recent encounter had shown him just how terrifying Ryōsuke's abilities were.
This demonstration had planted a single thought in everyone's minds: Perhaps Ryōsuke really could lead them through this round.
"Let's assign positions and establish tactics. I'll take the striker position, organizing attacks with myself as the core..."
When Ryōsuke spoke these words, there wasn't a trace of arrogance. He was simply choosing the most effective path to victory.
"Jingo Raishi, you have excellent stamina and aggressive play — you'll be defender. The crucial role of goalkeeper will go to you, Okuhito Iemon."
"How dare you—" Upon hearing he was assigned to defender, Jingo flew into a rage, but when his eyes met Ryōsuke's, he lowered his raised hand, "...Whatever, as long as we win."
"What do you all think?" Ryōsuke asked for everyone's opinion.
The others all nodded in agreement. His position assignments were based on each person's technical skills and physical abilities, and combined with his own exceptional capabilities, no one raised any objections.
"Then we should make some preparations."
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About an hour later, Ryōsuke led Team Z to the designated match venue.
Their match was first, and they'd had only two hours since receiving notice — with no chance to gather intelligence about their opponents. The same was true for Team X, whom they would face.
Everyone was tense and uncertain, having no knowledge of their opponents' strength or tactics.
Only one person remained completely calm: Ryōsuke. He knew exactly how strong Team X was.
At this moment, Team X entered the grounds imposingly from the opposite side of the field, and his gaze met with one of them.
He was a tall, muscular man with spiky hair. Beneath it was a rugged, serious face — not a hint of a smile — appearing thoroughly unapproachable. He emanated intense pressure and innate arrogance.
Shoei Baro, Team X's ace.
In the original story, he was an arrogant character who refused to pass the ball — a self-proclaimed king of the football field who viewed opponents as insects and teammates as servants, forcing the entire team to revolve around him. He was considered one of the biggest team toxins in Blue Lock.
But it couldn't be denied that he had earned his arrogance.
Beyond his muscular physique, he possessed terrifying breakthrough ability and highly precise medium-range shots — the title of "King" wasn't undeserved.
In the original story, his record wasn't impressive, though this was mainly due to his refusal to cooperate. Shoei played solo exclusively, never considering passes, insisting all his teammates' actions revolve around his attacks — yet his offensive ability easily ranked among Blue Lock's finest.
In his match against Team Z, he had scored five times, crushing them with an absolute advantage of 5:1.
However, with Ryōsuke's presence, the outcome of this match had become uncertain. He certainly wasn't planning to hand over victory.
He opened his system interface.
— — — — — — — — — —
〚 Host: Ryōsuke Kira 〛
〚 Current Competition Points: 30 〛
〚 Current Skills: 〛
〚 Skill: Thunder Breathing - Total Concentration | Level: 2 | EXP: 18.07% 〛
〚 Skill: Thunder Breathing - First Form: Thunderclap and Flash | Level: 2 | EXP: 15.11% 〛
— — — — — — — — — —
Three days after upgrading Thunderclap and Flash, Ryōsuke had gained another 30 Competition Points. As expected, improving the skills' proficiency had become more challenging since the upgrade, with progress significantly slower.
He closed the system interface and cast his gaze on Shoei, his lips curling into a slight smirk.
That guy is formidable — yet he was destined to fail in this round due to his fatal weaknesses.
Ryōsuke had already devised his strategy.
[All foul judgments and other aspects in the First Selection Round will be handled through video assistant referees.]
The broadcast voice echoed throughout the field after everyone had taken their positions.
Blue Lock was a marvel of cutting-edge technology. The indoor field matched regular outdoor fields in almost every way, except for the hard walls studded with high-tech devices that surrounded it. Instead of open sky and spectators, only cameras watched from every angle.
[Now, Match One of Group Five, 45 minutes, Team X Vs Team Z, kickoff!]
A sharp, piercing bell signaled the start.
The match began!
In the center circle, Ryōsuke received Yoichi's pass and immediately drove toward the opponent's goal.
Unlike the original story, where Team Z had descended into chaos at kickoff with players fighting for possession, Ryōsuke had maintained order.
Everyone held their assigned positions.
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
In the monitoring room, Jinpachi Ego watched the match broadcast intently.
The array of cameras surrounding the field gave him a complete 360-degree view of the action.
"In just two hours... to achieve such transformation from zero to one, remarkable." He muttered.
❖❖❖
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