[98] Futile Resistance

"Hey, did you notice Shidou's shot just now?" A cold bead of sweat slid down Karasu's forehead, and the shock in his eyes lingered for a long time. "Even though we're watching the game from a god's-eye view, at that moment, I instinctively focused all my attention on Shinichi."

"I realized it in the end, but by then, the ball had already gone in." Isagi spoke without thinking, instantly drawing everyone's attention. Feeling the weight of their gazes, he shrank back. "Uh… what's wrong?"

The group turned their heads away again.

None of them wanted to admit they had all failed to react in time.

Among those present, only Rin remained calm and composed—he was likely the only one who truly understood what Shinichi had done with that shot.

"Spreading his oppressive presence to draw attention, then subtly entering a state where he exuded an overwhelming sense of danger, like an unstoppable force, all to crush that conceited, pink-haired tentacle pest's expectations?" Rin crossed his arms and let out a cold snort. "Hmph, and he dares to call others immature? What a child."

...

"Reo, is something wrong?" Zantetsu, still struggling to grasp what the others were talking about, noticed Reo resting his chin in thought and asked without thinking.

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing." Reo snapped out of his thoughts and quickly denied any concern, though the doubt in his eyes hadn't faded.

Was it just my imagination...

Just now... it seemed like Nagi was about to rush toward Shidou... Could it be that he thought he couldn't catch up and decided it wasn't worth the effort?

...

"This guy... Did he just break free from Shinichi's influence?" Hiori glanced at Nagi, who was defending him, with some surprise.

Although it had only been a subconscious forward motion, Hiori was certain that Nagi had genuinely intended to intercept Shidou at that moment.

"To achieve that level on pure instinct... what a damn genius."

...

Meanwhile, Nagi, who had caught the attention of these sharp-eyed players, looked down at his own legs. "Just now, even though I was drawn in by Shinichi's movements, my body instinctively moved forward... At that moment, I was thinking... Follow my intuition.

"Maybe I don't need to overthink things and just go with my gut? No, even if it's troublesome, if I can't figure it out, there's no way I can defeat that monstrous boss."

"How do I analyze this feeling? If I go by what that guy said, I need to find a way to replicate it…"

"This feeling is so strange, though. It's like I'm being inexplicably driven toward the right answer. Could I really be... a football genius?"

Beep!

The whistle echoed mercilessly, leaving little time for the opposing team to regroup. Shinichi stood at the center of the pitch, staring at Nagi, who had the ball.

"Time's running out for you guys."

"So annoying. I hate games that are already insanely hard but still have a time limit," Nagi grumbled irritably. He tapped the ball forward and, as Shinichi closed in, used his heel to flick the ball into the air before sending it flying. "Alright then, what about this one?"

Shinichi watched the ball slowly rise with a bored expression. "I've been meaning to say this for a while now—your playstyle is way too passive."

"Do you know why losing a player like Reo, who can set you up, instantly makes you lose your threat? It's because you're always reacting to a fast-moving ball, then making adjustments based on the opponent's defensive strategy."

"While this strategy works against those weaker players, if you can't create dilemmas for your opponents with a properly delivered pass, you're forced to engineer situations where both sides compete for the ball. Such redundant play essentially gives away the possession you originally held."

"This kind of football, with no offensive edge..."

"I'm sick of watching it!"

Shinichi's foot struck like lightning, taking possession of the ball before Nagi could even react.

With the ball pressed against his foot, Shinichi forced his way past Nagi, his left leg holding the ball half a body length ahead.

Instinctively, Nagi wanted to turn his head back, but he remembered that earlier feeling and chose to trust his intuition: Don't turn back.

This is Shinichi's feint to make it seem like he's going to charge straight through. If I look back at the ball, I'll fall for it. If he pulls his leg back and changes direction, I'll be left behind.

"I get it now! I've figured out your approach!"

Just as Nagi solidified his thoughts, Shinichi suddenly shifted gears, launching the ball far ahead before accelerating and bulldozing past Nagi entirely, breaking through his defense with raw power. "A frog at the bottom of the well glimpsing just a corner of the iceberg and thinking it has seen the whole sky. Are you a single-threaded processor incapable of multitasking?"

"Damn it," Nagi muttered, his eyes wide with frustration.

My intuition can only give me vague hints, but this guy... He's able to create endless offensive possibilities all on his own. Even if I predict one option, he immediately switches strategies to outplay me.

"What kind of top-tier, overpowered boss reads commands like that…? This is cheating!"

The thunderous roar of a shot echoed across the field again. At the same time, a tall, lithe figure charged into the goalmouth, fearlessly confronting the overwhelming strike.

"No way... I'm not letting you hog all the spotlight!"

"The one who's going to shine on this field... is me!"

Boom!

The ball struck Jyubei squarely in the face, the force so strong it sent his upper body reeling backward, knocking him to the ground.

A spray of blood followed the impact, but undeniably, Shinichi's powerful shot had been blocked!

"Run forward! Counterattack!" Jyubei, dazed from the ball's blow, shouted hoarsely with the last shred of his consciousness.

Yet, the field fell into an eerie silence. Even the spectators in the viewing room found it hard to keep watching.

"I have to admit, you did well," Shinichi said as he calmly appeared at the ball's landing spot, as if he had anticipated it all along. The deflected ball had bounced back toward him. "To block one of my shots... That's quite impressive, even cool."

"But unfortunately, you still didn't exceed my expectations."

Boom!

GOOOOOAL!

Team Shinichi: 4 Team Rebel: 0

"A commendable effort," Shinichi remarked, smirking as he turned away from the field. "But in the end... still futile."

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