[109] U-20's Transformation, Shidou Ryusei Awakens

"What... What?! Shinichi... Shinichi broke through that seemingly inescapable encirclement and is sprinting forward! Can Aiku stop him? No, Shinichi just made a sharp feint and left Aiku behind! It's a one-on-one! He shoots... but two defenders are already racing back! They've timed it perfectly—ready to intercept!"

"Wait, no! They failed to intercept! Shinichi is still making deceptive moves! Did he anticipate even that defense? Now, there's truly no one left to stop him. He shoots—Goal!" The commentator passionately described the intense action on the field.

Beside him, the broadcaster was visibly stunned, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke. "Unbelievable... absolutely unbelievable! To score in such a situation—when I thought simply breaking free from that encirclement and passing the ball to reorganize the attack would already be impressive—Shinichi exceeded even my wildest expectations!"

"With this goal, Shinichi, who was previously unknown on the world stage, has officially announced his arrival. A rising star is shining brightly in the world of football! After witnessing this goal, I have no doubt he will become one of the world's top players. In fact, football clubs should already be preparing to compete for this young but undeniably gifted genius."

...

The commentators passionately described the scene from the stands, but the shock among those on the field was just as overwhelming.

No one could tear their eyes away from that god-like man. As he had declared himself — this guy was simply on a different level from everyone else present.

Regardless of his lack of familiarity with formal matches, his occasional disconnect from teammates due to his overwhelming strength, or any other shortcomings and imperfections, his absolute individual ability was enough.

No matter the situation, he could bulldoze the ball into the net purely through personal skill.

This was the hallmark of a world-class player.

"But he's not truly unstoppable," Isagi's eyes gleamed with excitement. To him, the field seemed to fragment into countless puzzle pieces, neatly divided into two distinct colors — red and black.

"The field now represents a clash between two opposing forces. The black pieces belong to Shinichi, who relies on sheer individual talent, while the red ones represent Sae, who calls upon his teammates to counter Shinichi. In reality, the gap between these two forces isn't as wide as it appears. Shinichi was genuinely in a tough spot earlier — he simply leveraged his top-tier ball protection skills to wrestle with defenders until they revealed openings from the relentless physical confrontations, finally allowing him to break through completely."

Isagi frowned, replaying the previous goal over and over in his mind. "Just a little more, just one final touch... Add another defender? No, that won't work. The three-man encirclement is already bulky enough. Adding more would only create gaps and hinder teammates. That's why Aiku didn't join the trap but instead acted as a safety net to cover for mistakes."

"But going in waves doesn't work either. The way Shinichi effortlessly toyed with Aiku and me shows that weak, piecemeal defenses will just be crushed by him. Damn it! I feel like the answer is right in front of me, but I can't pinpoint the crucial detail!"

Isagi kept thinking, but the relentless nature of the match offered no mercy to those lost in thought.

He forced himself to suppress his ideas for now and focus entirely on the ongoing attack: Forget everything else. Right now, scoring is the only thing that matters. As long as our offense works, this game isn't over yet. I can think about the rest later.

"Ugh! This is so annoying!" A sudden, frustrated shout shattered Isagi's concentration. Shidou stormed up to Sae with a look of impatience. "I've been following your tactics exactly! So why are we still getting beaten this badly?!"

"The opportunity was already created for you. Failing to score was simply because you lacked the ability to capitalize on it," Sae said coldly.

Even in the face of this chaotic scene—players breaking into open conflict after just falling behind—he remained calm and expressionless, staring down the furious Shidou. "Instead of whining, why not show some skill? That was an easy goal even a monkey could score, but you let it get intercepted, didn't you? What a fool."

"Heh, I don't care anymore." Despite being harshly scolded by Sae, Shidou didn't seem particularly angry.

Instead, he grinned mischievously, like a troublemaker without a care. "I'm just gonna play how I want now. If you're really that good, then pass the ball to me."

"Do whatever you want. I'll only pass to the forward who actually deserves my ball."

Before the referee could step in, the seemingly intense conflict fizzled out. Shidou obediently walked back to his position, waiting for the restart.

"Uh... it looks like Shidou was probably just discussing tactical adjustments with Sae," the commentator nervously tried to downplay the incident, clearly shaken. "Obviously, Sae holds significant authority within the team, as he managed to resolve that disagreement so quickly."

"Exactly," the broadcaster agreed hastily. "And with the score at 1-2, the game is still incredibly close. Let's see how the U-20 team responds next."

Beep!

As the whistle blew, Sae passed the ball to Hiori and immediately began moving off the ball. Yet, the most eye-catching figure wasn't Sae — it was Shidou, who suddenly went berserk, recklessly charging around the field.

His chaotic movement not only disrupted the opposing team's formation but even threw his own teammates into disarray.

"Shidou?" Isagi dodged as Shidou sped past him like a madman. "What the hell is he doing?! Is he trying to take down not just the opponents but even his own teammates?!"

"Is he really thinking that anyone in his way is an enemy?" Hiori, holding the ball, had the same thought. He glanced briefly at Sae, who had moved to the left and dragged Shinichi far away from the action, then refocused on the wild, rampaging Shidou.

"So he's willingly becoming a sacrificial pawn... Does that mean he's leaving the battlefield to us?" Hiori clicked his tongue in annoyance before decisively launching the ball toward Shidou. "This kind of forced control is seriously irritating!"

"Fine then—show me what you've got, you twisted devil!"

The ball curved beautifully past Karasu's outstretched right leg, spinning perfectly toward Shidou. Behind Shidou, it seemed as though demonic wings burning with hellfire unfurled once again.

"WOW! What a stunning pass! That was absolutely electrifying!" the commentator shouted excitedly.

In the stands, Ego, who had remained composed the entire time, finally lifted his head, his eyes sharp as they fixed on Shidou's audacious figure.

"Who would've thought... Out of everyone left, the first to enter FLOW would be you..."

"Shidou Ryusei."

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