[186] Germany vs. France — The Final Match of Phase One (1)

After finishing the trait settlement, Shinichi—having spent extra time on solo training—returned alone to the Ubers floor.

Only after completing his evening workout did he finally lie down to sleep, which, for once, threw off his internal clock.

By the time he woke up, the others had already gathered in the viewing room, their eyes fixed on the screen. Only Igarashi noticed Shinichi entering and immediately stood up to offer him a seat.

"Ah, Shinichi, you're back."

Shinichi responded with a silent hand gesture, asking for quiet, and didn't refuse the gesture.

After all, Igarashi had insisted on it himself.

According to him, with his current skill level, he was unlikely to ever settle in one team permanently.

Since most pro teams had rookie hazing traditions—though later corrected to be mostly an NBA thing—he said he needed to get used to the "role player" mindset as early as possible. Anything to avoid inheriting his family's temple.

"Germany vs. France, huh? Yeah, this match is definitely worth watching." Shinichi nodded as he watched the players sprinting across the pitch.

He was also curious—after a whole round of matches, what kind of transformations had these guys undergone?

[This is intense! Maybe it's because it's the final match of the first phase of Blue Lock, but you can tell every player is fighting desperately for a higher market value. Less than five minutes in and we've already seen multiple shots on goal—it's pure fireworks! Currently, France is in the lead thanks to PXG's No. 9, Rin Itoshi, who scored a powerful goal with his overwhelming ability!]

"Looks like Rin has fully mastered his Destroyer Mode," Aiku commented while watching Rin track back after scoring. "With that kind of destructive force and the wide range of technical skills he's developed over time, he's a nightmare for defenders like us."

Ubers' strength up until now had come from multiple factors: a solid lineup of players with good defensive capability, Lorenzo—a top-tier defender among the Eleven Elites, Shinichi himself as the final wall, and Snuffy's meticulously tailored tactics.

All of this combined had kept Ubers unbeaten without conceding a single goal.

But in the second phase of the New Hero Battle, everything would be reset.

They wouldn't have such stacked team compositions forever.

So when the defenders watching started imagining themselves in the shoes of Bastard München's back line, a sense of helplessness set in…

"There's no way… That goal just now? No one could've stopped that." Aiku shook his head, a bit dejected. "If it were a straight-up 1v1, maybe I could've held him off a little. But Rin perfectly used Shidou's positioning and Charles's pass was freakishly precise. At best, I'd have bought an extra two or three seconds. I wouldn't have gotten blown by his first feint like that defender did—but after that? I'd have lost the ball all the same."

"I agree. In his current state, Rin's instincts are terrifying—he can immediately identify his advantage over an opponent and then exploit it to the fullest, dismantling them completely," Niko nodded in agreement as he scrolled through his phone.

"Actually, the reason why Shidou's value dropped so much is partly because of Rin. After his price surged in the first match, he sort of fell off. As someone who relies on instinct and intuition to play, it's not unusual for him to struggle after a hit to his confidence."

"Then, when Rin started mastering his 'Destroyer Mode', the entire team strategy shifted around him. Charles increased the number of passes to Rin, and Rin clearly began using Shidou as a decoy. That's why in recent matches, Shidou barely scored at all—the only goal he did get was off a rebound from Rin's shot."

"Haha, talk about being stuck under your biggest rival—Shidou's having a rough time," Aiku, who had once been teammates with Shidou, laughed.

But this was how things worked in the pros: if you're weaker, you lose your say. Your influence, your place in the team strategy—it all gets suppressed.

Still, Aiku believed Shidou wouldn't go down that easily.

That guy was a madman, willing to sacrifice anything for football. So to him, Shidou's misfortune was more like entertainment.

But just as their discussion was heating up, the match on screen shifted dramatically.

Kaiser had intercepted a pass—yet instead of pushing forward on his own, he passed the ball to Reiji, someone firmly within Isagi's system, and then began moving in sync with the rest of the team.

"Kaiser? Did he really bow to Isagi?" Niko said in shock, but Lorenzo quickly corrected him. "Nope. Kaiser hasn't surrendered at all. Actually... this is something little Barou should explain. You probably know that state better than anyone."

"Tch..." Barou clicked his tongue in irritation but still explained, "That arrogant blue rose... right now, he's just hiding his thorns. He's accepted that his old 'kingdom' can't give him what he wants and has acknowledged his own failure."

"Now he's shedding everything he used to be and is trying to use Isagi's rise as a stepping stone to achieve his own ideals—then turn the tables and usurp the system from within. He's trying to play a role similar to Isagi's, and by relying on his superior physicality and that cheat-level shot of his, he's aiming to steal Isagi's role as the system's centerpiece."

Lorenzo stuffed a handful of popcorn in his mouth and gestured casually, "Basically, he's trying to become a better version of Isagi within the same structure."

"Hmph, a false king through and through—even his comeback plan is just a copy of someone else," Barou growled.

Only Igarashi seemed to notice something off. He glanced at the screen and muttered, "If that's the case... doesn't that mean that guy Ness is being left behind? He looks like a lone soldier out there. No one's cooperating with him, and he doesn't fit into Isagi's system at all."

"Not surprising," someone replied coldly. "Bastard München already has a better midfielder now. If Ness can't recognize that, then yeah—he's basically redundant."

There was little sympathy for Ness. He had no individuality left—a dog completely tamed by Kaiser.

Even now, with Kaiser turning a new leaf, Ness clung to the old him. In fact, he didn't even acknowledge Kaiser's will anymore.

That was the result of blind worship. Ness didn't admire Kaiser for who he really was, but for the version of him he'd idealized—a flawless construct built through admiration and fantasy. And faith like that...

"...is often the farthest thing from understanding."

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