[190] Prologue to the Second Stage of the New Hero Battle (1)

[It's official—Bastard München has won!!! Their number 11 player has broken the deadlock and ended the match at this very moment! With an incredible mid-air foot switch shot, he has crowned himself the final victor of this game! The other three core players have now become nothing more than his supporting cast. Let's remember his name—]

[Isagi Yoichi! This extraordinary player exploded with unbelievable strength on this night! And with this, the first stage of the New Hero Battle has come to a perfect end!]

"Isagi, you little brat!!"

Watching Isagi's astonishing left-foot feint into a mid-air foot-switch shot, even Itoshi Sae, who had been calmly spectating until now, stood up in shock, staring at the boy roaring toward the sky in disbelief.

"Oi, oi, are you kidding me?!" Aiku grabbed his head in real frustration, not just joking around this time. "It's already exhausting for us defenders just trying to survive against these monsters, and now you're telling me they can pull off this kind of cheat move?! How the hell are we supposed to defend against that?!"

Niko: "That move... it's practically an unsolvable special technique. Even scarier than that so-called 'Blue Rose' Kaiser's impact..."

Lorenzo: "That shot... worth a billion. OK?"

Isagi's goal didn't just shock the members of Ubers—it stunned even Isagi himself. After celebrating, he stood in a daze, murmuring:

"Was that... really me who scored that goal?"

"I... I ended the match. I'm the hero of this game!"

"Isagi, that was amazing! How did you even come up with that move?" As Isagi was still lost in the thrill of the moment, Hiori approached, genuinely curious. He had been watching Isagi's constant growth with great interest, just like watching Shinichi.

"Ah... honestly, I'm not entirely sure myself." Isagi lowered his head and looked at his own feet. "Because I admired Noah and Shinichi so much, I've been training to develop both feet. So during previous matches, I'd already been working on left-footed shooting. Then... maybe I was also reminded of that shot Nagi pulled against Shinichi in the last match."

Isagi looked down at his own feet again: "Anyone in mid-air is inevitably restricted in movement—that was the core idea behind Nagi's two-stage shot. I think in that moment, I just instinctively combined it with my own two-footed shooting... and somehow managed to pull it off."

"Impressive. Your creativity might even rival Shinichi's someday." Hiori praised Isagi sincerely.

And at that moment, the figure who had been missing for a while—Ego Jinpachi—reappeared on the stadium's giant screen.

"Yo, yo, my little rough diamonds... ah no, my little heroes now. Good evening, everyone."

Despite the event being broadcast live worldwide, Ego, wearing just a shirt and a soccer-ball shaped ornament for a tie, casually waved at everyone with zero formality.

"Now, with the completion of the ten matches of the New Hero Battle's first stage, it's time for some reflection. Did you improve? Are you satisfied with your current status? Are you happy with your transfer value? I hope all of you will take a moment to really think about the journey you've had."

"Of course, I'm not here to scold you. You can save all your regrets for later tonight—cry it out under your blankets if you have to. Right now, I'm here to announce the details and rules of the New Hero Battle's second stage!"

As Ego Jinpachi spoke, a new chart materialized in his hand. But unlike before—when only Blue Lock players, plus Kaiser and Sae Itoshi, were ranked—this was now the true comprehensive leaderboard, including renowned players like Lorenzo and Charles among others.

"Well, as you can see, this is a complete list showing the transfer values for all participants. Of course, very soon, everyone's valuations will be reshuffled. Professional scouts will be reviewing not just your performances during the New Hero Battle, but also your rate of improvement, future potential, and overall growth."

"At the same time, players who aren't part of Blue Lock and don't intend to transfer will also receive scout reports and new evaluations," Ego continued, scratching his head a little sheepishly. "You see, initially we didn't reveal transfer values for those players at the request of the clubs and FIFA. After all, whether your valuation rose or fell, it could have impacted club operations negatively. But now... thanks to the huge commercial and global success of the New Hero Battle, the higher-ups have given us special permission to release part of the data."

"That said, the current leaderboard I'm holding still reflects your original contract values — not updated ones. So, it doesn't carry much real significance. The finalized and updated total leaderboard will be released right before the start of Stage Two. Just hang tight until then."

"Ah... where was I again? Oh, right!" Ego clapped his hands with exaggerated flair.

"Let's talk about the rules for Stage Two of the New Hero Battle. First and foremost—the biggest change: In addition to the original five major league teams, a sixth team will now be added—the Blue Lock Team! And what's more—the mentors will now be unsealed and allowed to participate as regular players!"

"Also, all the teams will be reshuffled!"

As Ego's earth-shattering announcement echoed across the arena, the chat feed on BLUE LOCK TV exploded instantly. Even the players themselves looked at each other, stunned and confused.

"What does 'reshuffled' mean? Are they swapping mentors between teams?"

"Don't tell me it's random! If they mix players up without balance, wouldn't that make the games completely one-sided?"

"And wait—how are they going to fill up the new team? Voluntary sign-ups? But no one's going to want to abandon their current teams after spending so much time adapting to those systems. Who would willingly give up a guaranteed starting spot to restart from scratch?"

...

Instantly, discussions erupted across the entire football world. After milking the suspense for a while and letting the comment sections explode, Ego Jinpachi finally cleared his throat twice, pulling everyone's attention back to him.

"Maybe it's my fault for not explaining it clearly enough," he said, chuckling slyly. "Allow me to put it a little differently."

"In Stage Two of the New Hero Battle, all players will become unrestricted free agents. And then…"

At this point, Ego gave a mischievous smile and raised the Total Transfer Value Leaderboard in his hand.

"Your future teams... will be decided according to this list—which will soon be updated with your revised valuations."

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