Chapter 13: The Poisoned Fang

The second half began with an eerie silence.

Team Z stepped onto the field, but the weight of betrayal hung over them like a thick, suffocating fog.

Igarashi had sold them out.

And worse, his betrayal wasn't just a desperate gamble.

It was calculated.

By making a deal with the Wanima brothers, he had ensured that not only would Team Z lose, but he would survive.

If Igarashi became the highest scorer on Team Z, he would move forward in Blue Lock, even if the rest of them were eliminated.

The cost?

He had willingly become a pawn for Team W, allowing them to manipulate the game while he scored freely.

This wasn't just a betrayal of trust.

This was a death sentence for Team Z.

And yet...

Isagi showed no reaction.

His teammates stole cautious glances at him, uneasy.

Raichi whispered, "What's with him? He was ready to kill Igarashi a few minutes ago, and now…"

Bachira narrowed his eyes. "It's like…he's not even here."

But Isagi was very much here.

His face was blank. His body still.

His teammates were shaken...but he wasn't.

Inside his mind, memories he had buried long ago resurfaced.

After his parents died, his world had collapsed.

He remembered standing at their funeral, dressed in ragged clothes, his stomach empty. He remembered the cold gazes of his so-called relatives, whispering among themselves.

"Poor boy. What will he do now?"

"We should take care of his inheritance for him."

"He's too young to understand money."

And just like that, everything his parents had left behind...their house, their savings, their land, was taken from him.

By the time Isagi realized what had happened, it was too late.

He had nothing.

No home.No family.No one to rely on.

His hatred for betrayal was carved into him that day.

He learned something that day.

People will betray you for their own gain.

And once they do, they'll never stop looking down on you.

Unless...

You rise above them.

Unless you devour them.

A cold fire burned in his chest.

"Igarashi… You think you've won?"

"The Wanima brothers… You think you control this game?"

"You're wrong."

Team W knew what they were doing.

The Wanima brothers played like demons, shredding Team Z's already shaken defense.

They passed between themselves with mocking ease, weaving through Team Z as if they were toys.

And every time they got close to the goal...

They passed to Igarashi. And he assisted them.

Another goal.

4-2.

Again.

5-2.

And again.

6-2.

After that, like puppeteers controlling the show, they allowed Igarashi to score 3 goals, making the score 6-5. 

Igarashi laughed like a man who had secured his future.

"I just have to score one more goal to be the top scorer!"

Kunigami roared in frustration. "This is a joke! They're handing him goals!"

Raichi snapped at Igarashi, his voice filled with disgust. "You traitorous rat! How could you do this!?"

Igarashi grinned. "What, you mad? It's just strategy, man. Winning isn't everything here. Survival is."

The Wanima brothers laughed.

"Man, this is fun! You guys are really pathetic!"

"All we have to do now is let this idiot score one more, and we win no matter what!"

The realization hit everyone like a truck.

If Igarashi scored one more time, he would survive.

And they would all be eliminated.

A rigged game. A checkmate.

The Wanima brothers jeered.

"Man, you guys are garbage!" One of them sneered.

"You thought you were hot shit, but look at you now," the other laughed. "Losing to us while your little 'teammate' here scores against you! It's hilarious!"

Then, something shifted.

The temperature dropped.

A single voice cut through their laughter.

"I've seen everything."

A slow, deliberate step forward.

"You lot…"

Another step.

"…are utter trash."

Isagi's voice was deathly calm.

The air thickened as the team turned toward him.

"This is the end for you."

The next moment, he moved.

The Wanima brothers didn't even realize what had happened until the ball was already gone.

Isagi had stolen it from them before they even reacted.

Their laughter vanished.

His eyes locked onto the goal.

No hesitation.

He surged forward, his body flowing in perfect motion.

One defender lunged at him. Too slow.

Isagi shifted just enough, letting the defender commit to a direction before cutting the other way.

Another rushed in. Predictable.

Isagi flicked the ball up and dragged it down violently, forcing the defender to stumble.

The goal was in sight.

But instead of shooting normally,

Isagi's body twisted unnaturally.

His shot came from an angle that no one expected, like a venomous snake striking from the shadows.

The goalkeeper couldn't read it.

The ball curled, no, it cut through the air in a distorted, unpredictable pattern.

Like a poisoned bite, it twisted at the last moment.

And then.....

The net bulged.

GOAL.

6-6.

Silence.

Then—

The Wanima brothers snapped their heads toward Isagi, their cocky grins gone.

"What…was that?" one of them muttered, his voice shaky.

Kunigami's eyes widened. "That shot, it wasn't normal."

Bachira grinned, a gleam of madness returning to his eyes. "Heh… now that's interesting, Isagi."

But Isagi wasn't done.

Less than three minutes later, it happened again.

Another steal.

Another silent dismantling of their so-called 'dominance.'

He had seen everything. Their habits. Their patterns. Their weaknesses.

He had dissected them.

And now, he would end them.

Another shot. The Poisoned Fang.

The ball veered off-course. No, it looked like it would, before it cut back sharply into the net.

The goalkeeper didn't even dive.

Because he couldn't.

6-7.

The tables had turned.

The mocking jeers of the Wanima brothers had ceased.

Now, only Isagi's voice, or rather to say, his goals hitting the net filled the air with their silent but loud noise.

For the rest of the match, the Wanima brothers couldn't do anything.

Every time they tried to attack, Isagi was there.

Blocking. Reading. Devouring.

They had lost.

Not only on the scoreboard, but in their hearts.

And when the final whistle blew, marking the end, Isagi turned to them one last time.

His voice was cold, empty.

"With a mindset like that…"

He stepped closer.

"You were out before you even stepped in."

His lips curled into something dark.

"Pathetic."

The Wanima brothers stiffened, their confidence shattered.

And with that, Isagi Yoichi walked off the field, victorious.

His Poisoned Fang had sunk deep, and there was no cure.