Chapter 65 ⤁ Before I Knew It, I Had Become Public Enemy Number One!

Soon, Ryōsuke told the remaining four people about teaming up with Seishirō.

"We have exactly four people, which means if we give one person to Kira's team, the rest of us can form a complete team." Yoichi glanced around the group, "So how should we divide up the remaining people..."

"Well, I have my own thoughts." Meguru raised his hand, "I don't plan to be on Kira's team! The previous matches were just Kira putting on a show! This time I want to show what I can really do!"

Hearing this, Yoichi fell into deep thought. He couldn't keep relying on Ryōsuke — he needed to grow on his own.

Through his captain's guidance, personal training, and the recent shooting assessment, he had used his spatial awareness to develop a new technique called Direct Shot — shooting immediately upon receiving the ball.

Though slightly behind the original timeline, Yoichi had mastered this technique but hadn't yet had a chance to use it.

His thoughts aligned with Meguru's — he wanted to see what he could achieve without Ryōsuke.

"Then I'll team up with Bachira!" Yoichi declared firmly, "I want to see my true level too — though I know I'm still far behind you, Kira, I'll do my best to catch up!"

Ryōsuke looked at his determined expression and nodded with a smile.

Though Yoichi hadn't had many chances to shine in the first round of selection, he had been training intensively every day under Ryōsuke's guidance. Both his physical condition and technical abilities had surpassed where they'd been at this point in the original timeline.

He would definitely shine in the upcoming matches.

"I also want to see who's the fastest in Blue Lock when I face Kira." Hyōma smiled and fist-bumped with Ryōsuke, and with that, the teams were decided.

Yoichi, Meguru, and Hyōma formed one team, while Ryōsuke, Seishirō, and Rensuke formed the other.

Ryōsuke turned to look at Rensuke, who had been eliminated in this round in the original timeline.

Though he wasn't weak, he had lost to stronger opponents. Blue Lock had a revival match system where eliminated players could compete for a single revival spot.

While Rensuke had succeeded in the revival match, Jinpachi's ideology had corrupted him — transforming him from an honorable person into someone selfish and self-serving.

He had a good relationship with Ryōsuke and was genuinely a good person; being on his team might change that outcome.

"Then let's head out."

"Let's go!"

The six of them passed through the gate together, heading to the next room.

In this hall, Reo sat on the ground with a gloomy expression, his eyes vacant as if his soul had left his body.

A figure appeared before him.

"Looks like your partner was taken by Kira, that genius with the terrifying ball control?"

He looked up toward the voice, recognizing Ikki Niko.

"What's it to you?" Reo barely lifted his head, his gaze fixed on the other person.

"Don't you want revenge against Kira?"

As Ikki spoke, the fire of anger reignited in Reo's eyes.

It wasn't just because of Ryōsuke — Seishirō had abandoned him too. That resentment continued to brew in his heart.

"I'll make Nagi realize that following that guy was a mistake." Reo stood up, his tone icy, "What about the third person?"

"As it happens, there's someone else here who harbors a deep hatred for Kira." Ikki smiled slightly and turned to the side.

Shoei Baro.

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Ryōsuke and the others entered another room.

Only one team was present — Rin's group.

{T/N: Remember that they just went to a separate place, all together. This isn't the match yet.}

"Are you insects capable of nothing but wasting time?" Rin's arrogant gaze swept across everyone before settling on Ryōsuke.

[Announcing the latest Blue Lock rankings, based on completion of the first stage.]

Jinpachi's face appeared on the wall screen.

The numbers on everyone's electronic badges changed. Ryōsuke's shoulder now displayed a "1".

"If you think it's such a waste of time, why are you only ranked second?" Ryōsuke replied with a smile.

Beside him, Yoichi nervously swallowed. Though Rin emanated intense pressure, Ryōsuke remained relaxed.

"Insect, this is merely a boring phase." Rin's mouth twitched.

[Ahem.]

Jinpachi cleared his throat, interrupting their exchange.

[Welcome to the 3rd Stage. In this phase, three-person teams will compete in small-format matches. Each team will have a BLUELOCK MAN as goalkeeper. The first team to score five goals wins and must select one player from the losing team to form a new four-person team. The first team to gather five members advances, while those not chosen face elimination. This is the Enemy Conquest Battle.]

He paused, pointing at the screen.

[You may freely choose your opponents, but matches only proceed when both teams agree...]

As Jinpachi prepared to close the projection, Ryōsuke raised his hand.

"Mr. Ego, I have a question."

[What is it?]

Jinpachi adjusted his glasses.

"Will exchanging goals for points still be valid in later stages?"

The thin man paused briefly, then nodded.

[Yes, though due to this match's special nature, you'll need to wait until this round ends to exchange points for outings.]

"That works for me." Ryōsuke smiled.

Now that Riko had qualified for the league matches which would begin soon, he had promised to watch her games in person — a promise he intended to keep.

[That's all then. May fortune favor you in battle.]

After fixing his gaze on Ryōsuke for a moment, Jinpachi turned off the screen.

Ryōsuke glanced at Rin, recalling that two other teams should have entered before they formed their team. Clearly, after hearing Rin's reputation and witnessing his abilities during the earlier gathering, they had abandoned any thought of challenging his team.

"So which of you two teams wants to face defeat? Not that it matters — I don't care who the opponent is, the result will be the same. You're all just rabble, and I want to win quickly and move on." Rin rose, his contempt palpable.

"What an annoying guy…" Meguru said, hands behind his head and smiling, though his expression betrayed his excitement.

Beside him, Yoichi's eyes gleamed with the same fighting spirit.

"Hey, we're your opponents!"

Just then, the entrance door swung open, and three familiar figures strode in.

Ikki Niko, Reo Mikage, and Shoei Baro — all three fixed their intense gazes on Ryōsuke, burning with the desire for revenge.

"This time, I will definitely beat you."

"You're just submissive. I'm telling you — I'm the king of the field."

"Nagi, I'll make you realize that teaming up with me, Reo, was absolutely right!"

The three emanated such powerful fighting spirit that they seemed ready to reduce him to ashes.

"Perfect, then you'll be our first-round opponents." Ryōsuke replied with a smile.

The matches were set: Ryōsuke's team would face Reo's team, while Yoichi's team would challenge Rin's team as their first opponents.

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Following instructions, the six players arrived at the designated field, verified their identities, and received their team colors — white for Ryōsuke's team and red for their opponents.

Once everything was prepared, they stepped onto the new, smaller playing field, which had been scaled down to accommodate the reduced number of players.

Ryōsuke observed the three players on the red team — Ikki, Reo, and Shoei. In the original timeline, they had come from entirely different teams, but now they had united around a common emotion.

That emotion was hatred for him. They were, in essence, an "Avengers Alliance".

"Looking at the configuration, the red team is surprisingly well-suited." Rensuke said.

While both Ikki and Reo possessed attacking abilities, they excelled more at organizing plays. Shoei, on the other hand, demanded that all teammates revolve around him, refusing to pass and insisting on being the offensive finisher.

This self-centered attitude had previously led to his team's poor performance and constant internal conflicts. But now, paired with the more selfless Ikki and Reo, his personal attacking prowess would truly shine.

"However, no matter what, we'll be the ones who win in the end." Ryōsuke responded.

"Yes, we must win."

Seishirō answered calmly, while Rensuke's face showed an expectant smile.

"Let's have a fair and square match."

[3rd match, Red Team vs. White Team is about to begin, with White Team kicking off!]

As the whistle blew, Ryōsuke's team launched their first attack. He quickly dribbled toward the opponent's half, with Reo marking him.

"I'll make Nagi see that choosing you was the worst decision!"

Reo stood in front of Ryōsuke, determined not to give him any opening. His focus was razor-sharp as he carefully observed Ryōsuke's movements, maintaining distance to prevent an easy breakthrough.

After ten days of training, his abilities had improved significantly. He had treated Ryōsuke as his imaginary enemy throughout, studying his footage endlessly, waiting for the day he could exact his revenge.

The opportunity had come sooner than expected.

"Good luck with that." But Ryōsuke was already moving.

❖ Thunderclap and Flash ➠ Straight Run! ❖

In an instant, his body shot forward like a bullet!

"Damn it!" Reo shouted. This guy seemed even faster than before, though the distance Reo had kept gave him precious reaction time.

He immediately leaned back, shifting his center of gravity to match Ryōsuke's speed.

But Ryōsuke suddenly halted his forward motion, spinning around while controlling the ball with one foot. In one fluid movement, he created space from Reo, accelerated again, and breezed past him.

His combination of explosive speed and sophisticated dribbling made it impossible for any single defender to contain him.

Just then, Ryōsuke spotted a figure appearing at his side — Ikki Niko.

With his excellent game sense and vision, Ikki had anticipated Ryōsuke's attack route the moment he passed Reo, attempting a tackle from the blind spot.

But Ryōsuke reacted faster. He turned again, shielding the ball with his back to deny any opening. Scanning his surroundings, he spotted Seishirō unmarked and launched a high, arcing pass.

It was a deliberate choice — the safest way to avoid the defenders' interference.

And Seishirō would definitely catch it.

"A difficult pass, but I can handle it."

Seishirō leaped skyward, hooking the ball with his foot — executing his signature Trap Shot!

In one fluid motion, he adjusted his body mid-air and fired!

[ Scoreboard ]

[ 1:0 ]

White Team strikes first!

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