Chapter 66 ⤁ Evolution? Useless in the Face of Absolute Power

"Nice play."

Seishirō and Ryōsuke high-fived. Despite this being their first time fighting side by side, their coordination was flawless.

"Your ball control was beautiful." Ryōsuke said. His teammate's extraordinary control was unmatched by anyone else in Blue Lock.

"Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!" Watching their perfect coordination, Reo burned with jealous rage, his possessiveness consuming him.

"Calm down." Ikki said, analyzing the situation, "Kira is their playmaker. He's the only one with passing ability. Next, we just need to—"

"Shut up!" Shoei cut him off, looking down at the three before him, "All I need to do is break through their formation. Just keep passing me the ball. The victory condition is scoring five goals first — that's all we need to do!"

Even facing Ikki and Reo, he remained dismissive.

"Such an arrogant guy. Have you forgotten how your team lost to us?" Reo sneered.

"What's that got to do with you? My teammates were just useless, that's all." Shoei shot back coldly.

"You bastard, what did you say?"

"Calm down, let's follow Baro's plan for now." Ikki stepped between them, "After all, his attacking ability is the best among us."

Though Reo despised Shoei's self-centered attitude, he couldn't deny his abilities.

If attacking ability was scored out of 100, Ikki would be around 80, Reo himself about 90, while this arrogant player could reach 110.

Though Reo excelled in various aspects and fit perfectly into any team, he lacked any standout qualities. This left him at a disadvantage against true prodigies.

While he verbally agreed to support Shoei's approach, his mind kept working.

Winning wouldn't be enough. Reo needed to completely outshine Ryōsuke in front of Seishirō. He had to prove himself superior to this new upstart teammate.

He had to find a way to defeat Ryōsuke!

Time was short — the Red Team's attack was beginning.

Reo drove the ball past midfield, studying the field carefully.

'The field may be smaller, but with only three players, there's more space. We have more attacking options.'

As he assessed the situation, he saw Ryōsuke standing ahead like an imposing wall.

"Damn it." He muttered, remembering his opponent's fearsome defensive prowess from their last match.

Just standing there, Ryōsuke radiated overwhelming pressure — a predator waiting for its prey to stumble into its trap.

Though Reo yearned to challenge Ryōsuke one-on-one, instinct made him pass to Shoei.

Shoei now faced Rensuke. Despite his powerful offense, Rensuke's excellent defense and impressive physicality had given Shoei serious trouble in their previous encounters.

As soon as he received the ball, he prepared to strike—

But in that instant, Ryōsuke — who had been marking Reo — suddenly appeared behind Shoei, using his Thunderclap and Flash's explosive speed to steal the ball!

In small-sided games with fewer players, help defense becomes much harder than in official matches. Committing to help often leaves an opponent wide open, turning the game into three one-on-one matchups.

The fewer players on the field, the more difficult it becomes to execute help defense and double-team tactics.

But for Ryōsuke, this wasn't a problem — it was an advantage!

A smaller field meant faster transitions between offense and defense, letting his versatility shine. Most importantly, he knew Shoei would never pass the ball, acting only as a finisher. This allowed Ryōsuke's teammates to temporarily abandon their defensive positions to double-team him.

"Damn it!" Shoei cursed, chasing Ryōsuke from behind.

But Ryōsuke had already used Thunder Swarm to execute a beautiful curving shot, scoring!

[ Scoreboard ]

[ 2:0 ]

"Hey Baro, you should have passed back immediately!" Reo snapped.

When Ryōsuke came to double-team, a pass back would have left Reo wide open.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Why should I pass to guys like you? Servants should just do their assigned tasks!"

"You arrogant bastard, have you forgotten how you lost to us before?"

As Reo and Shoei erupted into a fierce argument, Ikki remained silent, his mind racing.

'Kira left Mikage open to double-team Baro... He knew Baro would never pass. Though his offensive ability is impressive, it's impossible to beat this level of defense one-on-one... Kira is toying with us like puppets. We need a new strategy — we can't rely on Baro as our primary offensive option anymore.'

Soon, he pulled Reo aside to share his thoughts — they both needed to contribute on offense, or the opponent would only need to focus on Shoei.

"I understand." Reo nodded, turning toward Ryōsuke's half of the field.

Frustration filled his heart. He had wanted to prove his worth to Seishirō, but Ryōsuke had completely shut him down.

This wouldn't do — he had to beat that guy at least once! In his mind, a bold idea began to form!

The Red Team attacked again, with Reo driving the ball forward.

"Hey, pass the ball!" Shoei called out, struggling to maintain his position against Rensuke while raising his hand.

But this time, Reo ignored him, focusing his gaze directly on Ryōsuke.

It was because of him that Seishirō had abandoned Reo to team up with the other side.

Born into a wealthy family worth billions, Reo was accustomed to getting whatever he wanted. This had bred in him a belief that anything he desired would become his, along with a fierce sense of possessiveness.

Ryōsuke had taken both his victory and Seishirō — whom he viewed as a treasure — driving him into an obsessive state.

He had to prove to him that he was more valuable than Ryōsuke. For this, he would attempt a technique he had never tried before.

"Today, I will definitely defeat you!" Reo shouted, charging forward with the ball, clearly challenging Ryōsuke to a one-on-one.

His mind replayed his opponent's high-difficulty moves from their previous match, his body unconsciously mirroring the movements.

Unable to defeat him with his original abilities, he would become a copy instead.

He tensed his leg muscles and rushed toward his opponent at full speed. Just as Ryōsuke was about to move, Reo suddenly stopped, then pivoted with the ball for a second burst of acceleration!

❖ The Chameleon! ❖

"This is my new technique!" He shouted excitedly, believing he had gotten past Ryōsuke.

In that moment, he had perfectly copied his opponent's move!

In the original story, Reo hadn't mastered this technique until before the Third Round of Selections. Now, driven by intense pressure and a sense of crisis from Ryōsuke, he had evolved ahead of schedule.

To defeat the enemy, one must become the enemy!

"Isn't that Kira's move?!" Rensuke gasped.

He hadn't expected Reo to replicate Ryōsuke's movements so perfectly. Though the combination wasn't particularly difficult, the timing was crucial — and Reo had even matched the excellent rhythm.

This guy truly was in the realm of genius.

Reo could feel everyone's eyes on him. A smile spread across his face, "I finally got past him!"

At this moment, only the simulated goalkeeper BLUELOCK MAN stood between him and victory.

"Watch me, Nagi!" In this instant, Reo felt Seishirō's gaze upon him...

No... He realized Seishirō wasn't looking at him, but behind him.

The hair on the back of Reo's neck stood up as he sensed a terrifying presence lurking behind.

"Not bad, but sorry, it won't work." Ryōsuke's calm voice came from behind as an intimidating shadow appeared at his side.

"How is this possible?!" Reo's pupils dilated, his voice trembling. He thought he'd gotten past him using the same technique.

What he didn't realize was that no matter how perfect the imitation, it would always remain just that — an imitation. Even though mastering the copying ability ahead of schedule was unexpected, Ryōsuke could still read his intended moves from his movements.

He had deliberately let Reo believe he'd succeeded in getting past him, then used his extraordinary speed and physical abilities to steal the ball when his opponent's guard was down.

"This can't be..." Ikki stood dumbfounded, "Even with Mikage performing at this level, he still can't get past Kira?!"

He knew Reo had performed excellently and created space for himself — but it meant nothing, as he remained within Ryōsuke's defensive range. Ryōsuke had exploded from behind to catch up and steal the ball before Reo could advance more than a few steps.

This guy... had he become even more terrifying than during the First Round of Selections?

In that moment of shock, Ryōsuke had already driven the ball into the Red Team's defensive zone!

Goal!

Score!

[ Scoreboard ]

[ 3:0 ]

❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖

Ten minutes later, the game ended.

The three members of the Red Team sat exhausted on the grass. They had failed to achieve anything on offense, while on defense they couldn't stop Ryōsuke, who scored at will, quickly ending the game 5-0.

What should have been their revenge match had only made the gap in ability painfully clear, leaving them near despair.

After the game, it was time for the selection of one losing team member as a teammate — the losers were like trophies for the victors.

"Maybe we should pick Baro — his height could be useful on offense." Rensuke suggested.

"I think Mikage would be better — he's more well-rounded." Seishirō said calmly.

Both turned their gaze to Ryōsuke, leaving the final decision to him.

"Kira, what do you think?"

"I already have a suitable choice in mind." Ryōsuke walked straight to one of the red team members, "Come join our team — Ikki Niko."

"What?" Ikki's eyes widened in surprise; he hadn't expected to be chosen.

With offensive skills and physical abilities far inferior to Shoei's, and versatility and practicality below Reo's, he had been certain he wouldn't be picked.

"Let's go, time to head to the next room."

❖❖❖

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