Chapter 123 ⤁ Tsubasa, Just Who Are You Really?!

"That's right, if we isolate Ryōsuke from the tactical system, he won't be able to perform at all! Only Michael is the absolute leader of this team. Ryōsuke and the others from Blue Lock have no right to that position!

This way, their value in Noel's eyes should decrease! If Michael performs better in this match, Noel will definitely favor him more!"

Alexis had a smile on his face as he prepared to use these tactics to exclude Ryōsuke.

"Strange?" On the sideline during the first half, Yoichi watched Alexis and the others' passing combinations with a serious expression, noticing something was wrong.

Even though Ryōsuke and he were in better positions, the team's forward line wasn't including them at all in their passing combinations.

Yoichi quickly realized these players were deliberately excluding them from the attack, intentionally not passing to Blue Lock members.

"Those guys... are they deliberately not passing?" On the substitute bench, Ashito also noticed the issue and spoke up excitedly.

But beside him, Noel remained silent, just watching the field with a serious expression.

At this moment, Alexis received another pass and advanced through the center — Sae appeared in a defensive position, blocking his path.

"Sae Itoshi, you're one of the New Generation World XI like Michael. This is your first time facing off in this situation, right? You must have come here for this reason! You joined Blue Lock to face our Michael, but in this match, our Michael will definitely have the last laugh!" Alexis said with a smirk as he faced his opponent.

"You speak as if a mediocre person like you is also one of the Eleven. Have you made Michael your master? It's disgusting, like overcooked, moldy ingredients."

Facing these words, Sae spoke expressionlessly, his gaze full of coldness, as if the other person was merely an insignificant existence.

"And obviously, you've missed the most important point — you don't know who the protagonist is. Whether it's you or Michael, in my eyes you're just supporting characters. It's because of your ignorance and stubbornness that over half of the starting positions have been taken by Blue Lock members."

"You're getting out of line." Alexis maintained a fake smile on his face, but the veins on his forehead were already showing, clearly angered by the other's words.

But Sae still showed no change in expression, "Looking at the formation, Ryōsuke is the center forward this time. Your master even lost his position and was forced to the wing? How ridiculous. It seems you won't admit defeat even when you lose. Typical ant-like behavior."

He also possessed the Metavision ability. As soon as Alexis started advancing, he noticed that instead of immediately passing to Ryōsuke who was in a better position, he preferred to make meaningless passes.

Whether intentional or not, in his eyes, this guy was beneath contempt.

"You're getting... a bit noisy." Alexis became irritated and accelerated to try to get past his opponent.

Although he was an excellent player, he wasn't one of the New Generation World XI — there was still a clear gap between him and Sae.

He attempted his familiar ankle-feint dribble, but it had no effect on Sae, who maintained perfect defensive positioning.

"Tough..." Unable to break through, Alexis immediately turned his head, searching for Michael's position.

"As expected, you can't move freely without your master? Just like a parasite." Sae said coldly, shifting slightly to block the passing lane.

With his own Metavision, he could clearly see Michael's running movements, but Alexis had no space to make the pass.

Ryōsuke remained in an excellent position on the other side, but Alexis wouldn't even consider passing to him.

"Absolutely can't pass to those guys!"

With no other choice, Alexis passed to Benedict on the far side.

"Just as expected!"

In that instant, an agile figure darted out and intercepted the pass!

Meguru Bachira!

"I've been watching you — you only pass to the same few players!" Meguru called out.

Though Alexis's passing and control were impressive, his limited choice of targets made him predictable. Meguru had seized the perfect moment to intercept!

FC Barcha launches their counterattack!

"Don't think you can get through, Bachi-kun." Kenyū moved to block his path, attempting to halt his advance.

But it was useless!

"Yuki, I've evolved now!" A smile spread across Meguru's face as his gaze sharpened.

❖ Flow! ❖

He burst forward with unprecedented speed, far surpassing his pace from Blue Lock's First Stage.

"Bachira is this fast?" Kenyū's eyes widened as his body instinctively shifted backward.

That single moment of hesitation created an opening!

With a swift pendulum feint, Meguru slipped past him effortlessly.

"Bachira has transformed." Yoichi observed.

Gone were the days of flashy, excessive dribbling — his movements now carried purpose and precision!

Every motion flowed seamlessly into the next, stripped of unnecessary flourishes.

This transformation came through dedicated training. Though naturally gifted at dribbling, Meguru had questioned why his technique couldn't match Ryōsuke's efficiency. The answer was simple — too many wasted movements.

While Ryōsuke's style remained spectacular, each movement served a purpose. His flashy techniques deliberately misled opponents' center of gravity, perfectly synchronized with his rhythmic changes.

Taking Ryōsuke's approach as inspiration, Meguru refined his technique — streamlining his movements, mastering rhythm control, and expanding his repertoire!

Now, he was incomparably stronger than just a month ago!

"Quick, stop him!"

Bastard München's defensive line surged forward, desperate to contain Meguru before the penalty area.

"Sorry, but my job here is done!" With a playful grin, he deftly chipped the ball sideways!

Eita Otoya materialized from nowhere!

Like Meguru, he had joined FC Barcha and swiftly claimed his place in the starting lineup.

"Reporting in." Eita slipped into Bastard München's territory using his presence-concealing running style.

Meguru's breakthrough had drawn the defenders' attention, allowing them to create the perfect attacking opportunity.

"When did he get there?!"

The Bastard München defenders had never encountered a player like Eita before. While their focus was entirely on Meguru, they'd completely overlooked his presence.

"Got it."

Eita whispered, stepping forward and aiming for the corner of the goal!

The ball curved through the air, heading straight for the goal's edge.

But goalkeeper Genzō read the trajectory perfectly, diving to intercept what should have been a certain goal!

"No way!" Eita's face showed utter surprise — he hadn't expected the goalkeeper to save that shot.

"Second attack!"

The deflected ball landed at Meguru's feet. Seeing Genzō out of position from saving Eita's shot, he immediately fired off another shot!

But Genzō wasn't just any goalkeeper.

"I won't let you score even a single goal!"

He explosively pushed off, changing direction mid-air and stretching to his limit to not only save the shot but secure the ball in his arms.

[As expected of Genzō Wakabayashi, once hailed as the number one goalkeeper! He's protected Bastard München's goal twice!]

The sports commentator's excited voice rang out — Genzō's double save was nothing short of miraculous.

"Counter-attack!"

Genzō set the ball down and launched a long pass toward his target: Ryōsuke in the forward position!

He knew full well that this guy was the team's strongest weapon.

But just as the ball was about to reach its target, another figure leaped up and intercepted it.

"What?" Genzō watched in surprise as Alexis snatched his pass to Ryōsuke out of the air.

"Nice pass!" Alexis controlled the ball with his chest, then immediately changed direction. Instead of passing to Ryōsuke, who had created an opening, he sent the ball to Michael on the far side of the field.

"Alexis, you bastard!" Yoichi berated him furiously from the sideline.

But Alexis maintained a carefree smile, "Well, it wasn't specified who the pass was for, so I took it! Besides, Michael's position is better right now!"

On the other side, Michael silently received the pass.

"Well done, Alexis." Michael controlled the ball with ease and prepared to strike.

He knew this was his chance.

He shared Alexis's strategy — exclude Ryōsuke from the attack and lead the team to victory himself!

Surely then even Noel would have to acknowledge his superiority over that worthless novice! He could reclaim his position as ace!

❖ Metavision! ❖

Through Michael's eyes, he saw every movement on the field. Better yet, Sae — the only FC Barcha player worth noting — wasn't even in front of him!

This shot would be unstoppable!

❖ Kaiser Impact! ❖

Michael took aim, his right leg surging with tremendous power as he prepared to shoot!

But just before he could, another player burst toward him, charging straight for the ball.

"What?!"

Caught off guard, Michael had to tilt his body to avoid the challenger. His shooting motion disrupted, he was forced to abandon the shot and regain control of the ball.

The newcomer was Tsubasa Ōzora!

"I won't let you shoot so easily!" Tsubasa's confident smile matched his focused gaze.

"You..." Michael lowered his head, studying this new opponent.

That single move was enough — this player was different.

'I didn't see him in the earlier videos. Did he just join Blue Lock?' Questions raced through Michael's mind, but soon a predatory smile spread across his face. 'Another clown has arrived. I'll make you part of my performance!'

To him, no matter who stood in his way, they were merely stepping stones to be crushed on his path forward.

With renewed determination, he charged at his opponent with explosive speed.

He entered a state of Flow, his heightened concentration making his movements lightning-quick.

But before Michael could sprint more than a few steps, Tsubasa materialized at his side!

Like a lion, Tsubasa stood firm in his defensive stance — there was no way through.

Unlike his earlier encounter with Ryōsuke where he lost possession, this time Michael simply couldn't find any openings in Tsubasa's flawless defense.

Every possible path was sealed off.

"Michael, you can't break through?" Alexis's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Who is this guy?" Michael's face twisted with confusion — even in defense, his opponent radiated extraordinary ability.

This Tsubasa was far stronger than he had imagined.

Rather than stubbornly pressing forward, Michael made the tactical choice to reorganize. Despite having an attacking opportunity, he was forced to pass the ball back to Alexis.

❖❖❖

T/N: Hey! Liked what you read? Support your friendly neighborhood translator on Patreon! Think of it as buying me a coffee... or ten!

For just $1.50 (that's less than your daily meme budget), get extra chapters! Want more? $2 gets you bonus content, $5 unlocks premium stories, and $10 makes you my hero (and gets you everything I have, including earlier acess to new books)!

That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)

https://www.patreon.com/collection/1305258