In the locker room, Niko sat motionless on the bench, a damp towel draped over his head like a veil, shielding him from the reality that was sinking in far too deeply. His breath came in shallow pants, the weight of the first half pressing down on him far heavier than his exhaustion. The locker room was dead silent, save for the occasional shuffle of his teammates moving around, but Niko barely registered them.
'Shit.'
That single word echoed in his mind, looping endlessly, gnawing at him like a parasite.
'At this rate, I won't even score…'
He clenched his jaw. The idea of losing was painful, but it was inevitable. He knew that the moment the match started. Team Z, more specifically Isagi Yoichi, was simply better. But to not even score once? To be completely shut out, erased from the game like he was nothing?
That was a humiliation he couldn't stomach.
His fingers curled into his shorts, knuckles turning white.
'Why? Why is it like this? My whole game revolves around reading the field, controlling space, and predicting plays before they happen. I'm not the fastest, strongest, or the most technically skilled, but my vision and planning has always been the best. And yet, I couldn't see Isagi coming even once. He completely outclasses me in every way!'
His teeth grit in anger, clenching so tightly that light creaking sounds came out of it. His anger was palpable, a flicker of fire lighting inside his chest, like a candle in a dark room.
'I couldn't predict him when he took that insane free kick. Not when he slipped through the defense like a ghost. He tore apart every freaking plan I tried to make like he's clairvoyant, so how the hell do I stop a player like him?! Why can't I read him?! Why is he always ahead of me?!'
A sharp pang twisted in his chest, frustration bleeding into something darker.
'Is this seriously the gap between us? Is this really the level that Ego expects us to play at? How the hell can I even compete with that?! He's not human!'
His stomach churned at the thought. He had always believed he was a step above the others. That he was special. But now, sitting here, crushed under the weight of his own uselessness, of the reality of his situation, that belief felt like a joke.
His grip tightened. The little flame gained its fuel and burned brighter.
'No… I refuse to let that happen! I've been playing like a loser, all I've been thinking about is survival and doing damage control. Isagi had never been thinking like that. He doesn't give a shit about his teammates and always uses them to amplify his own performance. The way he looked at team X during their game, the way he looks at us right now… Fuck, the only thing on that maniac's mind is to kill us!'
A slow exhale left his lips, his eyes finally lifting from the ground. His bangs clung to his forehead, but his vision felt clearer than ever.
'If I want to beat him… I have to evolve. I can't be playing with my timid mentality anymore, I need to destroy the me who thought team play was the key to winning. I've been thinking that control meant having everyone coordinate with me, but now I know. Having control of the field means to bend everything to my will, just like Isagi is doing. He's proving to everyone right now that being the most dominant striker, being the one to control every single moment on the field is the best way to win. I need to be fearless like him, I can't second guess myself. I'll play without being afraid to lose it all. All I need…'
A light glow appeared beneath Niko's eyes. The flames were lit in a glorious blaze.
'Is to beat Isagi and score…'
"Oi, Niko, do you have a plan for us?"
Okawa walked up to the bushy haired teen, frustration written all over him. "We're down by five points, we can't keep going like this. Your plans nearly worked if it weren't for that number eleven bastard. You're our only hope right now."
Niko kept his head lowered, making sure his expression was unreadable. His thoughts were a storm, full of selfish calculations and ways to help him evolve. He had no intention of saving them. Not Team Y. Not Okawa. Just himself.
A plan was already forming in his mind, but this time, it wasn't for the sake of the team. This was for him.
"…Yeah," he muttered finally, voice leveled and calm. "I've got a plan."
His teammates immediately perked up, the hopeless atmosphere shifting. Good. That's exactly what he wanted.
"But," Niko continued, lifting his head slightly, his eyes still shadowed under his bangs, "this only works if everyone does exactly as I say."
Okawa crossed his arms, frowning. "We don't have a choice, do we?"
"No." Niko's lips curled ever so slightly. Perfect.
He let out a slow breath, making a show of wiping sweat from his forehead, as if he were just another exhausted teammate instead of the mastermind pulling their strings.
"Listen up. Team Z has been running circles around us because they're dictating the game. We've been reacting to them instead of making them react to us. So we're gonna flip the script. I want you guys to overload their defensive line. Pressure them constantly, make them scramble to cover their goal. If we flood their box with enough bodies, their structure will start to break."
Okawa narrowed his eyes. "That sounds good and all, but who's actually taking the shots? We can't afford to waste any chances."
That was the exact question Niko wanted to hear.
He feigned a thoughtful pause, pretending to mull over a choice. Then, with just the right amount of reluctance, he said:
"…I'll take care of it."
A flicker of uncertainty passed over his teammates' faces. It was apparent that none of them figured Niko would put himself as the finished rather than the playmaker. It threw them all for a loop, especially Okawa, who had been relying on Niko for the entire duration of this match.
"You?" one of them questioned. "But you're usually the one setting up plays."
Niko forced a wry chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, but let's be real. I'm the only one who can read the field well enough to find the gaps in their defense. If I have even a split second of space, I'll make it count."
'That's a lie. Well, half a lie. I'm not going to take advantage of just a split second. If I see the chance, I'll force an opening for myself to shoot. Just like Isagi, I'll use them to draw defenders away, keep team Z occupied, and then strike when they least expect it.'
This plan was entirely selfish and would destroy his teammates futures, but he didn't care. This half was going to be all about him.
Okawa exhaled through his nose, considering. Finally, after mulling the pros and cons in his head, he gave a nod of agreement. "Fine. We'll back you up."
'Hook, line, and sinker.'
Niko smiled.
"Good." He stretched out his legs, standing up at a leisurely pace. The second-half whistle would blow soon. "Then let's get out there and play our hearts out."
His heart pounded. Not with fear, but with excitement. He would get to test his new theory first hand against the toughest player he had ever met, and he couldn't stop shaking in anticipation at the thought of it.
'Isagi, you really are incredible. I'll have to thank you after this game, for giving me this fire I feel in my chest. Now it's my turn to show you a new summit. You've been running this game like a chess master without an opponent, but now… you'll be going up against this new me.
Now it's my turn to manipulate the scene.'
The whistle shrieked through the air.
Niko strode out of the locker room, his teammates falling in behind him in a linear step. For the first time since coming to Blue Lock, Niko felt the comings of a smile on his face.
"Let's do this, team Y."
'Become the pawns that guide me to victory.'
—
'Something is different about him.' Isagi, the moment he stepped foot back on the pitch, instantly noticed the shift in demeanor Niko seemed to possess. 'He's more relaxed now, like he's got something cooking up in that mind of his. Did the pressure awaken something inside him? Interesting.'
"Seems like they're all raring to restart the game, aren't they? Raichi grinned widely at the incoming opponents, who were walking to the field with their heads held high. Most of them still seemed to be unconfident, but their main and strongest players held their hopes high, Niko and Okawa most of all. "I don't know what they did during half time, but I can't wait to crush them."
"You and I both. Niko looks like he's got something cooking in that brain of his, so be careful." Kuon replied, walking over to them. He put his hand on his hip while squinting further than he already was, looking at the mastermind of team Y. "I know Isagi has him locked down, but we can't overlook him possibly one upping us."
'You couldn't be more right, Kuon. I recognize that type of aura anywhere. He's definitely had an awakening like I did.' A grin stretched madly on his face. The maelstrom in his eyes returned, storming with renewed eagerness and ego. 'That's great! Maybe I can finally have a challenge here!'
Feeling a gaze on him, Niko swiveled his head to find the source. He caught Isagi's grin looking in his direction, and returned it with a smirk of his own. With his keen mind, Niko managed to discern the reason for Isagi's grin.
Getting situated on the field, everyone waited as the kick off whistle blew. Now in a new formation– an attacking 4-4-2 – Niko and Okawa stood at the head of the field, waiting for team Z to commence the kick off.
Kicking the ball to Bachira, Isagi started the game. He received the ball back the next second, blitzing past Niko in a heartbeat.
'Damn, he's still too fast for me to react to!' Niko growled. He twisted on his heel and gave immediate chase, but Isagi had already accelerated into the pocket of space behind him, gliding between the seams of the midfield like water through cracks.
Niko didn't bother following the ball anymore, he knew where Isagi was going to end up.
'If I chase Isagi down, he'll just juke me like he's been doing this entire game. I'll cut off his destination and steal the ball there, right when he'd think he was through everyone!'
He altered his path, sprinting toward the box, eyes scanning for Saki and Kirino.
"Cover Isagi! Slow him down, now!"
Kirino stepped in first, lunging forward for a tackle. Isagi veered with a sudden outward touch, dragging the ball away from danger like it was magnetized to him. Kirino went back to take another lunge at the ball, but was chipped by the oracle of team Z.
Saki came in next, taking a defensive stance in a bid to stall. Recognizing this, Isagi faked a pass and stutter-stepped, baiting a reaction from his opponent.
Saki hesitated, flinching to the direction of Isagi's fake pass, leaving his legs open for just a split second.
He realized too late his mistake.
Isagi slid the ball between Saki's legs with a soft megging touch, slipped around him and kept his momentum rolling. The defenders were being discarded like afterthoughts.
'He's blowing through them a lot faster than I thought! I didn't think he'd be getting there so quickly!'
Niko's heart pounded like a war drum as he finally neared the penalty arc. His cleats dug into the turf with each punishing step.
From the flank, Chigiri came flying in on the overlap, screaming down the left wing like a red streak, drawing defenders outward. Bachira crept into the right interior pocket, pulling one more defender away. Isagi's path widened like a red carpet.
A trap. A funnel. A narrowing lane of destruction.
And at the center of it all stood Niko, the ace of team Y.
'This is my chance. Stop him here, and I take back control. Stop him, and I become the one the field revolves around. Watch, don't commit, I can't commit until I am certain he makes a mistake. Scan him for weaknesses, don't stop thinking. Calculate every possible option he has. Everyone's to the right of me, with that orange gorilla behind him, but he's too egotistical to pass it to them. I know he's going to shoot, but what lane is he going to use to get open?'
Isagi slowed for a split-second, eyes locking with Niko. He took a big step, dribbling the ball with a touch too big, preparing himself for the shot.
Niko lunged, but Isagi didn't shoot. He faked it instead, placing it further to the outside of the box and then went back into form.
Niko's body shifted with instinct, legs bracing for the block that was to come.
'He's gone—?!'
Isagi vanished from Niko's sight, slipping behind his reach with a blinding inside cut, executing a perfect Vanishing Drive.
Now, he was inside the box, face to face with the goal keeper, no one else around to stop him. It would be a futile effort to try and chase him. Niko knew he wouldn't make it in time, so he analyzed Isagi's next move.
'Damn, looks like he's getting another goal.'
Team Y 0 - 6 Team Z.
Niko's eyes narrowed to its most extreme, watching Isagi's shot and replaying it in his head. 'That shot of his… what the hell? I can't make heads or tails out of it. I saw him shoot to the left side of the goal, I was sure it was going there, but it went to the bottom right instead? More than that, there was a time delay too. Even watching those clips of him from the footage room didn't help, but I'm glad I'm getting something from here. I'll need to gather more data on it with the remaining time of the game, but for now let's concentrate on scoring the goal.'
As the ball was carried back to the center circle, Niko jogged up beside Okawa, his expression calm. The chaos of Isagi's goal had passed, but in his mind, the true game was only just beginning. The game where his evolution would blossom was on its way.
Okawa threw him a sideways glance, still breathing heavily. "Tch… they scored again. We've gotta hit back fast or we're fucked even worse than those team X bastards."
Niko didn't respond immediately. His eyes scanned the field, observing Team Z's shape as they jogged back to reset. Kunigami and Chigiri were on the wings. Isagi hovered close to the halfway line, still bouncing on his toes, while Bachira was stretching. He instantly deduced those four as the strongest players on team Z, and mentally assigned players from his own team to cover them based on their strengths and weaknesses.
After a beat, Niko spoke low, voice low and measured. "We're going to use their aggression against them."
Okawa furrowed his brows. "What are you thinking?"
"They're pushing up too fast after kickoff. Their whole backline collapses forward when Isagi leads the press. It leaves space behind, especially on the flanks. We're going to exploit that."
"So we stretch them out and hit the gap?"
"Exactly," Niko replied, nodding his head in confirmation. "Right after we pass back, peel off to the right wing. I'll curve my run into the center. Their left back's been lagging a few seconds behind since the end of the first half, and it doesn't seem like the break did anything to help him. If we time it right, you'll have a lane to send it through."
"Alright. You want it over the top or low and quick?" Okawa nodded, cracking his neck, already visualizing the play.
"Low. I don't need them reacting early. Just put it in front of me, and I'll handle the rest."
Setting the ball back down, they started their own attack as soon as the whistle blew. Team Y was determined to pay back team Z, most of them were willing to do anything to get their first goal. They had insurmountable faith in Niko's plans, so they followed it to a T.
Later, they'd realize how terrible this decision would be.
The whistle to restart the match rang out like a gunshot, echoing in the still air. Players exploded into motion, boots pounding against the turf like war drums. Grass shifted beneath cleats, bodies collided with friction, and the structure of the game twisted in an instant.
Team Y had finally shed their timid skin. No more low blocks. No more conservative play. Now in a bold 4-4-2, they charged forward with calculated aggression—like a pack of wolves breaking free of the leash.
Niko and Okawa stood shoulder to shoulder at the center line, eyes sharp, breath steady. The ball rolled between them as Okawa tapped it forward into Niko's stride and instantly peeled off in a slashing diagonal run to the right wing.
"Back to me!" Niko barked. He got the ball back just as Kunigami slid in front of Okawa, no doubt an attempt to claim possession.
He received the ball and immediately sent it into Ranmaru at the base of midfield, disguising the pass with a feinted turn to draw Isagi's focus left. Then he turned sharply and sprinted wide into the open left channel, dragging his marker with him.
How poetic.
'Let them think I'm setting up a cross… let Isagi follow me out of position,' Niko thought, darting toward the flank. 'The real attack is coming on the opposite end. Let's see how fast your mind really is, Isagi.'
Meanwhile, in midfield, Ranmaru quickly transferred the ball to Yamato on the right interior. Raichi rushed in like a freight train to press, but Yamato didn't blink.
A tight drag-back with the inside of his foot pulled Raichi too far forward.
Then, with a quick double-touch — inside, outside — Yamato turned past him and pushed the ball laterally into space, threading it between Bachira and Naruhaya and directly into Okawa's sprinting path.
Okawa charged down the channel like a battering ram. He took a wide first touch to burn Kuon's momentum and immediately leaned into a cutback, his body moving faster than expected for someone with his stocky frame.
Chigiri and Kuon swiveled toward him, collapsing in unison, but Okawa wasn't trying to dribble through them.
"Middle! Center!" he shouted, his voice punching through the chaos.
From the far left, Niko was still curling inward like a shark on the fringe, unnoticed. He'd drifted into the blind spot behind Chigiri, unmarked and poised for the shot. His breathing slowed. Every other sound fell away.
The rhythm of the game was beginning to shift.
Yamato, now arriving at the top of the box, received the recycled ball from Okawa and played it square to Ranmaru, who was rushing up behind him. The pass came fast, low, tight, zipping across the slick turf, but it was manageable to control.
Ranmaru stepped in and reached for a one-touch setup—
But he overhit it.
A small mistake. Barely a foot. But enough.
The ball skipped forward faster than expected, tumbling into the no-man's land between attackers and defenders.
"Shit—!" Ranmaru gasped, lunging after it. Igarashi, the least likely hero, came in like a lightning bolt from the blindside. He hadn't chased the ball. No, in a brilliant display of intelligence, he read the play several steps in advance. He'd stalked the buildup from a deeper position and timed his intervention with perfect precision.
He was aware of his primary statistics being incomparable to his fellow teammates, least of all his accomplishments, but he still had his wits with him. He developed his techniques all based on his specs, all techniques giving rise to skills that served only one purpose.
Conversion.
Studs low, body low, foot angled cleanly, his boot smacked the ball with raw force, driving it up and away from the box with a defiant clearance. The pass was gone. Team Y's lane collapsed.
A small cloud of shredded grass erupted from the impact as Igarashi rolled through the slide and popped to his feet.
"I'LL MAKE YOU ALL HAIL THE THREE TREASURES!!" he howled, fists clenched, sweat flying off his hair.
Niko skidded to a stop just at the edge of the penalty arc, his breath catching in his chest. His angle had been perfect. His run, his spacing, even his timing, it was all right. He was ready. It should've been his moment.
But it was snatched away.
His eyes tracked the path of the clearance, watching it soar past midfield before bouncing toward Team Z's left wing, where Isagi was already beginning his movement to collect it.
"Tch…" Niko narrowed his gaze, jaw tight. 'That damn baldy! He was a non-factor in the first half, so why the hell did he have to act up now? I didn't even put him in the equation. That's a mistake on my part, I wrote him off too early.'
Turning, he sprinted back to chase the ball, or at least an open position for his teammates to pass to if they retrieve it. 'There's no time to dwell on it now, just focus on regaining possession. Re-calculate the variables on the field, Niko. I won't make the same mistake again.'
"Give it here!" As soon as he saw Rikita claim the ball, Niko shouted for it. His gaze flickered across the field, trapping the ball with precision. 'Options, find more options. I can't allow Isagi to get the ball from me, that's priority number one. Okawa's marked by Kunigami again, Raichi is centered behind Kira marking the zone, and Kirino is-'
"Don't stay in your head too long, overthinking bangs."
'SHIT!'
With a quick drag back, Niko narrowly escaped the lunge of Isagi Yoichi, nearly losing control over the ball as he did so. The team Z ace stood across from him, smirking cockily. Niko's eyes shivered with panic.
'Shit, how the hell did he get here so quickly?! I knew he was man marking me, but last I saw him he was further away. Don't tell me he read it quicker than I did!'
As quickly as the panic came, however, resolve overrode it. 'But this is perfect. He's the perfect challenge to improve myself. If I can beat an opponent like him, then I'll be that much better than I am already.'
"I'm going to beat you this time, Isagi." Niko declared to the man ahead of him, earning him a fanged grin in return.
"I'd like to see you try."
With his part said, Isagi exploded into action.
The moment Niko processed the response, the pressure was already there, suffocating and unrelenting. Isagi surged forward like a machine hardwired for interception, boots tearing at the turf with obsessive precision.
Draggin the ball behind him, he held his body between it and his opponent. His teeth grit when he felt the force of Isagi colliding with him, but he held strong.
'I can't beat him with the ball at my feet, not directly. I'll use the surrounding players to help me move the ball further up the pitch.'
He angled his body away, shielding the ball just long enough to play it back to Rikita behind him.
"Back to you, Rikita!"
"I got it!"
Niko bolted forward into space, dragging Isagi with him. He sprinted up before cutting across diagonally to the left flank, his eyes flicking like a scanner. He didn't need the ball yet, utilizing his movement to force open the gap he needed.
Rikita spotted the run and snapped a grounded pass forward. It skidded sharply across the turf, moving just fast enough to force a decision.
Niko didn't stop it. That would slow him and allow Isagi an opportunity to steal the ball.
Instead, he let the ball slip between his legs, his hips twisting mid-stride to turn with it. The motion was clean, seamless, a disguised pivot that allowed the ball to continue in front of him as he shifted onto its line like a train jumping rails.
'I managed to buy myself a margin of gap, but he's still chasing. Looks like he knew what I was thinking. No matter.'
Niko's next touch was light, an angled tap to the left flank, drawing out the defensive midfielder, Raichi. The defender stepped up, wary, but Niko didn't bite. He used Raichi's movement as a decoy, quickly tapping the ball inside again, switching tempo.
'Force a reaction. Pull the press, then bypass it.'
To his left, Yamato was approaching.
"Give it here, Niko!"
Niko sent the ball skimming across to him and immediately spun around his defender, running into the gap created by Raichi stepping out, Isagi swiftly following. The ball came back — Yamato played a quick one-touch return, bouncing it perfectly into Niko's path.
One bounce.
Two.
Niko let it drop, turning his head to face the next adversary. Now, it was Kuon that was closing in.
He didn't take on the challenge.
Instead, a perfectly timed lofted chip curled toward Okawa near the top of the box. Okawa absorbed it with his chest, pivoted, and attempted a half-turn to strike, but Igarashi was already on him.
Okawa dropped it back again, and Ranmaru stormed in to meet it. Niko was still running, sprinting wide and then cutting in, circling like a predator. His eyes tracked every pass, every overstep, every moment and change on the field that the players made.
'Isagi's still on me, and they're too slow. Team Z's defense is tightening again, I need to—'
The ball bounced awkwardly.
Ranmaru adjusted and tapped it laterally again toward Yamato.
Niko cut in deeper now, slicing into the left edge of the box.
Yamato tried to feed him, threading a low pass through Iemon and Kuon. The ball spun with a harsh wobble, clipping Iemon's shin and deflecting off-course. Not enough to kill it, but enough to distort its path.
Niko adjusted mid-stride, swirving his body to the right and clearing it back to another open teammate. Isagi's foot appeared in that exact moment, colliding with it and sending it high into the sky.
Fortunately, it landed next to Kirino, but Niko didn't put any stock in it.
'Damn, we got lucky on that one. If I was just a second slower, it would have been a steal. The play's dead, let's reset it.'
The possession was still theirs, but it was a close call. Already, he could see Kirino being forced to pass back in order to avoid the pincer attack of Chigiri and Bachira.
Niko exhaled, his lungs burning, his heart pounding. Every step he took felt mechanical, every decision micro-calibrated. He sprinted back and called for the next play, all the while new calculations ran through his head.
'We didn't break through, but we're getting there. Team Z's defense is definitely good, but we can reach them. They're too quick to jump for the ball, which leaves spaces for us to exploit.'
He looked up as the ball rotated back into midfield, his gaze sweeping over the pitch.
The ball rotated back toward midfield, where Yamato once again anchored the reset, taking a breath as Team Y reshaped itself. Niko circled out of the box, not slowing down. His steps were light, purposeful, maintaining momentum without draining himself.
'I can't push myself too hard right now, otherwise I'll lose my stamina too quickly. At the same time, too much mulling around will let them recover as well. Still, it's to our advantage right now, so it doesn't matter too much. Igarashi's still too slow to initiate a counter… good. We still have time to press again.'
Yamato fired it wide to Rikita. Niko instantly shifted toward the right half-space, forcing Isagi to stay with him. His movement wasn't just about getting open, it was about pulling threads from Team Z's shape. He needed to manipulate them in order to create those chances he needed.
'I'll draw attention to myself by making the defenders gravitate towards me and let the others bring the ball up the field for me. That'll make the others more wary of them rather than me, since they'll be doing the work, and give me an opening to shoot. Now, if only they'd not lose the ball in the process.'
Rikita took a heavy touch forward. Raichi bit down.
'Too much. Dammit, don't lose it!'
But Yamato bailed him out again, sweeping in to collect the deflection. He redirected it to Okawa, who had floated just outside the arc.
Okawa turned, ball at his feet, eyes scanning.
"We're ready!"
Niko surged forward.
'There, that opening! Left channel. One step behind Kuon, Chigiri still hasn't recovered from the last rotation. Play me through—'
Okawa trapped the ball. He turned. He looked… but didn't pass.
'WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING??!!'
He hesitated, a single beat too long, and the lane closed.
By the time Okawa had situated the shot, Chigiri had adjusted. The ball never made it to the goal.
It clipped Chigiri's ankle, ricocheted awkwardly. Not enough to fully clear, but enough to scatter the attack.
Ranmaru darted in to claim the rebound, but he wasn't alone. Kira was already cutting the lane. In a panic, the team Y midfielder dropped it backward, too close to midfield.
Raichi read it and lunged, intercepting the ball mid-bounce. His clearance attempt was sluggish, attempting to distribute the ball to Bachira rather than using the brute force he had relied on to clear it.
By that point, Niko was already repositioning, pivoting on his heel and bolting.
The ball floated weakly toward Bachira, however it was uncontested, leaving Bachira to claim it and dribble to their goal.
'I can't let them take control! If Okawa hadn't been an idiot, we would have scored! I had that sequence all planned out!'
His legs burned as he chased after the ball again, not waiting for teammates to adjust. After seeing Okawa's foolish performance, his faith in his companions fell.
Bachira flicked it up, dancing like always, but Yamato lunged in and managed to deflect it with a lucky sliding poke. The ball skipped free again, this time rolling toward the touchline.
Suragi, their left midfielder, dashed in, trapping it at the sideline before it could go out.
Niko raised his arm.
"Over here, I'm open!"
Suragi looked up and without hesitation, chipped it over the nearby defender. The ball traveled in a tight arc, and Niko met it on the bounce, letting it kiss off his instep before immediately popping it off his other foot toward Kirino.
He didn't stay still. The moment it left his boot, he was on the move again, accelerating into a curl around to get to the right edge of Team Z's box, his eyes wide, hyper-focused, devouring space and distance.
'Again. We go again. Don't stop. I can't stop. I'll bend this game to my will even if it kills me! Anything to beat Isagi! This time, I'll break through. One more pass. One more loop. One more crack in their defense, and I'll split them apart.'
Okawa looked confused, a flash of surprise etched across his face as the pass skipped past him to Kirino instead. But Niko didn't care. He knew the pass wasn't meant for who stood nearest, it was meant for who could help him break through. Okawa hesitated. Kirino didn't. Therefore, Okawa was useless to him.
Kirino killed the ball dead with his foot and fired it forward, a slicing, low-driven pass that split Raichi and Kira down the middle like a scalpel through skin.
'Perfect, right where I want it.'
Niko ghosted past Raichi's blindside, trailing smoke. He didn't look up, he didn't need to.
Yamato was already crashing inward from the right wing, pulling defenders toward him like gravity. That opened space for Okawa, who darted into the seam like a blade drawn from its sheath.
Niko saw it all unfold.
'There's the crack. I can see it as clear as day. Pass me the ball, I can score it from here.'
The ball found Okawa on his right foot, just inside the box.
"Mine!" he barked. With a quick touch for control, he took the shot without hesitation. A bullet of a strike toward the far post, bypassing the recovering Kuon and clearing Iemon's desperate lunge.
By all means, it could have been a goal. It wouldn't be difficult for Gagamaru to catch, but it could still go in. They'd never know.
A blur in blue and white came flying in from the flank.
'Isagi? Since when did he leave his position guarding me?'
At full extension, Isagi twisted mid-air and flung his body into the shot path. The ball smacked his thigh with a loud thump, killing its momentum completely and bouncing loose outside the left corner of the box.
Isagi glared at Okawa with menacing eyes, his ego resonating in its complete entirety. "You're so predictable it's not even funny. Go back to playing delinquent with the rest of your kind."
"You bastard!"
Niko was already moving, even before the rebound fully formed. He broke into the chaos like lightning ripping through fog, pumping his legs harder than he ever had before.
'This is it, here's my opportunity!'
He got there first. The ball was loose, but only for a second. Niko snatched it with his left foot, directing it to his right. He gained perfect control of the ball and situated himself to shoot. He swung his leg back, relishing in the moment before he unleashed his glory. But before he could, Naruhaya came flying in from the side. His cleats skidded on the turf, slashing across Niko's route.
'Too close. I can't set up for a proper shot! But there's no time, I have to shoot!'
He opened his body and swung his foot through the ball, firing high to the corner of the goal, but it wasn't clean. Naruhaya's pressure forced him to lean too far, and the ball didn't curl the way he wanted. The power wasn't quite there. The precision, just a hair off.
Gagamaru pounced like a panther.
With a roar and a full-bodied dive, he stretched across the goalmouth and snatched the shot mid air, his fingers wrapping around it like a steel trap.
Niko stumbled to a stop, chest heaving, sweat dripping down his chin.
'Damn it all! That was my moment, the moment where I'd surpass Isagi! That two bit left back fucker ruined it, he ruined everything!'
"You're not going to win that easily, smartass." It was the same infernal voice. He met Isagi's gaze, who was smirking down at him. "Your designs are nothing in comparison to my own. Stay down like the inferior you are."
With that, he sprinted off, catching up to his teammates who were playing with the ball. Meanwhile, Niko's eyes widened with startled realization.
'Wait, that's why he left his mark on me?! He fucking knew I was going to miss because of his teammate! What the hell?! How the fucking hell can anyone predict that?! No human could possibly be able to foresee something like that!'
His nerves were restless with this discovery. It didn't make sense to him how Isagi was able to orchestrate things the way he had. None of it made sense, it certainly didn't look like he had an active approach to it. Not at all.
Back with Isagi, he had just received a firm pass from Kira in the midfield. His eyes scanned the field. Defenders were already collapsing inward, trying to choke the middle. But the moment the ball touched his foot, he knew exactly what needed to happen.
'They're forming a box around me. It's too tight to dribble through, but that's fine. I've got options.'
He tapped the ball back toward Kira, who immediately one-touched it into open space to the right, where Bachira was already ghosting inward from the flank.
Bachira's feet danced as he received it, drawing in Yamato with a wild feint that left the midfielder off balance. With a quick rabona, he was through, but was instantly met with more opposition. Rather than try to force his way through, Bachira flicked the ball back toward the center with the outside of his foot, right into Isagi's stride.
'Good… pull them toward you, then cut the cord.'
Isagi didn't waste a second. He cushioned the ball with his left foot and slotted a laser-sharp diagonal pass across the pitch to Kunigami, who had peeled off to the right wing. The redhead thundered forward, muscling past Rikita.
"Coming back!" Kunigami barked, slicing a grounded cross back into the center.
Isagi was already there. He leapt over the pass, letting it skim past him like a decoy. Chigiri, accelerating into the box like a blur, swept in from the right to receive it.
Chigiri didn't try to shoot. Instead, he zipped the ball into the box's heart with a tight inside cut, threading it through two defenders converging to trap him.
And waiting at the center of the storm was Isagi.
He caught the final pass in stride, right at the edge of the six-yard box, and unleashed another Mirage Shot.
Team Y 0 - 7 Team Z.
The scoreboard glowed like an executioner's blade, the blow it dealt cut deep. Another wound pried open in the flesh of Team Y, invisible but bleeding all the same. Shoulders sagged. Heads dropped. The rhythm of their breath grew ragged, not just from exhaustion, but from the slow strangulation of morale.
But Niko didn't flinch. While his teammates stood paralyzed in disbelief, he was already moving.
He broke into a sprint toward the goal. His cleats thundered across the pitch, slicing through the stillness. No frustration, no words, just focused commitment. He snatched the ball from the back of the net, cradled it in one arm, and stormed back to the center circle like a man possessed.
'I don't care if we're bleeding out. I don't care if the numbers are stacked against us. I don't give a damn that we're going to lose, either. I saw an opportunity to score against Isagi, even though it wasn't perfect. I saw it, and that means I can exploit it.'
He slammed the ball down at the halfway line, standing tall as the rest of Team Y slowly jogged to regroup. Most of them were panting, weighed down by doubt, legs heavier than before. Okawa approached next, face twisted in a frown, but Niko didn't meet his gaze.
He stared forward, past the white line, past the defenders already spreading back into formation, past the confident glow of Team Z.
Straight into the eyes of Isagi Yoichi.
Their gazes met, and for the first time, Isagi's grin flickered.
Niko's stare wasn't desperate. It wasn't wild. It was cold, clear, and calculated.
'You're brilliant, Isagi. No one can deny it now. You see the field like a predator. You read us like open books. But even a perfect predator has blind spots. You showed me the path to this ego, so I'll be the mirror that distorts your reflection. I'll crack your pattern, Isagi, and show you the error in your algorithm. I'll make sure you're chasing me by the end of this.'
Finally, he looked at Okawa, and for the first time, the blonde mohawked teen saw Niko's eyes. They were filled with condescension and loathing.
"Why the hell didn't you pass to me earlier? I had an open lane to the goal." At Niko's question, Okawa's voice locked off. He stammered on his words, scrambling to find any form of excuse to appease the angry striker.
"I-I-I-"
"You know what, forget it. That's not important right now."
The whistle blew again, the restart signal.
"Don't mess this up again."
Niko didn't wait for a plan to be called. He glanced to Okawa and got a sharp nod. His gaze was a non verbal command, demanding perfect execution. He knew Okawa understood role now after he was neutralized by team Z's defense.
The pass came. Just a touch, and the gears turned again.
Team Y began to move.
Niko dropped the ball backward to Suragi and immediately sprinted diagonally out left, dragging a midfielder with him. At the same time, Yamato rotated inside, creating a temporary overload in the middle. The formation warped. Not broken, but bent, twisted like a flexible wire.
'I won't repeat the last sequence. That play failed. This time, we build through the overload and isolate Isagi where he can't intercept the core passes.'
The ball whipped between Suragi and Ranmaru, then back to Niko. He one touch passed it back and pivoted hard, forcing Isagi to stay with him yet again. The movement was a mirrored pattern from before, and Team Z reacted accordingly.
That's what he wanted.
From the far right, Okawa dipped inside and received a pass from Yamato. He thundered down the channel, defenders rushing to collapse. Niko shifted again, darting back into the half-space behind Kunigami.
The pressure intensified. Team Z's backline reformed, this time tighter, quicker.
'Gather all the data I can get. Test the pressure and respond accordingly. Every motive and movement has to be an incision on their formation. I'm not just playing to score right now, I'm learning on the go, too. With every second that passes, I see more and learn more. That's how it should be, continuously evolving while achieving milestones and goals. This is the path I need to take in order to catch up to Isagi and surpass him.'
The tempo rose.
Okawa, surging through the right interior lane, cut the ball toward Ranmaru, who met it in stride. The ball zipped between feet, two touches, no more. Yamato darted inside, providing an option, but Team Z's midfield line was already reacting. Raichi closed the gap like a shark smelling blood, and Kira ghosted in toward Niko's side to mark him tight.
'This is good. More pressure. Collapse on the ball. Show me your instinctual routes. Show me where you bite when your lines are tested.'
As Raichi lunged for Ranmaru, the midfielder chipped the ball over his leg, a clean little scoop. The ball skipped once, then dropped into the path of Niko, who had dipped just behind the midfield trap.
Kira reacted late, a half-second delay was all Niko needed. He let the ball bounce, then volleyed it forward with his laces toward Okawa, who had slowed his sprint, checked his run, and peeled toward the top of the box.
The pass wasn't perfect, but it didn't need to be.
Okawa twisted his body and caught the ball on the drop with his right foot, slicing into a tight shooting stance. His hips opened, leg cocked back.
'Take it,' Niko thought, not blinking. 'Pull the trigger. Show me how they scramble to react now. Give me the information for their assembly and disassembly, hand me the key to my victory.'
Okawa struck cleanly, aiming for the far left post. The ball curved, low and fast, almost textbook in its simplicity.
But Igarashi read it.
He wasn't anywhere near the shooting lane a second ago, but now he was cutting across from the blindside, accelerating like a missile. In one sudden movement, he slid across the turf and deflected the shot with his shin, sending it ricocheting toward the center.
The rebound didn't clear the danger zone.
'Perfect,' Niko thought, already breaking into the path of the loose ball.
But he wasn't alone.
Isagi had stuck to his side the entire time. He, too, went for the airborne ball, a step behind the teal eyed teen. The two collided, Isagi slamming his shoulder into the other. It wasn't enough to draw a foul, but enough to throw balance into question. Niko stumbled, but didn't fall. His first touch came awkwardly, off the side of his boot, but he forced it forward, pushing toward the box's mouth.
The ball was rolling wide, the thinning time closing the angle he had. It was an incredibly risky maneuver, one that could breed high results for him if he succeeded, but also risk another devastation if it didn't
Still, Niko took a gamble. He swung his leg, feigning his shot to get the goal keeper and Isagi to react. Isagi took action, as he expected, extending his leg out to block the shot's angle. Exactly what he was hoping for.
An otherworldly presence surged through Niko's veins. A sensation so fierce, so alien, it felt as if his entire being had been hijacked by something far beyond him. Like a puppeteer manipulating a marionette, his body moved with divine precision, divorced from hesitation, brimming with unearthly confidence.
With control he didn't even know he possessed, Niko stopped his leg just short of its full swing, a minute delay of milliseconds, and with a delicate twist of his ankle, gave a soft nudge with the outside of his boot. The ball whispered between Isagi's legs.
'I didn't plan for this… but that's fine. Adaptation is the only rule of evolution. Not even Isagi will stop me from making this shot!'
His heart thundered. His breath came in bursts. His mind — no, his ego — burned so brightly it threatened to consume him. The meek, calculating Niko who had been analyzing from the shadows, who once feared attention, had been stripped away. What remained was a creature of instinct and will, reborn in the crucible of desperation and faced with the pinnacle of supremacy.
And he loved it.
The intoxication was immense, a high unlike anything he'd ever known. Not applause. Not admiration. Power. The feeling of bending the laws of the game to his will. His body was no longer reacting.
It was commanding.
He leapt into position, planting his foot beside the ball, perfectly aligned with its path.
'This is it. My real shot. The moment I carve my name into this match. This is MY moment'
Niko pulled back and swung with all the force stored in his compact frame. His muscles roared in unison, tendons coiling, and released. The strike connected so cleanly, so violently, it sent a shockwave through his bones. The ball launched like a cannon blast, a blur streaking toward the top left corner of the goal.
When he was megged, Isagi's first instinct was to stop and try to catch Niko. It was the natural instinct in every soccer player to follow the ball after a failed attempt in defending. But it was a trap, a parasitical impulse that killed so many defensive opportunities in many circumstances.
Instinct clawed at him to chase, to make the attempt to steal the ball from the evolving tactician's feet. But he didn't flinch. Didn't stumble. Didn't obey.
Instead, he moved.
One step. Then another.
The world didn't just blur, it sharpened. The grass beneath his cleats pulsed with life. Air thickened. Noise drowned beneath the blood pounding in his ears. His left foot drove into the turf with the weight of his entire being. Muscles coiled like steel cables pulled to tension. His core locked, chest turning, eyes locked on the target not behind… but above.
He launched himself skyward.
Time fractured.
His body ripped through the air with raw grace, legs slicing upward like twin blades, arms cutting open the horizon. Gravity wept as he defied it, suspended in motionless elegance.
For a single, breathless moment, he floated.
The world around him paused. Defenders still running, Niko's leg arcing forward in the distance, the ball flying, curving like fate given form.
And he, the eye of the storm, turned.
A full one eighty.
Torso whipped, hips spun, every ligament screaming under the torque of unnatural movement. His leg snapped forward, carving through the air like a guillotine forged from will and obsession.
CRACK
Boot met ball in a violent communion. The impact echoed through the hollow dome like a gunshot, like thunder tearing across the field.
The ball reversed course.
It shot away from goal like a comet wrenched from its path. A streak of power, seething with the echo of denied ambition.
It struck the wall.
BOOM
Concrete screamed. A fissure bloomed outward from the point of contact. Jagged, crooked, alive. A spiderweb of cracks etched itself deep into the foundation, as if the facility itself bore witness to the magnitude of that moment.
And then… silence.
Isagi landed in a crouch, breath heavy, chest heaving. The field around him stood still, every eye widened, every mouth opened. His shadow stretched long beneath the lights. His presence burned into the pitch.
It was a single clearance… but it's grace was divinity manifested.
—
Please let me know in the comments and reviews what you think, it's an incredible motivator for me to continue producing work of this quality.
Remember to comment your predictions on who the 7 princes of sins will be.
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Wrath: ???
Pride: ???
Gluttony: ???
Lust: ???
Envy: ???
Sloth: ???
Greed: ???
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And who the 7 virtuous saints will be,
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Patience: ???
Humility: ???
Charity: ???
Chastity: ???
Kindness: ???
Temperance: ???
Diligence: ???
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Chapter 10: A Worthy Rival
Chapter 11: A Fun Interlude
Chapter 12: Execution of the Unworthy
Chapter 13: Awaken, O' Reaper of Death. Face the Phantom that's Come for your Head
Chapter 14: Titanomachy
Chapter 15: Hell's Paradise