Blue Lock: Beyond Greatness

Shinichi felt his consciousness gradually sinking, as if he were descending into a deep, dark ocean.

Eventually, he found himself facing a massive door wrapped in heavy chains.

Surprisingly, Shinichi didn't experience the suffocating sensation one might expect from being submerged in the depths.

On the contrary, his mind was exceptionally clear, reminiscent of the feeling he had when entering the Legendary Training Camp.

"Really now? I've made it this far, and you still want to keep me out?" Shinichi raised his hand and casually broke the thick chains, snapping them piece by piece.

Without hesitation, he lifted his foot and kicked open the Door of Talent. "Get out of my way."

An intense, dazzling light streamed through the shattered doorway, illuminating Shinichi's face.

It was the light of acknowledgment, the reward for those whose talents and skills had reached the threshold, a blessing to advance to the next stage.

However, Shinichi impatiently shielded his eyes with his hand. "Too bright."

Effortlessly dismantling the rest of the door, Shinichi stepped into the radiant world beyond.

Simultaneously, his consciousness returned to reality.

"Hiori..." Shinichi called out to Hiori, who had been waiting nearby for Shinichi to take the opening kick.

Shinichi's eyes locked onto the opposing goal with an unwavering intensity, exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure.

At this moment, Shinichi was in a state of unparalleled focus, something no one had ever witnessed before.

"Next, pass the ball forward."

Tweet!

The whistle blew as Shinichi made a quick lateral pass to Hiori.

Overwhelmed by Shinichi's imposing presence, Hiori instinctively launched a lofted pass forward.

The ball sped toward the front at a blistering pace, but Shinichi easily kept up with the spinning ball.

"Charging in all by yourself? You're underestimating us way too much," Chris muttered, his once cheerful expression replaced by a cold demeanor as he intercepted the speeding Shinichi.

"So annoying." Shinichi frowned, spinning and sidestepping to shake Chris off.

However, just as he thought he was free, another figure appeared at an astonishing speed, blocking his path.

"After that last interception, how about a speed rematch?" Loki's friendly smile remained, but the fierce determination in his eyes revealed how much the earlier encounter had gotten under his skin.

"Your movements are completely unpredictable—so different from what you said earlier," came a voice from behind.

Noa, alongside Chris, had closed in to block Shinichi's retreat. "If you have any tricks up your sleeve, now's the time to use them."

"You guys are shameless—three of you to block me, and you still want me to think of something?" Shinichi was almost exasperated.

It's supposed to be my turn, yet you're making moves like this—is this even fair?

With three world-class players hemming him in, Shinichi knew that unless he somehow unlocked a few godlike abilities from another universe, even he wouldn't be able to break through.

"Well, stalling the three of you isn't exactly a failure." As Shinichi narrowed his eyes, two figures suddenly broke away from the melee and sprinted toward the ball's landing point.

It was Zantetsu and Kurona! But at the same time, Snuffy was closing in on the ball's location too!

"Since my speed is what earned me this chance, this is my moment to shine!" Zantetsu's eyes locked onto the ball, his muscles taut as his speed surged again.

Just before Snuffy could reach the ball, Zantetsu managed to touch it first.

Without slowing down or worrying about precision, he swung his foot with all his might and launched the ball toward the left.

Bang!

A dull, heavy collision echoed as both Zantetsu and Snuffy reached the ball at almost the same moment.

Zantetsu's move had been just a fraction too slow, allowing Snuffy to make it in time.

Both players struck the ball simultaneously, causing it to deform under the impact before shooting off in a bizarre trajectory.

Realizing the situation, Zantetsu immediately gave up on chasing the ball and slowed down to block Snuffy's follow-up.

Right behind him, Kurona surged forward with all his might, gritting his teeth as he stretched out his leg to barely stop the ball's momentum.

Lavinho arrived just as Kurona made contact, but Kurona wasted no time dribbling—he directly passed the ball forward.

The ball's target?

Rin and Hiori, who were running side by side, just a step behind the others.

Crucially, no defenders stood in their path!

Seeing this, Loki, who had been marking Shinichi, couldn't afford to stay back any longer.

With a furrowed brow, he accelerated to return to defense.

Spotting Loki's movement, Hiori and Rin immediately split up, with Rin, the closer to Loki, taking possession of the ball.

It was evident that, despite their ace being tightly marked, the team hadn't panicked.

Instead, they exploited their numerical advantage to fragment the game into individual one-on-ones.

By continuously passing the ball, they avoided direct confrontations with the world-class defenders.

"An excellent display of teamwork. They're doing their best to support you in their own way," Noa remarked calmly, analyzing the play.

His gaze then shifted toward Chris.

"Hey! What's with that look? You think I can't handle this?" Chris snapped angrily.

Noa, unbothered, turned his head away without a word and sprinted back to defend.

"Tsk… Kid, we were planning to teach you a lesson together, but I alone will be enough," Chris said, his muscular frame bulging like a human bulldozer as he pinned Shinichi down.

His suffocating, swamp-like defense left Shinichi with no room to maneuver.

"Stay here with me for a while. Don't even think about getting rid of me."

"You should worry about me teaching you a lesson," Shinichi retorted, frowning as he engaged in a fierce physical battle with Chris.

Despite the struggle, his gaze never wavered from Hiori's movements on the field.

Everything hinges on you now.

You remember what I said, right?

Meanwhile, near the penalty area, the game was heating up.

Hiori received a lateral pass from Rin just before Loki could close in on him, positioning himself along the sideline.

At the same time, Noa began advancing toward him.

Damn it, the pressure is insane!

Hiori's back was soaked with cold sweat as he struggled to keep calm, mentally counting down the seconds.

Finally, just as Noa closed the gap, Hiori feigned a shot toward the goal from a considerable distance.

Noa, as expected, lunged forward in an attempt to block the shot.

However, Hiori's foot stopped short of the ball at the last moment.

"Got you! I've fooled Noa! Now, Shinichi…"

The thrill of executing the plan perfectly filled Hiori's mind.

Just as he was about to turn and pass the ball back to Shinichi, he realized, to his horror, that there was no space left behind him.

His escape route had vanished completely.

"Your vision is still underdeveloped, and you're far too tense. You're so focused on the immediate crisis that it's clouding your ability to anticipate and react effectively," Snuffy said with a smile, standing firmly behind Hiori.

"And your expression gives everything away. Honestly, I don't think Noa even needed to bait you into that action—you wouldn't have noticed it either way."

"Now then, I'll take this ball."

Snuffy's challenge was relentless. Despite Hiori's desperate resistance, he couldn't overcome Snuffy's sheer physicality.

Finally, he felt the ball slip away as Snuffy took possession.

'Damn it… Damn it… Damn it! I've messed up again! But what could I do? Against someone like this, I'm completely powerless… Even if I spot a weakness, I can't capitalize on it.'

'Maybe this is it. Maybe I should just stop playing football. I'm not cut out for it. I can't meet anyone's expectations. After this match, I'll quit…'

"…That kind of pathetic future is the last thing I want!" A blazing, sky-blue flame ignited in Hiori's eyes as a radar-like diagram of intersecting lines formed in his mind.

It's not about frustration.

It's not about fearing failure.

'It's just… if Shinichi's first step into the world is marred because of me, if the moment that could change everything is ruined by my mistake…'

'I'll never forgive myself for the rest of my life! Shinichi's first step onto the global stage, the pivotal opening chapter of his legendary journey—I won't let it end in failure, even if it costs me everything!'

"Yes! Even if it costs me everything!" Hiori's eyes widened with determination.

Ignoring the imbalance in his stance and Snuffy's pressure, he forcefully turned and swung his leg for a pass.

As he moved, he caught sight of Shinichi sprinting in perfect synchronization. "You want it forward, don't you?"

Snuffy raised an eyebrow but ultimately stepped aside.

He withdrew the leg he'd readied for a long clearance, ensuring he didn't collide with Hiori.

Instead, he reached out to steady Hiori by grabbing his shoulder, preventing him from falling.

Snuffy knew that if he hadn't held back, Hiori's leg might have suffered a severe fracture from the impact.

Even so, the moment Hiori struck the ball, he felt a sinking realization—it wasn't good enough.

Snuffy's disruption had thrown off his balance, and the resulting pass lacked the necessary strength.

The ball drifted weakly through the air, falling short of Shinichi's sprint.

"No matter… you've already done more than enough." Shinichi, pushing himself to the limit, kept Chris firmly at bay on his right side with sheer physical effort.

"And I won't let your determination go to waste."

With a flash of black lightning in his eyes, Shinichi surged forward.

Outside the field, Ego slammed his hand on the desk and leapt to his feet in disbelief.

"It's happening now?!" Ego's eyes widened as he stared at the screen, utterly shocked.

He had initially dismissed Shinichi as an overhyped prodigy who couldn't reconcile ambition with reality—someone who had set his sights so high that he'd never managed to enter the state of Flow.

Ego had intended to use the world's top players to teach Shinichi a lesson, to ground him and guide him step by step into the Flow state.

"But… under this kind of pressure, you've actually found it… Flow is a state of perfect harmony between one's goals and abilities. Even with the goal right in front of you, excessive pressure can force you out of it. Could it be…"

Ego's expression shifted as a new, startling possibility dawned on him. "Could it be that you've always seen world-class players as your benchmark, and you've always believed you had the ability to reach that level? Is that why you couldn't enter Flow before—because anything less wasn't worthy of it? Damn it, what kind of lunatic are you? You're not even sixteen yet!"

Despite his words, Ego broke into a wild laugh. "Then go ahead—announce your presence to the world. Here, now, in this very moment!"

"Got it..." Shinichi muttered softly, his voice barely audible. It was unclear if he was responding to Hiori's pass or simply voicing a faint realization. His eyes locked onto the spinning ball descending toward him.

"Are you seriously planning to trap the ball in this situation? You're insane, kid!" Chris laughed as he pressed against Shinichi, his bulk unyielding.

"That pass was completely disrupted by Snuffy. Sure, he didn't go all out against that blue-haired kid and allowed the ball to get through, but his calculations are never wrong. You won't be able to catch this pass."

And it certainly seemed that way.

Based on its trajectory, the ball was likely to graze Shinichi's thigh—an awkward position to control.

Not only would it be difficult to stop with a backheel, but with Chris sticking so close, even if Shinichi managed to intercept it, he wouldn't have full control.

Any slight delay, and the other star players would converge.

This duel would decide everything.

"Didn't go all out? That's his biggest mistake…" Shinichi still had the composure to glance back at Chris, his eyes sparking with inky black lightning.

In an instant, he swung his leg backward.

It was true—his heel couldn't reach the ball.

'But as a forward, my entire body is my weapon!'

If his heel couldn't make contact, he'd use another part instead.

Shinichi leaned back and, in a shocking twist, clamped the ball between his thigh and calf.

The maneuver was so unorthodox that it contorted his body, forcing him to shift all his weight onto Chris.

It wasn't that Shinichi lacked the ability to stabilize himself—it was that against a goal guarded by Noa, he had to channel every ounce of strength into his next move.

After trapping the ball with his leg, Shinichi shifted his body to block Chris's right leg, which was aiming for a steal.

Simultaneously, he relaxed his calf, letting gravity pull the ball downward.

At that precise moment, Shinichi pivoted and raised his foot again, striking the ball from above with force.

The sheer power of the impact sent the ball bouncing off the ground with incredible energy, achieving a height perfect for his next move.

Once the ball reached the desired height, Shinichi unleashed his full strength.

Using the resistance from his battle with Chris, he twisted his body mid-air.

As the ball met the tip of his foot, time seemed to slow.

All eyes fixated on the ball as it deformed under the immense force of Shinichi's strike, reaching a critical point before—BOOM!

The thunderous sound echoed like a cannon blast.

The ball became a streaking blur, tearing toward the goal with overwhelming momentum.

The opposing goalkeeper, renowned for his sharp reflexes, dove desperately, but even he couldn't reach the ferocious shot.

"Ugh!"

A muffled grunt broke the tension as Noa, the world's best, surged forward, defying expectations.

Under everyone's astonished gazes, he raised his leg and intercepted Shinichi's peak-level shot.

"No way! He stopped that?! The world's number one… this monster…"

Such thoughts filled the minds of almost everyone present.

Yet, Shinichi, still suspended in mid-air, remained unfazed.

The lightning in his eyes only grew brighter. "I told you, this is my turn…"

As the ball collided with Noa's left leg, the sheer force lifted it upward.

In the blink of an eye, it struck the crossbar with a resounding clang before ricocheting downward, bouncing into the net.

"Even the world's number one can't block my path."

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Top 5: Bonus Chapter

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