"K-Kaiser… what do we do now?"
After Noa walked off and returned to the bench, Ness finally snapped out of the pressure he had been under. He looked timidly toward Kaiser, but seeing how pathetic he looked, Kaiser didn't even feel like comforting him. Annoyed, he brushed past him.
"What else can we do? Just follow Noa's plan for now, and take the ball back during the play."
"If we want to make a case for ourselves, then as long as we score—even if it's outside the strategy—Noa can't complain. In Bastard München, scoring is always the top priority. If we score, we can reclaim our reputation."
"Yes! As expected of Kaiser. Only you are the true king. I'll follow you forever and help your glory shine again!"
...
Tweet—!!
No one paid attention to that pitiful duo. As the whistle blew and play resumed, Isagi passed the ball to Hiori, and immediately began moving off the ball.
'Even Grimm has been subbed out. That means the original Kaiser-centric system is basically done for. Now the ball is at my feet… The momentum has completely shifted to me.'
For the first time, Isagi had total control of the team. His heart pounded with excitement and endless visions of how he would shape the future of the match, but he forced himself to stay focused.
"I can't let it go to my head. The shift in possession only happened because of Kaiser's repeated failures—and because of my and Hiori's efforts. Even though we didn't succeed at defending, our ideas surpassed Kaiser's. That's why Noa chose me. But if I fail to deliver now, Noa could shift his focus again."
Isagi muttered under his breath, then suddenly lifted his head and accelerated.
"In that case… I'll give it everything I've got. No matter what the outcome, I'll accept it—and keep growing until I can fully control my own destiny!"
...
"Isagi's off-the-ball movement has really improved," thought Hiori as he observed Isagi's run while carrying the ball. He couldn't help but whisper to himself.
Though Isagi's physical strength was still lacking against top players, he could now execute most of his ideas—and in fact, his body already surpassed that of most average players.
"But that's still not enough. If this is all we've got, we won't be able to break down that iron wall."
With ease, Hiori dodged a steal attempt from Niko and shook his head. If these guys couldn't evolve further, they might as well go back to relying on Kaiser. But he also knew—even though it wasn't obvious yet—Kaiser might have already lost his touch.
And with Ubers on match point, Hiori couldn't afford to risk this key possession on giving Kaiser time to find himself again.
...
"This is a real headache," Hiori sighed.
But when he looked up again, his eyes were blazing with fierce determination.
Hiori has entered FLOW state!
...
"Then let me test out your so-called 'unbreakable' ability!"
With that, Hiori did something uncharacteristic: he aggressively dribbled forward. He had always specialized in shooting, but now he was ready to showcase how much he'd grown in the New Hero Battle.
...
"You've got dribbling skills too? Nobody told me that," said Kunigami, stepping in to stop him.
But Hiori quickly flicked the ball into the air, pivoted with a swift turn, and at the precise moment Kunigami adjusted his footwork, Hiori forcefully kicked the airborne ball downward. It rocketed under Kunigami's legs and bounced right back up—Hiori had already sprinted past him and regained control.
...
[Hiori pulls off a nutmeg rebound to leave Kunigami in the dust! Barou Shoei rushes in to intercept—but Hiori immediately passes to Yukimiya Kenyu! Yukimiya uses a dazzling dribble to shake off Pellone and passes it back—Hiori is still sprinting forward—he sends a cross—AH——!!!]
With a strange cry from the commentator, the situation on the field flipped in an instant.
Ness had suddenly dashed in to intercept Hiori's pass. Without missing a beat, he trapped the ball, rotated his ankle, and immediately launched a counter-pass—toward Kaiser, waiting up front.
"…Idiot."
On the sidelines, Noa sat on the bench and commented sparingly on the actions of the Kaiser-Ness duo. Snuffy, on the other hand, was playing with his headscarf while watching the field with a smile.
"Isn't it fine?" he chuckled. "That fiery spirit—young players should have that kind of refusal to give up. It's refreshing."
Noa stayed silent, face cold.
Of course you can say that—those guys aren't on your team, ignoring orders and stealing the ball from teammates. No wonder you're so relaxed.
Well, aside from that genius Shinichi, the only one on the opposing team who dares to act on their own like that is Barou. But that rebellious brat seems to be completely outplayed by those two cunning foxes—one old, one young—so that's a non-issue.
"But once you've tasted despair," Snuffy added with a faint sigh, "it's up to you whether you can climb your way back out."
...
Naturally, Kaiser wasn't paying any attention to Noa's evaluation.
Due to a sudden tactical shift and Hiori's unexpected play, Lorenzo had, for once, left his side. And now—standing in front of Kaiser—was the recently subbed-in crew-cut clown.
Faced with such a rare opportunity, Kaiser, though incredibly annoyed, chose to be practical. He charged forward with the ball, not relying on fancy technique this time. After glancing at his opponent's height, he chose the most direct method—raw power.
Fueled by rage, Kaiser slammed into Igarashi, who was knocked back two steps by the impact.
Seeing the opening, Kaiser didn't hesitate—he raised his foot and fired—
Smack!
But the usual explosive shot never came. Instead, Kaiser's kick was disappointingly ordinary—and Igarashi, having been forced back just far enough, had time to react. He lifted his leg at the same time and blocked the subpar shot with ease.
"What?!"
The series of unexpected turns sank Kaiser's heart to rock bottom. But he didn't give up. He charged at Igarashi again, using both technique and strength to steal the ball back.
This time, having sized up his opponent, Kaiser didn't even bother creating space—he just lifted his foot and shot again.
Smack!
That familiar sound echoed across the field again.
Igarashi couldn't fully block it this time, but while moving laterally with hands behind his back, he managed to deflect the ball's path with his body.
But that wasn't the real issue—
Tweet—!!
The sharp whistle rang out.
Kaiser, unable to fully stop himself, slammed his shoulder into Igarashi's chest, sending him stumbling back several steps before he collapsed onto the ground.
At the same time, the VAR system broadcast came on:
"Germany's Bastard München, number 10, Kaiser: foul. Yellow card."
"Germany's Bastard München, number 10, Kaiser: two yellow cards total. Shown a red card and sent off."
As Kaiser stood there stunned in the middle of the pitch, Noa shook his head slightly.
"I told you…"
"…What an idiot."
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