"How... is this possible...? That's... That's Kaiser's—!"
Ness's anguished groan echoed throughout the stadium, pulling everyone out of their shock over Shinichi's astonishing move. They stared in disbelief at the man who effortlessly supported Kaiser with one hand, appearing omnipotent, almost god-like.
"You've got to be kidding me... Even a monster-level skill that's purely reliant on physical ability can be devoured? This guy's way too broken..." Raichi Jingo grimaced in astonishment. Meanwhile, Isagi's brow furrowed deeply as he thought, 'If Shinichi has truly mastered Kaiser Impact, we'll have to completely revise our defensive strategy. According to our original plans, stopping that shot would have been impossible.'
But none of these murmurs or thoughts reached Kaiser's ears anymore. His mind was utterly blank; if not for Shinichi supporting him, he probably would have already fallen to his knees. Even now, Shinichi's movements kept replaying in his head.
That was undeniably his technique, the ability he'd relied upon to turn impossibility into reality, defeat all opponents, and attain his current status. Yet...
Yet, just moments ago, the Kaiser Impact—the ability he proudly claimed as the greatest in the world—had been effortlessly replicated by the man next to him, even surpassing its original strength. Without this unique skill, could he maintain his position or protect what he held dear from being stolen?
"No! Damn it... I can't let things end like this. I have to crush him. Only by defeating this bastard can I reclaim my worth! I refuse to become that filthy kid hiding in the trash again!" With crazed eyes, Kaiser suddenly sprang to his feet. He first shot a murderous glare toward Shinichi, then urgently called Ness over.
"Kai... Kaiser, are you alright? Don't worry, that bastard just clumsily copied you. Your Kaiser Impact is unmatched; nobody else could ever replicate it! That was surely nothing but a cheap imitation!"
But Ness's anxious attempts to console him only irritated Kaiser further, fueling the murderous intent inside him. Ness's ill-timed comfort only intensified Kaiser's frustration:
'You think I can't tell for myself whether it's fake or not?! Who needs you to tell me that?!'
Thinking of this, Kaiser grew increasingly envious of the midfielder who, although not currently by Shinichi's side, would definitely become his greatest ally in the future.
That player not only had a calm and composed mind but was already far superior to someone like Ness in skill. Even though Kaiser still didn't fully understand how his earlier shot had been stopped, he knew clearly that it wasn't Hiori's fault.
That near-perfect pass had allowed Kaiser to unleash Kaiser Impact with all his might despite Lorenzo's intense defense, drawing out his full potential.
Realizing this, Kaiser's dissatisfaction toward Ness grew stronger. However, to defeat Shinichi—or at least create an illusion of equal footing so he could continue with his original plans—he still needed Ness's ability.
The number of allies loyal to him within Bastard München had drastically decreased, and losing Ness now might strip him of even the opportunity to compete on the same stage as Shinichi.
At that point, losing his value would cause him to lose all initiative.
Even the main goal he had for the this League—transferring away from Bastard München—might become impossible. Moreover, even if the transfer succeeded, he might have little say regarding his future team, leadership, and tactical position.
Thus, Kaiser forcibly suppressed his disgust and quietly reassured Ness, "You're right. So, later we must find a way to crush that bastard. For that, I need you to give everything you've got to hold back Lorenzo and those other guys. Can you do it, Ness?"
"Y-Yes! Absolutely! It's an honor, Kaiser!" Ness's eyes lit up as he heard Kaiser's words. Indeed, Kaiser was Kaiser—his mentality was incomparable to those ordinary players.
Even in such a difficult situation, Kaiser would never give up. Ness nodded firmly, thinking, 'As long as Kaiser leads us, nothing is impossible. As long as I follow in his footsteps, we can defeat any opponent!'
"For that…even if I have to die, it'll be worth it!"
...
Beeeeep—! … Beeeeep—!
The continuous blasts of the whistle interrupted the match once again. Despite having a two-goal lead, Ubers unexpectedly initiated a substitution. One of their original youth players was taken off, replaced by…
Igarashi!
"Hahaha, finally it's time for me—the so-called 'useful monk'—to step onto the pitch!" laughed the young man with an awkwardly short haircut the moment he appeared on the field. Kaiser gave him only a quick glance before turning away dismissively. Just another clown, not worth his attention. Right now, what mattered most was—
"Noel Noa! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Kaiser roared, barely managing to suppress the rage and murderous intent boiling beneath his words.
He glared fiercely at Noa, who had just made the substitution decision together with Snuffy.
Because this time, the player being replaced was none other than Benedict Grimm, one of Bastard München's original players!
"Why pull Grimm off at a time like this?! Even if you want to give the rookies experience, now isn't the time! There are plenty of others with lower ratings—why Grimm specifically?!"
However, facing Kaiser's angry questioning, Noa showed no intention of responding. He calmly finished sending Kiyora Jin onto the pitch, and only then did he finally look at Kaiser. Yet, rather than explain, Noa simply stared coldly, speaking in an emotionless tone:
"And you too, Kaiser. For the remainder of this match, hand the ball over to Isagi Yoichi."
"What—?!!" Kaiser laughed bitterly, almost unable to process the absurdity of Noa's order. But soon his expression turned dangerously hostile. "You're telling me to surrender ball control to that weak clown? Whether it's ratings or attacking power, I'm superior in every aspect! You expect me to serve as his support?!"
"That's right, coach! Your decision makes no sense!" Ness quickly jumped in to back Kaiser up, always eager to defend his leader. "Kaiser's strength is obvious! Even if we're behind now, as long as everyone follows Kaiser's lead, we definitely have a chance to turn this match around!"
Seeing Kaiser and Noa clash, Ness eagerly joined in to tip the scales. But Noa merely shot them a chilling glare, instantly unleashing the overwhelming aura of the world's best striker.
The sheer intensity forced Ness to stumble backward several steps. Even Kaiser instinctively lowered his head, unwilling to meet Noa's emotionless gaze directly.
"First of all, neither of you has the right to question me. Whatever decisions I make in this team, your only option is absolute obedience. My words are the law—and that's what makes Bastard München legitimate!"
Noa showed no restraint in asserting his authority. Even the furious Kaiser didn't dare provoke the world's number one any further at this moment. Finally, Noa delivered his icy verdict.
"Kaiser, you've wasted far too many opportunities in this match. Moreover, your decision-making on the field has consistently been inferior to Isagi Yoichi and Hiori Yo."
"You're no longer the best option for Bastard München. From now on, our play will revolve around the system led by Isagi."
"Is that clear?"
Faced with Noa's tactics—which amounted to open humiliation—Kaiser clenched his fists, his entire body trembling with barely-contained rage. He desperately wanted to smash his fist into that robotic, emotionless face, just as he'd done to his scumbag father back when he was a child. But in the end, he unclenched his hands and lowered his head submissively.
"Yes... I understand."
"K-Kaiser... What should we do now?" Ness finally managed to regain his senses after Noa walked away, returning to the bench. Looking timidly toward Kaiser, he appeared pitiful enough that Kaiser lost even the slightest urge to reassure him. Kaiser simply threw Ness an irritated glance and snapped back dismissively, "What else? We'll follow Noa's instructions for now, then seize the ball back halfway."
"As long as it results in a goal, it's considered rational—even if we don't follow the tactical instructions exactly, Noa won't be able to complain. After all, in Bastard München, scoring goals is the ultimate justification. We can regain the evaluation that belongs to us."
"Yes! That's exactly what makes you Kaiser—the one true king! I'll follow you forever, and we'll make your brilliance shine once again!"
…
Beeeeep—!
Nobody else bothered paying attention to this unfortunate master-servant duo. As the whistle blew, Isagi Yoichi immediately passed the ball to Hiori Yo, then swiftly began running off the ball once again.
'Grimm's off the pitch too now. Kaiser's original system has completely collapsed. The control of the ball is finally fully in my hands—the momentum has shifted my way.' Having gained full control of the team's offense for the first time, Isagi felt exhilarated, his heart racing uncontrollably. Endless possibilities flashed through his mind, but he quickly suppressed his excitement, forcing himself to refocus and think carefully again.
"I can't get carried away. The ball is in my control now only because Kaiser failed repeatedly, and because Hiori and I—even though we didn't completely shut down their attacks—showed more intelligent judgment than Kaiser's system. That's why Noa chose me. If I fail to produce results now, Noa might shift tactics again."
Isagi muttered softly to himself before suddenly lifting his head, accelerating even more intensely than before.
"In that case, I just have to go for it—give everything I have, accept whatever result comes, and then continue improving myself until I can fully control my own fate!"
"Isagu's off-the-ball movement has improved immensely," Hiori murmured quietly, observing Isagi's running route clearly as he held the ball.
Although Isagi's physicality was still lacking when faced with top-level players, he had already developed enough to consistently realize his strategic intentions. In fact, Isagi was now physically stronger than most ordinary players.
"But it's still not enough. At this level, there's no way to break through that iron defense," Hiori murmured calmly, easily evading a surprise tackle from Niko.
He shook his head lightly, recognizing that if these players couldn't continue evolving, it might be better to revert to utilizing Kaiser's talents again.
However, Hiori also understood clearly that, despite appearances, Kaiser might have already lost that special ability. Now, with Ubers at match point, Hiori couldn't risk such a crucial ball just to help Kaiser regain his rhythm.
"You've really given me a difficult problem here, Shinichi," Hiori sighed quietly. When he raised his head again, fierce determination burned brightly in his eyes.
Hiori had entered the Flow state!
"Then let me test your seemingly unstoppable ability!" Defying expectations, Hiori now proactively dribbled forward. Previously known only for his extraordinary passing, he was ready to demonstrate how much he'd grown in the New Hero Battle.
"Oh? You still had dribbling tricks hidden away? That's news to me!" Kunigami, who was closest, immediately stepped up to intercept him.
However, Hiori quickly lifted the ball and spun around, baiting Kunigami into moving forward. Then, with perfect timing, he kicked the ball sharply downward, sending it racing through Kunigami's legs.
The ball bounced back up, perfectly returning to Hiori who had already slipped past his stunned opponent.
["Hiori Yo! He's just executed a brilliant nutmeg bounce pass to get past Kunigami Rensuke! Barou Shouei quickly steps up for an interception, but Hiori passes swiftly to Yukimiya Kenyu. Yukimiya uses exquisite dribbling to shake off the supporting defender, Peron, before returning the ball again. Hiori charges forward, then delivers a cross—ahhhh!"]
The commentator's bizarre shout echoed as the situation changed dramatically on the field.
Out of nowhere, Ness suddenly dashed forward and intercepted Hiori's pass.
Without hesitation, he smoothly twisted his ankle, immediately sending the ball forward again. His target was... Kaiser, waiting eagerly up front!
"You idiot…"
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