The day of the match had arrived.
Team Zeta stood in the tunnel, the air electric with tension. Each player's heart pounded, but their eyes burned with focus. After their brutal training, they had evolved — but it still wasn't enough. Not yet.
Across from them stood Team Delta — a wall of silent, disciplined players. Their reputation preceded them. Delta was a fortress, a team that crushed attacking ambitions and punished recklessness with lightning-fast counters.
Renji Kurogami tightened his gloves, his mind racing. They couldn't afford another loss.
He wouldn't allow it.
From the first whistle, Team Delta's strategy became clear. Their defensive block was impenetrable — two tight banks of four, pressing high and cutting off passing lanes. Every time Zeta tried to advance, they found themselves boxed in.
Kaede Arata dropped deep, looking for space, but Delta's midfielders tracked his every move. Riku Saionji tried breaking into the half-spaces, but Delta's defenders shadowed him perfectly.
"Stay patient!" Sora Amagi shouted, his voice cutting through the tension. "We'll find a way through!"
But patience was dangerous against Delta.
Ten minutes in, Delta launched their first counterattack. Their captain, Yuto Kisaragi, intercepted a loose pass and sent a perfect through ball down the right flank.
Hideo Morita sprinted onto it, cutting inside with a blistering burst of speed.
"Jin!" Renji barked, falling back to cover — but the shot was already coming.
Jin Kazama reacted instinctively. He dove low and parried the ball with his fingertips, sending it spinning just wide of the post.
The first save of the match. And it wouldn't be the last.
For the next fifteen minutes, Team Zeta fought tooth and nail to find openings — but Delta's defense was suffocating. Every attack was met with immediate pressure.
Sora Amagi managed to slip through the lines with his Phantom Step, but his cross was cleared before it reached Yamada Goro.
Kaede Arata tried switching play with a long diagonal pass, but Delta's fullbacks anticipated it perfectly.
Frustration began to creep in.
Renji felt it — that rising pressure in his chest. He wanted to break this stalemate. He wanted to devour.
But rushing in would only play into Delta's hands.
Twenty-five minutes in, Kaede Arata finally found a gap. With a subtle feint, he slipped past his marker and released a quick one-two with Reiji Sakamoto.
As the return pass came, Kaede flicked it behind him — a no-look pass that rolled perfectly into Renji's path.
Renji didn't hesitate. He surged forward, using Sora's Phantom Step to vanish from his marker's vision.
But Delta was prepared.
The instant Renji entered the box, three defenders collapsed on him. He had no time. No space.
But he had the Key.
With a sharp twist, Renji executed a modified version of Riku Saionji's blind turn — a spin so fast and precise that the defenders lost sight of the ball.
He broke free.
He fired.
The net rippled.
1-0, Team Zeta.
The lead didn't last long.
Three minutes later, Delta struck back. Their captain, Yuto Kisaragi, orchestrated a beautiful passing sequence, pulling Zeta's defense out of shape.
With one perfectly weighted lob, the ball dropped behind Zeta's backline — and Katsuki Hayama was there to meet it.
His volley was unstoppable.
1-1.
As the first half wound down, the match grew more intense.
Riku Saionji's off-the-ball movement dragged defenders out of position. Sora Amagi's Phantom Step created slivers of space where none existed.
And Renji… Renji kept evolving.
He adapted. He copied. He modified.
But every time he did, the gap between him and his teammates grew wider.
At halftime, Kaede Arata pulled him aside. "You're pushing too far ahead," he warned. "If you leave us behind—"
"Then catch up," Renji cut him off, his voice cold. "Or get left behind."
Kaede's eyes hardened. "Don't forget — this isn't just about you."
But Renji's mind was already elsewhere.
He was thinking about the next goal.
The one that would push him even further ahead.
Halftime: 1-1.
The siege had only just begun.