Blue Lock: Beyond Greatness

"From the very beginning of this match, only three players have truly made a mark," Isagi observed, his tone calm yet focused.

"It was Rin Itoshi, who cut off Lavinho, guided his movements, and then stepped aside to let Noa finish the play; Charles, with his string of nutmeg passes; and Bachira, who scored off a one-two with Snuffy. If you look closely, all the players who stood out did so by leveraging the presence of the star players—using their influence to shift the flow of the match and, in that space, showcasing their own strengths. It's a dependent dynamic."

Hidden among the crowd, Isagi's eyes never left Rin.

"And now, Rin is trying to shed his supporting role and step into the spotlight as an equal alongside the mentors. That kind of action will inevitably shift the dynamics of the match even further. And when it does... that will be my cue to enter."

"Rin, your impatience is already clouding the calm judgment you had when you first gave up your position to make that key play."

Isagi had already seen through Rin's growing desperation—his urgency to prove himself. But charging in recklessly won't bring the outcome he's hoping for.

And right now, as each player advanced with their own thoughts, Noa had already carried the ball into an incredibly dangerous position.

"We can't let him go any further—damn it, Snuffy, do something already!"

Lavinho was doing all he could to slow Noa down, but his positioning was slightly off.

In a game where being one step ahead can decide everything, the fact he could even keep pace with Noa was impressive on its own.

"Don't start whining—I'm barely keeping up here myself."

Snuffy grunted from the other side of the field. He was still holding off Chris, no pushover by any means.

That muscular beast was tough enough that only someone like Snuffy, a jiu-jitsu master, could stall him for so long. So now, their last hope was...

"You little punk, finally!" Lavinho let out a sigh of relief when he saw Shinichi arriving to help.

Noa, ever expressionless, changed pace the moment he noticed. But just as he shifted, Shinichi slid in between Noa and Loki's passing lane.

"I won't let you pass it through, World No.1."

"Noa! Over here!"

Just as Noa was being flanked by Shinichi and another defender, Rin Itoshi's voice rang out from behind. Without hesitation, Noa tapped the ball backward with his toe. But in the very next second, a figure burst out from Rin's blind spot—"Don't even think about it!"

"You really thought I wouldn't notice you, Isagi?" Rin's voice, brimming with killing intent, made Isagi's back crawl with goosebumps.

Rin had anticipated everything, and as he looked into Isagi's stunned eyes, the spectral demon around him let out a terrifying roar. "If I'm going to challenge top players, you think I'd just charge in like some reckless fool?"

As he spoke, Rin tapped the ball, pulled it back with a smooth turn, and effortlessly dodged Isagi—who, unable to stop in time, inadvertently blocked Shinichi's path.

"He… anticipated my interception and used my move as 'disruption noise' on the battlefield—creating space for himself to shine! Even though we reached the same idea, Rin took it further than I did in that one moment!"

Gritting his teeth, Isagi pushed himself off the ground, half his body figuratively shattering into countless puzzle pieces, dissolving in the sunlight.

"Everyone's evolving constantly. I need to factor that in too. From now on, I'll always leave space in my plays—to deal with sudden counters and hidden moves!"

Naturally, no one else could hear Isagi's thoughts. All eyes were on Rin, and most players were quietly wondering what his next move would be.

'He'll probably look for a way to pass to one of the star players. Sure, he got lucky and disrupted Shinichi, but the big names are still in position. No way someone our age can just dribble past them solo… right?'

That was what most of them thought—until a few, including Isagi, kept their eyes trained solely on Rin.

"Rin put so much effort into that, even baited me into a trap just to win possession from the stars. There's no way he'd just pass the ball right back. Maybe he won't finish the play himself, but he's definitely not giving it up easily. He's going to press forward under pressure!"

Isagi concluded instantly, eyes glowing with puzzle pieces reforming and locking into place. He locked onto Rin's every move.

And Rin didn't disappoint. He drove forward with the ball, ignoring Noa, who was still being harassed by Lavinho. But Shinichi—abandoning his support on Noa—stepped directly into Rin's path.

"Rin, I was right about you. You've grown more than I imagined."

"Don't act like you're above me—I'm older than you, damn it!" Rin snapped back. He passed the ball to Charles, who had also reached the front line.

"Aw, Rin-chan, this look suits you better," Charles teased.

"Shut up and follow my lead!" Rin barked, not in the mood to argue. He broke into a run, but Shinichi didn't follow or try to steal the ball. He simply stood two steps away from Charles.

"I don't know what you guys are trying just yet. With so many substitutions, this team has too many weaknesses—even I can't track them all."

"But I can promise this: none of your passes will get through. Not one of those threats is getting past me."

"Tch, you bastard." Charles grit his teeth, tempted to shoot on the spot. But then Shinichi calmly added:

"Not that you'll even get the chance."

In the next instant, an unexpected figure shot in—Ness. He muscled into position, partially blocking Charles, then—with magician-like precision—used a flick of his ankle to pass the ball directly to Shinichi.

"I offer you my loyalty, my new king!"