Blue Lock: Beyond Greatness

"You damn Kaiser lackey!"

Charles hadn't expected that Ness, freshly subbed in, would suddenly side with Shinichi and sneak in to steal the ball. Shocked and furious, he shouted—but Shinichi was already a blur, darting past him like the wind to start the counterattack.

"Shinichi-sama, I will serve you always."

"Don't get in the way. Go to where you belong."

"Yes, sir."

With only a brief exchange, Ness veered away from Shinichi's side—but his threat level surged. Defenders couldn't afford to take their eyes off him as he hovered nearby, ready to strike. And thanks to Ness's full commitment, Shinichi suddenly had far more offensive options at his disposal.

"I want you to carry the ball to the edge of the box—after that, do as you please."

After a quick cut to shake off a defender, Shinichi lifted his leg and crossed the ball toward Ness.

Rather than pushing through the center himself, Shinichi deliberately pushed wide to set up Ness—a move that doubled as both opportunity and test.

"Yes, I won't let you down." Ness accelerated, trapping the ball with his chest, then spun around and tapped it behind himself with his heel. His fluid footwork let him dance through defenders like a magician shuffling cards—flashy yet always in control.

"Shinichi!"

Ness quickly advanced into the penalty area.

Faced with a center-back blocking his way, he didn't hesitate. With a pullback and sidestep to shake the defender's balance, he sent the ball sideways—and just then, Shinichi burst from the crowd, arriving at the edge of offside.

The pass was surgical—right at the limit—rattling the defenders' nerves and giving the newly-subbed keeper cold sweats.

"What a raw gem..."

Shinichi's eyes were filled with appreciation as the ball flew toward him. Ness's technical skill was top-tier, his physical stats flawless, and his vision and game awareness were elite. His timing, especially, was impeccable. Truly, an outstanding support player…

"But still..."

Compared to Hiori's passing—sharpened from the very start in Blue Lock—Ness was a bit behind in that one area. That said, overall, Ness wasn't far off. His all-around ability was just that strong. Given he came out of Bastard München, it was only natural.

And yet… perhaps because he was so good, Shinichi felt even more regret.

Such a fine piece of raw talent—and yet, Kaiser's manipulation had already started to waste it.

As this thought passed through Shinichi's mind, a hulking figure suddenly cut through the counterattack—Chris, of all people, had somehow caught up. With a powerful shove of his arm, he disrupted Shinichi's balance and cleanly stole the ball at his feet.

"You little punk—what kind of charm did you cast on these midfielders? One after another, they're all drifting to your side!"

"But you know..."

He glanced over his shoulder with a smirk.

"A playmaker whose target is obvious isn't threatening at all."

"How could this happen?!"

Seeing his pass intercepted by Chris, Ness froze up. Chris didn't even give them a chance to recover, launching a long ball downfield to kick-start a counterattack. In no time, Noa assisted Loki for another goal.

"Shinichi... I'm sorry, I..." Ness stammered, visibly shaken by the mistake that came just when he wanted to prove himself. But Shinichi simply shook his head and stopped him.

"Your play just now wasn't wrong. Given the situation, passing to the strongest attacking player on the field was the right decision. Chris intercepting it was beyond your control—it's not your fault."

"But," Shinichi continued, his tone sharper, "if for the next ball, the next hundred balls, or your entire career, you keep making that same safe choice—then as a midfielder, you're the problem. Maybe following Kaiser for too long has dulled your instincts. But I don't need a midfielder who mindlessly feeds someone just because they're the strongest. I can get a dozen of those if I want."

"You'll get chances, but only today. If you can't break the chains in your own head, I won't use you—not even for free. I don't want a player who's that easy to read, even as a backup."

Watching Lavinho charge forward with the ball again, Shinichi didn't bother to track back. He stood his ground and added one final note to Ness,

"Just remember—play freely. If you stay boxed in by rules or fear, your football will never show your true value."

"I…" Ness tried to respond, but Shinichi was already moving again, dashing off to reposition, leaving Ness frozen behind him.

"Free… huh?"

Let's dance!

At midfield, Lavinho surged forward with electric energy, his feet moving in a flurry of feints and flourishes.

Defender after defender collapsed in his wake, ankles shattered by his dazzling footwork. The vibrant butterfly wings on his boots were beautiful—and deadly.

"Come on now, quit bullying the kids. How about dancing with me instead?"

Chris, having stayed back and waited for this exact moment, spread his arms wide to cut off Lavinho's run.

Lavinho didn't answer. His feet responded for him—pinging the ball back and forth at breakneck speed.

The ball became a blur, while he closed in step by step. Chris instinctively backed up to get a better read.

To Lavinho, that single backward step was an opening. The moment the ball paused, he launched into a full sprint.

Chris tried to grab him, but Lavinho spun out of his grasp, brushing his arm away with a well-timed swing. The one-on-one was his.

"!"

It was Rin this time who intercepted, having chosen to retreat instead of keeping up with Noa. Arms behind his back, he dove to block the shot.

But Lavinho wasn't aiming to shoot.

With a perfect fake-out, the ball whipped across the pitch—right to Ness.

"You've ditched Kaiser, huh? You're more interesting than I thought."

"So here—show me what you're really capable of."