Blue Lock: Beyond Greatness

"Hey! Why am I placed in that guy's team?!" Shidou roared furiously at the screen above after seeing the results of the final grouping.

On the screen, Ego leisurely swirled a carbonated drink in a highball glass before gulping it down. "Shut up, you idiot. It's your own fault for wasting so much time during the trials. Low-ranking players don't get a say. I've already made it clear: anyone ranked lower gets automatically assigned to teams with fewer players."

"Damn it! Playing with the top-ranked player against these weaklings gives me no sense of urgency! In that situation, I won't even feel like going all out! Besides, I was looking forward to seeing what the top player is really like," Shidou yelled, his anger spilling over, completely disregarding how he was mocking everyone else.

"Annoying. You're really something," Nagi muttered with an irritated look, while Jyubei stepped forward as well. "Insulting me, the representative of 'stylish'—that I can't let slide."

"Huh? Even small fry have pride? Then let's see if you're worth anything!" Shidou perked up at the challenge. Just as he was about to act, Ego's voice immediately shut him down.

"Cut it out, you bunch of bottom-tier trash! You lack the skills of the top players, yet your attitudes are sky-high. Shinichi has to endure playing four consecutive matches with you losers without a single complaint. I've said it before—low-ranking players have no rights in Blue Lock."

"If you have any grievances, show them on the field," Ego continued, first fixing his gaze on Shidou, then turning to Nagi and the others who had been mocked. "Whether you're seeking a thrill… or revenge, as forwards, let your goals do the talking."

"Tch. Can't do this, can't do that. You four-eyed bastard, one day I'm going to take you down," Shidou grumbled, spitting on the ground toward Ego before turning and walking away. "How am I supposed to get excited with opponents at this level? Boring."

"Hm?" As Shidou headed toward the resting area, he noticed a lit room with someone inside seemingly training. "The only players left in this area without matches should be the ones I saw in the waiting room. Could it be…?"

Shidou pushed open the door, revealing the figure training inside—it was none other than Shinichi, who had just finished his match. "As expected, it's you, TOP 1! Even though I couldn't face you in an official game, this one-on-one setting works just fine."

"Let's have a match! Show me how far you can push me! Let me experience it firsthand!"

"Ugh. Stay back, you're disgusting." Annoyed by the interruption, Shinichi stood up and calmly placed the dumbbells he was holding on the ground. "Didn't your family teach you to knock and ask for permission before barging into someone's room, you rude pink-haired pervert?"

"That's not up to you!" However, Shidou, fueled by excitement, wasn't in the mood to listen. He grabbed a soccer ball from a nearby rack and kicked it straight at Shinichi's face. "Let's fight! For the thrill of the moment!"

Thwack!

Shinichi effortlessly caught the ball with one hand.

As he lowered it, his handsome face darkened, a suffocating aura spreading through the room like a crushing force.

The oppressive energy, accompanied by flickering black lightning that seemed to devour all light in the room, intensified further. His voice, heavy with malice, rang out. "Looks like you've got a death wish… don't you, you little insect?"

"Uh-oh, this doesn't feel right… not good, not good!" Cold sweat drenched Shidou's back in an instant.

Though he was a creature driven by the thrill of instinct, there was something deeper—an innate instinct hardwired into every being's DNA.

A primal urge that superseded all else:

The instinct to survive.

But it was too late for Shidou to back out.

As the black lightning erupted, the deafening roar of a cannon echoed through the corridor.

What followed was the endless cycle of Shidou's agonized screams and the unrelenting sound of bombardment reverberating through the room…

"Ego… Ego-san, is this really okay?" In the monitoring room, Anri clutched her mouth in shock, stammering as she pointed at the screen showing the one-sided slaughter. "Isn't Blue Lock's suit supposed to have shock devices to prevent violence? Shouldn't we stop them?"

"It doesn't really matter. Shinichi knows his limits, and honestly, it's good for Shidou to have someone keep him in check. While his innate instincts are his greatest talent, relying solely on them won't be enough to survive on the path to becoming the world's best."

Ego spoke casually as he poured hot water into his instant noodles. But when he noticed Shinichi's next move, he couldn't hold back.

Ignoring the boiling water splashing onto his hand, he hastily tossed the kettle aside and rushed to the microphone. "Hey! Shinichi, don't go too far! Are you trying to kill him?"

"Stop it right now, Shinichi! What the hell? When did you disable the shock device in the compression suits? Stop, or he's really going to die!"

...

When Hiori and his group entered the field, they were greeted by a bizarre sight: Shidou was on his knees, hands braced against the grass, while Shinichi casually sat on his back, legs crossed, scrolling through his phone.

"Oh, you're here, Hiori," Shinichi greeted without looking up.

"Well, seeing how he acts, this doesn't surprise me," Hiori said with a resigned look.

While Shinichi usually had a relatively calm temperament—aside from the occasional bout of sadistic humor—he was still much better than many of the eccentrics in Blue Lock.

However, his actions during the first round of tag, as well as his unintentional display of dominance, had already revealed his tyrannical nature.

And as a tyrant, what else could he do to those who dared defy him but crush them completely?

But still...

"This is a bit much, don't you think? Didn't Ego try to stop you?"

"Tch. I funded the construction of Blue Lock. What could he possibly do to stop me?" Shinichi, clearly in a good mood after venting his frustration, grabbed Shidou by the hair and hoisted him up. "Besides, don't be fooled by how pitiful he looks now. This little bug has remarkable resilience."

The group focused their eyes on the scene, and sure enough, despite being utterly humiliated, Shidou's bruised and swollen face still carried a grin. "Haha, that feeling of walking the line between life and death is amazing! Every single cell in my body is fired up by the instinct to survive. Incredible! Shinichi, your explosive power in that moment is the strongest I've ever seen. Let's be friends after this!"

"As expected, you're seriously disgusting," Nagi muttered as his team walked onto the field.

Team Shinichi: Shinichi Kanzaki, Shidou Ryusei, Hiori Yo, Nijiro Nanase

VS

Rebel Team: Nagi Seishirou, Jubei Arisu, Yukio Ishikari, Rensuke Kunigami

This marks the fourth and final match of the special adaptability experiment against Shinichi.

Now, let the match begin!

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