MTLNOVEL Chapter 48: Unleashing the Storm
The scoreboard glowed: Zeta 3 – Omega 2.
But no one on Team Zeta dared relax. Not with Omega's attack sharpening by the second.
Renji Kurogami stood at the center line, his breathing steady, his mind burning. That assist… it felt different. Powerful. But the hunger inside him hadn't faded. If anything, it grew stronger.
He wanted more.
The whistle blew, and Omega surged forward again. Shohei Kuroda orchestrated the midfield like a master, his passes crisp and precise. But this time, Zeta was ready.
Kaede Arata closed in fast, his timing perfect. He lunged — and with a clean Interception, he cut off the pass.
"Move!" Kaede barked, sending the ball wide to Riku Saionji.
Riku took off down the right wing, his speed blazing. Omega's left-back rushed to contain him, but Riku wasn't slowing down. With a sudden Cut-In, he broke toward the center.
Renji watched, his eyes calculating. The space was opening. He sprinted forward.
"Riku! Here!" Renji called — but Riku didn't pass.
Riku's ego flared. He wanted the goal.
He fired from distance — a powerful strike — but the Omega keeper reacted fast, diving to punch it away.
"Damn it!" Riku hissed.
The rebound fell dangerously at the edge of the box.
Aikawa was there first.
He trapped the ball with effortless control and lifted his head. The counterattack began instantly.
"Fall back!" Sora Amagi shouted.
But Omega's top three were already moving. Kuroda, Yajima, and Aikawa — the perfect triangle. Their one-touch passing tore through Zeta's midfield.
"Not this time," Renji growled, chasing Aikawa down.
But Aikawa wasn't fazed. With a sudden Rabona Feint, he shifted the ball behind him — and Yajima took off.
It was beautiful. And terrifying.
"Jin!" Kaede shouted.
Jin Kazama stood ready, his eyes locked on Yajima. The shot came — low and fast — but Jin was faster. With a stunning dive, he parried it wide.
The ball spun toward the sideline.
Renji saw his chance.
He reached it first, but Aikawa was already on him. The two locked eyes.
"You're good," Aikawa said, his voice calm. "But not good enough."
Renji didn't answer. He Nutmegged Aikawa in one fluid motion — and the crowd gasped.
But Aikawa wasn't done. He spun and chased, his presence like a shadow.
Renji kept moving. His vision expanded. He saw every player's position. Every gap. Every opening.
It was like the field itself was speaking to him.
"Spatial awareness…" Renji whispered, the realization hitting him.
But he had no time to dwell on it.
He spotted Sora making a diagonal run. Kaede was pushing up from behind. Riku was on the far right.
Renji drew the defense — and then, with a perfectly timed Through Ball, split Omega's backline.
Sora reached it first.
One touch.
Two.
He fired — a Curled Shot toward the far post.
The keeper dove — but the ball kissed the inside of the post and rippled the net.
Goal.
Zeta 4 – Omega 2
Renji stood still, his heart pounding.
This… this was it. The key. He could see it. The entire field. Every movement. Every possibility.
But the hunger inside him only grew.
"I'll devour them all," Renji whispered, his eyes burning.
The match wasn't over yet. And Renji Kurogami was just getting started.
To be continued…