Chapter 776: The Battle of Friends II
Chapter 776: The Battle of Friends II
The two exchanged a silent conversation, both feeling their blood stir with intensity. The thrill of facing one another was impossible to conceal.
Yet beneath that excitement simmered something fiercer—a burning desire to crush the other.
Though Shun couldn’t hide his admiration for his opponent, his confidence surged. He tore his gaze away from Hiro and swept his eyes across the field, quickly locating his teammates.
With a stretch of his arms, he wound up and launched the ball with full force.
It arced high above the ground, sailing over heads before dropping near the halfway line. The crowd watched in awe, their eyes gleaming with anticipation. The sheer power behind the throw left them exhilarated.
Their eyes followed the ball until one of the players controlled it with his chest. Clad in blue and white, bearing the number ten on his shirt, he brought it down smoothly.
Kubo, now in possession, didn’t hesitate.
He surged forward, accelerating as Hiro and his teammates began to retreat.
The attention shifted away from Shun, and he felt his shoulders ease. A faint grin tugged at his lips as he clenched his fist. Beneath the stadium’s radiant lights, his eyes glimmered with hope and resolve.
A new sense of possibility bloomed in his chest.
Still, he couldn’t take solace in his earlier save for long. Though it had left a lingering taste of achievement on his tongue, he knew the match was far from decided.
Without realizing it, his gaze drifted to the retreating number ten of the opposing side. The player didn’t have an especially broad back—yet somehow, it seemed to loom larger than the rest.
The longer he stared, the more he felt himself drawn into it.
For a moment, he stood motionless, transfixed. Then his focus shifted.
Before him, his teammates were pressing forward, while the opposition had withdrawn into their own half. Shun could see gaps others couldn’t—spaces waiting to be exploited.
But he couldn’t relay that information from where he stood, anchored as the last line of defense.
It didn’t frustrate him.
He was used to it.
Kubo, the architect of their buildup, charged ahead like a beast unleashed. He weaved through the opposing midfield, dancing past one challenger, then another.
The ball seemed fused to his feet.
The crowd gasped in unison, electrified by the spectacle. Just moments earlier, it had been the opponent’s number ten commanding their attention. Now, it was their own who seized the spotlight.
The tables had turned.
However, Hiro wasn’t even a bit anxious. He knew he wasn’t suited for defense. Hence, he didn’t even bother intercepting Kubo, who was charging at them like a mad hound on the loose.
Instead, he did what he knew best.
Utilizing his prowess, he scanned for an opening. He had studied Kubo and other opponents. He had memorized their attack pattern.
He could tell Kubo wouldn’t rush in for a goal.
For sure, he would pass the ball when he came up against the wall. Well, considering their Iron Dome-like defense, even he would struggle if he attempted to break in.
Hence, he didn’t panic.
He looked around while retreating.
’Two on the flanks, one in the middle, the full-back charging from the flanks.’
Hiro spotted several figures as he scanned the field. Most of the opponents were gathered in the midfield. Hence, one might think the attack would come from the center.
However, a few figures were lurching in the blind spot.
Hiro took their positions into account before coming to a decision.
Kubo, having charged almost to the attacking third, slowed down as he found himself surrounded. He rolled his pupils searching for his teammate. However, found it difficult to weave a pass through this tight-knit encirclement.
His breathing came in irregular intervals as he struggled to look for an opening.
The opponents didn’t rush in to intercept him either. Instead, these people kept their distance from him, just enough to make him lose his cool.
He jerked as he tried a faint.
However, the opponent refused to budge.
Kubo stared at his opponent, blocking his path. The opponent, too, stared back at him. He could see through his gaze that he wasn’t willing to back down without a fight.
This made him a bit flustered, and he couldn’t help but bite his lips.
Once again, he leafed over the ball, attempting to get through him. However, the opponent didn’t flinch. He followed him, keeping himself fixed on him.
Unable to get through this mountain of a man, he was forced to make a pass.
He tossed the ball back to one of his teammates.
Then he proceeded to cut inside.
Expecting a pass, he positioned himself behind the opposing defenders.
His teammate returned the pass.
This left him with two options: either to attempt a shot himself or to make a pass again. However, attempting a shot from such an angle seemed rather boisterous. Even breaking through this tight-knit formation seemed difficult.
However, having calculated his moves, he opted for the second option.
He went for a pass.
The opponent pressed him as soon as he got the ball.
Kubo didn’t waste a second and went for the pass. He was inside the opposing box, just at the edge of the rectangular box.
There were three defenders present before him, guarding the post. Meanwhile, the fourth defender was closing on him from behind.
In an attempt to trick the opposing defender, he flicked the ball with the back of his heel, sending the ball to the flanks where the left-back of his team had been lurching.
The flick was audacious.
Had he mistimed his touch, the ball would have just gone out of bounds.
The crowd gasped at his majestic touch, their pupils expanding. Clutching onto their seat, the crowd watched the ball roll.
For a brief moment, a rather eerie silence fell upon the stadium.
Then a collective gasp echoed, one filled with awe and the next with gloom.
Before the ball could even find its mark, Hiro’s figure darted into their vision. Even the opposing left-back couldn’t hide his surprise.
Where did he come from?