Chapter 96: The Assassin and the Weakness
"Shh. Every cell in my body explodes just to score goals..."
Shidou placed his index finger over his lips, lost in his own euphoria.
Then he started laughing maniacally.
"Kekeke... Hehehe... Heh heh heh..."
Seeing this, Kira, who had initially stepped forward to celebrate, unconsciously took half a step back.
'Yeah. Better keep some distance.'
'His mental state doesn't look very stable.'
"Tch... Defense and organization are both second-rate."
Tabito Karasu scratched his head as he analyzed Shidou's performance.
"But he maximizes his ability to snatch points in front of the goal with that physique."
"Alright, alright. Data input complete. I pretty much understand this Tentacle Freak."
Karasu's deep eyes seemed to have already seen through Shidou's tricks. "Next up, it's time to output."
The match continued.
Team B kickoff.
After the whistle, Rin passed the ball directly to Karasu.
Karasu dribbled two steps, his gaze constantly darting around the field. It looked like he was observing his teammates' positions, searching for a passing lane.
Isagi absorbed it all.
'An opportunity!'
'Steal the ball while his focus is elsewhere!'
Isagi lunged forward, extending his foot to tackle!
"Hmm?"
Karasu pulled the ball to his side, and Isagi's tackle hit nothing but air.
Isagi cursed internally. 'This guy... he looked distracted, but was that a trap?'
'Did he bait me?'
"Idiot. Sorry, but my principle is: never fight a battle I'm not sure I can win..." With that, Karasu accelerated, preparing to shake Isagi off.
But Isagi wasn't the weak defender he used to be. Even after missing the first tackle, he managed to turn his body and just barely keep up.
At this close range, Isagi noticed something.
'Karasu had a mole under his eye, just like Kira.'
'Eh? Wait, why am I thinking about that right now?'
Sometimes, having observation skills that were too detailed was a curse. It led to information overload.
Commonly known as cognitive overload.
In that split second, Isagi's brain had wandered off.
"Yoichi Isagi. You seem to be Team A's weakness..."
"You can inspire your teammates, a support type player. But in 1v1 combat, you are utterly trash."
"That's the conclusion I reached after watching your VAR footage last night."
Karasu's words yanked Isagi back to the match.
Isagi realized his feet couldn't keep up with Karasu's pace anymore.
"What are you guys chatting about so happily? Count me in."
Shidou burst out from the side, intending to pincer Karasu with Isagi.
"Oh?"
Seeing Shidou approaching, Karasu immediately raised his leg as if preparing for a long pass.
"Don't even think about passing!"
Shidou extended his leg to block the passing lane.
"No... it's a feint!"
Isagi realized it a second too late.
Karasu's raised right foot suddenly, sharply, knocked the ball to his left with his heel. His left foot, which was supposed to be the pivot, immediately pushed off to accelerate.
In an instant, he dribbled through the gap between the two of them.
One move to beat two players!
"Whoa, nice," Shidou praised.
It was similar to the fake-shot trap Kira had used earlier.
Isagi marveled at Karasu's overwhelming feint technique.
'Is this what a Number Four can do?'
After shaking off both of them, Karasu fired a powerful shot.
The ball flew into the net!
1-1.
Tie game.
"Hey, Kira. Since when did you become so clingy..."
Rin looked at Kira, who had been shadowing him closely, with annoyance.
"The other players on your team just got scored on, and you're still staring at me."
Kira looked completely unbothered.
"As long as you don't perform, I can easily crush whoever scores on your side."
"Tch... arrogant."
After scoring, Karasu turned back and looked at Isagi arrogantly. "I will ruthlessly poke at your team's weakness until it becomes a fatal wound."
'Dammit! I can't do anything against this guy.'
Sweat poured down Isagi's forehead. The pressure Karasu exerted was suffocating.
"Ah, not bad, Little Crow!" Shidou cheered.
'Why is this guy cheering for the opponent?' Kira didn't even know what to say.
Kira glanced back at Isagi. Isagi looked grim.
'Looks like he hasn't found a solution yet.'
'Should I give him a hint?'
Kira stopped moving toward him.
Because he saw Yo Hiori already approaching Isagi.
'Nice.'
'Ultra Sadist really is Isagi's guardian angel.'
"The Assassin, Tabito Karasu. He's a player who relies on keen analytical skills to lock onto the opponent's weak link."
Isagi looked up as Hiori walked up to him.
"Then, he concentrates all his power to attack that link until the game ends. That is Karasu's football."
"You've been targeted, Isagi."
Hiori laid it out simply.
"You know him?"
Isagi was confused. Hiori sounded like this wasn't his first time playing against Karasu.
"Yeah. We played together in a youth team in Kansai."
"The only advice I can give you is..."
"Ignore how he attacks your weaknesses. Use your strengths to compete against him." Hiori offered his insight.
Isagi nodded. "Thanks, Hiori."
At the same time, he started thinking.
'My strengths are Spatial Awareness, Off the Ball Movement, and Direct Shot.'
'How can I utilize them?'
"Beep! Match resumes. Team A kickoff."
"Hey, Kira-chan! Get excited! The match is getting interesting. Your face is too cold."
"Get hyped! Get hyped!"
Shidou looked like a pervert.
Kira was speechless. This guy had zero class.
'Look at me and Rin. Maintaining a poker face is what experts do.'
'You look like a lunatic!'
Although he thought that, Kira honestly passed the ball to him. After all, Shidou was the most 'explosive' player on their side right now.
"Kira-chan, let's play a combo." After receiving the ball, Shidou winked.
Kira instantly understood his meaning and started to follow up.
Karasu was only staring at Isagi, completely ignoring Kira and Shidou's attack.
Saramadara and Shiguma rushed to cover.
Short pass give-and-go!
The ball moved back and forth between Shidou and Kira's feet. In an instant, they bypassed the two defenders.
"Oh my, my two teammates are useless." Karasu sighed helplessly. He could only hope his fellow Top 6 teammate could stop this attack.
The ball was now at Kira's feet.
Rin had arrived to cover.
"I won't let you pass this time."
Rin's icy eyes revealed his extreme seriousness.
"Kira-chan, over here! That Top 3 is hard to deal with."
Shidou called for the ball, moving forward from the flank.
"Get lost, Tentacle Freak. Don't even think about receiving the ball." Chigiri had appeared beside Shidou without anyone noticing.
Both of them ran to Kira's front right.
Kira's choice was... a surprise attack!
Direct shot!
Boom!
The ball took a bizarre trajectory, flying precisely between Rin and Shidou.
The robot goalkeeper reacted a beat too slow, as if it hadn't seen Kira kick the ball.
The ball flew into the net.
Team A took the lead again.
2-1.
Behind them, Isagi carefully replayed Kira's shot in his mind.
'That guy... he used Shidou's movement to screen the keeper.'
'Shooting from the keeper's blind spot?'
'So... so strong.'
'Kira is seriously on another level right now.'
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