Chapter 60: No One Can Stop Me—Not Even You, Kira!
"Don't let them push any further!"
Raichi Jingo immediately pressed forward, ready to intercept Mikage Reo. He had no intention of letting Reo continue dribbling—
But before he even got close, Reo had already sent the ball to Nagi Seishiro.
This attack belonged entirely to Nagi.
He was the true centerpiece this time.
"Not getting through!"
Asahi Naruhaya dashed in front of Nagi with everything he had. Even though he was inferior in size, speed, and technique—completely inferior, really—these past matches had hardened him. Standing before a monster like Nagi, he refused to retreat even a single inch.
Nagi's face showed no emotion, but the way he cut through space felt like a wild beast hurtling forward, ready to swallow the much smaller Naruhaya whole.
And even so, Naruhaya stood his ground.
"I can steal this… I can!"
He focused intensely on Nagi's footwork, searching for any sign of rhythm, any predictable pattern—
Just then, Nagi suddenly accelerated, forcing Naruhaya's balance backward—
"That move… is that the thing Kira used earlier?"
In an instant, Nagi stepped on the ball, dragging it back in the opposite direction.
"Kira's dribbling technique…?!"
Naruhaya wanted to recover, but his center of gravity was completely disrupted. His feet tangled beneath him, and he fell backward, helpless.
This was Nagi's frightening natural talent—an absolute domain ordinary players could chase their whole lives and still never reach.
"Stop him!"
The remaining defenders surged forward, trying to surround Nagi. But Nagi calmly sent the ball sideways to Reo, who had cut forward at the perfect timing.
"It's Reo?"
"No—wrong!"
Isagi Yoichi, charging in for support, instantly noticed something off. His expression shifted and he sprinted toward Nagi instead.
But he was still a step too late.
This was a classic wall pass—one-two combination!
Just as the ball left Reo's foot, Nagi burst forward like an arrow. While every defender's attention followed Reo, Nagi was already moving into the perfect receiving position.
And Reo, without hesitation, lobbed the ball back into the air.
The pass curved through the air in a dramatic arc—one that most players would never be able to reach, let alone control.
But Nagi was anything but normal.
With a sudden leap, he seemed to pull the ball into his orbit like a gravitational anomaly. The moment it touched his foot, he adjusted midair—
—Shoot!
The ball rocketed into the net.
Goal.
3–2!
The point difference shrank instantly.
"Damn it!"
Gagamaru fell to his knees, pounding the turf. Meanwhile, Reo wore a triumphant grin, turning toward the fallen Naruhaya.
"See that? That's the gulf between the ordinary and the gifted! You never stood a chance! The first half was just our warm-up. In the second half, you'll learn what real difference looks like!"
Naruhaya stayed silent. He hated the reality, but he couldn't deny it.
That gulf—the one between talent and no talent—felt impossibly wide.
Team V was still trailing by one. But Nagi's goal had revitalized them, reigniting a fire that had nearly gone out. If things continued like this, a comeback was genuinely possible.
At that moment, a pair of hands pulled Naruhaya up.
"Why are you acting like you're the ones winning?"
Kira Ryosuke, returning to the backfield, glanced calmly at the still-smirking Reo.
"And that goal just now had nothing to do with you, right? It was all Nagi from start to finish. What exactly did you contribute? Anyone else could've filled your role."
Kira's tone was so calm it cut even deeper.
Naruhaya couldn't help cheering internally.
"You bastard, what did you just say?!"
"Isn't that the truth? You've been riding on Nagi the whole match. Beyond that, you're basically useless."
"You little—!"
Reo snapped, shoving Kira hard, clearly ready to start a fight—
But pushing Kira felt like pushing a mountain. Kira didn't even sway.
Reo, instead, nearly lost his balance and stumbled.
"Yellow card warning!"
The broadcast blared immediately. Teammates rushed in to hold Reo back, forcing him to cool down.
Whenever it came to Nagi, Reo's temper exploded almost automatically.
"Enjoy your trash talk while you can, Kira. We've locked you down completely. You can't do anything, while no one on your team can stop Nagi. We'll overturn the score soon!"
Reo laughed arrogantly, as if victory were already secured.
Kira narrowed his eyes slightly and replied in a faint, icy tone:
"Is that so? Then try it. From this moment on, your Team V won't score a single goal."
It echoed exactly what Niko said to Kira during the match against Team Y.
And just like Niko, Reo was about to repeat history.
"You…!"
For a brief second, an inexplicable chill ran down Reo's spine.
Standing in front of him, Kira felt less like a person and more like a waking monster—one quietly choosing its prey.
Reo said nothing more and reluctantly retreated to his half.
Kira patted Naruhaya's shoulder.
"You defended well."
"But I… I still—"
"Keep it up. Get ready—our turn's coming. The victory belongs to Team Z."
Kira wasn't trying to comfort him.
He was stating a fact. A future already decided.
"Yeah!"
After a moment of silence, Naruhaya nodded with renewed determination.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the pitch, Nagi watched the interaction, confused.
To him, this match wouldn't end in defeat.
The match was about talent—and in Team Z, the only one with true talent was Kira.
So why… why did Kira care so much about those without talent?
Strange.
Nagi couldn't understand.
But he decided he'd ask Kira after the match.
Of course—only if he won.
Soon after, Team Z launched another attack. As before, Kurona Gin and the defenders threw themselves at Kira like sacrificial pieces—blocking every passing lane, every cut, every possible route he could take.
All responsibility for the counterattack rested on Nagi once again.
Team Z passed the ball around multiple times, searching for an opening. But there was no suitable shooting opportunity—
And Nagi seized his chance.
With his outrageous technique and physical control, he intercepted a pass cleanly.
Team V began their counterattack once more!