Seeing Ryan Hoshino dodge his sliding tackle, Loki did not give up.
Instead, he exploded back to his feet with astonishing speed, a movement that demanded terrifying core strength, and then burst forward with acceleration far beyond what he had shown when he blew past Chigiri and the others earlier.
Ryan avoided the tackle and continued dribbling forward.
Yet the other four players of the World Select Team did not rush in to cover.
Instead, they deliberately opened up a path, almost as if they were letting Ryan through.
"Chigiri, why aren't they defending Ryan? Do they think they can't stop him?"
Kunigami asked in confusion, standing behind him.
"Look carefully, Kunigami," Chigiri replied calmly.
"It's not that they don't want to defend him. It's that this duel is no longer something they can interfere with."
"A duel? What do you mean?"
"Look at Loki chasing Ryan from behind. The pitch has already become a battlefield belonging only to those two. Until one of them wins, this won't end."
Indeed, when Ryan carried the ball past midfield, Silva and the others initially intended to move in and help defend.
They believed that no matter how talented Ryan was, there was no way he could break through several battle-hardened professionals working together and still score.
But after witnessing the clash between Ryan and Loki earlier, they realized they could no longer treat this so-called unknown kid lightly.
They were ready to focus fully and crush Ryan's momentum, to remind him of the gap between them.
After all, if they kept letting him score right in front of them, where would their pride as professionals go?
However, the moment they saw the look in Loki's eyes as he chased Ryan, they all changed their minds.
"That expression… that's beyond just being serious, isn't it?"
Cavasoz muttered in his half-asleep voice.
"Yeah. It's the first time I've ever seen Loki look like that," Luna said coolly.
"It seems he's truly treating Ryan as a rival."
"You haven't played that many matches with Loki either, have you?"
Silva snapped sourly, clearly displeased after being beaten by Ryan earlier.
The three ignored Silva's bitterness. Instead, they completely cleared the backfield, leaving a wide stage for the two youngsters.
At this point, someone might ask:
Aren't these four professional players? Why would they act so unprofessionally, refusing to defend and essentially giving up?
That question makes sense.
But to them, this match was nothing more than a paid side job during their free time.
Their opponents were mostly underage players. No matter how you looked at it, it was hard for them to take it truly seriously.
Only someone like Ryan, whose ability far exceeded his age, was worthy of their full attention.
And now, with Loki in that state, it was clear he wanted to deal with Ryan alone.
They were more than happy to step aside.
After all, this wasn't a league match or a major tournament.
Meanwhile, Ryan felt his vision expanding to an unbelievable degree.
It was even clearer than when he borrowed Rin's field of vision.
Combined with those almost prophetic scenes from moments ago, Ryan finally understood.
It was the intense, never-before-experienced pressure from facing a truly powerful opponent one-on-one, someone like Loki, that had opened the door representing Akashi Seijuro's power.
Ryan had awakened a new ability.
Not only did he now possess overwhelming vision, he could also glimpse the future.
[The Emperor's Eye.]
If anyone looked closely at Ryan's eyes now, they would notice a ring of crimson light revolving around his pupils.
Paired with his naturally red irises, it radiated an oppressive, imperial aura.
An aura that made people instinctively want to kneel and submit.
Realizing he had gained a new power, Ryan felt like a child who had just received a brand-new toy.
He wanted to test it immediately.
Noticing that Luna and the others had deliberately avoided him, Ryan shifted his attention to Loki, who was still chasing relentlessly from behind.
Under Loki's explosive acceleration, he couldn't immediately catch up to Ryan, but the distance between them was steadily shrinking.
This did not mean Loki was faster than Ryan.
It was simply that Ryan, thrilled by the awakening of the Emperor's Eye, had subconsciously slowed down a little.
And more importantly, Ryan no longer wanted to play a simple game of chase.
So he deliberately reduced his speed, allowing Loki to catch up.
Ryan looked at Loki as he blocked his path.
"…Seriously, I really hate people who cling like this.
But it's my first time being chased by a dark-skinned guy, so I guess you could call it exotic charm. Fine, I'll forgive you this time. But be more careful next time, okay?"
Hearing Ryan's frivolous, outrageous words, Loki felt a flicker of irritation, but his tone remained calm.
"You really are lighthearted. But don't think you can win just by talking. If you're capable, then get past me."
"Oh? Is that a confession? Foreigners really do confess in strange ways.
It's my first time hearing something like that… how embarrassing."
Loki ignored Ryan's nonsense and locked his gaze onto him.
But the moment their eyes met, a chilling sensation crawled up Loki's spine.
What is this feeling?
Why do his eyes give me this kind of pressure…
He didn't have this before.
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