The score climbed to 3–1.
After watching the ball roll calmly into the net, Ryan Hoshino turned and strolled back toward his own half, completely at ease.
From his demeanor, no one would have guessed that just moments ago he had broken through a five-man encirclement and finished with a goal.
Along the way, the three players he had beaten looked like newborn deer, their legs trembling uncontrollably as they struggled to even stand.
Ryan felt absolutely nothing about it.
To him, they were no different from weeds by the roadside.
Because in Ryan's eyes, the outcome of this match had already been decided long ago.
Why bother caring about defeated opponents?
The world-star team did not even notice Ryan's expression. Right now, they were too busy relearning how to stand properly.
Ryan returned to Chigiri and the others.
He high-fived each of them.
"You did it, Ryan."
Chigiri looked at him happily, as if he himself had scored that goal.
"H-hey, Ryan, how did you even pull off that dribble just now? It was way too cool. Why did they all suddenly kneel like that?"
Bachira asked from the side, the curiosity in his eyes practically overflowing.
"Yeah. It was like subjects kneeling before an emperor. That was unbelievably stylish."
Aryu flicked his long hair and added calmly.
Since Bachira had asked, everyone else also wanted to know the answer.
They all looked at Ryan with eager expressions, hoping to hear the explanation from his own mouth.
Seeing them stare at him like curious children, Ryan did not intend to hide anything.
After all, even if they all knew about the Emperor's Eye, it was not like any of them could figure out a way to counter it.
This was the Emperor's Eye, a power that even Kagami Taiga in the Zone could not easily break through.
"My eyes can see the future."
The moment Ryan said that, everyone burst into exclamations.
All eyes immediately locked onto his red, vertically slit pupils that radiated authority.
"Seriously? Seeing the future? That's a superpower, isn't it? Ryan, are you going to tell us one day that you can fly too?"
"Seeing the future… I don't want to admit it, but this might be the most stylish thing I've ever witnessed."
"No wonder you felt completely different this match. So you awakened something that defies common sense?"
"Ryan, Ryan, did you see yourself becoming the world's number one striker in the future?"
Everyone started talking at once, but not a single person doubted the truth of what Ryan said.
First, Ryan had no reason to lie, nor would he bother to.
Second, with such an absurd ability on top of Ryan's own overwhelming strength, everything that had happened suddenly made perfect sense.
Seeing the atmosphere turn into something like a bustling market, Ryan cleared his throat.
The moment they heard him, everyone instantly quieted down.
"I call this ability the Emperor's Eye. I only awakened it during this match, so it's normal that you've never seen it before."
"And it's not really a superpower. I can't fly."
"I observe my opponents' muscles to predict their next movements. Every dribble and every defensive action is based on reading their intentions and reacting one step ahead."
"So, Bachira, I can't see what your future looks like or anything like that…"
After hearing Ryan's explanation, everyone felt a deep sense of shock at how terrifying the Emperor's Eye truly was.
Even if it was not literally seeing the future in the traditional sense, this kind of predictive vision on the pitch was more than enough to dominate everything.
Ryan's performance just now was the best possible proof.
"So then, Ryan, how exactly did you make them kneel like that? They couldn't even stand, like their legs were broken."
Bachira pressed on.
"In my eyes, every movement they make is already within my expectations. I just need to seize the right timing and destroy their center of gravity."
Ryan explained patiently.
After listening to Ryan's breakdown of the Emperor's Eye, Chigiri began carefully recalling and analyzing the situation from earlier.
If it had been me alone, facing all five world-star players, even with the Emperor's Eye… could I have done what Ryan did?
After serious consideration, the answer he arrived at was simple.
Impossible. Completely impossible.
Even if he could foresee the future, there was no way he could break through that kind of encirclement and still score.
Because between him and those world-class players lay an enormous gap.
Pure, raw strength.
That was something foresight alone could never make up for.
For Ryan, the Emperor's Eye was icing on the cake, not a lifeline in the snow.
Even before awakening the Emperor's Eye, Ryan could already go toe-to-toe with them, even overpower them at times.
After awakening it, the situation became a one-sided massacre.
So in the end, it wasn't the Emperor's Eye that was truly terrifying.
It was Ryan Hoshino himself.
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