As Chigiri watched the ball draw closer and closer, Silva stood in front of him like an immovable fortress.
What do I do now?
If he shot directly, it would definitely be blocked.
If he tried to dribble past using speed, he could get through, but there would be no shooting angle left afterward.
Without realizing it, Chigiri's eyes began to waver.
Cold sweat formed on his forehead, the droplets growing larger and falling one by one.
Silva noticed the growing panic in Chigiri's gaze and movements.
The corner of his mouth curled upward in disdain.
A kid is still a kid. Put him in a situation like this, and he panics immediately.
Just as Chigiri was cornered, trapped in a dead end and completely at a loss, a voice like that of a savior rang out beside him.
"Let it through."
The moment he heard that familiar voice, the unease in Chigiri's heart vanished instantly, like a drifting boat finally finding a harbor.
He understood Ryan Hoshino's intention at once.
Facing the rolling ball, Chigiri spread his legs, letting the ball slip through.
The football rolled toward Ryan, who had appeared there at some point without anyone noticing.
Silva immediately spotted Ryan's sudden appearance.
Seeing Chigiri's action, he understood Ryan's plan as well.
He lunged toward Ryan at once, trying to close him down.
But Ryan would not give him that chance.
As the ball rolled in, Ryan planted his right foot firmly on the right side of the ball.
His body leaned back slightly.
His left leg swung up, every muscle in his body tensing.
In that instant, he looked like a fully drawn bow.
The next moment, his left foot smashed into the ball.
BOOM!!!
The sound was like a cannon firing.
Even Aryu and Kunigami standing farther back heard it clearly.
At the instant of impact, the ball visibly dented inward before rocketing straight toward the goal.
Silva, who had been rushing in to block, changed his mind the moment he saw that terrifying shot.
If that hit him, it wouldn't just be a bruise or two.
At best, he'd be in the hospital for one or two months.
But it was already too late to dodge.
He had charged in too hard and couldn't stop his momentum.
All he could do was watch helplessly as the ball screamed toward him.
Silva twisted his body desperately, covering his vital areas.
He squeezed his eyes shut, praying that the cannonball would not hit him.
A sharp gust of wind tore past his ear, making it sting.
Then came the sound of the ball violently tearing through the net.
Silva slowly opened his eyes and patted himself down.
No pain.
The ball hadn't hit him.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and let out a long breath, feeling as though he had narrowly escaped death.
Yet the shock in his heart did not fade in the slightest.
That shot had to be close to 110 kilometers per hour… What a monster.
Turning his head, he saw the goalkeeper standing there like a scarecrow, frozen stiff, as if he hadn't even realized a ball had come his way.
The ball, still spinning from the tremendous impact, finally dropped to the ground.
Chigiri, as if completely used to goals like this, showed no surprise at all.
His face was filled only with unwavering trust.
He walked up to Ryan, smiling, and raised his hand.
"Good thing you were there. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have known what to do."
Ryan raised his hand as well, and they slapped palms.
"Hahaha. Of course. I heard your inner cry for help, so I rushed over to save you. So, how about it, aren't you grateful?"
Seeing Ryan's grin stretching almost to the sky, Chigiri smiled helplessly, like he was dealing with a child.
"Yeah, yeah. Thank you so much, Ryan-sama, for taking time out of your busy schedule to save me."
Ryan nodded in satisfaction and patted Chigiri on the shoulder.
"Mhm, mhm. From now on, whenever you run into trouble, just shout in your heart three times, 'Ryan-sama, please save me,' and I'll come right away."
The score now stood at 4–1.
The World Star Team, on the brink of defeat, made one last desperate push and managed to score another goal.
But Ryan gave them no chance to turn things around.
Like a storm cutting down reeds, he ended the match decisively.
As the final whistle blew, the match that no one had expected much from ended in a one-sided victory, with Ryan Hoshino single-handedly crushing the World Star Team.
Loki stared at the score on the big screen and let out a heavy sigh, as if finally accepting the cruel reality.
This was the first time he had ever lost so badly.
Still, it wasn't entirely a bad thing.
At least now he knew
There existed someone his own age who was stronger than him.
From this moment on, he would take surpassing Ryan Hoshino as his goal and continue moving forward.
Loki walked slowly up to Ryan and extended his hand.
"Ryan… I used to believe that no one my age could be stronger than me. But today, I met you and I realized how wrong I was. Completely wrong.
"You're strong. Stronger than me. Stronger than any peer I've ever seen. But I won't give up. Next time, I will defeat you. I will step over your body and become the world's number one striker."
Hearing those words, Ryan let out a laugh filled with absolute confidence
a laugh that placed no one else in his eyes.
"If you think you can do it, then try."
"But let me tell you something in advance. That will never happen. Not now. Not ever."
"You'd better choose a different goal."
"Because "
"I am the strongest."
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