Chapter 428 Kawasaki vs Kobe III


    ??As he noticed the iing attack, Naoto''s heart raced. That iing attack made him quite tense. The ball had been so far up the field just moments ago, and now Tominaga Nijichi was charging straight toward him with terrifying speed.


    It was totally out of his expectations.


    His eyes became frantic as he looked at the iing attacker and the ball. Hardly anyone on his team could stop Tominaga from advancing.


    The sudden charge from the opposing side had caught him off-guard which had startled him. But he couldn''t afford to be anxious. So, he tried to steady his breath as he swept his gaze in front of him. It was his responsibility to alert his teammates of possible danger.


    "Mark him! Don''t let him through!" Naoto barked, his voice carrying over the roar of the crowd.


    His teammates were scrambling to fall back into position, but the threat was imminent. So, he raced his mind as he tried to assess the situation.


    "Hold your line! Stay tight!" he yelled, his voice a mix of urgency and authority.


    After getting past almost the entirety of the opposing defense, Tominaga found himself in front of Kazuki, the stalwart center-back of Kawasaki. Known for his powerful tackles and calm under pressure, he was the foundation of their defense.


    And, even he was aware that it won''t be easy to get past him. Yet still, he had to at least try. He couldn''t afford to waste any time. While making his run, asionally he had been keeping tabs on the iing ball, so that he wouldn''t lose track of it.


    But now as he found himself in front of Kazuki, it made him slightly anxious. The feeling of urgency gripped him as he turned to look at the descending ball.


    If not for his early start, he wouldn''t even have made it this far.


    However despite his impable timing, if he couldn''t get past Kazuki then all his efforts woulde to naught. So, he tried to force his way through Kazuki. But Kazuki was as sturdy as a mountain and as tenacious as chewing gum stuck in hair— he just wouldn''t let him through.


    From the midfield, alongside Asahi, Ayato, a really agile midfielder, with quick feet was rushing onto Tominaga. And, it seemed like it''d only be a matter of seconds before he''d reach him.


    Naoto''s voice cut through the chaos. "Watch the runners! Kazuki, don''t dive in! Ayato, cover the right!"


    At this moment, the stadium''s energy was electric. Fans from both sides were on their feet, their collective gasps and cheers were creating a thunderous backdrop to the unfolding drama on the pitch.


    This moment however was making the president of both teams quite anxious. With concern etched on their faces, they watched with bated breaths.


    Tominaga couldn''t dy any further, so he jumped as high as he could to reach the ball. He had to time his jump perfectly or else he''d miss it. The stakes were high, but he had to take the risk.


    Due to his heavy build, Kazuki was well aware that he wouldn''t be a match to Tominaga if he were topete for the aerial ball. So, he had to try to limit Tominaga''s jump instead for an opportunity to win the ball.


    But he couldn''t make visible contact either or the referee would dere a foul against him. So, he had to keep physical contact at a minimum while at the same time, he had to dy Tominaga''s jump. It wasn''t an easy task, but he had to take the risk.


    So, he tried to limit Tominaga''s jump as much as he could by desperately clinging onto him.


    However, despite Kazuki''s best efforts, Tominaga still managed to reach the ball. He wasn''t just agile, but he was also sturdy.


    Though he managed to reach the ball, he couldn''t keep the ball. He had to let go of it if he didn''t want to lose possession of the ball. So, he flicked it hard and headed it to the right.


    Almost nobody was present there at the moment. Or so almost everyone had the impression until they saw the emergence of Ryuji.


    Though not as agile as Tominaga, he was equally impressive. And even though he had been behind until a moment ago, right now he was one-on-one with the keeper.


    Ryuji possessed one unique talent called Instant Burst. It was almost simr to the skill Lightning Steps Hiro possessed. Except it was a talent and not a skill. But it had its ws too. Its toll on the body was huge.


    If people required mana to use their abilities then it''d be an ability that''d be heavy on mana; meaning it''d deplete the mana reserve of a person in a moment.


    But if used wisely and sparingly, it''de in handy.Which Ryuji had mastered.


    He knew when and where to use this talent of his. He could have used it from the get-go to get to the ball before anyone else. But if he did so then he''d attract attention from the opposing yers which would lead to him getting blocked and targeted.


    But if he remained incognito and used it when people paid the least attention to him then he''d catch them off-guard. Which is what he was doing right now.


    He bided his time and waited for the opportunity to disy his abilities to his best. So that he could make full use of his talent.


    Part of the reason why he could use his talent so wlessly was due to the presence of Nijichi in the team. If he didn''t shine and garner the attention, then he wouldn''t have such a perfect opportunity to disy his talents.


    For that reason, he was rather grateful to Tominaga.


    Ryuji then easily took hold of the ball. Despite that Naoto quickly positioned himself. It might have been a surprise for others but he couldn''t afford to get surprised like others.


    Immediately, he positioned himself to face Ryuji.


    Without wasting any time, Ryuji unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the box.