Chapter 72: Shattering their core
[3rd POV]
Once the ball began its descent, it was clear that it was heading for Hiori.
The cyan haired boy, stood alone in the left part of the penalty area, the less crowded, yet currently more dangerous territory.
The closest person to him was none other than Jude.
Jude rushed to stop him. But he was one step too late, Hiori already cleanly trapped the ball with his chest.
The only thing Jude could do was get in his way and stop him from shooting, but this left an angle open. This slight angle was enough for Hiori. He knew how to take advantage of it.
For the first time since he joined Blue Lock, Hiori felt his heartbeat speed up abnormally. His mind raced like never before in a football match.
For an instant, he could feel as if the whole field was in his grasp.
He faked a power shot to get Jude to stand in between him and the goal, before suddenly switching the ball to his left leg and whipping a strong and precise cross.
His cross was so executed so fast that even Miyata believed it was an error, a simple mistake he would've made under the stress of the situation. It was impossible to pass the ball accurately in such a situation? The best he could do would be to clear it away.
Less than a few seconds later, he understood how wrong he was.
He was standing a few meters away from the penalty area, giving him a clear vision of every action happening on the field. He had a first-class seat to watch as Karasu jumped ahead of 3 defenders — including Yanagi — before trapping the surreal cross and slamming the ball into the net with his left foot.
1-2.
The game was now in Team V's favor.
Less than 10 minutes after the beginning of the second half, Karasu was able to score his second goal of the game.
His first instinct after scoring wasn't celebrating like the rest of his teammates.
He was far too used to seeing the defeated looks on the opponents face after he scored. It was part of why he enjoyed being a striker. He knew exactly how to break a player, and as such he could also tell if someone was close to the breaking point or showed any sign of weakness.
Yet, a slight look around the field was enough for him to tell that this goal wasn't worth celebrating.
Team X was far from broken.
Karasu's wish was still far from completion, he won't rest before seeing the much awaited look of defeat and despair on Team X's face.
Akira and Yanagi were the most vocal about their displeasure, it usually would've looked like a sign. But Karasu immediately noticed that although they both complained, they were the first to get back into their positions.
It wasn't the look of someone wanting to give up. It was the opposite. They were ready to punch back.
It was clear to him that scoring alone wouldn't be enough to break Team X. A one-goal lead wasn't much. He was almost disappointed in his own teammates for celebrating it.
What he needed to do instead was break them from the inside. Once their core is shattered, they won't be able to stand back up.
As for who their core is? It was obviously Jude.
Jude was the one bringing them such blind hope. He was the reason why a losing score didn't mean much. They all had faith in him, even if they were currently losing, if someone could switch the tides of the game, it would be none other than him.
"Hiori, I will have to rely on you once more." Karasu whispered before beginning to explain his plan.
Jude and the rest were oblivious to those schemes. They simply walked back to their respective positions.
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[Jude's POV]
Akira was tasked with the kickoff this time.
'It's about time to use [excitement], but then I would only have 5 minutes to score...' I was lost in my thoughts.
I knew I had to score. The problem was how to use the cards I had in order to win. A single mistake and everything will be over. If I use my special weapon and fail to score then we will be at a massive disadvantage.
"Hey! Stop spacing out. The game resumed." Akira's pass woke me up from my daze.
With only one conviction left, I activated my special weapon — It was time for Team X to score.
Feeling more confident than ever before, I advanced, I pushed the ball forward and charged straight at Karasu. Miyata and Akira were supporting me from the side. The siblings also joined in.
We all moved in perfect synchronization. Yanagi stood in the rear, ready to support anyone who needed it.
This was the new formation Miyata came up with.
In this hyper-offensive formation, even the left and right backs were moved up, ready to sprint forward to open a new path if necessary.
Everything was orchestrated in order to allow me to play as freely as possible.
Karasu and Hiori noticed the sudden change in behavior. But they didn't pay it any attention. Or at least their actions didn't change. They didn't flinch nor take a step back.
Their goal was simple. Crush Jude. I knew that much. It was obvious from the way their eyes didn't leave me for a second, they didn't even bother looking at the ball.
I could read their thoughts, it was written all over their faces.
If they were able to stop me, then our seemingly flawless formation would crumble down like a house of cards in a gust of wind.
"What made you confident enough to face me on your own?" Karasu questioned with a smirk as I got right in his face.
He stood still in front of me, ready to follow me to the end of the world if necessary. He was going to stop me, that was his only thought.
"Who said I'd be facing you on my own?"
My answer puzzled him, but he soon understood the meaning of my words as I passed the ball back to Yanagi with a backheel pass and sprinted forward.
'I'm not suicidal enough to go one on one against someone whose overall almost reached 60.'
"Where do you think you're going, is the cheap copycat finally able to understand that he doesn't stand a chance against the original?" Karasu taunted as he followed me closely, leaving Yanagi unguarded and free to charge with the ball.
I was able to lure Karasu far enough for Yanagi to peacefully stroll up until their midfield.
"It's over for you." A defended proudly announced as he helped corner me.
As long as they stop me then everything else would be fine — or so they thought.
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[IMAGE]
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Author: I got inspirations here and there when reading fanfics in my free time, so I fixed some things in my writing style.
Give me your thoughts on the POV switch and the image at the end (I will try to add it at the end of every chapter, putting the image of the most relevant character of the chapter, as well as some ideas of what Jude might look like.)
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