NIKE -Blue Lock-

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"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. "
(Bible, Revelation 22:1-2)

For twelve days, turbulence reigned within the confines of Blue Lock.

Spirits were in chaos, the boys were restless, the master strikers even more so. The absence of the red-haired boy or, for those who knew, the girl named after victory, had sown disorder within the pentagon.

Conflicts among already discordant pairs had escalated, players in their growth phase had entered a stasis, and those at their peak fought with surprising difficulty to maintain their positions.

Ego was wearier than ever, his usually pallid complexion now marked with even more stress. Too many had come to his office, and he was sure that if he heard the surname Vinciguerra one more time, he would lose his mind completely.

All his plans were crumbling before his eyes: the egotists who had flourished under his guidance were regressing.

The absence of just one had thrown all the others into crisis. And it was ironic that this one was not the creator, but rather she who had been introduced as number 301.

In those days he saw who were the most subjugated by the redhead: those who, unconsciously, had already lost and been forced to their knees behind her.

Everywhere, in every stratum, in every team, in every group, egotists were losing control of their egos.

In Ubers: Oliver Aiku had nearly physically attacked the director after being denied for seven consecutive days the permission to search for the girl to ensure she was alright. He had completely lost control. It was Barou Shoei who stopped him, yet he too, heavily influenced, had reverted to his tyrannical and arrogant tendencies, which negatively impacted his teamwork.

In Manshine City: the usually relaxed and perpetually tired Nagi Seishiro had stopped sleeping, spending days and nights on his phone searching for any news, a video, a photo, or a simple mention of the girl. His lack of focus had led to a decline in his performance, to the point where even his talent was not enough to keep up.

In FC Barcha: the hyperactive and joyful temperament of Bachira Meguru had been suppressed, his foul mood exacerbated by the simultaneous disappearance of the enchantress and his own demon. Now, in his mind, there was nothing but profound silence.

In Paris X Gen: Charles, the youngest of the bunch, had lost his smile along with the only person who truly allowed him to make mistakes and grow on the field. Shidou, without the girl who could make him feel less alone in his madness and euphoria, had resumed quarreling with Rin. Their arguments were no longer mere banter or teasing, for the blond, for reasons unknown to both Ego and the green-haired player, kept blaming Rin. The boy did not known that his only fault was sharing blood with who Shidou considered the real culprit, his older brother Sae. Julian Loki, too young and too confused, was unable to control them as he usually did.

Not least, Bastard München, the team that had first reached the girl and was now crumbling the most. The entire team was in turmoil: a restless and worried Kunigami, still confused and torn between hate and love; a silent Kaiser, whose mind could not help but link the redhead's absence to his father; an irritable Raichi, agitated and scared by the girl's absence after having once seen her injured; and a less present, physically incapable Kurona. Even the master striker, Noel Noa, visited Ego every day, demanding countermeasures be taken.