Ethereal ✦ Blue Lock

25||Breaking point

Chapter 25: That Moment When You're Too Tired to Care, But Your Ego Won't Let You Stop

Song: My songs know what you did in the dark

Burn everything you love

Then burn the ashes

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Ryouta's POV:

Everyone on the field was drained, sweat dripping, breaths coming in heavy gasps. I was on the ground, my hands bracing my body, my head barely raised. The score had been tied at 4-4 for the last 30 minutes, and both teams were running on fumes, their powers nearly spent.

I forced my legs to stand.

I glanced around, Bachira was crouched low, eyes wide with that insane glint that meant he was already looking for his next move, while Chigiri was darting across the field, his legs a blur. I was focused, atleast I was trying to focus. In a way I never had been before. I couldn't help but feel a surge of something that was a little too familiar—this was the feeling of being on the edge.

The moment team white had tied the game, I knew it was coming. The final, decisive moment. The one goal that would seal the fate of this twisted game.

I clenched my fists, cracking my knuckles, my gaze locked onto Karasu. He was on the move, calculating, sharp. He wasn't just going to take a shot at the goal. No, Karasu didn't do anything without a plan. And as he dribbled past Chigiri, I could see it—the sharpness in his eyes.

"Here it comes," I muttered under my breath.

Bachira caught it, glancing over with a grin. "Focus, Ghosty! We're not out yet!"

I rolled my eyes, a smirk tugging at my lips as I pushed myself up. "If I focus any harder, I'll start seeing the future and predicting Karasu's next move—wait, I already can."

As if on cue, Karasu's eyes flicked toward Otoya, who was already positioning himself for the far post, ready to create a perfect distraction. It was a smart move. Too smart. But that was the thing with someone like Karasu—he never let a single opening slide by. And I knew that meant trouble.

The ball surged forward, and I could feel it. My entire body screamed get in position. The thought had barely formed in my mind before I was charging forward, my eyes locked on Karasu. 

He faked a shot, trying to get Chigiri to bite. I almost saw it coming, but instead of a clean strike, he made a sudden shift, twisting the ball away, moving it past both of us.

"Not this time, purple bird!" I shouted with a smirk, my mind clearing as the chaos of the field slowed, every movement syncing into one fluid picture.

Karasu faked the shot, and that's when I saw it—the opening. My body reacted before my mind could process, fast and precise.

With one swift step, I slid my foot under the ball, flicking it into the air. Just as Karasu shifted his weight to strike, I twisted, my foot coming down with perfect timing. The ball spun under my boot, and I pulled it off the ground in a smooth arc, sending it flying over Karasu's outstretched leg.

In one fluid motion, I turned, keeping the ball at my mercy, my body following the curve. Karasu's eyes flashed with disbelief as I dribbled it away, a sharp smile tugging at the corner of my mouth.

Otoya suddenly popped up in my path, like some kind of roadblock.

"Hahaha, fuck you!!" I cackled, barely holding back a maniacal laugh, before launching the ball high into the air. There was no one near it... or so they thought.