Passing through that heavy, blast-proof alloy door, the scene that met their eyes made everyone gasp.
If Blue Lock’s previous facilities felt like a high-tech concentration camp, then this place—the exclusive zone belonging to Germany’s Bastard München—was practically a futuristic steel fortress.
“So this is…
the German team’s environment?” Isagi Yoichi’s eyes widened, struck speechless by the visual impact before him.
And standing in the center of that open space filled with flowing streams of data were two people.
One of them was none other than the current world number one striker—Noel Noa.
He was looking down at a tablet in his hands, seemingly devoid of any interest in the arrival of this batch of newcomers.
Yet the figure standing behind Noa made Isagi’s heart contract violently.
It was a tall figure boasting signature orange hair.
“That back is…” Isagi’s voice trembled slightly as he took a step forward on instinct.
“Kunigami?”
Hearing his name, the person slowly turned around.
In that instant, Isagi felt as though he were being glared at by a wild beast.
The Kunigami Rensuke of the past—the one always overflowing with a sense of justice, talking about becoming a football superhero—was gone.
In his place was a face shrouded in gloom, eyes deeply sunken, without a single trace of light in his pupils, leaving only endless void and violence.
Isagi opened his mouth, just about to raise a hand to greet him, only for his movements to be forcefully checked by Kunigami’s gaze.
“Heh, looks like that ‘Wild Card’ washed everyone’s brains clean.”
Rin Kazuki walked leisurely to Isagi’s side with both hands in his pockets, sized up the current Kunigami with great interest, the smile at the corners of his lips growing deeper.
“Compared to that hot-blooded idiot who used to spout righteous slogans all day, he looks a bit more palatable now.
Has a bit of an ‘egoist’ flavor to him.”
At this moment, Noa finally raised his head, those unbothered eyes sweeping across everyone present.
“Since you’re here, let’s begin.”
Without any pleasantries, Noa pointed straight toward the massive tunnel extending all the way to the end of their sight behind him.
The walls on both sides of the tunnel were composed of holographic screens, while the floor was made of a special pressure-sensing material.
“This is the testing ground we will be using—the ‘High-Dimensional Data Tunnel’.”
As Noa’s words fell, the tunnel instantly lit up, countless red laser lines and holographic obstacles appearing out of thin air, filling the entire space with a cyberpunk, surreal color palette.
“Whoa!
Th-This is practically like shooting a sci-fi movie!” Igarashi Gurimu clutched his bald head, his eyes bulging so hard they were practically popping out.
“Is this the training ground of a world-class club?
Incredible!
This is straight-up cyber sports!”
“Shut up, baldy.” Raichi Jingo swore under his breath, though his eyes were equally filled with shock.
“This thing looks like it won’t be easy to deal with.”
Noa paid no mind to the group’s exclamations, speaking only coldly:
“Here, everything is data.
I do not believe in slogans, nor do I believe in miracles; I only believe in the numbers you display when passing through this tunnel.
Speed, explosive power, sense of balance, ball touch…
these are Bastard München’s selection standards.”
Having said that, Noa glanced at the precision wristwatch on his wrist, turning around to walk toward the control console.
“I’ll be waiting for you at the finish line.
Don’t make me wait too long; the only destination for garbage data is the trash can.”
With Noa’s departure, the atmosphere didn’t lighten up; instead, it grew even heavier.
Because everyone realized that on the tunnel’s starting line, apart from their group of Blue Lock members, another group of people was standing there.
It was a group of white youths dressed in Bastard München’s black-and-red training uniforms.
Every single one of them was tall and built, their muscle lines smooth, their expressions carrying blatant arrogance.
“Hmph, so these are the Japanese from that ‘Blue Lock’ thing?” A German player with slicked-back blonde hair cast a contemptuous glance at Isagi and the others, mocking them in German to his teammates nearby.
“They look as thin as monkeys.
Can they really play football with that kind of physique?”
“Don’t say that, I heard they’re pretty famous in Japan,” another German player shrugged, his eyes full of playful banter.
“Though to us, it’s probably just playing house.”
Even without understanding the specific German words, that naked contempt crossed the language barrier completely.
“Ha?
What are these bastards spouting?” The blue veins on Raichi Jingo’s forehead bulged, his shark teeth grinding with crisp snaps.
“That look really pisses me off!
We gotta go head-to-head with these German guys right off the bat?
Fine by me!
I’ll crush every last one of them!”
Gagamaru Gin casually crouched down to retie his shoelaces, his eyes wildly feral: “Doesn’t matter if they’re Germans or aliens, just take ’em out.”
Just as the tension between both sides reached a boiling point, Isagi took a deep breath, deciding to walk toward that tall figure who had remained silent all this time.
That was his friend, a comrade who had fought side by side with him.
He didn’t believe Kunigami had truly changed completely.
“Kunigami…”
Isagi walked up to Kunigami, his tone sincere and filled with joy.
“I really had no idea there was a Wild Card match.
But…
welcome back, hero!”
He extended his fist, wanting to bump fists with Kunigami just like old times.
“You were the one who won your way out, I’m really happy.
I don’t know what you went through, but we can fight together again—this is awesome!”
The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
Rensuke Kunigami did not extend his fist.
He merely turned his head slightly, those eyes looking down at Isagi coldly.
“Save it.”
Kunigami’s voice was deep and low.
“I’m no longer some hero.”
“Eh?” Isagi froze.
“That naive, stupid talk—I abandoned it all in hell.”
“Prepare yourself, Isagi.”
The muscles on Kunigami’s body pulled taut, radiating a suffocating pressure.
“The one who will become number one in the world is me, Rensuke Kunigami.
Even if I have to trample all of you beneath my feet.”
Isagi stood frozen in place, his extended hand stiffening in midair.
He could feel that Kunigami wasn’t joking.
That upright, sunny superhero of the past was truly dead.
“Once certain things break, they can never be pieced back together.”
Kazuki stood behind Isagi at some point, patting his shoulder with a hint of amusement in his tone.
“Don’t make that abandoned puppy face, Isagi.
This is the law of hell.
Rather than catching up on old times, what you should be worrying about right now is…”
Kazuki raised his head, looking toward the massive electronic screen ahead.
The bright red countdown numbers on it were ticking down at lightning speed.
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“…not getting left too far behind by that ‘dead man’ and these arrogant German guys.”
*BEEEP—!!!*
A piercing electronic whistle instantly echoed through the entire hall.
Without any buffer, everyone burst forth like arrows shot from a bow!
First Stage: 100-Meter Sprint!
The LED light strips on the floor lit up rapidly beneath everyone’s footsteps.
The German U-20 players displayed astonishing explosive power, the slicked-back blonde guy taking the lead and instantly pulling away right at the start.
“Is this the physical condition of Europeans?!” Raichi Jingo gritted his teeth and pumped his arms wildly, only to find that the physical strength he took pride in couldn’t gain an advantage here.
Immediately following was the Second Stage: 30-Degree Incline Sprint!
The originally flat ground suddenly rose, transforming into a fifty-meter-long steep slope.
The pull of gravity instantly doubled, presenting a massive test for core strength and leg power.
“Ugh…” Isagi felt a wave of soreness in his thigh muscles, his breathing turning ragged.
On flat ground he could barely keep up, but once on an incline, the gap in basic physical condition was exposed plain for all to see.
Those German players were like untiring machines, their speed not dropping in the slightest as they charged up the slope with steady strides.
“Haha!
Look, the Japanese monkeys are slowing down!” The German player ahead mocked.
By now, most of the Blue Lock members were already two to three body lengths behind the German players.
Except for two people.
An orange-and-black figure roared upward like a heavy tank—that was Rensuke Kunigami!
The steel physique he forged in that hellish special training exploded with terrifying power at this moment, biting down hard on the tail of the first German pack, even showing signs of overtaking them.
And as for the other person…
“Hey hey, you German guys, isn’t this way too slow?
It’s like taking a stroll in the park.”
A playful voice suddenly rang out beside the ear of that leading blonde German player.
“Wh—?!”
That German turned his head in horror, only to see a streak of black lightning brush past him in an instant!
It was Rin Kazuki!
He was practically running on flat ground on a steep incline like this, every step planted as if to shatter the floor, the resulting reaction force propelling his body forward like a cannonball.
No fancy techniques were used—just purely dimensional-shattering physical condition!
“H-How is that possible?!” The German players’ eyes widened in disbelief.
Kazuki didn’t care for their shock in the slightest.
The moment he crested the top of the slope, he even had the leisure to turn back and make a provocative gesture at Isagi, who was still struggling at the bottom, and Kunigami, who was grinding his teeth.
“Too slow, way too slow!
Whether it’s a so-called ‘hero’ or the ‘German Tank,’ can’t you guys even catch my exhaust fumes?”
Kazuki laughed wildly as he charged toward the Third Stage—a staggered dynamic stepping-pad jump zone.
His figure flipped nimbly through the air, every landing point terrifyingly precise, his speed not slowing down but growing faster and faster instead.
Looking at that far-ahead back, Isagi gritted his teeth hard, his lungs burning like fire, yet the flames in his eyes burned hotter and hotter.
*So this is the world…
So this is where Kazuki and Kunigami are right now…*
*If I don’t chase after them…
if I don’t evolve right here…
I’m going to die here!*
“Don’t screw with me!” Isagi let out a roar, squeezing out the very last drop of strength in his body as he launched a charge toward the top of the slope.
And at this moment, Kazuki was already riding solo far out in front, charging into the Fourth Stage—the ultimate test zone combining hyper-speed dribbling and shooting, leaving everyone far behind his back.