The whistle echoed across the Sanctuary.
PHEEEEEET!
For a brief moment…
Neither player moved.
McCall and Kai stood opposite one another, the football resting exactly between them.
The Eleven Kings watched in silence.
Arthur’s voice rang across the ancient arena.
“Begin!”
Kai smiled.
Then…
He disappeared.
McCall’s eyes widened.
“Fast!”
The ball was already at Kai’s feet.
He glided across the golden pitch with astonishing elegance.
No wasted movement.
No unnecessary tricks.
Everything was efficient.
Arthur folded his arms.
“As expected.”
Leo chuckled.
“Kai still plays like a wolf.”
McCall sprinted after him.
The System immediately activated.
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Opponent Analysis
Kai Volkov
Synchronization: 12.7%
Primary Strengths:
• Ball Control – A+
• Vision – A
• Decision Making – S
Weakness:
Unknown
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McCall gritted his teeth.
“No weakness?”
Kai slowed down just outside the penalty area.
He turned slightly.
“So…”
“Come and take it.”
McCall charged.
He remembered Ryan.
He remembered Ethan.
He remembered every defender he had ever faced.
“Don’t rush…”
Kai tapped the ball with the outside of his boot.
A tiny movement.
Nothing flashy.
McCall reached in—
Too late.
Kai had already slipped past him.
Arthur nodded.
“He committed too early.”
Kai calmly struck the ball.
BOOM!
The football screamed through the air.
It slammed into the top corner of the goal.
GOAL.
Silence.
Then…
A glowing scoreboard appeared above the pitch.
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Qualification Match
Kai Volkov – 1
McCall Johnson – 0
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Kai retrieved the ball.
“No celebration.”
“It’s only the beginning.”
McCall clenched his fists.
“He’s stronger than me…”
The First King’s voice echoed softly.
“Strength alone has never decided a match.”
Play resumed.
This time McCall started with possession.
He took a deep breath.
“Calm Mind.”
The world seemed to slow slightly.
The crowd faded away.
Only the football remained.
Tap.
Tap.
Kai didn’t rush.
He simply waited.
Watching.
Studying.
“He’s reading me.”
McCall suddenly smiled.
“Then read this.”
He pushed the ball forward.
Kai stepped in.
Exactly as McCall expected.
Shadow Turn.
McCall allowed the ball to roll past him before spinning around Kai’s challenge.
The movement was smooth.
Unexpected.
Kai’s eyes widened.
“A new technique…”
The Eleven Kings smiled.
Leo jumped to his feet.
“It worked!”
McCall accelerated.
For the first time…
Kai was chasing him.
McCall reached the edge of the box.
He looked up.
The goal.
One defender.
One chance.
He struck the ball.
BOOM!
Kai reacted instantly.
He slid.
The ball clipped his boot.
Its direction changed slightly.
It struck the inside of the post.
CLANG!
The rebound flew back into play.
Kai trapped it perfectly.
McCall dropped to one knee.
“So close…”
Kai looked at him.
“That technique…”
“You created it yourself.”
McCall nodded.
“Yeah.”
Kai smiled.
“It suits you.”
The match continued.
Minutes passed.
Both players exchanged attacks.
Kai relied on experience.
McCall relied on adaptation.
Every minute…
McCall learned something new.
Every mistake…
Made him slightly better.
Arthur quietly smiled.
“He’s growing during the match.”
Rowan nodded.
“Just like the First King.”
Midway through the match…
Kai suddenly stopped attacking.
Instead…
He stood still.
“McCall.”
McCall frowned.
“What?”
“I’m going to show you why I came.”
Kai closed his eyes.
Golden energy surrounded his body.
The wolf emblem on his jacket began glowing.
The entire Sanctuary trembled.
Arthur’s expression changed.
“No…”
Leo stood up.
“He’s using it already?”
Kai opened his eyes.
They now shone silver.
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Wolf’s Domain
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The golden pitch transformed.
The grass became covered in frost.
A cold wind swept across the arena.
McCall felt his legs become heavier.
The System flashed red.
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Warning
Opponent has activated a Legacy Technique.
Host Synchronization too low to counter directly.
Recommendation:
Survive.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Kai slowly approached.
“You wanted to know the difference between us.”
He stopped only a few meters away.
“This…”
“…is twelve years of training.”
He gently tapped the ball forward.
Then everything disappeared.
McCall couldn’t see Kai.
Couldn’t hear him.
Only the sound of a wolf howling echoed around him.
“Where is he?”
The First King’s voice whispered.
“Close your eyes.”
McCall hesitated.
Then obeyed.
Darkness.
He listened.
One heartbeat.
Two.
Three.
Then…
He heard it.
The faint sound of a football rolling across frozen grass.
“Left.”
McCall turned instinctively.
Kai appeared.
Already shooting.
McCall threw himself toward the ball.
His foot connected.
TAP!
The shot changed direction just enough.
Instead of entering the goal…
It flew over the crossbar.
The Eleven Kings rose from their seats.
Arthur smiled.
“He sensed it…”
Rowan’s eyes shone with pride.
“He didn’t see the attack.”
“He felt it.”
Kai stared at McCall for several seconds.
Then…
He laughed.
A genuine laugh.
“So that’s why…”
“The First King chose you.”
The scoreboard still read:
Kai 1 – 0 McCall
But something far more important had changed.
For the first time in years…
Someone had defended against Wolf’s Domain.
And Kai finally stopped seeing McCall as an inexperienced successor.
He began seeing him…
As a future rival.
Far away, inside Raven Headquarters, the Crown Mask watched the match through a crystal mirror.
A slow smile spread beneath his broken mask.
“Excellent…”
“The Heart is awakening faster than expected.”
He turned to Victor.
“Prepare the next phase.”
Victor bowed.
“The Tournament?”
The Crown Mask nodded.
“No.”
His crimson eyes glowed beneath the mask.
“Bring me…”
“…the Devil’s Heir.”
The chamber fell into complete silence.