Blue Lock: Beyond Greatness

"Wow, kid, you're not bad at all!"

After a brief silence, the crowd finally reacted, screaming as they rushed toward Shinichi. To everyone's surprise, the first to charge forward was Lavinho.

Lavinho excitedly tackled Shinichi, who was trying to stand up, and firmly pressed down on his head. "Hahaha, kid, you managed to copy my Butterfly Dance in such a short amount of time! And the best part is, you actually dared to use that half-finished move in front of those two guys—and it worked!"

"I thought you were a soul bound by rules, but it seems I was wrong. Hahaha, I acknowledge you, you crazy little brat!"

"Why... did you pass the ball to me?"

As Lavinho and Shinichi wrestled playfully, Rin approached with a deeply conflicted expression. He stared at Shinichi and asked, "Aren't you aiming to become the world's greatest striker? Why would you pass the ball?!"

"Were you... pitying me?"

...

Hearing Rin's words, the entire field fell silent.

Even Lavinho let go of Shinichi and shut his mouth.

Not just him—everyone present was eager to know Shinichi's thoughts.

"Hah... what a question, even more foolish than I imagined, Rin," Shinichi replied calmly as he stood up. "My skill wasn't enough to score under that kind of defense. That's all there is to it."

"Just... that simple?" Rin frowned, clearly struggling to accept the answer. But Shinichi shook his head at the same time. "However, even if I had the chance to do it all over again, I think I'd still pass the ball in that situation."

"Why?! Even someone like you, a striker, would bow to reality? Where's your pride?! As a forward, why would you—"

Perhaps reminded of Itoshi Sae, who gave up on the dream of being a striker after experiencing the world stage, Rin felt a spark of anger ignite in his heart. He raised his voice, shouting at Shinichi, "Someone like you—"

"Don't you understand what that goal was just now?"

Shinichi interrupted calmly, his tone steady. His eyes, unlike the usual dangerous and indifferent look he gave his opponents, now carried a hint of... contempt?

"That goal, from start to finish, was entirely orchestrated by me. It was solely because of my efforts. The fact that you're asking whether I was pitying you proves that, doesn't it?"

"It... was," Rin admitted reluctantly, turning his head away in frustration.

Most of his resentment and humiliation stemmed from this very fact.

In the face of world-class opposition, he had played no significant role.

The defense, drawing attention, finding the open space—it was all Shinichi, single-handedly creating the play.

If the game were to end here, the MVP wouldn't be him, the one who scored the goal, but Shinichi, whose stats merely showed an assist.

Yet Rin was still dissatisfied. He pressed on, "But that doesn't explain why you passed! As an egoist, as a striker... I can't accept it!"

Shinichi glanced at Rin, who had turned his head away, then scanned the faces of the others.

Aside from Snuffy, everyone seemed to carry a hint of agreement with Rin's words—even Hiori.

Seeing this, Shinichi couldn't help but sigh.

"I really didn't expect something so simple to need an explicit declaration from me. Very well, let me tell you all the most important thing for a player—"

"It's victory."

!

Everyone felt a jolt in their hearts as Shinichi continued, "The idea that scoring a hat trick and losing is somehow more satisfying is nothing more than the consolation of losers. In competitive sports, victory is the most important—and the only—metric."

"Take the simplest example: in the World Cup, if you lose, you're out. You can't participate in the subsequent matches. While other teams are fighting with everything they have in the finals, you'll be stuck watching from the sidelines. Tell me, is there any value in being a player who can't even compete?"

"And lastly, don't compare me to you narrow-minded fools," Shinichi said, finally baring his fangs. He swept his mocking gaze across the group. "You idiots, bound by your roles and positions, obviously wouldn't understand my way of thinking."

"I refuse to limit myself to just being a striker. That narrow role—where even discussing other positions disqualifies you from the conversation—is something I'll leave for you people to fight over."

"GOAT—that's the title given to the undisputed best player in basketball history. It stands for 'Greatest Of All Time.' The phrase is fascinating because it signifies not just dominance across all eras—past and future—but also mastery of every position and responsibility."

Spreading his arms wide, Shinichi revealed his ambition to the world for the first time: "Don't confine my potential with your limited perspectives. I'll do anything for victory—whether it's passing or scoring. And even if I don't tally a single point, as long as I make the greatest contribution to winning—"

"I'll still be the most valuable player on the field, the MVP."

The players on the field wore various expressions, but one thing was common—they all looked at Shinichi with an awe that bordered on reverence. Even the world-class strikers were no exception.

In that moment, while some still couldn't fully agree with Shinichi's theories, they had to admit one thing: the ambitions burning in this young, inexperienced boy's heart were on a higher plane than any of theirs.

"Kid... you're just too cool!" Lavinho once again jumped onto Shinichi's back, shattering the heavy atmosphere. "Alright, I've decided. I'm going to become the strongest 'player.' You guys can fight over being the best 'striker.'"

"Hah? That title suits me way more than you!"

The two clowns started bickering again.

Ignoring the fiery, ambitious stares from Noa and Loki, Shinichi walked up to the stunned Rin.

"Don't let Jinpachi Ego brainwash you."

"Betting his life to establish Blue Lock, sacrificing the futures of 300 young players just to conduct his experiment, and forcefully imposing his football philosophy on you—it's all his desperate gamble to create his ideal striker."

"Jinpachi Ego is the biggest egoist in Blue Lock! If you can't break free from his shackles, you'll always be nothing more than his puppets." Shinichi's words were directed at Rin, but his warning was clearly meant for everyone on the team.

"The kind of football you play... that's something you should decide for yourself." Shinichi stared down at Rin. "A football style that's learned and imitated can still be salvaged, but if you don't even know the path you want to walk—"

"Then you might as well give up on this petty revenge act, go back home, and stay there. Because all you'll ever be is a childish fool chasing after someone else's shadow."

----------------------

•Last, if we reach the top 5 this week, I will drop a bonus chapter. Do you guys think it's possible?

Want to read 20 advance chapters ahead?

Go to my patreon: patreon.com/Kinglass