The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 34: A Killer Free Kick?!

"Damn! Referee, can you see that?! He got tackled again!"

"Yeah, they are starting to target our captain!"

"This is a dirty play! Come on, give him a card!"

As that number 10 was still rolling on the ground, Jun, the culprit of the play, rose quickly, apologizing to the referee. Unfortunately, it was of no use, as the yellow card was still issued. However, Jun just nodded in a calm acceptance, knowing that this was coming.

The referee himself also sighed helplessly. Honestly, if this foul happened earlier or against any player other than the number 10, he would have judged it as a normal foul. However, the continuous action from Hakodate Nishi players against that number 10 was too excessive, and he had a duty here to protect all the players from any rough and dirty strategy.

"Okay, okay, no need to be too harsh to the referee. Don’t make it difficult for him to judge, okay?" That number 10 finally spoke. He still rubbed his ankle a little, wincing unconsciously as he rose from the ground. "Sorry, Sensei. My teammates are hot-blooded." He smiled apologetically to the referee.

"It’s okay. What about you, young man? Do you need the medic to come? Don’t worry, I will stop the clock until you are done with the checkup." The referee asked. The boy’s words earlier gave a good impression, and the referee was willing to be lenient to him.

This was a psychological war in the football game. Even though the referee had a duty to be fair, he was also a human who would favor those whom he had a good impression of. So, sometimes, some players would do a lot of things to gain that favor, from chatting friendly with the referee or even admitting a mistake if they made one.

"Don’t worry, Sensei. This is nothing." The boy grinned widely.

Right after that, all the Hakodate Nishi players started to gather in front of Higo, creating a wall to block the path to the right side of the goal. Jun and Makino, the two tallest players on the team, led the wall to follow Higo’s instruction.

"Hori, get to the left a little bit more! Keep it tight, don’t leave any space in between!"

"Takaaki, we need one more wall! Join them!"

"Nice!"

Five people formed a wall, yet in that boy’s eyes, they were transparent, non-existent. Right now, his eyes only saw three things: The ball, the opponent’s goalkeeper, and the goal itself. He took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind of any distraction.

’Five minutes additional time... Seems like a lot, but in reality, it is too short.’ He muttered. ’This is the only chance... Not just for the team, but also for myself... To prove that I belong to the team...’ He glanced at the coach, who stood still on the sideline.

Yeah, even though he accepted his embarrassing fate, to be sidelined by the coach in the team that he created, that didn’t mean the boy didn’t have a temper. No, if anything, he yearned for an opportunity to prove himself, that he deserved to be in the team, no matter what the coach said.

The boy didn’t expect that the chance would come soon, right in the first round of the tournament.

’Yeah, I cannot mess this up...’

As his gaze sharpened, Higo felt a shiver down his spine. His instinct screamed as he felt like prey waiting to die under the predator’s eyes. This was the first time he felt this way, and cold sweat rolled down his back, which didn’t help his panicked state right now.

’What the hell?! This is not scientific, right?!’ He cursed.

Now, knowing that his opponent was a hidden beast, Higo lowered his stance, narrowing his eyes at that boy while also getting ready to leap.

That boy also noticed Higo’s movement, and he couldn’t help but smirk. For all the amazing saves that the goalkeeper made today, he figured out a huge weakness in that goalkeeper’s game, and he was ready to exploit it next.

’He is a little bit too short as a goalkeeper. His reach shouldn’t be that far. If he doesn’t shift closer to the right side, he wouldn’t be able to reach the top bins. I can use this.’ He clenched his sweaty palm tightly, nervousness mixed with excitement.

The moment the referee blew the whistle, he took two steps back before starting his run-up, and then...

BAM!

He curled the ball sharply, and even though Jun, who was on the perimeter, jumped high, he could only feel the wind formed by the ball scraping his hair, as the ball itself evaded his head as if it had a life before it bent back to the goal, spinning so fast straight to the top right of the bins.

Everything was perfect here, from the power to the angle. However, one thing he didn’t count on was that Higo had already moved even before he shot the boy.

Hell, the moment he took two steps back and was immersed in his own world, Higo had already shifted a little, knowing full well that with his short posture, he wouldn’t be able to reach the top corner.

That was just a basic observation, and combined with the clairvoyance that flared up in the last second, Higo made a perfect response to the amazing curve shot from the boy. He strode toward the right side quickly, covering half of the goal in just two steps before flying, one hand extending to reach the ball.

’FUCK! Come on, I get this!’ He gnashed his teeth in determination.

That number 10 boy had his jaw dropped in shock, not expecting Higo to react this decisively. He was confident with his shot, but now, he was unsure how this would end up.

Then, in the next second, the result unfolded, as somehow, the tip of Higo’s hand was able to touch the ball. It was just a slight tap, and Higo himself cursed inwardly—fuck, it hurts!—but the action was enough to deflect the ball from the goal, and in the end...

BAM!

The ball hit the crossbar, and as all the players were still in a haze, Makino was the first player to react.

"FUCK! FUJI, CLEAR THE FUCKING BALL AWAY!"