The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 77: Higo Saves the Day Again!

Tension rose in the penalty box as everyone kept pushing each other around. Higo also narrowed his eyes, finding the surroundings to be far from ideal.

’I am getting locked down here.’ He thought grimly.

The boy tried to step a little bit aside, but he was pushed by the crowd once again. It was a subtle manipulation, but whenever he moved, someone from Sappotani would push Hakodate Nishi’s defender, which would also affect his space.

It was a subtle and clever strategy, and since no one from the opponent’s side was close enough to Higo, the referee just turned a blind eye, seeing this as a normal clash in the penalty box.

Higo was completely chained, unable to make a move.

’Shit! What kind of devious strategy is it?!’ The boy cursed, anxiety built up inside him. ’No, I have to think about something! Anything!’

Unfortunately, before he could figure out how to handle the situation or even talk to his teammates, the cross was sent immediately. It was quite high, going straight to the far post where two tall players were waiting.

Yuwell Carlson and Yuma Igari.

Those two were guarded tightly by Kuroki and Jun, the two tallest players from Hakodate Nishi. However, this seemed to be the scheme they practiced so many times in their training session, so their coordination was unmatched.

Yuma Igari just acted as bait here, distracting the two defenders from the main attacker. He jumped so high, trying to obtain the high ground and make a strong impression that he was the one who got it.

The strategy worked, as even though Jun’s main task was to mark Yuwell Carlson, he got distracted, paying more attention to Yuma Igari. Then, the cross went a little bit longer, passing through their heads before the blonde boy from Sweden made his move.

"SHIT!" Jun cursed, finally realizing a mistake that he had made here.

He couldn’t do anything, though, as in the air, the boy could only see Yuwell Carlson leaping even higher than him. And unlike any simulation that the team did, the Swedish striker was completely free, having enough time to aim the ball to any place he wanted.

As a result...

BAM!

A strong header was launched.

Makino was stunned.

Kumiko narrowed her eyes with sweat all over her palm.

The supporters were ready to jump and celebrate. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

But Higo... He teleported.

No, not teleporting. It was too magical. He just stepped back into his own goal, using the empty area behind the goal line to make a move toward the direction that Yuwell Carlson aimed, and before the ball came, he was already there, straight in front of the goal line again to block the shot.

He was like a ninja here. One moment, everyone saw him in one place, and in a blink, he was already in a different spot, using his fist to punch the ball away from his goal.

"FUCK IT! NORI, CLEAR THE BALL AWAY!" He roared, snapping the dumbfounded teammates from their astonishment.

Fortunately, Ishinori reacted quickly. When the left back saw the ball bouncing slightly outside of the penalty box, he rushed with all of his speed, sliding through the grass pitch to clear the ball. Sappotani’s player there also tried to do the same, and in the end, they clashed in a violent manner.

Brugh!

"ARGH!" Those two rolled on the ground, roaring in pain at the same time.

Seeing this, the referee blew the whistle without hesitation. He was the one responsible for everyone’s safety, and if the man could be honest here, the scream and the collision from both players scared the shit out of him.

However, he saw clearly that it was Ishinori who got the ball first, and Sappotani’s player somehow had the studs of his boot landing straight on the boy’s ankle. That was a dangerous action, so the referee didn’t hesitate to point his hand at Hakodate Nishi’s side, showing which side got the ball here.

"FOUL! Sapporo Otani number #5!"

This announcement stunned everyone from the home side, then protests erupted in the middle of the pitch. All the Sappotani players complained, pointing at their teammate who was still rolling on the ground.

"Sensei, can you see it clearly?! He is the victim here!"

"Yeah, he arrived first! It is that number 22 who extended his feet way too far!"

"He should be the one who got the yellow card!"

Things got heated for a moment, and Hakodate Nishi’s players also came to voice their opinion. For a moment, debate erupted in the middle of the pitch, before the referee blew the whistle and called both captains to his side.

Higo himself couldn’t care less about this commotion. When he saw Kumiko coming with a huge bag of a first-aid kit for Ishinori, he also went there, taking a cold bottle of water before washing his face with it.

"Good job, Ryukkun." Kumiko praised the boy while also treating Ishinori on the ground. "The last attack scares me, and I still don’t know how you did it, but what matters is that you saved us. Keep it up, our guardian angel."

Higo paused for a moment, not knowing where the nickname came from. The others, though, just patted his shoulder encouragingly, seeming to agree with the sentiment here.

"Yes, Senpai. You are our guardian angel here, our lucky charm." Hiroshi patted his back solemnly.

"Don’t let that title put more pressure on you. Just think of it as a way to motivate your teammates." Kuroki added, afraid that his friend would be burdened by this.

Higo didn’t think that much about this matter. No, his mind recalled the last two attacks, and his gaze fell from Jun to Makino. The former one was a little bit dejected, finding the situation here to be his fault. As for the captain, he was still complaining fiercely, and based on his outrageous hand gesture, it seemed that a huge debate had erupted here.

"Kumiko-chan..." He spoke slowly, startling the others for a moment. Then, out of nowhere, he made a suggestion, "Switch Jun with Makino. That boy cannot handle Yuwell Carlson at all."