Chapter 154: Chapter 154 - Damon Vs Lucian (2)

The atmosphere across the training grounds continued growing heavier with every passing minute.

What had initially begun as a simple game had gradually transformed into something else entirely. The laughter and casual remarks that had accompanied the earlier matches had largely disappeared as more and more students found themselves watching the field with focused expressions. Even those who initially dismissed the exercise as nothing more than a physical activity had begun understanding the deeper purpose hidden beneath it.

Because unlike sparring—

There was nowhere to hide here.

Every weakness became visible.

Every mistake became obvious.

And every decision immediately produced consequences.

Meanwhile, the match between Damon and Lucian’s parties continued unfolding across the enormous field.

The score remained unchanged.

Neither side had managed to secure even a single point.

Yet nobody watching felt bored.

Because despite the lack of scoring—

The battle itself had become increasingly intense.

The ball moved rapidly between players.

Openings appeared and vanished.

Positions changed constantly.

Strategies evolved every few moments.

And standing at the center of it all—

Damon and Lucian quietly continued reading one another.

Neither had spoken since the match began.

Neither seemed interested in doing so.

Because words would accomplish nothing here.

Only decisions mattered.

Meanwhile, the ball currently remained under Lucian’s party’s control.

One of his teammates sprinted down the left side of the field while attempting to create distance from the pursuing defenders.

At first glance, the play appeared successful.

Several students watching from the sidelines even believed a breakthrough had finally been achieved.

Then—

Damon spoke.

His voice remained calm.

Controlled.

Not loud.

Yet every member of his party heard it clearly.

"Zarhka."

The goat beastwoman immediately responded.

"Already moving."

Without hesitation, Zarhka shifted several meters toward the center.

The movement looked strange.

Counterintuitive.

She wasn’t moving toward the ball.

She wasn’t moving toward the runner.

Instead, she was moving toward empty space.

Meanwhile, Mira looked confused.

Eric looked confused.

Several spectators looked confused.

Then—

Lucian’s teammate passed.

And suddenly everyone understood.

The ball had never been intended for the runner.

The actual target had been a second player advancing through the center lane.

Unfortunately—

The lane no longer existed.

Because Zarhka was standing there.

The pass immediately lost its purpose.

The receiving player hesitated.

Only for a moment.

Yet in a match like this—

A moment was enough.

Damon immediately stepped forward.

"Now."

The command had barely left his mouth when Zarhka intercepted the pass.

The crowd erupted.

Several students gasped.

Meanwhile, Eric stared in disbelief.

"How did you know that was going to happen?"

The question escaped him before he could stop himself.

Damon never looked away from the field.

"Because it was the correct decision."

Eric blinked.

"...That doesn’t answer anything."

"It answers everything."

Meanwhile, the counterattack had already begun.

Zarhka pushed forward with the ball while the opposing team hurriedly reorganized.

Several defenders immediately attempted cutting off her advance.

At the same time, Lucian himself finally moved.

For the first time since the match began—

The protagonist accelerated.

And immediately the atmosphere changed.

Students watching from the sidelines instinctively straightened.

Because unlike many participants currently playing—

Lucian moved beautifully.

Every step appeared efficient.

Every adjustment seemed calculated.

There was no wasted motion.

No unnecessary movement.

Only precision.

The distance between him and Zarhka rapidly disappeared.

Meanwhile, Zarhka’s eyes narrowed.

"He’s fast."

Damon quietly observed.

"No."

His gaze remained fixed upon Lucian.

"He’s efficient."

The distinction mattered.

Because speed could be overcome.

Efficiency was much more troublesome.

Within moments, Lucian arrived before Zarhka’s path.

Neither spoke.

Neither hesitated.

Then—

Zarhka suddenly shifted her weight.

Lucian mirrored her movement instantly.

The goat beastwoman attempted changing direction.

Lucian blocked it.

She tried creating an angle.

Lucian closed it.

For several seconds, neither gained advantage.

Then Zarhka smiled.

A rare expression.

Because she finally understood.

The objective had never been reaching the goal herself.

The objective had been drawing Lucian here.

The realization appeared in Lucian’s eyes at almost the same moment.

Unfortunately—

It came a fraction too late.

"Right."

Damon’s voice sounded calmly from behind.

The next moment, Zarhka passed.

The ball flew through the opening Lucian had unknowingly created.

Straight toward Damon.

The spectators immediately erupted into noise.

Because for the first time—

A genuine scoring opportunity had appeared.

Damon caught the ball cleanly while accelerating forward.

Open field stretched before him.

Only two defenders remained.

Meanwhile, Lucian immediately turned.

No panic.

No frustration.

Only action.

The blue-haired young man began chasing.

And judging from the speed at which the distance between them was shrinking—

The confrontation everyone had been waiting for was finally about to happen.

Across the training grounds, even Barrack’s grin widened.

Because the match had reached its most important moment.

And neither side appeared willing to back down.

The entire training ground seemed to hold its breath.

The countless students gathered around the field no longer paid attention to anything else. The previous matches, the lessons, the strategies, and even Barrack’s objective behind the exercise had temporarily disappeared from their minds as every gaze became fixed upon the same point.

Damon.

And Lucian.

The distance between them rapidly shrank.

Meanwhile, Damon sprinted forward with the ball secured firmly beneath one arm while his golden eyes calmly observed everything occurring around him. The grass beneath his feet blurred past while the cheering and shouting surrounding the field gradually faded into background noise.

Only the field remained.

Only the players remained.

And most importantly—

Only the choices remained.

Ahead of him stood two defenders.

Behind him came Lucian.

Most students would focus on the defenders.

Damon focused on Lucian.

Because unlike the others—

Lucian was dangerous.

The two defenders merely represented obstacles.

Lucian represented intent.

Meanwhile, Lucian continued closing the distance.

Not recklessly.

Not desperately.

Every step appeared measured.

Controlled.

The gap narrowed.

Ten meters.

Eight.

Six.

Meanwhile, one of the remaining defenders finally committed.

The young man surged toward Damon from the left side while attempting to force him toward the boundary line.

At the same moment, the second defender shifted to intercept any escape route toward the center.

A textbook pincer.

A good decision.

Unfortunately—

Damon immediately recognized it.

The defender approaching from the left suddenly saw Damon turn his head.

Their eyes met briefly.

And for some reason—

The defender immediately felt uneasy.

Then Damon accelerated.

Not toward the open space.

Not toward the goal.

Directly toward the approaching defender.

The young man visibly panicked.

Because every instinct expected someone carrying the ball to avoid contact.

Not seek it.

The collision occurred a moment later.

THUD.

The defender’s footing immediately collapsed.

Not because Damon overpowered him.

But because Damon had deliberately attacked the space the defender intended to occupy rather than the defender himself.

The young man’s balance vanished.

His tackle never fully formed.

And before he understood what happened—

Damon was already past him.

The crowd erupted.

Meanwhile, the second defender immediately attempted adjusting.

Too late.

The opening had already appeared.

Yet just as Damon prepared to exploit it—

A shadow arrived.

Lucian.

The protagonist had finally reached him.

The distance between them disappeared completely.

For the first time during the entire match—

They stood directly before one another.

The atmosphere visibly changed.

Even students watching from the sidelines could feel it.

Because this was no longer a battle between parties.

No longer a battle between strategies.

For this moment—

It had become a battle between individuals.

Meanwhile, Lucian’s blue eyes remained calm.

Steady.

Focused.

The same eyes Damon remembered from countless descriptions within the original story.

The same eyes that would one day stand against kings, monsters, and calamities.

Yet standing here—

On a training field.

Under a clear morning sky.

They appeared remarkably ordinary.

Human.

Then Lucian finally spoke.

The first words exchanged between them since the match began.

"You’re not playing the ball."

His voice remained calm.

Damon’s lips curved slightly.

"Neither are you."

A faint smile appeared on Lucian’s face.

Not amusement.

Acknowledgment.

Because both understood exactly what the other meant.

The ball had stopped being the objective several minutes ago.

The objective had become understanding.

Testing.

Measuring.

And perhaps—

Evaluating.

Then suddenly—

Lucian moved.

The motion came without warning.

Fast.

Extremely fast.

Several students gasped.

The distance between them vanished instantly as Lucian attempted stripping the ball directly from Damon’s grasp.

Meanwhile, Damon reacted almost immediately.

The ball shifted.

Their shoulders collided.

The momentum of both parties crashed together.

Neither yielded.

Neither retreated.

For several brief moments, the struggle appeared completely even.

Then—

Damon smiled.

Lucian’s brows furrowed.

Because the smile didn’t belong there.

Not in this situation.

Not now.

And then he understood.

Too late.

The realization appeared in his eyes.

The ball.

The ball was gone

The spectators collectively froze.

Because somehow—

During the confrontation—

The ball had disappeared entirely.

Lucian immediately turned.

And so did everyone else.

Then they saw it.

Far behind Damon.

Far away from the confrontation.

Eric.

The orange-haired boy stood completely alone.

Holding the ball.

For several moments—

Even Eric looked surprised.

He stared at the ball.

Then at Damon.

Then at the completely open field stretching before him.

"...Oh."

The realization finally arrived.

Meanwhile, Damon calmly looked over his shoulder.

"Run."

The single word shattered Eric’s paralysis.

And the moment the orange-haired boy began sprinting toward the goal zone—

The entire training ground exploded into absolute chaos.