The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 33: Dangerous Moment!

The moment that number 10 boy came in, Higo had a bad feeling. It wasn’t just from his clairvoyance ability. Hell, he couldn’t see that far to predict that the boy was dangerous. However, somehow, every single fiber of his muscle screamed, warning him that a storm was coming.

Then, it became a prophecy.

He witnessed firsthand how easily the boy outpaced Kazawa, the boy who also had just come off the bench. Then, he didn’t understand how, but Fujinaga seemed to freeze on the spot, allowing that number 10 to pass through him so easily.

As the boy got through Jun with a quick one-two pass, Higo’s clairvoyance ability finally flared up, overwhelming his brain with the future three seconds later. There, he saw how that boy rushed through Makino’s defense with speed, and just within a second, that boy would be so close to him that there was a 90 percent chance that he would concede a goal here.

"Listen, Ryukkun," Kumiko’s voice rang inside his head. "You don’t have to complicate things. Your first and foremost task is to protect the goal. That’s it. I don’t care about anything else, even if you fouled the opponent; Makino-kun will be able to help argue against the referee. Just... Protect the goal."

As this message flashed inside his head, Higo couldn’t help but smirk. ’Yeah, my task is to protect the goal no matter what happens.’

So, right after that, the moment he saw Makino was about to launch a tackle, Higo rushed as well.

He knew that there would be a split second where that number 10 boy would lose sight of the goal, what with him having to rebalance himself after avoiding Makino’s tackle while also speeding up again to catch the ball. That was the window that Higo was eyeing for, and the moment he felt like the ball was within his reach, he slid on the pitch, getting the ball with his hand first while also using his body to tackle the opponent.

BAM!

For a moment, everything went quiet as that number 10 boy fell on the ground with shoulder first. It looked painful, and some even winced, rubbing their shoulder unconsciously. However, when they saw the ball was in Higo’s hand, and the referee didn’t say anything, hell broke loose.

"FUCK! REFEREE, FOUL!"

"LOOK AT HIM! HE IS BEING THROWN IN THE AIR LIKE THAT!"

"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOUR EYES?!"

Within a second, the referee was surrounded by red jerseys, as all the Engaru High players complained simultaneously to keep pressure on the referee. Not only that, but their head coach also shouted, screamed, and pointed hysterically at the boy who was still rolling on the ground in pain.

"REF! SEE HIM?! HE IS FUCKING DEAD! GIVE ME A YELLOW! A FUCKING RED! SEND THAT BASTARD GOALIE OUT!"

Fortunately—or unfortunately, for Engaru High—the referee wasn’t made out of paper. The man distanced himself quickly, and with a simple glare, he managed to make a bunch of teenagers wilt within a second.

"I am in if you want to complain about my decision, but please, show some respect and use polite words. We are all educated people here, not just a bunch of illiterate retards. Use what you learn in school here."

That reprimand alone was enough to make half of them back down. However, some were still not satisfied, which required the referee to explain further.

"Yes, I can understand why you want a penalty. However, I can see clearly that the goalkeeper got the ball first, and the contact between them is close to none. That number 10 fell because he lost momentum, not due to the collision with the goalkeeper. Understand?"

Now, even if they still wanted to complain, the explanation also told everyone that the decision was final, so they could only agree, even though reluctantly. Seeing the crowd dissipate from the referee, some of the Hakodate Nishi players who were ready to act if anything happened finally let out a relieved sigh.

"Damn, Chibi! You really give me a hard attack here!" Makino grinned, stroking Higo’s head in admiration.

"Tch! If you don’t want to have a heart attack, do a better job!" Higo clicked his tongue, slapping his hand on his head, annoyed. "Kazawa, I know you just came in, but adjust quickly! You yourself said to foul him, so why don’t you?" He asked, showing his dissatisfaction.

Kazawa’s face flushed red in embarrassment. Indeed, the opponent’s attack came from his mistake. If he wasn’t blown away by the opponent’s speed, the team’s defensive wall wouldn’t crumble that easily.

"Anyway, let’s talk about it later. For now, get ready to start the game." Makino calmed down the goalkeeper, especially since he noticed that the referee was ready to start the game again. "Just keep your eyes on number 10. He is dangerous." He warned his teammates.

This was the wisdom of a team whose life depended on its defense. Even with one play, they knew a dangerous player when they saw one, and they didn’t hesitate to go all out to stop that player.

After the game resumed, all the Hakodate Nishi players started to target that number 10. Poor that boy, he got ragdolled left and right. The moment he was on the ball, there would always be a player marking him tightly, not giving him any time or momentum to charge forward.

First, it was Fujinaga who held his jersey off to prevent him from speeding up, resulting in the defensive midfielder getting a yellow card.

Then, before he could enter the penalty box, Makino used his upper body to slam that boy away, which, fortunately, was ruled as a normal body charge.

This fouling strategy also worked well for the Hakodate Nishi team, since they needed to slow down the tempo and waste more time. Moreover, this also prevented Engaru High’s players from gaining momentum, which could be dangerous for the team in the long run. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Time was ticking by, and the opponent’s players also started to get anxious. Desperate attempts started to be thrown, from an unreasonable long shot, to a deep penetration from the center back. Yet, none of them were enough to break Hakodate Nishi’s wall, and even if some of them were able to get through that line, Higo on the back would always react faster than anyone else to get the ball.

However, right after the fourth referee announced the additional time, Engaru High suddenly got a chance.

That number 10 once again became the conductor here, leading his teammates to charge forward with his dribble. As the boy got closer to a good spot to shoot, Jun didn’t have too much choice. He sent a flying tackle, and even though his foot reached the ball first, it also slammed that number 10’s feet, knocking him out immediately.

As a result...

Fweeee!

A free kick for Engaru High, only three meters away from the penalty box, with a perfect angle aligning with the goal. There was never a chance more perfect for Engaru High to tie the score more than this.