The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 57: Conflict Erupted!

"SHIT! FOUL!"

"SENSEI, LOOK AT HIM! HE IS INJURED!"

The referee had a throbbing headache right now, as this was the second collision that had happened within a minute. It was too much in that short period, and to make it worse, this was just the first minute of the second half, which meant things would get violent later.

’I need to enforce the rule more strictly here.’ He thought inwardly.

However, not in this case. When he saw Iwai fall, he didn’t budge. If anything, the man just pointed both hands forward, signalling that the game was still going. Seeing this, Ishinori, the culprit behind the move earlier, got up as quickly as possible, with some of the Hakodate Nishi players running to open more space. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Nori! Here!" Takaaki rushed to get closer, asking for the ball.

Knowing that organizing the attack was not his task, Ishinori passed the ball quickly. Takaaki was about to receive it while also having his head scanning around, wanting to find someone who was in a good position.

Still, before he could do anything, someone suddenly charged from the blind spot, bodying the boy so harshly that it made him fly several meters away from his original spot.

BAM!

"FUCK! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT HERE?!"

Seeing his teammate getting bullied, Fujinaga, the defensive midfielder, didn’t hesitate. He pushed the culprit fiercely, and even though his posture was one of the shortest here, his thug-like appearance was enough to intimidate the entire pitch.

"Hey, don’t play victim, Bastard! It is your teammate who tries it out first!" One of the Ritsumeikan players didn’t want to lose here, confronting Fujinaga while also pointing at Iwai, who was still rolling on the ground in pain. "Look at our player! Are you feeling ashamed for injuring him?!" The boy spat at Fujinaga, glaring back fiercely.

"Bah! A shameless dive! Sensei doesn’t even see it as a foul. What is he doing here, playing dead?! Go back to your mum and learn how to act better!"

"Bastard! Do you want to die?!"

"Come on! Who is afraid of whom!"

The commotion seemed to get bigger, and things got worse when some of the hot-headed supporters—even though it wasn’t that much, could be counted with two hands—were eager to rush to the pitch. Players were still arguing heatedly, with some pushing each other when they lost an argument.

Sheva himself was also in a dilemma here.

Even though, as a keyboard warrior, debating against someone on the Internet was not special, this was the first time he saw a huge commotion that almost broke into a fight happen in front of his eyes, and honestly, he couldn’t help but feel intimidated here. However, the one involved in this mess was his team, and he had the obligation to join in here.

’Shall I do this? Damn! Why would the referee not say anything here?!’ The boy cursed inwardly.

Fortunately, even though he was a little bit late, the referee blew the whistle so loudly that it stopped the commotion in a blink.

Right after that, silence fell on the pitch instantly, with some players—troublemakers—trying their best to avoid the chilly gaze from the referee. It was clear at this point that the man was livid, and no one dared to raise their voice again.

"Both captains, come forward." He spoke so coldly that it gave everyone the chills down their spine.

Makino scowled a little, yet he still stepped further as the team’s leader. Ritsumeikan’s midfielder with the number 8 also did the same, and those three started their own discussion in the middle of the pitch. This left the others in an awkward silence, as everyone was waiting nervously for what the final decision would be.

Everyone just gave their captain a pity stare as they saw the referee scold them both. However, based on how ashen Ritsumeikan’s captain was, it was clear who won this commotion here, especially since Makino sent a thumbs-up secretly.

In the end, the referee finally asked them to step back, and right after that, he gave Ritsumeikan’s number 5, the center back who just sent Takaaki flying, a yellow card. Not just that, he also gave Fujinaga one as well, since the boy was the first one to push.

"Wait, just us?!" That boy widened his eyes in anger. "What about him?! He did the same to Iwai, right?!" He pointed at Ishinori, who just stood innocently.

"Okay, okay, don’t make it bigger here..." The captain pushed the boy back, trying to calm down his teammate. He also signalled the others to go back, and even though they all were reluctant, they didn’t have any choice here.

Still, this little action didn’t fool the referee. No, if anything, the man just snorted in disdain, especially after he saw Iwai walking freely as if he hadn’t just rolled on the ground like someone had broken his leg.

’If they want to complain, at least they have to make sure that their player’s act is good enough, right?’

Meanwhile, Makino also gathered some of the players in the vicinity, trying to calm down the tension here. First, he checked Takaaki’s situation, and once he was sure that the glasses boy was good to go, he also started addressing this matter to his teammates.

"Good job, Ishinori, you are getting praised by Sensei for your clean defensive action." Makino sent a thumbs-up to the left back.

"Of course, Captain. That’s my job." The boy just nodded silently, as if he didn’t do anything special. This made his teammates admire him more here, as this was the kind of player they wanted to be.

Indeed, Ishinori’s defense in the last play was clean.

At first, Iwai was about to get through him. However, his reaction kicked in as the boy extended his left foot as far away as possible. In the end, he managed to knock the ball out of Iwai’s possession, followed by Iwai’s shady fall in the next second.

Fortunately, the referee saw this action clearly, and the man knew that the contact was so little that it wasn’t enough for him to deem it a foul. That was why no foul or even a card was given to Ishinori for this.

"Still, be careful next, because the referee is going to be stricter than ever," Makino warned his teammates. "Stay calm and collected, especially you, Fuji! Don’t get baited by their words! Let’s beat them cleanly and show why we are the best defensive team here!"

"Yes, Captain!"