The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 62: The Last One To Laugh? (II)

In the last fifteen minutes, Higo felt like he was Mototada Toori, one of the great commanders from the Tokugawa army who led 2000 soldiers to defend the Fushimi Castle against the siege of Mitsunari Ishida and his 40,000 troops in the warring state era.

Honestly, the history class always gave him a headache, what with how many things he had to remember simultaneously. Yet, somehow, in this situation, the first thing his brain caught was the memory of this lesson, and all the sleepiness followed along during that time in the class.

Of course, the current situation wasn’t as exaggerated as 2000 vs 40,000, which was written in history. They were still playing 11 vs 11, a fair and equal game for both sides. However, somehow, Higo felt like the opponent had at least 15 players on the pitch right now, what with how many of them flashing all around the place.

"Roshi, send it left!"

"Hold on, hold on! Don’t force to dribble! Send it back!"

"Switch side, quickly!"

"Hey, don’t cross! He will catch it easily! Wait for more reinforcement!"

"No, don’t shoot, you idiot!"

BAM!

Another shot was taken, but this time, Higo wasn’t worried. He just protected his own area silently, watching the ball roll two meters away from the goal. It was a bad shot, lacking power and direction. However, it seemed that some of the Ritsumeikan players were desperate, starting to launch so many weak shots that only gave advantage to the home team.

Still, at least, he could take a deep breath right now.

Honestly, the boy couldn’t remember the last time the team possessed the ball for more than a minute, as all the attempts were killed instantly by Ritsumeikan players. In defense, they played collectively, always surrounding all the Hakodate Nishi players who got the ball with at least two players, wanting to get the ball back as quickly as possible.

This was why Higo thought that their number was slightly off, since, even with them ganging on Hakodate Nishi players, no area was free to get exploited. The away team really defied common sense, always having everyone everywhere and ready to support each other.

Still, as time ticked by, it was clear that they also got anxious. Coupled with the exhaustion that took a toll on them, their focus started to get blurry, and their movement was sluggish. Even with the three new additions on the pitch, that still didn’t really change a lot, since Hakodate Nishi’s defense was still rock solid.

"DAMN! How come you are proud of playing such ugly football like this?! Where is your fucking dignity?!" Iwai roared in frustration, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at Higo and Makino in anger. If gaze could kill, those two would be under six feet tall already. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Hey, why would we care about your opponent? Our dignity lies in our defense, you know?" Makino sneered mockingly. "After all, as long as we could hold you with zero goal, we would win with just scoring one goal. Remember this: defense wins you a championship!"

Iwai was stunned, and for a moment, his will wavered slightly. Not like he doubted the team’s philosophy, but the boy also had to admit that the opponent’s captain was right. In all the teams that won the national, they would have a great defense backing their star players up, which would be a massive support in the tournament later.

In the last ten minutes, Higo also started to get busy again. This time, the opponent resorted to a strategy that he was quite familiar with.

The long shot.

This was not the first time the boy saw the operation, as Engaru High also did the same in his first-ever game in this tournament. However, the threat coming from Ritsumeikan players was far greater, and some of their players were also having a decent shot, which was enough to make Higo sweat.

BAM!

Another shot was taken, and this time, it was from a difficult angle. This time, Higo jumped with his hand extending upward, yet he still pulled it back in the last second after noticing that the ball would just fly above the crossbar.

It was another close call, and while Higo wasn’t really worried with his clairvoyance ability, those who didn’t have the spider sense had a heart attack, somehow thinking that the goal that Ritsumeikan High had waited for had finally arrived.

"Come on, Teme! Fucking wake up! This is the third time you let your opponent slip, you know?!"

"Hey, Ishinori! Just stick with him! No need to push, you know he is good at falling, right?!"

"Don’t play around on the back! Just kick the ball as far away as possible! Focus on our defense!"

"Six minutes of additional time?! Fuck! We are so screwed!"

"Don’t worry, we can fucking do this! Come on, Hakodate Nishi!"

Without anyone noticing, the game had already entered stoppage time. When all the players saw that they had six more minutes, they both gasped for a different reason. For Hakodate Nishi, they scowled in frustration for such a long additional time, but for Ritsumeikan, they gritted their teeth, knowing that their time was numbered at this point.

Most of the players on both sides were also dead tired already. However, there were still some that were stubborn enough to fight, and they were led by the one and only Iwai from their own group.

The boy himself still didn’t stop running, driven by guilt and responsibility, as he was the sinner of the team for his mistake. He kept dribbling, moving, running, and even shooting by himself, trying to create a miracle.

Unfortunately, Ishinori made it a mission of his life to keep the boy’s life as hellish as possible. The left back kept gluing on Iwai’s side, and after learning from his experience, he didn’t do anything excessive, knowing full well that Iwai was good at making everything look like a foul against him.

"FUCK IT! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Iwai scowled, trying to use his body to push away Ishinori.

"Ha! Don’t think you can do the same trick here!" Ishinori didn’t budge, clinging to Iwai even when the boy wanted to use speed to overwhelm him. "Let me show you... Here!"

BAM!

Another tackle was made, and he did it right in front of the referee so that the old man couldn’t mistake it anymore. Ishinori got the ball cleanly, with Iwai just stumbling as a side product.

No foul.

More contact was made, more collisions formed. All the Ritsumeikan players were trying so desperately to get another chance, and yet, all the Hakodate Nishi players stayed disciplined. No matter how physical the game was, the home team didn’t give any chance for the away team to have an easy shot.

In the end, after six minutes, the additional time was over...

Fweee!

The referee finally blew the last whistle, ending the long and exhausting game in Hakodate Nishi High.

The home team won, and they would be the ones who got advanced to the semifinal of the tournament.