The Rise of the Iron Wall!
Chapter 386: A Counterattack from Mamoru Suzuki
The shot was not powerful. Well, it was so-so, as the boy couldn’t muster too much power in any scenario. However, by God, the accuracy of it was ridiculous.
At first, the ball looked like it would fly away far above the far post. However, at a certain point, the crazy spin in the ball suddenly did a miracle job. It allowed the ball to bend so sharply, taking an insane turn back to the goal. Coincidentally enough, this was also the spot where Higo pointed out at the break earlier, one that they should take advantage of.
Even with him wearing a cap, Kang Do-Jin hadn’t adjusted to the sunshine yet. He narrowed his eyes so intently that his eyes looked as if they were completely closed, and yet, that was still not enough to allow him to time the ball’s fall perfectly.
"FUUUUUCK!"
CLANK!
His timing was off, but somehow, the God of football seemed to take his side with him right now. The ball hit the crossbar, creating a loud sound that echoed throughout the whole pitch.
"OH! WHAT A SHOT!"
"Shit! Almost! Just a few inches lower!"
"Hey, the ball is not out yet! Rebound! Rebound!"
Takaaki didn’t even have time to curse or get annoyed when he saw the ball just hit the crossbar. The boy noticed that it was still inside the pitch, and he moved quickly to support that side. Even with his breath getting shorter as time went by, the boy didn’t have any intention to save his energy.
"Hang on, Hori! Hiroshi! Don’t lose that battle!" He shouted, his voice hoarse.
Unfortunately, in an aerial duel, Hori and Hiroshi were far from being the best. The moment they faced an imposing central defender who was 10 cm taller than they were, those two backed down instantly, letting that player head the ball away. This allowed that boy to aim where he would send the ball, and coincidentally enough, Mamoru Suzuki was close to receiving the ball.
"Oh! Nice clearance, Ishimaru!" Mamoru shouted.
The way the ball bounced slowly allowed him to glance at his surroundings for a split second, and this let him see Takaaki coming at him at full speed. With the calmness of a national-level player, the boy flicked the ball gently, letting it get through Takaaki from the sky.
Thud!
"OH! THAT’S NASTY!"
"HE GOT THAT FOUR-EYES! COME ON, MAMORU!"
"FUCK!" Takaaki also cursed as he tried his best to hit the brake, turning his head around just to see Mamoru having already started running forward.
Yeah, that flick didn’t just allow the boy to get through Takaaki. It helped him generate momentum, allowing the boy to gather his speed to rush forward. As a result, just with two steps, he was already close to the center line, leaving everyone in the dust.
"Shit! Go back! Go back!" Makino waved his hand frantically, shouting at his teammates who were on the front line to recover as quickly as they could. Unfortunately, the three midfielders were still far from their original position, allowing Mamoru to penetrate through the front directly with no problem.
"Fuck it! I get this!" Ishinori finally had enough here. As the most agile one among the three center backs, it was definitely among his tasks to stop the opponent’s best dribbler.
However, Mamoru didn’t have any intention to beat the boy directly. No, he saw Park Han-Gyeol occupying the two defenders on the front line, pushing the opponent’s defensive line further back to give him room, and Mamoru made a quick decision.
Thud!
A pass was made to the Korean striker. It was a simple one, but the follow-up was anything but. While Ishinori was still reacting to the pass earlier, Mamoru had already moved again, increasing his speed further to escape from anyone’s grasp. He also pointed forward, shouting with all of his might, "BACK THERE!"
It was a signal for a one-two pass, asking Park Han-Gyeol to send the ball back in the direction he pointed at. Even if the Korean striker was annoyed that he couldn’t do it alone, the boy still complied, knowing that with the momentum that Mamoru gathered right now, it would be hard for the boy to be stopped.
"FUCK! HE GETS AWAY!"
"Fucking hell... RUN, JUN! RUN!" Makino ran frantically, trying to chase Mamoru from behind. However, soon enough, the boy realized that his effort was futile, especially when he noticed that he failed to get closer, and if anything, the boy seemed to be further away from him. ’Holy fuck! What the fuck is this speed?! This is not recorded in any data at all!’ He scowled in desperation, a burning sensation flared in his lungs.
Well, yeah, this was indeed not in any intelligence outside. Only those who followed Mamoru’s journey since the beginning knew, but he started his career as a winger, where all the capital he had was just his speed. He made a living with just that before a more professional coaching team trained him to become an elegant attacking midfielder like he was right now, but his speed had never disappeared.
Hell, in the Shimizu Higashi team, only two people probably could beat him in a race, and those were Miki Yamane, the team’s captain, and Park Han-Gyeol, and yet, he would make every race close. Now, facing Makino and Jun, there was no way he would get caught in a speed battle like this.
"Come on! You cannot get anywhere near me!" Mamoru grinned, feeling the cold air flowing through his face.
The situation suddenly looked so much worse for Hakodate Nishi. All their defenders had just gotten beaten in a race, and now, only Higo was left in the penalty box. Once Mamoru saw the goalkeeper starting to move forward in a crab posture, he also slowed down a little, trying to adjust his stance for shooting. Firing a shot in this situation would only lower his accuracy, and there was no way Mamoru would let himself make such a rookie mistake.
However, this allowed Makino to catch up with him, and even though he was still behind, his hand managed to touch the corner of Mamoru’s jersey. In desperation, the captain grabbed it, and the next thing he knew...
BRUGH!
FWEEE!
Mamoru Suzuki fell, and the referee blew the whistle immediately.