The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 145: Mamoru Takes Action!

It all started with a simple pass from the back. Mamoru, who had been operating in the middle, received it easily, even having time to raise his head for a moment and look around. It was a rare occasion when he didn’t get rammed immediately by Fujinaga.

Yeah, Hakodate’s DM somehow was two steps slower here. This lax attitude was the result of him somehow feeling arrogant after realizing Mamoru hadn’t posed any threat in the first twenty minutes. Even though he didn’t realize it, his brain somehow thought that it was all due to his effort, and he unconsciously lowered his guard.

This was enough, though, because Mamoru could see clearly where all of his teammates were. With the map of everyone’s position in his head, he started orchestrating a devastating attack that was impossible for Hakodate’s players to stop.

"Wataru-senpai, pass it back to me!"

"Miki-senpai, start running!"

"Flank, don’t stop! Keep pushing further!"

"One-two!"

He still operated in the middle, but somehow, the ball kept flying from one flank to another so fast, getting through all the pressure that the opponent posed. This definitely caught all the Hakodate Nishi players off guard, as they didn’t expect that Shimizu Higashi would increase the tempo out of nowhere.

What made it incredible, though, was that in every few possessions, the ball would always be back to Mamoru’s feet. Even though the boy just operated in the middle, his presence seemed to be everywhere, catching the ball whenever the player who had it was about to get attacked, before distributing it again to the other free players.

’As expected, we cannot lower our guard against him.’ Kumiko’s gaze turned solemn as she rose from the bench. "Fujinaga-kun, be careful! Don’t push him from behind! Just corner him to the edge! Takaaki-kun

, help him! Don’t let him get an easy spot!"

Unfortunately, a direct command like this was far from being effective, especially since the game was still running. Fujinaga, who felt like it was his mistake in the first place, became so impatient to repay the favor. He gritted his teeth, finding the opponent, although smaller, was a rock-solid and couldn’t be pushed around so easily.

’Tch! What the hell are his lower limbs made of, fucking iron?!’ The DM gritted his teeth, trying to get an upper hand in this physical battle.

The boy tried so hard, but in the end, his effort really betrayed him. In a hasty move, he used his hand unconsciously, pushing Mamoru’s back slightly. It was just a weak push. However, when the victim was running at high speed, that alone was enough to make the boy fall forward, and the referee who saw this also blew the whistle immediately.

Fweee!

"Oh! Free kick! Shimizu High has its first free kick of the game!"

"Will we see another gorgeous goal?!"

"Come on, number 10! Show us a surprise!"

The moment the referee pointed at the spot where Mamoru fell, the crowd cheered so loudly as if a goal had just happened. Well, this situation was indeed as good as a goal. After all, Shimizu Higashi’s free kick conversion rate was so high, scoring a goal in every four free kicks or corner kicks.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere on Hakodate Nishi’s side was completely opposite to the crowd. They all looked at each other solemnly, knowing that they were about to face a great danger after this.

Fujinaga, the culprit of the incident, couldn’t help but bow his head in shame. "Sorry, everyone. I..." Words stuck in his throat as he couldn’t even utter any reasonable excuse here.

"Eh, don’t fret over it. There is no way we can survive the entire 90 minutes without fouling them, so this is just bound to happen soon." Makino just patted the boy’s shoulder quite firmly, trying to cheer him up. "Just focus on the next attack. Keep eyes on everyone, and don’t let any easy shots be made at our goal. Do you understand?"

"Um!" Fujinaga nodded before he turned back to the team’s territory, his gaze burning in determination.

After this, players from both teams started swarming onto Higo’s penalty box, ready for another tough collision there. The free kick was located slightly far with a difficult angle on the right side, making it improbable for the taker to take a direct shot.

However, for a crossing situation, this was definitely the most ideal one, with the right-foot taker like Mamoru could just curl the ball far from the goalkeeper’s reach and straight to his teammates.

"Jun, keep watching the far post! Don’t let him overtake you!"

"Kuroki, get ready to sweep all the balls coming at you!"

"Teme! Ishinori! Stop moving around like that and focus on your target!"

"Ishinori! Get ready for a second ball!"

Higo was so tense right now as he guided his teammates to get into a better position. He also knew the horror of Mamoru’s free kick, and while his clairvoyance ability was a big help, it definitely wasn’t omnipotent. No, he had to reduce all the possible risks from the opponent, or he would get punished later.

On the flank, Mamoru had already stood there, one hand on his hips while the other raised high in the air. This was definitely a secret signal that Shimizu Higashi made for this kind of situation, and Higo had to be ready for everything.

’Now, let’s see what you are going to do... Is it a high cross? A low and fast? Or are you going for a creative combination scenario? A short pass to the closest one? Come on...’

Well, Higo had predicted so many scenarios inside his head, but he really missed the correct one. It was only after his clairvoyance ability flared inside his head, giving him a warning over what would happen next, that Higo reacted accordingly.

’Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! You cheeky boy! You cannot do this!’

Fweee!

The moment the referee blew the whistle, Higo, who was two steps ahead already to cut the crossing in the air, moved back immediately. The movement looked so strange, and if people didn’t really know better, they would think that Higo was hesitating to make the right judgment here.

However, in the next second, his move was proven to be the correct one, as the ball that Mamoru kicked flew so high in the air. It made a curl movement, but not significant enough to turn at the crowd in the penalty box.

No, if anything, the situation was even more dangerous, because the ball suddenly went straight to the far post, and everyone gasped when it fell out of the sky like a meteor.

’FUCK!’