The score stood at 2-0, but the air around the field was thick with tension. Team Epsilon wasn't the type to crumble under pressure. If anything, their movements grew sharper — their hunger clearer.
"They're not backing down," Yamada Goro muttered, watching Epsilon reposition like pieces on a chessboard.
Renji Kurogami's eyes narrowed. "They're setting something up."
The kickoff began — and this time, Epsilon's approach changed. The clean, mechanical rhythm they'd shown earlier turned unpredictable. Their passes became short, almost lazy — but their players shifted constantly, swapping positions and blurring their formation.
It was chaos.
"Man-marking won't work!" Kaede Arata called out, frustration creeping into his voice.
And that's when Rikuya Asano struck.
With a single burst of speed, he tore through the left flank, dragging both Riku Saionji and Kaede out of position. But before anyone could intercept, Asano passed backward — not forward.
"What?" Sora Amagi's eyes darted around.
Epsilon's midfielders had spread wide — and the ball zipped between them like lightning. Every time a Zeta player tried to press, the ball was gone before they got close.
"They're drawing us in," Haruto Inoue realized. "They're creating gaps!"
Too late.
The ball snapped forward — and suddenly, Kouta Hoshikawa was alone on the right wing. His first touch was flawless, his second even better — a perfectly timed cross sailed into the box.
Renji's eyes flicked toward the goal — and his heart sank.
Three Epsilon attackers were already there.
"Jin!"
But even Jin Kazama couldn't cover every angle. The ball soared toward the far post — and Daisuke Okamoto's diving header buried it into the net.
2-1.
Team Zeta barely had time to reset before Epsilon came at them again. This time, they moved even faster — a flurry of one-touch passes and positional shifts that left Zeta scrambling.
"They're using a rotating formation," Renji realized, his spatial awareness kicking into overdrive. "They're constantly swapping positions — there's no fixed point to defend."
Epsilon's strategy was simple: disorient and overwhelm.
But Renji wasn't about to let them take control.
"Sora, switch with Kaede! Haruto, cover the center!"
Zeta adjusted on the fly — and when Asano tried to slip through again, Sora Amagi was waiting. His Phantom Step activated — and this time, he didn't fall for Asano's feint.
The ball ricocheted loose — and Renji was already moving.
He sprinted into space, his mind racing. Copycat wasn't enough. He needed something more.
And then he saw it — Rikuya Asano's positioning, his vision, the way he directed his teammates without words.
Renji's eyes gleamed.
He didn't just copy Asano's movement — he modified it.
With a single step, Renji shifted his weight — and suddenly, he was open. Kaede's pass came instantly — and Renji didn't even look before sending a long ball into the empty space ahead.
"Go, Sora!"
Sora Amagi exploded forward, his new Phantom Burst sending him past the last defender. One-on-one with the keeper, he didn't hesitate — a quick cut and a low drive buried the ball into the net.
3-1.
But Epsilon still wasn't done.
The real fight was only just beginning.