The dining hall grew eerily silent. Every player's eyes were fixed on Seiji Nakamura, their minds struggling to process the weight of his words.
"The EOS you know now…" Seiji's voice was calm, but there was a dangerous edge to it. "…is nothing compared to the hell we survived."
The tension in the air grew thicker. Renji Kurogami leaned forward, his heart pounding. He wasn't the only one. Every single player at the table was captivated, waiting for Seiji to continue.
"It started…" Seiji paused, his eyes darkening with memories. "…with one man. Ryusei Kirizawa."
The name hit the room like a thunderclap. Even though most of them had never heard it before, it carried a weight — a gravity that sent a shiver down their spines.
"Ryusei Kirizawa…" Seiji repeated. "Japan's most radical football genius. A man whose vision was so extreme that it shook the entire football world. He created EOS — not for Japan, but to forge the greatest striker in the world."
"But it wasn't just Japan," Hiroshi Takeuchi added, his deep voice cutting through the quiet. "Kirizawa's plan was to gather the most promising young strikers from across the entire world. EOS wasn't just a Japanese project — it was an international battlefield."
Renji's breath caught. International?
Shunji Kaizen had never mentioned that.
"The EOS you're in now…" Seiji continued, his voice low. "…is a shadow of what it once was. The EOS we survived was a global war. Players from Germany, Brazil, Spain, Italy, France — the best of the best gathered in one place. And only one could stand at the top."
A hush fell over the room. The scale of what they were hearing was almost too much to believe.
"But it didn't last," Daigo Furutani spoke up, his sharp eyes narrowing. "The Football Association shut it down. Said it was too dangerous. Too extreme. They called it unethical — said Kirizawa's methods pushed players past their limits, broke them down."
"Because it did," Koji Matsunaga muttered, his voice bitter. "Only a handful of us survived EOS without being destroyed."
A few of the younger players swallowed hard. The word "destroyed" didn't sound like an exaggeration.
"And yet…" Seiji's eyes gleamed with something fierce. "That hell made us what we are today. The first and last generation of true EOS players."
"Wait…" Sora Amagi's voice broke the silence. "If it was international… then you must've faced some of the best players in the world."
The old players exchanged knowing glances.
"Not just faced," Seiji said with a slight smirk. "We fought against — and alongside — players who are now the greatest footballers on the planet."
Renji's eyes sharpened. "Like who?"
A slow, dangerous smile spread across Seiji's face.
"Kaiser Eberhart," he said. "Germany's crown jewel. The man now widely recognized as the best striker in the world."
The room exploded in whispers. Even those who didn't follow international football closely had heard the name Kaiser Eberhart. The German prodigy who dominated the Bundesliga and the Champions League. The player hailed as a footballing god.
"You played against him?" Kaede Arata's voice was almost disbelieving.
"And with him," Seiji nodded. "EOS forced us to form teams — and sometimes, our greatest rivals became our greatest allies. Kaiser Eberhart was both."
"But there was one other," Hiroshi Takeuchi added, his voice heavy. "One man who stood toe-to-toe with Kaiser. A man you already know."
The younger players froze.
"Shunji Kaizen," Seiji said simply.
A stunned silence fell over the room.
"Our director…?" Renji whispered, his mind spinning.
"Kaizen was one of EOS's greatest monsters," Seiji said, his voice filled with a mix of respect and something darker. "And the rivalry between him and Kaiser Eberhart…" He shook his head slowly. "It was unlike anything the world had ever seen."
"But…" Riku Saionji spoke up hesitantly. "If they were rivals, why isn't Kaizen playing professionally now?"
The question hung in the air. The old players' faces darkened.
"That's a story for another time," Seiji said finally, his voice low. "But make no mistake — Kaizen was one of the greatest strikers EOS ever produced."
Renji felt his heart pounding in his chest. The pieces were starting to come together — the intensity of EOS, the extreme training, the demand for evolution. It all came from that hell.
Then, from the far end of the table, a voice spoke up.
"If the rivalry between Kaizen and Eberhart was so legendary…" Yuto Kisaragi asked slowly, his calm voice tinged with curiosity. "…what happened between them?"
The room went still.
Seiji Nakamura's eyes gleamed with something dangerous.
"You really want to know?" he asked softly.
The air grew thick with anticipation.
"Then listen closely…"
To be continued…