Kazuki Shindo collapsed to his knees, his breath ragged and his muscles trembling. But there was no mercy in Ryusei Hoshigaki's [old legend] cold, predatory eyes. The consequence for his failure was swift and brutal.
"Stand up," Hoshigaki ordered. His voice was calm — but the weight of his authority was crushing.
Kazuki pushed himself up, sweat dripping from his face.
"From now until my training is over, you'll wear this."
Hoshigaki tossed a heavy-looking belt onto the ground in front of him. Kazuki picked it up, and the moment he lifted it, his arms strained — it was no ordinary training weight.
"Twenty kilograms," Hoshigaki said with a smirk. "Every step you take, every move you make — you'll feel that weight. If you can't adapt, you'll fall behind. And in EOS… falling behind means getting devoured."
Kazuki gritted his teeth and fastened the belt around his waist. The moment he stood, his legs wobbled. But his eyes burned with defiance.
"I'll… handle it," he spat out, even as his body strained against the added weight.
Hoshigaki grinned. "Let's see how long you last."
Later, at the Dining Hall
The atmosphere in the dining hall was a strange mix of exhaustion and excitement. The 26 remaining players sat together, but the room was clearly divided into their groups. In the center, Team Zeta gathered at their usual table — though Renji Kurogami was unusually quiet, his mind still replaying the intense training session from earlier.
Across the room, Kazuki Shindo sat with his team, the weight belt still strapped around him. Even while eating, his movements were sluggish and labored.
Sora Amagi noticed Renji's gaze. "He's gonna burn out if he keeps pushing like that," he muttered.
Kaede Arata leaned back in his chair. "He doesn't have a choice. Hoshigaki isn't the type to go easy on anyone."
Renji finally spoke. "What about your training? You guys were with a different [old legend], right?"
Sora nodded, his usual easy-going demeanor replaced with a rare seriousness. "We trained under Seiji Kaname [old legend] — the 'Iron Wall' of Japan's golden generation."
"Defense?" Renji raised an eyebrow.
"Not just defense," Kaede corrected. "He taught us how to control space itself. Positioning, interception, reading the flow of the game — it was like playing chess on a football field."
"Yeah," Riku Saionji added, his eyes still wide with the memory. "Kaname's training was brutal. We had to predict the movement of five attackers simultaneously — without ever looking directly at them. It was like trying to defend against ghosts."
Renji's mind raced. Different legends, different philosophies… EOS Phase 3 wasn't just about evolving skills — it was about reshaping their entire understanding of the game.
"And you, Renji?" Sora asked. "What was Hoshigaki's training like?"
Renji's fists clenched. "He taught us how to dominate. How to devour."
The table fell silent at the weight of those words.
"But," Renji continued, "we failed. We weren't ready for it. Not yet."
Kaede's eyes narrowed. "So we get stronger. That's the point of this phase, right?"
Renji nodded — but his thoughts were already elsewhere. Kazuya Mori, Tetsuya Aikawa, Yuto Kisaragi — the top three were evolving fast. If he didn't catch up… he'd be left behind.
Sora suddenly grinned. "Oh — I almost forgot. I finally unlocked a second skill."
Everyone turned to him in shock.
Renji's eyes widened. "What?!"
Sora shrugged, but his smile was pure excitement. "It's still rough… but Kaname pushed me to develop it. It's called 'Veil Dribble.' I use my footwork to create blind spots — not just for the defenders, but even for the ball. You won't know where I'm coming from… or where the ball is until it's too late."
Kaede whistled. "You're getting dangerous, Amagi."
Renji grinned. The fire inside him roared back to life. If Sora was evolving, so would he.
The path ahead was steep — but he'd climb it. No matter what it took.
To be continued…