'I can't… I can't win!'
As the ball dropped from the sky, Nagi's heart pounded faster and faster—so violently it felt like it might burst from his chest. His skin was drenched in cold sweat, soaking through his undershirt like a sudden downpour.
'I've tried everything. A regular trap into a feint shot won't work against someone like Shinichi, whose reaction speed is basically cheat-code level. Blocking his vision won't work either. And knowing him… if he went out of his way to mimic me earlier, that means he's already figured out a counter—and worse, he might've already stolen my move without me even noticing!'
Nagi had never known his brain could move this fast.
And yet, despite all this effort… all he could feel was the overwhelming helplessness, despair—and above all—frustration.
I can't… I just can't accept this. Not this time.
Even if it costs me everything—my body, my breath, my life—I won't let this end in failure!
But… why? What's really pushing me this far? Is it because this was my and Reo's "ultimate play" and I don't want it to lose to Shinichi?
No… that wasn't it.
At that moment, the flame in Nagi's eyes reignited—blazing brighter than ever.
Behind him, the spectral skull roared back to life, hollow eyes now filled with stardust-like flames, glowing like a nebula.
Though it was still dwarfed by Shinichi's monstrous aura, it stood its ground—gnashing its phantom teeth, refusing to back down.
I get it now… this has nothing to do with Reo.
I have my own selfish desire.
I don't want to lose.
No matter who it is… I never want to lose.
That's my ego.
That's why he wanted to team up with Shinichi. That's why, even after not playing a single minute in the U20 match, he still chose to fight in the New Hero Battle.
Because losing burned like hell. And he wanted to win it back—and keep on winning.
It was only now, as he fully awakened to his own selfish ambition, that Nagi finally stepped into that elusive zone—
Only now did he truly realize just how perfect Reo's pass had been.
Unlike Yukimiya's passes, which were tinged with aloof arrogance, only working at full power when aligned with his personal ideals—
Unlike Charles's passes, razor-sharp and flashy, designed to exploit gaps with calculated risk—
Reo's pass was pure white. A blank canvas. He poured every ounce of his skill into crafting a ball devoid of ego, without a shred of his own personality—
A pass that gave Nagi the greatest possible room to create.
It was placed precisely at that magical sweet spot—just barely ahead of Shinichi's reach—ensuring that Nagi would absolutely make first contact.
The ball's descent… it reminded him of that falling phone long ago.
And ahead of him now was a wide, open hallway—one where he could choose any path, and let his imagination run wild.
This… was Reo Mikage's ultimate play.
And now—
Everything was in Nagi Seishiro's hands.
"So that's your plan…"
Nagi suddenly crouched low, channeling all his strength into his legs before launching himself upward in a clean, vertical jump.
He aimed his head at the falling ball. Seeing this, Shinichi had no choice but to leap alongside him.
"Is it about height? Does Nagi think Shinichi's weakness is his jumping reach?" Agi's eyes lit up with realization.
It kind of made sense. Shinichi wasn't short—he had been 181 cm before entering Blue Lock, and had grown a few centimeters since.
At 183 cm now, he had the ideal height for a striker.
Any taller and it might've impacted his agility. But for a defender? Especially against Nagi's 190 cm frame?
The height difference was undeniable.
And while Shinichi's jumping wasn't at the god-tier level of his other abilities, his stats in that area still hovered around 90—solidly elite.
Still, compared to Nagi, he was slightly outmatched in aerial battles.
So this was it—an aerial duel. A physical difference that couldn't be overcome by skill or tactics. No matter how great Shinichi's techniques were, he couldn't erase this height gap.
"Nagi! That's it! With Reo's pass, you've finally found a way to beat Shinichi!"
The realization sent a jolt through the crowd, the players, even the commentators. Everyone was on edge. A rising star is exciting, but watching an unstoppable one finally be toppled? That's thrilling in a whole different way.
And sure enough, you could see it clearly—Nagi was a full head higher than Shinichi in the air.
What's more, Shinichi hadn't activated his [Forged Through Extremity] technique—he simply didn't have time. That move required a moment to charge up, and in a split-second aerial contest like this, there was no chance to use it.
With Shinichi clearly being outjumped, he suddenly... smiled. And with a cool voice that echoed across the field, he wiped away all lingering worries from the Uber team.
"You've really improved, Nagi. That creativity of yours truly shines when you're at your limit. I don't doubt your ability to score this header."
"However… sometimes, you don't need the best to get the job done. For me—'good enough' is more than enough."
Still suspended in midair, Shinichi locked eyes with Nagi.
And that's when Nagi's gaze turned to shock.
Shinichi wasn't coming down.
Nagi had already reached his apex, yet Shinichi was still rising.
Even when Nagi began falling, Shinichi remained airborne—hanging like a phantom above him—before finally starting to descend after overtaking Nagi's height.
Shinichi had blocked Nagi's entire airborne window. With just half a second of extra airtime, he erased all opportunity.
"WHAT THE HELL?! Are you flying or something?!"
Nagi gasped, eyes wide as Shinichi finally dropped back to earth.
Meanwhile, in the Legendary Training Camp, Kobe watched the match with Oikawa and Haizaki, letting out a short, amused scoff.
"You think that monster trained himself?"
It all happened in the blink of an eye, but that half-second was all it took.
Shinichi had completely neutralized Nagi's last hope.
[My God!!! He's flying! Literally flying!
Before today, if you asked me how to stop someone taller than you, with a better vertical, from winning an aerial duel… I'd suggest bodying them early. Maybe even fouling. But I've never—NEVER—seen anyone pull this off.]
[Player No. 7, Shinichi, has shown us a completely different answer in this match—just jump up and stay there until your opponent falls! With his incredible hang time, he watched as Seishirou Nagi soared past the gods, only to coldly witness his descent back to earth!]
[I'm honestly convinced Shinichi could've stayed in the air longer—he probably only decided to accept gravity's embrace and land because his opponent had already hit the ground and he had to get back on defense.]
"Damn it!"
While the commentary box and the spectators were exploding with emotion, Nagi knew there was no time to stay stunned.
Luckily, he was the one to make contact with the ball, and he quickly shifted his posture to soften the landing.
The moment he touched down, he controlled the ball with his head—despite coming down from such a height, the ball stuck to his crown like it had been glued on.
Then, tilting his neck back, the ball slid smoothly down his spine toward the ground.
Nagi turned, shielding the ball from Shinichi with his back. He stepped on it, twisted his hips, and suddenly flung it to the right—
"I'll fake a pass to bait Shinichi into moving, then recover the ball, and use a reverse scissor—heel pass between his legs with my back turned—wait, what?!"
As Nagi's legs crossed in front of him, he smoothly shifted the ball to his left foot, then flicked it back with his heel.
But just as the ball began to roll forward, before he could even complete the spin, it was halted—coldly and decisively—by another foot.
"Seems even after your evolution, your imagination still can't envision a way to beat me," Shinichi said coolly, eyes unreadable as always. Just as he was about to take off with the ball for a counterattack—
A long leg suddenly swept in, sliding the ball out from under his foot.
"Don't just stand there like an idiot! Weren't we supposed to take this overstyled bastard down together?! Then count me in on this 'ultimate' of yours!" Aryu didn't even care that his messy slide had left his long hair completely disheveled.
Roaring, he charged after the ball and, before Shinichi could reclaim it, flicked it backward with a powerful kick. "Don't think this stage belongs to you alone! I can shine too!"
This is… Ultimate x Ultimate x Ultimate!
Aryu, who had long dreamed of facing off with Shinichi again, had now joined the mix between Reo and Nagi—three players' peak synergy aligned with one single goal:
To bring down Shinichi.
[It's No. 17 again!!! Aryu pulls off another clutch save! With two game-saving plays in a row, Aryu has become the guardian angel of England's Manshine City tonight. These two plays alone have already proven his worth! And now, the ball is once again rising above Nagi's head!]
[Are we about to witness another aerial showdown? Or will he pass and try to reorganize the attack? Judging by his body language—]
[Seishirou Nagi is ready to go head-to-head once more with the top of the top—Shinichi!]
"Thanks so much, Aryu... It's all thanks to you that I've finally pieced together the full answer to the mystery called Shinichi."
Nagi looked directly at Shinichi, who had given up on chasing Aryu and was now charging straight at him again.
But instead of fear after being completely overwhelmed by Shinichi's hang-time, there was only a gleam of burning excitement and hope in his eyes.
"Shinichi... I'm going to solve you right here, right now—for the very first time."
Without waiting for a reply, Nagi spun toward the falling ball and leapt into the air with an overhead kick—
"But it's just a fake to stop the ball, and then…"
The moment he confirmed Shinichi had taken the bait and jumped in response, Nagi aborted the kick.
His foot brushed under the ball with a soft, arcing touch that knocked it up again.
Then, using his hands to brace himself on the ground, he shifted his weight and fired his right leg into position to strike again.
Yes—this was Nagi's final attack.
Why was Shinichi's defense so impenetrable?
Because he always waited until his opponent's move had no more room for change before responding. But what if… the reverse was also true?
In the air, Shinichi's options were limited.
And because of the height difference, even a non-full-powered overhead kick from Nagi would still force Shinichi to jump.
So, by watching Shinichi's feet, Nagi could make his decision—shoot if he didn't jump, trap the ball if he did, and then strike again once Shinichi was coming down.
After all the training in New Hero Battle, his body could handle it.
This was Nagi Seishirou's Shot—a phantom strike in two stages!
But at the very last moment, Nagi changed his plan again.
Instead of shooting, he passed the ball sideways to Reo—who, channeling Shinichi himself, unleashed a rocket of a shot—
BOOM—THUD!
The explosive echo rocked the stadium… but the ball stopped dead in the hands of Uber's keeper, Canali.
"That heavy shot of yours? Still weaker than the original," he sneered.
BOOM!
With a yell, Canali punted the ball downfield, launching a quick counterattack. And with nearly the entire Man City lineup—Aryu included—already committed forward, there was no one left to stop the long-silenced predator:
Barou Shouei.
Chigiri tried, but he was a step too late.
GOAL.
Italy Uber 3 – 0 England Man City.
Match, and statement, complete.
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