The sixth round of the FA Cup!
Also known as the quarterfinals!
After Arsenal had smoothly lifted the League Cup, the FA Cup became the next closest piece of silverware within their reach.
Very quickly, Arsenal's opponent for this season's FA Cup quarterfinal was confirmed—
Everton!
This season's FA Cup quarterfinal lineup included several Premier League clubs with no burden of European competition.
Everton was one of them.
As for Everton, Kai was already very familiar with them.
Within their squad was one of his old teammates from his Crystal Palace days—
James Vaughan!
Back when they were both at Palace, the two formed a well-synergized attacking partnership in midfield and attack.
But ever since both stepped into the Premier League this season, their career paths had gone in completely different directions.
One soared, the other stagnated.
Once it was confirmed that Arsenal would be their FA Cup opponents, Merseyside's media went into a frenzy, and unease spread quickly through the Everton camp.
Back in the second round of the league, they had already met Kai's Arsenal.
At that time, Kai had only just arrived.
By all accounts, Arsenal should still have been in their adjustment phase.
Yet in that match, at Goodison Park, Everton had been blown away 5–0.
They were completely stunned!
Now, after more than half a season together, Arsenal were a juggernaut—
Thirty straight wins in the Premier League.
Comfortably top of the table!
They led second-placed Manchester United by more than twenty points!
With the League Cup already in the bag, and both the FA Cup and Champions League reaching the quarterfinal stage, Arsenal were charging full speed ahead on all fronts.
And Kai's performance was even more staggering.
Not only had he led the team to an unbeaten record across all competitions, but his individual stats were nothing short of terrifying—
a perfect scorecard.
Facing such an opponent, Everton were under immense pressure.
Some might even say they were defeated before the match had even begun.
But they had no choice.
With no European competitions this season, the FA Cup quarterfinal was Everton's only chance to reach a knockout stage.
They had every reason to go all out, no matter how slim their hopes were.
Manager David Moyes still tried to convince his players:
"Arsenal just reached the Champions League quarterfinals. For a club without much European history, they'll surely put their focus there.
This round of the FA Cup, they might ease off—that's our chance."
On the training ground, Moyes gave his pep talk.
But by the end, even he lacked conviction in his own words.
He had studied Arsenal this season.
One of the most frightening things about them was that no matter what kind of rotation they used, Kai never missed a single match.
His chilling "iron man" durability meant that even when Arsenal rotated their entire starting eleven, they were still formidable—
because as long as Kai was there, even with substitutes around him, the team could dominate.
Moyes knew this all too well.
Even if Arsenal did shift their focus to the Champions League, as long as Kai was on the pitch, their dominance wouldn't weaken in the slightest.
At Everton's training ground, James Vaughan finished practice and pulled out his phone.
He scrolled through the news.
Across Europe, more than half of the headlines were dominated by a single name—
Kai.
Arsenal's captain had become the absolute center of attention across the continent.
The idol of countless players.
Vaughan then checked the current Premier League stats.
Kai sat at the top of every leaderboard, leaving second place far behind.
Scrolling down, Vaughan eventually found his own name tucked away in the lower part of the scorers' chart.
He sighed softly and put his phone away, his expression complicated.
Just last season at Crystal Palace, after years of struggling, he had finally found a midfielder who understood him.
That year, with Kai's support, Vaughan had shaken off his gloom and won the Championship Golden Boot.
But this season, returning to his boyhood club Everton and stepping into the Premier League, he no longer had Kai by his side.
And his form had plummeted back into mediocrity almost instantly.
Vaughan understood perfectly well—
It had been Kai who lifted him to a level he didn't truly belong to.
Still, clenching his teeth, Vaughan put away his phone and returned to the training ground.
This time, he would face Kai again.
But now, it would be in a cup match.
Vaughn didn't want his old brother-in-arms to see him looking like he hadn't improved at all!
Very soon.
A few days flew by.
Matchday had arrived once again!
March 15th!
The FA Cup quarterfinals were officially underway!
Having won in the draw, Arsenal would play at home in this round, welcoming Everton, who had traveled all the way to North London!
That day, the entire North London was once again set ablaze.
Arsenal fans poured out from every street and alley, brimming with passion.
The whole of North London was once again dyed in a fiery red wave of enthusiasm!
"Charge! Let the King of Guns lead us forward!"
"Smash Everton! We're going to the semifinals!"
"We're only three rounds away from lifting the FA Cup! We'll claim it smoothly!"
"Come on, you Gunners!"
"Gunners, charge!"
The surging cheers echoed endlessly around the Emirates Stadium!
When the Everton squad stepped off the plane and boarded the bus heading into North London, they immediately felt the overwhelming atmosphere saturating the entire city.
Inside their bus, the air grew unbearably heavy.
Manager David Moyes' expression was somewhat strained.
All along the way, they could hear the roars and chants reverberating through London's streets and alleys.
The bus itself was silent.
Every Everton player wore a complicated expression.
They felt as though they had stepped into the Gunners' holy ground.
Everywhere they looked, there were Arsenal fans!
The deafening waves of chants, the overwhelming passion—
even through the bus windows, it felt as if the crowd might crush them.
That night, the roar of the Arsenal supporters was so fierce that Everton's players briefly mistook this match for a derby.
But in reality, it was only an FA Cup tie.
The unity of Arsenal's fans was beyond anything Everton could have imagined.
And this was simply routine for Arsenal fans.
When the team is performing well, the supporters naturally become even more united.
This season, under Kai's leadership, Arsenal had maintained victories across all competitions—an astonishing record!
Naturally, the cohesion of the Gunners' fanbase was unmatched by any other club.
Moyes' face turned grim.
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