It was also at this moment that a red figure, wreathed in lightning, streaked past.
Flames erupted in Chigiri's pupils, his long red hair flowing in the air, and he was chasing the ball. Just as the ball was about to be repelled by the mechanical goalkeeper, he steadily intercepted the straight shot.
His gaze met Ye Liangqiu's, and his right foot quickly lifted.
With a "bang."
The mechanical goalkeeper couldn't react; the ball had already shot towards the upper left corner of the goal.
Chigiri clenched his fists, leaped high, and struck a scoring pose.
The score now stood at 1:3.
Otoya Eita couldn't help but praise, "This speed is truly exciting!"
Everyone knew that in that instant, Ye Liangqiu had only two options: pass or shoot. However, he chose the latter, and that shot should have been blocked by the goalkeeper. After all, for a super long-range shot, without any obstructed vision, the mechanical goalkeeper's defensive speed is extremely fast.
However, only one person on the entire field knew that he had a chance to get that ball.
That was Chigiri Hyoma. This guy, from beginning to end, never expected Ye Liangqiu to pass the ball. He clearly knew the desire in this guy's heart: self-interest. He would never treat them as teammates, but rather as tools.
Since the tool had failed, he had to rely on his own weapon to score.
Chigiri had learned how to predict Ye Liangqiu's methods, so he charged into the penalty area recklessly, just to seize a sliver of an opportunity.
And only he could seize this opportunity.
Because his speed was born to surpass the ball.
Now, he had succeeded.
The suppressed exhilaration in his heart erupted at this moment. Chigiri was incredibly excited. Was this his first victory over Ye Liangqiu?
At this moment, Chigiri's gaze met Ye Liangqiu's once again, but what he saw was a pair of calm eyes, as if this goal wasn't worth him showing any emotion.
Chigiri raised an eyebrow. "Isn't he angry?"
"The shot I took was stolen by me..."
At this moment, Niko walked forward, a hint of fear in his eyes. "Did you... voluntarily go and steal the ball just now? Or were you just fixated on the ball?"
"What do you mean?" Chigiri was a bit confused. He had scored a goal, so why was Niko so shocked? It didn't make sense, did it?
After a few seconds of silence, Niko revealed a fact that sent shivers down Chigiri's spine.
"You also know that I'm not the only one on the field who excels at spatial awareness."
"In that situation, Ye Liangqiu had only two choices: shoot or pass. I... actually saw through it. That shot of his wasn't a shot."
"It was deliberately passed to you."
Chigiri was stunned. "How is that possible?"
"That guy's powerful shot couldn't possibly be a pass!"
Niko shook his head. "Actually, I also thought it was impossible, but facing three attackers at that time, the reason Ye Liangqiu kept restricting the others there and didn't pass the ball, I suspect he was waiting for you to enter the penalty area."
"Or rather... he was forcing you to snatch that ball."
"He precisely calculated your speed."
"Forcing me?" Chigiri wiped the sweat from the corner of his mouth, momentarily bewildered.
Niko nodded. "The entire field was in chaos. In a brief instant, he used himself as bait, drawing everyone's attention to himself, thereby ignoring you who were making an off-ball run towards the penalty area. And that shot just now, from beginning to end, its purpose was to shoot to your final running point."
"It was also the maximum distance you could run."
"Undeniably, that goal of yours might seem like you snatched it in others' eyes, but in reality, Ye Liangqiu fed it to you."
"I can't imagine how many steps ahead he can see, but in that situation, everyone thought he was crazy to kick that shot, but... I knew how calm that guy was under that ball."
"This is the first time I feel I need to re-examine this demon king who defeated me."
Upon hearing this, Chigiri's pupils trembled violently, and he gritted his teeth... So... his goal was actually just a gift from this Demon King?
Even a theatrical performance to make others think he snatched the ball?
So, his calm eyes just now meant that?
He just treated himself as a scoring tool...
This feeling was very uncomfortable. Chigiri would rather not have scored that goal... He looked at Ye Liangqiu's back; the joy he felt earlier had vanished, replaced by a strong sense of unwillingness in his eyes. "In your eyes, was this merely a gift?"
Not far away, Itoshi Rin and Yoichi Isagi, among others, also noticed the strangeness of that goal.
Especially Itoshi Rin... as someone who was previously familiar with Ye Liangqiu, he knew this guy would never pass the ball to others, but now... this fact had been broken.
Ye Liangqiu had undergone an unimaginable change.
This change was enveloping everyone on the field. Itoshi Rin seemed to see a layer of blood-colored air swirling around the field, and the grass on the ground was withering away.
Shidou Ryusei also seemed to smell this aura; every cell in his body trembled. His pink pupils fixed on Ye Liangqiu's back, revealing a malicious smile.
Hiori Yo and Yoichi Isagi were still immersed in the shock from earlier. They had no idea Ye Liangqiu would shoot in that situation, and they couldn't even fathom that someone could receive such a ball.
But after thinking for a few seconds, Hiori Yo and Yoichi Isagi exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
Hiori Yo sighed and softly said, "Perhaps the Demon King you spoke of has now completely descended upon this field."
"Controlling the future of others?"
"Unimaginable."
Everyone was discussing, excited, and surprised...
However, at this moment, Ye Liangqiu calmly walked on the field. With every step, he savored the exhilaration he had just experienced, briefly entering a FLOW state. The entire world became still, and he could see countless scoring routes, all achieved through various passes and goals.
And that goal just now was him seeing the future place where Chigiri could run.
Then, driven by instinct, he kicked the ball.
This feeling was like playing chess; the whole world was his chess pieces.
At this moment, he felt an unprecedented exhilaration; the crimson flames in his pupils burned continuously.
"I will use the future as my chessboard, manipulating the future of these players."
"What I need are emotionless chess pieces, not a group of self-centered players."