The Rise of the Iron Wall!

After everything was settled, everyone was back in position again immediately. The decision still stung the Hakodate Nishi team and some people on the stand who came to support them, but that was football. The referee wouldn’t always be able to stay neutral forever, and once shit hit like a storm, it was their job to adapt and make the most of it.

Now, all the attention was on Hakodate Nishi’s penalty box. The most crowded place in the entire game was suddenly empty, and everyone got cleared out except the two main protagonists here.

Under the goal, Higo was kissing the two goal posts for a moment, doing a little bit of ritualistic for a good luck charm. Meanwhile, right in front of him, Park Han-Gyeol took a deep breath, putting the ball on the penalty spot before taking a few steps back for his run-up.

’Not Mamoru, huh?’ Higo murmured. ’A bit too early to say this, but I am so fucking glad that it is not him...’ He glanced at the small player with Shimizu Higashi’s jersey number 10 behind the penalty box.

Not like he underestimated Park Han-Gyeol, of course. After all, he faced so many attacks from the Korean striker today, and one thing he noticed was that the Korean boy was always able to send the ball into the trickiest spot on his goal. Underestimating him would be the last mistake Higo could make before the Korean striker sank him deep into the abyss.

Still, this was definitely better than Mamoru.

Higo could still remember clearly the free kick that made his hand numb. It wasn’t the power that troubled him, but the fact that he experienced the exact same thing as when he fought against Echigo Academy last week.

That butterfly effect really messed his head, and in a penalty kick where he had to face the taker one-on-one, the goalkeeper really didn’t want to experience that right now.

’Now, let’s see which tricky angle he would try to slam the ball in...’

His mind recalled every little habit the Korean striker always made before taking a shot. Unfortunately, nothing really helped him since he didn’t really search for the boy’s data. So, in this case, he could only rely on one thing, and that was his clairvoyance ability.

’Come on, my brain...’ Higo prayed one last time. ’Please, don’t disappoint me!’

FWEEE!

The moment the referee blew the whistle, everything went silent. No one dared to breathe even a little bit louder here, all afraid that they would disturb this historical moment. Park Han-Gyeol started to run slowly, but as he got closer to the ball, he sped up to generate more power.

’Fuck, yeah! Here!’

Before the ball was even launched, though, Higo made the move first. It was so out of the blue that even Park Han-Gyeol himself was taken aback here. However, as the Korean striker slammed the ball hard...

BAM!

’Fuck!’ Higo cursed as he couldn’t even feel his left hand right now. However, he was able to predict that the ball would go to the right side, and the boy moved accordingly, blocking the shot from slamming into the goal he protected.

"FUCK IT! REBOUND!" Higo gritted his teeth; adrenaline took over his body.

Right after the save was made, he didn’t even have time to celebrate. His save wasn’t perfect, as it still bounced inside the box. Park Han-Gyeol, who saw this, also reacted, and while the other Hakodate Nishi players swarmed the box instantly after that, the Korean striker was still the closest one to get the second ball here.

BAM!

Another shot!

Another save as well!

This time, Higo used his body to block the ball, letting it fly high in the sky.

"OH! What a save!"

"A fucking double save? Are you kidding me?! That goalkeeper is insane!"

"Come on, Hakodate! Clear the fucking ball away!"

Cheers from the stand started to erupt as it seemed the ball was out of danger. However, after the second save that Higo made, it seemed everyone froze here, not really noticing any suspicious person sneaking from behind.

True enough, before anyone could get the ball, someone suddenly dashed rapidly, and to everyone’s surprise, he dived in the air with his head first, snatching the ball in the air with his header.

Thud!

Silence.

Dead silence fell on the pitch.

All the cheers earlier died down instantly, with everyone having their jaws drop and some even clutching their head in disbelief.

The ball just rolled inside the goal slowly, so mockingly, as if telling that even with all the effort Higo poured, they still couldn’t stop the goal from coming.

In the end, the first one to react was the culprit himself, the boy who no one saw coming, even though they should’ve expected this to happen. That boy was none other than Mamoru, who, ironically, with his around 165 cm height, scored the goal with a diving header.

The boy stared at the ball with breathless panting for a moment before he ran straight to the stand where all of the supporters sat.

"COME ON!" For the first time in the game, he roared, his voice echoing throughout this majestic stadium. "WE SCORE THE GOAL! WE SCORE THE FUCKING GOAL!"

Right after that, all the Shimizu Higashi players swarmed into that boy, all jumping wildly like a troop of monkeys after receiving a bunch of bananas. All shouting and cheering, with some even crying on the spot.

"Goddamnit, Mamoru! That’s what we are waiting for!"

"How could you be there?! I didn’t even see you!"

"Does that really matter?! We finally score a fucking goal! This is the end!"

Hell, even Park Han-Gyeol, the one whose penalty attempt was blocked by Higo, also joined the celebration. There was no envy or annoyance on his face for Mamoru, who stole the limelight here. Their relationship was good, and when they needed a goal the most, no one really cared who scored it.

Seeing them celebrating behind his goal, Higo felt all the strength supporting his body start to ebb away from his knees as he fell with his butt first on the ground. His eyes were empty, as he could only mutter one thing here.

’So, this is the end?’