Hissatsu Tactics : Grave of a Ruined World!!

Overcome by a sense of foreboding, Mika made eye contact with Serika who was too preoccupied with the cracked tombstones to notice her. While they had expected Outei to have yet to be revealed tactics, that didn't make it any easier for them at the moment and as if on cue, the earth burst due to the force of an army of skeletal hands that arose from beneath them to trap the Raimon players' feet within their bony hold.

Mika struggled for a few moments to free herself from the bind but was forced to watch as Nosaka leisurely sent the ball towards Senna who was waiting in a relaxed stance outside of the wretched graveyard for the ball. Then, looking back at their formation, she frowned slightly trying to figure out what had gone wrong.

Yuka was right beside her, and he was in no position to score or progress the ball from here.

Tamaki was currently being marked by Makoto and Galahad could move in to support if need be...

Serika was covering the central region that Raimon was looking to protect...

However, seeing Gabriel moving to block Haizaki, who was now operating in the frontline, it dawned on her seeing the Raimon members barricaded within the bounds of the halfspaces.

"It can't be..."

Sky Walk!

Senna nimbly leaped over Gabriel who was still stuck within the confines of 'Grave of a Ruined World' and gave a sharp kick across the field to Okumi.

"Don't even think about missing you big oaf!" Senna screeched like a dying seagull.

"If my biggest fan is cheering me on, I can't possible fail!" spouted Okumi confidently before winking and making a v-pose with her fingers.

Dark Keshin : Titan of the Ocean, Yu-Kiang!

Deep Sea Call!

Bookmark!

Though Hyun-Ki struggled with the powerful waves and crashing water for a few moments, as Mika had expected, she was met by the sight of the bespectacled goalkeeper being blown into the net while the announcer began to scream enthusiastically into the microphone.

[GOAL! GOAL! GOALLLL!!! Despite Raimon's efforts to seal off Outei's passing options, captain Yuuma Nosaka is holding a masterclass in tactics! Starting today, it looks like we'll have to call him the Emperor of Tactics with the skills he's showing off here at Holy Road Stadium!]

"That...that was incredible." Galahad said with awe dripping from his voice.

It was almost impossible to be mad that Outei had scored a point off them so quickly, considering the perfection by which Nosaka had analysed their formation, found the weak point and was able to execute the exact counter while accounting for the abilities of his teammates.

"That's not possible..." Serika muttered breathlessly as she attempted to readjust her plans based on what she had just observed play out in front of her.

There was absolutely no way that Nosaka should have been able to counter their new formation so quickly!! It was as if the Outei Tsukinomiya captain had already seen their formation before and prepared a countermeasure before Serika could even make it!

"We knew this was going to be a challenge, Serika, calm down." reminded Mika gently, seeing the rising agitation in Serika's eyes.

"I am calm!" shouted Serika indignantly before looking down sheepishly and speaking up again with a hint of abashment in her voice,

"Hmph! As if this is enough to throw the Great Serika Afuro off her game!! It's all part of the plan!"

Refocusing her eyes, she began to bark commands while the members reorganised themselves.

"Daiguji! Help defend the wide regions where that striker Haizaki is! Gabriel you focus on isolating the other striker, Kaibushi-san so they can't repeat that tactic again! I'll block the line of pass in the left field on my own. Mika, stay on top of Fukunaga-kun, but be careful of that loser, got it?"

"Yes, captain!" shouted the Raimon members with vigour in their step as they ran to their new positions under Serika's assuring commands.

Eager to take back the next point to equalise the score, Mika looked at the black-haired midfielder standing only a few short metres away from her as she looked hesitantly for an opening.

Because Outei was playing so offensively today, if she could just get past Yuka the only thing between her and the goal was two defenders and their keeper. She had never once lost to Yuka in a one on one dribble and she was confident that no matter what tricks he tried, that record wasn't about to change today.

Though she didn't know what had overcome him since the last she saw him, she was going to help Yuka open his eyes like he had hers.

"You're probably thinking some shit right now like how easy it's going to be for you to get past me just like every other time we've practised together, aren't you...Kuroha-san." asked Yuka in a sarcastic tone before continuing on with increasing bitterness permeating his words.

"The Great Mika Kuroha is coming through! I might as well just move out of the way and let the prodigy through!"

Frowning in confusion due to the nonsensical words being spouted out by the boy in front of her who had indeed moved out her way as she dribbled past him, she spoke in a soft but resolute manner.

"I might be a prodigy if you consider the definition of the word...but that doesn't equate to the inability for the two of us to play on the same field and enjoy playing soccer...together!"

Pausing, she looked back one last time and whispered slightly wistfully as she recalled the beginning of the school year when they had practised together by the riverside.

"You...showed me what it meant to like soccer. You believed in me, when no one else did Yuka! So now it's my turn to believe in you! We're going to win today and I'll show you once again what true soccer is!"

However, the instant the words were released from her mouth, Yuka began to tremble in place, tightening his fist such that blood began to spill from where his nails dug into his palm.

"Ha..."

HAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHA

"You got to be fucking kidding me Mika. You? Like soccer? Don't you dare utter that kind of bull crap in front of me...How dare you! HOW DARE YOU!"

Breathing heavily, Yuka's lungs heaved up and down as if exhausted from his banshee-like screaming and his pupils shook wildly as he began to let spit fly from his mouth in rage.

"That's always how you have been though. Stomping on everyone else's feelings from your high horse...It sickened me to see you in your match against Zeus...that disgusting smile on your face...Doing whatever you please while you stomped all over the efforts and dreams of your opponents...

"You...Enjoy soccer? Bullshit."

"I...sacrificed everything for soccer. Soccer was my life. I devoted my very being to it...Every day I woke up and soccer was the first thing in my mind. When I was eating I was thinking about soccer. When I was in school, I wondered when classes would end so I could play soccer...And I had faith...Faith that if I continued to work hard, practise diligently and listen to my coaches I could be a great soccer player too, one day! But...I think we both know what the result of that was..."

"Everything that I dreamed of...you could do oh so easily, couldn't you Kuroha-san? But you didn't even want to play soccer in the first place! And now all of a sudden you decide that you like soccer? It must be nice for it to be so easy for you, right Kuroha-san?"

"I'm so sick of this shit...." muttered Yuka with a strange mixture of defeat and spite as he began to glow with an incandescent white light.

"Yuka..." faltered Mika as the Outei midfielder began to unveil the inner depths of his heart to her.

"Well...you've crushed enough dreams Kuroha-san. Today...your reign of terror ends! Soccer is a sport that spits in the face of millions of hopefuls every year...so I don't care what I have to do or what I have to join to win!...Project Mars, Project Venus, Jupiter whatever! I'll do whatever it takes to climb to the top and show the entire world just how futile their efforts are..."

A nobody like me...standing atop the corpses of those filthy prodigies and geniuses... thought Yuka with a twisted sense of satisfaction.

"This is my justice!" bellowed Yuka before letting six radiant wings burst from behind him.

Photon Cross!

Flying upwards above Mika, Yuka released a wave of sharp feathers that surrounded her in a cross pattern which vibrated softly in the air before releasing a wave of golden-white light from the ground that sent Mika flying and the ball securely towards Yuka.

Tapping the ball against his right foot softly, after descending to the ground once more, Yuka took a final look at Mika who was shivering on the ground and spoke in an eerily quiet voice.

"While you stand proud as a paradigm of success...

To us...

You are a monument to our failure and today...is the last day you stand Mika Kuroha."

Then passing the ball to Junpei, who had moved upfield towards the centre of the pitch to support Yuka, the two boys skillfully made their way through Raimon's midfield until they were finally able to send the ball up to Nosaka.

Grinning confidently as he saw Raimon beginning to fall into disarray, Nosaka laughed heartily inside of his head. He had some doubts at first but his investment was finally paying off in spades and now it was almost certain that Project Mars would be completed.

"Ryouhei!"

Hearing his name being called out, Haizaki accelerated to get past his mark and standing aside Nosaka the ground beneath them began to shine with a golden light with the ball bouncing between them. Then running in a X-pattern a wave of light was released that blinded Galahad and the other defenders.

Hissatsu Tactics : Thousand Road!

Dark Keshin : Ankoku Shin Dark Exodus!

Dark Keshin : Asura of Hellfire!

Hmph.

Nodding to Haizaki, Nosaka gave the ball a fiery kick into the air with flames licking the ball from below while Haizaki came in from above with his keshin wielding a gargantuan dark axe that mixed shadows and flames together in a destructive ball of purple and red which then slowly separated into two demonic horns made of flames.

Hell Horn!

Spinning around each other, the red and purple horns spiralled straight for Hyun-Ki who was once again sent flying into the back of the net before he could even attempt to pull out a hissatsu.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

[GOALLLLLLLLL! After Yuka Fukunaga somehow steals the ball from Mika Kuroha, Outei is able to take yet another point from Raimon with captain Yuuma Nosaka and striker Haizaki Ryouhei's never before revealed hissatsu 'Hell Horn! Will Raimon be able to catch up to Outei Tsukinomiya or will they continue to pull ahead freely?]

"Like heck they're going to pull ahead as long as I'm here!" shouted Serika angrily, staring daggers at the press box in the stands.

However, though she was unwilling to admit it, while Serika wanted to condemn Outei for being reckless with their plays, she couldn't deny the results. How was she supposed to predict their plays when they were all behaving so erratically? If she could see one vision of how the game would play out it was as Nosaka could see her vision and was purposefully manipulating at his whim. It was difficult for her to believe that Outei had beaten Eisei Gakuen despite seeing the match with her own eyes but now that she was on the field, she could understand why the reigning champions had struggled against the rigorous countermeasures Nosaka prepared for each team.

Though...

While Yuka had been assisted by their defender Junpei Gujin, who had unexpectedly moved centrefield to support him followed by Nosaka using 'Thousand Road', Outei wouldn't have been able to score this easily if Mika hadn't lost possession of the ball to Yuka. Even if Yuka was able to use a Keshin, he still wasn't particularly skilled at dribbling so she didn't understand how Mika could lose the ball so easily to a beginner level player like him!

Or maybe he was more skilled than she had thought?

She hadn't been able to see the two fighting for possession of the ball well so perhaps he was better than his match against Eisei suggested. If so she would need to adjust her calculations accordingly...

Running over quickly to ask Mika about what had happened, she was stunned to see Mika bent over, grabbing her stomach in discomfort. Skin turning an unpleasant shade of green, it looked as if she were either about to pass out, vomit or both and Serika grabbed her shoulder urgently.

"Mika? What's wrong?! Did that dirty little rat do something to you? Mika!"

"I-I..."

Attempting to speak, Mika was unable to fully articulate herself and it looked as if she was now struggling to breathe. Serika had never seen Mika look like this before so she attempted to wave over Aphrodi when Mika's hand forced her arm down as the whistle blew to restart the match.

"Mika!" Serika yelled frantically but Mika had already stumbled off for the kickoff.

Now facing off once more with Haizaki, Mika could feel Yuka's pitch black eyes penetrating deep into her soul.

She had no idea that was what he thought of her.

The venom in his voice...

The poignant bitterness emanating from his entire being...

Yuka didn't just hate soccer...

His hatred was directed towards her.

She was the problem.

Mika was aware of what people called her.

'The Demon Queen'

Cold, unapproachable, distant...

Those were all words she had been labelled with since she first entered society. However, she had never actively tried to tear others down or harm them in any way so even though she mostly ignored such superficial commentary it still bothered her...

She didn't want to be a 'Demon Queen'...

She had always simply done what was expected of her so why?

Why were they saying these things about her?

Determined to make a change, no matter how small, Mika strived to show her consideration for the people around her in her own fashion. And even if no one noticed, she was content as long as she, herself, knew that she wasn't a demon like everyone said she was...

"I'm...a human too" Mika whispered to herself with conviction but as the people around her continued to avoid her and the distance between her and the people interacting with her grew, a seed of doubt began to dwell within her. As the days became months which turned into years, these doubts continued to grow within her heart until she began to wonder if she really was some sort of demon like they said until eventually...when she looked in the mirror, though her appearance could be said to be beautiful, to her it was nothing more than a bag of flesh and bones that hid her true, demonic self.

"No..."

"I-I'm human..." Mika told herself once more but now the truth laid before her.

Shaking her head to free her of her doubts, she became more and more consumed with the perceptions of her parents, her peers, and even strangers. Though hesitant to get closer to them, she always took note of what expectations they had of her even if they didn't explicitly state it and did her utmost to fulfil them.

And so, Mika thought she had figured out the secret.

The secret to fitting into society.

How to camouflage as a human...

She could do it too!

But the older she became, the more difficult it was to maintain her sense of self as she was pulled in every direction, attempting to fulfil the desires imposed upon her.

Her parents, who wanted her to be the flawless heir to the Takinami corporation...

Her teammates, who praised her as the demonic ace striker of Raimon...

Her classmates, who put her on a pedestal as the 'Ojou–sama' and 'Goddess' of their school.

But that all changed when she met him.

When she had finally met Yuka, who had no expectations of her, it was like she could finally breathe.

Finally told to do what she wanted to do...

Finally allowed to focus on herself...

She had even surprised herself by how much she had changed. For the first time in her life, Mika was doing something that she liked to do rather than something that she needed to do.

And since that day by the riverbank, her life had changed so much that she could hardly recognise it anymore.

But...

Recalling, Yuka's words now, Mika shut her eyes tightly as the harsh rhetoric refused to leave her mind.

"Doing whatever you please while you stomped all over the efforts and dreams of your opponents..."

"While you stand proud as a paradigm of success...To us...You are a monument to our failure"

It was true.

She had been so focused on herself and her own desires she had completely forgotten about what had happened to those who had been torn down on her way to the top.

Though she was happier than she had ever been before...

She didn't know what the right answer was.

She couldn't lose now...

Her parents and teammates were counting on her to score goals and win!

But she couldn't refute Yuka's words either.

Soccer did come easily to her and it was something that she had always taken for granted but maybe it would be better after all if she didn't play...

While she was enjoying soccer at the moment it still wasn't something that she needed to survive. She could live without soccer but people like Yuka?

Could she really step on their earnest efforts and their desperate dreams so heartlessly?

If she did then wouldn't that be the same as admitting she was a true demon?

Taking away their happiness for the sake of her own...

She...

She couldn't do it.

"So now you have a conscience?" sneered Yuka as he ran past Mika who was still frozen in a trance-like state after having the ball stolen from her.

"Before...you were my never-ending nightmare Kuroha-san. The one who ended all my dreams of ever becoming a pro soccer player...a demon queen in every sense of the word. With you on the field, it was only a testament to how someone who cared so little and only worked a fraction as hard as me could be a million times better...But that nightmare ends today!"

Then, running upfield he left Mika behind as Nosaka and Haizaki once again faced off with the Raimon defensive line.

Hissatsu Tactics : Thousand Road!

"You really are a baka if you think that trick will work on us twice, Nosaka. Though I suppose anyone looks like a moron compared to me!!" commented Serika as she gave the duo a smug look of derision and then held her hands in a praying gesture with eyes firmly shut. Letting out resoundant circles of holy light, she and the other Raimon members held their hands upwards to the sky as a brilliant wave of warm light filled their side of the field.

"Tactic for Tactic! Speed for speed!"

Hissatsu Tactics : Saint Flash!

Hmph!

Dashing in a burst of light, Serika winked haughtily before making a sharp turn along with the stolen ball.

It looked like Mika needed some help today so Serika was there for her!

Continuing to dribble, she saw the Outei members closing in on her and the other Raimon players who were moving up with her and her eyes began to glow with white light as a halo emerged atop her head.

Divine Revelation!

"Almost there..." muttered Serika as in unison, the Raimon members executed pass after pass until finally Serika was deep in the Outei defensive zone with only that obnoxious Tamaki in her way. She didn't know how or why he was here but once he was out of the way, the goal was Mika's!

Resolving herself, Serika looked at the 'Child of Soccer' with determination and slowly put her right hand into the air.

Snap

Heaven's Time!

Slowly dribbling past the frozen Tamaki, who now upon closer inspection seemed to be sleeping with his eyes open, Serika frowned but continued on. Then, snapping her fingers with satisfaction she looked down but felt her breath stolen away from her as she felt the ball vanish from between her feet.

"What?!"

"Sorry Angel-san. That trick only works on someone with worse dribbling than yours."

"No way!"

Shrugging his shoulders as if he wasn't going to waste time trying to convince her if she didn't believe him, Tamaki whistled with his fingers in his mouth and hopped atop the motorcycle that appeared to be made of clouds with the ball secured in the side car beside him. Putting on a pair of goggles while a candy floss-like helmet appeared on his head, he revved up the engine leaving Serika in the dust.

Cloud Ride~

Hup.

Making an incredible amount of distance with his hissatsu, Tamaki blew past the Raimon midfield and sent the ball in a cross to Nosaka who had anticipated Serika's stratagem and moved Tamaki to the backline accordingly.

"Stop him!" screamed Serika before hurriedly activating 'Saint Flash' in a desperate attempt to prevent Outei from extending their lead over Raimon.

Hissatsu Tactics : Saint Flash!

Grinning, as he saw the Raimon members speed up towards him, Nosaka gave the ball a light kick upwards to Kairaku who then gave the ball another kicks upward in an arching pass to Tamaki who gave it a powerful kick backwards to where Junpei was waiting in the air so he could give it a final kick while airborne.

Hissatsu Tactics : Soft and Hard!

"About time." muttered Yuka who had been sent upfield by Nosaka in anticipation of this moment.

Phew.

Seeing that Yuka was the only one able to shoot from that area, as Raimon had successfully isolated the other Outei members, Serika let out a sigh of temporary relief. Yuka didn't have the finishing power to score, so they were safe for now...

It was a good thing she had prepared their formation on the off chance that they had failed to score.

Legendary Keshin : Michael, Sword of Justice!

Yuka paused with the ball under his foot as only Raimon's keeper was left standing in his way.

Though it was his first time shooting in a real match, he wasn't nervous.

When he remembered why he was standing on this field now, the way he was now, after doing the things he did, all his doubts vanished.

After Raimon had defeated Teikoku Gakuen in the preliminary finals, Yuka was filled with a volcanic rage as the words from his past came back to haunt him.

"It's okay to like soccer Yuka, but not everyone can make a profession out of soccer..."

"..."

"Your mother is just saying that we all have hobbies that we like to do but work and hobbies are different, you understand Yuka?"

"Not everyone has the talent to become a professional soccer player Fukunaga-kun. So think carefully about what you want to do, if you really like soccer there are lots of jobs you can think about that will keep you involved in the industry, like a coach or manager!"

His parents...

His teachers...

Even the subtle hints from his coaches when he was put on the bench for yet another match.

Was he supposed to be content with playing soccer as a "hobby" as he worked a normal, lacklustre job he didn't even like, while players like Mika who didn't even appreciate soccer played on the world stage?

How was that fair?

It just made no sense to him despite his attempts to rationalise his lack of talent.

Blood boiling at the injustice, Yuka cursed himself.

Why did he have to be like this?

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop his obsession for soccer but wanting to do something this badly...

This passion...

It wasn't a blessing in any way...

It was a curse.

Filling the ball with all of this resentment and violent fury towards the crappy world he was living in, Yuka tightened his body before releasing all of his energy like a spring.

Racing from behind Yuka, the ball disappeared for a moment as the scenery of the stadium was overtaken by a radiant, white light with celestial clouds gathering together to form a stairwell. At the top of which, stood a massive, traditional red torii with the ball floating softly in front of it[1]. Flying up the stairs, Yuka turned his body sideways so he could maximise his rotational force and then whipping his body around, his foot hit the ball at the entrance of the gate releasing a scorching ray of golden light that transformed the scenery once more into a heavenly world of shining temples that struck a harmonious sense of peace into the players and audience members alike.

Ex Nihilo - Takamagahara![2]

"I'll stop him!" cried Galahad as he moved forward in an attempt to shoot block for Hyun-Ki.

Total Eclipse Remastered!

Bookmark!

Oof

[Goalll! Yuka Fukunaga of Outei makes his first goal of the tournament extending Outei's lead to an impressive 3-0 as the first half ends here at Holy Road Stadium!! Despite this being the final match of Holy Road between the two top teams in the nation, Outei Tsukinomiya is showing us why they're the team to beat today!!]

Huff Huff Huff

Attempting to catch his breath after taking the full brunt of Yuka's new hissatsu, Galahad leaned back on the bench while the other Raimon members were similarly worn out after the exhausting first half.

He hadn't expected that much power from the ex-Raimon midfielder if he was being honest, but considering how skilled the other Outei members were he supposed it only made sense that Yuka's skill level had similarly risen since joining the team.

"Are we going to lose?" Sadao asked quietly, with his question casting a sombre mood on Raimon's side of the field.

"Don't be ridiculous you baka! We're not going to lose! Right Mika?" Serika cried out while looking to Mika for backup.

"If we lose, does that mean Project Mars will be passed by the JYSA?" Gabriel contemplated aloud, too distraught by the 3 point difference to listen to Serika at the moment.

"Does that mean they're going to close the soccer program at Raimon?" Nariko wondered with a slight trace of annoyance as she began to think about some back up clubs she could join to harass people with Naoki.

"Afuro-san is right, there's no point in discussing what will happen when the match isn't over everyone!" shouted Galahad vigorously, in an attempt to keep the mood light but to no avail.

"Haha, I think you're all forgetting that we have a secret weapon! There's no way they can stop our 'Demon Queen' when she goes all out!" Makoto declared in a friendly manner while waving his hands at Mika who was sitting off to the side by herself.

Having been listening to the conversation of her teammates from afar, Mika felt twelve sets of eyes turn to her making her want to bury her face into her hands.

What...

"What do I do?" thought Mika miserably.

How could she possibly accommodate the desires of everyone when they all conflicted against each other?

"Then don't."

Alarmed by the sudden, mellifluous voice that invaded her mind, she looked up but was surprised to find that everything had become black and there was a girl who looked almost identical to her, except with heterochromatic red and blue eyes, standing in front of her.

"Who..."

Shhhh

Putting her index finger on Mika's lips, Mika's pupils dilated and quivered in place while the other girl soothed her gently.

"Don't worry Mika, I'll take care of everything for you. Just like I always have...okay? So just leave it all to me!"

Then feeling her eyes close, Mika could only hear the girl's mirthful giggle while she felt an overwhelming sense of calm overtake her.

And then finally...

The sweet silence of nothingness.

Teehee