The halftime room pulsed with tension.

The players of Eternal Era sat catching their breath, sweat dripping from their brows. The air was thick with adrenaline and fatigue. Jason stood before the team's tactical board, his expression cold but focused.

"We're going into the second half with a shift," he said, eyes landing on Blaze and Diego. "The Solar Blades rely on photon synchronization. Their formation uses pulses of light to connect their rhythm and we're going to break that link."

"How?" Scarlet asked, adjusting the tape around her wrists.

"By disrupting their pulse with a counter-frequency," Jason replied, drawing two crossing lines on the board. "Lightning and wind. Blaze and Diego you two will combine your energy flows to create a counterwave strong enough to distort their photon field."

Diego grinned, leaning back in his chair. "So basically, we fry the light show."

Jason gave a faint smirk. "If you can pull it off without killing yourselves."

Blaze looked at Diego, his tone steady. "We can."

Anastasia, sitting near them, turned slightly. "Just don't destroy the stadium this time."

Diego chuckled. "No promises."

The buzzer echoed — signaling the start of the second half.

Jason folded his arms, his eyes sharp. "Blaze, Diego… show them what Eternal Era means."

The players stepped back onto the field, the stadium roaring like a cosmic storm. The floodlights dimmed briefly, replaced by golden beams that followed the Solar Blades' formation as they prepared for kickoff.

"Forty-five minutes left," Blaze muttered under his breath. "Let's end this."

The whistle blew.

Immediately, Solar Blades went on the attack — their photon formation reforming like clockwork. Beams of light shot across the field, each pass blindingly fast. Liora, their captain, stood at the heart of it all, her movements radiant and precise.

"Photon Chain, activate!" she commanded.

The field ignited hexagonal light panels materialized across the turf, creating shifting pathways of speed. The Blades sprinted along them, accelerating beyond human perception.

Blaze's eyes flickered blue. His Lightning Vision activated, slowing everything around him to a crawl. "Not this time."

He dashed forward, weaving through defenders with serpent-like precision. Every motion was clean, almost dance-like a martial form known as Raijin Flow, the Lightning God's Way. His feet skimmed the turf, and with every step, static exploded beneath him.

Liora appeared before him in a burst of golden light. "Still trying to outpace the sun?"

Blaze's grin widened. "No. I'm burning through it."

He kicked — lightning spiraling outward in a coiled motion, forming the early pattern of Jörmundgandr 2.0, his evolving serpentine strike. Liora blocked with a Photon Wall, but the sheer voltage cracked it like glass. Sparks rained down, illuminating both players.

From the flank, Diego roared, "Wind Fang, Spiral Form!"

His legs twisted as he spun, his martial art — Gale Serpent Style — activating. Air currents wrapped around him like blades, amplifying his speed. He intercepted a Solar midfielder, sweeping his legs in a circular motion and redirecting the ball toward Blaze.

The synchronization was beautiful — lightning and wind, merging perfectly.

Blaze trapped the ball with a reverse heel flick, the field shaking under the sheer intensity of his aura. "Time to break their rhythm."

He thrust forward, every kick a flash of martial grace — Thunder Palm, Lightning Step, Dragon Sweep. His movements blurred into arcs of blue energy, overwhelming two defenders in seconds.

"Diego! Now!" he shouted.

"Already ahead of you!" Diego leapt high, channeling his chi into his right leg. His energy spiraled downward, condensing into a sharp vortex — Fang Dropkick — slamming into the turf.

The impact sent a shockwave that shattered the photon platforms beneath the Solar Blades' feet.

Jason clenched his fist on the sideline. "Good. They broke the formation!"

The Blades staggered, their light pulses unsynced — exactly what Jason planned.

Blaze seized the opening. Lightning crackled across his body, his aura erupting into pure white flame. His martial stance shifted — low center, open arms — Thunder God Fist Form.

He spun, kicking the ball high, and leapt after it — lightning wrapping around his legs. The crowd gasped as he launched himself above everyone, eyes burning like twin suns.

Then, instead of striking, he twisted mid-air and redirected the ball sideways — toward Diego.

A perfect assist.

"Showtime!" Diego yelled.

Wind exploded beneath his feet as he shot forward, his body spiraling like a typhoon. Every twist compressed his energy until his leg shone with a green-blue glow. He slammed his foot into the ball — the Gale Crusher unleashed.

The ball tore through the air like a comet, the combined power of lightning and wind amplifying its velocity tenfold. The sound barrier shattered, echoing like thunder across the arena.

BOOM!

The Photon Keeper dove — but too late. The ball struck the upper corner of the net and detonated, a storm of light and air erupting behind the goal.

The crowd went berserk.

"GOOOOOOAAAAL!!!" the announcer's voice bellowed through the speakers. "Eternal Era leads — one to zero!"

Jason slammed his hand on the bench in triumph, unable to hide his grin. "That's how you dismantle the sun!"

Anastasia jumped up from her seat, wings of air fluttering briefly. "They did it!"

Scarlet smirked, arms crossed. "Of course they did. They're Eternal."

But the match wasn't over.

Liora rose from the ground, golden light seeping from her body like liquid fire. Her calm expression hardened. "So, the storm can roar after all."

She raised her arms, and the air itself bent around her.

"Photon Ascend Mode — Release!"

A pillar of light exploded upward, piercing the clouds. The crowd gasped as she lifted into the air, her armor unfolding into radiant wings.

Blaze shielded his eyes, electricity flaring around him instinctively. "She's not human."

Diego spat on the ground, adjusting his gloves. "Neither are we right now."

Jason's voice crackled through the comm:

"She's overclocking her energy core. Blaze, Diego finish this quickly, or you'll both collapse."

Liora descended like a falling star, her leg enveloped in a blade of solid light. Blaze met her mid-air — lightning colliding with photons — the sky detonating above the pitch.

BOOM!

The shockwave hurled players backward. The turf tore apart under the pressure. Blaze gritted his teeth, blood dripping from his lip as he blocked the attack with crossed arms.

"Still… not enough," he growled, lightning veins spreading across his body.

He unleashed a punch that sent thunder rolling through the dome — Raijin Strike. Liora countered with Solar Divide, light slicing downward. Their collision created a blinding flash that threw them both apart.

Diego caught Blaze mid-fall, both skidding across the grass. "You good?"

Blaze nodded weakly. "I need one more spark."

Diego grinned. "Then take mine."

He placed his hand on Blaze's shoulder. Their energies flared, intertwining — lightning and wind spiraling together, forming a storm sphere that rippled through the stadium.

The two looked at each other — wordless, but perfectly in sync.

"Lightning Tempest," Blaze whispered.

"Typhoon Fang," Diego replied.

They sprinted.

Liora readied her final move, unleashing Photon Collapse — a dome of blinding light that threatened to consume everything.

But Blaze and Diego didn't stop.

Their fusion energy exploded outward, the storm devouring the light dome. Lightning tore through photons, and in that brilliant chaos, Blaze launched the ball forward with an undercut Serpent Fang Kick.

The ball curved violently mid-air, spinning in a serpentine arc. Diego leapt, twisting his leg around it in a finishing spin — amplifying its velocity with his wind aura.

Together, their voices echoed:

"Raijin-Typhoon Fang — Final Burst!"

The ball became a dragon of storm and wind — Jörmundgandr 2.0.

It slammed into the goal like a divine hammer.

CRAAASH!

The net disintegrated, the post bent backward, and light cascaded across the arena as if the heavens themselves applauded.

Silence followed — and then the stadium erupted.

"GOAL!!!"

Eternal Era 2 — Solar Blades 0.

The final whistle blew.

As the echo faded, Blaze dropped to his knees, gasping. His lightning flickered, dimming slowly. Diego fell beside him, laughing through his exhaustion.

"We did it," Diego said, voice hoarse. "We actually did it."

Blaze looked up at the roaring stands — at the lights, the cheers, the faces — and for the first time since returning to this world, he smiled without restraint.

He raised his fist high. "I told you all…" he shouted, voice carrying through the thunder."…I'll be the best striker in the world!"

The crowd roared in response, chanting his name:

"BLAZE! BLAZE! BLAZE!"

Jason watched from the sideline, arms crossed, a proud grin tugging at his lips. "You're getting there, kid," he muttered. "But the climb's only begun."

Liora, kneeling across the pitch, looked up at Blaze with a faint smile. "Guess the stories were true after all."

He met her gaze. "Believe it."

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