The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 314: Another Red Card?! Drama At the End of the First Half!

"Shit... Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me!" Denki groaned, cursing inwardly as he tried to chase his slippery opponent from behind. "FUCK! SENPAI, COVER FOR ME!"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK I’M DOING?!" Kazawa also cursed as he followed behind.

Somehow, Kawabe managed to fool everyone here, acting dumb for a while to slow down the game, giving the impression that he wanted to hold the current situation until the break. The moment Kazawa and Denki lowered their guard, moving slightly inside and giving room for Kawabe to operate on the flank, the boy took action immediately, punishing that with a crazy run.

Soon, the through pass also followed behind, landing straight at the space in front of Kawabe. With both Denki and Kazawa behind, he could see the entire penalty box freely, even having a choice on where to send the ball.

Of course, Hakodate Nishi’s defenders didn’t just stay still. Ishinori and Takaaki also moved, ready to cover the free space left by their teammates. The first priority here was to shut down all the angles for a cross, preventing any threat from coming to the penalty box.

However, Kawabe was one step forward here. When everyone thought that he was going to send a crossing, the boy didn’t stop running, continuing his momentum forward. He pushed the ball further, intending to penetrate Hakodate Nishi’s defense from the baseline.

"SHIT! Nori, don’t follow him there! Move back a little, cover the cutback route!" Higo shouted, somehow getting so tense as he covered the near post.

The other defenders also shifted onto that side, getting ready for everything. Seeing that no route was open for him to cut back, Kawabe made a crazy decision here. He just saw a very small angle toward the near post, straight next to Higo’s hips, and the boy decided to strike immediately.

BAM!

"FUCK!" Higo cursed as the shot came unexpectedly.

Fortunately, since the route was not that long, he managed to block it. However, due to its power, Higo failed to deflect it outside. No, if anything, the ball just flew inside the penalty box where three Shohei High players suddenly appeared, getting ready to fight for the ball.

"Jun, I swear to God you have to get this!" Makino shouted, tracking the ball in the air while also fighting for a better position against his opponent.

"Don’t worry, Senpai! I’ll clear this!" Jun shouted back, his eyes still locking onto the ball.

Being the tallest person on the box, it was easy for him to get the ball first. However, the pressure from the opponent also made it hard for him to do it clearly. No, while Jun managed to head the ball away, it still fell right in front of the penalty box, and one midfielder who was ready to get the rebound slammed the ball without hesitation, aiming straight at the near post for the second time in a row.

BAM!

’What the hell are they trying to do here?!’ Higo cursed once again as he jumped for the second time in a row. He had just recovered from the last shot, and getting forced to do that again was definitely not a comfortable thing here. Fortunately, it still aimed straight at his body, so it was easy for him to block.

Or... Well... At least, that was what he thought.

However, right at the last second before his hand could touch the ball, another hand suddenly blocked his sight. Higo was so stunned here since he didn’t really activate his clairvoyance ability. He didn’t know what happened or whose hand it was, but the next thing he knew...

FWEEE!

The ball hit that hand, and right after that, the referee blew the whistle, pointing at the white spot inside the penalty box.

For a moment, silence descended on the pitch. Higo himself snapped his head around, wondering whose hand just got the ball first. The boy was so stunned when he saw Kazawa somehow falling on the ground, his face was so pale as if he had just witnessed a murder.

True enough, right after this, the referee came to his spot immediately, raising a red card for the boy. Another round of silence followed before hell finally broke loose.

"OH! THE SECOND RED CARD!"

"What the hell is going on here?! Why the fuck would he block the ball with his hand?!"

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! A PENALTY!"

Of course, the first instinct here for all the Hakodate Nishi players was to complain.

"Sensei, that’s a harsh judgement, you know?! It is a penalty, for sure, but Kazawa is not even the last man standing in front of the goal!" Makino tried to plead. "Can you see that our goalkeeper is already flying there?! He would definitely be able to get the ball, I tell you that!"

In all honesty, Makino didn’t really know what was going on before. He just saw Kazawa and Higo being so close to each other, and his brain put everything together to one conclusion that gave his team the best advantage.

"He is right, Sensei! That punishment is too harsh!" Ishinori also tried to put more pressure here. "His hand moved instinctively; there was nothing he could do! At least, a yellow card will be enough here!"

The others also tried to say one word after another, but the referee himself didn’t bulge. He shook his head, saying something to Makino before the boy finally backed down dejectedly, not being able to shake the mountain in front of him.

"Sorry, Chibi, it seems we have to rely on you this time." He apologized to Higo. Then, his gaze turned to Kazawa, and all the harsh words on his throat stuck immediately after watching the boy die sitting on the ground. "Come on, Kaz! Don’t be so depressed like that!" He shook the boy’s shoulder gently.

"I am so sorry..." Somehow, the boy was sobbing right now. "Fuck... I don’t even know what got into my head, but my hand suddenly moved to block the ball! If only I wasn’t there, Higo-senpai would be able to stop the shot..."

Everyone just sighed helplessly, knowing that they couldn’t deny the boy’s words here. It was just a series of unlucky events, with Kazawa being the biggest victim on the pitch.

"Oi, Kazawa... Listen to me." Higo suddenly kneeled in front of the boy; his gaze was dead serious. Everyone also stopped talking, knowing that the goalkeeper wanted to talk here. "It is just back to 10 vs 10 here, so don’t worry too much about us. As for the penalty, well... You know how I’ve faced this shit so far, so you should know what I can do. Don’t worry, leave the rest to me!"