Chapter 325: Karma (XLIII)

Fwip!

The whistle shrieked again, and the ball zipped across the field in a golden streak as one of the Seraphim stole the ball in an instant.

Fuck… I still wasn’t accustomed to this shit!

“Move!” Kael shouted, already surging forward with a burst of mana, lightning flickering around his boots.

Tyrian followed behind him, sliding into a defensive stance as the Seraphim team spread their formation wide, like a pack of predators closing in.

Clicking my tongue, I rushed ahead, marking Eric.

My plan was simple — force him into overextending.

If I could bait him into using too much divine energy on acceleration, his wings would momentarily destabilize, giving me a small window.

That was all I needed.

But he wasn’t taking the bait.

Eric hovered just out of reach, the faint golden aura around him pulsing steadily, wings slicing the air with precise control.

His eyes met mine, calm and confident.

“Trying to predict me?”

I didn’t reply.

The moment Tyrian lunged for the ball, Eric moved even faster than before.

His foot slid past Tyrian’s in a sharp feint, the ball vanishing between his legs before he flipped it up, using his knee to bounce it over Kael’s block.

He landed perfectly, spinning once and kicking it across the field to himself using mana control.

The crowd screamed.

“ERIC! ERIC! ERIC!”

Golden feathers scattered across the air as he dashed toward the goal, every movement a blur of light.

I followed, but not fast enough.

His speed was simply ridiculous.

I caught his movement for a split second, but it was too late as the ball was already flying toward the goal.

A direct shot.

“Fuck…!”

However, before it could reach the net, something snapped inside my vision.

No… it was more precisely to say that I had unleashed both of my Divine Eyes at the same time.

『 ✯ Odin’s Right Eye ✯』

『 ✯ Lunar Dragon Void Left Eye ✯』

They were in perfect synchrony.

The world slowed.

My pupils constricted sharply, the red glow returned and started flickering violently… and then deepened, turning black at the edges, a dark crimson storm twisting at the core.

Thump.

In a flash, I was there, between the ball and the goalpost.

A shockwave cracked through the field as my leg intercepted it midair, stopping the divine projectile cold.

The crowd fell silent.

Eric’s eyes widened slightly, wings trembling in mid-flap.

The ball dropped, rolling once before resting at my feet.

“…Tsk.” I exhaled faintly, black-red light burning faintly in my gaze as I looked up at him.

“Not this time.”

The entire stadium seemed to shudder as the mana pressure around me rose.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

For a second, there was no sound nor movement, just a stadium full of wide eyes and open mouths.

Then the silence broke like glass.

“WHAT THE—?!”

“Did he just stop that shot?!”

The crowd exploded, a storm of voices and divine energy. Gods rose from their seats, shouting over one another in disbelief.

The Seraphim supporters were frozen, and the rest were cheering like lunatics.

“No way…” Kael’s jaw literally dropped.

Tyrian blinked, then burst into laughter.

“Holy hell, captain! I thought you said you were new!”

Aestrea didn’t answer.

His black-and-red eyes burned faintly as he tapped the ball forward.

One step.

Just one, and he was past Eric.

The Seraphim captain stood frozen for half a second before gritting his teeth, wings flaring wide as he burst forward again.

“You’re not getting away this time!”

The wind screamed around them as Eric dove in, feet blurring as he tried to intercept.

But Aestrea’s movements were too smooth, too deliberate. He tilted his body at the last second, and the ball slid between Eric’s legs.

The crowd gasped.

“Wait—what?! He nutmegged him!”

Aestrea spun, caught the ball again with the outside of his foot, twisted left, then flicked it back behind him.

Eric turned sharply, almost losing footing as the silver-haired god danced past him again.

“Keep up,” Aestrea said quietly.

Those words angered Eric, causing him to clench his teeth. His wings spread fully, feathers burning with divine light as he rushed once more.

But Aestrea didn’t flinch.

He lured him closer—dribble, turn, step over, fake, another fake—and suddenly Eric was reacting to shadows, chasing movements that never happened.

The field’s mana trembled.

Then Aestrea broke past him entirely, streaking straight toward the goal.

The crowd went wild.

“HE’S THROUGH! HE’S THROUGH!”

The goalkeeper, a broad-shouldered god with golden armor and glowing eyes, dropped into position.

Aestrea’s steps grew faster, his body lowering slightly as he cocked his leg back…

THUD!

Suddenly, Eric slammed into him from the side, shoulder-first.

Aestrea staggered, his body twisting.

The ball popped loose for a fraction of a second. But instead of falling, he channeled a pulse of mana into his leg, just enough to lift it back into the air.

The world seemed to slow.

He leaned on Eric’s shoulder, using him for balance, and turned his hips in one smooth, fluid motion.

WHAM!

His foot connected perfectly.

SWIP!

The ball screamed through the air like a meteor, black and red streaks trailing behind it.

“—!”

The goalkeeper’s eyes widened.

He summoned three golden barriers in front of the net. BAM! BAM! BAM! Each one shattered instantly under the impact.

The final defense, the goalkeeper himself, braced and caught it with his chest.

BOOOOOOOM!

He was blasted backward, smashing through the divine net as the ball ripped a hole through it, golden threads snapping apart.

The arena went dead silent again.

GOOOOAAAAAAL!!!

The roar that followed shook the entire stadium.

“LET’S GOOOO!!”

Tyrian was the first to scream, throwing his arms up.

“HE BROKE THE DIVINE NET! HE ACTUALLY BROKE IT!” Kael clutched his head, laughing hysterically.

Even the gods in the stands couldn’t stop themselves—half were shouting in awe, the others just watching in stunned silence.

Eric stood still, chest heaving, watching Aestrea lower his leg slowly.

The faint black-red glow in his eyes flickered, then dimmed again.

“…That,” Eric muttered with a low voice, “wasn’t divine energy.”

Aestrea simply smirked, turning his back to him and walking toward midfield.

Eric wiped sweat from his brow, wings flaring with frustration.

“That was simple luck…!” he muttered under his breath, golden light gathering around his feet.

The whistle blew again.

He took off.

The ball spun into motion, glowing faintly as mana wrapped around it, but before it could even leave his control.

Tap.

Gone.

Aestrea was already there, just like when Eric did the same thing to him.

Eric’s eyes widened in disbelief as his foot met nothing but air. The ball was rolling the other way, Aestrea lazily kicking it to Kael, who sprinted forward with a cheer.

“Nice pass, captain!”

Kael went for a strike, but was intercepted. The Seraphim defenders collided into him, stealing the ball cleanly.

Eric caught it in mid-pass, spinning on his heel.

“My turn.”

He didn’t even blink before Aestrea appeared again, sliding in perfectly, his foot touching the ball at the last instant.

“Tchh!” Eric clicked his tongue as Aestrea flicked the ball up, spun once, and passed it back toward Tyrian.

The crowd gasped.

“Wait, he stole it AGAIN?!”

Tyrian took it, dashed forward, and…

Lost it.

Eric dove for the loose ball, and once more…

Tap.

It was gone.

The same handoff.

The same rhythm.

Aestrea didn’t even celebrate or taunt.

He just moved like it was effortless, each time cutting Eric off a fraction of a second earlier, like he was reading the future.

“Dude… are you toying with him?” Kael jogged beside him with widened eyes.

Aestrea didn’t reply.

His gaze stayed half-lidded, almost bored, even as he intercepted yet another of Eric’s passes mid-air with the side of his foot, stopping it dead.

He kicked it away again.

Eric stumbled forward, his breathing growing heavier. His golden aura flickered in irritation.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Eric barked, his composure breaking for the first time.

“Passing practice,” Aestrea simply tilted his head.

“HAHAHAHA!”

Suddenly, Tyrian burst out laughing.

“Oh, I get it now.”

Kael also grinned, catching on instantly.

“He’s not trying to score… he’s humiliating him.”

The rest of the team started snickering, and even the crowd caught on.

“Is he just stealing it every time?”

“Eric can’t even touch the ball anymore!”

“Look at his face—he’s furious!”

And indeed, Eric’s composure was cracking. His wings twitched violently, feathers falling like embers.

Each time he went for a steal, Aestrea was already there, reading him perfectly, kicking the ball away before he could even react.

Eric lunged again, divine light bursting under his feet, only for Aestrea to sidestep him completely, letting the ball glide past and tapping it gently to Kael with the calm of a man on a walk.

“You’re evil, captain,” Kael smirked, hitting his back slighly as he got back to a free position to get the ball.

Slowly, Eric’s steps grew heavier, his breath ragged, his chest heaving as divine energy began to pulse from his body like a storm barely contained.

The once-bright light around him started to twist, warping into something chaotic. His golden feathers trembled violently as his eyes burned with raw fury.

“Enough…”

BOOOOOOOOOM!

A blinding flash of light exploded outward, shaking the entire arena.

The crowd gasped as a wave of divine mana rolled over them, forcing even the referees to shield their eyes.

White light flared so brightly it seared the field, and when it finally cleared…

The entire stadium went silent.

Eric stood there, his wings no longer six, nor eight, but twelve, each one massive and radiant, stretching wide like the arms of a vengeful god.

The ground beneath his feet cracked under the sheer pressure of his mana. His once-gentle halo had twisted into a spinning wheel of light and flame.

Everyone froze.

Even Aestrea’s teammates, Kael, Tyrian, and the others, stared in shock.

Seraph had ascended.

Aestrea turned his head slightly, his crimson-and-black eyes half-lidded, unfazed by the divine presence that made even the air tremble.

“…As I thought, he was indeed Eric…”

His faint smirk returned, cold and mocking.

“The God of Anger.”

Eric’s twelve wings unfurled in full, golden feathers falling like meteors around him. His voice roared through the whole stadium.

“AESTREAAAA!!!”

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