The 26 players stood in a tense line as Shunji Kaizen's voice echoed through the training hall.
"Phase 3 begins now. From this point on, you will undergo training unlike anything you've experienced before. Each of you will face your limits — and surpass them."
Kaizen's eyes swept over them with a cold intensity. "You'll be divided into groups of five based on your rankings. Each group will train under one of the EOS [old legends] at a time. And their methods… well, you'll find out soon enough."
The teams were divided:
Group 1 (Top 5)
Kazuya Mori (Team Alpha) – Rank 1
Tetsuya Aikawa (Team Omega) – Rank 2
Yuto Kisaragi (Team Delta) – Rank 3
Kazuki Shindo (Team Sigma) – Rank 4
Renji Kurogami (Team Zeta) – Rank 5
Group 2
Daichi Fujimoto (Alpha) – Rank 6
Shohei Kuroda (Omega) – Rank 7
Hajime Ueda (Sigma) – Rank 8
Sora Amagi (Zeta) – Rank 9
Kenji Takahashi (Alpha) – Rank 10
Group 3
Sho Nakata (Sigma) – Rank 11
Kaede Arata (Zeta) – Rank 12
Riku Saionji (Zeta) – Rank 13
Isamu Oda (Omega) – Rank 14
Reiji Sakamoto (Zeta) – Rank 15
Group 4
Shun Takagi (Zeta) – Rank 16
Haruto Inoue (Zeta) – Rank 17
Yamada Goro (Zeta) – Rank 18
Rikuya Asano (Epsilon) – Rank 19
Sorao Hamada (Epsilon) – Rank 20
Goalkeepers
Takuma Ogawa (Delta) –
Jin Kazama (Zeta)
Kaizen smiled. "The first to train… will be Group 1."
The top five players exchanged sharp glances — this was the moment their rivalries would either push them forward… or tear them apart.
Their trainer stepped forward — a towering figure with an air of sheer dominance.
"I am Ryusei Hoshigaki, EOS [old legend] and the one you'll wish you never met. Your first training starts now. And trust me — it won't just test your football. It will test your very soul."
The chapter ended with the top five stepping into the training ground — ready to face the unknown.
To be continued…