Chapter 845: Quarter Finals IV

He spread his arms, and it seemed as if his shadow could swallow the entire post. The post appeared even smaller than before at this moment, and even Hiro couldn’t help but feel small before him.

Even now, he held no doubts about himself. He didn’t allow himself to doubt. However, he couldn’t dismiss this giant of a man before him.

This wasn’t just another goalkeeper but a wall, a final boss.

A man who had crushed countless attacks with nothing but timing, courage, and absolute certainty.

The referee’s whistle cut through the air.

Hiro’s heartbeat stopped for a moment. He couldn’t allow himself to fear. Hence, he dismissed the thought and took a step backward.

One step. Two steps. Three steps.

Donnarumma stood still before him like a statue. He didn’t flinch; he didn’t hesitate. Instead, he stared right at him, almost as if he were attempting to intimidate him with his gaze.

However, against Hiro’s mental fortitude, that sort of intimidation was like an arrow shot at a wall.

Hiro could tell his opponent was attempting to get inside his head. He was even tracing the movements of his pupils, let alone his body.

Hiro started sprinting.

Even at this moment, Donnarumma stood still without reacting, almost as if he was waiting for something like a predator studying its prey.

Just before he struck the ball, Hiro’s pupils rolled left.

Simultaneously, Donnarumma’s weight shifted.

Bam!

He struck the ball hard, and the ball sped like a bullet toward the right corner.

The entire stadium exploded even before the ball hit the goal. Be it the fans of blue or the fans of red and white, both jerked.

The Italian giant dove, his glove stretched out, fingers spreading wide, and for one impossible instant, the world seemed to slow.

Then the ball grazed his fingertips.

The contact, however, wasn’t gentle at all. Instead, it was quite violent; a crisp sound echoed as the ball grazed his fingertips.

The impact cracked through the stadium like a gunshot.

In this instant, a collective gasp echoed as their expression twisted.

The ball deflected upward, far from the post.

Donnarumma landed hard, sliding across the wet grass, his body sprawled near the post.

For a second, no one moved.

Then the City end detonated.

"DONNARUMMA!"

The roar was monstrous.

The home side exploded like a crashing tidal wave, and as for the away side, their cries were swallowed.

Hiro stood frozen in his spot, his shooting foot still suspended in the air as he watched the ball roll harmlessly behind the goal.

He had anticipated his opponent would read his mind, and did his best to trick him into thinking otherwise.

However, the result was frustrating, and even demoralizing was the sight of the Italian giant who had outsmarted him and collected himself as if stopping one such spot kick was like a walk in the park.

The stadium was buzzing, and even his own teammates were roaring. However, the man responsible for this scene was calm, almost too calm.

Donnarumma collected himself.

He had landed hard against the ground while making that save. But from his expression, it didn’t seem like the case.

While the stadium rioted, he collected himself without ever looking at Hiro. Then he dusted his chest before jerking his gloves.

Shouldn’t he be celebrating after making one such save?

Shouldn’t he be riled up?

Far from that, he appeared as if he didn’t even care.

Even while his teammates ran riot around him, he acted so nonchalant that it was gnawing at Hiro’s spirits.

Julian and the rest were comforting him. However, he couldn’t bring himself to focus on their words.

He just stood there staring at the man who had stopped him.

Then Donnarumma lifted his head to look at him, his face long, his expression dead serious. He raised his hand and stroked his beard as he stared at Hiro, a cold glint flashing past his pupils.

In that instant, he appeared much colder than he had ever been.

For some reason, Hiro felt a shiver run down his spine.

The aura this man possessed had multiplied tenfold in that instant.

There had been multiple instances when Hiro felt his senses tingle, each tingle associated with something, and even now he felt the same tingle. However, this time, he was certain what it meant.

This man standing before him meant danger, and with him guarding their goal, it would be hard for them to score on him.

Hiro bit his lips as he averted his gaze, his expression contorted in defeat.

"Don’t worry about it," Julian said as he tried to comfort him. "The match has just started."

Indeed, just as Julian said, the match had just started. Hence, it was too soon to admit defeat, not that he was planning on admitting defeat.

Even if it were the final kick to decide the fate of the match, he wouldn’t have admitted defeat, let alone this.

"Let’s focus on the corner for now."

He might have saved the spot kick. However, the red and white still had a chance to score, and the home side was still under threat.

"Who’s going to take the corner?" Lee asked.

Under normal circumstances, the corner on the right side was Hiro’s and the left was for Lee’s to take. However, Hiro had just missed a penalty. Hence, Lee wasn’t sure if Hiro was in the right state of mind to take the corner.

"I—"

Julian was about to step up.

"I’ll take it," Hiro said, his voice filled with conviction.

Julian and Lee turned to look at him, both with their brows raised. However, once their gaze landed on him, their expressions softened.

Then Julian let out a soft smile as he said, "You heard him. Let’s prepare for the corner."

For some reason, he appeared quite relaxed.

Hiro headed straight to the corner while his teammates scrambled around the opposing post.

Though Donnarumma still appeared as collected as before, this time he was barking orders.