The Strongest Student of the Weakest Academy-Chapter 88: Interlude: Snow Festival (V)
BAM!
Aestrea dashed forward, his silver hair flowing behind him as he raced toward the ball.
His teammate, Lance, had just barely managed to stop a Gold Team defender from stealing it.
But now—
Lucas was approaching.
Fast.
"Pass it!"
Lance didn’t hesitate.
With a swift kick, he sent the ball flying toward Aestrea.
And at the same time—
FWOOOSH!
A gust of golden mana surged.
Lucas closed the distance in an instant.
His foot collided with Aestrea’s mid-air.
"!!"
BOOM!
A shockwave exploded from the impact.
The ball wobbled, thrown slightly off-course.
Aestrea gritted his teeth, pushing harder—
But Lucas pushed back.
Their eyes locked.
For a brief moment, it was like the entire field disappeared.
Nothing else mattered.
Just them.
A Dead Extra.
A Protagonist.
BAM!
Lucas twisted his foot, forcing Aestrea backward.
The ball rolled between them.
A split second later—
Both of them charged.
Their movements were a blur.
Kicks, feints, rapid turns—each trying to outmaneuver the other.
The crowd held their breath.
Then—
FWOOSH!
Lucas faked left.
Aestrea reacted.
And at that exact moment—
Lucas spun to the right, his foot slamming into the ball!
"!!"
The ball shot toward the White Team’s goal.
It was a direct hit—
FWOOOOOP!
The ball shot through the air, spinning like a bullet toward the White Team’s goal.
The entire stadium tensed, eyes locked onto the blazing golden streak.
Lucas’s kick wasn’t just powerful—it was perfectly aimed.
It was heading straight for the upper left corner—a nearly impossible spot to block.
The White Team’s goalkeeper, Rex, moved—
But it was too fast.
Too strong.
Too—
FWIP!
A blur of silver suddenly rushed in.
Aestrea.
The moment Lucas kicked the ball, Aestrea had already moved.
His body reacted before his mind did.
Before he even realized it—
He was flying toward the ball.
His legs bent, arms tensed, and with a single, desperate movement—
BAM!
His foot connected.
The impact rattled his entire leg, but—
The ball changed direction.
The crowd exploded.
"HE BLOCKED IT!!!"
The ball went spinning toward the ground, bouncing wildly before rolling back onto the field.
Lucas’s eyes widened.
’That was… possible?!’
But there was no time to think as Telmo, was the first to reach the ball.
He clicked his tongue.
Of course, it had to be Aestrea who stopped that shot.
But whatever.
There was no time to waste.
With a sharp kick, Telmo sent the ball soaring down the field.
And Rael, one of the forwards, dashed forward to meet it.
But—
BOOOOM!
Another explosion of mana.
Leon.
He wasn’t letting them pass.
His red aura flared, and in an instant, he intercepted the ball.
The White Team’s momentum shattered.
Leon smirked.
"Pathetic."
He controlled the ball effortlessly, dodging a sliding tackle from one of the White Team’s midfielders.
Then—
He kicked it straight up into the air.
Lucas was already moving.
The plan was clear.
He would dribble through Aestrea, and pass the ball to Lucas.
And then—
He would score.
All to defeat Aestrea.
At this moment, Leon’s smirk grew as he saw Aestrea approaching.
"Finally. Took you long enough."
Aestrea ignored him.
His focus was on the ball.
The ball descended fast, spinning with the weight of the game’s momentum.
Leon was already in position, his red aura flaring as he pushed off the ground.
FWOOSH!
A burst of wind and mana surged as he leaped into the air, his foot rising to meet the ball before Aestrea could even reach it.
Too slow!
No—
Not yet.
He didn’t hesitate.
With an explosive step, he launched himself upward, slicing through the air like a silver comet.
BOOM!
Their legs clashed midair, sending out a shockwave that rippled through the field.
The crowd erupted.
"Aestrea and Leon are fighting for the ball in midair!" the announcer roared.
Leon gritted his teeth, his muscles tensed as he pushed harder, trying to overpower Aestrea.
"Give up."
His voice was low, cold.
But Aestrea wasn’t backing down.
Instead of pushing back, he did something unexpected.
He twisted his body, letting Leon’s force carry him just past the ball—
And then—
THWACK!
With the inside of his foot, Aestrea redirected the ball toward the ground!
Leon’s eyes widened.
"What—?!"
The ball slammed into the grass below, bouncing away from Lucas’s reach where he would receive the pass.
Aestrea landed with a roll, already sprinting after it.
Lucas seeing how the plan failed, cursed and took off after him.
Fwoop!
The ball was just ahead.
Lucas reached out, ready to steal it away—
But Aestrea flicked it sideways at the last second.
Lucas missed.
He growled.
Aestrea didn’t stop.
With quick, precise touches, he controlled the ball, weaving through the defense like a shadow.
One defender came from the left—
Aestrea sidestepped.
Another lunged from the right—
He faked a pass and kept going towards the goalkeeper.
BOOOM!
The intensity of the mana enveloping him increased.
His eyes narrowed, as the goal approached.
The defenders were closing in, but he couldn’t afford to slow down.
Ahead of him, ten defenders from the Gold Team formed an impenetrable line.
The gap between them was almost nonexistent.
And from his right side, Lucas and Leon positioned themselves, their eyes burning with intent as they ran after him.
The forwards were too far away, giving him no option but to face the wave of defenders alone.
THUD!
Aestrea’s foot hit the ball with precision, sending it rolling forward.
"I can’t stop now," he mumbled to himself.
From the left, a huge defender lunged, his boots pounding the turf, aiming to block the ball.
Aestrea’s reaction was instant.
He dodged to the right in a fluid motion, spinning just enough to make the defender miss by a hair’s width.
FWOOSH!
The first tackle flew past him.
But there was no time to rest.
Another defender from the right side charged, aiming for his legs.
Aestrea read it instantly. With a sharp feint, he shifted his body forward, twisting away from the attack and leaving the defender stumbling to the ground.
THUD!
He was free for a moment.
But not for long.
Two more defenders came at him, one from the front and one from the side. Clutching the ball tightly,
Aestrea pivoted quickly, dribbling it backwards to keep the ball just out of their reach.
The defenders slid toward him, sweeping the ground, but they only caught air.
WHOOSH!
Aestrea rolled the ball with the inside of his foot, sending it between their legs. He twisted his body, sidestepping the first defender before he dribbled past the second.
"Just... a bit more..."
He could already feel the sweat forming on his forehead.
However...
Just as Aestrea thought he had found a clear path to the goal, Lucas was already closing in.
His golden mana surged upwards, as he rushed toward Aestrea from the left.
Aestrea’s breath quickened.
The space between them shrank in an instant.
FWOOSH!
Lucas’s foot shot out like a whip, aiming for Aestrea’s ball.
But Aestrea was faster, shifting the ball forward just as Lucas’s foot swung past him.
With a smirk, Aestrea dodged Lucas’s strike, his foot still controlling the ball like a master.
"You’ll have to do better than that," Aestrea muttered under his breath, weaving around Lucas’s now-stumbling form.
THWACK!
Lucas growled in frustration, but Aestrea was already past him, pushing forward.
BOOM!
Leon, with his red aura, appeared like a flash of fire. His eyes narrowed, and his body exploded into motion.
He was already in position, just ahead of the goal.
But Aestrea didn’t flinch.
Instead, he looked at the ball.
’Not yet.’
The defenders were still coming.
He dribbled the ball forward, his foot lightly tapping the ball to keep it close.
But the Gold Team defenders were relentless.
A defender from the right lunged at him, aiming for a brutal slide tackle.
SHHHRRRIIPP!
Aestrea flicked the ball with a quick flick of his foot to the left, dodging the tackle at the last second.
The defender’s momentum carried him to the ground, but Aestrea was still on his feet, pushing forward.
"Damn it!"
The defender cursed, getting up as fast as possible.
However, the time that the defender gathered was enough for both Lucas and Leon to get back into a defensive position.
They closed in as Lucas surged forward, almost out of nowhere. His body shifted into an all-out sprint.
’Fuck... Just a bit more..’
Aestrea, with the ball under his control, was running out of options.
The goal was still a few steps away, but Lucas was closing in fast.
THUD!
Aestrea pushed the ball hard toward the goal.
He glanced to his side.
Leon was coming at him, eyes full of contempt.
He had only one chance.
With a burst of energy, Aestrea twisted his body, slipping past Lucas.
But Leon was still there.
FWOOSH!
Aestrea pushed the ball in front of him, his foot in perfect synchronization with his movements.
Then, he flung himself toward the ball, his foot lashing out with a thundering force.
It was a full-bodied, unrelenting kick.
BAM!
The ball rocketed toward the goal, but Leon wasn’t going to let it happen.
FWOOSH!
He jumped.
In the air, he reached for the ball, his hands outstretched like a predator about to claim its prey, to the point of committing a game foul.
But Aestrea wasn’t finished.
In mid-kick, Aestrea twisted his body, pulling off an incredible spin move that propelled the ball past Leon’s outstretched hands.
No longer aiming for the center of the goal, Aestrea sent it with a sharp curve to the left corner—a place that almost no one could reach.
"!!!!"
The goalkeeper, a hulking figure cloaked in gold, shifted his weight and raised his hands.
The ball swerved slightly in midair, the mana-enforced energy making it unpredictable, but the goalkeeper was ready.
He leaped forward, his arms outstretched, aiming to block the ball at the last second.
THWAM!
A loud, sickening smack echoed across the arena.
The crowd gasped in shock as the goalkeeper missed.
The ball soared like a flying arrow, passing through the goalkeeper and slamming into the net just as Leon landed with a defeated grunt.
THWACK!
WHOOSH!
And soon after...
"GOOOOOOAL!!!"
The announcer screamed into the mic.
The whole stadium exploded into loud cheers.
"Ahh..."
Aestrea exhaled in relief.
"It got in..."
.
.
.
.
.
.
As the game wore on, the intensity only grew.
The game’s score was 4-1.
The White Team was winning by three points, all of them being scored by Aestrea himself, even though he was one of the defenders.
And now, he had another opportunity to score, as the ball flew away from the rebound of hitting the mana-enhanced crossbar.
"Agh... fuu...!"
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Aestrea’s legs were starting to feel like lead, his breath ragged, but he wasn’t about to give up now.
"This is it."
"Just one more..."
He gripped the ball as it came to him, scanning the field.
There was an opening.
"Go!"
With a powerful kick, he sent the ball flying.
But this time—
THWACK!
The sound was crisp, and as the ball hurtled toward the goal, Aestrea couldn’t help but hold his breath.
"Come on..."
He watched as the goalkeeper dove, but this time, the ball slipped past him.
The goal was open.
The ball rolled in.
"Gooooooal!"
The announcer’s voice boomed through the speakers, a sharp whistle cutting through the air, making everyone’s hearts race.
"Haaa...!"
Aestrea collapsed onto the grass, his breath coming in heavy, ragged gasps.
His legs trembled beneath him, as the weight of the game finally caught to his body.
The field was a blur around him, but he couldn’t quite process it yet.
Everything hurt, but he had done it.
Before he could even sit up, a wave of teammates surrounded him, lifting him off the ground in a massive pile of sweaty bodies.
"Ah—!"
Aestrea barely had time to react as a mountain of students slammed into him from all sides.
"WE WOOOONNN!"
Someone shouted, a voice barely audible over the roar of the group.
"YEAAHHH!"
"ALL BECAUSE OF AESTREA!!!"
Another teammate hollered, practically bouncing with joy.
Laughter, high-fives, and wild celebration filled the air. It was pure, unfiltered joy.
But the excitement wasn’t just coming from the players.
Even the crowd was shouting.
"MOONLIGHT SWORDSMAN!"
"MOONLIGHT SWORDSMAN!"
"MOONLIGHT SWORDSMAN!"
On the other side, Leon grunted in frustration as he walked off.
Lucas only wiped his sweat as he looked towards the sky; he also seemed a bit frustrated at their loss.
As for Telmo, who was on Aestrea’s team...
He scoffed and turned around as he saw his team celebrating.
