Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
Could there still be suspense with 10 seconds left in the match?
Let's rewind to half a minute earlier.
When his Atlético Madrid teammates sprinted over to celebrate with Lance, he was already rushing into Barcelona's goal to grab the ball.
Ter Stegen sat inside the net with his hands on his head, his face filled with bitterness, completely oblivious to what Lance was doing.
The rest of the Barcelona players looked equally stunned.
They had led for 93 minutes, only to concede at the very end?
Anyone would break mentally in that situation.
Fortunately, Barcelona's squad had a strong mentality. They were already preparing themselves for extra time.
On Atlético Madrid's side, Griezmann ran over with a grin, trying to high-five Lance, only to get shoved aside.
"Lance, why are you in such a hurry?"
"Idiot, there's still a chance! We can still score another one!"
"You're insane. There are only a few seconds left after the celebration."
"I call you an idiot because you are one. Referees usually add extra time after celebrations. We still have one last attack."
Griezmann was speechless, but his admiration for Lance only deepened.
No wonder Lance was already one of the top three players in the world. Griezmann still had a long way to go, both mentally and technically.
"So what do we do? Barcelona will definitely have possession."
Veteran Torres was almost completely drained. That last sprint had burned away the rest of his energy, but his mind remained sharp.
Atlético Madrid had scored, so Barcelona would restart play.
Barcelona would obviously try to keep possession safely and drag the match into extra time while conserving energy.
Luis Enrique hadn't used a single substitution yet. It was obvious he was saving fresh legs for extra time.
Once the substitutes came on, Atlético Madrid would be overwhelmed.
If Barcelona focused on possession, stealing the ball would be incredibly difficult.
"That's why I need all of you."
"Lance, whatever you say, we're with you."
"That's right! Just give the order!"
At that moment, Lance's prestige within Atlético Madrid reached its absolute peak.
To say something almost treasonous, Lance's influence in the locker room might have already surpassed Simeone's.
No matter how outrageous the plan sounded, the Atlético Madrid players trusted him without hesitation.
The moment they realized there was still one final opportunity in the last 10 seconds, the exhaustion vanished from their bodies.
Every single player was ready to follow Lance to the end.
Meanwhile, Luis Enrique was nearly losing his mind on the sideline, screaming for Barcelona to stay calm and waste the final few seconds.
The Barcelona players slowly returned to the center circle for the restart.
The referee glanced at his watch.
Technically, he could blow the whistle immediately.
But after a brief hesitation, he decided to allow another 30 seconds.
Thirty seconds later, regardless of the situation on the field, the match would end.
Beep!
The match resumed.
The stadium screens and broadcast cameras were still replaying Atlético Madrid's equalizer from moments earlier.
Barcelona kicked off.
Messi passed to Suárez, and Suárez immediately laid it back to Rakitić.
But just before Rakitić could control the ball, the entire Atlético Madrid squad launched into an insane high press!
There were only 10 seconds left, and they were still pressing like maniacs!
Lance, Torres, and Griezmann formed the first line.
Augusto, Saúl, and Koke formed the second.
The back line pushed up together to form the third defensive line.
The entire Atlético Madrid squad looked like they had been injected with adrenaline, swarming forward with terrifying aggression.
Rakitić nearly burst into tears.
"Seriously?! Why is it always me?!"
Both of his turnovers today had come from Lance's pressure. He was already traumatized.
Without hesitation, he immediately passed sideways to Busquets.
"Great pass!"
At that exact moment, Torres sprinted diagonally toward Busquets in a crossing run.
Before kickoff, Lance had already predicted this sequence. He instructed Torres to pressure Busquets while continuing his run toward Mascherano without slowing down.
"Damn it!"
Busquets had no idea whether he was cursing Torres or Rakitić for giving him a hospital pass.
Unable to turn under pressure, Busquets could only send the ball backward to Mascherano.
Torres was stunned.
Everything was exactly as Lance predicted!
"Lance actually called it... Is this some kind of mysticism?"
Lance's image became even more unfathomable in Torres's mind.
Mascherano was equally shaken.
It was already the 94th minute, yet Atlético Madrid were still sprinting like rabid dogs!
Did these people never run out of stamina?
Busquets's hurried pass lacked power.
Mascherano had to step forward to collect it before quickly turning and sending it back to Ter Stegen.
But on the other side, Griezmann never slowed down for even a second.
From the moment Barcelona restarted play, he had been sprinting at full speed straight toward the goalkeeper.
This was the only task Lance gave him.
"Lance really was right! He's a genius!"
Griezmann gritted his teeth as he charged forward.
Even though he was still far away, Ter Stegen panicked under the immense pressure of the moment.
His first instinct was to clear the ball long.
Bang!
The ball flew toward the left sideline and was about to go out of bounds.
But Juanfran arrived perfectly, leaping high to head the ball back toward Koke!
Atlético Madrid regained possession!
As the engine of Atlético Madrid's midfield, Koke instantly threaded a through ball toward the center.
Straight to Lance!
The pass came so quickly that Suárez's sliding tackle completely missed the ball and only crashed into Koke's ankle.
No one cared about Koke lying on the ground in pain.
Every eye was fixed on Lance.
The referee was already preparing to blow the whistle.
But after seeing the attack unfold, he swallowed it back down.
One more second.
No matter what happened next, this would be the final play of the match.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Piqué completely lost his mind and threw himself toward Lance.
He had to stop him at all costs.
Everything happened too fast.
The broadcast director had only just cut away from the replay and switched back to the live feed.
Under the gaze of hundreds of millions of viewers around the world, Lance completed the performance that had defined his rise to superstardom.
[Nagi Seishiro] muscle memory activated.
Full-Level Ball Control!
With his back facing the goal, Lance gently flicked the ball with his left foot.
He spun away from Piqué's collision and shifted left, instantly creating the perfect shooting angle.
Then...
"Lance shoots!!!"
"LAAAAAANCE!!!"
"Shooooot!!!"
Amid the roar of commentators speaking countless different languages, Lance unleashed a left-footed volley in the 94th minute!
Fierce Tiger!
Bang!
Time seemed to slow infinitely.
The shot, which should have taken only an instant, appeared in slow motion through Messi's eyes.
But what difference did it make?
Ter Stegen was even slower than the ball.
Lionel Messi, the future GOAT, was about to witness one of the cruelest moments of his career.
The Copa del Rey trophy that Barcelona had nearly held in their hands was shattered by this single strike.
Yet at that exact moment, Messi had one absurd but genuine thought.
"That curve... it's beautiful."
Lance's left-footed volley resembled Zidane's legendary Heavenly Fairy volley.
The ball carved an elegant arc through the air like a masterpiece crafted by the gods themselves before flying perfectly into the corner of the goal.
For 0.1 seconds, the Bernabéu fell silent.
Then the explosion of noise that followed resembled an earthquake.
Or a tsunami.
"Goooooooooooooal!!!"
"LAAAAAAAANCE!!!"
The entire world went insane.
The equalizer had already been dramatic enough.
But nobody could have imagined this final goal.
"Hat trick!!!"
"Winner!!!"
"An unbelievable performance! Today, Lance is like a god!!!"
Spanish commentator José Ángel roared with a trembling voice:
"No... he IS a god!!!"
"Atlético Madrid are champions!"
"This is a miracle!!"