Chapter 99 — Comics Also Shine into Reality
Xia Qi blasted past Toni Kroos at top speed and, facing the flying ball, leapt into the air.
Amid the crowd's gasps, he flew forward like an eagle.
In Xia Qi's head there was a startled "ah"—he had thought Al would go up for a header; if it were a header that jump height wouldn't be enough. But he immediately realized Al was aiming for a volley!
In midair, Al controlled Xia Qi's body as if on a promenade, adjusted the angle, drew back like a bow and waited for the arrow.
Toni Kroos behind Xia Qi heard a swarm of bees buzzing in his head.
Different perspectives yielded different shocks.
From Kroos's view, the ball came head-on while Xia Qi flew toward it.
At that moment, the goddess of the earth favored Xia Qi — there seemed to be no gravity field around his body.
Kroos swore with a lifelong Muller's-like bliss to the fans: he saw it with his own eyes.
He used the phrase referencing Müller's lifelong fortune because it was impossible — but it happened anyway.
As the ball descended, prepared Xia Qi twisted his waist and took a step to the right.
In truth he simply tilted his body rightward, clearing space for his left foot to strike.
At the same time he channeled power into the left leg; his left foot swung swiftly and struck the underside of the ball.
A crack!
The ball flew in a white streak and hit the net.
Manuel Neuer had no reaction at all — he didn't even know how to react; his vision blurred and all he heard was the sound of the net bulging.
Neuer was dumbfounded...
...
Xia Qi tilted to the right.
To the fans' eyes, it looked like Xia Qi took another step in midair!
That was outrageous.
In the world where hang-time made you a god, you actually walked two steps in the air — was he even human?
The Emirates erupted; every imaginable curse flew out.
Alice's companion whispered to her: "Are you sure Xia Qi is human? Does he have odd habits normally, like needing to recharge or…?"
"Xia, he doesn't like sweets — does that count?"
When Xia Qi did the first mid-air step, Alice had been sure he was definitely human. Now Alice wavered.
Actually, when she learned Xia Qi didn't like desserts she had her suspicions, but her parents said northerners often dislike sweets.
Now it seemed her parents were wrong!
Al didn't realize his move to make Xia Qi tilt right would cause humans to panic; they nearly wanted to slice Xia Qi up.
...
After the torrent of curses,
the Emirates fell silent!
Not because the crowd was ignorant of volley goals, but because a volley treated like solid ground — a run-on-air volley — was simply too surreal.
Suddenly a childish voice pierced the silence: "Daddy, Daisuke Tsubasa. Xia Qi did the gliding-airshot — that's Daisuke Tsubasa's signature move. Daddy, can Xia Qi do the Tiger Shot?"
Daisuke Tsubasa? Gliding-airshot?
If a goal from an advertisement could manifest in reality, then maybe a manga move could too.
Certainly Xia Qi must have watched cartoons and secretly practiced them.
With that thought, Xia Qi shifted from alien back to human.
The Emirates regained life.
...
On the Penguin live stream,
"Xia Qi!"
"For Xia Qi, the Earth has no gravity!"
"Shoot!"
"Flying Fire Meteor!"
"Peach-blossom shadow falls, flying divine sword! Neuer is helpless against this!"
"This is an unparalleled goal, possibly the greatest goal of the century."
"Xia Qi's hang time must be the best of any athlete."
The net buzzed:
"Fuck! My horizons were too small — I thought cartoons were for kids. Didn't expect Daisuke Tsubasa to be real."
"My mom hit me when I practiced the Tiger Shot as a kid; she said cartoons were lies and told me to study. I just asked my mom to apologize for making me give up the Tiger Shot; she said I'm thirty-something, what childishness. Xia Qi must have wires behind him, so she hit me."
"Watching Xia Qi's shot never makes me sleepy; it's so beautiful but heart-stopping. People with heart problems shouldn't watch the live stream."
"Watching Xia Qi's shot strains not only the heart but physics — I'm really scared physicists will crawl out of their graves and hunt Xia Qi down."
"Can I ask: is the world we live in real? A commercial volley appears in reality and now even manga shots show up. Is this world real?"
"That question gives me chills down my spine."
The online buzz couldn't compare to the on-site atmosphere.
At the Emirates,
Arsenal fans awakened from stunned silence and screamed their hearts out:
"Xia Qi!"
"Xia Qi!"
"Xia Qi!"
Simple words, but the most shaking emotion!
On the touchline Arsène Wenger gaped. In all his years coaching he had never seen a player treat midair like his backyard and perform a gliding-air volley.
Breaking down Xia Qi's individual actions, Wenger could rationalize each one — but the combination defied reason.
Consecutive mid-air steps, that hang-time…
"Pat, maybe we should take Xia Qi down to the reserves slowly," Wenger said.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to hoard a genius?" Pat Rice asked.
"That's part of it, but I'm more afraid that the ticket-buying fans will realize Xia Qi isn't on the pitch and tear us apart."
Pat Rice looked at the nearly maddened fans and whimpered: "It's you! Not me. I'm just an executor. No, I know nothing…"
Wenger buried his face in his hand: "Knowing you is the honor of my life."
Jupp Heynckes came out of his daze. Now he was in awe of Wenger — he finally understood why Wenger could be so blunt and simple.
If you have a player who blooms with a bit of sunshine, you don't need any fancy bicycle plays.
After the emotional whirlwind, Emirates' Arsenal fans burst into song:
"Xia Qi, Xia Qi, you're a devourer — Müller…"
The crowd chanted: "Pass him!"
Then they sang: "Kroos,"
The crowd shouted: "Pass him!"
They ribbed the Bayern players back and forth, then the lyrics changed:
"Xia Qi, Xia Qi, you're a goal machine, Neuer, overhead smash!"
The crowd: "One!"
Lyrics: "Neuer, bicycle kick!"
The crowd: "Two!"
Lyrics: "Neuer, windmill shot!"
The crowd: "Three!"
...
Arsenal fans were having a blast!
It was the 78th minute, score 4–3, aggregate 8–5.
Arsenal were safe for now!
The fans relaxed and let themselves go.
After scoring, Xia Qi swapped in Jesse Lingard's dancing celebration and was about to run to the corner flag when teammates piled on and pinned him down…
Oh!
Why was the most embarrassing celebration the most beloved?
"Boss, can we stop the celebration moves?" Xia Qi asked.
System replied: "Be quiet!"
"..."
Play resumed.
Every time Bayern saw hope it was snuffed by Xia Qi; after restarts their nerves showed.
After kickoff, the whole Arsenal team dropped back except for Mario Balotelli.
Bayern surged forward.
Heynckes frowned and stood at the touchline with a dark face.
He was deeply disappointed in his players.
Without comparison there's no hurt.
Xia Qi at 18 played like a worldly 30; his opponents were older yet played childishly.
The worse the situation the more you must keep composed — a mass charge forward was useless.
Heynckes knew his players were burning inside and needed to vent; he couldn't stop them from letting off steam.
He stood grim-faced on the sideline.
Sure enough, in five minutes Bayern had four shots and dominated possession, but none troubled the frame. Aside from wasting time, what was it good for?
Time drained; by the 83rd minute the referee added three minutes of stoppage — Bayern had little time left.
"Bayern's time is short, but not hopeless; if they play like Xia Qi did against Manchester United, maybe a comeback is possible."
"That's tough — classics can't be replicated. But tonight Bayern are not losers; they can leave their heads held high."
Both teams were exhausted, except Xia Qi.
Actually Xia Qi wasn't inexhaustible — he was in one-click AFK mode and the system had filled his stamina to max. After the match the backlash would come.
As the other players' energy fell and Xia Qi's didn't, his advantage in duels grew.
He swept and disrupted at both ends... Bayern's momentum faded.
Xia Qi signaled in his head to Al to run a bit less; he didn't want to be a puddle after the match.
But Al didn't listen.
In the 87th minute, Xia Qi defended Thomas Müller, dispossessed him and passed to Kevin De Bruyne, then pushed forward.
Leading by three and still so dutiful!
The Emirates thundered with applause!
Even Bayern fans applauded (they had resigned themselves to the result and were now purely enjoying the football).
De Bruyne, seeing Xia Qi still had energy to counter, squeezed the last drops from his tank and played a through ball.
Despite fatigue, De Bruyne's through pass was still on point.
The ball was slipped behind Javi Martínez, seven or eight meters from Jérôme Boateng.
Boateng hesitated: go press and risk being beaten by Xia Qi, or hold and watch Xia Qi eat Javi Martínez alive?
While he hesitated, the duel between Javi Martínez and Xia Qi was already decided.
De Bruyne's through ball — Xia Qi launched.
Javi Martínez knew turning would be like a cruiser trying to pivot; he braced and ran into Xia Qi.
But Xia Qi ignored the big man's nearly 1.9-meter frame and charged straight on.
A sound of flesh impacting echoed; Javi Martínez flew.
The Emirates gasped...
The picture was stunning.
Heynckes pounded his fist and shouted "Foul!"
But it was a brilliant play — the man who collided was Javi Martínez; the man thrown was Javi Martínez.
From start to finish Xia Qi was the "victim."
Yet the ending was a counter-kill!
Boateng felt sweat on his brow and exchanged looks with Dante: you go?
Dante's eyes said: Are you crazy?
Boateng had no choice but to rush at Xia Qi.
Boateng moved and Xia Qi passed.
The ball rolled precisely in front of Mario Balotelli's sprint.
Manuel Neuer rushed off his line again.
Balotelli knew this was his last chance to break the deadlock. After this attack they'd need to defend — no more counters.
Balotelli threw everything into the run!
His first touch was a ripping dribble.
Balotelli in beast mode was no less than Messi or Ronaldo.
He dribbled across, evaded Neuer's sprawling save, and using the fluidity of his body forced a turn and finished with a push-shot.
Dante slid in chasing and missed the ball, instead sliding into his own net.
5–3!
Aggregate 9–5!
Bayern's fate was sealed!
Heynckes straightened his jacket and quietly sat back down on the bench.
For him, his coaching career had ended.
The Bundesliga wasn't yet over, but Bayern's dominance meant that without consecutive losses they'd still take the title.
Bayern's next season coach was already signed in January — Pep Guardiola.
So in truth his coaching was already over...
Balotelli, who scored, slid on his knees from the Bayern end toward his half. Xia Qi and Theo Walcott followed closely.
Of the three sliding-kneel celebrations, Xia Qi's was the prettiest — he slid the farthest and even turned a corner by the advertising boards. Balotelli slammed into a board; Walcott knelt halfway — literally.
There was time left, but Bayern had no will to fight. Apart from Xia Qi the "stamina freak," the rest of Arsenal didn't want to work.
After the celebrations both teams tacitly ran out the remaining time.
Three minutes later the referee blew the final whistle.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the match is over. Arsenal beat the strong Bayern at home 5–3, and with an aggregate score of 9–5 eliminate their former tormentors Bayern, avenging two previous eliminations."
"Congratulations to Arsenal for ending eight years of struggle — reaching the Champions League quarterfinals. Congratulations to Xia Qi for a four-goal night and being named Man of the Match..."
When the whistle sounded Xia Qi slowly sat up and then flopped back, panting as he stared at the open sky over the Emirates...
Memories filled with times he'd once crumpled to nothing.
Unconsciously, he had grown.
He hadn't collapsed into a puddle after a match in more than half a year — that was progress.
Tonight was different!
The opponent was Bayern and he was playing a defensive-mid role — exhaustion was natural.
Seeing Xia Qi lying there like he had after the Manchester City match, Balotelli was first to rush over.
He saw Xia Qi smiling weakly and breathed out: "You scared me. Can't you hold back a bit in matches?"
Xia Qi: "I'd like to! But you still haven't scored."
Balotelli's eyes reddened; he didn't argue — he just stayed and lay quietly for a while...
The Arsenal medic rushed onto the pitch...
In the VIP box...
Franz Beckenbauer smiled: "The Premier League match atmospheres are much hotter than the Bundesliga. If Allianz Arena had this level of atmosphere I'd expand it to 100,000 seats."
Stan Kroenke, the business mind, understood his meaning: "Xia Qi is truly not for sale."
"No asset is truly unsellable. You simply haven't offered enough to move me. Players aren't antiques that increase in value sitting around; selling them for a high price when they're at peak dominion is what a successful club does."
"I'll consider it."
"Hm..."
At the post-match press conference,
Heynckes was surprised he hadn't been torn apart.
There were two reasons:
One, Bayern actually played well. The loss was because someone put in a dominant performance.
Two, Heynckes had already announced his retirement in January — attacking him now made little sense.
"What stopped Bayern at the last 16?"
"Arsenal changed tactics, while we stuck to two-wing attacks. When we were forced to make adjustments — like Toni Kroos dropping into a deeper midfield, playing twin strikers — those changes had some effect.
"But we also ran into a player who exploded and dominated the match."
Wenger, asked about Arsenal's qualification, credited the effort of all the players...
...
The 2012–2013 Round of 16 second-leg fixtures all finished that night.
Paris Saint-Germain drew Valencia 1–1 at home and advanced 3–2 on aggregate.
Juventus beat Celtic 2–0 at home and advanced 5–0 on aggregate.
Borussia Dortmund beat Shakhtar Donetsk 3–0 at home and advanced 5–2 on aggregate.
Real Madrid beat Manchester United 2–1 away and advanced 3–2 on aggregate.
Málaga beat Porto 2–0 at home and advanced 2–1 on aggregate.
Galatasaray won 3–2 away at Schalke 04 and advanced 4–3 on aggregate.
Barcelona beat AC Milan 4–0 at home and advanced 4–2 on aggregate.
In the Round of 16, Spain's Málaga produced the biggest upset, knocking out Portuguese giants Porto.
The second upset, perhaps not a true upset, was Barcelona's phoenix-like revival: after losing 0–2 in the first leg they successfully turned the tie around.
But neither of those stories matched Arsenal's heat — Arsenal's new three-defensive-mid tactical innovation drew attention, and more so because Arsenal showed the air of champions.
"Gunners' successful revenge, showing champion potential."
"Arsenal tactical shift, aiming for the title."
"Three defensive mids — Arsenal's firepower rises, not falls."
"That Arsenal is back..."
After the match the teammates went out to celebrate; Xia Qi was too tired and went straight home.
He'd just pushed open his front door when confetti fell from the sky...
It was the Jack family's celebratory ritual for Xia Qi.
"Xia, this is the best birthday present I've ever received. Thank you."
"Birthday cake?"
"That cake — I'll remember it forever. But I mean the qualification to the quarterfinals."
"That wasn't for you alone — that was a gift to all Arsenal fans."
Alice shot Xia Qi a look; in victory she was magnanimous.
"Xia, who do you hope we draw next?"
The Champions League quarterfinal draw would be re-made after the Round of 16.
Xia Qi answered without hesitation: "Barcelona."
"Why?"
"Because they eliminated my father's favorite team."
"Why would your father like AC Milan?"
"The Milan three swordsmen, of course..."
Xia Qi and Arsenal had a very pleasant night.
The next morning came with a headache.
England manager Roy Hodgson announced he would call up Xia Qi along with Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott...
Arsenal were unhappy. It was obvious someone didn't want Arsenal's progress to be too smooth.
But Xia Qi couldn't refuse: one, he wanted to play in the World Cup; two, the commercial value.
It was mercenary, but that's life.
Luckily the national team fixtures were some time away...
(END CHAPTER)
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