The very moment Erick stepped onto the pitch, the air seemed to shift.

There was no visible effect, no dramatic music, no sudden gust of wind — yet the impact was undeniable. The drums of the crowd faltered for a brief instant, as if even the stadium's rhythm had been caught off guard. The players of Sanu, even the most experienced, felt it.

A chill.

An invisible tension that prickled the nape of every neck.

Rodrigo swallowed hard.

"He's in..."

Ian furrowed his brow, instinctively taking a step back as he watched the number 10 walk with slow, relaxed steps — like he was just out for a stroll in the park. But those eyes... half-lidded, carefree... told a different story.

A beast had been awakened.

From the bench, Sanu's coach clenched his fists.

"Double mark him! Now! Don't give him space!"

Felipe stood frozen, staring at the center of the field where Erick had positioned himself without saying a word. He didn't shout. Didn't celebrate. Didn't even make eye contact with his teammates.

He simply existed — and that was enough to change the weight of the match.

But among all the Sanu players... only one remained unfazed.

Kelvin.

He watched Erick with calm, steady eyes. No fear. No hesitation. Sweat trickled down his face, but what burned inside was something else — something even Erick hadn't awakened yet:

The thirst for a true challenge.

Kazana jogged over to Kelvin, panting, as the game restarted with Héra in possession.

"You feel that?", he asked, glancing at the newly arrived star.

Kelvin kept his eyes locked on Erick, who was now touching the ball for the first time — soft, controlled, almost provocative.

"I do", he replied. "And that's exactly why I'm smiling"

Kazana blinked.

Kelvin was smiling — smiling like he'd been waiting for this the whole time.

Meanwhile, Erick's very first touch was already creating chaos.

He received with his heel, spun with a sharp turn, and slipped between two markers as if time had slowed down.

The number 10 of Héra floated past players like a shadow — and when Rodrigo tried a strong tackle, Erick simply lifted his knee, shielding the ball with effortless precision, sending the midfielder stumbling over himself.

"He's toying with us...", Ian whispered, stunned.

Kazana shouted:

"Fall back! Press him, dammit!"

But no one wanted to be next.

Erick passed the ball back and calmly raised his left hand, signaling something to his teammates.

He was testing the waters.

Measuring resistance.

On the next play, a desperate long ball was sent from Héra's defense.

Márcio, the Sanu center-back, readied for the header — but Erick appeared beside him, leaping higher than expected.

He controlled the ball with his chest, and while still in the air, gave it a delicate tap with his foot, gently dropping it to the ground.

Kelvin watched in silence.

It was like witnessing a storm begin to form.

But he didn't back down.

He moved in to cut the passing lane.

The two met for the first time in the match.

Eye to eye.

Time froze.

"So you're the one", Erick said with a lazy smile. "Show me what you've got"

Kelvin didn't answer. His stance was solid, ready.

He wasn't the same kid from the start of the tournament.

Not after everything he had faced.

Erick took a deep breath, grin widening.

"Finally... someone who'll actually try."

And then, he moved.

A sharp cut to the right.

Kelvin followed.

Another cut to the left.

Kelvin held firm.

Erick smiled again.

"Let's see how long you last"

He pulled the ball through Kelvin's legs and burst forward — but Kelvin spun just in time, stretched out his left leg, and tapped the ball with surgical precision, deflecting it to Kazana.

The crowd erupted.

Kelvin had won the first duel.

But he didn't celebrate.

Didn't even look back.

Erick slowly rose from the slide, brushing off his shorts.

His smile... was even wider now.

"This is going to be fun", he murmured. "So much fun"

Sanu regained possession, and for a few minutes, the pace was under control.

Kelvin, Kazana, and Dante circulated the ball, working side to side — trying to keep the beast asleep.

But they knew... it was only a matter of time.

And time ran out.

A poor pass from Rodrigo in midfield.

The ball bounced loose ahead of Ian.

A single instant.

A single mistake.

Erick appeared out of nowhere.

Like a blur.

Like lightning.

Before anyone could react, the ball was already at his feet.

He lifted his head — as if he had all the time in the world.

Márcio and Victor rushed to close the space. One from the left, the other from the right.

Sanu's central wall.

But Erick… didn't slow down.

He sped up.

He slipped between them with a disguised nutmeg-roll, making the two collide in confusion.

"WHAT?!", Márcio shouted, spinning around in disbelief.

Danilo, the fullback, dropped back quickly to close in.

Erick dragged the ball left, as if prepping for a shot —

Then stopped.

Suddenly.

Dead still.

The ball at his feet.

The stadium went silent.

Danilo froze in confusion — and in that split second, Erick tapped the ball with a backheel feint, once forward, once sideways —

And glided past him like a dancer.

Murilo, the goalkeeper, screamed from the box.

"STOP HIM!"

But no one could.

Felipe sprinted back, desperate to foul —

But Erick was already gone.

A sharp cut to the right — Felipe was on the floor.

Now it was just him... and Kelvin.

The final line of defense.

Kelvin stood with clenched teeth, sweating, focused.

"Not this time", he muttered.

Erick smiled.

"This one's mine"

With the ball at his feet, he lifted his left leg — winding up for a powerful strike.

Kelvin jumped, trying to block.

But it was a feint.

Erick froze the motion midair, slid the ball with the sole of his right foot —

And went the opposite way, slipping past Kelvin's blind side.

"Shit...", Kelvin growled, turning too late.

And that was it.

Erick was in.

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