Dynasty Awakening: Building My Own Football Empire-Chapter 208: Pain means no goal!

Michael Sterling sat at the front of the bus. He looked at the team sheet for Liverpool. It was not a football team. It was a list of monsters.

Arthur Milton was sitting next to him. Arthur was not eating. He was staring at the paper with his mouth open.

"Boss," Arthur whispered. "Look at this attack. Alexander Isak. Hugo Ekitike. Florian Wirtz. And now him."

Arthur pointed to the last name.

Rio.

"Rio," Michael repeated. "The new wonderkid. They signed him last week from Brazil. The media says he is faster than light."

"We are playing against the Avengers Boss," Arthur said sweating. "And we do not have Kai Sora. We are bringing a knife to a nuclear war."

"We have a shield," Michael said looking back at Diego Nunez. "And we have a mask."

THE ANFIELD ROAR

The atmosphere at Anfield was heavy. The air felt thick.

The Liverpool fans knew that Barnsley were contenders. They did not treat the Misfits like a small team anymore. They treated them like enemies.

As the players walked out the song You Will Never Walk Alone began. It was deafening.

"It is loud," Endrick shouted to Leo Stone. "Louder than Brazil!"

"Just play football," Leo Stone said. The young midfielder looked pale. He was stepping into the shoes of Kai Sora in the biggest game of the season.

High above in the commentary box the legendary voice of Peter Drury echoed through the televisions of millions.

"And here we go. The pretenders against the royalty. The Misfits against the Machine. Michael Sterling brings his purple army to the cauldron of Anfield. But look at that Liverpool frontline. Isak. Ekitike. Wirtz. Rio. It is an attack designed to destroy worlds. Can the Barnsley dam hold back the red river?"

THE KICKOFF

The referee blew the whistle.

Usually teams spent the first few minutes testing each other.

Liverpool did not test. They attacked.

Minute 1

Florian Wirtz got the ball. The German playmaker was a genius. He did not run fast but his brain worked faster than a computer.

He saw a gap.

He passed to Isak.

Alexander Isak the robot striker controlled it instantly. He was twenty yards out.

He shot.

SMASH.

The ball hit the advertising board next to the goal. It made a sound like a gunshot.

Jan Visser the Barnsley goalkeeper did not even move. He just blinked.

"Wake up!" Sergio Ramos screamed at his defense. "They are not here to play! They are here to kill!"

THE WONDERKID RIO

Minute 5

Michael Sterling stood on the touchline. He was already soaked in rain.

"Watch the kid!" Michael shouted. "Watch Rio!"

Rio received the ball on the left wing. He was seventeen years old. He had hair dyed bright red to match the Liverpool kit.

He faced Pavard.

Rio did not do a stepover. He just stopped. Then he moved.

He moved so fast that Pavard fell over trying to turn.

Rio was free.

He crossed the ball.

Hugo Ekitike was there. The French striker jumped.

Diego Nunez jumped.

It was a collision of giants.

Diego managed to head the ball away. But he landed heavily.

"He is fast," Diego grunted standing up. "The red hair boy is very fast. Like a squirrel on coffee."

THE SIEGE BEGINS

Minute 12

The commentary box was buzzing.

"Liverpool are swarming! It is a red tide! Barnsley cannot get out of their own half. Wirtz to Rio. Rio to Isak. It is poetic. It is terrifying. Barnsley are hanging on by their fingertips!"

On the pitch it felt like survival mode in a video game.

Endrick was trying to help the defense. He was running back. But Liverpool were passing the ball so quickly that Endrick was just chasing shadows.

"I cannot catch them!" Endrick shouted to Leo Stone. "They pass too fast!"

"Stay compact!" Leo shouted back. "Do not break the line!"

Wirtz picked up the ball again. He drifted past Leo Stone.

He saw Ekitike making a run.

He chipped the ball.

It was perfect.

Ekitike volleyed it.

Jan Visser dived. He stretched his giant frame.

He touched it.

The ball hit the post.

CLANG.

The stadium groaned.

"My heart," Arthur Milton whimpered on the bench. "My heart has stopped Boss. I see the light."

"Stay with us Arthur," Michael said his eyes fixed on the pitch. "We are still at zero zero."

THE TACTICAL NIGHTMARE

Minute 20

Liverpool were playing a 4 2 4 formation. They had four attackers. It was insane. It was disrespectful.

"They think we cannot hurt them," Michael said. "They are leaving no defenders back."

"We cannot hurt them if we do not have the ball Boss," Arthur pointed out. "We have had three percent possession. Three percent!"

Michael looked at Victor Osimhen.

The Nigerian striker was isolated. He was standing on the halfway line alone. He looked like a man waiting for a bus that was never coming.

"Victor!" Michael shouted. "Drop deep! Help the midfield!"

Osimhen nodded. He ran back.

He tackled Mac Allister. It was a striker’s tackle. Clumsy. heavy.

The referee blew the whistle. Yellow card for Osimhen.

"Great," Michael sighed. "Now our best defender is our striker on a yellow card."

THE MAGICIAN WIRTZ

Minute 28

Florian Wirtz was running the show. He was the puppet master.

He received the ball in the center circle.

Diego Nunez decided he had seen enough. The Bull stepped out of the defensive line.

"I will eat the magician," Diego growled.

Diego charged.

Wirtz waited. He waited until Diego was one inch away.

Then Wirtz did a 360 spin. The Zidane roulette.

Diego tackled the air. He slid past Wirtz like a train with no brakes.

"Where did he go?" Diego shouted looking around.

Wirtz was already gone. He passed to Rio.

Rio cut inside. He shot.

Sergio Ramos threw his body in the way. The ball hit Ramos in the stomach.

THUD.

Ramos fell but he scrambled back up.

"Clear it!" Ramos roared.

Enzo Silva kicked the ball into the stands.

The crowd cheered for Liverpool. They sensed a goal was coming. It was inevitable.

THE COMMENTATOR’S PREDICTION

High above Peter Drury was getting excited.

"It is relentless! It is a barrage! How long can the purple wall stand? Isak is hungry. Rio is electric. Barnsley are bending. They are creaking. Surely the dam must break soon!"

Arthur Milton was covering his eyes with his tie.

"I cannot watch Boss. Tell me when it is over."

"It is not over Arthur," Michael said. "Look at the clock."

Minute 33

Liverpool won a corner.

Trent Alexander Arnold walked over to take it. The delivery would be perfect. Everyone knew it.

Isak. Ekitike. Van Dijk. Konate. The giants of Liverpool went into the box.

"Mark them!" Jan Visser screamed. "Diego take Van Dijk! Ramos take Isak!"

"I have the robot!" Ramos shouted.

The ball came in.

It curled towards the penalty spot.

Van Dijk rose. He was a mountain.

Diego Nunez rose with him. The Bull against the Colossus.

Diego used his shoulder. He bumped Van Dijk in the air.

The ball skimmed off Diego’s bald head.

It did not go clear. It fell in the six yard box.

Chaos.

Isak swung his leg.

Ramos blocked it.

Ekitike tried to poke it.

Jan Visser dived on it.

The ball squirmed loose.

It rolled to Rio.

The wonderkid was five yards out. The goal was open.

"NO!" Michael screamed.

Rio pulled his leg back to smash it.

But suddenly a ghost appeared.

Leo Stone.

The Phantom threw himself across the line. He did not tackle. He just blocked the space.

Rio shot.

The ball hit Leo Stone in the face.

SMACK.

Leo fell back into the net.

But the ball... the ball bounced out.

Enzo Silva smashed it clear. He kicked it so hard it landed in the second tier of the stands.

THE SURVIVAL

The referee looked at his watch.

Minute 34.

The scoreboard still read:

LIVERPOOL 0 - 0 BARNSLEY

Leo Stone sat up in the goalmouth. His nose was red. His eyes were watering.

Jan Visser picked him up.

"You blocked it with your face!" Jan shouted shaking him. "You beautiful ghost! You have a face of steel!"

"It hurts," Leo mumbled rubbing his nose. "It hurts a lot."

"Pain is good!" Ramos shouted running over. "Pain means no goal!"

High above the commentator was breathless.

"Unbelievable! How did that not go in? Leo Stone with the block of the season! Barnsley are living a charmed life! They are battered. They are bruised. But they are not beaten! Thirty four minutes gone and the scoreboard is a miracle for Michael Sterling!"

On the touchline Michael let out a long breath.

He looked at Arthur.

Arthur peered out from behind his tie.

"Did they score Boss?"

"No," Michael said. "Leo saved us. With his nose."

"Is his nose okay?"

"It is still attached to his face," Michael said. "That is good enough."

Michael looked at the pitch.

They had survived the first wave. They had survived Isak, Ekitike, Wirtz, and Rio.

But there were still fifty six minutes to go.

And Liverpool looked angry.

"Okay," Michael whispered to himself. "We survived the storm. Now we need to find a way to strike back."

He signaled to Endrick.

"Push up!" Michael shouted. "They are attacking too much! The space is behind them!"