Promise

Surveying their beaten rivals, Baro wants Kunigami for his ball retention and frame, arguing that a strong front line would create more finishing chances for himself. Nagi counters that Reo is the smarter choice, a player who builds scoring plays and balances attack with defense.

Baro and Isagi concede Nagi's logic, and Isagi agrees Reo would knit the group together, yet he fears that same balance would cap their ceiling. A tidy, well-rounded side may be the safe call, but Isagi believes clearing the Second Selection demands chemical reactions; their win, he notes, came only because he and Baro devoured each other. He wants a player who can devour all of them and help topple the top three.

Isagi names Chigiri, seeing him as the one who will not vanish inside that volatile mix. Leaving his teammates, Chigiri reminds Kunigami they still have not beaten Isagi, promising to sit with the same frustration until Kunigami catches up, addressing him as Hero.

Nagi tells Reo his talent is real and that the match could have swung either way. Reo retorts that if Nagi means it, he should have picked him; he wants no reassurance and accuses Nagi of changing and abandoning their vow to reach the top of the world together. Nagi throws it back, saying Reo is the one who forgot how hard that climb would be, calling him a pain and claiming he no longer cares. Isagi urges Reo to become the one who chooses rather than the one chosen, questioning why he entered Blue Lock at all when only a future world-class striker can endure it. As everyone drifts off, Kunigami hauls Reo up by the jersey, warning him not to hang his head, because losing sight of the others would spell the end for them both.

Baro pushes for Kunigami while Nagi backs Reo. Isagi lays out his case for Chigiri, and his teammates come around to the choice.

This is the 68th chapter and the opening entry of Volume 9 in the Second Selection Arc. It runs 19 pages and was adapted in Episode 19.