Leo looked down. A glowing tactical board materialized in his hands—the real-time command system from the game, but alive. He could see their stamina, their hidden hissatsu techniques, the emotional state of every player.

"Oi! New midfielder?" said a boy with spiky crimson hair, tossing a ball from hand to hand. He looked exactly like Axel Blaze from Inazuma Eleven 2 . "You're late. Coach has been yelling for an hour."

He clicked the link.

"The leak," Leo breathed.

"This isn't a game," whispered a soft voice. A girl in a headset appeared beside him, data streams flowing from her fingertips. "You didn't download us, Leo. You unlocked the gate."