I revived the Demonic Sect in North America

Chapter 172 Defeat!

Li Ang did not stand still and wait passively.

The moment the running back catches the ball and turns, he is like a apex predator, anticipating the initial movement of his prey.

He slammed his left foot off the ground, his body flying like an arrow, whizzing past the struggling forwards and rushing straight toward the running back's planned sprint path!

The terrifying anticipation and explosive speed forced the running back to forcefully twist and change direction at the last moment.

This sudden change of direction instantly dissipated most of his accumulated momentum.

"Bang!"

A dull thud of flesh colliding!

Li Ang did not choose to confront them head-on.

Instead, he executed a textbook side tackle with precise angle and timing!

His strong arms were like iron hoops, working in tandem with linebacker Jamal who came crashing in from the other side to cover for him.

The two men, one on each side, pinned the still-struggling running back down onto the rough grass!

Commentator Kevin Harper's voice rose, filled with obvious admiration.

"Tack successful! Only 2 yards! Third down, 5 yards! The Falcons face a third down transition again! And the River Valley Academy defense is riding high, every attack is fueled by a desperate, all-or-nothing energy!"

In the stands, the Falcon fans, filled with impatience, wished they could be on the field themselves.

"Run! What the hell are you hesitating for?! Charge down the middle! Smash them!"

"Mid lane is empty! Look at mid lane! Damn it!"

"Were our offensive line all half asleep this morning?! They were as limp as a lump of mud! They got pushed around like this by a bunch of lads?!"

The commotion in the Falcons' stands was escalating.

Anxiety, confusion, and anger spread like a plague across the crimson sea.

The buzzing of voices, like flies, grew louder and louder.

Eve Miller unconsciously clasped her hands tightly together in front of her.

My fingertips were icy cold, and I held my breath, as if I were also in that fierce struggle.

Every successful defensive play by Li Ang eased the weight on her heart a little.

My whole being was enveloped in a burning anticipation and pride.

"Beep!"

The referee's whistle blew sharply in midfield.

Falcons quarterback Sean McCarthy abruptly signaled to the referee, requesting a timeout.

He ripped off his helmet.

His short, golden hair was soaked with sweat, with a few strands sticking to his forehead.

The anger and anxiety in his eyes were almost bursting out.

He suppressed it again with his strong self-control.

But the throbbing veins on his forehead betrayed his feelings.

He strode back to the bench, quickly gathering his teammates around him, especially the offensive players.

His fingers jabbed the tactics board handed to him by the assistant coach like iron spikes.

He spoke as fast as a machine gun.

"Listen up, everyone! This is your only chance! Your last opportunity!"

His voice came through his teeth.

"In this offensive possession, we faked a run and then made a real pass! The two wide receivers crossed screen, Tyreke!"

He suddenly pointed at Terrick Jones.

"You, get out from the right and make a run into the deep area at top speed, shake off that clingy cornerback! Running back, feign cover and then immediately slip to the left short end to receive the pass! And you forwards too!"

His bloodshot eyes glared at the tall attacking forwards.

"I don't care what methods you use! Bite it with your teeth, bang it with your head! Weld the bag shut! Weld it tight! This is a 3-speed 5-yard bag! We have to take it! We have to! Do you understand?! Answer me!"

The team members swallowed hard and hesitantly replied, "Yes, we understand, Captain."

The response, however, could not conceal the weakness and wavering of that confidence.

The whistle signaling the end of the pause sounded like a death knell.

The Falcon team quickly took their positions in the shotgun formation.

Wide receiver Tyreke and another wide receiver stood on either side, like two drawn daggers.

The atmosphere was so heavy it was almost palpable.

Commentator Kevin Harper's voice echoed through the dead silence of the stadium, taut like a bowstring about to snap.

"Third down, 5 yards! The crucial down that will decide the success or failure of this attack! The Falcons must win, or they will face another desperate fourth-down decision, and may even have to give up possession!"

"Ready, set, kick off!"

Sean stepped back to receive the ball.

At the same time, he made an extremely realistic feint to pass the ball to the running back.

Lower your shoulders and shift your center of gravity forward.

Every detail is impeccable.

As expected, the defensive line of River Valley Academy was deceived by this realistic feint, and they subconsciously leaned forward slightly.

Attempting to block the cross.

But Li Ang immediately saw through Sean's feint.

He remains firmly in the position of center linebacker.

His gaze was as calm as a deep pool, or as precise as the most accurate radar, locking onto something that wasn't a running back.

Rather, it's about the angle of Sean McCarthy's wrist when holding the ball, subtle changes in his center of gravity, and the rotational tendency of his shoulders.

He seemed to see through all pretenses and had not completely lost his position.

Sean took three steps back.

Time seems to be stretched out under high pressure, and then compressed in an instant.

His gaze was sharp as lightning, quickly sweeping across the front field.

Got it!

Falcons wide receiver Tyreke Jones used an extremely sharp, almost right-angled inward spin.

With his amazing explosive power, he temporarily left the ever-present Cavaliers cornerback Devin half a body length behind!

A narrow but deadly gap suddenly appeared in the attacking third!

It's now!

Without the slightest hesitation, Sean swung his right arm, channeling all his strength into it.

A bullet-like pass tore through the air and shot straight into the space in front of Terrick!

However, in the blink of an eye, the rugby ball had just slipped from Sean's grasp.

That blue, nightmarish figure reappeared!

Li Ang seemed to have already seen through all of this with his intuition and wisdom!

The moment Shawn raised his arm to make a pass, he abandoned his defensive responsibilities in the short zone.

He unleashed all the power stored within his body in an instant, launching a diagonal sprint that was so swift it surpassed the limits of human reaction.

Like a precision-guided missile, it pierced straight into the heart of the Falcons' passing lane!

Commentator Kevin Harper screamed in shock, his voice cracking.

"Li Ang!! He anticipated the pass! Is he going to intercept?! Oh my God!"

Falcons wide receiver Tyreke Jones had only one eye on the incoming football.

He jumped with all his might, stretching out his arms and desperately reaching for the ball's landing point with his fingertips.

At the same instant, Li Ang soared into the air like a rocket from his side and behind!

Tyreke's height and long arms gave him a natural advantage.

But Li Ang's jump defied gravity, making him jump even higher.

His core muscles displayed amazing control in the air, making his outstretched arms seem even longer than usual!

"Snapped!"

A crisp, resounding slap echoed throughout half the arena!

Just before Tyreke's fingers were about to touch the ball, Li Ang's fingertips precisely struck the high-speed spinning rugby ball with a hair's breadth of difference!

Although they were unable to catch the ball directly and complete the interception.

But this precise, surgical-like defensive slap gave the ball an upward, irregular spin, completely altering its perfect flight trajectory!

The rugby ball seemed stunned, bouncing and spinning awkwardly upwards in the air.

Then it fell limply and crookedly to the grass a few yards behind Tyrek, bouncing twice in vain.

Finally, it rolled to the ground and lay motionless.

The referee dragged out his words, forcefully crossing and waving his arms in front of him.

"Pass! Incomplete!!"

'

It was then clearly announced.

"Li Ang's defensive strike was a success! He disrupted a likely first attack pass that would have resulted in a near-final tie! Amazing anticipation! Terrifying!"

Wow! The Falcons' third-down drive fails again! Fourth down, 5 yards!

66

"Whoaaaaaah!!!!"

The disappointment, anger, disbelief, and deep frustration accumulated by tens of thousands of home fans at Falcon Stadium erupted like a volcano at that moment.

It turned into deafening sighs, roars, and hisses that almost lifted the roof off!

This time, all the negative emotions were poured out without reservation on their own Red Army, which was once incredibly proud but now seemed to be stumbling.

"It failed again?! This is the third time!!"

"Sean! What the hell are you spreading?! What the hell are you spreading?!"

"He's haunting us! Is that number 21 some kind of haunting ghost?! How come he's everywhere?!"

"It's over—it's all over—we have to punt again—are we going to go into the locker room with a two-touchdown deficit in the first half?!"

In stark contrast, the River Valley Academy's bench erupted in a wave of ecstatic cheers!

"Well done! Li Ang! Invincible!!"

"Defense! Defense! Great defense!!"

"Knight! Forward!!"

Coach Duke paced back and forth on the sidelines like an angry bull, then slammed his fist into the air in front of him.

His face flushed crimson, and he was shouting something at the top of his lungs at the field, but his voice was drowned out by the cheers from the substitutes' bench.

Bruce frantically pounded his thigh with his uninjured left hand, jumping and hopping around.

Tears and smiles mingled on his face, and he roared incoherently.

In the stands, Eve Miller loosened her clenched hands, which were white at the knuckles and covered in cold, damp sweat.

A wave of relief washed over me, like a wave of exhaustion.

His heart, however, was pounding wildly due to excessive excitement and pride.

Watching Li Ang repeatedly dominate the game at the most crucial moments with his extraordinary focus, wisdom, and strength, dismantling all of his opponent's offensives.

The light emanating from him was sharp and dazzling, captivating all who looked away and winning her heart.

The Falcons' bench had become a desolate graveyard.

Quarterback Sean McCarthy stood there like a statue.

The helmet had somehow slipped from my hand.

His icy blue eyes were fixed on the rugby ball rolling on the ground in the distance, as if mocking it.

His face first turned ashen, then flushed an unnatural red, his chest heaved violently, and each breath was frighteningly heavy.

The next second, without warning, he suddenly turned around and stopped looking at the stadium that had brought him so much shame.

With all his might, he slammed the expensive helmet in his hand onto the aluminum alloy chair on the bench!

"Clang!"

A deafening roar!

The helmet bounced off the chair, then rolled to the ground with a hollow rolling sound.

The entire bench, and even those nearby, were stunned.

Wide receiver Tyreke Jones irritably ripped off his helmet and furiously scratched his meticulously braided filthy braids.

He muttered a string of vulgar curses at the ground, then slammed his helmet down at his feet.

The entire attacking group looked like a defeated rooster.

Head bowed, shoulders slumped, he walked off the field in a heavy, silent manner.

No one spoke to each other, and no one even made eye contact.

Kevin Harper's voice rang out again, carrying a sense of calm after the event and deep emotion.

"Fourth down, 5 yards, on our 30-yard line. The risk of a strong fourth-down transition from this position is too high, the success rate is slim — sure enough, the Falcons' special teams players ran onto the field, and they made the only realistic choice — punt."

He paused, then continued his commentary with a complex tone, his voice exceptionally clear in the suddenly quiet stadium.

"There was a time when we all thought the Falcons' star-studded offense could crush any opponent and score with ease. But against Leon and the River Valley Academy defense, which has been infused with soul and transformed, they failed to score in two consecutive offensive possessions. And in this possession, they gave it their all but managed to advance a paltry 5 yards before their efforts came to an abrupt halt. The momentum of the game, the initiative on both offense and defense, and the morale of the players have completely and unequivocally shifted to the visiting River Valley Academy Knights."

His partner, Mike Morales, remained silent for an even longer time this time, so long that one might have thought he had left the microphone.

Finally, as the Falcons' puntner began to move backward, he slowly spoke in a dry, weary, and almost resigned tone.

"Okay—okay. I—I have nothing to say, Kevin. The Falcons' offense looks—completely lost its soul. Sean's passing choices have become hesitant and rushed, the offensive line's protection has lost its usual impenetrable solidity, and the running backs' attacks have lost their familiar sharpness. And River Valley Academy's number 21, Li Ang—"

He took a long, labored breath, as if even uttering the name required effort.

"He's everywhere. He's not only an unsolvable nightmare on offense, but on defense, he's become an insurmountable, despairing wall in front of the Falcons. Now, possession is back in River Valley Academy's hands, and the score is a glaring 21-7. Falcons, if you want to keep this game in suspense, if you want to defend your home court—you'd better rack your brains and think of ways to get rid of this—huge problem—in those precious ten-odd minutes of halftime."

In the deathly silence of the entire stadium, the Falcons' punt sent the ball high into the air.

River Valley Academy's return shot caught the ball steadily near their own 40-yard line.

He didn't take any risks, or even linger; he immediately bent his knees and pressed the ball firmly to the ground.

The game switched sides, and the River Valley Academy's offensive team entered the game.

Facing a Falcon defense team whose morale had plummeted and whose eyes were somewhat unfocused, they did not choose to play it safe and waste time.

Quarterback Li Ang took the lead, using several precise short and medium passes and clever running back passes to steadily advance the ball to near the Falcons' half-court 40-yard line.

When the piercing whistle of the first half ended, the score remained 21-7.