A sharp, piercing whistle echoed through the court.
But at that moment, none of the Karasuno players could actually hear it. All that filled their minds was the image of that explosive serve just launched by Akashi Asuka, its power, its speed, the way it tore through the air like a missile.
Takeda Ittetsu's throat felt dry as he forced out the words, "What… what was that?"
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Karasuno called for an emergency timeout.
When the team returned to the bench, most of the players still looked dazed. Beads of cold sweat trickled down Coach Ukai Keishin's forehead.
"Oda… is that the type of serve you were talking about, the one with uncontrollable aim?"
"That's the one–" Oda Miki nodded.
"You've got to be kidding me. With that kind of power, not controlling the landing point doesn't even seem like a flaw!"
"Ahhh... back in Junior High, his serve was already strong–" Miki replied, scratching his head, "but nothing like this. He must've improved a lot recently."
"Great… just great–" Ukai muttered, clearly troubled.
Dealing with Aoba Johsai was already hard enough with Oikawa Tooru and his high-speed jump serves. But now, they have another heavy server on par with Oikawa?
For Karasuno, this was the worst possible development.
And the situation only got worse, their current rotation had none of their best receivers in the back row. Both Nishinoya Yuuu and Sawamura Daichi, their top passers, had rotated to the front.
Nishinoya had already been subbed out in the front row for middle blocker Tsukishima Kei.
In the back, Tanaka and Kageyama had solid fundamentals, but their receiving skills were only average at best.
As for Hinata Shoyo? Let's not even go there.
"Oda, do you think you can handle that #8's serve?" Ukai asked.
"…Huh?"
Oda Miki froze. He had just come to offer advice, how did the fire suddenly jump to his head?
He wasn't like Sugawara Koushi.
Sugawara was a third-year student who wanted to play but had to sit out.
Oda, on the other hand, had zero issues spending all three years on the bench.
Still, seeing the expectant gazes around him, he scratched his head again and sighed. "I can try, but I'm not guaranteeing anything."
"That's more than enough–" Ukai said firmly.
Putting Oda Miki on the court wasn't just about strengthening the back row. There was a more pressing reason: getting Hinata Shoyo off the court.
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"Hmm? A substitution?" Oikawa Tooru immediately spotted the unfamiliar face replacing Hinata.
"That's one of Akashi's former teammates–" said Kindaichi. "Back in Junior High, he was the opposite for Sengoku Middle."
"Ohh~ so he's Akashi-chan's old teammate, huh?"
Oikawa glanced toward Akashi at the baseline, but to his surprise, Akashi's eyes were dead calm, focused, unmoving. It was like he hadn't even noticed the substitution.
What incredible focus… Oikawa thought, a bit impressed.
Meanwhile, the players in Aoba Johsai's front row casually moved aside, giving Akashi clear space to serve.
BOOM!
The next instant, Akashi Asuka's second serve exploded off his hand like a cannon shell, rocketing toward Karasuno's backcourt and targeting Tanaka.
Thud!
Tanaka reached out to receive, but the instant the ball touched his arms, it shot off into the distance like it had a mind of its own.
"Tch! Damn it!" he cursed, clicking his tongue in frustration.
9–3.
The gap widened even further.
Anxiety, frustration, and tension started to spread throughout the Karasuno bench.
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"Another one!"
"Let's go, Akashi!"
"Finish them off with this one!"
Aoba Johsai's players hyped Akashi up, and he didn't hesitate. Riding the momentum, he launched his third serve.
BOOM!
That same soft cotton-like touch… followed by a thunderous crash. The ball once again tore through the air like a storm, diving straight for Karasuno's side, and once again, aimed directly at Tanaka's position.
"Tanaka-senpai, move!!"
The serve's unpredictable trajectory made Tanaka hesitate. That moment of doubt was all it took for the ball to close in.
Just as he was about to risk taking it himself,
WHAM!
A voice rang out, and Tanaka instinctively dodged aside. A diving player came crashing in, arms outstretched, and managed to dig the ball back up into the air. The force sent him tumbling backward across the floor.
"Whoa~ he actually got that!?" Oikawa was visibly stunned.
"That wasn't a 'receive,'" Akashi corrected as he jogged back into the court. "That was a 'read.' He predicted the landing spot."
"Predicted? But I thought even you couldn't control where your serves land?" asked Hajime Iwaizumi.
"That's true–" Akashi replied. "But there are rare players in the world with certain talents. Oda has a broad field of vision. Sometimes, just by reading my body language and the swing of my arm, he can calculate the ball's trajectory in a split second... though his success rate is under 30%."
"Ehhh~ so there are players like that, huh? Looks like Akashi-chan's old teammate is something else. And pretty lucky, too–" Oikawa added, genuinely impressed.
Iwaizumi: "(〝▼皿▼)"
His fists were clenching.
"Iwa-chan, what's with the face?"
"I'm serious. Enough praise. He's our opponent right now. Focus."
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"Nice receive, Oda!"
Karasuno's bench erupted with cheers as Oda got the ball up. Kageyama was already in position and instantly took control of the play.
He sent a flawless back set flying toward the ace, Asahi Azumane.
It was time for a quick attack.
In the previous round against Date Tech's Iron Wall, Asahi, thanks to support from Kageyama and Hinata, had finally broken through and regained his confidence.
Now, with the ball once more in his zone, Asahi jumped high, packed all his strength into his swing, and slammed the ball with full force.
BOOM!
SMACK!
Two sounds echoed almost simultaneously.
The ball, just seconds ago flying forward, now landed with a thud behind Asahi.
On the other side of the net, a towering wall, strikingly similar to Date Tech's, had just shut him down.
Asahi's eyes widened in disbelief.
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