The Karasuno side of the court fell completely silent.
Everyone stared in disbelief at the volleyball rolling across the floor.
Hinata Shoyo's pupils dilated, this was the first time in his life he had truly felt the oppressive presence of a "powerful opponent."
BEEEEP!!!
Coach Ukai Keishin hurriedly called Karasuno's second timeout.
"From now on, as long as their number 8 is in the front row, do not use the Quick Monster Attack–" Ukai instructed firmly.
"Huh?"
The Karasuno players froze. A direct order to not use their signature move? This was the first time Coach Ukai had ever issued such a directive.
Among everyone, the one most shaken by this command was, without a doubt, Hinata Shoyo.
He might not have been the brightest, but he wasn't clueless either. On the court, his biggest contribution came from syncing with Kageyama for the Quick Monster Attack.
If that weapon was off the table... then in all honesty, he didn't contribute much compared to the others.
As if confirming his fears, Coach Ukai continued, "Hinata, you'll sit out for now. Oda, you're going in."
The moment those words left his mouth,
Hinata's pupils constricted sharply.
The others looked startled too, their mouths opening as if to protest, but in the end, no one said a word.
"You all saw it too–" Ukai went on. "Their number 8 blocked the Quick Monster Attackwith one hand. That kind of reaction at such a high speed can only mean one thing, he's completely read Kageyama and Hinata's play."
"If he had just picked up on your signals, that would be one thing. But unfortunately, from what I've observed... it's more than that."
"So for now, as long as their number 8 is in the front row, Kageyama and Hinata must not use the Quick Monster Attack. Once he rotates to the back row, I'll leave it to you, Kageyama, you decide whether to bring it back."
With both of Karasuno's timeouts used up, Coach Ukai wouldn't be able to issue any more tactical instructions for a while. The rest of the match would rely heavily on Kageyama's in-the-moment judgment.
Kageyama nodded. "Got it!"
────────── ✦ ──────────
The match resumed.
As Akashi Asuka returned to the court, he noticed Hinata had been subbed out and replaced by Oda Miki. He only glanced briefly in their direction before calmly returning his focus.
Oda, on the other hand, saw that cool reaction and let out a wry smile.
"Well, we're screwed. Akashi's in that mode again..."
Aoba Johsai served. The ball flew over the net, and Kageyama set it up for Asahi Azumane. Asahi leapt for a powerful spike, but it was blocked cleanly by Akashi.
14–11.
Karasuno had only just caught up, and now the gap widened again.
"Damn it! He's that good at blocking too!?"
Coach Ukai's expression darkened on the sideline. He hadn't expected Aoba Johsai to change their tactical core this effectively.
It was ironic.
Akashi's blocking had just upgraded to 80 after their match against Misaki High yesterday.
So Karasuno had become the first team to experience what an 80-rated block from Akashi Asuka really looked like.
Next rally.
After the serve from Aoba Johsai, Karasuno once again set up an attack for Asahi. Akashi got his hands on it, but this time, the ball went out of bounds.
14–12.
Next serve, Karasuno sent the ball over. Aoba Johsai launched a counterattack.
Karasuno had clearly started picking up on Aoba Johsai's new offense with Akashi as the center, and as Oikawa set the ball, Karasuno's three front players closed in to block Akashi.
But Akashi, facing three blockers head-on, coolly spiked a sharp cross shot, well within the 3-meter line.
15–12.
"He can angle that shot even from there?!"
The Karasuno players suddenly felt helpless. They had cut off all the usual attack routes, and even so, Akashi had scored without breaking a sweat.
That kind of strength felt... suffocating.
The match pressed on.
Relying on his own sheer skill, Kageyama did his best to keep the score close.
But the point gap continued to widen, inevitably, thanks to Oikawa and Akashi's back-to-back power serves. Even with Nishinoya performing at his peak, Aoba Johsai extended their lead.
20–15.
Aoba Johsai reached the 20-point mark first.
The pressure from Akashi's dominance and the growing score gap weighed heavily on Karasuno. The mental strain, piled on top of their physical exhaustion, began to take a toll, players' movements became visibly stiff.
In the end, even basic spikes began to fail.
During one attack, Hinata soared and swung his arm, but mistimed the hit. The ball slipped off his hand, barely clearing the net... and luckily, dropped in to score.
20–16.
The score narrowed slightly, but no one on Karasuno looked the least bit happy.
Coach Ukai's expression was grim. One leg bounced nonstop.
"This won't do. The players are mentally at their limit, they could collapse at any moment. Is there anything that could shift the momentum? Even just to change the mood a little… there has to be something… Wait, of course!"
Suddenly, an idea struck him. He turned and looked toward a figure on the bench.
────────── ✦ ──────────
BEEEEP!
The whistle blew for a substitution.
The Karasuno players turned, and froze.
From the bench, a player who had never played in an official match was trembling, holding up a number card.
"No way… You've got to be kidding!" someone muttered in the stands. "Didn't I say Tadashi's serve still isn't reliable...?"
The substitute was none other than Tadashi Yamaguchi, who had joined the team alongside Tsukishima Kei.
His role now: "clutch server."
Swapping numbers with Hinata, who had rotated to the back row, Yamaguchi stepped into the service zone, clutching the ball and shaking visibly.
His anxious state made even the opposing team a bit concerned.
"Uh... is this guy okay?" Matsukawa asked.
"Stay focused. Defend carefully–" Iwaizumi warned.
After several deep breaths, Yamaguchi finally calmed his nerves. He gently tossed the ball into the air, and hit it with a soft, floating motion.
"A jump float serve!?"
Iwaizumi's eyes widened, but then, the ball struck the net with a thud.
Both teams flinched.
So did Yamaguchi.
But the very next second, the ball barely trickled over the net, and plummeted toward the floor.
Yamaguchi exhaled in relief, silently thanking his luck.
"Crap, no!" Iwaizumi panicked and bolted forward, but he was too far away.
All he could do was watch as the ball fell...
And just as it was about to touch the ground,
A leg shot out and smack!, kicked it back up into the air.
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