The whistle cracked the air.
Serve: Karasuno.
Kageyama's toss was sharp, slicing through the stadium lights.BAM! His jump serve tore over the net like a bullet. Johzenji's libero lunged — thunk! — the ball popped high but drifted dangerously close to the referee stand.Shouts from the bench: "SAVE IT—!"Their wing spiker sprinted, dived sideways, kicked the ball back into play."HE USED HIS FOOT?!" Tanaka howled.Johzenji roared with laughter mid-play.But Akira was already airborne, meeting the return with a holy wall block so clean the sound was like a book slamming shut.1–0.
Next rally — Johzenji's captain jump-served… straight at Hinata.WHUMP! Perfect receive.Kageyama barely glanced before sending a no-look set behind him —"EH?!" screamed the audience —Akira came tearing in from the right like a silver comet, arm whipping forward.The ball kissed the line so hard the corner judge flinched.2–0.
Johzenji answered with raw speed. Their setter ran to the net, faked a toss, spun midair, and set to the opposite wing spiker.Karasuno scrambled — Noya dove, the ball skidded off his forearms.Daichi lunged, saved it, Kageyama set —Hinata slammed it home between two blockers.3–0.
The crowd was already standing.
3–1.Johzenji's chaos finally cracked through — their middle blocker tipped the ball with his elbow. It rolled over the net like a mischievous cat."THEY'RE NOT EVEN USING HANDS ANYMORE," Tsukishima deadpanned.
4–1.Karasuno answered with Tanaka fake-shouting "OUT!" mid-rally — Johzenji hesitated, the ball landed fair. The crowd erupted in wheezes.
4–2.Johzenji's wing spiker roared before his jump serve — and it clipped the net but tumbled over, impossible to save.The front row of Karasuno's bench groaned in unison.
5–2.Akira received serve like swatting a feather, Kageyama tossed, but instead of setting to Hinata, he jump set backwards to Asahi, who obliterated the ball into the backcourt.The boom echoed. The gym smelled faintly of ozone.
6–2.Chaos infecting Karasuno — Noya yelled "BANANA PANCAKE" mid-dig. Johzenji blinked, lost a step, and Hinata slipped the ball through.Izumi in the stands nearly dropped her soda. "They're actually insane."
6–3.Johzenji counter with a freak back-row attack from their libero — completely legal, completely unexpected. The ball splatted in the corner.
7–3.Akira and Tsukishima double-block a Johzenji quick. The sound: KCHHH! like shattering glass. Front row fans flinched.
7–4.Johzenji's setter fake-tripped, then set from the ground. Ball barely cleared the block — their spiker punched it through.
8–4.Karasuno's serve — Kageyama sends a low rocket, Akira dives to pancake-save the chaotic return, Hinata hurls himself airborne before the set —Kageyama reads him perfectly.The quick is so fast even the scoreboard operator gasps.
9–4.Tanaka yells "YOUR SHOES UNTIED!" mid-play. Johzenji's spiker glances down. Blocked instantly.
9–5.Johzenji smashes through with a pipe attack no one saw coming. Ukai just nods. "That's why we go chaos."
10–5.Akira's serve — not a jump, but a float with impossible spin. Ball dances, drops dead just over the net. Crowd goes: "OOOOH."
10–6.Johzenji somehow keeps the ball alive after three shanks in a row — final hit is a volleyball karate chop that catches Karasuno off guard.
11–6.Noya goes full Superman dive to save match point energy this early. Ball pops perfectly to Kageyama, who tosses to Asahi — boom, baseline kill.
12–6.Chaos mode level-up: Kageyama pretends to set to Akira, tips instead. Johzenji's block flies the wrong way.
12–7.Johzenji does a triple fake — setter, wing, middle all jump — middle gets it last second, spikes through.
13–7.Hinata & Akira both jump for the quick — Akira fakes, Hinata nails it. The block stares like they just saw magic.
14–7.Crowd chanting "CHAOS! CHAOS!" after Akira receives with his shoulder.Johzenji loses it laughing — and the ball.
14–8.Johzenji serves a reverse spin floater — the ball curves away from Noya like a wisp of smoke.
15–8.Mid-rally: Akira fakes a sneeze while blocking. The spiker hesitates — wall stuff.
15–9.Johzenji quick attacks before Karasuno even fully rotates into position. Perfect timing.
16–9.Asahi back row spike tears past two defenders. Tanaka yells "SAMURAI SLASH!" for no reason.
16–10.Johzenji's libero sets from the front — illegal — point to Karasuno? No. Referee calls play on since it was accidental. They score.
The first half of Set Two was already a fever dream. The crowd didn't know whether to cheer, laugh, or question reality.On both benches, coaches were just shaking their heads.