The whistle sliced through the noise, and Karasuno's starting rotation stepped forward like a pack of wolves smelling blood. Akira at the left wing, Hinata crouched in the middle like a coiled spring, Kageyama with eyes cold and calculating, Asahi's broad frame a looming presence, Tanaka grinning like trouble itself, Noya pounding his chest in the back row, and Tsukishima… smirking as if the whole match was already over.
Oikawa's serve was first. The ball floated with deadly precision, but Noya was under it instantly, diving low with a sharp "HAH!" as the ball popped perfectly to Kageyama's hands. In a blink, Kageyama's set didn't go high — it went sideways, slung toward Akira, who was already airborne, twisting his body mid-jump for a diagonal cut shot that ripped through the seam.
1–0 Karasuno.
The stadium erupted, and Aya's livestream chat went nuclear. "Akira just BROKE THE SOUND BARRIER??" flooded the feed. Izume cackled, zooming in on Akira's sly wave at the crowd.
Karasuno rotated. Serve to Seijoh, receive was clean — too clean. They tried to run their quick, but Kei was there, reading it like a children's book. He didn't just block; he stared through the net as his fingers closed over the ball's path.
2–0 Karasuno.
Kei's smirk deepened, and as the ball rolled away, he turned to Kageyama with mock sweetness. "Looks like I can read plays and your brain, King." Kageyama scowled, muttering something unintelligible but clearly murderous. The bench roared with laughter.
Next rally — chaos. Kageyama's serve came in like a bullet. Seijoh scrambled, sending a messy free ball back. Kageyama was already under it, flicking a set to Hinata who launched with his eyes open, tracking the blockers, and at the last second — changing the angle midair. The ball screamed past hands and slammed down untouched.
3–0 Karasuno.
The crowd howled. Bokuto from the stands screamed "OPEN-EYED FREAKY QUICK!!!" and got shushed by three ushers at once.
Seijoh finally clawed one back off a sharp line shot past Asahi. 3–1. But Karasuno's momentum didn't falter.
Next serve to Karasuno — Kageyama to Akira to Hinata in a split-second combination that had the announcer stuttering. The ball thwacked the floor before the libero even moved.
4–1 Karasuno.
The chants grew deafening. KARA-SU-NO! KARA-SU-NO! Aya's phone shook from the bass of the stomping feet in the stands.
And then Oikawa got the ball back to serve. His eyes narrowed. First serve — a slicing floater that dropped like it had been yanked by a string. Ace.
4–2.
Crowd noise dipped just a fraction as the serve came again, this time a blistering jump serve that blew past the back line.
4–3.
Oikawa smirked and winked toward the stands, clearly fishing for intimidation points. But Nishinoya wasn't having it. The next serve came in hot — Noya flung himself sideways in a full stretch, the ball inches from the floor. His arm snapped it skyward in a perfect save, shouting, "NOT TODAY, PRETTY BOY!" The crowd exploded like he'd scored himself.
Kageyama to Akira. Akira slammed it so hard the ball bounced up into the rafters before crashing down again.
5–3 Karasuno.
From there, the Crows shifted gears. Chaos mode. Tanaka faked a hit so badly the Seijoh blockers jumped into the net, only for Hinata to tip the ball gently over their heads.
6–3.
Seijoh answered with a hard spike that skimmed off Tsukishima's fingertips. 6–4. But the very next rally, Tsukki blocked the same hitter twice in a row, shaking his head like, Try again, I dare you.
7–4 Karasuno.
Then came the first pure Looney Tunes moment. Karasuno's receive went high but off-course. Noya sprinted after it, sliding into the scorers' table to keep it alive. Tanaka somehow got the ball back into play, and Hinata — instead of hitting — bumped it backward over his head to Akira, who blasted it down mid-backpedal.
8–4 Karasuno.
The place lost it. Aya's chat broke into pure caps lock chaos. Ushijima in the stands raised an eyebrow. Tendō screamed "THIS IS ART!" like he was watching a play.
Seijoh managed a point with a sharp cross. 8–5. But Karasuno answered immediately with a Kageyama-Hinata quick that left blockers spinning like they'd been tricked by a magic act.
9–5.
Tsukishima, smelling blood, baited Seijoh into attacking his side again — perfect read, perfect block.
10–5.
Seijoh's Oikawa tried another serve ace, but Noya's dig was so smooth it was basically an insult. The ball shot to Kageyama, who sent it to Asahi. The Ace crushed it.
11–5 Karasuno.
The crowd was now singing. Entire sections waving towels. Aya and Izume practically screaming into the stream mics.
Seijoh grabbed a point with a clever tip. 11–6. But then Karasuno struck again with the deadliest quick of the set — Akira and Hinata going in opposite directions midair, confusing the blockers completely. The ball slammed untouched.
12–6.
The gym shook with chants, whistles, and stomping feet. Kageyama and Tsukki exchanged a silent smirk — one of those rare, dangerous moments when they actually agreed.
Then Kei finished the sequence himself — serve just skimming the net, Seijoh's pass floating, Kageyama instantly setting it back to him for the kill.
13–6 Karasuno.
The whistle blew for the next serve, but the sound was swallowed by the avalanche of noise pouring from every corner of the arena. And somewhere up in the stands, Bokuto yelled, "THE CROWS ARE OFFICIALLY UNHINGED!" — as if anyone hadn't noticed already.