Chapter 58: Quick Attack, Guren's Appetite
"Your spirit is commendable."
Ichise Guren said coolly, and along with his words, the volleyball landed at Hinata Shoyo's feet.
"Got blocked again."
Sugawara Koshi frowned as he watched Hinata Shoyo, who had been blocked multiple times. He had to admit that Hinata Shoyo's jumping ability combined with his height did have an extremely strong visual impact.
But in this four-on-four practice match, with Hinata's attacking routes locked down by the three-person block, he could only rely on dumps to barely survive, because behind the three-person iron wall stood Yamaguchi Tadashi, who had been on guard for a long time.
After being blocked twice at the start, although they could score some points by having Tanaka overpower Tsukishima Kei with brute force, for Hinata Shoyo who needed a running approach and jump to gain height, Kageyama Tobio no longer dared to set quick attacks.
His high sets couldn't convert Hinata Shoyo's speed into the combat power needed to battle this makeshift iron wall.
Simple quick sets could still be delivered, but this kind of timid quick attack from Kageyama Tobio had no power to turn the situation around, except for when Tanaka Ryunosuke faced off against Tsukishima Kei alone.
Fortunately, Hoshino Masaru stepped forward a few steps, providing some breathing room for another attack after the blocked ball fell.
Team A 4:8 Team B.
Only now did Hinata Shoyo clearly understand why the success rate of opponents' spikes dropped so much when Ichise Guren was in the front row.
First, Ichise Guren's movement speed was extremely fast. Whether stepping left or right, his incredibly strong core muscle groups could provide unparalleled center-of-gravity shifting speed.
Combined with the explosive power provided by his excellent muscle quality, he could cover the entire court with his defensive range during the flight time of all sets except A-tempo quick attacks.
Second was his terrifying reach and inhuman jumping speed. One moment he was still three or four meters away from the attacker's spiking position, the next moment his long arms were already blocking the attacker's spiking route.
Add to that the other two defenders who were also much taller than their peers, and what now towered before Hinata Shoyo was Karasuno's still immature but infinitely promising super defensive iron gate.
Although they lacked Sawamura Daichi, Karasuno's captain with very solid receiving skills, the powerful reach of Ichise Guren and Hyakuzawa Yudai was enough to defend against Kageyama Tobio's still immature serves.
Sweat dripped from Hinata Shoyo's forehead and was unconsciously wiped away. At this moment, there was no confusion or panic in Hinata's eyes. He had entered match mode and began calmly thinking of countermeasures.
'Demon Lord or not, there's got to be a way to defeat him, otherwise our Yukigaoka would have won the championship long ago.'
Glancing at Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shoyo pondered, but his feet moved ahead of his body, walking directly to Kageyama Tobio's side.
"Kageyama, why won't you set quick attacks?"
"Is it because your previous quick attacks weren't received by your teammates?"
Ichise Guren looked at the three-person group of Tsukishima, Hinata, and Kageyama having an intense discussion over there and flicked his bangs.
'Although the plot development is different, Shoyo will definitely force you to use the quick attack.'
'As long as you still want to win, come on, use it.'
'This time there won't be teammates who can't keep up with your sets, only a guy who runs faster than your passes.'
'Come on, hurry up and evolve the freak quick!'
'I can't wait to battle it!!!'
His eyes changed slightly for an instant, and the usually well-behaved Ichise Guren seemed to transform back into that brutal slicked-back tyrant for a moment.
Both Kageyama Tobio, who had just voluntarily stood with Hinata Shoyo and made his setter declaration to oppose Tsukishima, and Hinata Shoyo instantly turned their heads toward Ichise Guren by the net, as if suddenly there was a dangerous person on the court.
But when they looked over warily, there was only Ichise Guren with a smiling face. He tilted his head toward their gaze, as if asking:
"What's wrong?"
The soil that Ichise Guren had carefully cultivated finally bore the fruit he wanted to devour.
The first successful birth of the freak quick surprised everyone present. Only Ichise Guren was an exception, his face didn't show surprise or admiration, but hunger.
'Not enough, not enough.'
'The success rate isn't high enough yet.'
'Get stronger for me, stronger!'
After Hinata Shoyo finally spiked that ball that dodged Tsukishima's pursuit defense and thundered into bounds where Yamaguchi Tadashi couldn't reach it in time.
Ichise Guren's aura could no longer be suppressed. He wiped away sweat and directly slicked his hair back.
'I've been waiting for you forever, so slow.'
Hinata Shoyo, who had just successfully spiked and discovered that Kageyama Tobio had mastered this new skill, was celebrating with a clenched fist.
But the hair on his back stood up in an instant. The opposing court was awash with blood, endless bloody mist swirling in the air, and a tall figure was slowly walking toward him.
With each step that figure took, countless bloody vines rose from underfoot.
Only Hinata Shoyo, targeted by Ichise Guren's aura, could have such hallucinations. Only he had such powerful imagination. Ordinary people really didn't have this kind of strong imaginative power.
Just as Nekoma's Fukunaga Shohei said, 'People rarely die in volleyball.'
Although his imagination was a bit too exaggerated, Hinata Shoyo's intuition precisely captured Ichise Guren's thoughts.
'Guren definitely wants to block this ball of mine.'
'Very well, come on, Guren.'
'I have the king's sets now, I can fight against your defense.'
But Hinata Shoyo, who had learned to use his brain, didn't plan to just take his freshly-made freak quick and fight to the death with Ichise Guren. Throwing out all his weapons and fighting with offense was Hinata Shoyo's preferred method.
He actively pulled Kageyama Tobio aside and began whispering in his ear. Tanaka Ryunosuke was then also called over by Hinata Shoyo to listen in.
Finally, Hoshino Masaru was also called over to join the discussion.
"We're ready!"
"Let's go!"
The fighting spirit began rising on the faces of Team A's four members.
Hoshino Masaru also showed a strange smile.
"Ichise-kun, the chance to challenge Miyagi's middle school MVP isn't common, especially when your current teammates are seriously lacking in ground defense."
"Ahahahaha! Guren! I'm going to defeat you!"
With the net separating him from Ichise Guren, Hinata Shoyo's words became arrogant. He was shouting about defeating his former captain, Ichise Guren.
Tanaka Ryunosuke said with a mischievous smile: "Didn't you block quite a few of our balls earlier? Keep trying, I'd like to see how many more you can block, MVP."
Kageyama Tobio also had an expression that screamed "I want revenge'.
Ichise Guren was amused by the provocation.
"You just formed a team and you're already this united? You really are treating me like a final boss, aren't you?"
"Fine, fine, then I'll give you a chance to challenge the Demon Lord."
The serious Ichise Guren also asked for thirty seconds. Without bothering with hair wax, he directly used sweat to slick it back again, then sprayed on some setting spray.
"I'm going all out now, so don't cry when you lose."
"We're going to win!"
Hinata Shoyo fired back defiantly.
***
25+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces