“Maintain our rhythm. Don’t get impatient. We still haven’t secured a complete advantage, so in the next phase of the match we still need to…”
Ukai Keishin was in the middle of giving instructions to the Karasuno players when he suddenly noticed something strange about Oda Miki’s expression.
“Oda, what’s wrong?”
Oda Miki withdrew her gaze from Aoba Johsai and shook her head.
“No, it’s nothing. Maybe it’s just my imagination.”
Seeing this, Ukai didn’t press the matter further and was about to continue speaking.
But in the very next second…
Every Karasuno player suddenly sensed an enormous danger.
It was as if they had been targeted by a bloodthirsty beast, and they all instinctively turned their heads towards Aoba Johsai.
And then they saw him:
Asuto.
His face was expressionless, yet an ominous black aura seemed to radiate from his entire body.
Tweet!
The referee’s whistle called both teams back onto the court.
Karasuno served from the backcourt.
After Shinji Watari received the ball, Oikawa suddenly sent up an extremely simple high set.
There was no disguise whatsoever. The direction of the ball completely exposed the attacking point.
The Karasuno players froze for a moment.
Then Hinata, Asahi Azumane, and Sawamura Daichi quickly moved into position at the net.
The next instant… a towering figure suddenly appeared before them.
Leaping from Aoba Johsai’s backcourt like an eagle spreading its wings, Asuto soared into the air.
His massive presence seemed to blot out the ceiling above them.
A vast shadow enveloped all three blockers.
Now… Jump!
Hinata, Asahi, and Daichi leapt simultaneously.
They had timed their jump perfectly to coincide with Asuto leaving the ground and the ball beginning to descend.
Under normal circumstances, their block would have reached its highest point at the exact moment that Asuto struck the ball.
But that was under normal circumstances.
The reality however was completely different.
When the three jumped… Asuto was in the air.
When they reached the peak of their jump… Asuto was still in the air.
When they began descending… Asuto remained in the air.
From Hinata and the others’ perspective, Asuto’s soaring figure seemed frozen in midair.
Only after all three blockers had begun falling back toward the court did Asuto finally swing his arm.
BOOM!
The volleyball exploded forward like a cannon shell.
With unstoppable force, it blasted straight through the triple block and smashed heavily onto the floor.
Tweet!
Point for Aoba Johsai.
11:10
The Karasuno players instantly fell silent.
They looked at the volleyball that had ricocheted far away. Then they looked at Asuto, who had already turned around and calmly walked away from the net.
A heavy weight settled in their hearts.
“…”
“So… so amazing!”
“W-Whoa! What was that just now? A back-row attack that smashed straight through a triple block? Is something like that even possible?”
“Hey! Did you see that? Aoba Johsai’s Number 8 looked like he was actually hanging in the air!”
After a brief silence, the spectators in the second-floor stands erupted into intense discussion.
That spike had been unbelievable.
Even in professional matches, attacks of that caliber were rarely seen.
“That guy… don’t tell me he hasn’t even been serious until now. You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The expressions of Karasuno’s players darkened.
The pressure from that point alone was already overwhelming, but what angered them even more was the implication behind it.
If Asuto could suddenly display this level of power now… Then it meant he had never truly regarded them as worthy opponents in the first place.
“No, that’s not it. Maybe Aoba Johsai has simply switched tactics.”
After thinking for a moment, Kageyama Tobio said:
“Previously, Aoba Johsai’s strategy revolved around Oikawa-senpai’s offense. But now, their strategy has most likely shifted to using Asuto as their core strength.”
An Aoba Johsai centered around Asuto and an Aoba Johsai centered around Oikawa were two completely different teams in style.
Tweet!
The referee mercilessly blew the whistle again, urging both teams to continue the match.
After regaining the right to serve during this rotation, Asuto had also rotated back to the front row.
The volleyball crossed the net, and through the cooperation of Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shoyo, Karasuno successfully scored another point.
11:11
The score was tied once more.
The next rally began.
Karasuno served, while Aoba Johsai gained the right to attack.
After receiving the first pass, Oikawa didn’t hesitate for even a moment.
He decisively set the ball to Asuto.
This time, the blockers standing before Asuto were Sawamura Daichi and Tsukishima Kei, who had just rotated into the front row to replace Nishinoya.
Together, they formed a double block.
Tsukishima’s height was sufficient to cover Asuto’s highest contact point.
When he stretched out both arms, it was as if a towering wall had appeared in front of Asuto.
Yet faced with such a block, Asuto’s gaze didn’t waver in the slightest.
Without hesitation, he swung his arm.
BOOM!
The volleyball, carrying a terrifying force behind it, smashed straight through Tsukishima Kei’s defense.
The double block standing before him was as fragile as paper in the face of Asuto’s spike.
It collapsed instantly.
12:11
Aoba Johsai scored again.
“Damn it…” Kageyama Tobio clenched his fists unwillingly.
The scene before him reminded him of a match from his junior high days.
Back then, the situation had been exactly the same.
No matter what tactics or strategies they prepared, they had been completely powerless against the opponent’s overwhelming strength.
“Feels unpleasant, doesn’t it?” Suddenly, Oikawa spoke from the side.
“This kind of absolute strength. To be honest, I hate this style of play too. It feels like it’s mocking all the hard work ordinary people put in.”
Kageyama froze for a moment.
Then Oikawa continued:
“But right now, he’s my teammate, and as a setter, my responsibility is to bring out one hundred percent of my attacker’s strength.”
“So…”
Oikawa looked directly at Kageyama.
“Prepare yourself, Kageyama. I won’t be showing any mercy.”
Kageyama met Oikawa’s gaze and replied:
“There’s no need, because I’m going to win this match.”
Aoba Johsai continued serving.
After Tanaka received the ball in Karasuno’s backcourt, he passed it to Kageyama Tobio.
The very next second…
Without any warning whatsoever, the volleyball shot out of Kageyama’s hands.
And in the direction the ball was traveling, a small figure had already leaped high into the air and prepared to strike.
The Aoba Johsai players were startled.
“A back-row Freak Quick Attack? They can do that too?”
BANG!
A crisp impact echoed through the air as the volleyball plummeted toward Aoba Johsai’s court.
Issei Matsukawa desperately chased after the ball’s trajectory.
But someone was even faster.
Just as the attack was about to break through the defense…
Smack!
A single hand suddenly appeared and swatted the volleyball back into Karasuno’s court.
Asuto landed expressionlessly.
His eyes swept indifferently across the net toward the Freak Duo.
Then he said calmly:
“Sorry…. I’ve already grown tired of seeing that move.”
(End of Chapter)