Iwaizumi was momentarily stunned, but he quickly reacted. He swiftly caught the volleyball that had barely been kept in the air, and Oikawa immediately sent it back into Karasuno’s court.
Thud~
The sudden counterattack caught Karasuno completely off guard. In the end, they could only watch helplessly as the volleyball landed on their side of the floor.
At that moment, Asuto, who had fallen to the ground while receiving the ball, finally stood up. Looking calmly at the Karasuno players across the net, he said:
“If you’re thinking of relying on luck to score every time, then you’re being far too naive.”
The trace of joy on Yamaguchi Tadashi’s face instantly disappeared. The slightly relaxed expressions that had just appeared on the faces of Karasuno’s other players also stiffened once more.
21:15
Yamaguchi left the court dejectedly, and Hinata was substituted back in.
An almost suffocating pressure settled over the Karasuno players. What made them feel even more desperate was that the next serve belonged to Oikawa once again.
“Damn it, why does it have to be now?” Even Ukai Keishin felt like cursing from the sidelines.
Bang!
Oikawa showed no mercy. The closer the match came to its conclusion, the more focused he became. The volleyball shot forward at high speed, but Nishinoya ultimately managed to receive it.
As the match went on, Nishinoya gradually became accustomed to the serving rhythms of both Oikawa and Asuto, causing his success rate on serve receives to steadily increase.
However, although he received the ball, the volleyball rebounded directly back into Aoba Johsai’s court.
Oikawa, having just served, had no time to get into position. At that moment, Aoba Johsai’s libero, Watari Shinji, suddenly rushed from the back court to the front. Without even making a first pass, he acted as a setter and sent the ball directly to Asuto.
Boom!
The sudden quick attack helped Aoba Johsai secure yet another point.
22:15
Oikawa’s second serve was once again received by Nishinoya. This time, however, the receive was extremely stable. Kageyama coordinated with Tanaka Ryunosuke to execute a synchronized attack with a timing delay, successfully earning Karasuno a point.
22:16
Karasuno served on the next rally, but Aoba Johsai gained possession of the attack.
The volleyball was once again sent to Asuto. Karasuno formed a double block, but Asuto struck a straight shot down the sideline directly against the block.
He reclaimed the point with apparent ease.
23:16
Aoba Johsai rotated once more, bringing Asuto to Position 1.
The moment he stepped into the service zone, every member of Karasuno felt an immense pressure descend upon their shoulders.
Asuto wasted no time. After lightly tossing the volleyball into the air, he launched a full-power jump serve.
Boom!
The volleyball screamed across the court and landed perfectly in the back-court corner, earning another point.
24:16
Aoba Johsai had officially reached match point.
“Damn it… is there really no way left?”
At this stage of the match, even Kageyama began to feel a hint of despair.
As unwilling as he was to admit it, he could no longer deny the truth: Karasuno’s current strength was simply far inferior to Aoba Johsai’s.
The gap wasn’t limited to one or two players; it existed across the entire team.
Whether it was physical conditioning, individual skills, or tactical coordination, the two teams were separated by at least two or three levels.
Especially the combination of Oikawa and Asuto on the other side.
One of them was the senior he had been trying to surpass ever since junior high school.
The other was an old rival who had once defeated him.
Even one of them alone was already incredibly difficult to deal with, yet now those two had become teammates on the same team. Just thinking about such a combination was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.
But…
Kageyama didn’t want to lose.
There was no particular reason, and he was certain he wasn’t the only one who felt that way. That guy probably shared the exact same thoughts.
As the thought crossed his mind, Kageyama looked toward Hinata in the distance.
Sure enough, Hinata seemed completely unaware that the match was nearing its end. His eyes were locked firmly on Asuto across the block, like the eyes of a crow preparing to strike its prey.
What astonished Kageyama even more was that despite the fact that they were on the verge of losing, Hinata was actually smiling…
“There he goes again. This guy… where does this insane concentration he shows at the end of matches even come from?”
The situation was already at the edge of a cliff.
One more step back, and they would plunge into a bottomless abyss.
At a moment like this, even a person with the strongest mentality would inevitably be affected.
Yet Hinata seemed completely unable to see the cliff behind him.
Even if he were to fall into the depths below, his eyes would still contain nothing but volleyball.
Boom!
The next second…
Asuto’s second serve came roaring in.
The tremendous power behind it seemed to distort the shape of the volleyball in flight. Influenced by air resistance, the ball changed trajectory several times while crossing the court.
Faced with such unpredictable movement, even Nishinoya found it difficult to judge the ball’s landing point immediately.
But at that moment… A small figure suddenly shot forward.
Then came a crisp smack!
Asuto’s overwhelmingly powerful serve was received perfectly.
“Send it to me!!!”
The instant he received the ball, the small figure scrambled back to his feet. Then, moving with almost sideways-sliding speed, he rushed to the edge of the court and leaped into the air.
As the setter, Kageyama instinctively sent the ball out.
No.
That wasn’t quite accurate.
More precisely, Kageyama’s set seemed to be drawn toward that small figure as if by a magnetic force.
During that moment, the one controlling the set was no longer Kageyama.
It was Hinata, who had already soared into the air.
Bang!
The volleyball was smashed over the net.
Everything happened so quickly that even Aoba Johsai’s libero, Watari Shinji, failed to react to this quick attack.
Watari was still immersed in the shock of seeing Asuto’s serve perfectly received when he suddenly noticed the volleyball had already returned to Aoba Johsai’s court.
By then, it was too late for him to act.
However, at that very moment, someone else moved before he could.
It was as if that person had already predicted the direction of Hinata’s spike and had been waiting there in a ready receiving stance all along.
Smack!
The volleyball rose back into the air.
“Nice receive, Asuto-chan~”
Seeing the save, Oikawa had been about to praise Asuto.
But before he could speak, Asuto spoke first.
“Give me the ball.”
Calm. Dominating. And impossible to refuse.
Since becoming teammates, this was the first time Oikawa had heard Asuto speak in such a tone.
As a result, he subconsciously obeyed Asuto’s command.
A high set floated above Asuto.
Without hesitation, Asuto jumped from the back row.
At the same time…
On the opposite side of the net, Hinata, Kageyama, and Tanaka Ryunosuke formed a triple block together.
Although none of the three were particularly tall, the wall they created together still carried a hint of the “Iron Wall.”
Yet in the face of such a defense, Asuto’s expression remained unchanged.
He merely drew a deep breath in midair.
Then the muscles of his chest, shoulders, and right arm suddenly swelled.
BOOM!
The next instant… Asuto swung his arm with every ounce of strength he possessed.
In a single moment, the human wall before him was utterly shattered…
(End of Chapter)