The score stood at 10–9.
Karasuno had successfully turned the tide mid-game, and it was at this moment that Ukai Keishin decided to sub Oda Miki out.
It wasn't that he didn't want Oda to stay on the court, but Ushijima Wakatoshi from Shiratorizawa had just rotated back to the front row.
Karasuno had faced this exact lineup before against Fukurodani Academy.
The result was clear.
Their "flawless defense" strategy wasn't very effective against a national ace's overwhelming attack power.
"Flawless defense" could minimize defensive gaps, but when a national ace was on the attack, even flawless defense couldn't stop him from scoring with sheer individual strength.
So Karasuno's goal was clear:
When Ushijima rotated to the back row, use flawless defense to limit points lost.
When Ushijima returned to the front row, go all out on offense and battle Shiratorizawa point for point.
Boom!
With a loud crack, the volleyball blasted through Karasuno's court with brutal force and slammed to the ground.
The score tied at 10–10.
Ushijima landed from the air, expression indifferent, but the aura radiating from him grew even more intense.
"Bring it on! Show me what you've got!"
Karasuno's players' faces darkened. The weight of his presence felt like a massive boulder pressing down on them, making even moving seem difficult.
Karasuno launched their counterattack.
Ball 21.
Nishinoya Yuu received Shiratorizawa's serve.
Then, except for Nishinoya, the other four attackers moved simultaneously.
In an instant, the court seemed filled with shadows everywhere.
They launched a coordinated multi-angle assault.
Four players jumped one after another, dazzling Shiratorizawa's defense so much that it was impossible to tell real from fake.
Finally, Tanaka Ryunosuke smashed a straight spike to score.
11–10.
"Hey? That move looks familiar, it's Shinzen High's signature, right?"
The Aoba Johsai players immediately recognized it, since their first-round opponents in last term's nationals had been Shinzen High.
"Looks like Karasuno trained with Shinzen over the summer too!" someone guessed part of the truth.
"Tch, what a bunch of crows, they'll steal anything!"
────────── ✦ ──────────
Karasuno regained the lead.
But not long after, Ushijima's powerful spike took the point back.
11–11.
Karasuno attacked again.
This time, Kageyama passed to Azumane Asahi.
Tendo Satori instantly read Azumane's attack direction and set up a block.
However, just as Tendo thought he'd stopped the ball, he noticed Azumane hadn't swung his arm yet.
Azumane took a deep breath and hovered in midair.
When both sides began to descend, Tendo's block distorted, and only then did Azumane suddenly swing his arm for the spike.
Bang!
Though not very high, the powerful hit blasted through the block, scoring for Karasuno.
"Time difference attack?"
The Aoba Johsai players were stunned again.
Time difference attacks were their specialty, but this kind of midair time difference was something only Akashi Asuka among them could pull off well.
Now Karasuno's ace had mastered it too, which shocked them.
"What's going on? When did Karasuno learn so many new tricks?"
"It's like a big mixed stew."
12–11.
Karasuno led again, but Ushijima immediately scored to tie.
12–12.
The teams went back and forth.
Karasuno executed another New Monster Quick through Kageyama and Hinata, scoring smoothly.
But Ushijima immediately answered with a point of his own.
Then Ushijima moved to serve from back row position 1.
Ushijima stepping into the backcourt gave Karasuno a slight relief.
But when he stood at the service line, Karasuno's relief quickly faded.
Though Nishinoya was gradually adjusting to Ushijima's left-handed spin, Ushijima's serves were far more than just spin.
Boom!!!
With a deafening crack, Ushijima launched his first serve.
Like a cannonball, the ball flew over the net and landed deep in Karasuno's backcourt.
Though Nishinoya focused all his attention, he was still half a beat too slow when the ball arrived.
Smack.
The ball hit Nishinoya's arm and bounced off, landing in the second-floor stands.
13–14.
Before Karasuno could even react, Ushijima served again.
Boom!!!
Another earth-shaking strike.
The ball's trajectory twisted several times midair thanks to the left-handed spin.
It avoided Nishinoya by a wide margin, smashing down on the sideline for a direct point.
13–15.
Third serve.
Nishinoya and Sawamura were fully alert.
But when that terrifying strike came again, both momentarily faltered.
The speed was just too fast.
After two powerful jump serves, Ushijima's serve hadn't weakened a bit, it was even more fearsome now.
At the critical moment,
Sawamura, nearly throwing himself at the ball, met it with both hands.
But the fierce reverse spin still made his face go pale.
Despite his best effort, Sawamura couldn't control it.
He watched helplessly as the ball bounced off and flew diagonally over ten meters, landing on the floor of the neighboring court.
13–16.
The entire stadium fell silent.
Three consecutive serves had cost Karasuno their second timeout.
The crowd held their breath, stunned by Ushijima's overwhelming power.
"Whoa…"
"Ushijima's scary as hell!"
"Thank goodness we're not facing Shiratorizawa now, or my legs would be jelly."
Not only Karasuno's bench, but even the Aoba Johsai crowd were shaken by Ushijima's performance.
Three straight points on serve, that was terrifying.
The oppressive aura of a top-three national ace seemed to radiate over the whole arena, pressing down on everyone even from dozens of meters away.
Karasuno's bench was silent.
Even the usually optimistic Tanaka Ryunosuke was at a loss for words.
That showed just how much pressure Ushijima's three serves had put on them.
"Truly worthy of being one of the top three national aces."
Ukai Keishin also felt the weight on his head.
Compared to technical gaps, the mental pressure Ushijima inflicted was a far bigger problem.
After a moment's thought, Ukai said, "Let's adjust our tactics for the next plays..."
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria