["What a spectacular play!"]
["Once again, Akashi Asuka demonstrates his unparalleled scoring ability. Despite facing a triple block from Itachiyama, he forces a straight-line spike right along the sideline, helping Aoba Johsai claim another point!"]
["But Itachiyama isn't backing down either. Determined to win this second set, they've come out swinging from the very start, every member is joining the offense. The moment an opening appears, they pounce!"]
["After falling behind, Sakusa Kiyoomi from Itachiyama seized the momentum with a powerful serve, flipping the score and regaining the lead!"]
The stadium had fallen into a rare silence.
But not because the match between Aoba Johsai and Itachiyama was dull, far from it. It was precisely because of the relentless pace and intensity of the second set that the crowd found themselves unconsciously holding their breath.
Eleven minutes into the second set.
The scoreboard now read 16:17, an astonishing score at this stage of the game.
With both teams having already used one timeout each, the sheer number of points scored in so little time suggested one thing, both sides were playing like men possessed.
At this rate, they were trading nearly three full rallies per minute, pushing the game far beyond any normal pace. Factor in the time it takes just to retrieve the ball after each rally, and the time left for actual play per rally was likely only a few seconds.
Which meant, no room for prolonged exchanges or cautious maneuvers. Every rally was a high-stakes gamble. Every attack, a kill shot.
"Haa… haa… haa…"
Both teams were breathing hard now.
Brains foggy from lack of oxygen, the players from Aoba Johsai and Itachiyama were pushing so hard that this volleyball match had practically turned into an anaerobic sport.
"Geez, what the hell is wrong with Itachiyama? Are they insane!? They're going all-in with this kind of reckless offense. Not exactly the composure you'd expect from a championship team!" Matsukawa grumbled between gasps.
Oikawa shot him a sideways glance. "And what do you think a championship team should look like?"
"Well, you know… balanced and composed. They should have the poise of champions."
Oikawa let out a cold laugh. "Ha! People don't respect champions for their poise. Champions are champions because they win."
"To be worthy of the title, you have to be ready to throw away everything, style, habits, pride… everything. That's what makes a true championship team."
The path to national dominance was far more brutal than most high school players could ever imagine.
You had to play with discipline, yes. But you also had to be ready to lay everything on the line when the time came.
That was the true strength of Itachiyama.
After Sakusa turned the game around, Itachiyama's players gave a small, symbolic cheer, but they weren't overexcited. Because they understood something clearly:
Whether or not Itachiyama could hold onto their lead now depended not on Sakusa… but on who came next, Akashi Asuka.
Clutching the ball, Akashi walked slowly to the serving line, taking several deep breaths to calm his violently pounding heart.
His inner state, "Clear Mind, Still Water" allowed him to perform at 120% of his capability, but that level of output devoured stamina at an accelerated rate.
And up to this point, Akashi had already scored 10 points in the second set alone.
That's two-thirds of the team's total points, against a nationally elite school, no less.
Then again…
That's just classic Akashi.
So maybe it's fine after all.
BOOM!
Akashi unleashed a monstrous jump serve, only for the ball to clip the net.
No helping it.
His "Clear Mind, Still Water" state had ended, and now he was entering a sort of post-burst crash phase. While his overall form hadn't declined dramatically, the abrupt shift in state was enough to spike his error rate.
A known side effect, and one he had warned his teammates about before the match.
So the Aoba Johsai players weren't surprised.
But for Itachiyama, Akashi's mistake was an unexpected windfall.
16:18.
The morale of the Itachiyama squad soared, eyes lighting up with renewed energy.
But that momentum didn't last long.
Because in the very next rally…
Oikawa stepped up and slapped them across the face with reality.
After reclaiming the serve, Itachiyama quickly realized that… it wasn't doing them any favors.
Not that Itachiyama's serves were weak, they were last year's champions, after all. Except for libero Komori, every player had a deadly jump serve in their arsenal.
Even Komori himself had secretly practiced serves during training. Thanks to his talent, he'd even gotten somewhat decent at it.
But against Aoba Johsai's current form, unless the serve was truly top-tier, even powerful jump serves barely made a difference.
The same held true for Aoba Johsai.
They had three strong servers: Akashi, Oikawa, and a certain wild dog.
Despite being on court for a decent amount of time, Kentarou Kyotani hadn't made much of an impact with his serve.
Not because it lacked power, but because against the best libero in Japan, pure power without technique just wasn't enough.
Three serves, one ace. That was Kyotani's record.
Itachiyama's latest serve landed in Aoba Johsai's court, and was cleanly received by Shinji Watari, then sent to Ryuhei Sanashita for the set.
Seeing Sanashita setting again, Itachiyama's defenders instinctively locked onto Akashi.
At this point in the match, they'd figured it out, Sanashita only set with precision when the target was Akashi. Any other set? Completely average.
Three defenders, two at the net and one in the back, converged toward Akashi's position.
Even though he was in the back row, no one dared drop their guard. Akashi had already shown in several rallies that front row or back row, it didn't matter. He could score from anywhere.
But just as Itachiyama's defenders braced themselves,
Surprise.
The ball didn't go to Akashi.
It flew in the opposite direction, toward a part of the court where no attacker was stationed…
Except for one person.
The starting setter of Aoba Johsai, Oikawa Tooru.
"What the hell are these bastards up to now!?"
Komori instinctively sensed something fishy. But no matter how he tried to analyze it, he couldn't see any possible threat. After all, Oikawa had already used up the team's second touch.
That meant Oikawa had to be the one attacking.
And a setter attacking… even with only one blocker at the net… could he really score?
Let's not forget,
Komori was still in the back row.
He respected Oikawa's setting, sure. But his spiking? Did he seriously think he could beat Komori in a one-on-one?
If Oikawa somehow pulled this off, Komori swore he'd eat the volleyball on the spot,
WHAM!
The ball sliced past Itachiyama's sole blocker and traced a flawless sharp diagonal, landing barely 2 meters from the net.
THUD.
17:18.
Komori froze, jaw slack.
"Absolutely brilliant!"
The commentator leapt to his feet.
["A picture-perfect sharp diagonal! Aoba Johsai unveils a surprise double-setter tactic mid-game, using Akashi as bait while Sanashita sends the ball to Oikawa!"]
"And with razor precision, Oikawa scores a shot even primary attackers would struggle to land, breaking through Itachiyama's defense!"
"I can't believe it! At this stage of the game, Aoba Johsai still has secret weapons up their sleeve! Simply incredible!"
────────── ✦ ──────────
"Damn it…"
Meanwhile, in faraway Miyagi Prefecture, Kageyama Tobio stared at the broadcast on TV and muttered through clenched teeth, "The gap between us… it's grown again."
Even as Oikawa's long-time rival, he had to admit, that shot was perfect.
Maybe it didn't match Akashi in raw power or scoring frequency.
But in terms of technique, it was textbook.
No, beyond textbook.
Without long, dedicated practice, no one could pull that off.
────────── ✦ ──────────
"You bastard… I knew it! You've been secretly training again, haven't you!?"
Back on court, Akashi watched the play unfold and immediately realized Oikawa had definitely been sneaking in extra reps behind his back.
That unexpected move had shaken Itachiyama.
A setter with offensive power on par with a spiker? That could seriously mess up a team's entire defense setup.
But to their credit, Itachiyama didn't collapse. They recovered quickly, and didn't even call a timeout.
After all,
They still held a 1-point lead. No need to panic.
The back-and-forth continued.
The score ticked upward,
20:21.
Itachiyama is still ahead by a thread.
Both Sakusa and Akashi rotated back to the front row.
Now it was Oikawa's turn to serve.
As he stepped onto the service line, every player on Itachiyama held their breath.
Everyone understood:
If Aoba Johsai wanted to pull off a comeback, this was one of two golden opportunities, Oikawa's serve, and Akashi's next rotation.
If they could hold both serves, Itachiyama's chances of taking Set 2 would rise dramatically.
But…
If Aoba Johsai tied or overtook the score during this window,
The momentum could flip, and the semifinal might be lost right here.
"Fuuuhh…"
Oikawa exhaled slowly.
Even with his strong mindset, nerves were inevitable at a moment like this.
Still, knowing the other side was even more nervous? That made him feel a lot better.
"How to derive pleasure from the pain of your enemies" Akashi once joked that if Oikawa wrote an essay on that, he'd probably get it published in Nature.
WHAM!
Oikawa launched his serve without warning.
A serve timed perfectly to land just after the referee's 8-second whistle, adding psychological pressure. A trick he picked up from the professional team Tokai Heavy Industries.
Sure enough,
That sudden serve made every Itachiyama heart skip a beat.
Thankfully, their focus paid off. Komori just barely managed to receive the ball at the last second.
Instant counterattack, Itachiyama's setter Tsukasa Iizuna linked up with Sakusa for a lightning-fast attack.
"Crap!"
The counter was too quick, it bypassed Aoba Johsai's front-row blockers.
And with Sakusa's spiking ability, even back row defense couldn't help.
The balance shifted.
In a flash, the tide turned against Aoba Johsai.
Kindaichi Yutaro's eyes burned with desperation. He wished he could sprout wings and fly to intercept the spike, but he was too late.
Sakusa's arm swung down,
But at the last possible second, a blur appeared in front of him.
Akashi Asuka, for the third time, materialized directly in Sakusa's path…
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria