"Again?!"
The moment Akashi Asuka once again read Sakusa Kiyoomi's attack route like a shadow trailing its source, the players from Itachiyama looked like they'd just swallowed charcoal.
You're addicted to blocking, aren't you?
Just because our Komori received one of your spikes, did you really have to go this far for payback?
The Itachiyama team silently cursed Akashi Asuka for his unsportsmanlike behavior. Meanwhile, Sakusa Kiyoomi, the target of this relentless blocking, was just as startled to see that ghost-like figure appear before him once more.
But then, the corner of Sakusa's mouth curled up.
"I knew you'd come, you bastard. I was waiting for you."
The next second,
Just as everyone thought he was about to spike, Sakusa suddenly pulled back his arm and landed back on the ground.
No, more accurately, he had never actually jumped in the first place. He merely faked a short hop, enough to fool everyone.
"A feint?"
The Aoba Johsai players were shocked.
Did Sakusa really predict Akashi would try to block this ball again?
On the other side of the net, Akashi Asuka was still rising through the air, while Sakusa's smirk only deepened.
"Let's see if you fall for it this time."
The sheer thrill of outsmarting his opponent sent a shiver down Sakusa's spine.
But before long, that smug smile faded. Something didn't feel right.
Wait a minute…
Isn't that guy jumping a little too high?
Sakusa knew Akashi had insane verticals, but right now he was blocking at a height half a hand above the falling volleyball!
And why the hell is he hanging in the air like that?
Is he... waiting for me?
I don't need you to wait! Seriously! You don't have to be this considerate!
Sakusa's original plan was to use a feint to throw off Akashi and hit on the delay, but now Akashi was descending even slower than the ball, keeping his cursedly massive hands hovering just above it.
Now he was the one caught off guard.
"How am I supposed to hit this?!"
With the ball already dropping below the height of the net, Sakusa had no choice but to go for it. Gritting his teeth, he jumped and slammed the ball,
Thud!
It was immediately stuffed by Akashi's wrist.
Watching his own spike hit the floor of his team's court, Sakusa's face turned green.
That's three.
Three times now!
Until this tournament, Sakusa had rarely been blocked, maybe not even three times total.
But just one guy, Akashi Asuka, had already shut him down three times. This was ridiculous. Ridiculous' mother just opened the door and let peak ridiculousness walk right in.
21–21.
The score was tied.
Just as Itachiyama feared, the advantage they had worked so hard to build had completely vanished.
Oikawa Tooru stepped up for his second serve.
This one was again received cleanly by Motoya Komori, and Itachiyama launched a quick counterattack, reclaiming the lead with 21–22.
But this single-point lead was now fundamentally different.
Even though they were ahead, Itachiyama no longer held the serve.
And sure enough,
In the very next rally, Aoba Johsai smoothly pulled the score back to 22–22.
Once again, the match teetered on a knife's edge. Both teams continued to clash, trading powerful blows, until the score reached 23–24.
Another match point.
But this time, things were looking bad for Aoba Johsai. It was now Sakusa Kiyoomi's turn to serve.
This was the best opportunity Itachiyama had to close out the set.
If Sakusa could land this one, they'd win it outright.
But on the flip side, if he failed, then the next server would be none other than Akashi Asuka.
And once he stepped up to serve, Itachiyama's situation would spiral fast.
At that moment,
The stadium fell into complete silence.
Even the audience could feel the crushing pressure on Sakusa's shoulders. Everyone subconsciously held their breath.
Then, the referee blew the 8-second whistle, shattering the silence like glass.
Boom!
With countless eyes locked on him, Sakusa jumped and launched his serve, a crucial, potentially game-deciding shot.
The entire Aoba Johsai squad tensed up. Their nerves were every bit as taut as Itachiyama's. Even if they had a third set to fall back on, this was the nationals. If there was any chance to end it in the second set, they would take it without hesitation.
With Takashi Mikisaka already subbed out, the back row now consisted of Hajime Iwaizumi and Watari Shinji.
"This one's got serious spin, no, not just spin. It's curving. It's a curveball!"
Watari's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
He couldn't tell whether Sakusa had the devil's own luck, or if he was just that skilled. In this decisive moment, he had somehow sent over an extremely hard-to-receive curving serve.
"Damn it, his luck is way too good!" Iwaizumi's face twisted.
As Akashi's teammate, he knew better than anyone just how nasty these kinds of curveballs were to handle.
"Forget it! Iwa-chan, just get the ball up, we'll handle the rest!" Oikawa's shout cut through the rising panic, snapping both defenders back to focus.
With no hesitation, Iwaizumi dove forward and managed to pop the ball up into the air.
But the spin was so intense that the ball immediately drifted far out of bounds.
Yet Oikawa had anticipated this.
Almost the moment the ball left Iwaizumi's hand, Oikawa had already sprinted toward it. He chased it all the way four or five meters outside the sideline before finally locking in on its trajectory.
"Akashi-chan, it's all yours!"
Oikawa leapt.
He lost balance midair, his body twisting awkwardly, but at the final moment he managed to set the ball cleanly back into the court.
"A long-distance out-of-bounds set?!"
The crowd exploded, leaping to their feet at Oikawa's acrobatic save.
At the same time,
Akashi Asuka took flight, rocketing into the air to meet the soaring ball, swinging his arm for the spike...