BOOM!!!
With a deafening blast like a cannon shot, Akashi Asuka's meteor-like spike slammed into Itachiyama's court.
24–24.
The moment the point was won, the entire stadium erupted like a powder keg set off by a lit fuse. The stands exploded with cheers.
"Holy crap, that was insane!"
"How many meters did that set even travel?!"
"That was terrifying. Aoba Johsai's setter is absolutely unbelievable."
That unbelievably long set from Oikawa Tooru instantly made him a household name across the country.
High up in the commentator's booth, the announcer's voice cracked from shouting, unable to contain his excitement.
["Incredible! Absolutely incredible!"]
["That was Oikawa Tooru of Aoba Johsai, following up his earlier perfect cross shot with a miraculous out-of-bounds set, over ten meters, and in midair with barely stable form, he still delivered it perfectly into the hands of their ace, Akashi Asuka!"]
["This point snuffed out Itachiyama's chance to close out the second set and threw the match right back into suspense!"]
"OOOOHHHHH!!!"
"Great job, Oikawa!"
"That was an absolutely brilliant set!"
Aoba Johsai's players roared in celebration. On the other side, the Itachiyama side of the court had fallen silent.
At such a critical moment, Oikawa's miraculous set was a massive blow to Itachiyama's morale.
But even more worrying for them was the fact that Akashi Asuka was already walking toward the service zone with the ball in hand.
The more crucial the moment, the better he performed.
And players like that didn't just exist on their team's side, Itachiyama wasn't the only one with a Sakusa Kiyoomi.
This much was clear.
To both Aoba Johsai and Itachiyama alike.
"Everyone, stay sharp! Not even a second of distraction!" barked Captain Tsukasa Iizuna, rallying his teammates with grit in his voice.
His attention locked completely on Akashi Asuka.
The score was tied now.
No matter what, they had to stop him from widening the gap.
Iizuna knew full well how hard it was to receive a serve from Akashi Asuka. So, when setting goals, he took a step back in expectation:
At most, let him score just one...
BOOM!
As if reading his thoughts, Akashi unleashed a brutal jump serve with monstrous power.
The ball tore through the air, aimed with surgical precision at the back corner. Its speed and angle were so vicious, even Motoya Komori didn't react in time.
The ball crashed down onto the floor.
25–24.
Just as Iizuna had predicted, Akashi scored one.
Iizuna's mouth twitched.
C'mon, I was joking. You didn't have to take it so seriously.
Motoya Komori stared at the burn mark on the court left by the impact, a resigned look in his eyes.
This is exactly why he hated playing against monsters like that.
Normal players, at such tense moments, would at least show a little hesitation, even if they didn't panic.
But these monsters? The tighter the moment, the more excited they got.
Second serve.
As Akashi stepped up to serve again, Iizuna's focus reached its absolute peak.
I said one point, and that means one point.
If he wants to end the match with his serve, he'll have to walk over my dead body.
Of course, Akashi had no plans to literally trample Iizuna's corpse. It was just a volleyball match, after all. No need for such extremes.
So this time, Akashi didn't score directly.
Motoya Komori had slowly adapted to the rhythm of Akashi's serves. Even when faced with a tricky banana jump serve, he managed to receive it cleanly.
Iizuna picked up the first pass and immediately called for a counterattack.
As usual, the main attacker was Sakusa Kiyoomi. But perhaps due to launching from the back row, his spike lacked its usual punch. Mid-attack, it was actually touched by Matsukawa Issei's block.
"Touched!"
Even before hitting the floor, Matsukawa was already shouting.
But the warning was hardly needed. The spike, weakened by the block, was easily received by Watari Shinji in the back row.
Aoba Johsai immediately transitioned into offense.
Akashi Asuka leapt from the back court like an eagle spreading its wings. His overwhelming presence drew nearly every eye from Itachiyama's defense.
And just then, Oikawa Tooru suddenly launched a setter dump attack.
"You crazy bastard, you actually dared?!" Komori scrambled to dive and save it, barely managing to keep the ball alive. As he got back up, he shot Oikawa a wary glare.
Are you kidding me?!
He had thought their offense was already wild enough. Who knew these guys were even more unpredictable?
It was the final moments of the match, and they were still daring to use something as risky as a setter attack?
The ball, after Komori's save, didn't fall back onto Itachiyama's court. Instead, it floated high over Aoba Johsai's side.
"Damn it. Who's going to hit this one?"
Realizing that his mishandled save had given the opponent a nearly perfect chance, Komori broke into a cold sweat.
Half of Itachiyama's defenders still clustered toward Akashi. To them, handing the final attack to the ace seemed like the safest bet.
But after Oikawa's cheeky setter attack, Komori now had half an eye on him too.
He hadn't forgotten: this setter also had a deadly cross shot in his arsenal.
Glancing at the mess of Itachiyama's formation, Oikawa couldn't help but grin wide.
Then,
A glint of mischief flashed in Oikawa's eyes as he suddenly shouted:
"Iwa-chan! It's yours!"
With the ball floating perfectly over the net, Oikawa sent it straight toward Hajime Iwaizumi.
No one on Itachiyama had expected this.
But in that instant, Iizuna, Komori, and Sakusa's minds all reached the same realization:
"Crap! How did we forget, this opposite hitter used to be Aoba Johsai's ace!"
Regret flashed through Iizuna's mind.
Then he yelled out, "Watch number 4! He used to be their wing spiker, "
Before he could finish, the entire Itachiyama defense was already scrambling toward Iwaizumi.
But just as they reached him,
Another twist.
Instead of spiking, Iwaizumi changed form midair and set the ball back to the rear court.
At the same moment the ball rose,
Every Itachiyama player saw the same thing reflected in their eyes:
A towering figure leaping high like a soaring eagle, its shadow nearly blotting out the stadium lights overhead.
And as that silhouette became clear,
Iizuna's pupils shrank. Emotions flickered across his face in a blur: disbelief, shock, awe,
And finally, despair.
BOOM!!!
The spike crashed down like a meteor, blasting straight through Itachiyama's defense, along with their last remaining hope of victory.