The Night Before the Quarterfinals.
The meeting room at the hotel was quiet, illuminated only by the glow of the projector.
On the screen, a volleyball hit the floor. It didn't bounce. It skidded, spinning violently, and slammed into the back wall with a terrifying thud.
Ushijima Wakatoshi.
"He is the ultimate weapon," Coach Nekomata said, his voice grave. "Left-handed. Opposite hitter. He doesn't look for weak spots. He forces his way through strong spots."
"His spin is different," Yaku noted, his brow furrowed. "Because he's a lefty, the rotation is opposite to what we're used to. If you try to dig it normally, it flies off to the right."
"And his power," Kai added quietly. "It's... absolute."
Ryuu sat in the back, eating a peach. He watched Ushijima on the screen—a stoic, unmoving face that destroyed teams without changing expression.
"He's efficient," Ryuu murmured, recalling their conversation in the hallway. "He hates wasted movement."
"He will be the hardest hitter you have ever faced," Nekomata looked at Ryuu. "Harder than Bokuto. Harder than Aran."
Ryuu finished his peach and wiped his hands.
"Good," Ryuu said, leaning back. "I was getting tired of aiming. A slugfest sounds relaxing."
Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium - Quarterfinals.
The atmosphere was heavy.
This wasn't the chaotic noise of Inarizaki. This was the disciplined, military-like pressure of Shiratorizawa Academy. Their cheering squad was synchronized. Their warm-ups were precise.
Ushijima Wakatoshi stood at the net. He jumped.
BOOM.
He spiked a ball during warm-ups. The sound was distinct—a heavy, dull thud that vibrated in the chest.
"Nice kill, Wakatoshi-kun!" Tendou Satori shouted, hanging off the net like a spider.
On the Nekoma side, Ryuu watched.
"He hits heavy," Kuroo noted. "It sounds like a car door slamming."
"Let's see who's louder," Ryuu cracked his neck.
Kenma tossed to Ryuu.
Ryuu approached. He didn't focus on technique this time. He focused on pure torque.
KABOOM.
He smashed the ball. It hit the floor and bounced into the second tier.
The crowd gasped.
Ushijima turned his head. He looked at Ryuu. Ryuu looked at him.
No words. Just two monsters acknowledging that the cage was locked.
The Match Begins.
Nekoma vs. Shiratorizawa.
The referee blew the whistle.
Shiratorizawa served first. Their setter, Shirabu Kenjiro, served a floater.
Kai received. "Kenma!"
Kenma set to the left.
"Gojou!"
Ryuu approached.
The Shiratorizawa block formed. It was tall. Ushijima was blocking on the right.
Ryuu jumped.
He saw Ushijima's face through the net. Stoic. Unimpressed.
'Let's say hello.'
Ryuu swung. He aimed for a heavy cross.
Ushijima jumped. His block was technically perfect. His arms were stiff, penetrating the net space.
BLAM.
Ryuu's spike hit Ushijima's arms.
Usually, Ryuu blew through blocks. But Ushijima didn't budge. He absorbed the impact.
The ball deflected off the block and flew high into the air on the Shiratorizawa side.
"One touch!" Ushijima called calmly.
Shiratorizawa countered.
Shirabu set the ball high to the right.
"Ushijima-san!"
Ushijima approached. His run-up was smooth, devoid of any wasted energy. He jumped.
Ryuu and Kuroo blocked.
Ushijima cocked his left arm.
Ryuu saw it. 'The Lefty Cannon.'
Ushijima swung.
He didn't aim for a gap. He aimed for Ryuu's arm.
BOOM.
The impact was shocking. It didn't feel like a volleyball. It felt like a medicine ball.
The spin was vicious. It hit Ryuu's arms and ripped through his block, spinning wildly to the right.
It landed out of bounds.
Block Out.
Shiratorizawa 1 - 0 Nekoma.
Ryuu landed. His arms were stinging. Not just stinging—throbbing.
"Heavy," Ryuu whispered, shaking his hands. "He wasn't kidding."
Ushijima landed. He looked at Ryuu.
"Your block was loose," Ushijima stated. "You left a gap between your shoulder and your ear."
Ryuu's eye twitched.
"Thanks for the tip, Coach," Ryuu muttered. "Next time I'll use my head to stop it."
____________________________
Score: Shiratorizawa 4 - 2.
Ushijima was a problem. Yaku was struggling to adjust to the lefty spin. Every time Ushijima touched the ball, it was a crisis for the defense.
But Shiratorizawa had another problem.
Tendou Satori.
Ryuu rotated to the front. Kenma set to Ryuu.
Ryuu approached. He saw the block forming. He decided to hit a line shot.
He swung.
Suddenly, a red-headed figure appeared in his vision.
Tendou hadn't jumped with the other blockers. He had waited. He had guessed.
Just as Ryuu committed to the line, Tendou shoved his hands into the line path.
DOOM.
Ryuu's spike was stuffed.
Shiratorizawa 5 - 2.
Tendou landed, grinning like a maniac. He pointed at Ryuu.
"You look straight ahead when you hit line!" Tendou sang. "And you look down when you hit cross! You're easy to read, Monster-kun!"
Ryuu stared at the lanky middle blocker.
"Guess blocking?" Ryuu asked. "That's risky. If you guess wrong, you look like an idiot."
"But I guessed right!" Tendou leaned through the net. "And now you're annoyed. I love it when strong guys get annoyed."
Ryuu felt a vein pop in his forehead.
"Inefficient Ace. Guessing Middle," Ryuu muttered. "This team is a headache."
______________
Score: 10 - 8 Shiratorizawa.
The game settled into a violent rhythm.
Ushijima would smash the ball. Ryuu or Yaku would barely dig it.
Ryuu would smash the ball. Ushijima or Tendou would barely stop it.
It wasn't technical. It was a contest of horsepower.
Ryuu served.
BOOM.
Ace.
Nekoma 9 - 10.
Ushijima served.
BOOM.
Ace.
Shiratorizawa 11 - 9.
It was like watching two heavyweights trade punches in the center of the ring. No dodging. No weaving. Just impact.
Score: 14 - 13 Shiratorizawa.
Ryuu was at the net. Ushijima was at the net.
Shirabu set to Ushijima.
Ryuu jumped.
'He's hitting cross. I can see it.'
Ryuu clamped down on the cross.
Ushijima swung.
BLAM.
The ball hit Ryuu's hand. But the force was so great it blew Ryuu's hand back. The ball powered through the block and hit the floor.
Shiratorizawa 15 - 13.
Ryuu landed, looking at his trembling fingers.
"He overpowered me," Ryuu realized. "I was there. I blocked it. And he just... pushed through."
Ushijima looked at Ryuu.
"You are strong," Ushijima said. "But your strength is raw. My strength is refined."
Ryuu lowered his hands. He looked at the floor, then up at the ceiling.
A slow, terrifying smile spread across his face.
"Refined," Ryuu chuckled.
He looked at Kenma.
"Kenma."
"What?"
"Stop setting me for kills," Ryuu said. "Set me for war."
"What does that mean?"
"It means," Ryuu cracked his knuckles, staring at Ushijima. "I'm done trying to play volleyball. I'm just going to hit the ball at him until one of us breaks."
Ryuu turned to Ushijima.
"Hey, Lefty," Ryuu called out.
Ushijima looked over.
"You called me messy," Ryuu grinned, his golden eyes glowing with malice. "Let's see if your perfect machine can handle a little mud."