Score: Nekoma 9 - 8 Shiratorizawa.
The rally had ended with Kuroo's slide attack. Nekoma held a fragile lead.
Nekoma Serve.
Kuroo served. Yamagata (Libero) received it perfectly.
"Center!"
Shirabu set a quick to Tendou.
Tendou jumped. He faked a spike to the right, then snapped his wrist left. Time Difference.
Ryuu saw it. He didn't bite on the fake. He jumped to block the real path.
But Tendou's arms were long and whip-like. He flicked the ball over Ryuu's shoulder.
Shiratorizawa 9 - 9.
Tendou landed, dancing a little jig. "Baki baki ni ore~!"
Ryuu landed, looking annoyed. "He plays like a noodle."
______________
Score: 9 - 9.
Ushijima Wakatoshi rotated to the service line.
The atmosphere tightened. This was the weapon that had kept Shiratorizawa in the game.
Ushijima served.
KABOOM.
It was a cannon blast. Kai dove, got a platform on it, but the sheer weight blew through his arms. The ball ricocheted into the stands.
Ace.
Shiratorizawa 10 - 9.
"Sorry!" Kai grimaced. "It's heavier than the second set."
Ushijima served again. Another bomb.
Yaku stepped in. He absorbed it perfectly this time.
"Kenma!"
Kenma ran to the 3-meter line. He set high to the left.
"Tora!"
Yamamoto spiked. Reon dug it.
"Counter!"
Shirabu set to Ushijima.
Ryuu and Kuroo formed the wall.
Ushijima launched from the back. He smashed the ball.
Ryuu didn't try to soft block. He pressed.
The ball hit Ryuu's hands. It was a massive impact, but Ryuu held firm. The ball dropped back down on the Shiratorizawa side... but Yamagata was there to save it.
"Free ball!"
Nekoma got it back.
"Ryuu!" Kenma set to the right.
Ryuu approached.
Tendou Satori was waiting. The Guess Monster's eyes widened.
'He's frustrated! He wants to cross!'
Tendou jumped sideways, shoving his hands into the cross path. Guess Block.
He was right. Ryuu was swinging cross.
Tendou grinned. 'Gotcha!'
Ryuu saw the block. He saw the hands right in his face.
Most players would panic. Ryuu just smirked.
'You're in my way? Cute.'
Ryuu accelerated his arm swing. He hit the ball at the absolute peak of his reach.
KABOOM.
The ball slammed into Tendou's palms.
Usually, a block stops the ball. But Ryuu's power was in a different weight class. It was a semi-truck hitting a bicycle. The impact buckled Tendou's wrists backward.
"Gah!" Tendou cried out.
The ball plowed through the block, forcing Tendou's hands apart, and smashed into the floor behind him.
Nekoma 10 - 10.
Tendou landed, shaking his hands violently. "OW! That's not a volleyball! That's a bowling ball! You trying to break my fingers?!"
Ryuu landed, standing tall over the redhead.
"Come on, Redhead!" Ryuu taunted, loud enough for the whole court to hear. "Put some muscle into it!"
Tendou blinked, then tilted his head.
"But... you are also a redhead, Monster-kun?"
Ryuu paused. He touched his own hair.
"Yeah," Ryuu shrugged. "But I'm the cool kind. You're the weird kind."
______________
Score: 12 - 12.
The game turned into a grind, but Ryuu was no longer getting stopped.
Kenma set to Ryuu.
Tendou jumped. He tried to time it perfectly.
Ryuu jumped. He was a head taller than Tendou.
Ryuu swung over him.
BOOM.
The ball hit the floor deep in the court.
Nekoma 13 - 12.
"He's hitting over me?!" Tendou complained to Ushijima, looking genuinely offended. "Wakatoshi-kun, he's cheating! He's too tall! Is that legal?"
"He is strong," Ushijima acknowledged calmly. "We must score more."
Shiratorizawa attacked. Ushijima smashed a straight.
Yaku dug it. "Counter!"
Kenma set to Ryuu again.
Three blockers. Ushijima, Tendou, Reon. The "Iron Wall" of Miyagi.
Ryuu approached.
'Three of them? Perfect target practice.'
Ryuu jumped. He saw the wall.
He aimed for the seam between Ushijima and Tendou.
He smashed it.
BLAM.
The ball hit the seam. It broke through their inner arms, ricocheted off Ushijima's shoulder, and flew into the stands.
Nekoma 14 - 12.
Ryuu landed, light on his feet. He flexed his hand, staring at his palm like he'd just discovered a superpower. He turned to the team, a massive grin splitting his face, his breathing barely elevated.
"Did you guys see that?" Ryuu crowed. "That was... that was art!"
"Stop posing and get back in position!" Yaku barked from the back line, wiping a heavy layer of sweat from his forehead.
Kenma walked past. Unlike Ryuu, he looked drained—his face was flushed, hair plastered to his forehead, his chest heaving with every shallow breath. He stopped near Ryuu, resting his hands on his knees for a second to recover.
"It was a good line," Kenma managed, his voice quiet.
He looked up, his eyes sharp despite the fatigue weighing down his limbs.
"But look at me. Look at everyone else. We're blinking red." Kenma straightened up slowly, exhaling long and hard. "Don't save energy for the walk home, Ryuu. Even if you aren't tired, dump the rest of it here. We need overkill."
_____
Score: 18 - 18.
Shiratorizawa wasn't going away because Ushijima was a machine.
Ushijima spiked. Point.
Ryuu spiked. Point.
It was a display of overwhelming offense on both sides. The defensive players were gasping for air, legs burning as they scrambled to keep the ball alive, while the two aces just kept swinging.
19 - 18 (Nekoma).
Ryuu rotated to the front row. Ushijima was waiting for him.
Shirabu set to Ushijima.
Ryuu jumped to block.
Ushijima swung cross—putting his weight behind it.
Ryuu didn't soft block. He didn't hesitate. He invaded Ushijima's airspace, shoving his massive hands over the net.
THUD.
The ball smashed into Ryuu's right hand. It was a solid wall against an unstoppable force.
A One-Handed Kill Block.
The ball fell straight down on the Shiratorizawa side.
Nekoma 20 - 18.
Ushijima landed, staring at the ball. He let out a controlled, deep breath.
"Stopped," Ushijima whispered.
Ryuu looked through the net, sweat merely glistening on his neck.
"You're strong, Lefty," Ryuu said, his golden eyes glowing with amusement. "But I'm bigger."
Score: 21 - 21.
Shiratorizawa fought back. Goshiki hit a lucky line shot. Ushijima served another ace.
The score was tied. The gym was stiflingly hot.
Nekoma served.
Shirabu set to Goshiki.
Goshiki, legs feeling heavy, tried to snap a straight.
Ryuu was there. He didn't even jump his max—he didn't need to. He just hopped, putting his hands up.
ROOF.
The ball hit Ryuu's forearms and fell straight back onto Goshiki's head.
Nekoma 22 - 21.
"Sit down, bowl cut," Ryuu muttered, turning away. "Adults are talking."
Nekoma served. Ushijima received.
"Shirabu! Cover!"
Shirabu bumped it high to Ushijima.
It was a bad set. Drifting too far from the net. Ushijima had to adjust.
Ushijima approached. He jumped from the 3-meter line.
Ryuu watched him.
He's going to blast it. He has no other choice.
Ryuu didn't block. He stepped back to the attack line, planting his feet firmly.
Ushijima smashed it.
The ball flew past the empty space where the block should have been.
Ryuu stood there. He didn't dive. He didn't flinch. He took the spike squarely on his chest.
THUMP.
The sound was like a bass drum. Ryuu absorbed the hit, his feet sliding back an inch, but he didn't fall. He didn't even stumble.
"Nice receive," Ryuu said calmly.
The ball popped up perfectly to Kenma.
"Counter!"
Kenma set it back to the middle. To Ryuu.
Ryuu took off immediately. No approach run. Just raw, terrifying vertical power.
Tendou tried to jump. "Stop him!" But Tendou was too slow, his stamina fading.
Ryuu was already at the apex.
BOOM.
He spiked it straight down.
It hit the floor so hard it bounced high—clearing the net height on the rebound and slamming into the second-floor railing with a loud, ringing CLANG.
Nekoma 23 - 21.
Ryuu landed.
He looked at the Shiratorizawa team. They looked shaken. Ushijima was breathing heavier now, his chest rising and falling with effort. Tendou looked genuinely unnerved.
Ryuu walked to the service line, spinning the ball in his hands. He looked fresh. Dangerous.
"You guys are tough," Ryuu said, bouncing the ball. Thump. Thump. "But you rely too much on your cannon."
He looked at Ushijima.
"And your cannon just ran out of ammo."
He tossed the ball.
Score: 23 - 21.
The end was near.