"Senkoku Middle School—are they considered a powerhouse?"
"Hmm, my knowledge is limited."
"I vaguely recall the name; they are likely a team of our stature, candidates for elimination in the opening bracket!"
"A sigh of relief! This suggests our probability of advancing to the second round this year is significantly improved."
In the waiting zone for Yushi Middle School, the volleyball players' faces showed a fragile optimism. Despite their school's history of underperformance, frequently resulting in swift tournament exits, even the least established teams cling fiercely to ambition.
"Enough, let us cease all conjecture. Regardless of the opposition's reputation, we must execute our game plan with composure and secure this initial set." The Captain of Yushi Middle School stood, clapping his hands sharply to galvanize his team.
"Understood!"
"We press forward! Let us dedicate our full effort!"
...
The Opening Volley
The Yushi Middle School team marched onto the court with an air of determined confidence, their faces alight with anticipation.
Until...
Bang!
With a deafening, thunderous report, the volleyball, propelled by an astonishing magnitude of force, pierced directly through the defensive barrier of six intertwined arms and slammed violently onto the court floor.
In that critical moment, the expressions of every player on the Yushi Middle School team froze in horrified realization.
"They... they broke right through it! A triple-block formation!"
"The sheer power is incredible!"
"Who is that athlete? I have never encountered him before."
Following a short, disbelieving silence, a buzz of discussion rippled through the stands watching the Senkoku and Yushi contest.
"It's manageable, maintain composure. That was likely a fortunate fluctuation on their part. We must not allow it to disrupt our focus. Regroup and intensify our defense." The Yushi Middle School Captain was the first to recover his wits, quickly clapping his hands to rally his teammates.
Upon hearing the reassessment, the other Yushi students managed to regain a semblance of control.
Yes, they convinced themselves. It must have been a fluke.
Beep!
The referee's whistle swiftly brought them back to the action. The serve was delivered by Senkoku's opposite hitter, Oda Miki. It was a standard, uncomplicated overhand serve, lacking formidable velocity, and was easily received by the opposition.
Yushi's setter prepared the attack, passing the ball to the outside hitter. Senkoku's middle blockers, Masato Omae and Jujiro Kazama, leapt quickly to intercept, but... the outside hitter did not swing.
Instead, a figure ascended abruptly behind and slightly adjacent to the hitter, momentarily illuminated by the overhead lights...
"It's a feint! Akashi, look out!"
Omae, already beginning his descent, paled and spun around frantically to warn Akashi Asuka.
But before he could utter the full warning, two distinct, loud impacts resonated across the court. The first was the sharp sound of the ball connecting with an arm; the second, the unmistakable thud of the ball hitting the ground.
When Omae turned back, he saw Akashi Asuka, wearing the number one jersey, descending slowly, the ball rolling on the opposing side, and the utter stupefaction etched onto the opponent's faces.
Beep! The whistle confirmed the point.
Akashi Asuka had executed a decisive solo block.
Score: 2-0.
Utilizing offensive players as a diversionary tactic is a standard maneuver. Early in the training, Masato Omae and Jujiro Kazama had successfully employed this exact maneuver in a scrimmage to score against Akashi Asuka.
However, back then, he was new to the body and the sport, lacking experience. Now, after nearly a fortnight of dedicated, intensive learning, scoring against him using that predictable tactic was an entirely different, nearly impossible proposition.
...After a moment of charged silence, a triumphant roar erupted from the Senkoku Middle School bench, and the players rushed to congratulate Akashi Asuka.
"Yes! Excellent, Akashi!"
"Magnificent defense!"
"A flawless play!"
In sharp contrast, the atmosphere on the Yushi Middle School side had entirely lost the aggressive confidence it had displayed moments before.
Observing this collapse in morale, the Yushi Middle School coach took the immediate step of calling a timeout.
The surrounding crowd exchanged incredulous comments.
"Well, well. A timeout already! They were forced to stop play after conceding just two points! The intensity of these young players is quite alarming."
"Indeed! Yushi is in a very difficult spot."
"That third-year player's aura is incredibly potent; could he possibly be the next Ushiwaka?"
The Fractured Barrier
The primary goal of Yushi Middle School's timeout was purely psychological: to arrest Akashi's surging momentum and allow their own team to regain their mental footing, rather than to deploy complex mid-game tactics.
The match recommenced.
The third rally began with Senkoku's serve. After the receive by Yushi's libero, the opposition initiated another attack. This time, they cautiously avoided Akashi Asuka's position, opting instead to target the double block formed by Kazama Jujiro and Omae Masato.
The volleyball was deflected yet again, though the block was not entirely successful.
Because Kazama Jujiro's vertical leap was insufficient compared to Akashi Asuka's, and his timing was slightly off, the ball was blocked but bounced high into the air over Senkoku's side of the court.
"Chance ball!" shouted Senkoku's libero, Kuramae Neko.
This cry was both a warning and an instruction.
Following the libero's shout, the other team members rapidly assumed their positions. Once the formation was stable, the libero channeled the ball to setter Mishita Ryuhei.
At this critical juncture, Akashi Asuka was already prepared to launch.
Unlike Yushi, the Senkoku offense held no ambiguity, or rather, the need for subtlety had been abolished.
Prior to the match, their coach had made the offensive strategy brutally simple: "Focus on stable defense, and ensure the ball goes to Akashi."
These few curt sentences had essentially revoked the offensive privileges of Omae Masato and Kazama Jujiro.
Initially, not only the two middle blockers but even the setter Mishita Ryuhei had felt a degree of confusion and resentment.
But now, he finally grasped the profound wisdom of the coach's tactical foresight.
With a gentle tap of his fingertips, a pass, notably higher than usual, soared toward the net directly in front of Akashi Asuka.
"Stop him!" the Yushi defenders roared in unison.
Immediately, the outside hitter and both middle blockers launched themselves into the air with maximum effort, their faces contorted with fierce determination, adopting a make-or-break mentality.
They were acutely aware that the preceding two devastating points had nearly annihilated their morale. If they failed to neutralize this one, the match was effectively over for them.
It was, therefore, an effort dedicated not just to preventing a point, but to rescuing their collective confidence and upholding the pride of the three front-row defenders.
In an instant, six arms converged to form an imposing barrier before Akashi Asuka, resembling a solid, high wall that momentarily eclipsed the gymnasium lights.
However, Akashi Asuka's expression remained perfectly serene in the face of this concerted defense. His movements were fluid and exact, his body arching backward in the air, his right arm and shoulder drawn back like a fully tensed bowstring.
Then, he unleashed his arm with explosive, unrestrained power.
Bang!
The volleyball shot forward, colliding directly with the imposing wall of arms.
The Yushi Middle School players felt the immense pressure of the ball in their hands and experienced a fleeting, triumphant joy.
"We held it..."
But in the very next second, an unimaginable, violent force surged from the volleyball. The player felt immediate panic. He struggled desperately to absorb the impact, but faced with this sheer momentum, his hands involuntarily recoiled and parted. The volleyball smashed through the compromised barrier and rocketed straight behind him.
A singular beam of light filtered through the fracture in the broken block, illuminating Akashi Asuka's focused face.
The defensive wall had been irrevocably breached.
...