Haikyuu : The Unstoppable Force

"Is he really going to Set to the high school student who just spiked the ball?"

Everyone wondered silently in their minds.

"He only scored once, after all!"

"Maybe… maybe they'll change their tactics!"

While everyone hesitated, the experienced Arai noticed a small movement from Oikawa!

Without hesitation, Oikawa jumped straight into the middle of the net!

At that moment, Oikawa realized that the opponent had already figured out his second attack.

But it was too late to change his approach now!

Snap!

Arai blocked Oikawa's second attack mid-air! The ball fell at Oikawa's feet.

Whistle!

The score was now tied!

"Though my technique might not be as sharp as the younger generation's, I still have some experience," Arai said calmly after landing.

It was Arai who had first noticed Oikawa's small movement and jumped to block the attack, evening the score for his team.

Seeing his attack blocked, Oikawa didn't show much disappointment. Instead, he quickly adjusted, ready for the next round.

And so, the fierce showdown continued!

Arai, a former national team player, was demonstrating his incredible strength. The spike from earlier was just a preview of his true abilities!

Arai was now ready to give everything, playing like a wild beast on the narrow court.

His style was bold, brutal, and reckless, but with countless small details hidden beneath.

Even Akira, who had been strong so far, couldn't withstand Spike.

But Akira understood.

It wasn't just about strength—his experience was too vast!

Akira learned valuable lessons from his various techniques and blocking methods.

Akira's performance was starting to shock everyone.

His spike success rate was incredibly high!

Whenever Oikawa passed him the ball, no matter what kind of block Akira faced, he still managed to score.

Even Arai had trouble dealing with Akira's powerful spikes!

When it came to blocking, Akira seemed to have an extraordinary instinct, always being the first to anticipate the opposing players' movements.

As time passed, Mitsuda Musashi and Toru Oikawa in the front row began following Akira's lead in blocking.

And when Akira moved to the back row, his steady receiving and powerful serving skills also caught everyone's attention!

Akira was the kind of player who seemed too perfect to be real. There was nothing anyone could target to exploit his weaknesses.

"Strong! Really strong!"

"I thought this high schooler was at best an A-level player!"

"But now, even among these top players, he's still shining!"

"That's right! Does anyone know which high school he's from?"

"I don't know! But he's not from Shiratorizawa, is he?"

"I know! He played at Yugama Junior High last year, but I don't know which high school he's at this year."

"Wait, are you saying he's just a freshman in high school?"

"Is he really this strong as a freshman? Ushijima Wakatoshi, who came here recently, was a third-year student!"

"I heard there was a high school qualifier for the national competition recently. Maybe then we'll find out which school he's from!"

The game continued, with both sides fiercely battling to hold their scores.

As the game reached its peak, the scores were nearly tied at match point!

But the situation wasn't looking good for Akira's team—Akira, a key scoring player, had been moved to the back row!

Meanwhile, the opponent's trump card, Arai, was still in the front row!

However, it was now Akira's turn to serve!

He glanced at the score: 22 to 23.

Just three more points, and they could win the game!

But if the opponent scored again, Akira's team would be pushed into the opponent's match point.

Akira looked at the opponent's back row, noting their positions.

In earlier rounds, he had used a jump serve, his preferred method when practicing alone.

But in this crucial situation, if he used a floating serve with average power, it could easily lead to mistakes and put them in danger.

This time, Akira decided to go for a more direct, powerful jump serve!

"What's going on? This No. 3 high schooler's serve doesn't seem like a jump serve!"

"Is he trying to take a risk now that the opponent's ahead?"

"I've never seen him serve like this before!"

"This kind of serve is hard to control! If it goes out of bounds, the opponent gets a point directly. Is he really that brave?"

As Akira prepared for the serve, the crowd outside the court erupted into noise.

Many were worried about Akira's decision to serve in such an adventurous manner.

But Akira ignored the voices from the crowd.

He tossed the ball forward…

And then, he jumped!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

""He's tossing the ball... It can't be a mistake, right?"

An audience member outside the venue said nervously.

"It's over! If this serve results in a fault, then they're in real danger!"

"That's right! The match will go straight to Arai's match point!"

"Isn't that to be expected? Honestly, from the start, I didn't think a team of high school students could defeat Arai!"

"Exactly! How could a player as strong as Arai lose in such a small exhibition match?"

---

It was no surprise that the audience felt uneasy. Even Akira's teammates on the court thought his toss might have been a mistake.

Not for any other reason but because he tossed the ball too far forward!

"It's almost at the three-meter line!"

"This guy has played so well throughout the match... but now he's falling apart at such a critical moment!" said Toru Oikawa in the front row.

"Wouldn't it have been safer to stick to the jump serve you were using earlier?" However, just as Oikawa finished speaking, he saw Akira in the back row step forward and leap!

Without a hint of hesitation, Akira approached the toss as if this were a standard serve.

Seeing this, Arai, on the opposite side of the net, narrowed his eyes in surprise. He immediately called out to his teammates in the back row.

"Stay sharp! Don't let your guard down!"

Simultaneously, he lowered his body, preparing for the possible impact.

On the other side, as Akira jumped, the audience and players on the court were stunned by what they saw.

They initially assumed Akira had overestimated his toss and wouldn't be able to reach it in time.

But now, the reality was...

Akira seemed to glide effortlessly as if a gust of wind had lifted him.

Although his jump height wasn't noticeably greater than usual, his hang time in the air was extraordinary!

With such impressive hang time, Akira managed to adjust mid-air, positioning himself perfectly to meet the ball.

It was as though the entire sequence had been meticulously planned.

In mid-air, Akira's body arched like a crescent moon.

Before anyone could react, he unleashed a jump serve!

Bang!!

The libero in the back row of the opposing team barely registered the ball flying past him, feeling only a rush of air by his ear!

Service ace!

"What??"

"How is his serve so fast?!"

"I didn't even see his arm swing just now!"

In truth, it was already difficult for spectators to follow the trajectory of spikes during high-level volleyball matches.

The ball, when hit by a powerful attacker, can easily reach speeds of over 100 kilometers per hour!

Spectators often only see a faint blur before the ball hits the court.

However, Akira's serve seemed even faster—like it teleported from his hand to the ground.

From the moment his arm swung forward to the instant the ball landed, it was over in the blink of an eye.

The referee blew the whistle, signaling the point: another serve for Akira!

As Akira held the ball and slowly walked back to the service line, Arai's team began to feel the pressure.

"How do you even receive a serve like that?"

"Stay calm! Don't panic!"

In such a tense situation, Arai stepped up to reassure his teammates.

He recalled seeing this type of serve during an international competition.

At the time, they faced a team from a smaller country whose middle blocker had an incredible jump serve ability, capable of serving near the three-meter line.

The challenge with such a serve is that...

Because the server is closer to the net, the ball travels a much shorter distance compared to a typical baseline serve.

This means the ball loses less speed during its trajectory, making it harder to react in time.

For a libero, this kind of serve is a nightmare to receive!

Additionally, there was something even more intimidating about Akira's serve...

Was Arai the only one who noticed?

He silently studied Akira, standing on the opposite side of the net.

The young player's eyes were calm and unfathomable—like a deep, bottomless pool.

It was impossible to predict his next move.

The whistle blew again.

After a quick glance at the opposing team's formation, Akira tossed the ball and jumped again!

It was the same serve as before!

However, this time, Akira aimed at a slightly different spot.

One of Arai's teammates, carefully observing Akira's movements, froze as he realized the change.

But Akira's serve was too fast!

Even if Arai noticed the adjustment, there was no time to react.

Bang!!

The ball slammed into the ground once more!

And this time, the entire gymnasium—players and spectators alike—watched with wide eyes, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

The serve landed inside the three-meter line!

Service ace, again!