Finally hearing the familiar system notification sound, Kaedehara Taichi let out a deep breath of relief. Holding his ground against Kiryū Wakatsu alone had pushed him to his limit."Damn Oikawa, you're always a step too slow."
Mujinazaka's Nozomu Mami served the ball sharply over the .
"Cover!" Iwaizumi Hajime called out as he barely mao dig the serve.
Oikawa Tōru stepped in with a fwless form, bang himself mid-step as he jumped to deliver an immacute set.
Kaedehara Taichi was already airborne on the right wing. The Mujinazaka blockers were a step too slow to keep up.
"What a beautiful set!"
"Despite the first pass being out of position, Oikawa's exceptional movement id the foundation for this pinpoint toss!"
Kaedehara Taichi sed the Mujinazaka defenders' positions mid-air, his eyes sharp. For the first time in a while, there was no wall obstrug his view of the court.
His right arm swung down decisively as the ball aligned perfectly in front of his palm.
Smabsp;Only Kiryū Wakatsu anticipated his move.
"He got it!"
"Kiryū Wakatsu, who rotated to the back row, took charge of the reception again! Oikawa and Taichi's bination attack failed to score!"
"Save it!" Kiryū shouted.
Ezota Naoharu dashed to the bad leapt off one foot, desperately sending the ball back.
In the front row, Usuri Mitsuru tipped the ball toward Aoba Johsai's weak backcourt.
"ce ball!"
Watari Shinji dashed to intercept, deftly trolling the ball with a precise dig.
Oikawa quickly set the ball high to the left wing, where Taichi pulled back for a running approach from the back row.
"Block him!"
The high toss gave Mujinazaka's blockers enough time to react, and both Hondo Subaru and Unnan Keisuke leapt to form a wall in front of Taichi.
Boom!
"A powerful spike! Kaedehara Taichi shattered one of Mujinazaka's twin towers, Unnan Keisuke, with brute force!"
Pop!
"But Kiryū Wakatsu anticipated the py again, pig up the spike with a stunning dig!"
Usuri Mitsuru set the ball high ared it, creating an opportunity for their uping ace, Ezota Naoharu to strike from the back row.
Pop!
Oikawa hahe reception with practised ease, sending the ball perfectly to his envisioned position.
He transitioned smoothly into another precise set for the right wing.
"Mad-Dog-!!!"
Kyōtaarō unched himself into the air, fag only Mujinazaka's setter in front of him.
Bang!
Kyōtani's spike ricocheted off Usuri's hands and crashed into Mujinazaka's court.
But...
Pop!
"Kiryū Wakatsu read it again!"
"Kiryū Wakatsu's defensive prowess is truly jaw-dropping! Even under Aoba Johsai's relentless high-speed attacks, Mujinazaka's bae holds strong!"
"This time, it was a fierce right-wing spike, but Kiryū mao ralize it beautifully! His ability to stay so posed in such high-pressure moments is nothing short of extraordinary!"
Taichi gazed at Kiryū, who was tirelessly anch Mujinazaka's defence, with a plicated expression.
His heart was filled with a mix of admiration and pity.
"Impressive as it is to keep the ball alive, is this really the best approach?"
"With Kiryū fully itted to defence, Mujinazaka's offence is effectively on pause. This is Aoba Johsai's golden opportunity!"
Mujinazaka sent a weak free ball over the again, and Hanamaki Takahiro took trol with ease.
The ball arced gracefully to Oikawa's waiting hands.
Both Kyōtaarō and Kaedehara Taichi began their approaches simultaneously from the left and right wings.
"Damn it!"
Mujinazaka's blockers were in disarray. her of those two yer you could block solo.
Mujinazaka's Unnan Keisuke pulled Usuri Mitsuru closer, switg positions with him. His instincts told him that Aoba Johsai's #10 was the far bigger threat.
"Give it to me!" Taichi's voice rang out from the right side. He leapt high, his arm swinging through the air.
"Double block!" Usuri Mitsuru and Hondo Subaru jumped in unison, f a wall in front of him.
On the opposite side, Unnan Keisuke faced off against Kyōtani across the , determio stop the votile hitter on his own.
"Tap, tap, tap…"
The volleyball smmed into Mujinazaka's court.
"A setters dump!"
"Oikawa Tōru with a stroke of genius! When Aoba Johsai's wing spikers were locked down by the blockers, their 'bde-wieldier' broke through the tre with a direct attack!"
[Aoba Johsai 21 – 21 Mujinazaka]
Oikawa smirked at Mujinazaka's setter, Usuri Mitsuru.
"When did you decide you could just ignore me?"
Usuri forced a bitter smile, gng at Oikawa.
"Even at the tail end of the third set, this guy doesn't miss a ess with me. Fine, I'll admit it—he's better than me."
What a jerk.
"Don't worry about it! Just win the point!" Kiryū Wakatsu approached Usuri, his voice calm and reassuring.
"Yes!"
But despite his words, Kiryū couldn't help but feel a creeping sense of unease as he faced Aoba Johsai's full-blown offensive.
It was as if invisible vines were climbing up his legs, binding him, dragging him down. Kiryū felt his body grow heavier with each passing moment.
Smack!
"Mujinazaka's #4, Unnan Keisuke, blocks Aoba Johsai's #16, Kyōtaarō, single-handedly!"
"As expected of one of Mujinazaka's twin towers! Kyōtani appeared to notinan's blod tried to adjust his spike mid-air, but Unnan still mao shut it down!"
"With sharp instincts and incredible core strength, he sealed the angle by forcefully repositioning his block. It seems Kiryū's iy has inspired his teammates as well!"
As Unnan nded, he turo Kiryū.
"Wakatsu, focus oack! Leave the defeo us! If we 't hahis much, we don't deserve to be your teammates."
Unnan followed up with a hand signal directed at Mujinazaka's other Twin-Tower, Nozomu.
"I've blocked two more balls than you so far."
Nozomu Mami gred at him silently.
"...I'm going to kill this guy."
"Wakatsu-senpai! The match starts now!" shouted Bishin Haruma, his voice eg across the court.
Kiryū's gaze steadied, his resolve reignited.
-----
[Aoba Johsai 21 – 22 Mujinazaka]
The match was ned neck again.
Smack!
Kaedehara Taichi's spike deflected off the blockers' hands and out of bounds. Aoba Johsai scored.
[Aoba Johsai 22 – 22 Mujinazaka]
Boom!
Kiryū executed a fwless three-step approach from the back row, breaking through the double block with a powerful spike.
[Aoba Johsai 22 – 23 Mujinazaka]
Bang!
Oikawa feigned a spike but instead delivered a perfect set to the left wing. Kindaichi seized the opening and scored.
[Aoba Johsai 23 – 23 Mujinazaka]
Then...
Oikawa Tōru stepped onto the service line.
"Both teams have demonstrated incredible serving strength, but at this critical juncture, a direct sg serve could ge everything!"
The entator, ōtomo, felt lucky to be calling such a thrilling match.
The iy of the third set had surpassed everyone's expectations. Cheers erupted from all ers of the stadium, wave after wave.
"A-O-BA—JOH-SAI!"
"MU-JI-NA-ZA-KA!"
"Oikawa, go for it!"
"Kiryū, don't give up!"
"Taichi, fight!"
The thunderous appuse and ts reverberated through the stadium, their echoes crashing against the walls like an unstoppable tide.
"Don't let him score! Take the serve back immediately!" Mujinazaka's pyers were ser-focused, their tration at its peak.
"T out 100% of your ability in a match is no easy feat, but now is the time to surpass yourself!"
Oikawa tossed the ball into the air with one hand, taking his approach as it desded. At the apex of his jump, his arm swung through with perfect precision.
her the deafening cheers nor the pressure fazed him. In fact, it only fueled his energy.
"The entire world is cheering for me!!!"
Bo—om!
The ball zipped across the court like a lightning bolt, striking Mujinazaka's bae.
Oikawa scored a fwless service ace.
[Aoba Johsai 24 – 23 Mujinazaka]
Aoba Johsai had reached the match point in the deg set.
_________
[T/N] - If you guys want to read 50 Chapters in advance of the current story, you support me on my Patreon. Trust me, it's awesome!
Link - (P)atreon./Iseebck [Remove the brackets]