Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 296: The Dignity of a King

"We still have a chance! Stay calm and take back one point—!"

"Yes!!!"

Compared to the shouts of the players on the court, the cheers from the stands were sparse.

Perhaps the audience still hadn't accepted that Shiratorizawa was no longer the powerhouse it once was.

Bang!

Shirabu Kenjirō sent out a jump float serve, which Watari Shinji barely managed to receive.

"Cover!"

"Left-wing!"

Kunimi Akira stepped in, setting the ball high to the left-wing near the antenna.

"That set is way too wide… But we have to block this one!"

"Triple block!"

Umeda Toshiyuki, Kawanishi Taichi, and Goshiki Tsutomu lined up, sealing off the cross-court angle to the right.

Shirabu positioned himself near the sideline in the back row, determined to stop what he considered Taichi's poor imitation of Ushijima Wakatoshi.

BAM!

Kaedehara Taichi took his approach and leapt from the front row.

"Damn—"

Even at this late stage in the set, Taichi's picture-perfect form in mid-air caused Shirabu to hesitate for just a fraction of a second.

"I'm done playing around."

Bang!—

The ball soared past Shirabu's head and, just as it neared the baseline, it suddenly dropped straight down.

Thud!

The ball struck the deep corner of Shiratorizawa's court and bounced away.

Kaedehara Taichi scored with a spike!

[Aoba Johsai 25 – 14 Shiratorizawa]

"Tweet—!"

The first set was over.

Winner: Aoba Johsai.

"What was that…?"

"That drop was insane! I thought it was going out, but then it just fell straight down!"

"With that kind of sharp trajectory change, if the blockers don't stop him early, the back row has no chance of digging it!"

"And—"

The first set had ended much faster than the audience had expected, with a massive 11-point gap.

Kaedehara Taichi alone had scored 16 points.

-----

After a brief break between sets, the teams switched sides, and the second set began.

In contrast to his dominance in the first set, Taichi adopted a more laid-back approach in the second.

Aside from two attacks where he capitalized on the setter's fake-out to evade the block, he didn't push too hard on offence.

However, his active role in both receiving and setting still caused Shiratorizawa significant trouble. Their defensive formation was stretched thin, and Washijō Tanji could be heard furiously shouting from the sidelines.

[Aoba Johsai 25 – 14 Shiratorizawa]

[Aoba Johsai 25 – 20 Shiratorizawa]

With a 2-0 victory, Aoba Johsai secured their place in the semifinals.

"They really just used Shiratorizawa as practice, huh? Seijoh is terrifying!"

"That first set was brutal. Don't you guys think so?"

"Clean, efficient, completely in control. The way Seijoh won today…It had the presence of a true champion."

-----

"Kindaichi, call out more when you're blocking. Your timing and reaction speed have improved a lot lately. I want you to become the command tower of Seijoh's blocking."

As they made their way to another court, Coach Irihata reviewed the match with the players.

"Yes!" Kindaichi Yūtarō responded loudly.

"The command tower for blocking? That sounds awesome!"

"Idiot, don't yell so loud in the hallway." Taichi lightly kicked him. Seriously, this guy…He just realized now?

"And one more thing," Irihata continued. "You don't need to imitate anyone when attacking. Before Interhigh, I only gave you two goals."

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He raised two fingers.

"Height and speed. As a middle blocker, when Taichi and Kyōtani attract the opponent's blockers, that's your moment to score."

"Yes!"

"You moron! I just told you not to shout…"

"Yes," Kindaichi repeated in a quieter voice.

"Kunimi, I want you to focus on varying your shots. And when you're helping set, keep an eye on options beyond just Taichi."

"Got it."

"Yahaba, don't put too much pressure on yourself. You're the one who observes the team the most. A setter's job isn't just to set."

"Understood."

As they walked, Irihata suddenly noticed the atmosphere among the team had become tense.

"Haha… You guys played great today. No need to overthink it," he said with a reassuring smile. "The rest can be discussed later. For now, let's go check out how the other teams are doing."

-----

At Sendai City Gymnasium, on Court D, the match between Karasuno and Date Tech was in full swing.

"Oh? They've already reached the third set? Looks like it's a pretty even match…" The Aoba Johsai team found an open space in the spectator stands.

"Not really. Look at the score."

Following Kaedehara Taichi's gesture, Yahaba Shigeru glanced at the scoreboard.

[Karasuno 12 - 18 Date Tech]

"Date Tech is this strong this year?!" Kindaichi Yūtarō exclaimed in surprise.

Even Kaedehara Taichi hadn't expected Karasuno to be trailing by this much…

"Hmph, you got that right, kid." A voice came from behind the Aoba Johsai group. "Don't underestimate us now."

"Ah! It's Date Tech's senpais!"

"H-Hello." Moniwa Kaname quickly held back a smug-looking Kamasaki Yasushi and greeted Aoba Johsai's players.

"Hello," Yahaba Shigeru responded calmly.

"Seems like Kamasaki-senpai is quite confident in Date Tech this year," Kaedehara Taichi said with a teasing smile.

"Hmph, of course, kid." Kamasaki Yasushi puffed out his chest. "Just wait until the finals."

Boom!—

—Smack!

"Nice block! Kanji!"

[Karasuno 12 _ 19 Date Tech]

"Go Go let's go let's go DATE TECH!"

"Go Go let's go let's go DATE TECH!"

On the court, Hinata Shōyō's quick attack had just been shut down.

A flicker of surprise flashed through Kaedehara Taichi's eyes. That was Karasuno's evolved quick attack, and yet it was stopped so cleanly…

That iron wall had formed in an instant—Date Tech's blocking speed was already on par with Kamomedai's.

Service change. Futakuchi Kenji stepped up to the service line.

"Huh? Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa's match is already over?" Futakuchi caught sight of the Aoba Johsai players in the stands. "Those guys sure look relaxed."

"I was hoping to surprise them in the finals," Futakuchi muttered, feeling a little irritated. "Anyone who underestimates Date Tech is going to pay the price!"

Boom!

Futakuchi Kenji unleashed a powerful jump serve!

"I got it!" Nishinoya Yū shouted.

Smack!

The ball was received perfectly. Kageyama Tobio jumped.

"Is it a setter dump?" Kaedehara Taichi focused intently on Kageyama's movements.

"Kanji!"

In the back row, Onagawa Tarō called out, alerting his setter while stepping forward himself.

"Nice! They read Kageyama's intentions!"

Whoosh—!

The ball was set to the left wing. Tanaka Ryūnosuke leaped.

"He can still switch from a setter dump to a set? Kageyama really is a monster…and he stays so composed…"

"Three-man block!!!"

A wall formed—Aone Takanobu (193 cm), Kanji Koganegawa (193 cm), and Obara Yutaka (188 cm) jumped side by side, sealing the net.

"…That's terrifying." Kunimi Akira turned to Kyōtani Kentarō. "Isn't Karasuno's monk-head about the same height as you, Kyōtani-senpai? (Both were around 178 cm.)"

From the stands, Tanaka Ryūnosuke looked completely smothered by Date Tech's towering block.

"If an attacker has to face this kind of blocking alone, it's basically a guaranteed loss, huh?"

Bang!—

—Smack!

Tanaka Ryūnosuke's powerful cross-court spike struck Aone Takanobu's arm and bounced straight back into Karasuno's court.

Nishinoya Yū dived desperately but still failed to save it.

[Karasuno 12 - 20 Date Tech]

"Judging by Nishinoya's reaction, this situation must have happened a lot in this match," Yahaba Shigeru commented, already feeling the pressure. Even Kageyama Tobio couldn't easily break through Date Tech's block.

"So Hinata's decoy is having a limited impact against Date Tech, huh? Then there's no way Enoshita and Yamaguchi can break through their block either…" Kaedehara Taichi fell into thought. "Without an ace, Karasuno is completely trapped against this version of Date Tech."

"Honestly, it's surprising they even managed to take a set."

-----

"Damn it—!" Nishinoya Yū got up in frustration. "Sorry, Ryū!"

"No, it's on me." Tanaka Ryūnosuke clenched his fists.

Right now, Karasuno's de facto ace was Tanaka Ryūnosuke. But he couldn't break through to lead his team forward.

What kind of mindset did Azumane-senpai have? What kind of pressure did he endure playing as Karasuno's ace?

Though Tanaka Ryūnosuke had always thought of his senpais as incredibly strong, at this moment, he truly felt the unique burden that came with the title of "Ace."

"Don't worry about it, Tanaka-senpai!"

Unexpectedly, Kageyama Tobio spoke up to reassure his teammate.

He grabbed Hinata Shōyō beside him. "Just like in the second set, this guy and I will carve a path for you!"

"After all, Karasuno's team is strong!"

_________

[T/N] - I saw most of you voted for Karasuno 💀

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