Haikyuu : The Unstoppable Force

"Mujinazaka's chances are not great!"

Tetsurō Kuroo watched the situation on the court with interest.

"Exactly," Morisuke Yaku added with a sigh.

"The reason it's turned out like this is because there are serious issues with their tactical setup."

"And besides, they don't know much about Karasuno..."

"Right!" Keiji Akaashi agreed.

"After all, this is Karasuno's first appearance this year!"

"I'm sure no team has much information on them!!"

"But once Spring High rolls around, it'll be a different story."

"By then... Karasuno, fresh from their Inter-High run, will definitely become the subject of intense study..."

———

Creak!

While everyone was discussing, the match on court continued.

Compared to Wakatsu Kiryū's spikes, Akira's attacks might not be as overwhelming, but they carried a distinct tension!

It felt like as long as his spike landed, it would score!

And in truth, that impression wasn't far off.

Across all three sets, Akira's spikes had rarely been successfully defended by Mujinazaka's blockers!

Boom!

Just as everyone on Mujinazaka raised their guard to the maximum, fully focused on Akira's movements, Kei Tsukishima launched a quick attack from the middle—scoring cleanly!

But in the next rally, after receiving Shōyō Hinata's serve, Michiru Usuri executed a lightning-fast set to the right!

Kiryū was already in position and, with just one step, launched into a powerful jump!

Before Karasuno's front row could respond at the net, he slammed the ball down to score!!

Creak!

The referee's whistle echoed.

This time, Mujinazaka had the serve.

And the one stepping up was none other than Kiryū!

At that moment, it felt like all the pressure in the arena had descended upon him.

Trailing by such a wide margin, the ace's serve became absolutely critical.

Firstly, because under normal circumstances, an ace's serve is a major weapon.

Often, teams rely on powerful serves from their ace to turn the tide or expand a lead.

Just like Korai Hoshiumi, Akira, Kiyoomi Sakusa, and Atsumu Miya...

Even though the latter two aren't traditional aces, their serving pressure isn't any less impactful!

Another reason—

Once the ace serves, they rotate to the back row.

That limits their ability to participate in front-row offense.

So before the ace leaves the front line, it's vital for them to carve out some advantage for the team!

But this time, Kiryū was unable to create that opening.

All he could do was try his best to claw back the deficit.

In this crucial moment, Kiryū managed to score three points off his serve!

But eventually, Yū Nishinoya received it cleanly, and the momentum swung back again as Akira scored off a decisive spike!

With that, Kiryū rotated to the back row and could no longer contribute directly to front-row plays.

But Karasuno had now reached match point.

They were up 24.

One more point, and Karasuno would claim victory in this match!

And at that moment, everyone on Mujinazaka realized it too.

Karasuno was on match point, while they were stuck at 16.

The gap was too wide.

That eight-point difference now felt like an insurmountable canyon—

One that completely separated Mujinazaka from any hopes of winning this match.

Creak!

The referee's whistle jolted Mujinazaka's players out of their daze.

They looked up to see Tsukishima walking slowly toward the service line.

It was his turn to serve.

Thwack!

Tsukishima's serve flew toward the backcourt of Mujinazaka.

Kiryū and the others in the back row followed the ball's trajectory with tense expressions.

Even now, they refused to give up.

As the ball came flying, Haruma Bishin stepped forward sharply to the left, anticipating the direction!

Thwack!

He picked up the serve cleanly!

Usuri rushed in toward the drop zone of the ball.

Jump!

He sent the ball up sharply in front of him!

Simultaneously, Keisuke Unnan, already airborne, swung his arms with force!

It was a hyper-close-range quick attack!

And on the other side of the net—Akira had already taken to the air.

The moment Usuri leapt, Akira had read the set's trajectory!

In a heartbeat, he extended his hands forward—

Thwack!

Unnan's spike slammed into Akira's blocking hands—but instead of deflecting backward as everyone expected, the ball ricocheted at a diagonal angle!

On the other side, Haruma Bishin saw it and launched himself in a full sprint toward the path of the rebounding ball!!

Thwack!!

With a desperate dive, he barely managed to save the ball, smacking it back just before it landed out of bounds behind him!

The pass soared back toward the court—and as it approached, Akira, who had just landed from his block, took several steps back, then started charging forward again!

Across the net, the entire Mujinazaka front line scowled in unison.

That pass—wasn't in a great position!

Would Akira really try to spike it?

But after the last few matches, everyone on Mujinazaka had come to understand that Akira's setting technique was top-tier.

And Karasuno's setter also had a strong jump serve, proving his offensive prowess wasn't weak either.

Which meant...

There was no scenario where Akira would pass the ball and then attack it as a second tempo strike.

After all, in the previous sets, they had already been fooled by Akira's fake-outs.

--------

1st Bonus Chapter - 400 Power Stones

2nd Bonus Chapter - 800 Power Stones

-------

Dear Readers

Join Patreon for 50 Early Chapters

https://www.patreon.com/UK21

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

🎇🎇 Check out New Fanfiction 🎇🎇

Naruto : Madam, You Don't Want Anything To Happen To Sasuke, Right?

Marvel : Deadpool is My Best Friend

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