Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The score is 12-19.

Iwaizumi stood behind the service line, spinning the volleyball twice in his hand. Although he didn't have the fancy serve wind-up of Oikawa Toru, his solid, oppressive presence was even more troublesome.

The whistle blows, the ball is tossed, and the arm is swung.

The ball traveled flat, heading straight for the back corner.

"I'll go!" Daichi Sawamura lowered his center of gravity and brought his arms together steadily. The volleyball hit his forearm with a dull thud, and although the force was heavy, it was still obediently sent to the vicinity of the three-meter line in front of the net.

The pass was delivered perfectly.

Kageyama Tobio quickly moved under the ball. Almost simultaneously, Higashimine Asahi took a long run-up from the left wing.

Aoba Josai's blocking reaction was quick; Matsukawa Kazushige and Hanamaki Takahiro immediately jumped side by side, their four hands blocking the diagonal line.

"Break it through!!"

Dong Fengxu roared and swung his arm. This time, he didn't dodge, but chose to meet the ball head-on. He cupped the top of the ball with his palm, using the time difference in the air, and smashed it down the instant the blocker's hand fell.

"Bang!"

The volleyball broke through the gap in the net and landed in the west side of Aoba Castle.

13:19.

Although they managed to win back a point, the oppressive atmosphere didn't dissipate. The six-point gap felt like a mountain pressing down on them.

It was Lu Ren's turn to serve.

He walked to the service line and stretched his shoulders.

Lu Ren took a deep breath and tossed the ball. It wasn't a jump serve, but an underhand serve.

The volleyball soared high into the air, heading straight for the stadium's ceiling lights.

Watari Chikaharu, a free agent from the west of Aoba City, looked up, squinted, and made small, quick movements to adjust his position.

"I'll do it!"

The ball bounced slightly as it fell. Although Chikaharu Watari's arm managed to touch the ball, it didn't fly towards the setter's position but instead bounced directly out of bounds.

"Feel sorry!"

"It's alright!" Oikawa Toru strode off the court, and just as the ball was about to hit the ground, he scooped it high back onto the court with one arm. "Hana-maki!"

"This can actually be saved?" Lu Ren scoffed.

Hanamaki Takahiro jumps from the left to spike the ball. Hinata Shoyo and Higashimine Asahi jump to block.

"One touch!" Hinata shouted.

The ball hit Hinata's fingertips, changed direction, and flew towards the back row.

"Nishitani!"

"Leave it to me!" Nishitani Yu made a diving leap and caught the ball before it hit the ground.

Another chance.

Kageyama Tobio stood at the net, his eyes somewhat glazed over. In that brief moment, he had scanned the entire court. Aoba Castle West's defensive formation was too perfect; every landing point was guarded.

We have to be quick.

We must be faster than their block.

If the ball speed is fast enough, it can break through the defense.

Once this thought takes hold, it takes over the brain like a virus. Kageyama's fingers touch the ball, and his wrist instantly exerts force.

"Whoosh!"

The ball shot towards the right wing like a bullet.

Lu Ren had only jumped halfway when the ball was already right in front of his face.

"ha?"

Lu Ren's pupils contracted. The ball was too fast, ridiculously fast, and positioned extremely low. This wasn't a pass; it was a tackle. The ball carried the setter's intense emotion—Score! Now! Immediately!

This wasn't a teammate's pass; it was practically a royal decree.

Lu Ren cursed inwardly, his body contorting in mid-air as he managed to swing his right hand with difficulty. There was no time to find a landing point; he could only rely on instinct to hit the ball.

"Snapped!"

The ball struck the palms of Kindaichi and Kunimi, who had been waiting for a long time, and bounced straight back.

Lu Ren hadn't even landed yet when the ball was already at chest height.

That's it, we've been blocked.

If we lose this point, the gap will become seven points, and morale will completely collapse.

His body was still falling, and his hands were too late to move. Lu Ren watched the falling volleyball, and the string of "reason" in his mind suddenly snapped.

He suddenly stretched out his right foot in mid-air and kicked the volleyball like he was kicking a shuttlecock.

"Bang!"

The kick was solid. The volleyball flew straight up after being hit, cleared the net, and landed wobbly within the opponent's three-meter line, in the stunned gazes of everyone—including the Aoba Johsai players.

Dead silence.

Then came the referee's whistle.

"Beep—! Karasuno scores!"

14:19.

Lu Ren fell heavily to the floor, landing on his buttocks, wincing in pain.

"Yay!! Senior Lu Ren's move was so cool!!" Hinata Shoyo excitedly rushed over to celebrate.

"Don't come any closer!"

Lu Ren got up from the ground with a dark face. He didn't look at Hyuga or the scoreboard, but went straight to Kageyama Tobio.

That aura was so terrifying that Hyuga abruptly stopped the car.

Kageyama was still standing in front of the net, seemingly not yet recovered from that "miracle shot".

Lu Ren walked up to him and grabbed his collar.

"Feed".

The audience in the stands erupted in uproar.

"What happened? Didn't they score?"

"Is there infighting within Karasuno?"

Sawamura Daichi's expression changed, and he quickly ran over: "Lu Ren! Calm down! What's wrong?"

Lu Ren didn't let go; he stared intently into Ying Shan's eyes. Those deep blue eyes were filled with anxiety and unease.

"That ball just now," Lu Ren's voice wasn't loud, but it was as cold as ice, "were you trying to kill me?"

Kageyama was taken aback: "What?"

"I'm telling you, if you pass that ball again, you can go to the bench and get some water."

Kageyama's pupils contracted sharply, and he shoved Rikuren's hand away: "What did you say? If you had just been a little faster on that shot—"

"Fast my ass!" Lu Ren interrupted him directly. "Look at who I am! Am I a physical monster like Hyuga? Or a power type like Higashimine-senpai? I'm just an ordinary person who plays basketball with his brain!"

He pointed to his teammates around him.

"Look at everyone. Higashimine-senpai has just regained his form, Hinata is still figuring out a new strategy, and Tanaka is sweating buckets from being targeted. We're not max-level NPCs in your game; we can't cooperate with your tyrannical logic of 'as long as the ball gets there, it scores'!"

Kageyama froze.

"I know you're anxious, you want to win, you want to prove you're better than Oikawa Tetsu." Lu Ren was panting heavily; that last kick had taken a lot of his energy. "But your pass now is telling us: 'You're too slow, you can't keep up with my pace.'"

"If you only want teammates who can keep up with your absolute speed, then you should definitely switch teams. But unfortunately, right now, all we have on the field are us 'rookies'."

Lu Ren stared at Ying Shan and said, word by word, "Our team isn't strong enough to make you king."

Kageyama Tobio stood there, stunned.

All the sounds around him seemed to disappear. He looked down at his hands.

Was that last shot... meant to avoid the block?

No.

It's because of fear.

Fearing that the attackers wouldn't be able to break through the block, he subconsciously pursued extreme speed, trying to shake off his opponents with his passes. Subconsciously, he no longer trusted the attackers' abilities and instead attempted to control the game alone.

This is... "the king of the court".

That title he hated most, that curse that alienated him from everyone in junior high school, had unknowingly crept back onto him.

"Kageyama," Daichi Sawamura patted him on the shoulder, "calm down."

Kageyama took a deep breath, the suffocating anxiety dissipating with a cold sweat. He looked up at Lu Ren, then at his worried teammates around him.

"sorry."

Kageyama bent down, his voice slightly hoarse, "I was too presumptuous just now. I won't do it again."

Seeing the single-celled genius lower his head, Lu Ren's anger subsided considerably. He rubbed his still throbbing buttocks and said irritably, "Alright, stop making it like a funeral. Get back to your senses, I still want to win."

After saying that, he turned around and walked back to the serving position.

Sawamura Daichi breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Lu Ren's retreating figure with some surprise. This guy, who usually seems lazy and laid-back, is sharper than anyone else when it matters.

On the other side of the net.

Oikawa Tetsu stood with his hands on his hips, watching the scene on Karasuno Stadium, a playful smile playing on his lips.

"Oh dear, Xiao Feixiong got a good scolding."

Iwaizumi glanced at him: "You seem quite happy?"

"Of course I'm unhappy. That guy named Lu Ren has an annoyingly sharp eye for observation." Oikawa Tetsu narrowed his eyes. "He saw right away that Tobihiro's acceleration was due to fear. That kind of insight... he's a real nuisance."

The game continues.

14:19.

Lu Ren stood at the baseline. He dribbled the ball, took a few deep breaths, and tried to suppress the urge to punch someone he had just felt.

"Calm down, this is just a game instance. It's common for teammates to make mistakes; don't let it affect your gameplay."

He looked up, his gaze passing over the net, and locked onto one person.

Oikawa Toru.

Since you enjoy messing with people's minds, I'll give you a taste of your own medicine too.

Throw the ball and swing your arm.

It wasn't a ceiling serve or a jump serve; it was just a regular overhand float serve.

The ball wasn't fast, but its landing point was extremely tricky—it went straight for Toru Oikawa.

"Tsk." Oikawa Toru had no choice but to take a step back and support himself with his hands.

He received the first pass, which means...

Oikawa can't pass the ball twice!

Iwaizumi was forced to move to the setter position. As a main attacker, his passing skills were solid, but he definitely didn't have Oikawa's ability to turn the impossible into reality.

"Kkindaichi!"

Iwazumi moved the ball to the right wing.

That shot was a little too low.

Yutaro Kindaichi had to adjust his stride, and his jump height was noticeably lower than usual.

"Chance!"

Hinata Shoyo and Higashimine Asahi form a double block.

"Snapped!"

Kindaichi's spike hit the blocker's hand and bounced towards the backcourt.

"One touch!"

Lu Ren had anticipated this outcome; he easily raised the ball from the back row. The ball flew high and steadily, landing in front of the net.

"Kageyama!"

Tobio Kageyama stood under the ball.

This time, he didn't rush to make a move.

He heard footsteps behind him. Heavy and powerful—it was the ace's running start.

There's no need to use speed to get past the net.

There's no need to rush to seize that fleeting moment.

As long as the attacker is in the most comfortable position and swings their arm with maximum power, that's enough.

Kageyama's fingers softly enveloped the volleyball, then gently pushed it out.

This ball, with a slight backspin, traced a soft arc and came to rest at the highest point on the left side of the net.

It was a pass that seemed to stand still.

Dong Fengxu takes a running start and jumps.

Before him stood a three-man blockade from the west of Aoba City: Matsukawa, Hanamaki, and Oikawa. Three pairs of eyes were fixed intently on him.

But Dong Fengxu felt that the view was incredibly expansive.

Because this ball is waiting for him to smash it. He doesn't need to chase the ball, he doesn't need to adjust, he just needs to put all his strength into it.

"Roar!!"

Dong Fengxu drew his bow taut in mid-air and swung his arm down like a whip.

"boom!"

The volleyball slammed heavily onto the edge of Matsukawa Kazushige's hand, the immense force sending it flying off the blocker and towards the stands.

"Beep—! Karasuno scores!"

15:19.

"nice shot!!!"

After landing, Dongfeng Xu clenched his fist and roared, then turned around and hugged Yingshan Feixiong tightly.

Kageyama was so tightly bound that he almost rolled his eyes back, but when he looked at his own hands, that long-lost feeling of being in sync with the attacker made him somewhat dazed.

"Beautiful pass, Kageyama." Lu Ren walked over and patted him on the back. "That's more like a proper pass."

Kageyama turned his head, looked at Lu Ren's smug face, his lips twitched, and finally he awkwardly managed to squeeze out, "...I know."

Lu Ren looked at the scoreboard opposite him.

A four-point difference.