Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The sharp whistle broke the brief silence of the stadium.

Dong Fengxu stood at the baseline and slammed the volleyball twice. The dull "thump-thump" sound was like some kind of war drum, pounding on everyone's tense nerves. He took a deep breath, tossed the ball, ran up, and jumped.

This shot was delivered without reservation, carrying the dignity of an ace player as it hurtled towards Aoba Johsei's half of the field.

"I'll do it!"

Hua Juan Guida knelt on the ground, arms clasped together. The volleyball struck his forearm, its spin forcibly neutralized, bouncing high into the air. The first pass was perfect.

"Nice catch!"

Oikawa Tetsu had already taken the setter position. He didn't even look at the ball; his gaze swept across Karasuno's blocking line, as if he were checking the remaining health of the game.

"Iwa-chan!"

Fast break. No fancy feints, just pure speed and power. Iwazumi burst out from position three like a cannonball, the floor thudding as he jumped.

Sawamura Daichi and Hyuga Shoyo jumped almost simultaneously to block.

Bang!

The ball hit the edge of Hyuga's palm and changed direction.

"One touch!" Hinata shouted, his voice tinged with resentment. Although he hadn't managed to block it completely, the touch was enough to slow down the ball's momentum.

The volleyball flew towards the backcourt. Nishitani Yuu moved like a yellow-black lightning bolt, instantly appearing at the landing point. Instead of using that fancy "rolling thunder" move, he used an extremely solid two-handed underhand pass, steadily sending the ball to the three-meter line in front of the net.

"Kageyama!"

Kageyama Tokio arrived. He caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye.

Lu Ren is running up to the right wing.

"Give it to me!" Lu Ren didn't shout it out loud, but his cutting line was extremely decisive. It was a typical diagonal run.

With a flick of his wrist, Kageyama sent the volleyball precisely to that spot.

Lu Ren took to the air.

However, just as his field of vision rose, the light dimmed.

Tetsu Oikawa, Iwazumi Hajime, and Yutaro Kindaichi.

Three people, six arms, like a suddenly formed wall of air, completely blocked all his attack routes. The once spacious field instantly became narrow and oppressive, even the overhead lights were blocked, leaving only a suffocating shadow.

"Tsk, did they just pile all the team's stickers onto my face?"

Lu Ren muttered to himself in mid-air.

A hard spike will definitely be blocked, and if you try to lob the ball, the opponent's back row will have someone covering for you.

Then we can only rely on the existing mechanisms.

Lu Ren swung his arm, seemingly about to slam the ball down, but at the moment of contact, his wrist suddenly snapped outward.

Target—Iwazumi Ichi's outer arm.

Since we can't penetrate the armor, we can use the reflected damage.

Snapped!

The volleyball slammed into the outside of Iwaizumi's forearm and flew off the court after being hit by the force.

"The fighter is out of bounds!" Tanaka was already raising his fist from the sidelines.

"It's not that easy!"

A white figure glided along the ground. Watari Chikaharu, the free agent from the west of Aoba Castle, seemed to have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Just as the ball was about to hit the ground, he leaped with one hand, forcefully hooking the ball back up.

The ball flew high over the net and landed on Karasuno's field.

"An opportunity!!"

The entire audience shouted in unison.

After landing, Lu Ren quickly retreated and steadily passed the soft ball to Ying Shan.

"Counterattack!"

Kageyama stood under the net, and the volleyball fell into his palm.

At this moment, all members of Karasuno activated.

Hinata Shoyo burst out from the middle like an arrow, letting out a strange cry that was hard to understand. He jumped up, his whole body bouncing like a spring to the highest point.

Give me the ball!

The force of their attack seemed to be enough to tear the net apart.

The blockers from Aoba Castle West were instinctively drawn to this highly visible "bait," and their gazes shifted for a moment.

On the other side, Dong Fengxu had already gotten into position, yelling for the ball.

Truth and falsehood, reality and illusion.

Kageyama touched the ball with his fingers, not passing it to the ace Touhou, but instead giving it a very subtle push with his wrist.

The ball returned to the middle.

It's Hinata!

Because the net was pulled, a huge gap appeared in front of Hyuga.

Hinata swung his arm in the air, his palm firmly enveloping the volleyball, and smashed it down.

Boom!

The volleyball hit the floor and bounced towards the stands.

The whistle blew.

18:20.

"Yay!!" Hinata jumped up and down excitedly after landing.

Across the net, Oikawa Tetsu looked at the scoreboard, his previously flippant expression softening slightly. He put his hands on his hips, tilting his head to look at Karasuno: "Little one and that dead fish eye… Karasuno has evolved a bit too quickly this round. If we're not careful, we might really lose."

As soon as Iwaizumi walked over, he slapped Oikawa on the back, making a crisp sound: "Damn Oikawa, stop being so sarcastic. If we lose this game, you can expect to practice serving a thousand times when we get back."

"Ouch! Iwa-chan, you're so heartless! I'm injured!" Oikawa Tetsu exaggeratedly rubbed his back, but the smile in his eyes turned cold. "However, it's really time to end this round."

The game continues.

Dong Fengxu serves again.

This time, Aoba Castle West's libero, Watari Chikaharu, was well-prepared, moving his feet to receive the ball head-on.

"Oikawa-senpai!"

Oikawa Toru was in position, his movements so fluid and graceful, as if he were conducting a symphony.

"Kkindaichi!"

Long, fast attack.

Kindaichi's signature slender head swayed in front of the net, his jump reaching an extremely high height. Although Hyuga reacted quickly and jumped with all his might to block, the height difference was undeniable.

"One touch!"

The ball grazed Hinata's fingertips, changed its trajectory, and flew wobbly towards the back row.

Lu Ren was in the back row defensive position. The ball landed in an awkward spot, neither too far forward nor too far back. He gritted his teeth and took two steps back, lowering his center of gravity extremely low, barely managing to bail the ball up before losing his balance.

"Sorry, it's not there yet!"

The ball flew towards the three-meter line.

Kageyama had to rush out of the restricted area and jump to pass the ball while running.

"Asahi-senpai!"

The corrective shot can only be given to the ace.

Faced with the established double block, Dong Fengxu had no choice but to force a spike.

Bang!

The volleyball hit the blocker's hand, but instead of bouncing off, it was blocked and returned to Karasuno's court.

Nishiya reacted quickly, diving to save the ball, but it flew directly over the net.

"An opportunity ball!"

Kunimi Hideki of Aoba Castle stood at the net. Faced with this gift delivered to his door, he did not smash it with all his might, but calmly glanced at Karasuno's defensive position.

Daichi and Hinata are preparing to jump and block.

With a slight flick of his wrist, Kunimi Hideyoshi flicked the ball towards the edge of Hyuga's fingers.

Snapped.

The volleyball grazed Hinata's fingers, changed direction, and landed out of bounds.

The whistle blows.

18:21.

"In that situation, could you still calmly find thugs to go out of bounds?" Lu Ren frowned, looking at the listless Kunimi Hide. "Aren't the AI ​​settings for these NPCs a bit too advanced?"

Rotation.

The most troublesome man walked to the service line.

Oikawa Toru.

He twirled the ball in his hand, his gaze piercing through the net, locking onto Lu Ren like a radar.

"Lu Ren, although your data analysis is interesting, basic skills like catching the ball can't be improved by just thinking about it."

Lu Ren felt a chill run down his spine. Being targeted by a boss of this level was definitely not a good thing.

Throw the ball, take a running start, and jump.

Oikawa Tetsu's body was taut in the air like a full-moon bow, and the explosive force poured out like a flood the moment he swung his arm.

boom!

The volleyball hurtled towards Lu Ren with a terrifying whooshing sound.

Fast! Too fast!

Lu Ren's brain had given the instruction to "move half a step to the left and squat down", but his body's reaction was as slow as if there was a network delay.

He forcefully twisted his body to catch it, bringing his arms together.

Bang!

The moment the ball hit his arm, Lu Ren felt as if he had been swung by a sledgehammer. The immense spin sent the ball flying, over the "GG" sign, and crashing into the railing of the stands.

18:22.

Lu Ren glanced at his forearm, which was already covered in red marks.

"Is this what a max-level character's basic attack looks like? The damage is overflowing!" He shook his hand, trying to relieve the numbness.

Oikawa Tetsu gets the ball again.

This time, his gaze shifted between Lu Ren and west Gu Xi.

"One more ball."

Same posture, same force.

But the landing point changed.

The ball, like a cruise missile, accurately struck the point where Lu Ren and Xi Gu Xi were joined.

Lu Ren moved instinctively, but he saw that west Gu next to him also moved.

"The guardian will catch this ball." Lu Ren's brain made a judgment instantly, his feet paused, and he took a step back to prepare to protect.

However, at that moment, Nishitani Yu hesitated for a moment: "Lu Ren is in a better position for this ball..."

In that brief, less than 0.1-second command conflict, both of them simultaneously took a step back.

The volleyball bounced off the floor between the two players.

Within the boundary.

The whistle was piercing.

18:23.

Dead silence.

Lu Ren and west Gu exchanged a glance, both seeing the frustration in each other's eyes.

"mine."

"mine."

The two spoke in unison.

Lu Ren took a deep breath, the frustration caused by the mistake growing wildly in his heart like weeds. It wasn't because his skills were inferior, but because this kind of low-level teamwork error was practically handing points to the opponent.

"It's really annoying..." Lu Ren muttered under his breath, his eyes turning somewhat fierce. "This feeling of being targeted as a weakness."

Oikawa Tetsu served the third ball.

They were still targeting Lu Ren.

"Is this never going to end?!"

This time, Lu Ren didn't think about any tactics, nor did he pay attention to west Gu next to him. He only stared at the ball.

Empty your mind, leaving only the most primal reflexes.

Lower your center of gravity, extend your arm, and lock your wrist.

Bang!

The volleyball slammed heavily onto his arm and bounced high into the air. While not perfectly executed, it was high enough and stable enough.

"Received!"

Kageyama arrived quickly.

Hinata and Asahi in the front row started up at the same time.

"Give me!"

"Kageyama!"

This time, Hinata didn't feint; he simply believed the ball would come to him. He closed his eyes, jumped with all his might, and swung his arms in the air.

Kageyama looked at the idiot who trusted him even with his eyes closed, his lips pressed tightly together.

Pass the ball.

The high-speed ball sliced ​​through the air and struck Hyuga's palm with pinpoint accuracy.

Snapped!

The quick attack succeeded.

The defensive nets west of Aoba City hadn't even been closed yet.

19:23.

Karasuno finally cut off Oikawa Toru's serve.

"Great shot!" Daichi Sawamura patted Riku Ren's shoulder forcefully. "Beautiful catch!"

Lu Ren exhaled a breath of stale air and rubbed his burning arm. He then walked towards the service line.

Holding a volleyball, Lu Ren stood behind the baseline.

"That libero has already figured out my ceiling serve; using it again would be a waste." Lu Ren quickly went through the options in his mind. "A normal serve is no threat, and a powerful jump serve... that's Kageyama's skill tree, which I haven't unlocked yet."

That leaves only one option.

That is, a jump float ball.

Lu Ren glanced at the person opposite him.

Oikawa Tetsuya was standing in the back row, seemingly talking to Iwaizumi Hajime about something, looking relaxed.

"I'll use you as a target."

Lu Ren throws the ball.

Unlike the spin of a powerful jump serve, this ball was tossed very flat.

Run-up, jump, hit the ball.

The palm strikes the center of the ball without adding any spin.

The volleyball flew out unsteadily, not very fast, but its trajectory was as bizarre as a drunken ghost.

After the ball crossed the net, it headed straight for Toru Oikawa.

Oikawa Tetsu was about to catch the ball, but the moment it flew in front of him, he keenly sensed that something was wrong with the ball's trajectory.

"This ball will float."

As a top-class setter, his judgment is exceptional. If he tries to receive this ball head-on, it's very likely to go wide.

"Crossing!"

Oikawa Tetsu stepped aside, making room for the free agent behind him.

This is a very rational and correct judgment.

But it was precisely this stepping down that made it a little more difficult for Watari Chikaharu to react.

Watari Chikaharu initially thought Oikawa would catch the ball, but by the time he saw Oikawa move aside, the ball was already in front of him. He instinctively raised both hands, intending to catch the ball with his hands over his head.

However, just as his fingers were about to touch the ball, it seemed as if a piece of air had been suddenly sucked out, and it dropped down without warning.

"What?!"

Watari's pupils contracted.

The volleyball hit him below his wrist, not on his fingers.

boom.

The ball was subjected to uneven force and flew directly backward, crossing the baseline.

The whistle blew.

20:23.

"Nice serve!!"

The Karasuno bench erupted in cheers.

Lu Ren maintained his serving posture, watching the ball roll away, and finally a wicked smile, typical of a player, appeared on his lips.

"Looks like the physics engine is on my side today."

He turned his head and looked at Oikawa Tetsu, whose expression had changed slightly, and silently mouthed a gesture.

"It's my turn to be impolite."