Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The whistle was like a sharp knife, slicing through the brief stillness in the stadium.

Dong Fengxu stood at the baseline, twirling the volleyball in his hand. His breathing was somewhat heavy; the previous run of points had boosted morale, but it had also undeniably depleted the oxygen in his massive body. He tossed the ball, jumped, his movements still precise and powerful, but the suffocating pressure seemed to lessen as the volleyball struck the opponent.

"I'll do it!"

Chikaharu Watari, the libero from Aoba Castle West, took a step to the side. His movement wasn't flashy; his knees were bent at just the right angle, and his arms were positioned under the ball like precision instruments. The volleyball struck his arms with a dull thud, then obediently bounced towards the net.

The pass was delivered perfectly.

Oikawa Tetsu was already in the setter position. This guy was like a tireless perpetual motion machine, with an air of effortless ease that made you want to punch him. His gaze swept across the net extremely quickly, but his body didn't sway at all.

"Kkindaichi!"

With a short shout, the volleyball was pushed out. It was extremely fast, the kind of fast ball that you couldn't keep up with even if you were slightly distracted.

"Don't think you can get away with this so easily!"

Ryunosuke Tanaka roared and jumped, with Ren Lu following closely behind. The two men brought their arms together at the net, trying to block Yutaro Kindaichi's smash route.

"Bang!"

The ball hit the edge of the palm in the field and refracted.

"One touch!" Lu Ren shouted immediately after landing, his eyes fixed on the volleyball that had changed direction.

"Leave it to me!" Daichi Sawamura appeared steadily in the back row, cushioning the ball's trajectory. The ball was high, giving the attacking team ample time to adjust.

Sugawara Koji stood under the ball, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tanaka on his left starting his run-up, but instead of passing to Tanaka, he flicked his wrist and pushed the ball to his right.

That's Lu Ren.

"A good opportunity," Lu Ren thought to himself.

With the previous play's "hand hit out of bounds" as a setup, coupled with Sugawara's pass that seemed to have a built-in "slowing-down buff," Lu Ren felt this was practically a free point. He took a run-up, jumped, and opened his vision in the air.

However, just as his body was lifted into the air, the light in front of him suddenly dimmed.

What should have been a one-man block by Kindaichi now had two additional figures: Hanamaki Takahiro, Matsukawa Kazushige, and Kindaichi himself. The three of them formed a wall of sighs that suddenly rose up, completely blocking all of Riku Ren's spiking routes.

"Tsk, you adapted so quickly?"

Lu Ren frowned. Was the AI's learning ability a bit too advanced? That "slow-paced" patch had only been applied for two minutes, and it'd already been cracked by the other side?

A direct assault would definitely be blocked. This wall doesn't even leave a crack.

In a flash, Lu Ren's mind raced. Since a direct confrontation wouldn't work, he'd resort to underhanded tactics.

He forcefully pulled back his strength in mid-air, and his arm, which had been swinging in a wide arc, instantly stiffened, and his palm changed from slapping to gently lifting.

Drop ball.

The volleyball gently passed over the fingertips of the three players, wobbling as it drifted towards the open space behind the block.

"I've succeeded." The thought had just flashed through Lu Ren's mind when a chill suddenly ran down his spine.

At the landing spot that should have been an empty space, a person appeared at some point.

Oikawa Toru.

The commander of Qingye City's west side was currently crouching there, his hands hanging down, a mocking expression on his face that said, "I knew you'd do this." His eyes were like those of someone watching a self-proclaimed clever monkey jump into a trap.

"You're too naive, Lu Renjun."

Oikawa Tetsu easily cushioned the ball.

"Counterattack!"

The ball soared high into the air. In the back row of Aoba Castle West, Iwaizumi Ichi had already charged out like a cheetah hunting its prey.

"Attack from the back!" Daichi Sawamura shouted a reminder.

But it was too late. Iwaizumi's jump was incredibly high; before Karasuno's block was fully formed, he swung his arm like a whip.

"boom!"

The volleyball hit the floor with a loud thud and then bounced towards the stands.

The referee blew his whistle and gestured towards the west of Aoba City.

The score is 16-14.

Lu Ren landed and watched the volleyball roll away, his teeth grinding together.

"Damn it, I got predicted."

He scratched his head hard. He had thought he could score more points by exploiting the tempo difference, but he hadn't expected that Oikawa Tetsu, the boss, would not only be incredibly skilled but also have top-notch tactical predictions. The feeling of having your secret weapon exposed the moment you pull out a new weapon was infuriating.

"Don't worry about it! Get the next ball back!" Sugawara ran over and patted Rikuren on the back, even though his palms were sweaty.

The serve is rotated.

Oikawa Tetsu, holding a volleyball, slowly walked towards the baseline.

The atmosphere in the entire stadium changed instantly. If the previous serves were merely a warning sign, now that Oikawa Tetsu was standing there, he gave the impression of a loaded sniper rifle.

Karasuno quickly changed their formation. Nishitani Yu replaced Higashimine Asahi in the back row, and he and Sawamura Daichi spread out to try to cover the entire backcourt.

"As long as it's not a direct point from the serve, we can organize an attack." Daichi Sawamura's voice was calm and powerful, trying to bolster the team's morale.

Oikawa Tetsu stood at the baseline, listening to the referee's whistle, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Although the libero and captain are both very strong..." His gaze swept across the net, precisely locking onto the figure near the sideline, "but as long as we don't pass the ball to them, it'll be fine, right?"

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

Oikawa Tetsu's body stretched out in the air like a taut bow, his arms whistling as they swung.

"Bang!"

The volleyball transformed into a streak of white light, neither searching for Xigu nor Dadi, but flying straight towards Lu Ren at the sideline.

Holy crap!

Lu Ren's pupils contracted. He had just been thinking about how to position himself for the attack, but suddenly his aggro level was at its peak. The ball was ridiculously fast and had a strong external spin, clearly aimed at the line.

Hide? I dare not gamble. What if I just get into the box and it's a free win?

Take on this? This is a job for freelancers!

His body acted before his mind. Lu Ren turned sideways, put his arms together, and braced himself to meet the attack.

"Catch!"

"Bang!"

The volleyball slammed heavily into Lu Ren's forearm. It felt like being hit by a hammer; his bones were trembling. The immense impact made it impossible for Lu Ren to control the ball's trajectory; it bounced off the net and flew back to the west side of Qingye City.

"An opportunity ball!"

Hanamaki Takahiro from Aoba Castle West easily took the ball and steadily placed it up.

"This is troublesome." Ignoring the pain in his arm, Lu Ren scrambled to his feet to prepare for defense.

With a perfect first pass, Oikawa Tetsu once again demonstrated his professionalism as a top setter. Without any hesitation, he made a direct back pass.

It's Kindaichi again!

This "leek head" was unusually excited today, probably because he had just been tricked by Lu Ren and now his mind was full of revenge.

"Quick attack!"

Karasuno's defensive formation had just been disrupted by that serve, and their front-row blocking was a beat too slow.

Kindaichi spikes the ball.

"Don't even think about it!"

An orange figure glided along the ground. It was Nishitani Yu, the man who could create miracles in any desperate situation, who, at the critical moment, placed his hand under the ball's landing point.

The ball was saved, but it flew out of bounds.

"remedy!"

Sugawara was too far away to get there in time. Sawamura Daichi rushed out of bounds, his back to the net, and awkwardly volleyed the ball back onto the court.

"Tanaka!"

The ball flew high toward the left wing. This was a powerful attack without any tactical cover, a clear pass.

"Watch this!" Ryunosuke Tanaka showed no fear, and faced the double block that was already in place, he forcefully twisted his waist and smashed the ball.

"Snapped!"

The ball hit the blocker's hand, but instead of hitting the ground, it bounced up.

"One touch!"

Kunimi Hideki from the west side of Aoba Castle easily caught the soft ball.

The offensive and defensive positions were reversed once again.

Oikawa Tetsu stood in front of the net, watching the ball fly towards him, his face full of composure.

"That's what you call... being in complete control."

He gently lifted the ball with both hands and sent it to the back row.

Iwazumi took off again.

"Another back-row attack!"

Sawamura Daichi had just run back onto the court and hadn't even gotten his footing when he faced another powerful dunk from the ace. He gritted his teeth, half-squatted down, and braced himself against the ball with his chest.

"It's pilling!"

The ball flies towards the net.

Sugawara Koji stared at the ball, countless thoughts flashing through his mind. Pass it to Tanaka? He'd be too exhausted. Pass it to Hyuga? The position wouldn't be good.

His gaze fell to the right.

The guy who just got up and was still swinging his arms.

"Lu Ren!"

The ball was passed over.

Lu Ren cursed inwardly as he watched the volleyball fly towards him. His hands were still shaking from receiving that killer serve, and now he was being tasked with finishing the attack? Was this some kind of support role being used as the main damage dealer?

But despite the complaints, the body had already jumped up.

Before me, those damned three people were blocking my way again.

Kindaichi, Matsukawa, and Hanamaki. These three are like ghosts that are always hanging over the net.

"Where can you hit this time?" Kindaichi's eyes flashed with a fierce light.

Lu Ren stood in mid-air, looking at the dense jungle of arms before him. A drop shot? That Oikawa guy was definitely crouching behind him. A hard dunk? He'd be asking for it.

That being the case...

Lu Ren's eyes suddenly sharpened. If there's no road, then blast one open.

Instead of avoiding it, he aimed at Kindaichi's right little finger.

That most vulnerable edge judgment point.

Swing your arm and smash the ball.

Lu Ren used all his strength in this shot, and even his wrist made a noticeable outward flick at the moment of impact.

"Bang!"

The volleyball slammed into Kindaichi's little finger. The immense force caused his finger to bend backward instantly, and the volleyball, deflected by the impact, flew diagonally towards the sidelines of Aoba Castle's west side like an uncontrolled stray bullet.

"Out of bounds!"

Chikaharu Watari, the free agent from Aoba Castle West, flew to save the ball, but it was too fast and hit the GG sign directly.

"Beep—!"

The referee blows the whistle. Karasuno scores.

17:14.

"Good shot!!" Tanaka rushed over and slapped Lu Ren hard on the back.

Lu Ren staggered from the slap, grimacing as he rubbed his shoulder.

"Stop filming, it's already about to fall apart."

He was panting heavily, looking at Oikawa Tetsu across from him. That point had been incredibly hard-fought. Just to break Oikawa's serve, Karasuno mobilized almost the entire team: Nishinoya's incredible save, Daichi's cover, Tanaka's powerful attack, and finally, he had to fight tooth and nail to get the ball out of bounds.

Is this what they call a "BOSS battle"?

As long as that guy named Oikawa Tetsu was on the field, Aoba Josai was like a perfectly integrated whole. Every part operated at high speed under his lubrication, without any jamming.

"One person being strong isn't true strength; a strong team is what really matters..." Lu Ren muttered to himself, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth. "The game's balance is terrible."

Rotation.

Lu Ren reached the bottom line.

Holding the volleyball in his hand, the rough texture calmed him down a bit.

Although they won that last goal, if Oikawa Tetsu continues to orchestrate attacks so comfortably, Karasuno will eventually be worn down. That kind of slow, insidious decline, like a frog being boiled in lukewarm water, is a form of death.

Something has to be done.

Lu Ren patted the ball, his gaze passing over the net.

Normally, a serve should be aimed at the weakest receiver on the opposing team, or at an open space. But the current Aoba Johsai team has a defensive system as tight as an iron barrel.

Since we can't find any vulnerabilities, we'll create them.

Lu Ren's gaze fell on Oikawa Tetsu in front of the net.

As the setter, Tetsu Oikawa is the brain of the team. As long as he is in the setter position, Aoba Josai's offense has countless possibilities.

So what if we don't let him pass the ball?

Lu Ren took a deep breath.

Instead of retreating far back to prepare for his jump serve as usual, he stood near the baseline.

Throw the ball.

It's not very tall.

Swing your arm.

There was no powerful, heavy sound when the ball was hit; the palm struck the ball slightly below the center.

The volleyball flew out with a slight spin.

It wasn't a powerful jump serve, nor was it a float serve.

This was just a regular serve with an extremely unpleasant landing point.

The ball crossed the net and plummeted downwards.

The landing point is neither the bottom line nor the edge.

Instead, it was directly in front of Oikawa Tetsu.

"Um?"

Oikawa Tetsu was preparing to move forward to organize an attack, but the ball flew straight at his face.

If he doesn't receive the ball, it will be a point if it falls into the frontcourt. If he does receive it, then he won't be able to make the second pass.

This is an open conspiracy.

"cut."

Oikawa Toru had no choice but to stop and raise his hands as if to catch the ball.

"I'll take it!"

The ball was steadily cushioned by Oikawa Toru.

"The first pass is inaccurate! The setter is useless!" Coach Uyang's eyes lit up on the sidelines. "Good lad, you've got a quick mind!"

Looking at Oikawa Tetsu, who was forced to receive the ball, Lu Ren finally managed a genuine smile.

Since you're a max-level character, I'll put a "Silence" debuff on you.

Let's see how you spread it.