Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The numbers on the scoreboard changed. 21 to 18.

Sawamura Daichi stood behind the service line, twirling the volleyball in his hand. Sweat dripped from his chin onto the floor, but he didn't have time to wipe it away. For Karasuno, every point felt like it was being squeezed out of their teeth.

"Good serve, captain!" Tanaka shouted at the net, his voice deafening.

Sawamura took a deep breath, tossed the ball, and swung his arm.

This is a safe, initiating serve; the ball speed is not fast, and it lands in Aoba Josai's backcourt.

"I'll do it." Hanamaki Takahiro took half a step back and smoothly raised the ball.

The pass was delivered perfectly.

Oikawa Tetsu stood at the net, his effortless demeanor infuriating. The ball seemed to come alive in his hands. He didn't look at the attackers; his gaze subtly swept over Karasuno's blocking formation.

"Left side." An alarm went off in Lu Ren's mind.

Sure enough, Oikawa Tetsu pushed his wrist to the left.

Matsukawa Kazushige had already jumped. This middle blocker, who seemed expressionless, had an extremely tricky playing style.

"Stop him!" Higashimine Asahi and Tanaka jumped at the same time.

"Bang!"

The ball hit the edge of Higashimine Asahi's hand. The force wasn't great, but the angle was tricky. Instead of being blocked back into the opponent's court, the volleyball grazed the blocking hand and flew backward, seemingly about to land in Karasuno's territory.

"It's not over yet!"

Like a firefighter, Watari Chikaharu, a free agent from the west of Aoba Castle, rushed up and scooped up the dangerous ball with one hand.

The ball is not dead.

Oikawa Toru didn't even adjust his posture, jumping to pass the ball directly from outside the three-meter line.

"Quick attack!"

Kindaichi Yutaro, the guy with the leek-shaped haircut, sprang up like he had a spring in his body. His jump height was astonishing, completely ignoring the Karasuno defense, which hadn't even had time to organize an effective block.

"Thump!"

A powerful spike. The volleyball bounced off Karasuno's three-meter line and landed in the stands.

The whistle blows.

21:19.

"Is this guy... his health bar locked?" He couldn't help but think to himself, watching Oikawa Tetsu exchanging high-fives with Kindaichi. "The rhythm was completely disrupted just now, yet he managed to forcibly recover his health. Isn't the design of this boss battle a bit unreasonable?"

This tenacity is like that of a cheating monster who, even when its health bar is empty, can still trigger the "Unyielding" state and fight for another three minutes.

Rotation.

Oikawa Toru walks towards the service area.

The air in the entire stadium seemed to freeze. The screams from the girls in the stands stopped for a moment, then turned into a unified chant of "Good serve, Oikawa!"

"So noisy, the villain has his own background music." Lu Ren curled his lip, took a few steps back, and stood near the edge of the court.

Karasuno's formation quickly contracted. Apart from Sawamura Daichi and Nishitani Yu, the two defensive cores, occupying the middle, everyone else tried to stay close to the flanks, leaving the central stage to these two "tanks".

Oikawa Tetsu stood at the baseline, holding the ball in his hand, his eyes turning cold.

He didn't rush to serve, but stared at Karasuno's court for a while, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Let's catch up in one go."

He muttered something under his breath, then tossed the ball.

Run-up, jump, swing your arms.

This set of movements is so fluid, it's like watching a CG animation, full of powerful beauty, but for the receiver, it's an absolute disaster.

"boom!"

The ball was incredibly fast, with terrifying backspin, heading straight for the Sawamura plains.

"Captain!" Nishitani called out.

Sawamura Daichi did not back down. He lowered his center of gravity, put his arms together, and forcefully pushed forward.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

The volleyball struck Sawamura's forearm with such force that it was impossible to deflect. Instead of bouncing high as expected, the ball flew backward at the speed of a cannonball.

The ball hit a corner near the baseline and bounced out.

Lu Ren glanced back at the landing point, his eyelids twitching.

There was no time to save them.

21:20.

The difference is now only one point.

"Sorry!" Daichi Sawamura looked at his reddened forearm, gritted his teeth, and said, "It was even more powerful than the last game."

"Don't worry about it! Get the next ball back!" Sugawara Koji shouted, clapping his hands vigorously in an attempt to dispel the oppressive atmosphere.

But everyone felt that the pressure of being "chased" was slowly eroding the team's nerves.

Oikawa Tetsu gets the ball again.

He stood at the baseline, spinning the ball, his gaze like a scalpel, cutting across the Karasuno players.

"Haven't you broken down yet?"

Oikawa Tetsu thought to himself. The continuous scoring comeback, coupled with that powerful serve just now, should have broken the morale of an ordinary team long ago. But the Karasuno team, though their expressions were serious, their eyes remained focused.

"Your mental fortitude is pretty good," he chuckled. "But what if that 'absolute defense' also breaks down?"

His gaze was fixed on the small man in the orange jersey.

Xiguxi.

Once this strongest shield is shattered, Karasuno's defenses will collapse like dominoes.

Throw the ball.

Lu Ren stared at Oikawa Tetsu's movements, his pupils slightly contracting.

"That look...it's like they're looking for trouble."

As a seasoned player, Lu Rentai was very familiar with this tactic. When a boss wanted to activate a wipe mechanic, it would usually target the tankiest member of the team first.

"Nishiya! Watch out!" Lu Ren shouted.

Before the words were even finished, the ball had already flown out.

This time, the ball didn't go for the corners, but went straight for Nishitani Yuu.

It was extremely fast, with a strong spin.

This is a provocation.

It is also a declaration of war.

"Good!" Instead of dodging, Nishitani Yu took a step forward.

In that instant, Lu Ren seemed to see the golden word "Parry" appear above west Gu's head.

This short guy's mental structure must be made of titanium alloy. Faced with a serve that could break a person's wrist, the excitement in his eyes actually outweighed the nervousness.

Nishitani instantly lowered his center of gravity, his knees almost touching the ground.

"Bang!"

The ball hit his arms.

The immense impact sent Nishiya's body sliding backward a short distance, but he executed a side roll, perfectly dissipating the brute force through the rotation of his body.

The ball soared high and landed steadily at the setter's position.

"Perfect pass!" Sugawara Koji's eyes lit up.

At this moment, no fancy tactics are needed; what is needed is a powerful punch, a punch that can bring back the momentum that has been suppressed.

"Tanaka!"

Sugawara passed the ball to the left wing.

"Oh my gosh! Give me the ball!!"

Ryunosuke Tanaka was like a wild beast that had been released, each step he took during his run-up making a loud thud on the floor.

"Don't even think about going there!"

Aoba Castle's blocking reaction was extremely fast. Kindaichi, Oikawa Tetsu, and Matsukawa Kazushige formed a three-man blocking formation in an instant.

Tanaka roared in mid-air and swung his arm down.

"Snapped!"

The ball hit Kindaichi's finger and changed direction.

"Touch!" Kindaichi shouted.

The ball didn't bounce to the ground, but instead bounced high back into Aoba Johsai's backfield.

"Damn it!" Tanaka clenched his fist in frustration after landing.

Iwaizumi was already in position. He steadily nudged the ball and sent it towards the net.

Another chance to strike back.

Oikawa Toru jumped from under the net.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kindaichi cutting in from the right. This first-year student, though simple-minded, was indeed physically strong, and the block he had just made gave him a lot of confidence.

"for you."

Oikawa Tetsu pushed with both hands, sending out an extremely fast, flat pull.

Kindaichi jumped high, only to find himself facing a defensive wall formed by Sugawara and Hyuga.

"I can do it!" Kindaichi looked at the not-so-high block, a surge of unwavering confidence rising within him. "Overhand spike!"

He swung his arm, aiming at the large gap on the diagonal line.

however.

The instant his palm touched the ball, he saw the guy who always stood in the shadows behind the net move.

Lu Ren.

Instead of staring intently at the ball like the others, he took two steps to the side as if he were taking a stroll, positioning himself exactly in the path Kindaichi was about to smash.

"How is that possible..."

The thought flashed through Kindaichi's mind, but his hands were already moving uncontrollably.

"Thump!"

The volleyball flew over the block and slammed heavily to the ground.

Then, it slammed down on a pair of arms that were clasped together.

"The position is just right." Lu Ren didn't even do a diving leap; he just squatted down, as if catching an orange tossed to him, and cushioned the powerful spike.

"So this is what they call 'reading instructions,' kid." Lu Ren remained completely unmoved.

Kindaichi, a straightforward attacker, will only choose the most comfortable offensive route under pressure. In Lu Ren's eyes, this route is as obvious as a red attack range indicator drawn on the ground.

"Well done!"

The ball flies towards the net.

When Kindaichi landed, he looked somewhat dazed. The frustration of "a sure-kill attack being easily neutralized" made him begin to question the meaning of life.

Sugawara Koji is in position.

He didn't watch the ball, but quickly scanned the attackers.

Tanaka was in a bad position, and Hyuga had just landed after blocking the net.

There was only one person.

That ace who had been silent all along, waiting for his chance.

"Asahi!"

Sugawara put his hands behind his back and delivered a long-range back pass.

The volleyball traced a rainbow-like arc and flew high into the air behind the three-meter line.

Dong Fengxu takes a running start.

His long hair flew behind his head like a battle flag.

"Don't underestimate Karasuno's ace!"

Dong Fengxu jumped from the back row, his whole body resembling a fully drawn giant bow.

The blocking team in the west of Aoba City was caught up in the previous defensive counterattack and couldn't close the gap in time.

An empty door.

"boom!!"

Dong Fengxu used all his strength for this shot.

The volleyball crashed onto the floor of Aoba City West like a meteorite, making a loud noise, then bounced high into the air and hit the second-floor railing.

The entire stadium was silent for a second, then erupted in cheers.

22:20.

"Yay!!!"

Nishitani and Tanaka rushed over and hugged Higashimine Asahi tightly.

Lu Ren stood in the back row, shook his slightly numb arms, looked at Kindaichi across from him with a grim expression, and let out a soft breath.

"I think we've managed to hold off the boss's berserk phase for now." He wiped the sweat from his brow. "But I'm almost out of mana..."