Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

Tobio Kageyama stepped onto the service line once again.

He spun the ball, his gaze like an infrared beam locking onto its prey, piercing straight through the net and fixed firmly on Hanamaki Takahiro.

"Again?"

Standing in the front row, Lu Ren looked at Hua Juan's slightly distorted face opposite him and couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly. It was like grinding experience against the same elite monster in an RPG game—efficient, but somewhat unethical. Kageyama, who usually seemed simple-minded, had an appalling obsession with this kind of thing.

The whistle blows.

Kageyama throws the ball, takes a running start, and jumps. The whole sequence is as fluid as a pre-programmed cutscene.

"Bang!"

The ball, with a dull whistling sound, once again hurtled towards Hanamaki Takahiro.

"Don't underestimate me, you first-year!" Hana-Juan gritted his teeth. This time, he didn't back down. Instead, he lowered his center of gravity and clamped his arms together like iron clamps. The lessons from those two balls were enough. As a third-year regular, if he lost in the same place three times in a row, he wouldn't have the face to stay on the court anymore.

"Snapped!"

The ball hit his arm with terrifying force, but this time it didn't fly towards the stands; instead, it bounced high into the air. Although it wasn't quite in the right place, the ball remained within bounds.

"Sorry! I'll fix it!" Huajuan shouted, rolling over to dissipate the force.

The ball flew out of bounds and was about to clear the marker.

"Good shot!" Oikawa Tetsu's voice rang out on the court. That guy was like a gust of wind, disappearing from the net in an instant and rushing out of bounds. He jumped while running, his body almost parallel to the ground, and just as the volleyball was about to hit the ground, he precisely caught the bottom of the ball with both hands.

No one was looking.

Or rather, he had already scanned the positions of all the attackers before he even jumped.

The ball drew an extremely long arc, spanning half the field, and flew towards the right wing.

That's Kindaichi Yutaro.

As Kindaichi watched the volleyball fly towards him, images from his middle school days suddenly flashed through his mind. The "King" who had his back to him and whose passes were so fast that he couldn't keep up, and Kageyama Tobio who always got furious because he couldn't keep up with the pace.

And now, that "king" is standing on the other side of the net, poised to receive the ball.

"Stop joking!"

Kindaichi roared and pushed off the ground with both legs.

This wasn't a particularly clever tactical play; it was purely an outpouring of power and speed. He swung his arm and spiked the ball, which didn't dodge the block but instead squeezed right through the gap between Tanaka and Hyuga's hands.

"Received!"

The ground behind was like a sturdy shield, and a perfect dive lifted the spinning ball up.

The ball didn't cross the net, but because of the force, it flew directly back to the west side of Aoba Castle.

Opportunity ball.

Matsukawa Kazushige easily received the first pass and steadily placed the ball in front of the net. Oikawa Toru landed and quickly returned to his position, jumping again.

It's still Kindaichi.

"Let's do it again!" Oikawa's intention in passing the ball was clear—to get back on his feet where he had fallen.

Kindaichi jumped again, and this time, Karasuno's front three-man block was as solid as a wall.

"Thump!"

The ball slammed heavily into Hyuga's palm and bounced upwards.

"One touch!" Hinata shouted.

The ball changed its trajectory, wobbling towards the backcourt. Although Lu Ren complained about Kageyama's monster-hunting, his physical reaction was not slow at all. He quickly stepped back, judged the landing point, and stepped up before the ball hit the ground.

"Kageyama!"

The ball flies towards the net.

Kageyama Tokio arrived.

In that instant, Hinata Shoyo moved. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, he darted from the left to the right in a flash, his unrestrained sprint speed directly tearing apart the western defenses of Aoba Castle.

Iwaizumi followed almost instinctively.

Although he said, "That treacherous guy is the core," his body's instincts made it impossible for him to ignore Hyuga Shoyo. After all, Riku Ren and Hyuga's teamwork had been seen in previous matches.

Kageyama's fingers touched the ball.

Hyuga jumps and swings his arm.

Iwaizumi also jumped up, his gaze fixed on Hinata's hand.

However, the ball did not appear there.

Kageyama's pass traced a straight trajectory through the air, passing over Hyuga's head and flying directly towards the edge of the left wing.

There, Dong Fengxu had already drawn his bow to its fullest extent.

"It's the ace!" Oikawa Tetsu shouted, but it was too late.

Because Iwaizumi was taken away by Hyuga, a fatal gap appeared in the blocking net west of Aoba Castle. Only two blockers jumped hastily, leaving a huge gap in between.

Dong Fengxu stared at the open space, the gloom in his heart long since shattered by his previous score. Without any hesitation, he slammed his thick hand into the ball.

"boom!"

The volleyball, like a heavy cannonball, blasted through the fragile double-person block, slammed onto the floor of Qingye City West, and bounced towards the second-floor stands.

The referee blew his whistle and gestured towards Karasuno.

0: 3.

"Well done, Da Xu!" west Gu rushed over and gave Dong Feng a hard slap on the butt.

"Don't film there!" Dong Fengxu rubbed it with a wry smile, but his expression was relaxed.

The Karasuno members high-fived in celebration, their spirits soaring.

……

"Tsk, it's Kageyama serving again."

Looking at Kageyama, who was once again heading towards the bottom line, Lu Ren couldn't help but shake his head. "If I were Hanajuan, I would have called the police to arrest him by now."

Kageyama held the ball, his eyes still cold.

Without any doubt, his target was still Hanamaki Takahiro.

This is called striking while the iron is hot. Once you've found a weakness, you have to keep digging until you break through.

"Bang!"

The ball was still fast, but this time Huajuan was prepared. He anticipated the opponent's position, knelt down, and caught the ball with an extremely standard posture.

"Ready!"

The ball flew steadily towards the net.

Lu Ren's pupils contracted sharply.

The first pass was in place, and this was the most dangerous moment for Oikawa Tetsu.

Oikawa Toru jumped. His posture was fluid, his hands raised high, and his gaze swept over Karasuno's blocker.

"Should we go for a fast break? Or give it to Iwaizumi?"

In the front row of Karasuno, Hyuga and Tanaka were both drawn by Oikawa's gaze, their center of gravity slightly forward, ready to jump and block at any moment.

Only Lu Ren felt an alarm go off in his mind the moment he saw Oikawa Tetsu's wrist make that tiny, unnatural downward movement.

"No! It's a second attack!"

Without a second thought, Lu Ren lunged forward.

But we were still a step too late.

With a flick of his finger, Oikawa Tetsu sent the volleyball flying over the net and into the three-meter gap in Karasuno's front row.

Lu Ren's palm slid across the floor, his fingertips only centimeters away from the volleyball.

"Thump."

The ball landed.

1: 3.

The entire stadium fell silent for a moment, then erupted in gasps.

Oikawa Toru landed with his signature, punchable smile on his face, and gave Karasuno a "V" sign.

"Ah—that was close! That guy almost caught me."

Kageyama's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

He stared intently at Oikawa at the net, his gaze seeming to want to devour him alive.

"Feed".

Lu Ren got up from the ground, dusted off his knees, walked over to Ying Shan, and poked his stiff arm with his finger.

"You're not thinking of giving them a second chance on the next ball, are you?"

Kageyama turned his head sharply, staring at Lu Ren with a look of shock that clearly said, "How did you know? Can you read minds?"

Lu Ren rolled his eyes: "Your thoughts are written all over your face. 'If you can do it, I can do it too, and I'll do it better,' right?"

Kageyama pursed his lips and didn't say anything, but he clearly acquiesced.

"Stop being so competitive." Lu Ren pointed to the opposite side. "Since that old fox Oikawa dared to do this, it means they're definitely wary of you retaliating. If you impulsively launch a second attack now, you'll definitely be blocked."

Kageyama stared, seemingly engaged in a fierce internal struggle. After two seconds, he reluctantly nodded: "...I understand."

"That's right." Lu Ren patted him on the shoulder. "Don't rush, the BOSS is still in the healing phase, let's whittle it down slowly."

……

Aoba Josai serves.

Matsukawa Kazushige stood at the baseline. Instead of using a jump serve, he opted for an overhand serve.

The ball was served, but it had no spin and its trajectory was unpredictable.

But he wasn't aiming for an open space, nor for Tanaka's weak reception, but rather—Kageyama Tobio.

"Trying to get rid of the setter?"

Lu Ren saw through the opponent's intentions at a glance. Letting the setter receive the first pass meant that Kageyama would be unable to organize an attack in this round.

Kageyama had to take a step back and cushion the ball that was aimed at him.

"I'm sorry, Lu Ren!"

The ball flew towards the vicinity of the three-meter line.

"It's okay, I'll do it!"

Lu Ren stepped forward and took the setter's position.

This wasn't unfamiliar to him. Although his skills weren't on par with Kageyama and Sugawara, as a player with a "God's-eye view," handling these kinds of corrective shots was a fundamental skill.

"Hinata!"

With a low shout from Lu Ren, Hyuga Shoyo started up again.

The orange figure was like a tireless perpetual motion machine, instantly cutting in from the right.

Iwaizumi's nerves tensed instantly.

It was Lu Ren and Hyuga again.

That uncanny aerial hovering and ball control, that unreasonable, blindfolded fast break...

"Stop him!" Iwaizumi shouted, moving his body in sync with Hinata.

Hyuga shifted the center of gravity of the blocking net in the west of Aoba Castle.

Lu Ren's hand touched the ball.

He glanced at Iwaizumi Ichi, who was being taken away, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Although I really want to show off my skills, sometimes, a basic attack is the safest bet."

He didn't use any fancy techniques, nor did he pass Hinata a difficult, hovering ball.

With a simple twist of his wrist, he steadily pushed the ball to the left.

There, Ryunosuke Tanaka had already completed his run-up, like a fully drawn bow.

"nice shot!!"

Tanaka's eyes gleamed as he watched the perfectly executed pass. There was no room for further thought, only a pure outpouring of power.

"Drink it all!!"

Tanaka swung his arm in mid-air and slammed it down.

Although Aoba Castle West's net arrived, it was caught off guard by Hyuga, causing them to jump a beat too late and their form to be incomplete.

"Bang!"

The ball hit the blocker's arm, changed direction, and bounced towards the backcourt.

"Watari!" Oikawa shouted.

The libero, Watari Chikaharu, from the west side of Aoba Castle reacted extremely quickly, making a diving save to retrieve the ball.

"Great pass!"

Oikawa Toru arrived quickly.

This time, Karasuno's blocking was fully prepared.

Oikawa didn't look at ace Iwaizumi, but instead flicked his wrist and passed the ball to the guy on the right who always had no expression—Kunimi Hide.

The country saw him jump.

Faced with Karasuno's double block, he did not choose to use a powerful, surprising attack like Tanaka did.

He calmly observed the position of the blocker, and with a deft flick of his wrist, hit the ball towards the outside of the blocker's fingertips.

"Smack."

The ball grazed Tsukishima's fingers and flew out of bounds.

The thug went out of bounds.

The referee whistle blows.

2: 3.

"Well done, Kunimi." Oikawa smiled and patted Kunimi on the back.

"Just don't make me run too hard," Kunimi replied expressionlessly.

Lu Ren looked at the scoreboard and let out a soft breath.

"As expected, these guys still have plenty of health bars."