Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

Dong Fengxu stood at the baseline, spinning the volleyball twice in his hand.

Sweat dripped from his hair onto the floor, spreading into a small, dark dot. Although it was the end of the third inning, there was no sign of fatigue in the ace's eyes, only the wildness of someone about to devour their prey.

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

The volleyball slammed into Aoba Castle's backcourt with a dull thud.

"I'll do it!"

Hanamaki Takahiro lowered his center of gravity, brought his arms together, and forcefully withstood the powerful shot. The ball was bounced high, and although it almost hit the net, it wasn't a bad shot for Oikawa Toru.

"Great pass!"

Oikawa Toru leaped. His posture remained fluid in the air as his gaze quickly swept over Karasuno's front line defense. Matsukawa Kazushige had already aggressively advanced from the middle lane.

"Quick attack!"

Hinata Shoyo and Tsukishima Kei jumped simultaneously. Their four arms formed a barrier in front of the net.

"Bang!"

Matsukawa's spike hit Tsukishima's finger, causing the volleyball to bounce upwards and change its trajectory.

"Ichichu!" Tsukishima shouted after landing, his voice carrying a barely perceptible urgency.

Opportunity ball.

Kageyama Tobio swiftly moved below the landing point. His mind raced, calculating all possible attack routes. Tanaka on the left flank, Higashimine in the back, and…

A dark shadow suddenly cut into his peripheral vision.

Lu Ren.

This guy wasn't even watching the ball, or even the setter. He was like a sports car with its brakes failed, hurtling towards the net at a heart-pounding speed. The three blockers from Aoba City West were almost instinctively drawn to this domineering aura, their eyes following Lu Ren for half a second.

Just this half-second.

Kageyama flicked his wrist backward, pushing the ball in the opposite direction.

Right wing, Sawamura Daichi.

"team leader!"

Sawamura Daichi faced a momentary opening in the net. But Aoba Castle West was, after all, a powerful force in the prefecture. Kindaichi and Iwaizumi Hajime managed to shift their balance the instant they were pushed aside, and at the last moment, they merged together.

Three people blocked the net.

With no way out, Sawamura gritted his teeth and swung his arm to smash the ball.

"Snapped!"

The volleyball slammed into the edge of Kindaichi's hand, but instead of hitting the ground, it flew horizontally into the air to the right.

That direction is a blind spot.

Just when everyone thought the ball was going to go out of bounds or become a counter-attack opportunity for Qingcheng, a screeching sound came from the floor.

Lu Ren had just landed, his knees not even fully straight, and he was like a spring that had been compressed to its limit, bursting open again.

No running start, no adjustments. It relies purely on the explosive power of the Achilles tendon and muscles.

He twisted his waist forcefully in mid-air, and swung his arm in a wide arc just as the ball was about to fly over the marker pole.

This is not a volleyball move at all.

This is like in an action game, where you forcibly cancel the aftercast animation of a basic attack in order to get a better hit.

"Die!!"

Lu Ren roared in the air and slammed his palm heavily onto the ball.

The volleyball changed direction and hit the open space on the west side of Aoba Castle.

"Watari!" Oikawa Toru roared.

A figure slid across the floor. Watari Chikaharu, the libero from Aoba Castle West, displayed astonishing reaction speed in that instant. He leaped with one hand, his back bracing the volleyball just before it touched the ground.

The ball went too high.

"Hahaha! That's how it should be, a close match!"

Lu Ren staggered after landing, but a naive smile remained on his face. He stared at the tenacious free agent opposite him, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Wow, that's a really thick health bar. These elite monsters are so much fun to grind!"

The competition has not stopped.

Although Watari Chikaharu's first pass was weak, it was high enough. Oikawa Tetsu quickly adjusted his position and made a back pass to Kindaichi.

"Kkindaichi!"

Kindaichi Yutaro leaped high into the air, facing Karasuno's empty defense, and slammed a long diagonal shot.

This shot was extremely difficult to execute, almost a guaranteed kill.

But just as the volleyball was about to hit the floor, an arm suddenly appeared.

Hotaru Tsukishima.

This rational person, who always claims it's "just a club activity," was now sprawled on the ground in a sorry state, using the inside of his forearm to cushion the heavy dunk.

"Good shot, Tsukishima!" Yamaguchi Tadashi shouted from the bench.

The ball flies towards the net.

Kageyama is positioning himself, preparing to launch a counterattack.

However, a gust of wind blew past him.

Lu Ren is here again.

At that moment, he had absolutely no concept of "position," "rotation," or "tactics." His vision was focused solely on the red crosshair locked onto the volleyball.

Attack, attack, attack.

You can pass the level by simply smashing that ball onto the floor opposite.

"mine!!"

Lu Ren roared, completely ignoring Kageyama who was preparing to set the ball, and jumped directly from the back row, his body stretching out into an exaggerated bow in the air.

Kageyama had to stop abruptly and pull his hand back, otherwise the two would have collided.

"That bastard..." Kageyama gritted his teeth.

Lu Ren, at the highest point, delivered a powerful spike to the volleyball.

However, because the take-off position was too far back and there was absolutely no coordination, the ball, although powerful, had an extremely skewed trajectory.

"Bang!"

Chikaji Watari didn't even need to move; he steadily propped up the ball.

The chance was given directly back to Aoba Johsai.

Iwaizumi received the ball and adjusted his position before passing it to Oikawa. Oikawa didn't rush to attack but instead passed the ball high back to Karasuno's backfield. He could tell that Karasuno was in disarray.

That guy named Lu Ren has lost control.

The volleyball flew back to Karasuno Stadium.

After landing, Lu Ren didn't pause at all. His eyes were fixed on the falling volleyball, and he pushed off with his feet to rush forward again.

"Get out of my way! Don't block my path!"

He muttered to himself, preparing to jump again to contest for the ball that should have belonged to the setter.

Just then, a hand suddenly grabbed the back of his jersey collar.

The force was so great that Lu Ren almost passed out.

He was forced to stop and turned around to glare at her.

What I encountered was a pair of icy, bone-chilling eyes.

Kageyama Tobio gripped Riku Ren's collar expressionlessly, his gaze not that of someone looking at a teammate, but rather that of someone looking at a dead man. The surrounding air seemed to freeze at that moment.

"Do you want to get on the field?"

Kageyama's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a bucket of ice water poured over Lu Ren's burning forehead.

Lu Ren was stunned.

The surge of heat rushing through his brain was abruptly cut off by that cold, accusatory question.

He glanced around.

Sawamura Daichi watched with a worried expression, while Tsukishima Hotaru frowned, clearly unhappy with the earlier steal. On the other side of the net, Oikawa Tetsu had an expression of anticipation, as if watching a good show.

Just a moment ago... was I trying to steal the ball from the setter?

Not only did he steal it, but he almost knocked his teammate flying?

Is this what they call "greed for a kill"? It almost threw the whole team's rhythm off track.

"cut."

Lu Ren pursed his lips, his initial bravado quickly fading, replaced by an awkwardness stemming from his guilt. He slapped Ying Shan's hand away and straightened his collar, which had been pulled askew.

"I'm sorry, I understand."

He took two steps back, raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, and said, "I got a little carried away just now, it's my fault."

Kageyama withdrew his gaze and looked back at the volleyball flying towards him.

"Senior Daichi!"

Daichi Sawamura steadily placed the ball into the net area.

"Great pass!"

Kageyama jumps.

This time, without that darting figure to bother us, the world was quiet.

The blockers in the west of Aoba City were still on guard against the madman's backup, and their attention was inevitably diverted.

Kageyama's fingers touched the ball, and he pushed it with an extremely gentle wrist.

The volleyball traced a short arc and landed at position three.

There, Hotaru Tsukishima had already jumped.

But he didn't swing his arm to spike. Facing Kindaichi's hurried defense, Tsukishima simply stretched out his hand and flicked the bottom of the volleyball with his fingertips.

Drop ball.

The volleyball passed over Kindaichi's fingers and landed lightly inside the undefended three-meter line.

thump.

The whistle blew.

17: 22.

Karasuno is just three points away from victory.

"What a terrible personality," Lu Ren muttered, watching Tsukishima's nonchalant retreating figure. "In that atmosphere just now, you actually threw the ball?"

"It's better than someone biting people like a mad dog," Tsukishima retorted without turning his head.

Lu Ren was momentarily speechless, then turned to look at Kageyama.

Kageyama stared at him with the look of utter contempt: "If you interfere with my ball control again, I'll kill you."

"Fine, fine, you're the king, you decide." Lu Ren shrugged, but inexplicably felt relieved.

I actually got lectured by this single-celled organism. How...embarrassing!

He took a few deep breaths, forcibly suppressing the surging restlessness within him. The urge to attack was still there, but he had to cage it, turning it into controllable fuel, not a self-destructing bomb.

The game continues.

Dong Fengxu serves again.

This time, Aoba Johsai's defense was even more solid. Hanamaki Takashi received the ball while crouching down, making a perfect first pass.

"Kkindaichi!"

Oikawa Tetsu's pass was incredibly fast. Kindaichi leaped high at the three-position, still brimming with energy at this point.

"Don't even think about going there!"

Although Lu Ren and Hyuga jumped to block, Kindaichi's shot was very decisive, passing directly through the gap between their arms.

back row.

Daichi Sawamura once again demonstrated his crucial role in stabilizing the situation. He anticipated the trajectory and sidestepped to cushion the ball's movement.

"nice shot!"

The opportunity is here.

After landing, Hyuga Shoyo didn't pause at all and immediately began a lateral sprint along the net.

The orange figure was as fast as lightning, instantly shaking off the opposing blocker.

Give me the ball!

Hinata's voice resounded throughout the entire venue.

Kageyama didn't need to use his eyes to confirm. In that instant, it was as if an invisible thread connected him and Hinata.

The ball has been passed out.

Quick, accurate, ruthless.

Hinata closed his eyes in mid-air and swung his arms instinctively.

"Bang!"

The sound of a hand striking a volleyball is crisp and pleasant.

The volleyball was like a nail, firmly driven into the floor of Aoba City West.

No one could react in time.

17: 23.

They were only two points apart.

"Yay!!!" Hinata jumped up excitedly after landing and high-fived Kageyama.

Lu Ren's lips twitched as he watched this scene.

Is this how the main character is treated? They can hit you with their eyes closed, while I aimed wide open for ages and still got blocked. The game's balance is terrible.

Dong Fengxu continues to serve.

This shot was slightly off; I didn't press down on my wrist, and the shot went a bit straight.

Duqinzhi easily took over.

Oikawa Tetsu's eyes narrowed.

We can't let Karasuno continue like this. Especially that little one, he has to be moved to the back row.

"Steamed buns!"

Oikawa Tetsu made a feint with his back to the goal, but changed to a flat pass the instant he touched the ball.

Hanamaki Takahiro on the left wing was already ready. Using the momentum of his run-up, he decisively spiked the ball against Tanaka's lone blocker.

Straight shot.

The volleyball grazed the sideline and landed.

18: 23.

Aoba Seishi pulled one back.

After landing, Oikawa Toru stared at the scoreboard with a gloomy look in his eyes.

There's still a chance. If the serve can disrupt their first pass...

It was Aoba Josai's turn to serve. Matsukawa Kazushige took the ball and walked to the baseline.

"Good serve, Matsukawa!"

Matsukawa took a deep breath and delivered a jump float shot.

The ball drifted erratically in the air, heading straight for Lu Ren.

"Trying to pick on the weak, huh?"

Lu Ren snorted and quickly adjusted his footwork. Although receiving the ball wasn't his forte, after so much special training and practice, this level of serve wouldn't cause him to collapse.

He lowered his center of gravity and clasped his hands together.

"Bang!"

The ball was raised, and although it was a little low, the direction was accurate.

"Kageyama!"

Kageyama quickly retreated and crawled under the ball.

Coach Ukai shouted from the sidelines, "Both sides! Spread out and start fighting!"

Kageyama heard it. His gaze shifted to the left.

Ryunosuke Tanaka has taken his running start.

"Tanaka-senpai!"

Kageyama passed the ball to the left wing.

Tanaka roared and jumped to spike the ball.

But on the opposite side, Iwaizumi and Matsukawa had already built an impenetrable wall. Aoba Castle's defensive line displayed astonishing resilience at this crucial moment.

"Don't even think about going there!"

Two pairs of arms blocked Tanaka's spike route.

The volleyball hit the blocker's hand, fell vertically, and landed on Karasuno's court.

"beep--"

19: 23.

The difference narrowed to four points.

After landing, Tanaka slapped his thigh in frustration, "Damn it!"

"Don't worry about it! We'll get the next ball back!" Daichi Sawamura encouraged loudly.

Lu Ren's gaze darkened slightly as he looked at the volleyball that had rolled to his feet.

These guys from Qingye City West, their health bars are almost empty, how come their resilience is still so high? Is this what they call "lock-in-health cheat"?

but……

He looked up at Matsukawa, who was preparing to serve, and then at Oikawa Toru, who was standing at the net with his back still straight.

If it were that easy to beat the game, it would be too boring.

Come on, let's face the final boss. Let's see who falls first.