Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

Kyoji Akaashi felt that his current brain capacity was not enough.

In the past, his CPU-like logic during matches was very clear: observe the first pass accuracy, judge the setter's habits, mark key attackers, and finally adjust defensive positioning based on blocking hand shapes. This was an effective algorithm, precise and efficient.

But now, the algorithm has crashed.

The crows on the other side of the net completely disregard basic principles.

The volleyball soared high into the air. It was just a normal first pass, landing near the three-meter line. Normally, the setter would run over at this point.

Indeed, someone ran over there.

But two people ran over.

Kageyama Tobio moved up from the back row, while Sugawara Koji moved sideways from the front. The two started almost simultaneously, their movements so synchronized it was astonishing, like pairs figure skaters.

"Who sent this?!"

Tatsuo Washio roared at the net. As a middle blocker, he hated these kinds of choices the most.

If it's Kageyama, he'll most likely make a back pass to that little orange-haired player for a fast break, or pass it to Higashimine Asahi on the left wing. If it's Sugawara, he might pass to Tanaka in the middle, or...

In the fraction of a second that Washio's brain was racing, Kageyama suddenly stopped and made a feint to jump and block—even though he wasn't actually at the net. Sugawara Koji then smoothly reached out and gently pushed the ball backward with his fingers.

It's not for anyone.

The ball flew towards the open space at the shooting guard position, where no one was defending.

Is it empty there? No.

"They're here!"

Lu Ren had somehow circled around to the outside of the sideline, like a monster waiting to spawn, and jumped off the sideline. He had no running start, relying solely on his core strength to throw himself into the air, and headed straight at the ball with an unreasonable low cross-court shot.

Konoha Akiki couldn't make the save, and the ball hit the edge of the floor and bounced away.

"Nice—!!"

Another round of howling and wailing erupted from Karasuno's side.

Akagi rubbed his temples.

It wasn't that the tactics were particularly clever; it was purely... chaotic.

It's like you're playing a hardcore competitive game, and suddenly the opponent pulls out a cheat code and swaps all the character models. You think it's a mage, but it charges at you and punches you; you think it's a tank, but it hides in the back and shoots you.

"Don't be swayed by their rhetoric!" Konoha Akiki wiped the sweat from his chin, panting heavily. "Their formation looks intimidating, but it's riddled with weaknesses!"

There are indeed vulnerabilities.

On the next ball, Karasuno almost tripped over himself.

Nishitani Yu received the ball, but passed it a little low. Kageyama instinctively tried to pass it, but ended up colliding head-on with Hyuga, who was preparing to spike the ball.

"Idiot! Watch where you're going!"

"You're the one blocking Kageyama's way!!"

The ball awkwardly fell between the two.

"puff."

Lu Ren let out a merciless sneer and clapped his hands as he stood aside: "Beautiful teamwork. Is this the legendary 'Friendship-Breaking Punch'? Although it didn't hit the opponent, it successfully dealt a critical blow to one's own people."

"Shut up, Lu Ren!" Kageyama and Hinata said in unison.

Despite the verbal sparring, the pace of the game was breathtakingly fast.

Karasuno's "Chimera" formation—or rather, its "mixed stew" formation—is most lethal not because of its sharp attacks, but because of its information disruption.

As soon as the ball goes up, the blocker in Fukutani has to run after it.

Kageyama moves, Washio has to follow; Hyuga runs, Akaashi has to watch; Sugawara raises his hand, Konoha has to be on guard; even Riku, that guy who looks like he's taking a stroll, might suddenly burst out and spike the ball at any moment.

"This isn't volleyball, it's whack-a-mole."

Haruki Omi complained, his knees beginning to protest from the frequent sudden stops and changes of direction. His physical strength was being depleted twice as much, and his mental strain fourfold.

The score is 16-15. Karasuno is in a slight lead.

"One more ball!"

With Sawamura off the court, Sugawara took on the responsibility of giving instructions. But as soon as he finished, he realized he still had to go and receive that damned jump serve.

Yamato Saruhisa's serve was very accurate, heading straight for the junction between Sugawara and Asahi Higashimine.

"I'll do it!"

Sugawara shouted and dove to save the ball.

One and a half passes were made.

This time, it was Kageyama's turn to perform.

This genius setter completely forgot about the dignity of being a "setter." He jumped from the back row, made a standard passing motion in the air, tricked the three defenders of the Akira blockers into jumping all at once, and then...

He gently poked the ball over the net.

A second attack? No, he's in the back row, that's a foul.

But at the moment of contact, his hand shape changed. It wasn't a poke, it was a push. The ball flew past the blocker's fingertips and went flat towards the baseline.

Standing there is the free man, Haruki Omi.

Xiao Jian instinctively reached out to cushion the ball, but it suddenly dropped just before it touched his arm.

Topspin.

"Sizzle—"

The ball grazed Xiaojian's arm and flew out of bounds.

"Hand out of bounds!" the referee blew his whistle.

17: 15.

"Ha...ha..." Washio Tatsuo braced himself on his knees, sweat dripping down his nose. He looked at the crows on the other side of the net, still celebrating energetically, and cursed under his breath.

too tired.

My brain is constantly sending warning signals. It feels like my computer has dozens of high-energy-consuming programs running, the fan is whirring loudly, and it's about to crash at any moment.

"Akaashi," Kotaro Bokuto suddenly spoke, his voice surprisingly calm, "give me the ball."

Chiwei turned her head away.

Their ace was staring at the scoreboard, his eyes no longer showing the anxiety of before, but rather the focus of a wild beast eyeing its prey.

"No matter what tricks they try, as long as the ball touches the ground, it's our point. Right?"

Wooden Rabbit pointed to the floor.

Akagi paused for a moment, then nodded: "That's right."

Simple logic. If you can't untangle a knot, cut it with scissors.

The game continues.

Karasuno serves. Ryunosuke Tanaka's powerful jump serve is easily returned by Haruki Omi.

"Red Reed!"

The ball is in position.

This time, Karasuno also set up their defensive formation. Riku Ren lowered his center of gravity in the back row, while Kageyama kept an eye on Akaashi's hands in the front row.

Chiwei did not look at the wooden rabbit.

He passed a quick ball to Washio.

The eagle leaps up and swings its arm.

"How naive!" Hinata Shoyo jumped up with his beast-like instincts, his fingers brushing against the ball.

Effective blocking!

The ball bounced back onto the Owl Valley field.

An opportunity?

No, the ball hasn't landed yet.

Kotaro Bokuto rushed up from the back row. Without waiting for the setter to adjust, he jumped directly from outside the three-meter line.

"That's... a back-row attack?!" Sugawara exclaimed.

Forcing a back-row attack in such a chaotic situation is extremely risky. But Mutu didn't care at all. He stretched his body in the air, his black and white jersey fluttering in the wind.

There were three people blocking the way.

Is there no road ahead?

Then let's make a way out!

"Thump!!!"

This shot had no fancy trajectory; it was just a hard smash. The ball hit Kageyama's arm, and the immense force blasted his arm away, causing the ball to change direction and fly out, crashing into the railing of the stands.

17: 16.

"Good shot!!!" Wood Rabbit landed and swung his fist forcefully.

Simple, brutal, and unreasonable.

This is the answer to the question "Super Ace".

Lu Ren watched this scene and whistled.

"That's more like it," he muttered to himself. "If the boss is too easy to defeat, the game won't be fun."

In the next few minutes, the match completely devolved into a stalemate.

Karasuno continued to create chaos with their "Chimera" tactics, with Kageyama and Sugawara taking turns setting up the ball, while Rikujin and Hyuga darted around, leaving Fukutani's defense riddled with holes. However, Karasuno themselves also made frequent mistakes.

One moment Tanaka and Higashimine Asahi were colliding while fighting for the ball, and the next moment Kageyama's pass was too fast and Hinata couldn't keep up and missed.

"Is this the price of a beta version?" Lu Ren looked at the ball rolling out of bounds and helplessly shrugged. "There are more bugs than features."

On the other hand, Owl Valley completely abandoned complex tactical thinking.

The ball goes over the net and is given to the wooden rabbit.

The ball didn't clear the net, so I retrieved it and gave it to the wooden rabbit.

I don't know who to give it to, so I'll give it to the wooden rabbit.

Kotaro Bokuto became the busiest and most dazzling person on the battlefield. He was like a tireless pile driver, repeatedly blasting open Karasuno's not-so-solid defenses.

19: 19.

The score is tied again.

The air was so thick it made it hard to breathe.

It was Lu Ren's turn to serve.

He stood at the baseline, spinning the ball in his hand. The texture of the volleyball glided across his fingertips—rough, real.

"Should we continue?" Kageyama glanced back at the net.

"Of course." Lu Ren tossed the ball up. "This is a rare opportunity for a public beta test. How can we not overwhelm the servers?"

Run-up, jump.

This time, he didn't hit that weird "banana shot," nor did he make a powerful jump serve.

He flicked his wrist in mid-air.

Jumping and floating.

After clearing the net, the ball plummeted downwards, heading straight for Kyoji Akaashi.

To catch the thief, first catch the king. Since your tactics have been simplified to "finding the wooden rabbit," then I'll disable your card dealer.

Akaashi had no choice but to reach out and catch the ball.

One and a half passes were made.

"Konoha!" Akaashi shouted.

Konoha Akiki was forced to act as the setter.

"Wooden Rabbit!"

It's the wooden rabbit again.

All eyes were on the man with black and white hair.

The wooden rabbit leaps.

On Karasuno's side, Kageyama, Hinata, and Tanaka formed a defensive barrier.

Just as Mu Tu swung his arm, he saw the gap behind the net.

Drop shot!

This hot-blooded owl has surprisingly become quite meticulous at this moment.

With a light touch of the fingers, the volleyball passes over the blocker and slowly descends.

Nobody here?

No.

"Dream on!"

Nishitani Yu glided across the floor like lightning, scooping up the ball with one hand.

"Connected!"

The ball flew into the air.

Who will deliver this message?

Kageyama was knocked to the ground by the net's movement and hadn't gotten up yet. Sugawara was on the other side making a rescue.

The ball is spinning in the air.

Lu Ren rushed over.

He took the setter position.

"Lu Ren!" Hinata had already jumped up; he was calling for the ball.

Dong Fengxu in the back row also got into position.

The defenders in Fukutani were once again faced with that damn choice.

Lu Ren grinned as he watched the ball fly towards him.

He didn't pass it on to anyone.

He jumped up, feinted a shot in the air with his left hand, and then made a spike motion with his right hand.

A second attack?!

No, this is...

He twisted his body into an extremely awkward position in mid-air, changed his right hand from a clapping position to a pass, and flicked his wrist backward.

Pass it on from behind!

And it was passed from behind...

"Tsukishima?!"

No, Tsukishima isn't there.

That's... Kageyama Tobio!

Kageyama, who had just gotten up, had somehow already found an attack position on the right flank.

Faced with Lu Ren's pass, which, though ugly in form, landed precisely, a look of surprise flashed across Kageyama's eyes, followed by ecstasy.

As a setter, he hadn't spiked the ball in a long time.

"Bomb it!!!"

Kageyama took a running start and jumped, reaching a height that even surpassed Hinata's usual height.

He poured all his frustration, all his scheming, and all his anger at Lu Ren's mockery into this single palm strike.

Fukutani completely missed his target. Nobody expected the setter to spike the ball.

"Bang!!!"

The sound of the volleyball hitting the floor was even louder than the ball that Mutu had just thrown.

20: 19.

Karasuno overtook them.

After landing, Kageyama stared at his palm for two seconds, then suddenly turned to look at Lu Ren.

"The news has spread..."

"It's rotten, isn't it?" Lu Ren interrupted him, shaking his slightly sore wrist. "Be content. This is my trump card, the 'passing the buck' technique, specially used to deal with hot potatoes."

Kageyama pursed his lips, finally managing to squeeze out, "...It's alright."

"Get rid of your arrogance." Lu Ren waved his hand dismissively.

But the game isn't over yet.

On the next ball, Bokuto once again demonstrated his ace status. Facing Karasuno's lax defense, he delivered a powerful spike, scoring directly.

20: 20.

The numbers on the scoreboard were glaringly red.

Both teams were supporting themselves on their knees, panting heavily.

Sweat pooled on the floor.

"Hey, I'm talking."

Lu Ren straightened up, looked at Chiwei and Mutu, who were also panting heavily, and then looked at his teammates beside him, who were exhausted but still had a gleam in their eyes.

"Isn't this dungeon a bit too difficult?"

Hinata Shoyo wiped the sweat from his face and grinned broadly. "But... that barbecue must be delicious!"

Upon hearing the word "meat," Tanaka and Nishitani, who had been listless, instantly straightened up, their eyes gleaming with a green light.

"Meat! Meat! Meat!"

The momentum on Karasuno's side surged strangely.

Looking at this group of single-celled organisms, Lu Ren couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Alright."

He stretched his neck and made a cracking sound.

"For that damn barbecue, let's pluck this owl completely and put it in the pot."