Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

Hotaru Tsukishima stood at the serve position and adjusted her glasses.

He didn't rush to serve, but instead swept his calm, almost indifferent gaze across Kadokawa's half of the court. The two-meter-tall giant was bent over, his hands on his thighs, his chest heaving violently, like an old computer with a heat dissipation problem.

The whistle blew.

Tsukishima throws the ball and jumps.

It wasn't a powerful jump serve, but a floater to the net with an extremely unpleasant landing point. The ball dropped sharply after clearing the net, heading straight for Kadokawa's front-row receiver.

"I'll do it!" Kadokawa's libero, Komaki, almost fell to the ground, using the back of his hand to cushion the ball.

The first pass was not accurate, and the ball flew beyond the three-meter line.

"Baize!"

Even with terrible passes, Kadokawa's choices remained singular and stubborn. The setter didn't even glance at anyone else, simply tossing the ball high into the air.

As long as you're high enough, there's hope. This is the only lifeline for a weak team facing a strong opponent.

Bai Zexiong gritted his teeth and dragged his heavy legs for a running start. His movements were somewhat distorted, and his jumping height was not as high as before, but his two-meter height still gave him the right to look down at the net.

The ones blocking the net are Kageyama and Tanaka.

Looking at the jungle of arms before him, Bai Ze had only one thought in his mind: he couldn't be stopped.

He forcefully twisted his waist and abdomen, avoiding the straight line, and swung his arm to strike the diagonal line.

"Bang!"

The ball cleared the net and hit Karasuno's backcourt corner.

"Got it..." Before Bai Ze could finish thinking, a dark figure had already appeared at the landing point.

Lu Ren.

He didn't even make a big movement; he simply took a step to the left, lowered his center of gravity, and steadily raised his arms.

"Too honest, big guy," Lu Ren thought to himself. "This kind of pre-attack animation without any feints is practically telling the whole arena, 'I'm going to hit a cross-court shot.'"

The ball hit Lu Ren's forearm, and bounced high after the force was absorbed.

"Nice, catch!" Kageyama quickly got into position.

Hinata Shoyo in the front row had already jumped up like a springy ball, shouting strange noises.

Give me the ball!

Kageyama's fingers gently pushed the ball forward the instant they touched it.

Fast attack.

Hinata's figure left a trail of afterimages in the air as he swung his arm.

"Snapped!"

This shot was extremely fast and came at a tricky angle.

But just when everyone thought the ball was sure to go in, the seemingly unremarkable Kadokawa libero, Komaki, instinctively lunged to his left.

The ball hit his wrist and bounced high into the air.

"You received it?!" Tanaka's eyes widened.

"Fight back!" Gu Mu roared, getting up from the ground.

The ball flew towards the net again. Kadokawa's setter set it even faster this time, but the ball was slightly lower.

Bai Zexiong had no way out. He looked at the uncomfortable pass and, using his long arms, forcefully "scooped" the ball away from the side just as it was falling.

This isn't a spike; it's more like a "throw" that takes advantage of height.

The ball sailed over Tsukishima's head before he could intercept it, landing in an open space on the Karasuno field.

The whistle blows.

Kadokawa 12:19 Karasuno.

"Huff... Huff..." Bai Ze staggered after landing, panting heavily, his jersey completely soaked with sweat.

"It can even evolve?" Lu Ren raised an eyebrow, looking at the big guy. "Although the movements are a bit clumsy, it has learned to adjust its offensive methods based on the pass. It seems that even when this BOSS is low on health, it still has a second-stage berserk mechanism."

Kadokawa serves.

Their star player served, and his shot was fairly standard.

Lu Ren took half a step back and lifted the ball with his hand.

"Kageyama!"

Kageyama Tobio arrived in position and instantly locked his gaze on the left flank.

"Asahi-senpai!"

Higashimine Asahi took a running start and jumped. The ace was in high spirits at that moment, swinging his arm in a wide arc and delivering a powerful spike to Kadokawa's block.

"Bang!"

The ball hit Baize's palm.

This time, Baize wasn't blasted away. He used his absolute height advantage to forcefully push the ball back.

The ball was too fast and hit Karasuno directly inside their three-meter line.

"Senior Daichi!" someone shouted from outside the stadium.

Daichi Sawamura reacted incredibly quickly, diving to save the ball with one hand. However, due to the ball's excessive speed, it flew directly out of bounds and was about to hit the GG sign.

"Tsk."

Lu Ren smacked his lips and instantly exerted force with his feet.

"Why am I always the one doing these errands?"

He charged off the field like a cheetah, and just as the ball was about to hit the ground, he leaped into the air, his body twisting into a bizarre angle.

"go back!"

He stretched out his right arm and, using the flexibility of his fingers, managed to "hook" the ball back from the edge of the court.

The ball flew high back into play.

"Tanaka!" Lu Ren shouted as he rolled over to dissipate the force after landing.

"Leave it to me, you bastard!"

Ryunosuke Tanaka rushed to the net, but unable to organize an attack, he could only turn his back to the net and use both hands to push the ball towards the opponent's court.

Opportunity ball.

Kadokawa did not let this opportunity pass.

The first pass was in place, and the second pass was in place.

Once again, without any suspense, the ball flew towards Yuta Hyakusawa.

"One more ball!!" Baize roared.

He felt like his legs were filled with lead and his lungs were about to explode, but he still jumped up.

There were no fancy tricks; it was all about powerful smashes.

The ball hit the floor with a dull thud.

Kadokawa 13:19 Karasuno.

They scored two points in a row.

Kadokawa's bench erupted in cheers. The two-meter-tall giant clenched his fist and waved it at the air.

"Interesting." Lu Ren got up from the ground, dusted off his pants, and said, "Although it was just a last gasp, the BOSS is still quite lethal before its health bar is completely depleted."

He glanced at the scoreboard.

almost.

"Don't let them get ahead." Daichi Sawamura clapped his hands. "Stabilize the first pass and regain possession!"

"yes!"

Kadokawa serves again.

This time, they tried to cause trouble for Hyuga in the front row, and served a cross-court ball.

But Lu Ren had already anticipated his intention. He stepped to the side before Hyuga could, and placed his hands firmly under the ball.

"Perfectly executed."

The ball traced a rainbow-like arc and landed precisely on Kageyama's head.

Kageyama did not hesitate at all.

With his back to Dong Fengxu, he flicked his wrist backward.

Passed down from behind.

Dong Fengxu jumped again.

The ball that had just been blocked had left him seething with anger. This usually mild-mannered ace's eyes were now filled with murderous intent.

Bai Zexiong tried to block again, but he had reached his physical limit and jumped half a beat too late.

That half-beat is the distance between life and death.

"boom!!"

Higashi Mineaki's spike passed through the gap in Bai Ze's still-open arms and slammed heavily onto Kadokawa's baseline.

The ball bounced out and hit the wall with a loud bang.

Kadokawa 13:20 Karasuno.

This shot, like a heavy hammer, completely shattered the momentum that Kadokawa had just built up.

As Bai Zexiong looked at the volleyball rolling on the floor, the light in his eyes dimmed.

gap.

It's not just a technical difference, but also a difference in experience, teamwork, and the absolute strength of the team as a whole.

The rest of the match turned into a one-sided massacre.

Lu Ren did not give the other party any further chances.

When it was his turn to serve, he scored directly with a jump float shot that grazed the net as it fell.

13: 21.

Subsequently, Hotaru Tsukishima blocked Hyakusawa's powerful attack.

13: 22.

Hinata Shoyo used his running to create an opening and scored with a soft drop shot.

13: 23.

Kadokawa's defenses completely collapsed. The two-meter-tall giant stood on the field, looking so lonely and helpless. He was like a child holding a stick but not knowing how to swing it, facing a group of fully armed professional soldiers.

The last goal.

Kageyama Tobio passed the ball to Tanaka.

"Take this—!!"

Tanaka roared and slammed it down.

The ball hit the hand of a Kadokawa blocker and bounced out of bounds.

The whistle blew for a long time.

Kadokawa 15:25 Karasuno.

competition is over.

The Karasuno team members gathered together to celebrate, with high-fives and cheers resounding throughout.

Lu Ren stood on the periphery of the crowd, unscrewed the water bottle, and took a sip.

"It's over." He looked across at the other side.

The atmosphere at Kadokawa's half of the show was so oppressive it was suffocating.

Bai Zexiong stood there blankly, sweat dripping from his chin. He looked down at his palms, his shoulders trembling violently.

That two-meter giant, that "physical cheat" that amazed the audience, was now crying like a child who had lost a toy.

Tears mixed with sweat, soaking a patch of the floor.

"I'm sorry..." Bai Ze's voice choked with emotion, "It's because I'm too weak... Everyone gave me the ball..."

Kadokawa's setter, Komaki, walked over.

He was almost 40 centimeters shorter than Bai Ze, but he patted Bai Ze's back forcefully.

"Don't cry, Bai Ze." Gu Mu's voice was a little hoarse, and his eyes were red, but his tone was firm. "This is volleyball. Height alone is not enough, we all know that."

He looked up at the backs of the people packing their things over there, especially the ones number 13 and number 9.

"But we've only just begun." Gu Mu placed a towel over Bai Ze's head. "You have such talent. As long as you improve your technique, as long as we can coordinate better... next time."

He paused, his voice carrying a hint of ruthlessness.

"Next time, we will definitely win."

Bai Ze gripped the towel and nodded vigorously.

"Um!"

Lu Ren, who was not far away, overheard this conversation.

He threw the empty water bottle into the trash can, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Next time?"

He slung his sports bag over his shoulder, turned around, and caught up with the group.

"These lines, reminiscent of a shonen manga, sound good. But unfortunately, in reality, this kind of game never gives you a certificate of completion just because you've tried your best."

The only way to win is to become stronger, strong enough to make your opponents despair.

"Let's go, Lu Ren!" Hinata called from the doorway. "Rou Baozi is waiting for us!"

"They're here."

Lu Ren gave a lazy reply, put one hand in his pocket, and walked out of the gymnasium.

Behind them lay the tears and vows of the defeated.

Ahead lies an even more brutal battlefield.