Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

Kageyama Tobio stood behind the service line, spinning the volleyball in his hand like a ticking time bomb.

Although the two wads of tissues used for stopping the bleeding were gone, the oppressive atmosphere around him only intensified. How to describe that feeling? It's like you're playing a horror game, and when you turn around, you find that the BOSS isn't stuck in the corner, but has teleported right in front of you and activated the second phase of his red-name status.

"Beep—"

The whistle was very short, as if it had been cut off by the air pressure.

Kageyama tosses the ball. The movement is devoid of any unnecessary frills; the height and spin are perfect. He is like a fully drawn composite bow, and the sound of his run-up footsteps is as heavy as the drumbeats hitting the floor.

"Bang!"

The sound of the ball hitting the ball was no longer a crisp "smack," but a dull thud that made your teeth ache. The volleyball barely spun in the air, carrying that eerie, elusive feeling, heading straight for the back corner of Jozenji's court.

Tsuchiyu Shin, the free agent from Jozenji, narrowed his eyes. The ball was too fast; so fast that his brain had barely issued the "move" command before his body could even execute it, and the ball was already right in front of him.

"Catch!"

Tu Tangxin gritted his teeth and forced his arm out.

There was no way to deflect the force; there simply wasn't time. The moment the volleyball struck his forearm, the immense kinetic energy shattered his arm. Instead of flying obediently towards the front row, the ball, spinning violently, hurtled directly out of bounds.

"Out of bounds! Save the ball!"

With a shout, Terujima Yuuji darted out like a wild monkey. He braked just before the GG sign, using his core strength to forcefully retrieve the ball that had already flown halfway across the court.

"Futaba!"

Shinji Futaba jumped amidst the chaos. Because the first pass had collapsed, the setter was unable to organize any tactics, and the only option was to bite the bullet and launch an adjustment attack.

"We have no choice but to force it!"

Futaba didn't even see the net clearly in mid-air, instinctively swinging the ball towards Karasuno's court.

It's too rough.

Lu Ren stood near the three-meter line, watching this chaotic attack without any strategy, not even bothering to lift his eyelids. In the face of absolute numbers and the system, this messy "wild" attack was simply an experience pack for Karasuno to farm stats.

Daichi Sawamura was waiting at the landing point.

This cornerstone of Karasuno didn't even need to move his feet; he simply crouched slightly, his arms firmly planted. The volleyball struck his arms as if hitting a ball of cotton, all the spin and power instantly neutralized.

"A chance ball." Sawamura's voice was as calm as reciting a menu.

The volleyball bounced high and landed perfectly in the setter's position.

Kageyama had just served and was still on his way back to defend. According to standard tactics, at this point, the setter should be making a run forward from the back row, or the libero Nishinoya should be setting the pass.

But one figure was faster than everyone else.

Lu Ren took two steps to the front of the net and raised his hands above his head.

"I'll do it."

With just two simple words, they took control of the game.

Kageyama stopped and looked at Lu Ren's back, raising an eyebrow but saying nothing. This is the underlying logic of the "Chimera" tactic—anyone can be a setter or an attacker, given the opportunity.

The fence around Jozenji Temple was completely in disarray.

They stared at Kageyama, at Higashimine Asahi who had jumped in from behind, and even at Sawamura who hadn't landed yet, but they missed the most conspicuous little orange figure.

Lu Ren's fingers touched the ball.

There was no pause, no feint. At the instant he touched the ball, his wrist flicked subtly. This was not just a pass, but more like a precise calibration of various parameters.

"Whoosh."

The ball was extremely fast, tearing through the air in front of the net and flying precisely into the no-man's-land on the right wing.

There, Hinata Shoyo had already taken off.

"Wow!"

Hinata's sense of hovering in the air was ridiculously strong, like a crow that had broken free of gravity. There were no blocks, no interference, only the volleyball, still warm from Lu Ren's body, obediently resting on his hitting point.

This is food being fed to his mouth.

"Bang!"

Hinata swung his arm down, and the volleyball slammed heavily into Jozenji's three-meter line, bouncing so high that it even exceeded the height of the net.

The floor is shaking.

0: 4.

The sound of the scoreboard flipping over was particularly jarring in the stadium.

Lu Ren lowered his hand, looked at the stunned group of people from Jozenji across from him, and shook his head.

"Numerical superiority, mechanics countered." He muttered to himself, then turned and high-fived Hinata. "This dungeon is too easy, it doesn't even require any brainpower."

"Beep—"

Tōzen-ji Temple has requested a suspension.

Terujima Yuuji clutched his hair, his playful grin finally crumbling. He walked off the field, panting heavily, his illusion that "you can win as long as you have fun" being shattered bit by bit by Karasuno's cold reality.

The rest area of ​​Jozenji Temple was deathly silent.

Coach Hirahara Takaaki held a tactics board in his hand, looking at these usually energetic boys, who now looked like wilted eggplants.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something about tactics, such as "pay attention to the timing of blocking" or "improve the stability of the first pass."

But he found that all of these words were nonsense.

This isn't a tactical issue; it's a fundamental, game-changing attack. Karasuno's number 13 pass, Kageyama's serve, and Hyuga's fast break—every single element was like a perfectly meshed set of gears, working seamlessly together.

And what about Jozenji Temple?

They're like a pile of scattered parts, blindly bumping around with sheer force. Once that force is released, all that's left is a disorganized mess.

"This is not even a competition on the same level..." Coach Anahara sighed inwardly. Facing such a strong team with no weaknesses, relying solely on the vague and unrestrained style of "free-spiritedness" is simply like throwing an egg against a rock.

The atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.

Just then, a crisp sound broke the deadlock.

"Do you guys think that as long as you're happy, that's all that matters?"

Everyone looked up.

Misaki Hana stood there. This manager, who was usually gentle and even somewhat unassuming, now had a stern face, her arms crossed, and her gaze as sharp as a scalpel.

"Huh? What are you talking about, Xiaohua..." Terujima Yuuji tried to laugh it off.

"Shut up and listen to me."

Misaki Hana interrupted him, her voice not loud, but the imposing tone made Terujima shut up instantly.

"I know you guys always talk about 'enjoying volleyball.' You certainly had a lot of fun in those previous matches, and you won quite a few." She took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping across each player's face. "But the opponents now are different."

She pointed to Karasuno across the stadium.

Over there, Lu Ren was holding a water bottle, drinking water while talking to Kageyama with a nonchalant expression on his face. Kageyama, though still wearing that deadpan expression, had a frighteningly bright light in his eyes.

"Look at them," Misaki Hana said. "They are stronger, faster, and more tactically sophisticated than you. Against such opponents, your so-called 'freedom' is actually 'chaos.' Your so-called 'instinct' is actually 'not using your brain.'"

These words were harsh, like a slap in the face to everyone.

Shinji Futaba lowered his head, and Shin Tsuchiyu clenched his fists.

"If..." Misaki Hana's voice trembled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. "If you really want to 'enjoy' the game, then first learn how to 'win.' Only evenly matched competition is truly fun. Being one-sidedly crushed isn't playing a game; it's being played by the game!"

"To truly enjoy volleyball, besides having a 'fun' attitude, you also need matching 'skill' and 'rigor'!"

"Stop acting like a child!"

Misaki Hana shouted out her last words.

The rest area was so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard.

Terujima Yuu stared blankly at Misaki Hana, as if he were seeing the manager for the first time. After several seconds, he suddenly laughed and slapped his own cheek hard.

"Snapped!"

The crisp sound startled everyone.

"Ouch...it hurts." Terujima rubbed his face, but the confusion in his eyes disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness. "Xiaohua is right."

He straightened up and looked at his teammates.

"Brothers, we really made a fool of ourselves." Terujima grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, but this time the smile lacked its usual frivolity. "We were made a fool of like monkeys, and we thought we were doing a great job. This isn't a 'party,' it's practically a public execution."

"Then let's be a little more serious."

"I don't know if we can win, but at least..." Terujima looked at Riku Ren across the court, a fire burning in his eyes, "Don't let them win so easily. Even if they die, we'll break a couple of their teeth!"

"oh!!!"

The atmosphere of Jozen-ji Temple has changed.

If they were a pack of stray dogs running around wildly just now, they have now finally learned how to bare their fangs.

On the other side of the field.

Lu Ren tightened the bottle cap and looked at the sudden roar from the direction of Jozenji, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"Oh, a last gasp before death?" He tossed the towel back onto the bench, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Looks like that manager gave them a group buff."

"Who cares about their buffs?" Kageyama Tobio cracked his knuckles, his eyes icy. "As long as they're still on the field, crush them all."

"Tsk, violent maniac." Lu Ren shrugged and walked back into the arena.

As he passed the net, he glanced at Terujima Yuuji on the other side. The other was staring intently at him, his gaze no longer that of a mocking predator, but rather that of a serious opponent.

"Finally willing to play the game properly?" Lu Ren muttered to himself, a very slight smile curving his lips. "Too bad, the update is over. The current Karasuno isn't a boss you can beat just by using a special power boost."

"Let's begin the second phase, speedrun."