Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

Yutaro Kindaichi stood in the service area, his signature short, spiky hair soaked with sweat, making him look more like a ripe leek. He mechanically patted the volleyball, his eyes scanning back and forth across Karasuno's defensive formation in the backcourt.

The score was tied at 21. This score made the air in the stadium feel scorching, and even the originally noisy cheering squad in the stands subconsciously quieted down.

Lu Ren lowered his center of gravity, shifting his feet slightly on the wooden floor to find the most comfortable point of contact. His lungs were protesting, each breath accompanied by a rusty smell, but this did not deter him; instead, it put his brain into an extremely excited, "overclocked" state.

Kindaichi takes a running start and swings his arm.

The ball's trajectory was straight, with a clear intention to land on the line. Lu Ren judged the landing point, took a big step to the left, brought his arms together, and steadily cut under the ball's trajectory.

"The pass is perfect!"

As soon as Lu Ren shouted, his body leaped forward, creating space for Kageyama Tobio behind him. The volleyball traced a perfect parabola, landing precisely at the net. Kageyama didn't even need to make any adjustments; the instant his fingers touched the ball, Hyuga Shoyo was already like an orange lightning bolt, cutting in from beyond the three-meter line.

"That move again!" Oikawa Tetsu's eyes instantly turned sharp on the other side of the net. He was not completely misled by Hyuga's movement, but instead directed Iwaizumi Ichi to quickly fill in the gap.

Kageyama flicked the ball with his finger, sending it hurtling incredibly fast. Hyuga stretched out his body in the air, facing Iwaizumi's solid wall. Instead of blindly slamming the ball in as before, he opened his eyes wide and caught a glimpse of the gap between Iwaizumi's fingertips in a very brief moment.

Hinata's wrist made a slight flip in the air.

"Bang!"

The ball hit Iwaizumi's fingertip, and according to the laws of physics, the ball should have flown off the field.

"The fighter is out of bounds!" Sugawara shouted from the sidelines.

However, Aoba Castle West's reputation as a top powerhouse in Miyagi Prefecture wasn't solely due to Oikawa Toru's orchestration. The instant the ball launched its trajectory, Kunimi Hideki, whom Lu Ren jokingly referred to as an "energy-saving enthusiast," made his move. He almost anticipated the ball's trajectory, performing a near-masochistic dive out of bounds, and with the back of his hand, forcefully hooked the ball back into play just centimeters before it hit the ground.

"Well done, Kunimi!" Oikawa Toru shouted, his body twisting in an exaggerated arc in mid-air.

Even with such a near-collapsed first pass, Oikawa Tetsu was still able to forcefully correct it using his core strength. His hands gripped the volleyball like magnets, then pushed it towards the back of his head.

Matsukawa Kazushige surged in from the flank and, taking advantage of the gap before Karasuno's block closed, delivered a powerful spike.

"Touch!"

Sugawara and Tanaka Ryunosuke's block barely managed to stop the ball, but the power was too great, and the ball changed direction and headed straight for Karasuno's backcourt baseline.

Lu Ren had just gotten up from the floor. He had no time to think and instinctively stepped back. The ball was fast, and as he retreated, he scooped it up with one arm and forcefully pushed it into the air.

"An opportunity ball!"

Sugawara Koji quickly took over as setter. He glanced at Hyuga, who was marked prominently at the net, and flicked his wrist to send the ball to Tanaka on the other side. Tanaka's diagonal spike was blocked by Aoki's defender, and the volleyball flew back towards Karasuno.

Chaotic battles—that's Lu Ren's favorite kind of rhythm.

While everyone was focused on the offense and defense at the net, Lu Ren had already begun his long run-up from the backcourt. He avoided everyone's gaze, like an assassin lurking in the shadows.

"Kageyama, get out of the way!"

Lu Ren's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable penetrating power. Kageyama instinctively ducked to avoid him, and Lu Ren leaped high behind the three-meter line. His jump height wasn't particularly impressive, but the look in his eyes, searching for the only chance of survival amidst the chaos, made Oikawa Toru's heart skip a beat.

Lu Ren spotted the only logical blind spot on the Qingcheng defense line from the air.

Swing your arm and press down your wrist.

The volleyball, with strong backspin, grazed Kindaichi's shoulder and slammed heavily into the court.

21: 22.

After landing, Lu Ren's leg muscles twitched slightly due to excessive physical exertion. He held his knee and raised an eyebrow at Oikawa Tetsu: "Oikawa-senpai, it seems your system's defense patch is missing a piece."

Oikawa Toru snorted coldly, turned around to catch the ball, his back view exuding a fierce aura.

It's Daichi Sawamura's turn to serve.

The captain's serve was as steady as ever. Although it lacked the violent power of Oikawa's serve, it was like a heavy whetstone, constantly wearing down the opponent's patience.

Aoki's libero, Watari Chikaji, received the first pass, and Oikawa Tetsu, without hesitation, directly connected with Iwaizumi Hajime. This is Aoki's most reliable scoring method, and also their most prized bond.

Iwazumi Ichi was like a fully drawn bow in the air, with all his strength concentrated in his right arm.

"Stop him!"

Hotaru Tsukishima and Ryunosuke Tanaka jumped at the same time. At this moment, Hotaru Tsukishima demonstrated the "negative state" theory taught by Lu Ren. Instead of trying to block them out directly, he moved back half a body length, deliberately leaving an inducing gap.

As expected, Iwaizumi fell for the trap and spiked the ball into that open space.

Tsukishima's hand suddenly moved sideways in mid-air.

"Thump!"

After a dull thud, the volleyball landed vertically in Qingcheng's half of the court.

21: 23.

Karasuno took two points in a row, and was just one step away from winning the first game.

Oikawa Tetsu's face was so dark it was almost dripping with water. He glanced at the scoreboard, then at Riku Ren, who was whispering with Kageyama in Karasuno's half of the court. He knew that this was no longer a simple contest of skills, but a test of who could make the first mental slip-up.

The ball is served again.

Kindaichi received the first pass, and Oikawa Tetsu chose Matsukawa Kazushige this time. Matsukawa's quick attack was extremely deceptive, but Daichi's defense was so solid it was hopeless. He received the spike with a side slide, and the ball bounced high.

It was Lu Ren's turn to organize.

With this shot, Kageyama and Hyuga had already gotten into position, ready to launch their unstoppable monster fast break. But the moment Lu Ren touched the ball, a completely new piece of code flashed through his mind.

Kageyama's passing aims for ultimate precision, delivering the ball to Hyuga's most comfortable position. Rikuren, however, wants to give Hyuga more "authority."

When he passed the ball, he deliberately added a little upward friction, causing the volleyball to pause very slightly at its highest point.

This pause might just be seen as an unstable pass by an ordinary person, but to a beast like Hyuga, it's a "thinking time."

Hinata noticed in mid-air that the ball wasn't rushing down, but rather seemed to be waiting for him to make a decision.

He saw the gaps between the blocker's fingers and the opening at the baseline.

"Hey!"

Hinata gave a soft shout and precisely slapped the ball in the center.

21:24. Set point.

"Lu Ren, you bastard..." Kageyama walked over, looking at Lu Ren with a complicated expression, "Was that pass just now a challenge to my passing logic?"

"No, I just added a 'high frame rate' plugin to Hinata." Lu Ren wiped his sweat and smiled slyly.

However, Aoba City West clearly had no intention of surrendering.

Daichi's third serve was perfectly received by Watari Chikaji. Oikawa Tetsu used a realistic second attack feint to trick Karasuno into blocking, and then suddenly threw the ball to Kindaichi who was making a run from behind.

Kindaichi's pent-up anger from the entire game erupted in this spike, and the volleyball pierced through the defense.

22: 24.

The right to serve has changed hands, and it's now Huajuan Guida's turn.

Hanamaki's serve was highly deceptive, and Lu Ren received it steadily in the back row. However, due to the ball's high speed, the first pass was slightly forward. Sugawara Koji quickly covered the gap and passed the ball to Tanaka.

Tanaka's spike was touched by Aoshiro's blocking hand, causing the ball's trajectory to deflect.

Oikawa Tetsu once again demonstrated his prowess as Miyagi Prefecture's top setter, setting the ball precisely to Iwaizumi Hajime with a single-handed flick while running.

Iwaizumi's spike was incredibly powerful, breaking right through Karasuno's three-man block.

"Oh no!"

Just when everyone thought the ball was doomed, Lu Ren appeared in the shadows behind the block. He had anticipated Iwaizumi's spike angle and made a forward movement in advance.

The ball hit his arm, making him wince in pain, but he gritted his teeth and forced the ball towards Kageyama.

"Kageyama!"

At this moment, Tobio Kageyama displayed his genius-level intuition. He didn't look at Hinata, or even at the net; relying solely on the muscle memory developed through countless practices, he forced a back pass despite losing his balance.

Hinata Shoyo is already there.

There were no shouts, no unnecessary movements.

Hinata's figure in the air overlapped with Oikawa Tetsu's terrified pupils.

"Bang!"

The sound of the volleyball hitting the floor brought an end to all the noise of the first set.

22: 25.

Karasuno took the first city.

Lu Ren plopped down on the floor, panting heavily. Looking at the unwilling face of Oikawa Tetsu across from him, he suddenly realized that this high-difficulty dungeon called "Aoba Castle West" was much more enjoyable than he had imagined.

"Hey, Kageyama." Riku looked up, revealing a tired but bright smile. "That patch you just applied was pretty good."

Kageyama snorted coldly, but for the first time ever, he reached out and pulled Lu Ren up from the floor.

"I will pass better in the second set."

"Then I'll wait and see, Your Majesty."

In the rest area of ​​Karasuno, Kiyosawa Ayashi was waiting there with a towel and a water bottle, a hint of pride hidden in her eyes. Lu Ren knew, however, that the real battle had only just begun.