Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

Sendai Gymnasium.

The spotlights from the dome illuminated the wooden floor of the arena until it shone brightly. The air conditioning whistled, but couldn't drown out the roaring noise of the crowd. The air was thick with the smells of ointment for bruises and sprains, and the scent of sweat—the unique aroma of a final showdown.

Lu Ren stood in front of the net, tossing a volleyball in his hand, his gaze passing over the white net.

On the opposite half of the court, the entire Shiratorizawa team was warming up by spiking.

Ushijima Wakatoshi leaped high into the air, swung his left arm in a wide arc, and the volleyball slammed into the floor with a terrifying whooshing sound.

The muffled sound echoed in the empty venue, even causing the wooden floorboards to vibrate.

No one on Karasuno's side backed down.

Tanaka Ryunosuke excitedly slapped his thigh, muttering incomprehensible words. Hyuga Shoyo, on the other hand, bounced around on the spot, his eyes shining brightly as he stared intently at the opposing captain.

The stands were already full.

Almost all members of the high school volleyball team in Miyagi Prefecture were present.

In the corner, Oikawa Toru lowered his hat brim, crossed his arms, and slung his long legs over his shoulders. Iwaizumi Ichi sat next to him, his gaze fixed on the field.

"How many games do you think Karasuno can last?" Iwaizumi asked, his tone devoid of sarcasm, reflecting only a serious assessment of the situation.

"Who knows?" Oikawa Tetsu scoffed. "If they get easily crushed, I won't let those brats off the hook. After all, they climbed up over us."

On the other side, Coach Wu Yangqian, supported by his grandson, found a seat near the front. The old man's cloudy eyes stared at the boys on the field, his cane clutched in his hand.

Aoba Castle West, Date Industrial, Wakuya South... anyone who's considered a big name in Miyagi Prefecture's volleyball world has gathered here today.

They all wanted to see if this team, known as a "fallen powerhouse," could actually dethrone the absolute champion.

The whistle blew.

Both sides lined up and bowed in salute.

"Nice to meet you!"

The sound was deafening, shooting straight up to the dome.

The Karasuno team gathered around the field, and Karasuno Shishin held a tactical board and tapped it twice with a marker.

"The starting formation remains the same." Ukai spoke quickly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Front row: Kageyama, Tsukishima, Hinata. Back row: Daichi, Nishinoya, Rikujin."

He looked up and glanced around at the group of team members who had just gone through a fierce battle.

"Ushijima Wakatoshi is very strong, I don't need to say anything more. But you all need to remember, volleyball is a six-person sport. As long as the ball hasn't touched the ground, the game isn't over. Bring out everything you've practiced these past few days."

"Go ahead, let them see Karasuno's volleyball."

Lu Ren stretched and moved his wrists. His knuckles made a crisp cracking sound.

"Let's go and see this legendary demon king."

Hotaru Tsukishima pushed up her glasses and abruptly replied, "I hope you don't get beaten to a pulp later. I don't want to hold off that monster alone."

"Thanks for your kind words," Lu Ren replied. "You just need to take care of the net, and leave the rest to me."

The referee blows the whistle.

The first game has officially begun.

Shiratorizawa has the right to serve.

Ushijima Wakatoshi stood outside the baseline, holding a volleyball in his hand.

The noise in the entire venue miraculously subsided at that moment. Shiratorizawa's cheerleaders remained silent; everyone awaited the king's first strike.

He tossed the ball high into the air, took a running start, and jumped.

The movements were extremely precise, without any unnecessary frills.

His left arm drew a full moon-like arc in the air, and his muscles instantly tightened.

The volleyball, spinning intensely, hurtled towards Karasuno's back row.

Nishitani lowered her center of gravity, brought her arms together, and stared intently at the trajectory of the ball.

"mine!"

The ball was too fast, but Nishiya's judgment was accurate. He moved his feet into position and received the ball.

But the moment he touched the ball, Nishiya's expression changed drastically.

Spin.

An extremely aggressive right-handed rotation.

The volleyball hit Nishiya's arm, but instead of bouncing obediently towards the setter, it flew diagonally into the air like a slippery eel.

"Sorry! The ball is back!" Nishinoya shouted, immediately adjusting his posture to prepare for the next defensive move.

The volleyball crossed the net and landed in Shiratorizawa's half of the court.

This is an excellent chance.

Shion Ohira steadily pushed the ball up and sent it to the net.

"White cloth!"

Kenjiro Shirabu quickly moved under the ball, and without any unnecessary movements, lifted the ball up with both hands.

with a clear purpose.

There was no attempt to conceal anything.

back row.

Wakatoshi Ushijima has already begun his run-up.

He charged towards the net like a heavy tank, with an overwhelming momentum, and soared into the air just outside the three-meter line.

Karasuno's front-row blocking was too slow to organize, and Tsukishima Hotaru only had time to raise her hands.

Lu Ren moved quickly from the back row, his eyes fixed on Ushijima's hitting spot.

"straight line!"

Lu Ren used his legs to propel himself into position, gliding to his destination and folding his hands together.

The volleyball flew past Tsukishima's fingertips and crashed down with terrifying kinetic energy.

The moment they made contact, Lu Ren felt a tremendous force travel from his arm throughout his body. His bones ached from the impact.

The volleyball hit Lu Ren's arm, bounced off, and crashed into the railing of the second-floor stands.

The referee blew the whistle, and Shiratorizawa scored.

1: 0.

The cheerleaders in Shiratorizawa erupted in a tsunami of cheers.

Lu Ren shook his numb arm and looked down at his slightly reddened skin.

It is indeed very powerful.

However, compared to the protein-powder-fed monsters of the provincial youth team, their sheer impact power is still lacking. During training in Sichuan, the spiked ball by that 2.1-meter-tall outside hitter was even heavier than this.

The problem is that strange rotation.

The unique hitting angle of a left-handed player, combined with a strong right spin, makes the landing point of the ball extremely difficult to control. If the force of the spin is not completely neutralized, the ball simply cannot reach the setter.

"Lu Ren, are you alright?" Daichi Sawamura asked with concern.

"It's alright." Lu Ren rubbed his wrist. "It's easier to handle than I thought."

Nishitani Yu leaned closer, gritting her teeth: "That guy's spin was disgusting. I'll receive it better next time! I definitely won't let him score directly again!"

"Don't rush, take it slow," Lu Ren said. "Get used to his rhythm first. His attack pattern is very simple. Once you figure out the pattern of his spins, you can counter it."

In the stands.

Oikawa Tetsu observed the situation on the field, tapping his fingers on his knee.

"Tobi's passing is still as accurate as ever, but against Shiratorizawa's absolute power, accuracy alone is not enough."

Iwaizumi nodded: "Ushijima's spikes are not only powerful, but every single one is delivered with a deadly intent. If Karasuno's back row can't adapt quickly, this match will be over soon."

"Not necessarily." Oikawa Tetsu narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on Lu Ren. "That number 13, he's scheming."

"Calculation?"

"Yes. Look at his positioning." Oikawa Tetsu pointed to the sidelines. "He's making subtle adjustments every time. He's not catching the ball instinctively; he's collecting data. This guy is even more troublesome than I thought."

Coach Wu, sitting in the front row, watched Lu Ren's movements and nodded slightly.

"This kid's interesting. What does he think of the match? A math problem?" The old man chuckled. "Against an unreasonable team like Shiratorizawa, perhaps this kind of rational monster can actually come in handy."

On the field.

Wakatoshi Ushijima stepped up to serve again.

The cheerleaders in Shiratorizawa erupted in a unified cheer.

"Udo! Udo! Udo!"

The waves of criticism came one after another, attempting to psychologically crush their opponents.

The volleyball was tossed high into the air once again.

The same movements, the same sense of oppression.

This time, the landing point was directly aimed at the land of Sawamura.

Daichi bent his knees slightly, lowered his center of gravity, and received the ball. He was Karasuno's most solid defender, with a firm footwork.

The volleyball hit the ground with a dull thud.

The powerful rotational force struck again.

The ball didn't bounce towards the net; instead, it veered off course and flew out of bounds.

The referee blows the whistle.

A point is scored from a serve.

Shiratorizawa 2:0 Karasuno.

Sawamura Daichi looked at his hands, his brows furrowed, and the veins on the back of his hands bulging.

"Sorry, I couldn't hold it down," the earth said in a deep voice.

"It's okay, next ball!" Hinata Shoyo shouted at the net, his voice showing no sign of discouragement.

Lu Ren stood in the back row, quickly calculating Ushijima's serve data in his mind.

Jump height, hitting point, ball speed, and spin angle.

The data was constantly being added to and reorganized in my mind, building up a temporary physical model.

"Interesting," Lu Ren muttered to himself.

He looked up at Ushijima Wakatoshi across from him.

The opponent's face was expressionless, and they did not celebrate after scoring, as if it were a matter of course.

"Number monster." Lu Ren mentally labeled Ushijima.

This game, titled "Defeat the Demon King," has only just begun. The challenge of mechanics against numerical values ​​has officially commenced.

Lu Ren gestured to Xi Gu.

The two made a slight adjustment to their positions in the back row.

west Gu moved half a step to the left, while Lu Ren moved to the right to fill the gap.

"Hey, Kageyama," Riku suddenly said.

Kageyama Tokio turned his head.

"If the first pass isn't accurate later, just force the ball to have a high arc. Don't worry about the landing point, just make sure you can spike it," Lu Ren said.

Kageyama frowned: "Are you teaching me how to do things?"

"I'm patching things up for you," Lu Ren said matter-of-factly. "Their blocking height is no joke. If our first pass is disrupted, we can't execute a regular quick attack at all. You need to be prepared for a tough fight."

Kageyama didn't speak, only gave a cold snort, and turned his head away. This was his way of indicating agreement.

Ushijima prepares to serve for the third time.

Toss the ball, jump, smash.

The volleyball came hurtling in again.

This time, Yuu Nishitani didn't take the ball head-on. Instead, she used her footwork to slide her body to one side and used the side of her arm to meet the volleyball.

The ball flew high, and although it still didn't land accurately at the setter's position, at least it didn't fly directly back to the opposite half of the court, nor did it go out of bounds.

"Well done!" the earth shouted.

Kageyama Tobio ran quickly, jumped from outside the three-meter line, and lifted the ball with both hands.

"Hinata!"

Hinata Shoyo sped up from the back seat, his entire body springing into the air like a spring.

Tendou Satoru reacted extremely quickly, instantly teleporting in front of Hyuga and raising his hands high to form a high wall.

"You guessed wrong." Tendou Satoru grinned.

Hinata looked at the blocker in front of him in the air. Instead of spiking, he flicked his wrist and gently brushed the ball to the side of the blocker's hand.

The fighter is out of bounds!

The volleyball grazed Tendou Satoru's fingers and flew out of bounds.

The referee blew the whistle, and Karasuno scored.

Shiratorizawa 2:1 Karasuno.

"Well done, Hinata!" Tanaka rushed over and ruffled Hinata's hair.

Hyuga landed and excitedly waved his fist.

Lu Ren watched this scene from the back row, calculating the timing of Tian Tong Jue's jump.

"Monster intuition?" Lu Ren thought to himself, "This kind of illogical defense is most prone to system vulnerabilities."

The game continues.

Karasuno regained the serve.

Tobio Kageyama steps onto the service line.

He took a deep breath, tossed the ball up, and served a powerful jump serve.

The volleyball went straight to Hayato Yamagata, the libero in Shiratorizawa.

Hayato Yamagata received the ball steadily, delivering a perfect first pass.

"White cloth!"

Kenjiro Shirabu received the ball and, without hesitation, passed it to Ushijima again.

This is Shiratorizawa's tactic: simple, brutal, and efficient.

Ushima jumped from position four.

Hotaru Tsukishima and Tobio Kageyama form a double block.

"Block the straight line!" Tsukishima shouted.

Ushijima looked at the net in front of him from the air, without giving an inch. He exerted force with his left arm and smashed it hard into the gap between the two men's arms.

The volleyball broke through the block and landed in Karasuno's half of the court.

Shiratorizawa 3:1 Karasuno.

"That was too much power." Tsukishima landed, looking at his reddened arm, and gritted his teeth.

"Don't rush," Lu Ren stepped forward. "He just forcibly changed his spiking trajectory. As long as we force him to make more of these adjustments, his energy expenditure will increase exponentially. That's our goal."

Tsukishima adjusted his glasses: "Easy for you to say."

"Isn't that how you play games?" Lu Ren patted Tsukishima on the back, "Slowly whittling down the boss's health bar. Now, it's our turn to apply the debuffs."