Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

Karasuno's score caused a brief pause in Shiratorizawa's half. Kenjiro Shirabu's face was ashen. Being provoked by the opposing receiver was an experience he had never had before.

The referee blew his whistle, and the game continued.

The serve returned to Karasuno. Daichi Sawamura stood at the baseline, spun the volleyball twice in his hand, tossed it up, and hit it.

A standard overhand serve, landing directly on the left side of Shiratorizawa's backcourt.

Shion Ohira had already secured his position, raising his arms to steadily cushion the ball. "First pass in place!"

Kenjiro Shirabu quickly moved forward, his gaze not lingering on anyone for even a second, and pushed the ball directly to the right wing with both hands.

That is the absolute domain.

Ushijima Wakatoshi began his run-up. The floor vibrated with a dull thud.

Hotaru Tsukishima and Ryunosuke Tanaka quickly joined forces, forming a double block to try and shut down Ushijima's spiking route.

Ushima leaped into the air, his left arm taut like a bow. Facing a double block, he made no attempt to find an opening, swinging his arm heavily down to meet the blocker's attack.

"Bang!"

The volleyball struck Tanaka's forearm with such force that it knocked the blocker away, changing the ball's trajectory and sending it spinning as it slammed into Karasuno's backcourt.

The referee blows the whistle. Shiratorizawa 19:18 Karasuno.

Lu Ren stood near the baseline, watching the volleyball bouncing on the floor, and sighed almost imperceptibly.

"What a damn stat monster," he cursed inwardly.

This kind of pure brute force is utterly unreasonable. No matter how ingenious the tactical arrangements or how tight the defensive formation, it will often be overwhelmed by sheer brute force.

Lu Ren's mind raced as he calculated the physical exertion and margin for error for both sides.

"This is practically like war. I only have five hundred poorly equipped militiamen, while the other side has brought out one hundred thousand elite heavy infantry." Lu Ren rubbed his sore wrist. "However... there are precedents in history of five hundred men defeating one hundred thousand."

As long as we can wear down the enemy's commander, we can win this battle.

It's time for Ushijima Wakatoshi's turn to serve.

The atmosphere in the entire Sendai Gymnasium suddenly tensed up. Shiratorizawa's cheering squad erupted in unified chants, wave after wave of sound.

The atmosphere at Karasuno Stadium was frighteningly low.

Sawamura Daichi and Riku Ren spread out in a fan shape in the back row, ready for battle.

"We have to break his serve in one go." Lu Ren stared at the tall figure on the opposite baseline, his mind racing. "We absolutely cannot let this guy get into a rhythm, otherwise this game is over."

Ushijima stood outside the baseline, holding the volleyball in one hand, his gaze sweeping across Karasuno's half of the court.

Throw the ball, take a running start, and jump.

Like a ferocious beast leaping into the air, he swung his left arm in a wide arc, unleashing a powerful cannon shot.

The volleyball hurtled through the air with a terrifying whooshing sound, heading straight for Karasuno's right back corner.

Lu Ren reacted extremely quickly, using his legs to propel himself to the right. While Ushijima's smash was powerful, its trajectory was relatively predictable and lacked variation. As long as one could keep up with the speed and maintain position, they could return it.

He crossed his arms and pushed against it.

The moment he touched the ball, Lu Ren knew he was in trouble.

The ball's spin was too strong, its power exceeding his initial assessment. The volleyball struck his forearm, bounced off, and flew towards the stands outside the court.

"Out of bounds!"

The referee blows the whistle. Shiratorizawa 20:18 Karasuno.

Lu Ren shook his numb arms, his brows furrowing slightly.

Sawamura Daichi ran over and patted him on the shoulder: "Are you alright? That ball was too heavy."

"It's alright." Lu Ren flexed his wrists, his tone calm. "I'll take the next ball."

He nodded and returned to his seat.

Ushijima Wakatoshi once again stood on the line.

The air inside the stadium grew increasingly heavy. The cheers for Shiratorizawa grew even louder, as if prematurely announcing victory.

Ushijima throws the ball, jumps, and swings his arm.

It was another unrestrained, powerful jump shot.

The volleyball drew a straight white line, heading straight for Lu Ren.

Lu Ren stared intently at the ball's trajectory, his stubborn streak kicking in.

"Do you really think I'm an ATM?"

Instead of retreating, he advanced, facing the volleyball that came crashing down like a cannonball, lowering his center of gravity to its lowest point, and steadily cushioning the impact with both arms.

The immense impact traveled up his arm and through his entire body. Lu Ren gritted his teeth and used his abdominal muscles to forcefully deflect the force.

"It's connected!"

The volleyball soared high into the air, flying towards the net.

The first pass wasn't perfect, but it was high enough.

Tobio Kageyama had already rushed to the bottom of the ball. His brain completed an analysis of the situation on the field in a fraction of a second.

Ryunosuke Tanaka on the right is jumping, attracting Shiratorizawa's attention to block.

With a flick of his wrists, Kageyama sent the volleyball flying in a straight arc toward the left wing.

Dong Fengxu strode forward and leaped into the air. He released all the strength he had been holding back for a long time, swinging his right arm down heavily towards the ball.

"Bang!"

At the net, in front of Shiratorizawa, Tendo Satoru, relying on his illogical intuition, jumped up and touched the volleyball with his right hand in mid-air.

"Touch!" Tendo shouted.

The volleyball was slowed down and landed in the backcourt of Shiratorizawa.

Shion Ohira was well-prepared and made a solid first pass.

"White cloth!"

Kenjiro Shirabu quickly moved into position and, without the slightest hesitation, pushed the ball to the back row with both hands.

Ushijima Wakatoshi had already rushed in from outside the baseline and leaped high into the air.

Back row attack!

Even when jumping from beyond the three-meter line, Ushijima's spikes still carry a suffocating sense of oppression.

The volleyball flew over the net and headed straight for Karasuno's half of the court.

Lu Ren held the ball firmly in the back row. Instead of catching it head-on, he leaned back and used his arm to cushion the impact, raising the ball high.

"Again!" Lu Ren shouted.

At this moment, the situation on the field transformed into a power struggle between Lu Ren and Niu Dao from a distance.

One is an unreasonable numerical monster, the other is a tactical core skilled in calculation.

Kageyama Tobio ran to the bottom of the ball again, pushed it with both hands, and sent it to the middle.

Hotaru Tsukishima leaps.

Shiratorizawa's blocking action quickly followed.

Tsukishima saw the blocking hand in mid-air, and with a sudden flick of his wrist, instead of a spike, he delivered a delicate drop shot.

The volleyball cleared the block and landed in the empty area of ​​Shiratorizawa's half of the court.

Just as the ball was about to hit the ground, Tendou Satoru's red hair suddenly appeared in his field of vision, and he dove to save the ball, managing to keep it aloft.

"Good catch!" shouted Kenjiro Shirabu, passing the ball to the right wing again.

Ushijima Wakatoshi had already landed, and without any pause, he took another run-up and jumped.

"Is this guy a perpetual motion machine?" Lu Ren cursed inwardly, but his feet moved without hesitation.

Udo waves his arm in the air.

Higashimine Asahi and Tanaka Ryunosuke block the ball together.

At the moment of contact with the ball, Dongfeng deliberately pulled his wrist back slightly, completing an effective soft block.

"One touch!"

The volleyball lost some of its power but was still extremely fast, slamming into Karasuno's back row.

Lu Ren was already waiting there, his arms crossed, and he steadily lifted the ball up once again.

The continuous high-intensity saves made his breathing heavy, and the muscles in his arms trembled slightly due to excessive blood flow.

"Kageyama!" Lu Ren roared.

Kageyama Tobi understood immediately, holding the ball with both hands and scanning the net with his eyes.

Shiratorizawa's defensive focus had been somewhat scattered due to the continuous attacks.

Kageyama passed the ball to the left wing.

Ryunosuke Tanaka strode forward and leaped into the air. His eyes widened as he faced the still-forming Shiratorizawa net, and he swung his right arm in a wide arc, bringing it down heavily.

"Get over here!"

The volleyball broke through the defense and landed in Shiratorizawa's half of the court.

The referee blew his whistle and gestured towards Karasuno.

Shiratorizawa 20:19 Karasuno.

A deafening cheer erupted from the Karasuno bench.

Lu Ren stood in the back row, trying hard to suppress his heavy breathing. He straightened up, patted the dust off his jersey, and his expression was calm and composed, without even a frown.

Only he knew that his back teeth were almost ground to dust.

Those two arms now felt as heavy as lead, and every time they touched Ushijima's spike, it was like catching a discus falling from an upper floor.

On the other side of the net.

Ushijima turned around nimbly.

He didn't look at the volleyball lying on the floor, but instead turned his gaze to Karasuno's back row, landing on the boy wearing the number 13 jersey.

Ushima's breathing remained steady, not a single drop of sweat breaking out. He stared coldly at Riku, his eyes showing neither anger nor remorse.

Yes, but it's an extremely rare emotion.

In all his years playing volleyball, he's encountered countless so-called geniuses and defensive experts. But among his peers, very few can withstand his powerful spikes multiple times in a row and still mount an effective counterattack.

What's more, the other party looked like he was in a very easy and annoying situation.

Ushijima clenched his left fist, feeling the lingering sensation of hitting the ball in his palm.

A long-lost emotion called "excitement" began to spread in the blood of this absolute king.

The competition has only just begun to heat up.

The players from both sides returned to their positions.

Looking at Niu Island across the way, Lu Ren keenly sensed the change in the other party's aura.

"This is troublesome," Lu Ren muttered to himself. "It seems this BOSS has entered the second phase."

He turned to look at Kageyama in the front row and made a gesture.

"Chimera system, operating at full power."

Since we can't win in terms of numbers, we'll use mechanics to completely crush the opponent.

The serve returned to Karasuno.

Hinata Shoyo stood on the sidelines, holding the substitution sign.

Lu Ren retreated to the back row, adjusting his breathing rhythm. He knew that every round from now on would be a tug-of-war between physical and mental limits.

Shiratorizawa's defense was impenetrable, and Ushijima's offense was even more unstoppable.

But Karasuno has never been afraid of fighting tough battles.

"Come on, let's see if your spear is sharper or my shield is stronger." Lu Ren stared at the opposite half of the court, constantly deducing the next tactical direction in his mind.

This battle for supremacy in Miyagi Prefecture has reached its most critical juncture.