Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The stadium's dome lights shone on the wooden floor, and the echoes of the whistle had not yet faded.

Sawamura Daichi stood at the net, looking down at his hands. His palms were slick with sweat. Three years. From a dilapidated club that struggled to even gather six players for practice matches, to standing on the highest podium in Miyagi Prefecture today.

Sugawara Koji pounced on Daichi from behind and grabbed him by the neck. Tears streamed down Daichi's back.

Dong Fengxu squatted on the ground, covering his face with his hands, his shoulders sobbing. This usually fierce-looking ace was crying louder than anyone else.

"We won..." Sugawara's voice was completely hoarse as he repeated the two words incoherently.

Daichi hugged Sugawara and Higashimine backhand, and the three third-year students rolled around in the middle of the field, crying without any regard for their image.

Lu Ren didn't get involved. He lay sprawled on the floor near the baseline, his chest heaving violently, each breath carrying the metallic scent of blood. His stamina bar was long gone; he didn't even have the strength to move a finger.

There was another face above my field of vision.

Hotaru Tsukishima pushed up her sports glasses and looked down at Lu Ren on the ground.

"You look terrible," Tsukishima said.

Lu Ren rolled his eyes, saving himself the energy to retort.

Tsukishima turned his head and looked at the substitutes' bench, where Tadashi Yamaguchi, Hisashi Kinoshita, and Kazuhito Narita were celebrating.

"Feed it." Tsukishima beckoned, "Come and lend a hand."

Several people ran over and looked at Lu Ren on the ground.

"What?" Lu Ren became alert.

"Heroes deserve hero treatment." Tsukishima's glasses reflected the light as he gave a malicious smile.

He bent down and grabbed Lu Ren's right ankle. Seeing this, Yamaguchi Tadashi immediately understood and grabbed Lu Ren's left ankle. Kinoshita and Narita supported Lu Ren's arms on either side.

"What the hell? What are you doing? Let go!" Lu Ren panicked and struggled to get up.

With all four people exerting their strength at the same time, they lifted Lu Ren into the air.

"No, no, no! I'm afraid of heights! Put me down!" Lu Ren kicked and thrashed about, looking like a turtle whose shell had been flipped over.

Ryunosuke Tanaka and Yu Nishitani suddenly appeared out of nowhere, each standing on one side to protect him.

"Let's go! Let's parade through the streets!" Tanaka yelled at the top of his lungs.

A bizarre scene unfolded at Karasuno's half. A group of people, waving their arms and legs wildly, began to parade around the edge of the field. The Karasuno supporters in the stands erupted in laughter, and Kiyosawa Masayuki was doubled over with laughter in the stands, frantically taking pictures with her phone.

"Tsukishima, you bastard, I'll remember you! Once I regain my strength, I'll kill you!" Lu Ren's screams echoed in the gymnasium.

Tsukishima walked in front, pretending not to hear.

On the other side of the net, the atmosphere was completely different.

There were no tears, no complaints. The Shiratorizawa team members silently picked up the water bottles and towels on the ground.

Tendou Satoru stood in front of the net, his hands in his pockets, watching the noisy Karasuno group on the other side.

"Goodbye, my paradise," he murmured softly.

His three-year high school volleyball career came to an end here. It would be a lie to say he had no regrets, but he played with complete gusto. Those unpredictable instincts, those unreasonable blocks, all remained on this court.

Shion Ohira walked over and patted Tendo on the back. The two exchanged a glance, said nothing, and turned to walk towards the substitutes' bench.

Wu Segong stood still, biting his lower lip tightly.

Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably, hitting the floor. He was unwilling to accept it. In terms of absolute strength and physical attributes, Shiratorizawa completely overwhelmed their opponents. Why did they end up losing?

A broad, thick hand pressed down on the top of Wu Se's head.

Goshiki raised his head. Ushijima Wakatoshi was standing in front of him.

This absolute overlord, who had ruled Miyagi Prefecture for three years, still showed little emotion on his face. He didn't look at the victor; his gaze remained fixed on the junior student in front of him.

"Don't cry," Ushijima said, his voice so calm that you couldn't tell he had just gone through a five-inning battle.

Wu Se hastily wiped her face, but the more she wiped, the more tears she shed.

"If you lack the strength, you will lose. That's the nature of competition." Ushijima withdrew his hand. "The future of Shiratorizawa is in your hands, ace."

Wu Se's body suddenly stiffened.

trump card.

This was the title he had always dreamed of. He had challenged Ushijima countless times, wanting to take this position. Now, Ushijima had personally handed the title to him.

"Yes!" Wu Se shouted hoarsely, tears streaming down her face. "I will definitely become an ace who surpasses you!"

Ushijima nodded slightly and turned to walk towards the queuing area.

On the sidelines, Hawkmaster Kaji leaned on his cane, his gaze passing over the net and landing on the orange-haired boy who was high-fiving Nishitani Yu.

Hinata Shoyo.

She's less than 1.65 meters tall. In volleyball, a sport where height is absolutely paramount, this height is a cardinal sin.

Washi looked at Hinata, his gaze somewhat unfocused. He recalled his youth, when he was rejected because of his height. He spent his entire life proving that only by honing strength and height to their limits could one achieve victory.

Today, this rule has been broken.

It was disrupted by a group of Karasuno who had no rules and were cobbled together with all sorts of strange skills and so-called "tactical mechanisms".

The old coach tightened his grip on his cane.

"Young man," the Eagle Craftsman murmured to himself, "I will use my decades-long volleyball career to prove you wrong. On the path of volleyball, you won't go far with just that kind of flashy quick attack."

He turned around, his back to the court.

"However, I sincerely hope that you can overturn my judgment."

High up in the audience seating area.

Oikawa Tetsu stood up and slung his coat over his shoulder.

"Let's go, Iwaizumi."

Iwaizumi glanced at him and asked, "Aren't you going to watch the awards ceremony?"

"What are you looking at? At those crows looking so smug?" Oikawa Tetsu curled his lip. "Utterly boring. Ushijima actually lost too. He's really getting worse as he gets older."

Iwaizumi didn't expose him. Oikawa Tetsu had his hands in his pockets, his nails almost digging into his palms.

Aoba Castle West fell in the semifinals. Shiratorizawa fell in the finals.

The old order of Miyagi Prefecture has been completely overturned today.

Oikawa Toru turned and walked towards the exit, his back view revealing a stubborn resentment.

The awards ceremony has concluded.

The passageway outside Sendai Gymnasium was packed with people.

Lu Ren walked very slowly. His legs felt like they were made of lead, and his thigh muscles protested with every step. Qingze Yazhi supported him by one arm, half-pulling and half-dragging him forward.

"Weren't you quite energetic when you were flying in the sky just now?" Ya-Chih teased.

"That's the will to survive." Lu Ren rolled his eyes. "If you laugh again, I'll delete all the videos you secretly recorded."

"You dare!" Ya-zhi glared at him.

The two were arguing when their path suddenly became blocked.

A group of audience members who had just left the theater formed a semicircle, pointing and whispering as they looked towards the corner of the corridor.

"Is that Jichuan in Qingcheng?"

"And Ushijima Island in Shiratorizawa."

"How did they end up facing off? The atmosphere is terrifying."

Lu Ren raised an eyebrow. The entertainment industry's radar instantly activated.

He patted Yazhi's hand, signaling her to let go. Dragging his aching legs, he forced his way through the gaps in the crowd.

In the middle of the corridor.

Oikawa Toru and Ushijima Wakatoshi stood facing each other.

Oikawa Tetsu wore his signature fake smile, but his eyes were icy cold. Ushijima was expressionless, like an impenetrable wall.

"I'm truly amazed that you could lose to a team like that, Ushijima," Oikawa Toru said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Karasano is very strong," Ushijima replied seriously. "They won, that's a fact."

Oikawa Tetsu was most annoyed by Ushijima's unyielding attitude. Just as he was about to continue speaking, a voice suddenly interrupted from the side.

"What are you talking about? Count me in."

Oikawa Toru and Ushijima turned their heads at the same time.

Lu Ren, wearing Karasuno's number 13 jersey, strolled leisurely between the two with his hands in his pockets.

The surrounding audience gasped. Karasuno's tactical mastermind, the guy who had just tormented Shiratorizawa to the point of near death on the field, had just walked into the battleground between the two losers without any warning.

"What are you doing here?" Oikawa Tetsu's fake smile vanished, and his face darkened.

Ushima looked at Lu Ren without saying a word.

Lu Ren's gaze swept over the two faces. One was a setter as precise as a supercomputer, the other a berserker with maxed-out stats.

If these two people were put into the "Chimera" system...

Lu Ren licked his dry lips. His collector's instincts were kicking in.

"Come join my team," Lu Ren said, his voice not loud, but clearly heard by everyone around him. "Oikawa Toru, Ushijima Wakatoshi."

The corridor became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Oikawa Toru was stunned. Ushijima also frowned slightly.

"Have you lost your mind?" Oikawa Tetsu laughed angrily. "You want me to go to Karasuno? To be a substitute for that dictatorial king?"

"Don't rush to refuse." Lu Ren took a step forward, closing in on Oikawa Tetsu. "The system in Aoba City West is too rigid. You're a genius, but you're bound by that so-called 'teamwork.' As for you..."

Lu Ren turned to look at Niu Dao.

"Shiratorizawa's 'absolute power' is a joke. Putting all the pressure on one person, is that tactical? That's just being lazy."

Lu Ren laughed out loud, extremely arrogant.

"The land west of Shiratorizawa and Aoba Castle is barren. Flowers cannot bloom there."

Upon hearing this, Oikawa Tetsu's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Take back what you just said." Oikawa Tetsu gritted his teeth, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

Ushijima's eyes also turned dangerous.

Lu Ren shrugged, showing no intention of apologizing.

Just as the atmosphere was tense and about to escalate into a full-blown fight, an old but powerful voice came from behind Lu Ren.

"I can't pretend I didn't hear that, Karasuno's number 13."

Lu Ren turned around.

The entire Shiratorizawa group stood there in neat rows. Tendo Satoru, Ohira Shione, Shirabu Kenjiro… all eyes were fixed on Riku Ren.

Standing at the very front was the hawk-smith blacksmith, leaning on his cane.

The old coach walked forward step by step, the sound of his cane tapping the ground echoing in the corridor.

He stopped in front of Lu Ren, his cloudy yet sharp eyes staring at the arrogant young man.

"Barren land?" the vulture scoffed. "Such arrogance."

Lu Ren abandoned his nonchalant attitude and stood up straight. He still showed basic respect to this veteran who had dedicated decades to volleyball in Miyagi Prefecture.

"A single victory doesn't mean anything." Eagle Artisan looked at Lu Ren, his tone stern. "Whether it's a system or tactics, volleyball is ultimately a sport about spiking the ball onto the other side of the court."

The old coach gripped his cane tightly.

"Young man, if you want to prove that flowers can bloom on the land of Karasuno," the Eagle Craftsman said, enunciating each word clearly, "then keep winning and show me. Prove your methods are correct on the national stage."

The air in the corridor was extremely tense.

Oikawa Tetsu looked at Lu Ren, Ushijima looked at Lu Ren, and Shiratorizawa and the others were all looking at Lu Ren.

Lu Ren met the gaze of the vulture craftsman.

He did not back down, nor did he continue to make threats.

He smiled.

It was a pure, ecstatic smile, the kind that comes from a player receiving a ticket to a new dungeon.

Lu Ren bent down and bowed respectfully to the eagle-carving craftsman at a ninety-degree angle.

"I definitely will." Lu Ren straightened up, his gaze sweeping over everyone in front of him. "In the National Tournament, we will be the first to kill all the bosses."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards Qingze Yazhi, who was standing not far away.

"Let's go, Yazhi. Let's go back and work on the new strategy."

The two walked away side by side.

In the corridor, the former kings stood rooted to the spot, watching that retreating figure for a long time. A new storm was already blowing towards Tokyo.