Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The stadium lights shone directly onto the wooden floor, reflecting a blinding brightness. The numbers on the scoreboard were glaringly red.

Gong You stood behind the baseline, toying with a volleyball in his hand. The countdown to the eight-second serve rule ticked on the referee's stopwatch. In the stands, Sagara crossed his arms, and the entire brass band from Inarizaki remained silent. On the other side, Lu Jianguo and Grandpa Zhang put down their suonas and opened their thermos cups to drink water.

The agreement is in effect. The silence before the whistle to serve made the atmosphere on the court even more tense.

Gong You throws the ball, takes a running start, and jumps.

The volleyball is struck by the palm at its highest point, without spin, and its trajectory is unpredictable. This is a jump float ball.

Yuu Nishiya lowered her center of gravity, her eyes fixed on the ball's trajectory. After clearing the net, the ball suddenly dipped erratically, heading straight for Nishiya's left shoulder.

"Mine!" Nishiya moved sideways, brought his arms together, and forcefully used the side of his forearm to cushion the ball.

One and a half passes were made.

Kageyama Tobio quickly moved in, jumping near the three-meter line. Hyuga Shoyo started simultaneously, cutting into the middle from the right bottom corner, his speed so fast that he was just a blur.

Inarizaki's blockers, Ren Ohtomi and Rintaro Kakunana, were pulled away by Hinata's movement, causing their centers of gravity to shift by a fraction of a second.

Kageyama's finger touched the ball, but the ball flew towards the left wing.

Dong Fengxu faced a single block and swung his arm for a powerful spike. The volleyball struck the outside of the corner player's wrist and bounced out of bounds.

"Strikeman out of bounds!" Tanaka Ryunosuke shouted, raising his arms.

23:20.

Karasuno is just two points away from winning the first game.

Coach Blackbeard sat on the sidelines, legs crossed, his expression unchanged. He raised his hand and made a tactical gesture.

Inarizaki's position on the field has been slightly adjusted.

It was Karasuno's turn to serve. Kageyama Tobio stepped to the baseline and unleashed a powerful jump serve aimed directly at Inarisaki's back row. Libero Akagi Jimai made a diving save, raising the ball high.

"Make amends!" Akagi shouted.

Gong You raised his head while running, leaned back, and touched the ball with both hands. This was an extremely difficult back pass.

Gong Zhi jumped from the back row, facing the trajectory of the ball, and swung his arm in a wide arc in the air.

Hotaru Tsukishima and Daichi Sawamura formed a double block, sealing off the straight line. Miyaji flipped his wrist in mid-air, hitting a tiny diagonal shot.

The volleyball grazed Tsukishima's fingers and slammed heavily into Karasuno's three-meter line.

23:21.

Lu Ren stood in the back row and shook his wrist.

Inarisaki Dual-Core System: Extremely High Fault Tolerance.

In that last play, Akagi's first pass wasn't perfect, but Miya Yu used unconventional passing skills to turn a bad ball into an excellent attacking opportunity. The core of this system lies in the seamless connection between the twins.

The game continues.

Alan serves. A powerful jump serve, the ball speed approaching 110 kilometers per hour.

Daichi Sawamura received the pass steadily and made a perfect first pass.

Karasuno initiated a multi-point cross-run. Lu Ren sped up from the back row, pretending to participate in the fast break, but actually creating space for Tanaka Ryunosuke.

Kageyama passed the ball to Tanaka. Facing the block from Ooharu, Tanaka chose to shoot straight down the line.

The volleyball hit the floor with a dull thud.

24-21. Karasuno reaches game point.

The Karasuno supporters in the stands erupted in cheers. Lu Xin, holding a megaphone, shouted in Sichuan dialect, "Take it!"

Inarisaki did not call a timeout.

Miyaji stood in front of the net and glanced at Miyayu. The two did not speak, nor did they exchange glances.

Karasuno serves, and Tsukishima Hotaru's jump float shot finds her target. The ball is aimed at Oshiro Aran.

Alan mishandled the ball, and it flew directly over the net, becoming a tip shot.

Hinata Shoyo leaped high into the air, preparing to smash the ball directly.

At the same moment Hinata swung his arm, Miya Yu jumped from the other side of the net and pressed the ball back with one hand.

In the net battle, Gong You emerged victorious.

24:22.

Inarizaki saved a set point.

Rintaro Kakuna serves. He chooses a short ball to the front zone, aiming directly at Shoyo Hyuga.

Hinata hastily dives to save the ball, and the first pass is high.

Kageyama Tobio was forced to deal with the half-high ball at the net. He opted for a second attack, lobbing the ball with one hand towards Inarizaki's open space.

Akagi Jiro reacted extremely quickly, scooping up the ball with one hand.

Miya Yu takes possession of the ball and passes it to Oshiro Aran on the left wing. Facing a three-man block, Oshiro Aran uses her pure physical strength to forcefully spike the ball over her arm.

The volleyball hit Lu Ren's blind spot in defense.

24:23.

Coach Uyang stood up and walked to the sidelines. He didn't call a timeout, handing over the authority to handle crucial plays to the players on the court.

Lu Ren took a deep breath, his chest heaving. The intense mental calculations combined with running all over the field were rapidly depleting his stamina.

"Tighten the defensive formation." Lu Ren gave the tactical hand signal. "Play straight, block diagonal."

Rintaro Kakuna serves again. This time it's a long ball aimed at the chest.

Daichi Sawamura receives the ball and makes a perfect pass.

Kageyama Tobio passed the ball to Higashimine Asahi. Higashimine Asahi jumped and spiked the ball with all his might, facing Inarizaki's double block.

The blocks by Daeren and Miyako were perfectly aligned. The volleyball struck the blocker's hands and bounced straight back to Karasuno's half of the court.

Stop them.

24 to 24. A draw.

The atmosphere inside was oppressive, making it hard to breathe. Every breath was mixed with the heavy smell of sweat and the ear-piercing sound of sneakers rubbing against the plastic floor.

The game entered into a tug-of-war with endless scoring.

Karasuno attacks. Hyuga Shoyo uses a "thump" jump, pauses in mid-air, avoids the block, and scores with a spike.

25:24.

Inarizaki counterattacks. The Miya brothers unleash a "twin fast attack," with Miya Osamu passing the ball and Miya Yu spiked it, their speed so fast that Karasuno's block simply couldn't take shape.

25:25.

Lu Ren observed the Gong brothers' positioning from the back row.

[System notification: Enemy core processing speed increased.]

The Miya brothers' teamwork is getting faster and faster; they've turned volleyball into a race. Karasuno must keep up with this pace, or they'll be worn down.

Ryunosuke Tanaka scores with a spike. 26-25.

Alan's powerful attack went out of bounds. 26-26.

The score was neck and neck. Both teams were pushing themselves to the limit, and it was a battle of who would make the first mistake.

Gong You serves.

He stood at the baseline, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing. The eight-second rule countdown began.

Throw the ball, jump, swing your arm.

A powerful, explosive jump serve. The volleyball, spinning intensely, hurtled straight towards Lu Ren.

Lu Ren stepped back, bringing his arms together. The ball was too fast; he could only rely on anticipation to position himself.

The volleyball struck Lu Ren's forearm, the force of which made his arm go numb. The ball bounced high, flying towards Karasuno's half of the court.

"Sorry, the first pass was too long!" Lu Ren shouted.

The ball flew past the three-meter line and headed straight for the baseline.

Kageyama Tobio turned and sprinted, diving to save the ball just before it hit the ground, and using one hand to push the ball towards the net.

That was a bad shot. The ball wasn't high enough and was too close to the net.

Without hesitation, Hinata Shoyo jumped. He was going to deal with this mess in mid-air.

Ren and Rintaro jumped simultaneously, their double block sealing off all of Hinata's attack routes.

Instead of swinging his arm in the air, Hinata gently poked the bottom of the volleyball with his fingertip.

Combining hitting and hanging.

The volleyball floated past the blocker's fingertips and landed lightly in the open space in Inarizaki's front zone.

Just as the ball was about to hit the ground, Akagi slid close to the ground and used the back of his hand to cushion the ball.

"Well done!" Gong You shouted.

The ball soared into the air. Miyaji made a run from the back row, ready to pass the ball.

Karasuno's blockers moved quickly to mark Oshiro Aran and Kakuna.

Miyaji touched the ball with both hands in mid-air, but instead of passing it to the main attacker, he passed it back to the right wing.

Gong You cut in at high speed from the right wing, jumped, and smashed the ball.

Twins Fast Attack - Reverse.

The volleyball hit the Karasuno court with a crisp sound.

27-26. Inarizaki reaches game point.

Lu Ren wiped the sweat from his forehead.

[Logical misdirection successful.]

The Miya brothers exploited Karasuno's fear of Oshiro and orchestrated a perfect scheme. Miyaji's positioning and eye contact deceived all the blockers.

"These guys are treating this competition like a two-player online game," Lu Ren muttered to himself.

Karasuno requested a pause.

Coach Wuyang, holding a tactical board, quickly arranged the defense: "The Gong brothers' reverse fast break is very difficult to defend. We can't let them lead us. Tsukishima, you don't need to worry about Gong You, just keep a close eye on the corner. Rikuren, the backcourt defense is your responsibility, expand the defensive area."

The team members nodded.

The timeout ended, and both teams returned to the court.

Gong You continues serving.

He tossed the ball and jumped. This time, instead of opting for a powerful jump serve, he hit a float serve aimed at his opponent.

The target is Dongfeng Xu.

Dong Fengxu received the ball and made a perfect pass.

Kageyama Tobio passes the ball to Hyuga Shoyo. Hyuga jumps, preparing for a fast break.

Big Ear is practicing one-on-one defense against Hyuga. Hyuga forcibly changes the trajectory of his spike in mid-air, hitting it diagonally.

The volleyball was caught by Akagi Jisei.

Inarizaki retaliates.

Miya Yu passed the ball to Kaminari Rintaro.

Kei Tsukishima remembered Coach Ukai's instructions and kept a close eye on Kakunami. He jumped, keeping his hands in a contracted position, waiting for Kakunami to make his move in the air.

Kakuna twisted his waist in the air, preparing to avoid Tsukishima's net.

Tsukishima seized the opportunity, extending his arm straight up and precisely positioning it on the corner's spike trajectory.

The volleyball hit Tsukishima's hand and bounced back to Inarisaki's half of the court.

"Good job stopping them!" Daichi Sawamura shouted.

Miyaji dove to save the ball and propped it up.

Alan, the last player, jumped from the back row to handle a half-high ball.

Lu Ren moved to the ball's landing point in advance and caught it steadily.

"Counterattack!" Kageyama Tobio passed the ball.

Ryunosuke Tanaka jumped from the left wing, facing Inarizaki's double block, and smashed the ball with all his might.

Da Erlian and Gong You's netting was perfectly aligned.

The volleyball hit the blocker's hand and bounced straight back to Karasuno's half of the court.

Stop them.

The referee blew his whistle and pointed his arm in the direction of Inarizaki.

28:26.

The first game is over. Inarizaki wins.

A deafening roar erupted from the stadium. Sagara picked up the baton again, and the Inarizaki brass band played a victory march.

The Karasuno players stood on the field, panting heavily.

Lu Ren shook his aching arms and glanced at the Gong brothers opposite him.

Gong You was giving Gong Zhi a high-five, and neither of them showed much fatigue on their faces.

"The mechanism is strange," Lu Ren commented.

This team's core strategy is too perfect. The presence of the Miya brothers gives Inarisaki's tactical arsenal endless variables. Although Karasuno's "Chimera" tactic can keep the score close, Inarisaki has a higher margin for error in handling crucial points.

"Stop spacing out, switch sides." Daichi Sawamura patted Riku on the shoulder.

The entire Karasuno team walked to the sidelines.

Coach Uyang handed over a towel and a water bottle. "You played well. The first game was just a probe; we've already figured out half of their hand."

Lu Ren took the water bottle and gulped down a large mouthful.

"Coach, their dual-core system has a fatal weakness," Lu Ren said, looking at the tactics board.

Coach Ukai looked up: "What weakness?"

"Memory overflow." Lu Ren tapped the Gong brothers' positions on the tactical board with his fingertip. "They are extremely good at handling bad balls, but this requires a lot of mental and physical effort. As long as we continue to disrupt their first pass and force them to make constant high-difficulty pass corrections, their system will eventually crash."

Hotaru Tsukishima adjusted her glasses: "That's easy to say. Their libero is very good at receiving the ball."

"Then let's avoid the libero." Lu Ren looked at Kageyama Tobio and Yamaguchi Tadashi, "Use your serves to target their outside hitters. If the first pass is inaccurate, the Miya brothers will have to run and pass the ball. The more they run, the higher their error rate will be."

Kageyama Tobio nodded.

In the stands, Lu Jianguo looked at the score on the big screen and clicked his tongue.

"Old Zhang, this Japanese kid's got some skills. We didn't win the first round," Lu Jianguo said.

Grandpa Zhang patted the suona in his hand: "What's there to be afraid of? The best is yet to come. When we serve later, I'll play 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix' for them to cheer them up."

Lu Xin put down the megaphone and looked at Lu Ren in the audience. She could tell that Lu Ren was very excited.

That's a special status effect that players have when they encounter a high-difficulty boss.

The three-minute break between sets ended quickly.

The referee blew his whistle, and both teams returned to the field.

The second game begins.

Karasuno High School vs. Inarisaki High School.

Lu Ren stood in the back row and stretched his ankles. The loss in the first round did not frustrate him; instead, it fueled his competitive spirit to dismantle the opponent's system.

The volleyball hit the floor.

The whistle blows to serve.

The game continues.