Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The bright lights from the top of the venue shone on the wooden floor, reflecting dazzling bright spots.

The scoreboard flips over, 19 to 17. Inarizaki leads by two points.

The intense running had drained the oxygen from the air. Lu Ren gasped for breath, sweat dripping from his nose onto the floor. In the final stages of the game, both players were nearing their limits, but neither intended to slow down.

This is inherently a meat grinder-like tug-of-war.

Inarizaki serves. Big Ear practices serving.

The ball went over the net. Daichi Sawamura lowered his center of gravity and steadily lifted the ball with both arms.

"The pass is perfect!"

Kageyama Tobio quickly slid to the ball. Karasuno's multi-pronged attack started simultaneously. Tanaka Ryunosuke cut in from the left wing, Riku Jin flanked from the right wing, and Hyuga Shoyo positioned himself in the middle, ready to jump.

Gong You stared at Ying Shan's movements, his brain racing with calculations.

With a flick of his wrist, Kageyama passed the ball to the center. Hyuga leaped to meet the ball and swung his arm.

"Bang!"

Rintaro Kakuna and Osamu Miya's double block arrived just in time, the volleyball hit Kakuna's arm, bounced high, and landed back in Karasuno's half of the court.

"One touch!" Nishitani Yu shouted, sliding along the floor to save the ball.

The ball flew into the air, but it was in a bad position, close to the marker pole.

Lu Ren made a run from the back row, jumped on one foot, and forcefully twisted his body in the air to pass the ball to Inarisaki's half.

This is an opportunity.

Inarizaki libero Akagi Jisei easily passed the ball to Miya Yu.

The counterattack begins.

Miya Yu stood at the net, her fingers lightly touching the volleyball. At that moment, Inarizaki's entire front row attacking force pressed forward.

Rintaro Kakuna ran down the middle, while Miyaji cut in from the right wing, the two switching positions at the net. The extremely complex running route created a gust of wind.

Hotaru Tsukishima closely watched Yu Miyako's passing hand gesture.

"A twin fast break?" The thought flashed through Tsukishima's mind. Miyaji's jump timing and Miyayu's pass were perfectly synchronized, which was their most effective scoring method.

Sawamura Daichi and Tsukishima Kei jumped simultaneously, forming a double block to block Miyaji's spike route.

However, Miyako's fingers made an extremely subtle pause the moment they touched the ball.

The ball was not passed to Miyaji.

The volleyball traced a gentle arc in the air, soaring over the chaotic defensive crowd at the net and flying towards the left wing.

There, Oobi Alan had already completed his run-up.

"Oh no!" Sawamura Daichi realized he had been tricked while in the air.

Karasuno's right flank defense was completely exposed. Their blockers were taken away by Miyaji and Kakuna, Nishitani Yu's view was blocked in the back row, and Rikujin was tied up on the other side.

Before Wei Bai Alan lay an open field with no obstructions.

This top-five spiker in the country displayed terrifying core strength in the air. He leaned back, his right arm like a fully drawn bow.

Coach Kurosu nodded slightly on the sidelines. This was Inarizaki's trump card: using an extremely flashy twin fast attack as bait to create one-on-one or even open-net opportunities for the real ace.

Alan swung his arm and slammed his palm heavily onto the volleyball.

The sound of the ball being hit echoed through the empty stadium.

The ball was extremely fast, carrying terrifying power, heading straight for the blank area between the three-meter line and the baseline in Karasuno's half of the court.

Once the ball lands, the score will become 20-17, and Inarizaki will completely control the match point rhythm of the second game.

Just when everyone thought the ball was doomed, an orange figure suddenly appeared in the empty space.

Hinata Shoyo.

He was originally setting a screen at the net, but the moment Gong You passed the ball, he abandoned his front-row defense and turned to sprint towards the backcourt.

Without hesitation or doubt, it was entirely driven by instinct, coupled with the muscle memory formed by the thousands of falls during the special training in Guangdong.

"The ball will land here."

Hinata recalled the angry roar of the provincial team's dark-faced libero: "Don't chase the ball! Go to where the ball is landing and wait for it!"

He stopped abruptly, his sneakers screeching as they rubbed against the floor.

Hyuga spreads his legs apart, lowers his center of gravity to the lowest point, brings his arms together, and presses his wrists down.

Ooshiro Aran's heavy slam came whistling through the air and smashed into Hyuga's face.

In the past, Hyuga would either dodge or catch the ball with his face when faced with such a ball. But now, he stares intently at the trajectory of the volleyball, advancing instead of retreating, his arm actively meeting the ball.

"Bang!"

A dull thud resounded.

The volleyball struck Hinata's forearm. The immense impact sent Hinata sliding half a meter backward, leaving two black rubber marks on the floor with his shoes.

But he did not fall.

The arm's cushioning absorbed most of the force of Alan's spike. The volleyball bounced high, tracing a perfect parabola in the air, and flew steadily towards the center of the net.

The pass was delivered perfectly.

The entire room fell silent instantly.

In the stands, the Inarizaki band forgot to play, and Sagara's mouth dropped open, his trumpet almost falling to the ground.

In Karasuno's half of the field, Sawamura Daichi had just landed when he turned around and looked at the small orange-clad figure still in a receiving position, his face full of astonishment.

Hotaru Tsukishima's hand, which was pushing up her glasses, froze in mid-air.

Ryunosuke Tanaka rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating.

How could Hyuga Shoyo, who could only jump and dunk and whose ball-catching skills were terrible, perfectly receive a powerful dunk from a national-level outside hitter? And this was even after he was completely shaken off the defense.

Lu Ren stood in the back row and shook his wrist. He knew in his heart that the results of the special training in Guangdong had finally been realized on this national stage.

"nice shot."

At the net, Tobio Kageyama's voice broke the silence on the court.

It consists of only two words. There are no unnecessary embellishments.

But for Kageyama, an extremely picky setter, those two words were the highest level of praise.

Hinata Shoyo got up from the ground, shook his numb arm, and grinned: "I caught it!"

"Don't stand there! Attack!" Lu Ren shouted, pulling everyone back to reality from their shock.

Karasuno's counterattack machine has been activated.

Kageyama Tobio stood under the ball, looking up at it in mid-air. The ball was received so smoothly; the height, spin, and landing point were all in his most comfortable position.

Without any further adjustments, Kageyama's hands touched the volleyball.

Inarizaki's defense hadn't recovered from the shock of Oshiro Aran being stopped. The Miya brothers quickly retreated to defend, with Kakuna Rintaro lurking in front of the net, trying to anticipate Kageyama's passing route.

"Left side? Right side? Or back row?" The character's brain raced.

Kageyama didn't look at any of the attackers. He flicked his wrist and pushed the ball to the highest point in front of the net.

There, Hinata Shoyo, who was just receiving the ball in the backcourt, had somehow rushed to the net.

"Thump!"

Hinata stomped heavily on the floor, converting the forward momentum into upward kinetic energy.

He leaped into the air, soaring above the height of the net.

Miya Yu and Kakuna Rintaro hastily jumped to block, but their hands only reached Hinata's chest.

Hinata looked down from the air at Inarizaki's half of the field. There were no obstacles in front of her.

Swing your arm and smash the ball.

The volleyball slammed into Inarizaki's half of the court, within three meters of the goal line, with a loud bang.

19:18.

Karasuno pulled one back.

The referee blows the whistle; the score is valid.

There was a two-second silence in the stadium, followed by deafening cheers.

In the stands, Lu Jianguo tossed aside the sunflower seeds in his hand, jumped up, and slapped his thigh: "Great! That little dwarf's catching skills are something else! That way of deflecting the ball just now had a Tai Chi feel to it!"

Holding a megaphone, Lu Xin shouted into the arena, "Wuye, rise up! Take another point!"

Grandpa Zhang raised his suona, about to blow it twice in celebration, but Lu Jianguo pressed him down: "Old Zhang, calm down, the ball hasn't been served yet, don't break the rules."

On the sidelines, Coach Ukai held his head in his hands, his eyes wide open. He turned to Coach Takeda and stammered, "Coach, did Hyuga... use some kind of magic just now?"

Coach Takeda adjusted his glasses, his voice brimming with excitement: "It's not magic, Coach. It's the result of Lu Ren taking him to China for special training. This kid has made up for his defensive weaknesses."

In the rest area of ​​Inarizaki, Coach Kurosu Hōmō's composure finally crumbled. He sat up straight, his gaze fixed on Hyuga Shōyō.

"Using the twins' fast break as bait, Alan's powerful spike was actually defended one-on-one by a middle blocker?" Coach Blackbeard stroked his chin. "This demonic blade of Karasuno has even had its scabbard forged now."

On the field, the Inarizaki players looked serious.

Gong You stared at Hinata, his eyes flashing with danger. His carefully laid-back tactical plan had been ruined by a small guy he looked down on the most.

"Hey, Zhi," Gong You said in a low voice, "that number 10 over there is getting in the way."

Miyaji wiped his sweat: "He moved ahead of time on that last pass. He anticipated your passing route."

"Impossible." Gong You gritted his teeth. "My movements were flawless."

"But the fact is he caught it," Rintaro Kakunana said as he walked over. "And he caught it perfectly."

On Karasuno's side, the atmosphere was ignited.

Tanaka Ryunosuke rushed over and grabbed Hyuga by the neck: "You brat! What kind of godlike catch was that? What kind of unparalleled martial arts technique did you secretly practice behind our backs?"

Yuya Nishitani rushed over and ruffled Hinata's hair: "Shoyo! That dive to absorb the force was so cool! You've got half my style!"

Hinata was being roughly handled, but he couldn't stop smiling. He looked at Riku and clenched his fist.

Lu Ren stepped forward and patted Hinata on the shoulder: "That stern-faced coach from the provincial team didn't scold you for nothing. You caught that ball at a professional level."

"Hehe." Hinata scratched his head, "Actually, I was startled when the ball hit me. But my body moved on its own."

"That's muscle memory." Lu Ren turned and walked towards the service area. "Keep this up. As long as our first pass doesn't fall apart, their system can't crush us."

It's Karasuno's turn to serve.

Lu Ren stood outside the baseline. He twirled the volleyball in his hand, his gaze sweeping across Inarizaki's half of the court.

Inarizaki made some minor adjustments to their formation. Oshiro Aran stepped back half a step, preparing to receive the first pass. Miyazaki Yu stood at the net, ready to organize a quick attack at any moment.

The whistle blows.

Lu Ren throws the ball, takes a running start, and jumps.

This time, he didn't choose a powerful jump shot, nor did he use a banana shot.

Instead, it was an extremely mediocre overhand serve.

The volleyball drifted slowly over the net and landed in the center of the Inarizaki half of the court.

Even elementary school students can catch this ball.

Akagi stepped forward easily and set up the ball. The first pass was perfect.

Gong You stood under the ball, somewhat bewildered. Was the opposing number 13 completely exhausted, delivering such a harmless ball in such a crucial game?

Gong You touches the ball with both hands, preparing to launch another twin fast attack.

Just as he was about to pass the ball, he caught a glimpse of Karasuno's half of the field out of the corner of his eye.

The net in Karasuno remained stationary.

Hotaru Tsukishima, Daichi Sawamura, and Tobio Kageyama stood in front of the net, showing no sign of jumping.

"What's going on?" Gong You's heart skipped a beat.

He passed it on to Miyaji.

Gong Zhi jumps and smashes.

Just as Miyaji swung his arm, Karasuno's three defenders suddenly jumped up to block the net.

It didn't block the line, but rather completely covered all of Miyaji's arm swinging space.

"Bang!"

The volleyball hit Tsukishima Hotaru's arm, bounced back to Inarizaki's half of the court, and landed at Miya Yu's feet.

20:19.

Karasuno scored another point.

Gong You stood there, stunned. He turned to look at Lu Ren.

Lu Ren stood in the back row, stretched out a finger, and pointed to his head.

"You're using your Gemini fast attack too often." Lu Ren's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to the net. "Once the system forms a pattern, it becomes the easiest weakness to break."

That mediocre serve just now was a deliberate bait set by Lu Ren.

In the extremely tense final stages of a set, when faced with an extremely comfortable first pass, the setter will instinctively choose the tactic they trust and are most confident in.

For Gong You, that was a twin fast attack.

Lu Ren had anticipated this, and instructed the front row to abandon complex defensive runs and directly defend Gong Zhi's spike point.

This is a purely psychological game.

Under Lu Ren's calculations, Inarizaki's intricate system began to show fatal cracks.

The course of the game became unpredictable.

Coach Blackbeard stood up and walked to the sidelines. He didn't call a timeout. He knew that calling a timeout now would only exacerbate the players' panic.

He had to let the Gong brothers overcome this hurdle on their own.

The game continues.

Every hit of the ball jolted everyone's nerves.

In Karasuno's half of the court, Hyuga Shoyo leaped repeatedly at the net, like a burning orange flame. Kageyama Tobio's passes became increasingly accurate, and his multi-pronged attack tore Inarisaki's defense to shreds.

Lu Ren steadily controlled the defensive rhythm from the back row, defusing Inarizaki's counterattacks time and time again.

21:21.

23:23.

The score remained neck and neck.

Inarizaki's resilience is equally formidable. Oshiro Aran forcefully broke through the block with sheer power, and Kakuna Rintaro's unpredictable and difficult-to-defend deflection shots remained unpredictable.

24:24.

Entering the bonus round.

Gong You stood in the service area. He was panting heavily, his jersey soaked with sweat.

He looked at Karasuno across from him. This team was like a swarm of cockroaches that you could never kill. Just when you thought you'd crushed them, they'd crawl out from another corner and bite you.

Throw the ball, jump.

Heavy artillery fires in rapid succession.

"I'll do it!" Lu Ren sprinted from the backcourt and scooped up the ball with one hand just before it hit the ground.

The ball flies towards the net.

With his back to the net, Kageyama Tobio jumped on one foot.

"Hinata!" Kageyama yelled.

Hinata Shoyo cut in from the right flank and leaped high into the air.

Miyaji and Kakumei jumped to block at the same time.

Hinata looked at the blocker in mid-air, and instead of spiking hard, he flicked his wrist and gently lifted the ball at the bottom.

Drop ball.

The volleyball deftly flew over the block and landed in the empty space in the frontcourt of Inarizaki.

25:24.

Karasuno reached game point.

The venue was completely silent.

The Inarizaki players looked at the volleyball that landed on the ground, and for the first time, a look of confusion appeared in their eyes.

That short, orange-clad guy who only knows how to smash with all his might actually used the most composed drop shot on a crucial point?

Is this still the same brainless middle blocker they know?

Lu Ren stepped forward and gave Hinata a high five.

"It's time to turn the page on this story." Lu Ren looked at Gong You opposite him, his tone calm.

The next point will determine the fate of the second set.

The berserk monster was forced to the edge of a cliff.

Meanwhile, the hunters of Karasuno raised their butcher knives.

The whistle blows to serve.

It was Kageyama Tobio's turn to serve.

Throw the ball, jump.

The volleyball, with its deadly spin, hurtled straight towards Inarizaki's half of the court.

The decisive game has officially begun.