Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The whistle blew, and the players switched sides.

Lu Ren walked to the sidelines and pulled up the hem of his jersey to wipe his face. The sweat stung his eyes. He reached for his water bottle. It was empty, barely touching the surface.

Sugawara Koji handed him a new bottle of electrolyte water. Lu Ren took it, unscrewed the cap, and poured half a bottle in. The cold liquid slid down his esophagus into his stomach, barely suppressing the metallic taste churning in his throat.

Beside him, Hinata Shoyo rested his hands on his knees. Sweat dripped from his orange hair, splashing onto the floor and forming a small puddle. He was breathing heavily, like a broken bellows.

"Can you still jump, you little dwarf?" Lu Ren poured the remaining half bottle of water over his head and shook his hair.

"Yes." Hinata looked up, his eyes shining brightly. "I can jump a hundred more times."

Ukai Shishin stood in front of the substitutes' bench. He tossed the tactical board onto his chair. He looked at the group of sweaty boys, but didn't explain any tactics. At this stage, tactics were already ingrained in their muscles. Now it was a battle of who had the toughest backbone.

"Come on stage." Daichi Sawamura clapped his hands. His voice was hoarse.

They set up again. 8-7. Karasuno leads. Karasuno serves.

Koji Sugawara stood in the service area. He bounced the ball twice. His palms were sweaty, and the ball's surface was slippery. He wiped his palms on his shorts.

Toss the ball. Take a run-up. Hit the ball.

A very flat floater. Aiming for the back corner of the opponent's defense.

Yoruichi moved his feet sideways, getting into position ahead of time. With a quick tuck of his arms, he gently nudged the ball up.

"Good shot!" Mo Ran positioned himself at the net. He didn't make any unnecessary movements, not even jumping, and directly set the ball from the spot. The ball flew to Hisense on the right wing.

Hisense spikes the ball. Ryunosuke Tanaka blocks it. The ball hits Tanaka's arm, slows down, and falls towards the back row.

Nishitani Yu glided forward and scooped up the ball.

"Kageyama!"

Kageyama Tobio ran to his position. His thigh muscles were twitching. Lactic acid had piled up to its limit. He gritted his teeth and strained his wrists.

The ball is passed to the left wing. Dong Fengxu jumps.

Kuroo and Lev block the net together.

Dongfeng didn't force a shot; instead, he flicked his wrist and lobbed the ball.

The ball cleared the net and landed in the open space in front of Nemuro's court.

Fukunaga Shohei made a diving save, using one hand to prop up the ball.

Back and forth. Constantly going back and forth.

The oxygen in his lungs was being squeezed out. Every breath carried the stench of blood. Lu Ren stared at Mo Ren on the other side of the net from the back row. That blond guy even dragged his feet when he walked.

"This game is killing me," Lu Ren cursed inwardly, but his hands didn't stop moving.

The tenth round.

Grind passes the ball to Kuroo in the middle. Kuroo launches a fast break.

Hotaru Tsukishima jumped and blocked the ball with both hands. The ball grazed Tsukishima's fingertips and flew out of bounds.

8:8. Draw.

In the stands, Qingze Yazhi squeezed the empty water bottle in her hand so hard it made a cracking sound.

"This isn't playing ball, it's killing us." She turned to look at Lu Jianguo.

Lu Jianguo, holding up his DSLR camera and pointing it at the field, said, "You don't know anything. This is called extreme tension. Your childhood sweetheart is having a blast right now."

Qingze Yazhi rolled her eyes: "Feeling good? His face was as white as paper. I think he'd throw up if he ran a few more steps."

"Even if you throw up, you still have to get the ball across." Lu Jianguo snorted. "A member of the Lu family doesn't give up so easily."

On the field. 8:8.

Otoko serves.

Yamamoto Takeo delivers a powerful jump serve. The ball travels at extremely high speed and has intense spin.

The earth's center of gravity shifted downwards, and it was firmly caught.

"The pass is perfect!"

Kageyama passes the ball. Hyuga jumps in the middle.

Mojin didn't look at Hinata; he stared at Lu Ren on the right wing.

Lu Ren pulled up from the back.

With a flick of his wrist, Kageyama passed the ball to the back row. Lu Ren launched a back-row attack.

Ye Jiuwei positioned himself in advance.

Lu Ren changed course in the air and shot in a straight line.

The ball hit the sideline. It's in bounds.

9:8. Karasuno takes the lead again.

The competition turned into a meat grinder.

Both sides are using the most basic tactics and the most primal instincts to climb up point by point.

9:9。10:9。10:10。

The score was incredibly close. Neither side could pull ahead by more than two points. Every point required more than ten back-and-forth attempts.

Lu Ren serves.

He stood outside the baseline, twirling the ball in his hand. His thighs ached terribly.

Toss the ball. Jump. Serve.

The ball speed isn't fast, but the landing point is tricky. It's about finding a sharp, grinding shot.

Grinding didn't dodge; he immediately passed the ball to Lev. The ball flew towards Lev.

Lev leaped high into the air, swinging his long arms.

Tsukishima and Sawamura double-teamed each other.

The ball hit the net and bounced back to the Sound Horse's half.

Yoru made a diving save.

The tug-of-war continues.

15: 15.

He ground the powder in front of the net. He glanced at Lu Ren.

Lu Ren stood in the back row. Their eyes met across the net.

A well-placed pass. The ball flies towards Yamamoto on the left wing.

Yamamoto spikes the ball.

Nishitani rescued.

Kageyama passes the ball. Riku jumps.

Black Tail and Hisense double block.

Lu Ren was in the air, his gaze sweeping across the gaps in the net. He didn't exert any force; he simply flicked the ball lightly with the side of his finger.

The ball bypassed the block and landed in the back corner of the net.

Ye Jiu ran desperately, but missed by a step.

The ball landed.

16: 15.

Lu Ren landed, his legs went weak, and he knelt on one knee on the floor.

"Are you alright?" Sawamura came over and tugged at his sleeve.

"I won't die." Lu Ren used the momentum to stand up and shook his wrist.

The machine is almost out of power. But it has to keep running.

The tower defense player on the other side is almost out of health.

Let's see who unplugs the power first.

Onkoma requests a pause.

Coach Nekomata sat on a bench, smiling as he watched his players walk off the field. Kuroo Tetsurou was panting heavily, sweat plastering his hair to his forehead. Kenma sat directly on the floor, burying his head in his knees.

"Well played," Coach Nekomata said slowly. "That number 13 on the other side is quick-witted. He dragged the game into a war of attrition, trying to wear down Makino's stamina. Interestingly, Makino didn't back down."

Black Tail grinned: "This kid is really stubborn. He usually complains about taking even one extra step, but he ran quite a bit today."

Moyan didn't look up, his voice muffled: "He schemed against me, and I schemed against him too. His physical reserves aren't as high as I expected. Just now, with that lob shot, his jump height dropped by five centimeters."

"Then let's keep at it." Coach Nekoma clapped his hands. "Otoko's defense is flawless."

The atmosphere was equally heavy on Karasuno's side.

Wu Yangxi handed Lu Ren a dry towel. Lu Ren hastily wiped the sweat from his head.

"Can you still keep up with the pace?" Uyang asked.

"No problem." Lu Ren tossed the towel onto the chair. "Mo Dan is calculating my takeoff height. He's waiting for me to make a mistake."

"So what are your plans?"

Lu Ren glanced at the scoreboard. 16:15.

"Give him some incorrect data," Lu Ren said. "For the next ball, I won't play from the back row."

The timeout has ended. Both teams have returned to the court.

16:15. Karasuno serves.

Tadashi Yamaguchi was substituted on. A key player in the distribution.

He stood in the service area and patted the ball. He took a deep breath.

Toss the ball. Jump float ball.

The ball wobbled strangely in the air, aiming for Fukunaga Shohei.

Fukunaga moved his feet and steadily lifted the ball.

"Great pass!"

Mojin ran to the net. He glanced at Karasuno's position. Lu Ren was in the back row, showing no sign of starting.

With a flick of his wrist, he passed the ball to Lev in the middle.

Lev leaped high and launched a quick attack.

Hinata and Tsukishima form a double block.

The ball hit Hinata's arm and bounced back to the backcourt.

"Kageyama!"

Kageyama ran to his position. He looked up.

Hyuga cuts in from the middle. Tanaka flanks from the left.

Lu Ren, positioned in the back row, suddenly launched an attack. Instead of choosing a back-row attack, he charged directly towards the net.

Grinding his eyes narrowed.

Lu Ren jumped at the net. It was an extremely awkward pose.

Kageyama passes the ball. The ball flies towards Rikuren.

Kuroo and Yoru filled in at the same time.

Lu Ren, in mid-air, didn't spike the ball. Instead, he passed it to Tanaka on the left wing with both hands.

Second pass.

Tanaka met the empty net and smashed it down.

The ball hit the field of Soundhorn.

17: 15.

"Well done!" Sawamura shouted.

Lu Ren landed, catching his breath. This move had taken a lot of energy. But he had successfully fooled Mo Yan.

Moyan looked at Lu Ren. A crack appeared in the logic of that tower defense player.

The game continues.

17:16。18:16。18:17。

The score went back and forth. Every point felt like a struggle in a quagmire.

Sweat, fatigue, and soreness. These are not reasons to stop scoring. Both sides are struggling to gain points.

19: 19.

Otoko serves.

Hisense's jump float ball. They're looking for Nishiya.

Nishiya receives the ball. The ball goes slightly off-center.

Kageyama passes the ball while running.

Hyuga jumps. Quick attack.

Kuroo single-handedly blocked the net.

The ball hit Kuroo's hand and bounced back to Karasuno's half of the field.

Lu Ren makes a save. The ball bounces up.

Tanaka passes the ball. Higashimine spikes the ball.

Night saves the ball.

The tug-of-war has begun again.

The twentieth round.

Gin passes the ball to Fukunaga. Fukunaga then lobs the ball over her.

Sawamura was rescued.

Kageyama passed the ball to Rikuren.

Lu Ren attacks from the back row.

Lev and Kuroo make a double block.

Lu Ren's hand went out of bounds.

The ball flew out of bounds.

The referee blows the whistle. 20:19. Karasuno takes the lead.

Lu Ren braced himself on his knees, panting heavily. His vision was blurry. The stadium lights were blinding.

"Can you still hold on?" Kageyama walked over.

"Nonsense." Lu Ren straightened up. "I haven't finished this game yet."

Across from him, Mo Ran wiped away his sweat. He looked at Lu Ren, his eyes showing no fatigue, only focus.

The game has reached its final stage.

20:19. Karasuno serves.

Tobio Kageyama stood outside the baseline.

He tosses the ball. He jumps. He serves.

The ball moves extremely fast. I'm looking for Ye Jiu.

Yoru catches the ball. The ball flies towards the net.

Grind and jump. Second attack.

Lu Ren jumped simultaneously. Single block.

The ball hit Lu Ren's hand and landed in Yin Ju's half of the field.

Fukunaga makes a save.

Lev smashes the ball.

Moon Island barrier net.

The ball is out of bounds.

20: 20.

draw.

The sound of suona horns rang out again from the stands. The folk music ensemble that Lu Jianguo had brought in began to play.

Onkoma's wind band was not to be outdone.

The noise from the field was deafening.

But Lu Ren couldn't hear it. He could only hear his own heartbeat. Thump, thump, thump.

21:20。21:21。22:21。22:22。

The score remained neck and neck.

Neither side was willing to back down an inch.

23:22. Karasuno is in the lead.

Otoko serves.

Grind the ball before serving.

He was looking for Hinata.

Hyuga receives the ball. The ball flies towards the net.

Kageyama passes the ball.

Lu Ren jumped.

Kuroo and Lev block the net together.

Lu Ren was in the air, looking at the two enormous hands.

He had no way out.

The only option is to confront them head-on.

Lu Ren unleashed his power. A smash.

The ball hit Lev's hand and bounced out of bounds.

24: 22.

Match point.

Karasuno has reached match point.

The entire venue erupted in cheers.

Lu Ren landed and let out a long sigh of relief.

This machine can hold one more ball.

If we can score just one more point, we'll win the game.

He looked at the grinding stone opposite him.

Moyan stood still, saying nothing. He looked at the scoreboard. 24:22.

Tower defense players, what other tricks do you have up your sleeve?

Lu Ren turned his neck, and his bones cracked.

Come on. The final blow.