Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

"While the ball is still in your touch, let's continue with the next one."

Kageyama Tobio stared at his hands, the subtle sensation at his fingertips still lingering. It was like a player who had just unlocked a new skill, eager to find a training dummy and test its damage once more.

Lu Ren stood to the side, flexing his wrists as he added a chilling remark: "We really need to hurry. If this kid's CPU overheats and restarts, reverting to his 'serve-to-head' state from the first game, we can basically call it a day."

Hinata Shoyo, who had been as excited as a husky just released from its cage, instantly bristled upon hearing this, his face turning a deep purplish-red: "N-No, it won't happen again! That kind of thing will absolutely never happen again!"

"That would be for the best." Lu Ren shrugged. "After all, the back of my head isn't as hard as Kageyama's."

The referee blew his whistle, and the game continued.

The score is 1-1.

Sawamura Daichi stood at the baseline with the ball. The captain's serve wasn't as aggressive as Kageyama's, nor as flashy as Oikawa Tetsu's, but it was steady and reliable.

The volleyball traced a smooth arc and landed in the backcourt of Aoba Castle West.

"I'll do it!"

Libero Watari Chikaharu stepped forward with a clean and efficient movement. The volleyball bounced off his forearm and was steadily sent to the net.

The pass was delivered perfectly.

Aoki's substitute setter, Yajin Hide, quickly got into position. Although he didn't have the suffocating pressure of Oikawa Toru, his basic passing skills were indeed solid. He pushed the ball with both hands, sending it flying to the right wing.

That place is where the country meets the British.

This first-year student, who always had his eyes half-open and looked like he hadn't woken up yet, had an unusually clear running route. His timing for jumping wasn't early, nor was the height exaggerated.

At the net, Ryunosuke Tanaka and Hotaru Tsukishima had already set up a double net.

"Don't even think about getting over there!" Tanaka roared, pressing his arm down forcefully.

Guo Jianying showed no panic in the air. Instead of a head-on attack, he nimbly twisted his wrist and gently rubbed the side of the volleyball with his palm.

The volleyball didn't fly to the floor, but instead hit the tip of Tsukishima Hotaru's outstretched finger, then bounced back, flew high into the air, and landed on the court in the west of Aoba Castle.

A shot that went out of bounds? No, it was an opportunity created by using the block.

"You can do that?" Hinata's eyes widened, as if he had witnessed something unbelievable.

"That guy..." Lu Ren narrowed his eyes. This fighting style is a typical example of "exploiting mechanics." Instead of aiming for a one-hit kill, he finds weaknesses by resetting the attack time. This Guo Jianying is a veteran PVP player.

Qingcheng reacted extremely quickly. Huajuan Guida easily caught the rebound and sent the ball back to the net.

"Let's organize it again!" Yakinibu Hide shouted.

This time, the ball was passed to the left wing.

Iwazumi has already taken his running start.

This ace of Qingcheng had a completely different aura from the lazy Guo Jianying. Every step he took on the floor made a dull thud, and he was like a heavy tank charging into the battlefield.

"Stop him!"

Tanaka and Tsukishima jumped again.

Iwaizumi tightened his abdominal muscles in mid-air, swinging his arms in a wide arc, without any fancy techniques, just a pure release of power.

"Bang!"

The volleyball slammed heavily against the outside of Tanaka's forearm. The enormous impact broke through the block, and the volleyball changed direction, flying out and crashing hard onto the floor outside the court.

The referee raises the flag, Aoba Johsei scores.

The score is 2-1.

"Good shot! Iwaizumi-senpai!"

The Qingcheng team cheered loudly. After landing, Yan Quan simply high-fived his teammates, his face showing a calm "basic operation" attitude.

"This is the kind of intensity a boss battle should have." Lu Ren glanced at the scoreboard. That last ball wasn't a block error by Karasuno; it was pure numerical superiority. The power judgment failed, and the opponent was forced to break through.

It's Aoba Josai's turn to serve.

The ball was moving very fast and had a strong spin.

"Senior Daichi!"

"Leave it to me!"

Sawamura Daichi lowered his center of gravity and moved with lightning speed, intercepting the ball before it hit the ground. Although his receiving posture was somewhat awkward, the ball still obediently flew towards the setter's position.

"Nice pass!"

Kageyama Tobio stood in front of the net, his gaze sweeping across the entire court in an instant.

At that very moment, an orange figure suddenly started moving.

Instead of sprinting in a straight line, Hinata Shoyo cut across the court in a strange, zigzag pattern, like a startled rabbit. He suddenly slashed into the middle from the left side of the court, his feet screeching against the floor.

fast.

too fast.

That unrestrained running speed carried a blind confidence that "as long as the ball doesn't touch the ground, I can catch up."

On the other side of the net, Kindaichi Yutaro's nerves tensed instantly. The image of that blindfolded fast attack was still lingering in his mind.

"Is it that trick again?"

The body reacted before the brain. Kindaichi followed Hyuga's movement laterally, and Iwaizumi, who was next to him, was also influenced by this momentum and subconsciously moved towards the middle.

Hinata stomped on the ground in the middle lane and leaped into the air.

"Defend the middle!" Kindaichi shouted, and then jumped.

The arms of the two blockers formed a high wall in front of the net, completely blocking all of Hyuga's spike routes.

However, Hinata's hand missed its target.

The volleyball did not appear in front of him.

Kageyama Tobio flipped his wrist backward, making a very subtle back pass.

The volleyball seemed to have eyes, flying towards the left wing, which was already undefended.

There, Ryunosuke Tanaka had already leaped high into the air.

Before him lay an empty net, his view as expansive as a highway at four in the morning.

"This is so awesome!!"

Tanaka roared excitedly and swung his arm down hard.

"Thump!"

Without any obstruction, the volleyball slammed into the floor with a loud thud.

The score is 2-2.

After landing, Kindaichi stared blankly at the volleyball rolling away, then looked at Hyuga, who was still making a spiking motion in mid-air, and his face turned extremely ugly.

"That little thing... is it bait?"

He gritted his teeth, a sense of humiliation at being mocked welling up inside him.

After landing, Hyuga was still looking around, asking, "Where's the ball? Where's the ball?"

"Over there." Kageyama pointed to the spot where Tanaka scored.

"Huh? Wasn't it for me?" Hinata scratched his head, looking completely bewildered. "I was all ready for that 'whoosh'!"

"It's because you jumped that they fell for it." Kageyama looked at Hinata and patiently explained, "You absorbed all the people blocking the net, so Tanaka-senpai could face an empty net."

"Absorb?" Hinata blinked, seemingly processing the concept.

"That's right." Kageyama's lips curled up slightly, a hint of triumphant satisfaction in his eyes. "You are the strongest bait."

Hinata froze for two seconds, then his eyes flashed with an astonishing light: "The strongest... decoy! That sounds so cool!"

Listening to their conversation from the back row, Lu Ren couldn't help but think to himself: "To describe a 'T' that's designed to provoke hatred in such a refined and elegant way, Kageyama is quite the master of manipulation." But the logic was sound. A highly mobile unit like the Hyuga, as long as it roams around the field, will fill the enemy's radar with red dots, making it impossible to distinguish which one is the real nuclear missile.

On the other side of the net, Kindaichi angrily slammed his fist into his thigh: "Damn it! I actually got fooled by that messy positioning!"

"Calm down."

A large hand landed on Kindaichi's shoulder. Iwaizumi's voice was steady and powerful, "That quick attack was indeed fast, it's normal to be drawn to it. But as long as we stabilize our first pass, we won't lose to them on offense. Don't let them control your rhythm."

Kindaichi took a deep breath and nodded: "Yes, Iwaizumi-senpai."

The game continued, but the situation on the field had quietly changed.

Like a depth charge dropped into a calm lake, Hinata Shoyo's presence began to rise exponentially.

In the following rounds, Karasuno displayed an unprecedented level of offensive fluidity.

As soon as Hyuga starts, the blocking line in Aoba Castle West will visibly waver. That's a human instinct—once you've witnessed that kind of unreasonable, super-fast attack, you can't take your eyes off that orange-haired guy.

"Over here!" Hinata shouted and jumped.

Qingcheng's blocker instinctively jumped up as well.

The ball flew towards Daichi Sawamura on the right wing. Daichi calmly scored with a straight shot.

Next ball.

Hyuga took another run-up, this time for real. Kageyama's pass was precise and accurate, and Hyuga closed his eyes and swung his arm.

"Snapped!"

It was another fast, straight-line smash that was so fast you couldn't even see the trajectory.

Qingcheng's defense began to falter. If they defended against Hyuga, the flanks would be vulnerable; if they defended the flanks, the middle would be breached by Hyuga's unreasonable fast attacks.

This is the "Debuff effect" that Lu Ren has been waiting for.

Hinata Shoyo is more than just a scorer; he's a mobile "chaos aura." As long as he's on the court, Aoba Josai's defensive logic breaks down.

"nice shot!"

As Tanaka spiked the ball again and scored, the scoreboard flipped over.

Karasuno 15:12 West of Aoba Castle.

Although Qingcheng managed to keep the score close thanks to Iwazumi's strong attacks and overall quality, the composure and strength of that strong team had completely vanished.

Lu Ren stood on the sidelines, looking at Hyuga, who was covered in sweat but whose eyes were shining, and a smile appeared on his lips.

This game is finally starting to get interesting.