Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The game continued, but the air in the stadium became thick.

Karasuno's attack was like hitting a wad of cotton. Kageyama Tobio passed the ball to Tsukishima, who saw an opening and spiked the ball, but Kuroo Tetsuro's arm seemed to have been there all along, and with a flick of his fingertips, he "touched" the ball.

The volleyball bounced up and was easily placed in front of the net by Hisense.

Next came Yamamoto Taketaka's straight-line attack. This time, there was no block or contact with the ball, but Nishitani Yuuka, kneeling on the floor, steadily caught the powerful shot with both arms.

"Damn it, it's connected again!" Yamamoto Taketaka cursed through gritted teeth.

Lu Ren sat on the bench, watching the scoreboard numbers gradually widen, his brows furrowing into a deep frown. Although Karasuno had been attacking relentlessly, they hadn't scored. This feeling was awful, like playing a level where the forced storyline meant certain defeat, and no matter how hard you pressed the buttons, the boss's health bar on the screen remained completely still.

"This isn't a match, it's torture," Lu Ren muttered, resting his chin on the back of his chair. "Our team's attacks were as fierce as tigers, but the damage was only 0.5. The enemy just kept using basic attacks, and we were going to be skinned alive."

This is the "stability-maintaining" strategy of Soundhorse. They don't aim for a one-hit kill, but they absolutely won't let you score. They wait until you get impatient and make mistakes due to the prolonged lack of success before slowly taking the points away.

He was completely devastated. If Lu Ren had been in that situation on the field, he probably would have wanted to smash the controller long ago.

"Beep—"

The whistle blew, and Soundhorse scored again. 24:22.

First game point.

The atmosphere in Karasuno was somewhat oppressive. Kageyama Tobio gripped the volleyball, his usually sour face now even more gloomy. He turned to look at Hinata Shoyo; neither spoke, their gazes met briefly in the air.

Lu Ren understood that look in his eyes.

That was the look in a gambler's eyes, a look of wanting to win back their losses.

"We still need to launch a fast break," Lu Ren said in a low voice. "That's right. At this point, there's no other way to break through this defense except for that unreasonable fast break."

Kageyama serves.

The shot was tricky, but Hisense only took a half step back to receive it steadily. Kozume Kenma didn't launch a second attack, instead passing the ball behind his back to Fukunaga. Fukunaga spiked the ball, but Sawamura Daichi made a diving save.

Opportunity ball.

"Take a point!" Kageyama roared.

Hinata Shoyo started his run from the backcourt. His shoes screeched against the floor, and he shot towards the net like a cannonball launched into the air.

The speed at that instant was extremely fast.

But just as Hinata jumped, the big guy on the other side of the net, named Inuoka Kakeru, also jumped up.

It wasn't a prediction, it was keeping up with the times.

That first-year student, who was like a large dog, managed to keep up with Hinata's "divine speed" by sheer physical ability.

Hinata swung his arm in the air, and Inugami's palm covered it at the same time.

"Bang!"

A crisp sound.

It wasn't the sound of the volleyball hitting the floor, but the sound of the ball being firmly "pressed" back.

The volleyball bounced back faster than it had when it was spiked, slammed onto the floor near Hyuga's feet, then bounced high into the air and rolled out of bounds.

Hinata Shoyo landed, his feet still in the jumping position. He stared wide-eyed at the rolling volleyball, his expression blank for a moment.

They were blocked.

It wasn't a "touch," it wasn't being connected, but rather like hitting a wall—being completely rejected.

The whistle blew for a long time.

25:22. Nekoma wins the first game.

There was a two-second silence in the stadium, followed by cheers erupting from Nekoma's direction. Inuoka Kaname excitedly waved his fist, his hair being ruffled by Kuroo Tetsurou.

On Karasuno's side, everyone silently walked back to the sidelines.

"Don't stand there!" Kageyama Tobio suddenly spoke, his voice as cold as ice. "It's just one game."

Hinata snapped out of his daze, slapping his cheeks to shake off his surprise: "Yes! We must win the next round!"

Wu Yangxi breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the group of teenagers who weren't discouraged by losing points, but the wrinkles between his brows deepened. He turned to look at Lu Ren.

"Lu Ren, go warm up."

Lu Ren was drinking water from his kettle when he heard this. He put down his cup and unzipped his jacket. "Is it finally the hidden character's turn to appear? If you don't let me go, I'm going to grow mushrooms on the bench."

Wu Yang ignored his banter: "If the situation still can't be broken in the second round, I'll find an opportunity to substitute you. Your only task is to stir up this stagnant pool for me."

"Understood." Lu Ren stood up and began stretching his legs on the sidelines.

The second game started quickly.

There was no miraculous reversal.

Nekoma's adaptability is terrifyingly outrageous. That Inugami is practically made to counter Hyuga. No matter how fast Hyuga runs, as long as he's still inside the rectangular box of the court, Inugami can catch him.

"One touch!"

"It's this again!"

Hyuga's fast break was once again grazed by Inuoka's finger, slowing down the ball's speed, and was easily accepted by Yoruichi in the back row.

Running back and forth, jumping, and running again.

Hinata Shoyo is like a tireless perpetual motion machine, drawing intricate running tracks on the court. He is the bait; without running at full speed, the bait is meaningless.

Sweat dripped from his chin, his jersey soaked and clinging to his back. His chest heaved violently, his breathing heavy and labored, like a broken bellows.

On the other side of the net.

Kozume Kenma stood at the setter position, barely moving an inch. He was like a defensive tower in a tower defense game, able to command his teammates to neutralize all attacks with just a flick of his finger.

A huge contrast.

On one side is the extreme dynamic of running with all one's might until one's lungs feel like they're about to burst; on the other side is the extreme static of resting and almost motionless.

"That kid is really a monster." Lu Ren said while doing high knees, looking at Hyuga in the arena.

Despite being restricted in every attack and exhausted to the point of near collapse, when Xiangyang turned to look at Kageyama that day, he actually had a smile on his face.

It was a pure smile, one that reveled in the thrill of hunting and being hunted.

On the other side of the net, Moyan obviously noticed the smile as well. His cat-like eyes, which were always half-open, widened slightly, revealing a hint of disgust as if he had seen some indescribable creature.

"How scary..." Moyan muttered softly.

The score is now 10-14, with Karasuno trailing.

Uyang Xixin, holding the change of passenger number in her hand, finally stood up.

"drop--"

The referee blew his whistle, signaling Karasuno to request a substitution.

The air on the court seemed to freeze for a moment. Hinata Shoyo abruptly turned his head to look at the sidelines. His pupils contracted, an instinctive fear of being substituted. He still wanted to play, he still wanted to jump, even though his legs felt like lead.

He stared intently at the sign in Wu Yang's hand.

Lu Ren walked to the sideline and held up his number plate.

It's not the 10th.

It's the 5th.

Ryunosuke Tanaka was preparing to serve when he saw the number plate and paused, "Huh? Me?"

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief, almost collapsing to the ground.

"Don't look at me like that." Lu Ren walked up to Tanaka, took the substitution card, and said, "Tanaka-senpai, your straight shots are too good. That libero on the other side is practically getting used to receiving them. Go down and rest for a bit, let me go up and annoy them."

Although Tanaka was annoyed, he knew that his attack hadn't been very efficient. He slapped Lu Ren hard on the back, almost making Lu Ren choke.

"Give them a good beating! Don't embarrass Karasuno!"

"Got it, you've got a really strong grip." Lu Ren rubbed his shoulder and walked onto the court.

He stood in the middle of the field.

Wu Yangxi watched Lu Ren's retreating figure, arms crossed.

"Go ahead and use your unorthodox methods to sprinkle some sand on this sophisticated machine."

Lu Ren flexed his wrists, his gaze sweeping over the Onmyoji team on the other side of the net. Kuroo Tetsurou raised an eyebrow, seemingly unconcerned about this seemingly unmotivated substitute. Kenma glanced at him indifferently, then lowered his gaze again.

"Everyone," Lu Ren turned his head and smiled at Kageyama and Hinata beside him, "Since a direct attack can't penetrate the armor, let's try a magical attack."

Kageyama frowned: "What nonsense are you talking about? Just catch the ball properly."

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty."

The game continues.

Nekoma serves. The ball's trajectory is still aimed at finding an opening in the back row.

Nishitani Yu took a step to the side and flicked the ball up. The flick was a bit too forceful, sending the ball flying directly towards the net.

"Chance ball!" Kuroo Tetsuro shouted, preparing to spike the ball.

Just then, Lu Ren made a move.

Unlike other attackers who take a running start and jump, he jumped lightly from the spot, barely bending his knees, just like an old man doing his morning exercise in a park.

But the timing of his jump was very strange.

It was at the moment when Kuroo Tetsuro was about to swing his arm after he jumped and reached the highest point.

Lu Ren raised his hand, but did not block or fight for possession. In the 0.1 seconds before the ball was about to be spiked by Heiwei, his palm gently and tenderly touched the bottom of the ball.

It wasn't a spike, nor a drop shot.

This can't even be considered a standard volleyball move.

The volleyball bounced upwards under the force, barely clearing Kuroo's empty hand, and then slowly, with a mocking arc, landed on the open ground behind Kuroo.

"Smack."

The ball landed.

Kuroo Tetsuro froze after landing. He stared at the ball rolling away, then at the innocent-looking Riku Ren.

The entire room fell silent.

Even Wu Yangxi's mouth dropped open in astonishment.

What is this?

"This is..." Lu Ren scratched his head, looking at the dumbfounded members of the Sound Horse team opposite him, "It's probably called 'delayed judgment'?"

Mo Yan's expression finally changed. He stared at Lu Ren, and for the first time, unresolved gibberish appeared in his eyes, which were usually reserved for data analysis.

"This person... doesn't play by the rules."