Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

"That kid's going a bit overboard, huh."

Coach Irihata's tone carried a trace of reproach, but the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth couldn't be hidden.

On the other side, Ukai Keishin suddenly shot to his feet. His eyes were wide, and his breathing had turned just slightly uneven.

"That guy...he's still getting stronger..."

Speed. Power. Height. Precision.

With just one spike, Kaedehara Taichi had shown all of it. That nonchalant demeanour afterwards—it was nothing less than a blatant challenge directed squarely at Karasuno.

Kimura Ryōta stood frozen in the stands, heart pounding wildly in his chest.

That figure soaring in the air just now—it was exactly how he envisioned the perfect ace.

Kita Seio wore a conflicted expression.

That spike...it felt like Taichi was trying to crush Karasuno's confidence before the match even began.

"Waaaaah! So strong! Taichi is so strong!!"

Hinata Shōyō's eyes sparkled like stars.

"He really is the strongest in the country!"

"If we can beat Taichi, we're definitely going to Nationals!"

"Phew—"

Listening to Hinata's fearless and straightforward declaration, the tense atmosphere around Karasuno seemed to ease just a little.

Even Enoshita Chikara felt like he could finally breathe again.

"It's already come to this. Let's just throw everything we've got at them!"

"You really are interesting, Shōyō," Taichi said lightly. "Then during the match—try to keep up, okay?"

The atmosphere inside the gym gradually returned to normal, and both teams resumed their warm-ups.

Still, the image of that spike lingered vividly in the hearts of everyone watching.

"Tweet—!"

Some time later, the referee's whistle blew once again.

"Line up—!"

"We'll be in your care!"

The Miyagi Prefectural Inter-High Qualifier Semifinals—Aoba Johsai vs. Karasuno—The match has officially begun!

Aoba Johsai's starting lineup:

Front row—Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi, Middle Blocker Yūki Yōji, Detter Yahaba Shigeru.

Back row—Outside Hitter Kunimi Akira, Middle Blocker Kindaichi Yūtarō (Libero: Nakamori Daiki) and Outside Hitter Kyōtani Kentarō.

Karasuno's starting lineup:

Front row—Outside Hitter Tanaka Ryūnosuke, Outside Hitter Kita Seio, Middle Blocker Hinata Shōyō

Back row—Middle Blocker Tsukishima Kei (Libero: Nishinoya Yū), Outside Hitter Enoshita Chikara and Setter Kageyama Tobio.

Karasuno serves first.

Kageyama Tobio stepped up to the service line.

"Kageyama, give us a good one!"

"Fuu—"

Kageyama exhaled deeply.

In the end, he still hadn't managed to catch up to Oikawa-senpai's shadow.

But he couldn't afford to be left behind any longer...

He tossed the ball. The feel of the toss was perfect.

The ball floated slightly in front and to the right of him—right where he liked it best.

One step, two steps, three, four—

A perfect approach.

Bam!

Kageyama jumped. His arm drew back, packed with power, then swung forward with force.

BOOM!!!

The ball rocketed forward like a missile, screaming through the air with such speed it was hard to track.

The sheer force caused a sharp whistle to cut through the gym.

"Nice serve—!"

"Got it!"

Smack!

The ball slammed against Nakamori Daiki's arm and popped up high into the air.

"He got that?!"

Ukai Keishin exclaimed from the sidelines, clearly frustrated.

But though the ball had been saved, it was flying toward the far end of Aoba Johsai's court, dangerously close to the baseline.

Kaedehara Taichi didn't even glance backwards.

With calm steps, he began a running approach along the sideline.

Smack!

"Taichi!"

Kunimi Akira's voice rang out from the back row.

The ball came down near the left wing, and Kaedehara Taichi leapt into the air for a spike.

"Block him!"

"Triple block!"

Tanaka Ryūnosuke, Kita Seio, and Hinata Shōyō all jumped together.

By the time the ball reached the net, its height had already dropped below Karasuno's block.

After all, it had come from a save at the very back of the court—just reaching the front was already an achievement.

"Real matches aren't the same as warm-ups…"

Ukai Keishin clasped his hands together like he was praying.

"That opening serve from Kageyama—it has

Boom!—

Smack!

"Crap!"

Tanaka Ryūnosuke's expression twisted the moment the ball touched his hand.

It hit his hand and deflected out of bounds!

The ball veered sharply to the lower left—

"Noya-san!!"

Nishinoya Yū shifted lightly on his feet.

Almost the instant the ball left Kaedehara Taichi's hand, he sprang into motion. He dove forward at full speed, arms outstretched beneath the falling ball.

Thud!

The volleyball bounced up to about the height of a person.

But what now?! If they just returned the ball without attacking, they'd be facing Kaedehara Taichi's offence again in the next rally!

"Move, Tanaka-senpai!"

Kageyama Tobio, who had just finished his serve, had already repositioned himself near the left sideline. Tanaka Ryūnosuke hastily stepped aside as Kageyama slid into place in a near-kneeling posture, just barely getting beneath the ball.

Whoosh—!

Despite everything, the ball was passed stably to the centre of Karasuno's court.

"Uwaaah!"

The crowd gasped in awe at Kageyama Tobio's godlike back set.

Kita Seio, Karasuno's newly appointed ace, leapt up in the middle for a spike.

"Double block!"

Kaedehara Taichi and Yūki Yōji jumped to block him.

"Damn it!"

Neither side's jump was fully timed, so there wasn't much difference in height between them. There was a clear gap between Taichi and Yūki's hands, but Kita Seio showed no intention of spiking in that direction.

Thump!

Kita twisted mid-air, aiming a desperate spike toward the right instead.

Kyōtani Kentarō caught it. Yahaba Shigeru stepped in for the second touch and sent a high ball to the left wing.

Kaedehara Taichi dashed sideways and jumped.

BAM!—

"Again! Triple block!" Kita Seio gritted his teeth as he jumped—Karasuno once again raised a towering wall in front of Kaedehara.

It's over.

Kaedehara Taichi's arm tightened like a coiled whip, swinging down from behind in one smooth, violent arc.

BOOM!!!

A wipe-off spike!

The ball shot over Tanaka Ryūnosuke's head, slicing with heavy sidespin as it crashed behind Enoshita Chikara and bounced away violently.

A vicious straight shot down the line—Enoshita had no chance to react.

Kaedehara Taichi scores!

[Aoba Johsai 1 – 0 Karasuno]

"Damn it—even after all that effort, we can only block him once per attack!"

Ukai Keishin's brows furrowed deeply. Back during the last practice match, they could at least gain momentum with Kageyama's serves. He hadn't expected Seijoh's libero to level up this fast.

"Relax. Just relax—"

Takeda Ittetsu's voice, meant to soothe the team, suddenly trailed off.

Aoba Johsai gained serve. Kaedehara Taichi stepped up to the service line.

"Looks like it's my turn."

He glanced meaningfully toward Karasuno's back row—Nishinoya Yū, Enoshita Chikara, Kageyama Tobio. This was the best defensive formation Karasuno could field.

"Let's see how you handle this!"

He tossed the ball, ran up, jumped—and hit.

BOOM!!!—

The volleyball tore through the air like a streak of lightning, heading straight for Karasuno's back row.

"Chikara, move!"

Smack!

Nishinoya Yū darted in, nearly brushing against Enoshita as he received the ball.

"As expected—sidespin!"

There was no way Enoshita could have handled a serve like that right now.

The ball soared high into the air.

At the same time, a shadow had already risen above the net.

"Don't even think about it!"

Kyōtani Kentarō planted himself directly in front of Hinata Shōyō, eyes burning with intensity.

Fwoosh!—

Kageyama Tobio jumped to set, and to the crowd, the ball seemed to warp from one point to another—suddenly appearing right in front of Hinata's swinging arm.

Wham!—

The ball veered around Kyōtani Kentarō's block, flying toward Aoba Johsai's back row.

Smack!

The ball struck Kunimi Akira's arm and shot out of bounds.

The ball hit the ground—Hinata Shōyō scores!

[Aoba Johsai 1 – 1 Karasuno]

"Tch."

Kunimi clicked his tongue in frustration. He had seen the ball's trajectory clearly, but his body couldn't adjust in time to receive it properly.

Kaedehara Taichi's gaze shifted between Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shōyō.

The current Hinata Shōyō was no longer someone he could block with brute force alone. Just as Coach Nekomata had once said—the "demon and stick" had finally evolved into "demon and demon."

And then, there was Nishinoya Yū—the one who had received his serve right from the first attempt.

Kaedehara Taichi bent down, rotating both shoulders in preparation.

It seemed that Karasuno's three geniuses had finally spread their wings. And dealing with them…wouldn't be so easy anymore.

_________

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