Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 252: The Formation of the Block (D-L)

Receive, set, block, spike—anything that could be improved through training, Hoshiumi Kōrai always gave his all to perfect it.

The serve switched sides. It was now Kamomedai's turn.

Hoshiumi rotated to the front row. Since Coach Aaron Murphy had left blocking strategies to Hirugami Sachirō for now, he could focus entirely on offence.

Nozawa Izuru executed a jump float serve, targeting Kyōtani Kentarō in the front row.

Smack!

The serve didn't trouble Kyōtani much. The ball rebounded into Aoba Johsai's court, and Oikawa Tōru swiftly moved into position to set it.

Kaedehara Taichi leapt from the back row.

"Triple block!"

Hoshiumi, Suwa Aikichi, and Bessho Kazuyoshi all jumped simultaneously, forming a solid wall in front of him.

With the first touch slightly off, Taichi's attack was fully tracked by Kamomedai's blockers. Jumping from the back row, his spike point was high, but Hoshiumi and Bessho's block reached even higher.

Hirugami focused intently on Taichi's movements from the sidelines. This was the moment Kamomedai needed to analyze carefully.

—Huh? Did he just glance in my direction?

BOOM!

Taichi tensed his arm and spiked with full force.

"We matched his speed and height. Now, what about his power?"

He drove the ball hard into Bessho's forearm.

The impact was overwhelming. The ball ricocheted off Bessho's hands, slamming into Kamomedai's court before bouncing high into the air—landing right at Hirugami's feet.

Kaedehara Taichi scores!

[Aoba Johsai 18 – 12 Kamomedai]

"Aoba Johsai's ace, Kaedehara Taichi, breaks through Kamomedai's block!"

"This is what the audience came to see! The sheer dominance of a top national-level ace!!!"

Among the original Top Five Aces in the nation, four were power hitters. While their technical skills were undeniable, their ability to overwhelm opponents with sheer brute force was what left the deepest impression.

Now, with the current Top Three—Sakusa Kiyoomi, Hoshiumi Kōrai, and Kaedehara Taichi—fans often felt they relied more on an all-around skill set to score. It wasn't that they were weak, but compared to Ushijima Wakatoshi, Kiryū Wakatsu, or even Bokuto Kōtarō, something seemed…missing.

But this spike from Taichi—

No-nonsense.

Unstoppable.

This was the power of a true national-level ace!

Hirugami caught the ball at his feet. Taichi had already sensed Kamomedai's intent. Being targeted was an ace's destiny. But instead of waiting to be hunted, he had taken the initiative—a direct challenge.

"Think you can stop me? Go ahead and try."

—

The serve switched. It was Aoba Johsai's turn.

Iwaizumi Hajime stepped up and unleashed a powerful jump serve. Kamomedai's Kanbayashi Keiichirō received it cleanly. Suwa quickly set the ball to the left wing.

THUMP!

Hoshiumi soared from the front row.

"Triple block!"

Matsukawa Issei, Kyōtani Kentarō, and Oikawa Tōru jumped in unison.

The three of them stretched their arms to the limit, barely managing to close off Hoshiumi's path.

Smack!

The ball nicked Matsukawa's fingertips and soared out of bounds.

Touch out!

Hoshiumi secured an easy point.

[Aoba Johsai 18 – 13 Kamomedai]

"His vision is unreal…" Matsukawa muttered in frustration.

"Shake it off! Next ball!" Iwaizumi called from the back.

At this point, Kamomedai's goal was simple: prevent Aoba Johsai from going on a scoring streak. But that alone wouldn't be enough to close the gap.

The serve switched again. Hirugami rotated back into the front row.

At that moment, Aoba Johsai's players felt a strange shift.

Kamomedai's entire aura had changed.

Bessho served a jump float, and surprisingly, it went straight to Kaedehara Taichi.

Smack!

Taichi received it cleanly, and Oikawa immediately jumped for a setter dump.

"This is the risk of targeting the ace on the serve!"

"Double block!"

Hoshiumi and Suwa reacted instantly, covering the net.

But—this was exactly what Oikawa wanted.

"Mad Dog-chan!" Oikawa set the ball hard to the far left wing.

Hoshiumi had anticipated it. Instead of chasing the set, he took two quick steps back, positioning himself right where the cross shot would land.

The straight-line shot? Hirugami had that covered alone.

And Hoshiumi trusted him completely.

Kyōtani leapt from the left wing, faced with only one blocker—Kamomedai's #6.

Hirugami stretched his arms upward, blocking the straight-line shot without hesitation. The wide-open diagonal seemed too tempting to ignore.

Kyōtani smirked. "That little guy at the three-meter line? He won't stop me."

BOOM!

Kyōtani blasted the ball diagonally.

THWAP!

What followed wasn't the sound of a dig—

It was a block.

Hirugami's hands suddenly shifted mid-air, cutting off the cross-shot at the last second!

The ball rebounded straight back into Aoba Johsai's court.

Hirugami scores with a solo block!

[Aoba Johsai 18 – 14 Kamomedai]

"There it is! Kamomedai secures a point with their signature blocking!"

"Hirugami The Immovable—!!!" the commentator, Aoi, leapt out of his seat.

"I don't like that nickname..." Hirugami muttered, looking dissatisfied. "Makes me sound stiff. I'm actually pretty flexible, you know."

Oikawa narrowed his eyes slightly. He hadn't expected a single blocker to stuff Kyōtani's spike.

So that was why Hoshiumi had positioned himself so early. He wasn't just covering the cross—he was baiting Kyōtani into taking the shot.

By the time Kyōtani realized it, it was already too late.

Bessho prepared for his second serve.

"Mine!" Watari Shinji stepped forward to receive.

Oikawa adjusted, and Aoba Johsai launched an all-out attack, with players moving across multiple positions.

But—Kamomedai's blockers didn't budge. They held their ground, waiting for Oikawa's set.

"They're not biting?" Oikawa thought as he set the ball to the left.

"Left side!" Hirugami gave a sharp command.

Kamomedai's blockers moved as one, seamlessly shifting together toward the left.

Kyōtani soared up for a spike—but no one jumped with him.

Instead, the ball had gone to Iwaizumi, attacking from the back row.

"JUMP!"

On Hirugami's signal, Hoshiumi and Suwa leaped.

"Triple block!!"

"How long have they trained to move like a single unit?!" one spectator gasped.

BOOM!

Iwaizumi saw it too late. He tried to muscle through the block, but—

THWAP!

The ball bounced back even harder into Aoba Johsai's court.

Kamomedai scores again with another stuff block!

[Aoba Johsai 18 – 15 Kamomedai]

Iwaizumi rarely had his spikes blocked.

Though his attempts had decreased, his efficiency was among the highest on the team. His powerful shots, combined with his chemistry with Oikawa, usually caught opponents off guard.

"Damn it!" Iwaizumi Hajime clenched his fist.

"Heehee, no matter how many little tricks you try in front of us, it's all useless~" Hirugami Sachirō grinned, his smile brimming with confidence.

"This guy…it's like he suddenly turned into a different person," Oikawa Tōru muttered as he observed Hirugami, who had completely shifted Kamomedai's blocking rhythm the moment he moved to the front row.

Kamomedai continued their serve.

Bang!

Bessho Kazuyoshi sent out his third jump float serve.

Even though the first-year's serve wasn't particularly difficult to handle, it was far from easy to receive—Kamomedai's serves were proving to be incredibly consistent.

Smack!

Watari Shinji received the ball cleanly, and Oikawa Tōru immediately moved to cover.

Once again, Aoba Johsai had to rely on Kaedehara Taichi to break through. Oikawa sent the ball soaring toward the middle.

Hirugami Sachirō's gaze locked onto Taichi, who was already preparing to approach from the back row. Without a solid first touch, he lost his speed; attacking from the back row, he lost height. Now, Kamomedai's block was even stronger—how would he respond?

Taichi leapt from the back row.

"Triple block!" Kamomedai's front line jumped in unison.

A team with strong blocking was always formidable. After all, in volleyball, blocking was the only means of defence that could also immediately turn into an attack!

Boom!!!—

The ball slammed into Hirugami's arms and flew high into the air.

"Save it!!!" Hirugami's arms trembled, but he still managed to keep the ball in play.

Bessho Kazuyoshi had already positioned himself near the baseline. He immediately sprinted backwards.

"This is insane…"

The ball was just inches away from flying into the second-floor stands.

Bessho leapt over the boundary advertising board, desperately swiping the ball back. But it was still too far from the court.

Nozawa Izuru chased after it, and thanks to their combined effort, the ball finally returned to Kamomedai's front line.

Hakuba Gao soared from the back row, preparing to spike.

Boom!

Even with such a difficult set, his overwhelming height made the attack dangerous.

Smack!

Iwaizumi Hajime received it.

"Set me up!" Taichi surged forward—Aoba Johsai's ace wouldn't be stopped!

BAM!

Taichi leapt from the back row again.

"Triple block!" Kamomedai's blockers were even more confident this time!

Bessho had learned from his mistake, stepping further back this time.

"Kazuyoshi!" Nozawa shouted, realizing the risk—

Tap!

At the last moment, Taichi's tensed arm paused briefly before he lightly tipped the ball over the three-man block.

"Damn—"

Bessho lunged forward, but there was no way he could reach the ball in time.

Tap, tap, tap…

The ball landed inside Kamomedai's court.

[Aoba Johsai 19 – 15 Kamomedai]

"…Taichi didn't plan to tip the ball from the start," Kozume Kenma murmured. "He only did it after noticing Bessho had stepped out of his defensive range."

"Huh? How do you know?" Kuroo Tetsurō asked. "That kind of precise control over his body is insane."

"There's a detail—when Taichi sets up a feint, he tends to repeat his action twice," Kenma explained. "He deliberately reinforces his opponent's expectations of a move, then suddenly changes it."

"Huh? Seriously?" Kuroo frowned, lost in thought.

"Yeah. Taichi overthinks things. A lot," Kenma recalled. "When we play games together, I always hear him say stuff like, 'The devs planned this on level two, but I'm already thinking on level five.'"

"So Bessho fell for it on the first try, and Taichi changed his attack on the spot?" Kuroo groaned.

Kenma nodded. "That's what makes him interesting. The real match starts when you think you've figured him out."

Kuroo sighed as he watched Kenma suddenly light up with enthusiasm. Not having the chance to play against Taichi anymore…did feel like a bit of a loss.

-----

"This guy is so annoying! How does he have so many tricks?!" Bessho muttered darkly, glaring at Taichi.

"Damn it…" Hakuba clenched his teeth.

"Calm down. And wait, why are you mad, Hakuba?" Nozawa asked evenly.

"Anyone would be pissed watching that!" Hakuba huffed, shooting a glance at Nozawa. "Man, I wish I had your composure."

"…Thanks," Nozawa murmured. At least he wasn't the one being targeted.

-----

Aoba Johsai's serve rotated. Matsukawa Issei stepped up and launched a powerful jump serve.

Kanbayashi Keiichirō received it effortlessly, and Suwa Aikichi set the ball high.

Hoshiumi Kōrai sprinted in from the back row.

"Triple block!" Kyōtani Kentarō, Oikawa, and Kindaichi Yūtarō leaped together.

But they were too slow—Aoba Johsai's blockers couldn't shake off Hoshiumi that easily.

Boom!

The ball sailed past Kyōtani's outstretched arms and landed to Matsukawa's left.

A direct score!

[Aoba Johsai 19 – 16 Kamomedai]

"Sorry!" Matsukawa called.

Hoshiumi's attack trajectory was impossible to get used to—before he could even process it, the ball had already hit the floor.

Kamomedai refused to let the first set slip away too easily.

Hakuba rotated to the front row as Suwa prepared to serve.

Bang!—

He delivered a powerful float serve.

"I got it!" Iwaizumi stepped in for the reception.

Oikawa adjusted, sending the ball to the left wing. Kyōtani leaped.

"Triple block!" Hakuba, Hirugami, and Hoshiumi jumped together.

For the first time, Kyōtani truly felt how terrifying Kamomedai's block was.

He was completely sealed off—

Boom!

Kyōtani twisted his body at the last second, avoiding the block and angling the ball downward.

It shot past the blockers, landing near the sideline.

"Out!"

The referee signaled.

[Aoba Johsai 19 – 17 Kamomedai]

"Not good…" On the spectator stands, Nohebi's Suguru Daishō winced as if he had been the one to hit out. "Kamomedai's block is fully formed now. If Aoba Johsai doesn't take this set, the rest of the match will be brutal."

Only a two-point gap remained!

Suwa prepared for his second serve.

Iwaizumi's reception was perfect. Oikawa leapt.

If every ball had to be handed to Taichi, Aoba Johsai was already at a disadvantage. They needed to find a way to break through while they were still ahead.

For a moment, the tide shifted.

Kamomedai's three blockers were already waiting for Oikawa's set.

Smack!

Taking a huge risk, Oikawa opted for a setter dump attack!

Kamomedai's blockers couldn't react in time, and the ball plunged straight into their court.

Smack!

Hoshiumi dove from the front row, lunging backwards to save the ball. The moment it was up, he scrambled to his feet, sprinting toward the backline before sharply turning and accelerating forward.

"Set me up!"

At the centre of Kamomedai's court, Hirugami launched the ball high.

Hoshiumi sprinted from the baseline, closing in on the net.

Thud!

"Triple block!"

Finally—Hoshiumi saw a familiar sight.

Boom!

Hoshiumi smashed the ball over the block, scoring!

[Aoba Johsai 19 – 18 Kamomedai]

"Blasting through the triple block—Little Giant, Hoshiumi Kōrai!!!"

"Unbelievable! Even against three blockers, he's completely unfazed!"

"Haha! Kōrai, you're amazing!" Hirugami grinned as he watched his ace land gracefully at the net.

Only one point separated the teams now!

_________

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