Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 416: Demon (Triple-Length)
When Hakuba Gao heard Kaedehara Taichi's arrogant remarks, her first reaction wasn't anger—but rather...
That feeling had returned.
That disdainful gaze, that overbearing attitude...
There was no way this guy could ever turn into some well-behaved underclassman, Gao thought silently.
Every time Kamomedai tried to launch a final counterattack, this guy would appear like a demon, bringing them nothing but despair...
Aoba Johsai continued serving. Kyōtani Kentarō launched his second serve.
BOOM!!—
The strong sidespin made the ball's trajectory unpredictable, but drawing on his experience from the previous two sets, Tokura Liam dove forward and to the right.
Smack!
Tokura barely managed to receive the ball.
With their setter out of play, Hoshiumi Kōrai quickly stepped in to fill the role. This time, unlike before, Kamomedai had both Hirugami Sachirō and Hakuba Gao as front-row attackers. Feeling reassured, Kōrai set the ball to the front.
Gao jumped from the centre. At a height familiar to him, he simply and directly spiked the ball down—
BOOM!!!
Smack!
"One touch!" Kaedehara Taichi shouted to the back row.
Gao stared in disbelief. He had seen it clearly—there was only one blocker, and it was Kaedehara. Moreover, Gao had jumped first. At a height that belonged only to him, a wall had suddenly appeared...
"Chance ball!" Nakamori Daiki caught the deflected ball and delivered a perfect first touch.
Taichi's figure vanished from Gao's sight.
Again?!
But this time, Hirugami Sachirō and Hoshiumi Kōrai stuck close to Taichi, having anticipated the move.
"Heh..."
Thump!
Taichi leapt at the far left side.
"Double block!" Sachirō and Kōrai followed tightly after.
Can't reach it?!
The ball was set precisely to Taichi's left side.
BOOM!!!
Wakabayashi Hikaru's body froze—every muscle tightened as if he had turned to stone. He reflexively raised both hands, but the ball slammed hard into Kamomedai's left sideline.
Taichi had bypassed the block not with height this time, but speed.
Kamomedai's back-row defence might as well have not existed—no one could catch up to that ball.
Kaedehara Taichi scored with a spike.
[Aoba Johsai 2 – 0 Kamomedai]
What tormented Kamomedai now wasn't just that they couldn't stop Taichi.
It was that they couldn't score at all…
This lineup wasn't just Kamomedai's strongest blocking formation.
It was also their strongest attacking formation!
Aoba Johsai served again.
Kyōtani Kentarō delivered the third ball, and Wakabayashi received it solidly.
Tokura Liam moved up to set. Hoshiumi Kōrai jumped on the left to spike.
"Double block!" Taichi and Yahaba Shigeru went up together.
—"Kamomedai's offence is being tightly followed again by Taichi! Their passing lanes are completely read by Aoba Johsai!"
Kōrai glanced past the blockers. Just two of them? That wasn't enough to stop him!
Boom!!
The ball shot past Yahaba's right side and into Aoba Johsai's back row.
Smack!
Kunimi Akira received it. "You can't just focus on the blockers, you know..."
The ball rose high. But Yahaba couldn't reach the set in time, and Nakamori had just been covering the left sideline.
Whizz—!
Kyōtani set the ball to the left.
"A low set—here's a chance!"
All three Kamomedai front-row players quickly converged left.
Taichi took two steps and leapt.
"Triple block!" Kōrai, Gao, and Sachirō all jumped, arms tense and angled down.
The ball was covered completely by the wall—no room to dodge!
—BOOM!!!—
Like a beam of light, the ball pierced straight through Hoshiumi Kōrai's block and slammed into Kamomedai's three-meter line.
Kaedehara Taichi scored again.
[Aoba Johsai 3 – 0 Kamomedai]
Kōrai lost balance midair and stumbled when he landed, falling hard onto the floor.
"I've never been afraid of your blocks, Kōrai-senpai," Taichi said calmly.
"This guy seriously gives me the chills..." Miya Atsumu muttered. "Osamu, maybe losing to him wasn't such a bad deal after all?"
Though it was the third set, for Kamomedai, this was unmistakably the final, do-or-die round. It was impressive that, despite losing the first two sets, they hadn't let it affect their morale. They still looked sharp and focused.
Even so...they couldn't stop Kaedehara Taichi.
Not even once.
"Taichi looks even more fired up than he did when we played him..." Miya Osamu wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead. For some reason, he couldn't even picture himself beating Kaedehara Taichi anymore.
"Damn it! If we were the ones playing, maybe we wouldn't be able to stop him—but we'd definitely take some points off him!" Atsumu clenched his fists. "Right, Osamu?"
"Ah? O-oh."
"What the hell, Osamu, don't space out now!"
"You're the one spacing out, idiot Atsumu..." Osamu chuckled, but with a hint of relief.
-----
Even when faced with overwhelming strength, there were still some guys who wouldn't give up.
Their love for volleyball pushed them to keep going, no matter what.
Nothing could stop them from chasing victory.
"Tweet!—"
The whistle blew for the next serve.
Kyōtani launched his fourth serve, the ball grazing the top of the net and bouncing toward Kamomedai's side.
"Chance ball!"
Tokura delivered a quick first touch near the net. Hirugami Sachirō jumped to spike.
Kindaichi Yūtarō leapt to block.
BOOM!!
The ball slipped past Kindaichi's right side and landed hard on Aoba Johsai's sideline.
Hirugami scored.
[Aoba Johsai 3 – 1 Kamomedai]
"Finally, a point...!"
"Nice spike, Hirugami!"
"Let's catch up all at once!"
Kamomedai's cheering squad shouted with all their might, trying to rally their team.
With the serve rotating, Kamomedai now served.
Hoshiumi Kōrai stepped up to the line, while Kaedehara Taichi rotated to the back row, forming a four-man receive formation.
The Aoba Johsai players showed no signs of slacking. Their eyes were sharp and focused.
In the previous two sets, they had suffered a lot under Kamomedai's serves. Their early setbacks were largely due to that.
Kōrai's eyes darkened with determination as he adjusted his stance.
"This isn't the time for pride—we have to catch up now!"
Bang!—
Kōrai's first serve was a jump float, targeting Kindaichi at the front.
The ball dipped quickly over the net. Kindaichi didn't have time to lower his centre of gravity and had to reach down awkwardly to dig.
Thwack!
The ball hit the top of the net and dropped. Yahaba chased it and kicked it up.
"Save!"
Kyōtani jumped from the back row and lightly tapped the ball over, avoiding Kamomedai's block.
"Chance ball!"
Ogawa Ryūhei received cleanly, delivering a perfect first pass.
Tokura jumped in the front row to set.
Kindaichi jumped to block in case of a dump.
Whoosh—!
The ball flew toward the far left. Hakuba Gao leapt to spike.
He was aiming straight for Kaedehara Taichi!
Taichi signalled behind him and jumped tightly with Gao.
Swish!
Gao's arm swung through the air—Hoshiumi Kōrai had appeared right behind him.
Kamomedai's real trump card—Hoshiumi's back-row attack!
Taichi dropped back to the floor, and in the next instant, leapt again.
A flicker of wariness crossed Kōrai's eyes, but—it was futile.
—Boom!! freewebnøvel.coɱ
Super high reach attack!
Kōrai's spike soared over Taichi's hands!
Smack!
Nakamori Daiki received it.
"He used the block to lure Kōrai into hitting there?!" Hirugami realised with horror.
Kunimi quickly moved to cover and set the ball to the left side.
Thump!
Taichi leapt again to spike, and Kōrai staggered backwards.
"Triple block!" Gao, Hirugami, and Tokura all jumped.
It was Taichi's third consecutive jump. This time, his contact point wasn't above Gao's block.
Instead, he aimed for the left side of Gao's arms—his eyes locked on Kōrai, who had just retreated and hadn't yet regained full balance.
BANG!—
"Not a chance!" Gao forced his arms down and to the front left.
That angle made a tip shot impossible!
Smack!
Gao felt a solid impact against his forearm, and his heart leapt with hope—
But in the next moment, he caught the meaningful smile tugging at the corner ofTaichi's lips.
"No—"
Taichi's right hand, which had been pressing down on the volleyball, suddenly swiped forcefully to the left. The ball rolled along Hakuba Gao's arm, bouncing back in the direction of Aoba Johsai.
Only—it landed outside the left sideline.
A touch-out off the block.
Kaedehara Taichi scores.
[Aoba Johsai 4 - 1 Kamomedai]
"Aoba Johsai shut down Hoshiumi Kōrai's service round with just one rally!"
"Ahh, Kamomedai's orchestrated attack looked so well-structured. I really thought they had that point in the bag," commentator Ōtomo sighed.
Aoi, the second commentator, nodded.
"Their execution after receiving that chance ball was excellent. First, they used the threat of a front-row setter dump to draw in Aoba Johsai's blockers, then followed up with a layered attack—sending Hakuba around to shake off the last obstacle in the front row: Kaedehara Taichi."
"Hoshiumi's back-row spike was essentially against an open net, and though Taichi's second jump on the block was impressive, it didn't seem like it posed any real threat."
"And yet, that very play was successfully received by the first-year libero, Nakamori Daiki...What a terrifying young talent!"
Hearing this, Katase Jun turned to the person beside him.
"Hibarida—what do you think?"
Hibarida Fuki didn't hesitate.
"Still Taichi. Both that defence and the touch-out spike that followed—his every move was laced with intent."
"The libero's got talent, sure, but the reason he abandoned the sideline and stood there—must've been under Taichi's instruction."
"And the proof? That Kunimi guy also abandoned the cross-court angle and drifted left at the same moment. Those two probably received some kind of signal from Taichi at the same time."
"Hoshiumi had a ton of shot options, but his eyes were drawn to Taichi's deliberately unconvincing block. After Taichi scored three points in a row at the start, who wouldn't want to earn some payback directly from him?"
"Even Hakuba's block just now—it was clearly a result of visual misdirection…"
"That guy isn't just orchestrating Aoba Johsai's offence and defence—he's trying to control the opponents, too…"
"I-Is that even possible?" Katase Jun asked in disbelief. He had sensed there was more to the play than met the eye, but hadn't imagined such deep intricacy between one attack and defence.
"It's not about whether it's possible," Hibarida said grimly. "He just did it, right in front of us. For the players on Kamomedai's side…Taichi must seem like an absolute demon."
-----
Serve rotation—Aoba Johsai to serve.
Kindaichi Yūtarō launched a powerful jump serve.
Hoshiumi Kōrai received it cleanly.
Tokura Liam, in the front row, jumped to set. On both sides, Hakuba Gao and Hirugami Sachirō surged forward for the attack.
"Damn it—this guy isn't even moving!"
Tokura could feel a pair of eyes drilling into his back. In that instant, it felt like all his thoughts had been seen through.
Whoosh—!
The ball was sent to the right side. Kaedehara Taichi quickly moved to cover the right.
Too short!
The ball started to drop before it reached Hirugami Sachirō's ideal contact point.
"A misset—at a time like this?!"
Hirugami dashed to the net and leapt at an angle.
"Double block!" Taichi and Yahaba Shigeru jumped in tandem.
What should've been a set aimed at Yahaba's side had now drifted right in front of Taichi.
BOOM!!
Hirugami adjusted midair and spiked around the block.
"Touch!" Taichi shouted loudly. He'd thought they could shut it down completely, but Hirugami's ability to adapt midair had exceeded expectations.
Kunimi Akira handled the touch and passed it accurately. Nakamori Daiki jumped from the back row to set.
Anyone could tell—Kaedehara Taichi was in perfect form, and so there was no need for Aoba Johsai to look for any other scoring option.
Thud!
Taichi took a horizontal approach and launched himself for the spike.
"Triple block!" Hakuba Gao, Hirugami Sachirō, and Tokura Liam all went up together.
BOOM!!!!
Taichi didn't even bother adjusting his angle. He smashed the ball straight into the block.
SMACK!
The volleyball burst through Tokura's hands and crashed down in front of Ogawa Ryūhei in the back row.
Sheer destruction.
Kaedehara Taichi scores again.
[Aoba Johsai 5 - 1 Kamomedai]
Taichi's performance had grown even more savage compared to the previous two sets. The tide of the game was starting to tilt to an extreme.
"Tweet!—"
"Kamomedai calls a timeout."
"What are you doing out there?" Aaron Murphy asked, clearly frustrated. "I don't recall teaching you guys to play all flustered like this—letting yourselves get led around by the nose!"
"I'm sorry!!" Tokura Liam shouted.
"Bad sets! Indecisive attacks! Shoddy blocking!"
"I don't care how strong Aoba Johsai is, or how terrifying Kaedehara Taichi looks out there. At the very least, when you're on the court, you need to show something worthy of Kamomedai's name!"
"I'm sorry!" Hoshiumi Kōrai and Hakuba Gao lowered their heads.
"I'm not asking you to be stronger than usual, but I won't accept you performing worse because of nerves or pressure."
"Take a good look—at what's behind you!"
[Habit is second nature]
That was the banner of Kamomedai. The words their players saw more than anything else, every single day.
"And you guys—are going to make strength your habit!"
"YES!!!"
Kamomedai's team roared in unison, spirits reignited.
Once more, they launched their challenge against Aoba Johsai!
-----
The time-out ended, and the match resumed.
Aoba Johsai continued serving.
Kindaichi Yūtarō sent out his second serve.
BOOM!
Smack!
Wakabayashi Hikaru received the ball. Though his first touch was slightly off, it managed to free up Hoshiumi Kōrai for the attack.
Tokura Liam moved in to set and unhesitatingly sent the ball to the right wing.
Even if the blockers were right in front of him, it didn't matter—Kamomedai's ace had always been the type to go head-on with the block!
Thud!
Hoshiumi Kōrai leapt from the back row.
"Triple block!" Yūki Yōji, Yahaba Shigeru, and Kaedehara Taichi all jumped together.
Taichi had intentionally switched places with Yahaba and positioned himself directly in front of Hoshiumi.
Boom!!—
The ball threaded cleanly through the middle of the triple block, landing just behind Kyōtani Kentarō on the end line.
A sharp, long-line spike past the hands!
Point for Hoshiumi Kōrai!
[Aoba Johsai 5 – 2 Kamomedai]
"…This is great. Kamomedai really is an amazing team." Kaedehara Taichi grinned without hiding his excitement. "That just makes it all the more thrilling—to be the one to completely dismantle them."
The serve switched over. Kamomedai to serve.
Hakuba Gao launched a powerful jump serve.
BOOM!!!
Smack!
Kyōtani Kentarō barely got the ball up.
"Cover it!"
Kunimi Akira rushed in to set the ball.
On the right side, Kaedehara Taichi raised his right hand to call for it.
"Send it all to me!"
Fwoosh—!
The ball flew to the right.
Thud!
Kaedehara sprinted into his approach and leapt.
"Triple block!" Hirugami Sachirō, Tokura Liam, and Ogawa Ryūhei jumped together.
BOOM!!!!—
A super straight spike!
The ball was so fast it left only a blur behind.
Hoshiumi Kōrai dove forward to save it—
Wham!
A gust of force slammed into his face as the ball hit the ground.
Kaedehara Taichi scores with a spike!
[Aoba Johsai 6 – 2 Kamomedai]
—"Kamomedai had barely warmed up their newfound serve when Aoba Johsai snatched it right back!"
—"Even with Hoshiumi Kōrai in the back row, he still couldn't stop Kaedehara Taichi's spike!"
The serve switched again. Aoba Johsai to serve.
Yahaba Shigeru sent a jump float serve toward Hirugami Sachirō.
Bang!
"I got it!" Tokura Liam stepped in to receive for Hirugami.
Hoshiumi Kōrai filled in to set, and Hirugami leapt up for the spike.
"Triple block!" Kunimi Akira, Yūki Yōji, and Kaedehara Taichi went up together.
Fwoosh—!
Hoshiumi's body leaned back as he pushed the ball sharply to the far right.
It's a back set!
Hoshiumi and Hirugami had faked a quick attack to mislead the blockers—
The real threat came from the right wing.
Ogawa Ryūhei, facing an open net, spiked the ball cleanly into the floor!
[Aoba Johsai 6 – 3 Kamomedai]
—"After that timeout, Kamomedai seems to have regained their rhythm."
—"Hoshiumi, with setting skills rivaling a proper setter, completely tricked Aoba Johsai's blockers and gave his team an easy point!"
Serve returned to Kamomedai.
Hirugami Sachirō tossed the ball up, ran, jumped, and struck.
BOOM!!
The target was clear—Yahaba Shigeru, who only subbed in during the third set!
—Smack!
"When did—?!"
"My focus on you is nearly on par with how I treat Hoshiumi-senpai."
Kaedehara Taichi received the serve!
Yahaba Shigeru moved in to cover, but then caught sight of the gesture Taichi subtly made after receiving.
"I got this!" Nakamori Daiki jumped from the back row to set the ball.
The rest of Aoba Johsai surged toward the front in unison!
"Wha—what is this…?" Kamomedai froze, overwhelmed by the flurry of movements.
"Could they actually not set to Kaedehara Taichi this time?"
Fwoosh—!
The ball went to the right wing. Taichi leapt for the spike.
"Wait—it's still him?!!"
But Kamomedai had hesitated just long enough.
Only Bessho Kazuyoshi made it in time to jump and block on the far right.
Whoosh!—
Taichi swung through—
—but hit nothing.
"—?!!"
"What?!"
Yahaba Shigeru had appeared behind him, casually finishing the spike instead!
Thud!
Hoshiumi Kōrai dove desperately forward, but the ball was already down.
Yahaba Shigeru scores!
[Aoba Johsai 7 – 3 Kamomedai]
So far, the second Aoba Johsai player to score in this set was none other than Yahaba Shigeru, a player who had just entered in the third set and, as a setter in the back row, typically had no offensive presence at all!
Kaedehara Taichi had acted as a decoy in a layered attack, drawing all of Kamomedai's attention his way.
There was no doubt—this was a deliberate response from a certain nasty-minded individual to Kamomedai's clever point just moments ago.
Compared to Kamomedai using Hirugami Sachirō as a decoy to set up a point for Ogawa Ryūhei—who was at least a main wing spiker—this one stung far more.
For Kamomedai, losing a point to Yahaba Shigeru, the least likely attacker, was extremely frustrating.
"How about that? Pretty fun, right?" Taichi narrowed his eyes in a mischievous grin.
_________
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