Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 458: Worth the Price (Double-Length)

The Schweiden Adlers was one of the founding teams of Japan's V1 League and had claimed the championship title nine times—more than any other team in V1 history.

Although EJP Raijin had burst onto the scene like a dark horse last season and climbed to the top, Adlers' throne remained unshaken.

After a long off-season, AD's lineup had changed very little—only the addition of Hoshiumi Kōrai as their new wing spiker. In contrast, the reigning champions EJP failed to retain their championship roster: Washio Tatsuki, Suna Rintarō, and Komori Motoya were all relatively new additions to the starting lineup.

No one doubted the players' capabilities—after all, being able to start for a V1 team straight out of high school was proof enough of their strength.

Even so, standing on the court that represented the pinnacle of V1, they inevitably became prime targets for their opponents.

"You kids are still a bit too green for this place," Sokolov Tatsuto said to Suna Rintarō with a smile.

Serve possession changed—AD to serve.

Though it sounded like Sokolov was taunting Suna, Hoshiumi Kōrai knew those words were meant for him too. He dipped his head slightly, feeling the surge of excitement coursing through his veins.

"In that case, let's go all out!"

He tossed the ball, ran up, leapt—and struck.

—BOOM!

The ball flew sharply toward Akutsu Ao in EJP's back row, slicing through the air at a deadly angle.

"This guy—!" Akutsu stepped back, anchoring himself with his left leg behind him.

Smack!

The ball rose cleanly—a perfect first receive!

"These damn high schoolers really like to look down on people, huh?"

"Give me the ball!"

"Yeah, yeah~"

Sengoku Chisato slowed the tempo, and Akutsu quickly adjusted and sprinted forward.

"You're the ones who unleashed this monster—don't blame me~"

Whoosh—!

Chisato lofted the ball high to the middle of the court.

Thump!

Akutsu soared up from the back row.

"Triple block!" Tsunotate Kazuki, Matia Bottono, and Sokolov Tatsuto all leapt together.

Akutsu's gaze bore straight into Hoshiumi's with zero hesitation.

"Coming at me?!"

Hoshiumi spread his legs slightly, dropped his centre of gravity, and brought his arms together to form a receiving platform.

BOOM!!!

Another deafening crack echoed through the arena.

Faced with such a clear shot trajectory, Sokolov didn't hesitate to press into the diagonal block.

BANG!!!

They blocked it—but not completely.

No—in fact, it wasn't blocked at all!

The ball blasted straight through the triple block without pause!

Hoshiumi had read the ball's path and stepped in—

Smack!

From the audience's perspective, Hoshiumi was struck full-on and knocked backwards by the spike. He hit the floor, falling flat on his back.

The ball flew high and far—soaring into the spectator seats behind AD's court.

Akutsu Ao scored with a back-row spike!

[EJP 24 - 24 AD]

"Even if the shot is read, as long as you blast through it, it doesn't matter...right?"

Lying flat on the floor, Hoshiumi glared up at the blinding lights overhead. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over his face, shielding him from the glare.

"I'll return the favour," said Ushijima Wakatoshi, extending a hand. "In both height and power..."

"I'm not giving up yet," Hoshiumi grabbed his hand and stood up. "Next time, I won't let him score so easily!"

EJP had tied the game. Serve possession changed.

"Kid, your serve better not be as soft as your bones," Akutsu said with a threatening tone.

Suna Rintarō launched a powerful jump serve.

Boom!!

"Net graze—!"

Tsunotate Kazuki lunged and scooped the ball up one-handed. Matia Bottono quickly sprang forward for the follow-up attack.

"Chisato!"

"Double block!" Evan Krauss and Sengoku Chisato leapt together.

Whoosh!—

The ball was set to the right. Sokolov Tatsuto jumped for a spike. Washio Tatsuki stood alone in front of him to block.

"Don't move!"

Akutsu's voice rang out from behind.

Washio was high enough to completely shut down Sokolov's straight shot.

BOOM!!!

The ball cut past Washio's left side.

"Mine!"

Kitō Yūkan received the spike with ease—a perfect pass.

Chisato had already returned to his spot and leapt to set. Akutsu soared from the back row.

"Triple block!"

Even after being broken by Akutsu's last attack, AD's front row leapt decisively again. However—

—BOOM!!!

The ball spiked hard into the centre of AD's court and bounced high into the air.

Akutsu Ao scored again with an overhand back-row spike!

[EJP 25 - 24 AD]

EJP took the lead!

Akutsu had scored twice in a row with unreasonable, overpowering back-row attacks.

"That's last season's MVP for you," Nitta Asahiro murmured.

"Hey, Uncle Kippei, weren't you once the league's top wing spiker too? How do you compare to him?"

"Huh? Cough, cough..." Kitajima Kippei, halfway through a drink, choked. "W-we're about the same. More or less!"

"Yeah, but if Akutsu had already been in the league back when you were in your prime—"

"Wataru!" Kippei quickly covered Kubo Wataru's mouth.

"Then what?" Tom Wilde asked with interest. "Would Uncle Kippei have smacked Akutsu around?"

"Hahaha..." Kubo burst out laughing after slipping free. "I'd say it'd be a fifty-fifty match between Kippei and the junior version of Akutsu."

Kippei: "...Damn it, do I not deserve any dignity?"

"Why is there such a big gap between the best spikers over the years?" Tom Wilde pressed on, genuinely confused.

"There's definitely a gap," Yoshii Hiyu replied calmly. "But Kippei's case is different."

"Hm?"

Kippei looked like he had lost all will to live. "Just let the world burn already..."

"There's a gap between V2 and V1, too."

He covered his face. Back when he was 25, Kitajima Kippei had won the V2 League's MVP title before transferring to the V1 team DH Club. But in his youthful arrogance, he had made a lot of bold (and embarrassing) remarks, which became a black mark on his legacy.

"But that's still impressive!" Iizuna Tsukasa said seriously. "Being MVP in any league is an incredible achievement!"

"Tsukasa!!" Kippei was visibly moved, staring at him with teary eyes.

"What is that? So dazzling!" Kubo said, shielding his eyes dramatically. "I can't look directly at Tsukasa's shining humanity!"

-----

Kōrai Hoshiumi received the serve cleanly, and Matia Bottono jumped in the front row to set the ball.

AD launched a multi-position synchronised attack. With EJP's blockers lured away, Ushijima Wakatoshi spiked from the back row and scored.

[EJP 25 - 25 AD]

Serve change. Sokolov Tatsuto stepped up with a powerful jump serve.

Komori Motoya received it, with Sengoku Chisato stepping in to set the ball.

After Akutsu Ao drew AD's right-side blockers, the ball flew to the left—Evan Krauss' quick attack scored cleanly.

[EJP 26 - 25 AD]

Serve change. EJP to serve. Akutsu Ao rotated to the front row.

Evan Krauss launched a powerful jump serve—Kōrai Hoshiumi received it. Matia Bottono aimed the set toward the left wing, where Ushijima leapt from the back row for a spike.

BOOM!!!

The volleyball pierced through Sengoku Chisato's block and slammed directly into EJP's court.

Smack!

Komori Motoya threw out a single hand beneath the ball just before it hit the floor—he saved it!

"What a save!"

Kitō Yūkan quickly moved into position and passed the ball. EJP's front-row trio immediately initiated a simultaneous attack.

Match point.

Sengoku Chisato, Washio Tatsuki, and Akutsu Ao all jumped at once to spike.

AD couldn't tell who would hit it. A solo block wouldn't stop Akutsu. A dead-end either way. The AD blockers exchanged glances—then made their decision.

"Triple block!" Matia Bottono, Hirugami Fukuro, and Tsunotate Kazuki jumped together to block Akutsu.

Fwoosh—!

The ball really was coming to the right.

At that moment, both Akutsu Ao and the AD blockers thought the same thing—

"Perfect!"

Akutsu's attack height already slightly surpassed the block line. Now, suspended midair, he stretched his body to the limit—it was as if he had stopped in midair.

"This guy?!"

As the AD block began to descend, Kōrai Hoshiumi could already see Akutsu's figure from behind the wall of arms.

"Bring it on!!!"

Hoshiumi bounced on his toes, his expression grave—he could get knocked down, but he had to keep the ball within AD's court!

Time began to flow again around Akutsu Ao. He twisted midair, his solid core muscles engaging with explosive force. With a snap of his waist, he unleashed his full power—the tension in his right arm coiled like a battle axe, then—

BOOOM!!!

The spike shot past the top of the block with a visible shockwave, slicing through the air like a blade.

Hoshiumi bent his knees, like a compressed spring suddenly unleashed—he met the ball head-on.

WHAM!!!

The ball, almost too fast to see, smashed into Hoshiumi's forearms. He had gambled on the trajectory based only on Akutsu's posture and the afterimage in the air—and he'd guessed right.

But—

The ball blasted through his arms and ricocheted high off the AD court.

He still couldn't stop it.

Akutsu Ao scores!

[EJP 27 - 25 AD]

"…That was unreal…"

Unlike his earlier half-joking remarks, Nitta Asahiro was genuinely shaken this time.

"World-class ace…" Kitajima Kippei murmured, hands clenched into fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.

In an instant, the entire stadium erupted. The audience could no longer contain their excitement—they shot to their feet. Cheers, shouts, and applause surged together like roaring waves, thunderous and unending.

"That was amazing!"

Kaedehara Taichi's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Not going straight to the World League from high school…I'm so glad I decided to stay here."

"Because there are still monsters here worth devouring!"

-----

"Beeep—!"

The long whistle rang out.

The 2014–2015 V. League Division 1 Men's Preseason Exhibition Match – First Set: End.

Winner: EJP Raijin.

Even though the roster had changed and the addition of younger players made them seem weaker, many spectators believed EJP was aiming for a championship next year.

But with Akutsu Ao—undeniably at the peak of his powers—as the team's ace, EJP's chances of winning this season's title suddenly didn't seem so far-fetched either.

[EJP Raijin 27 - 25 Schweiden Adlers]

[EJP Raijin 20 - 25 Schweiden Adlers]

[EJP Raijin 22 - 25 Schweiden Adlers]

[EJP Raijin 25 - 19 Schweiden Adlers]

[EJP Raijin 22 - 24 Schweiden Adlers]

The match between EJP and AD dragged on for a full three hours, ending just around noon.

After EJP took the first set, AD responded with their ironclad defence and won the next two. If they couldn't stop Akutsu, they focused on shutting down the rest of the team. And when dealing with Akutsu, they slowly applied pressure on the setter instead.

Compared to EJP, AD's overall lineup was better-rounded—strong in both offence and defence. The longer the match went on, the more it worked in their favour.

Still, Akutsu's explosive performance in the fourth set caught AD off guard. With the score neck-and-neck, Akutsu fired off a brutal 5-0 run to close the set.

In the decisive fifth set, the match once again devolved into a drawn-out tug-of-war. Ultimately, it was EJP who showed more cracks.

As a preseason exhibition match meant to ignite the crowd's enthusiasm ahead of the regular season, this continuation of last season's "Clash of the Champions" delivered everything it promised—and more.

The spectators were thrilled, many saying that this match alone was worth the price of admission. And of course, no one was going to turn down the next match either.

With the black horse club DESEO Hornets, home to the "strongest high school player in history" Kaedehara Taichi, facing off against one of V1 League's founding teams and the second-most decorated club in history, MSBY Black Jackal—

Even if the teams didn't seem as strong on paper as EJP or AD, the hype was undeniable.

"Damn it, I shouldn't have watched the morning match. Now I'm actually nervous," Nitta Asahiro sighed. freeweɓnøvel~com

"If we don't play as well as them…or if we just get crushed and the game ends quickly…"

"Ugh, the thought alone is terrifying."

"At times like this, we should really learn from the oldtimers," Kaedehara Taichi motioned with his chin.

"Look how calm they are."

"You sure that's not just them giving up or escaping reality?" Nitta muttered. "Never underestimate an old man's shamelessness!"

"Hey now, Nitta!" Kubo Wataru protested. "We're preparing seriously—with vengeance in our hearts!"

"Just to check…what's written on that 'prep' memo of yours?" Taichi asked, suddenly curious.

"Tactics?" Nitta asked, a sliver of hope in his voice.

"Possible post-match interview questions and how to answer them," Kubo said flatly.

Nitta: "..."

Taichi: "...."

"Think about the actual match for once, would you?!"

"Wait—where's Tom? I haven't seen him around."

"After watching the morning match, he went off to draw somewhere."

"Really that inspired?" Taichi blinked. "He usually only draws after his own matches…"

"I get where he's coming from," Iizuna Tsukasa answered with a gentle smile. "That match just made you want to imagine yourself in it."

"By the way, Tsukasa-senpai—aren't you nervous?" Taichi asked casually.

"A little," Iizuna said, still smiling. "But I believe in you—you'll lead us to victory, right?"

Taichi blinked.

Even setters can read people this well, huh.

He smiled back.

"Of course!"

_________

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