Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 505: Taking Shape (Double-Length)

"Beep! Tachibana Red Falcons request a substitution. Adam Schmidt IN, Fukami Yusaku OUT."

The Red Falcons had finally managed to break out of Kaedehara Taichi's devastating service turn, but the match situation showed no signs of improving.

DH was the first to reach 20 points, and the score gap between the two teams had widened to a full 7 points.

Unless the ramen Kaedehara Taichi had last night gave him food poisoning, or Adam Schmidt—now subbed back in—revealed himself to be a Super Saiyan, there was no suspense left in this first set.

Of course, neither of those things was going to happen.

-----

BOOM!!!

With Nitta Asahiro's spike slamming into the floor, the first set came to a close.

[DH 25 – 19 Red Falcons]

"Beeeep—!"

A long whistle echoed through the stadium.

Set Winner: DESEO Hornets.

-----

After a brief interval, the second set began swiftly.

Tachibana Red Falcons' lineup:

Front row—Outside Hitter Adam Schmidt, Opposite Hitter Ulrich, Middle Blocker Hondo Sakuma.

Back row—Middle Blocker Hakuba Gao (Libero: Sakata Hajime), Setter Akutagawa Jirō and Outside Hitter Ojiro Aran.

DESEO Hornets' lineup:

Front row—Outside Hitter Kujō Reiji, Setter Iizuna Tsukasa, Middle Blocker Tom Wilde.

Back row—Middle Blocker Nitta Asahiro (Libero: Kubo Wataru), Opposite Hitter Yoshii Hiyu and Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi.

As Coach Hiyoshi had predicted, DH placed Kaedehara Taichi at Position 1 to start the set with a strong service game.

To reinforce their front-row attack and sync with their serve-block tactics, DH had also replaced Kitajima Kippei with Kujō Reiji in the starting lineup.

Tachibana Red Falcons maintained a five-man receive formation, leaving only Hondo Sakuma in the front row.

"Tweet!—" The whistle for serve.

Kaedehara Taichi launched a powerful jump serve—

Sakata Hajime barely managed to dig it up.

Akutagawa Jirō rushed to cover and set the ball. Tachibana launched a four-point offensive!

Sacrificing defence, they gambled everything on breaking the serve in one play!

The multiple attack points threw DH's blockers into confusion. Hidden in the back row, Akutagawa Jirō concealed his setting path well—Kujō Reiji couldn't track the setter's motion in time.

However—

"Middle!" Taichi and Iizuna shouted in unison.

Without hesitation, Kujō Reiji and Tom Wilde closed in toward the centre.

Whoosh—!

The ball arrived as expected. Ulrich rose for the spike.

"Double Block!"

Tap!

With no room to swing, Ulrich was forced to tip the ball into DH's backcourt.

"Chance ball!"

Yoshii Hiyu made a clean pass straight to the net. Kaedehara Taichi, charging from the back row, leapt for the spike.

"That transition was way too fast!"

Ulrich had just landed when he saw Taichi already in front of the net.

Due to their all-out offensive attempt, the Red Falcons couldn't organise a proper block—only the right-side blocker, Hondo Sakuma, stood in Taichi's way.

BOOM!!—

Effortlessly, Taichi struck a sharp cross-court spike and scored the opening point.

[DH 1 – 0 Red Falcons]

"This guy's service rotation is a nightmare…" A Red Falcons fan frowned. "Are five people really not enough to handle his serve?"

"Well, it depends on which five," said a nearby spectator. "Among the top four teams, the Red Falcons' receive line is the weakest."

"Damn it…If they don't adapt soon, it's going to be a repeat of the first set."

-----

"Huh?"

At the Black Jackals' camp, Meian Shūgo pointed at Kujō Reiji onscreen, slightly surprised. "Did that guy always move so smoothly?"

Unlike the general audience, the Black Jackals weren't paying much attention to the Red Falcons at all.

To them, the Red Falcons' reception was standard—at least passable. Given their receive foundation, the fact that they could organize threatening counterattacks meant their performance wasn't lacking.

So the real question was—how did DH stop their attack?

"When he played against us, his sense of rhythm was terrible—like a total rookie," said Inunaki Shion. "According to the data, DH once trained him as an ace, but he fell back to the second squad after an injury. This is his first time playing in the postseason."

"Didn't expect Taichi to be hiding such a secret weapon," muttered Bokuto Kōtarō, resting his chin on his hand.

"It's not really that," Sakusa Kiyoomi pointed toward Iizuna and Taichi. "They're clearly letting someone else do all the thinking—he just follows orders."

"Looks like they've figured out how to use him," Meian remarked. "Let the teammates handle the inexperience. Just have him focus on executing the task at hand. He seems to trust his teammates a lot."

"Doesn't necessarily have to be trust," Miya Atsumu cut in. "Ignoring Taichi's instructions isn't exactly an easy thing to do."

-----

DH's serve—Kaedehara Taichi fired off his second serve.

Smack!

Ojiro Aran received it. Ulrich faked a set but suddenly swung at the ball—catching DH's blockers off guard.

BOOM!

Smack!

Ulrich's surprise attack was dug up cleanly by Yoshii Hiyu. Iizuna Tsukasa quickly recovered and set the ball to the left. Kujō Reiji sprinted up the sideline for the spike.

"Three-man block!" Adam Schmidt, Ulrich, and Hondo Sakuma all jumped up together.

"So fast?!"

There wasn't even time to be surprised. Kujō Reiji's attack path was shut down—blocking height and angles were both spot-on.

BOOM!!—

Just as the ball looked like it might slip past the block, Hondo Sakuma thrust his arms diagonally forward with precision.

—Smack!!!

Iizuna had anticipated the block but couldn't react fast enough to the speed of the ball.

Thud!

The ball landed—Hondo Sakuma scored with a clean block!

[DH 1 – 1 Red Falcons]

Kujō Reiji's cross shot was shut down!

"Sorry!" Kujō shouted. He'd gotten a little carried away. The opponent's block had already closed in perfectly, and he'd still tried to force the point.

"Shake it off—next one!" yelled Yoshii. Still, it wasn't bad. At least Reiji had realised the mistake himself—no need for scolding.

Serve rotation—Tachibana Red Falcons to serve.

Adam Schmidt jumped up for a powerful serve. Kubo Wataru handled it smoothly, perfect pass.

Iizuna Tsukasa jumped from the front row for the set.

"Left? Right!"

The Red Falcons didn't see the set direction until the ball had already left Iizuna's hand.

Tom Wilde took to the air.

"Double Block!" Hondo Sakuma and Ojiro Aran went up together.

BOOM!!—

The ball slipped past Aran's right hand and slammed directly onto Tachibana's sideline.

Tom Wilde scored!

[DH 2 – 1 Red Falcons]

"Damn it!"

Akutagawa Jirō cursed from the back. He'd thought Wilde would go for a high-hand shot, so he'd shifted deep into the backcourt. He hadn't expected such a precise angle.

Tom Wilde glanced at his hand, then turned to look at Kaedehara Taichi.

"How's that feel?" Kaedehara smiled.

"It feels…lighter now," said Tom Wilde.

It had been half a year since he changed his attacking style. During that time, he had been repeatedly targeted due to the predictability of his hitting trajectory, but gradually, he noticed that his body was becoming more attuned to the new rhythm.

Power, speed, precision—at some point, it was as if a mysterious force had braided them tightly together, making Tom Wilde's swings smoother and more natural with each attempt.

"Well, of course," Kaedehara Taichi replied with a smile.

Focusing on mastering a single trajectory naturally yielded faster progress than juggling multiple attacking routes.

By devoting all his time and energy to perfecting his line shots along the sideline, Tom Wilde was able to refine every detail—his hitting motion, contact point, the angle of his wrist—all of which were rapidly forged into stable muscle memory through repetition.

From a tactical standpoint, it also made things simpler: he no longer had to consider multiple attack options. His sole focus was on that single line.

Yes, a predictable attack could be easier to target and lacked adaptability—but even within a "linear" playstyle, there were endless refinements to be made: changing tempo, hitting after the block or brushing the hands for an out, spiking deep or right along the frontcourt line, powering through or feinting around the wall...

Even with just one route, Tom Wilde still had weapons to deal with defenders and blockers. The more he attacked, the better he understood what to do in different situations. And as his scoring rate improved, he became increasingly decisive with each hit—more confident in forcing the game into his rhythm.

Taichi had high expectations for this weapon they'd spent the entire regular season honing. He was eager to see just how much damage it could inflict now.

DH reclaimed the serve.

Tom Wilde launched a powerful jump serve—

BOOM!!

"I got it!"

Smack!

Sakata Hajime made a clean reception, the pass right on target.

Finally, a proper offensive setup! Akutagawa Jirō felt like weeping as he leapt into the front row to deliver the set.

The Tachibana Red Falcons had three strong attackers in the front row. DH's blockers were forced to spread out.

Whoosh—!

The ball soared toward centre court. Hondo Sakuma jumped for the spike.

Kujō Reiji leapt alone to block.

—BOOM!!!

They were the same height—but in the air, they reached entirely different elevations.

THUD!

The ball soared over Kujō's hands and landed clean in DH's back right corner.

Hondo Sakuma scored!

[DH 2 – 2 Red Falcons]

"358cm!"

Hondo Sakuma's attack height was terrifying.

With that strike, the Red Falcons regained the serve.

Ulrich stepped up and fired a high-powered jump serve.

What happens when a powerful serve meets a flawless reception?

Kubo Wataru's first touch sent the ball directly to the net. Kaedehara Taichi followed up with a lightning-fast jump.

"Again?!"

"Double block!" Ojiro Aran and Akutagawa Jirō jumped together, sealing off most of Kaedehara's angle.

Hondo Sakuma hovered on the right, ready to react—someone still had to guard Nitta Asahiro.

Whoosh—

Sure enough, Taichi did pass the ball—but not to the left.

It shot upward again in the centre court—Kujō Reiji's quick attack!

A classic one-handed quick set straight down the middle!

—BOOM!

The ball soared past the double block and slammed into the centre of the Red Falcons' court!

Kujō Reiji scored!

[DH 3 – 2 Red Falcons]

It had only been a few rallies, but the Black Jackals could already sense something different about DH.

All three of DH's opening points had come from different attackers. This was a far cry from the regular season, when Kaedehara Taichi had practically carried the offence alone.

And the scary part? These attacks were just as threatening as Kaedehara's own.

For a team like DH—already troublesome in the regular season despite their thin offensive options—this added versatility made them a real menace.

"Heh…now it's starting to look like something." Miya Atsumu chuckled coldly. The victories DH had scraped together by overworking one guy in the regular season had never really satisfied him (okay, maybe he secretly enjoyed them for a while).

"Talk big all you want, but don't end up being the weak link," said Sakusa Kiyoomi, clearly fired up as well.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!!" Bokuto Kōtarō clenched his fists. "We finally get to play against a stronger Taichi!"

"…You guys…" Inunaki Shion stared at them, dumbfounded. These lunatics were actually excited that their opponent had gotten stronger?

Meian Shugo and Oliver Barnes exchanged a glance, then grinned.

After all—what pack of wolves fears hunting a lion?

-----

DH to serve.

Iizuna Tsukasa jump-served with power. Adam Schmidt stepped up to receive.

"Screen!"

Akutagawa Jirō tossed a high ball to the left. Hondo Sakuma took to the air.

"Double block!" Kujō Reiji and Nitta Asahiro jumped together.

—BOOM!!!

Another overpowering diagonal from Hondo Sakuma—his trademark unblockable high-line shot.

Smack!

The ball struck Iizuna Tsukasa's arm and flew out of bounds.

Hondo Sakuma scored again!

[DH 3 – 3 Red Falcons]

"Whoa! That Red Falcons middle blocker is insane!"

"Well, yeah. He's ranked top three in the league alongside Meian Shugo and Hirugami Fukurō!"

While most of the crowd gasped at Hondo Sakuma's incredible strength, a small number of DH fans felt a strange unease—

Because today, the Red Falcons looked more like the regular season DH.

All three of their points so far had come from Hondo Sakuma alone. But he was about to rotate to the back row. After his serving turn, he'd be off the court entirely.

When that happened—would the Red Falcons still be able to keep up?

"Tweet!—"

The whistle sounded. Hondo Sakuma walked up to the service line.

He knew all of this better than anyone else. But right now, he just wanted to give everything he had.

For the rest—he would trust his teammates.

BOOM!!

Hondo Sakuma's jump serve exploded off his palm.

Smack!

Kaedehara Taichi received it smoothly.

Even though Yoshii Hiyu was shielding him, Hondo Sakuma's serve had clearly disrupted Taichi's balance. Still, he didn't rush to join the attack.

If belief in teammates was the standard—Kaedehara Taichi shared that belief too.

Iizuna stepped in and floated a set to the left. Nitta Asahiro launched a spike—

"Double block!" Ojiro Aran and Akutagawa Jirō went up again.

BOOM!!!—

The ball pierced between the two blockers, aiming for the right side midline of the Red Falcons' court.

"I've got it!" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Smack!

While Adam Schmidt and Hakuba Gao stood frozen, Ulrich dove for the ball and kept it alive.

The ball floated high above the Red Falcons' court—but with both their usual offensive organisers out of position, neither could set!

"SAKUMA!!!"

Adam Schmidt called out, stepping up as the makeshift setter. He tossed the ball leftward.

Hondo Sakuma's eyes blazed as he sprinted down the sideline. Before rotating out, he was determined to help his team take the lead!

Thump!

He leapt from the back row and spiked with all his strength!

BOOM!!!—

"Triple block!" Nitta Asahiro, Yoshii Hiyu, and Kujō Reiji jumped together!

—SMACK!!!

The ball crashed into Nitta Asahiro's arm and ricocheted straight back into the Red Falcons' court.

BANG!

Shut down!

Hondo Sakuma's attack—relying on height and raw power—was stopped cold!

Nitta Asahiro scored off the block!

[DH 4 – 3 Red Falcons]

"With a lousy set like that and a forced back-row spike, don't expect to break DH's defence," Nitta Asahiro said seriously, locking eyes with Hondo Sakuma.

_________

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