Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 516: Close Combat (Double-Length)
In the fiercely competitive upper tier of the league, if one were to examine each team purely from a coach's perspective, AD was undoubtedly the kind of "tough opponent" that gave everyone a headache—a formidable force that no coach truly wanted to face.
Based on both league statistics and actual in-game performance, AD was a team with virtually no weaknesses. They embodied the classic Japanese style of volleyball but with an enhanced blocking ability.
Their defence ranked first in the league, forming the bedrock of their dominance as reigning champions. Although their offensive power was slightly less intimidating, the so-called "slight" was only relative. Their attack strategies were diverse and highly adaptable, placing them among the top teams in offensive coordination as well.
With Kaedehara Taichi on their side, DH feared no team when it came to trading blows. Whether it was the solo offensive might of Akutsu Ao or the top team-attack system of Black Wolf, DH could match them strike for strike.
The only exception…was AD. While DH arguably had the edge in offence, the gap in defence was significant.
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Rotation change. DH to serve.
"That was fast..." The teams had been exchanging points so quickly that they'd already rotated through three formations in no time.
Coach Nick frowned. Technically, this was the perfect moment to sub in Kujō Reiji now that Kitajima Kippei was in the front row. But the match had only just begun...
According to the rules, a starting player can be substituted off and then re-enter once per set, but only by returning to their original position. If they used Kujō this early, by the time he rotated to the back row, he'd become DH's biggest liability.
"We'll have to see if this lineup can survive AD's offence…"
Kaedehara Taichi stepped onto the service line. AD responded by setting up a four-man receive formation.
Tsunotate Kazuki, Heiwajima Toshirō, Matia Bottono, and Ushijima Wakatoshi (rotated to the back row)—all four had impeccable receive skills. Now, all of them were focused solely on Taichi.
"Tweet!—" The whistle blew for serve.
Taichi tossed the ball, took a running start, leapt, and struck.
BOOM!!—
The ball traced a perfect arc through the air, spinning hard with fierce side-spin, headed straight for AD's back row.
"I got it!"
Smack!
Heiwajima received the ball. The pass was only half-accurate.
Matia Bottono quickly moved into position and sent the ball high toward the right side. Hoshiumi Kōrai leapt for the spike!
"This guy—!"
BAM!!—
The ball slipped past Kitajima Kippei's solo block and landed precisely on DH's sideline, bouncing out of bounds.
Hoshiumi Kōrai scored!
[DH 3 - 4 AD]
Just like that, Taichi's serve was cleanly broken.
Rotation change. AD to serve.
Ushijima Wakatoshi stepped up to serve.
One benefit of still having Kitajima Kippei on court was that DH, facing Ushijima's powerful serve, could also set up a four-man receive formation.
Kaedehara Taichi, Yoshii Hiyu, Kubo Wataru, and Kitajima—all excellent receivers.
Ushijima's expression was unreadable. At the sound of the whistle, he tossed the ball, ran, jumped, and smashed it.
BOOM!!!
This serve felt even more overwhelming than Taichi's earlier one.
SMACK!!
"Crap—" Yoshii dropped to the ground, sliding backward from the force.
His pass flew wide off the left side of the court.
Taichi chased it down, jumped, and sent the ball back to the net.
Tom Wilde leapt for the spike!
"Triple block!" Matia Bottono, Sokolov Tatsuto, and Hoshiumi Kōrai all jumped together.
No room to swing!
BOOM!!—
Smack!
The ball hit Sokolov's arm and bounced up.
"One touch!"
Tsunotate controlled the ball with a steady receive. Perfect pass.
Ushijima leapt from the back row—pipe attack!
Tom Wilde quickly shifted to the right side, joining Kitajima to form a double block!
BOOM!!!—
SMACK!!
The ball blasted through Kitajima's hands and crashed to the court.
Smack!
Kubo Wataru dove and barely kept it alive.
"Cover!"
Iizuna jumped at the net to pass, sending the ball back to the right side.
Kitajima and Ushijima both jumped simultaneously, only this time they had switched roles—attack and defence reversed!
"He's terrifying…He's only been pro for two years."
Ushijima's solo block completely covered Kitajima from above.
"In that case—"
Kitajima flicked his wrist lightly, sending a soft roll shot.
At the same time, Ushijima swung his arm diagonally to shut it down.
BAM!!—
—Smack!
The ball hit Ushijima's block and dropped down.
"—?!" A flicker of surprise passed through Ushijima's eyes.
Thud!
The ball landed just outside DH's front-right sideline.
Block-out!
Kitajima Kippei scored!
[DH 4 - 4 AD]
"Amazing..." Kunimi muttered. "He actually fooled Ushiwaka."
"So this is what a pro-level attack looks like?" Kindaichi Yūtarō's eyes were wide. "Watching up close feels totally different."
"I totally thought it was going to rebound!" Kai Suzuharu exclaimed. "Ushijima-senpai must've thought so too...That's why he went for the full block. Didn't expect Kitajima-senpai was targeting his block the whole time!"
"Uncle Kippei, that was sick!" Tom Wilde shouted excitedly.
"Don't underestimate these ten years of experience," Kitajima said with a grin.
The score remained tight.
Rotation change. DH to serve.
Tom Wilde launched a powerful jump serve. Hoshiumi Kōrai stepped in to cover as Ushijima Wakatoshi received the ball cleanly.
Matia Bottono quickly set the ball to the right side. Sokolov Tatsuto soared into the air for the spike.
BOOM!
"Double block!" Kitajima Kippei and Nitta Asahiro leapt together.
Smack!
"One touch!" Nitta shouted.
The ball deflected toward the left sideline—Iizuna Tsukasa moved in to cover and saved it.
Yoshii Hiyu quickly positioned for the set and passed to the middle—Kaedehara Taichi charged in from the back for a pipe attack!
"Double block!" Matia Bottono and Sokolov Tatsuto both jumped to meet him at the net.
—BOOM!!
The ball blasted off Matia's forearms, then dropped between him and the net.
Off the block, into the net—Kaedehara Taichi scored with a wipe!
[DH 14 - 14 AD]
"Nice block, Asahiro!" Kitajima slapped his teammate's back encouragingly.
DH kept up their serve.
Tom Wilde served again.
"Mine!"
Heiwajima Toshirō stepped in front to cover, allowing Ushijima to carry on with his offence. The pass was right on target.
"Give it to me!" Ushijima shouted.
Starting his approach from deep in the backcourt, Ushijima sprinted in. Meanwhile, Tsunotate jumped at the net to fake an attack and bait Iizuna into blocking. But the fake spike turned into a quick set—tossed high to the middle.
Thump!
Ushijima soared from the back row—another pipe attack!
"Double block!" Kitajima and Nitta jumped in response.
BOOM!!!—
The spike tore through Kitajima's block and came crashing down into the centre of DH's court!
Taichi dove and barely kept it alive!
The ball popped up high and drifted toward the baseline.
Kubo Wataru chased it down and bumped it back toward the net—Nitta jumped in to spike!
"Double block!"
BOOM!!
Smack!—
The ball struck Sokolov's arm and flew out of bounds.
Wipe-out!
"No way!"
Hoshiumi had predicted the play, diving to dig it up at the last second.
Ushijima followed up, setting the ball high to the left. Tsunotate soared in for the attack!
"Triple block!" Iizuna Tsukasa, Kitajima Kippei, and Nitta Asahiro jumped in unison.
Facing the 185 cm-tall Tsunotate Kazuki, DH didn't hold back on their blocking!
"Scary…"
Bam!—
—Smack!
Tsunotate gently tapped the ball off Iizuna's arms.
"Damn!" Iizuna realised too late—he couldn't lower his arms in time.
The ball rebounded!
It popped up and fell back into AD's court from above. Heiwajima received it cleanly and passed it accurately.
Matia Bottono jumped at the net to set.
Sokolov Tatsuto, Ushijima Wakatoshi, and Hoshiumi Kōrai all charged in—three offensive options at once!
THUD!
The ball slammed down just inside DH's three-meter line.
Matia Bottono scored with a setter dump!
[DH 14 - 15 AD]
"Tch, that guy…" Nitta growled in frustration. His focus had been locked on the attackers—he had completely forgotten that AD's setter was also a threat on offence.
Serve rotation. AD to serve.
Hoshiumi Kōrai launched a powerful jump serve, aimed straight at Kaedehara Taichi!
Smack!
Taichi received it solidly. The pass was only half-accurate, but Iizuna stepped in and set it—Nitta attacked from the right!
Matia Bottono and Sokolov Tatsuto moved swiftly to the right, forming a solid block wall in front of Nitta.
Whoosh—!
The ball shot toward the left side!
"What?!" AD's front line had clearly confirmed that Taichi had been targeted by the serve and hadn't shown any signs of joining the offence from the back. "Then who else?!"
No one else—it was Kaedehara Taichi!
At the precise moment AD's block shifted right, Taichi cut in on a diagonal path and sprinted toward the net.
Tsunotate jumped alone, trying to put up a single block.
Heiwajima and Ushijima rushed over from the back row to assist.
—BOOM!!
A nearly vertical spike!
The ball slipped through the block and hammered the floor inside AD's three-meter line!
Kaedehara Taichi scored with a back-row attack!
[DH 15 - 15 AD]
"That first step was so fast!" On the sidelines, Hirugami Fukurō's pupils contracted. If you lost sight of Kaedehara Taichi for even a split second, it became nearly impossible to track his movements again.
Serve rotation—DH's turn.
Iizuna Tsukasa launched a powerful jump serve. Heiwajima Toshirō received it cleanly, and the pass was right on target.
Matia Bottono set the ball high from the centre—Ushijima Wakatoshi charged in from the back row!
Suspended midair, Ushijima's form was flawless—arms fully wound back as he unleashed a full-force swing, bringing it down with thunderous might!
BOOOM!!!
The ball pierced through a triple block overhead—Ushijima executed a wipe-off shot from the back row!
Kaedehara Taichi flashed into position to face the incoming ball.
SMACK!!!
The impact caused his body to jolt slightly as he absorbed the spike.
The ball shot upward into the air.
Iizuna hustled into position and set the ball high to the right—Nitta Asahiro soared in for the attack!
BOOM!!!
Smack!
"Touched once!" Sokolov Tatsuto managed to get under it and deflected it.
Tsunotate followed up and set it to the left. Ushijima rose once more from the back row for his third spike!
"Triple block!"
BOOM!!!—
Ushijima twisted mid-air and delivered a tight diagonal spike just above the net—threading the ball through the narrow gap between DH's front line and the tape!
Nitta's eyes sharpened. He had always thought of Ushijima as the type who just smashed the ball through brute strength—but he hadn't expected such finesse in his hands!
Smack!
Once again, it was Kaedehara Taichi who received it!
Across the net, Ushijima and Taichi exchanged a quick glance—and smiled.
—"Let's go again!"
With a subtle left-hand spin, the ball arced toward the sideline, just barely staying in. The pace wasn't too fast—Taichi had softened the impact enough.
Kubo Wataru chased it down.
"Right wing!" Taichi signalled, raising a hand.
Without hesitation, Kubo bumped the ball toward the net.
Thud!
Taichi leapt in a single bound!
"Triple block!" Tsunotate Kazuki, Matia Bottono, and Sokolov Tatsuto jumped in unison.
Triple blocks from AD were rare—but this time, they saw a real chance to shut him down!
Kubo's bump had a tight angle, arcing dangerously close to the antenna. There was barely any room left for Taichi to execute his swing.
—BOOM!!
Smack!
"This guy!"
The ball brushed just past Matia Bottono's fingertips and flew out past AD's baseline!
Wipe-out!
Kaedehara Taichi had calculated the angle of his shot from the very beginning!
But—
Heiwajima Toshirō moved even faster than the ball!
Smack!
He dove and dug it back into play. Hoshiumi Kōrai quickly moved in and set the ball to the left. Ushijima soared from the back row—his third back-row attack in a row!
"Triple block!"
BOOM!!!
The ball smashed through Kitajima Kippei's block and ricocheted off Iizuna Tsukasa's arm at the back line—out of bounds!
Ushijima Wakatoshi scored again!
[DH 15 - 16 AD]
AD once again shut down DH's chance to take the lead!
"Three consecutive back-row attacks, and all that threatening?" Kindaichi Yūtarō couldn't help but admire him. Even when Aoba Johsai had beaten Shiratorizawa in their first year to qualify for Nationals, Kindaichi still remembered thinking—Ushijima Wakatoshi was the strongest opponent they had ever faced.
"Sorry, Taichi," Kubo said quietly.
That last pass had practically counted as a missed one. Taichi reacted quickly, but even so, they hadn't managed to score.
"Don't worry about it. Getting it to that spot at all was already really impressive," Taichi replied with a smile.
After all, it was a save. Kubo Wataru wasn't even a setter. And even though Taichi occasionally made unreasonable requests in "rare situations," the truth was—he always believed the other person could do it.
Serve rotation—AD's turn. Hirugami Fukurō returned to the front row.
Sokolov Tatsuto stepped up for a powerful jump serve.
BOOM!!!
The serve cut a deep vertical arc and crashed hard into Iizuna Tsukasa's arms.
Smack!!!
The ball shot out of bounds.
Sokolov Tatsuto scored directly off the serve!
[DH 15 - 17 AD]
The first service ace of the set!
And with it, the first real point gap opened up between the two teams.
"Don't worry about it! Next ball!" Nitta Asahiro called out loudly.
They had to stay on AD's tail. Letting them get away now was not an option!
"Tweet!—" The whistle blew.
Sokolov served again!
BOOM!!!
Same power—but this one wasn't as tricky.
"Mine!"
Kubo Wataru stepped in to shield Iizuna and received it cleanly, though the pass veered diagonally toward the net.
Iizuna rushed up to set. Both Nitta (front row) and Taichi (back row) launched simultaneous attacks.
BOOOM!!!
Hirugami Fukurō was drawn in by Nitta's fake—meanwhile, Taichi's spike blasted straight through Tsunotate and Matia's block!
Point for DH!
[DH 16 - 17 AD]
Kaedehara Taichi rotated to the front row—DH had finally weathered the storm.
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