Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 524: Incomprehensible (Triple-Length)
"The score's tied? DH doesn't plan on giving up this set?"
Just halfway through the fourth set, Kaedehara Taichi had already taken 16 swings. Of the 12 points DH had scored, 10 came directly from him. While AD relied on a multi-pronged attack, Taichi was practically holding up DH's entire offence single-handedly.
DH to serve.
Kitaijima Kippei tossed the ball up—powerful jump serve!
Still targeting Ushijima Wakatoshi, but this time with a smart change in technique.
Smack!
Unfortunately, it had little effect—Ushijima received the serve steadily and cleanly.
Hoshiumi Kōrai moved in to support the setter and sent the ball to the right wing. Sokolov Tatsuto leapt up for the spike.
"Nitta!" Taichi shouted.
"Got it!"
Nitta Asahiro gave a small hop. As expected, Sokolov wasn't the real finisher.
Ushijima launched himself from the back row—receive, then spike!
"Double block!"
BOOM!!!
Even though Taichi and Nitta had anticipated the play, the spike blasted past the right edge of their block and slammed onto DH's sideline.
Ushijima scores!
[DH 12 - 13 AD]
"Taichi," Ushijima said with deadly seriousness, "I've always wanted to defeat you head-on."
Taichi met his intimidating gaze and said calmly, "Too bad—you don't have that chance anymore."
Serve rotates. AD now serving. Ushijima moves to the front row.
Matia Bottono launches a powerful jump serve.
The ball clips the top of the net—a net dribble!
Taichi reacted quickly, and thanks to the ball's slowed speed, it posed no threat.
Whoosh!—
Taichi set the ball directly to the right. Nitta Asahiro went for a second touch attack!
"Double block!" Sokolov and Ushijima jumped together.
BOOM!!!—
—SMACK!
The spike was blocked back into DH's court!
Kitaijima dove and barely saved it. Iizuna Tsukasa quickly moved in and set the ball.
The ball arced high toward the left wing. Taichi soared up to spike!
"Triple block!" Hoshiumi, Sokolov, and Ushijima jumped together.
—BOOM!!
The ball shot past the top of Hoshiumi's block.
Heiwajima Toshirō received it cleanly!
Bottono backed him up and sent the ball to the right wing.
Ushijima landed and immediately sprinted sideways, jumping up again for the spike.
"Double block!"
Taichi was there in time—he and Nitta formed a solid wall.
Swish!
Ushijima's swing whiffed—it was a decoy!
BAM!!!
The real attack was from Tsunotate Kazuki, who slammed the ball off Nitta's fingers as he was falling. The ball deflected out of bounds.
Off the block!
Tsunotate scores from the back row!
[DH 12 - 14 AD]
"That guy—" Nitta glared at Ushijima. For someone who looked so honest with his thick eyebrows and serious face, he really pulled a fast one right after taunting them.
Appearances can be deceiving!
"Shirabu-senpai, you look pretty happy," Goshiki Tsutomu commented, confused.
"Do I?" Shirabu Kenjirō pursed his lips, quickly wiping the smile that had slipped out.
Back in Shiratorizawa, Ushijima had been overly relied upon by the whole team. But now, he had teammates he could confidently entrust the offence to. Far from dimming his light, this shift was letting his flexibility shine.
-----
AD served again.
Matia Bottono's second serve!
BOOM!!
Smack!
Kitaijima nailed the reception. Iizuna jumped in the front row and sent a quick set—Taichi and Nitta launched an attack from opposite wings!
Whoosh—!
The ball flew toward the less-defended right wing. Nitta leapt for the spike!
Ushijima jumped solo for the block. Heiwajima and Tsunotate watched closely from the back row.
"Don't underestimate me!"
In midair, Nitta's arm tensed. At the last second, as he spotted Ushijima's blocking hand, he snapped his wrist and hammered the ball downward.
BOOM!!!—
The spike shot past the block, slamming diagonally onto the 3-meter line behind Ushijima!
Clean and sharp!
Nitta Asahiro scores!
[DH 13 - 14 AD]
—"Whoa! That was a razor-sharp diagonal kill close to the net!"
—"Nitta's spike control is incredible!"
"Beautiful hit—you can attack properly after all," Yoshii Hiyu teased.
"Ahaha…" Nitta scratched his head. Against other teams, brute force usually got the job done.
Serve rotates—DH to serve.
Nitta tossed the ball and fired a jump serve!
Tsunotate received it—a shaky pass.
Bottono hustled to set it—right wing high ball.
Ushijima charged down the right line and launched!
"Double block!" Tom Wilde and Taichi jumped together.
—BOOM!!!
Over-the-hands spike!
The ball sailed past Taichi's hands and slammed down on DH's right sideline.
Ushijima scores again!
[DH 13 - 15 AD]
"358 cm!"
Another towering spike!
AD reclaimed serve. Hoshiumi stepped onto the line.
Kubo Wataru and Nitta Asahiro exchanged hand signals, checking if a sub was needed. Nitta shook his head.
"Let me hold on for at least one more point."
"Tweet!—" Serve whistle blew.
Hoshiumi tossed the ball high, ran, jumped, and hit!
BOOM!!
It wasn't fast, but the trajectory was vicious—zooming toward DH's back-right corner!
Nitta backpedalled. The placement was so precise that even his teammates couldn't screen for him.
Smack!
He barely managed to dig it. The ball floated toward the net.
Yoshii came in to set—and pushed it to Taichi at the centre!
BOOM!!!
SMACK!
The ball hit Ushijima's arm and shot high toward the baseline.
"I got it!"
Hoshiumi had predicted that Yoshii's backup set wouldn't allow Taichi to go over the block. With Ushijima and Sokolov forming a solid double block, he gambled on a tooling play—and moved early to cover it!
Smack!
Hoshiumi leapt and sent the ball back into AD's court.
Bottono's eyes lit up. He calmly set a high ball to the centre.
Thud!
Ushijima dug his feet into the court and jumped!
Higher and higher! Since graduating from Shiratorizawa, Ushijima had remained obsessed with power and height.
BOOOM!!!—
He swung hard with his left arm and drove the ball down! ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
But a pair of hands met it—fierce and unwavering, filled with a suffocating intensity.
—SMACK!!!
The ball slammed into Taichi's palms with a crash that seemed to shatter the air. His block changed the ball's trajectory completely, sending it screaming back into AD's court at an unbelievable speed.
THUD!!!
Ball down—Taichi scores with a block!
[DH 14 - 15 AD]
Just a second ago, Bottono had been admiring Ushijima's beautiful form midair, already anticipating a point.
The next moment, the ball landed on AD's court with a sharp smack that echoed through the arena.
No time to react.
"Ushijima-senpai," Taichi said flatly, "this spot…isn't your exclusive domain."
The crowd erupted in deafening cheers, roaring like a tsunami threatening to flip the entire stadium.
With this astonishing block, DH clung to the score once more!
-----
"This guy...The pressure he puts on spikers is unreal…" Meiake Shūgo muttered.
He remembered all too well what it felt like to be blocked by Taichi back during the regular season. And now, Taichi was even stronger than before.
"Seriously, look!" Bokuto Kōtarō exclaimed, "The expressions on AD's front line are all super tense now!"
"Except Ushijima," Sakusa Kiyoomi noted calmly.
"Does Ushijima's expression ever change?" Miya Atsumu said, exasperated. He and Bokuto had once joked that Ushijima might be wearing a hyper-realistic mask at all times.
"The one taking the hit isn't just the spiker," Atsumu added. "Look at their setter. He started changing his sets at the end of the last set, focusing more on high balls—his rhythm was starting to come back…"
"But now, even their highest-point attacker just got blocked. As a setter, that probably feels like a dead end."
"C'mon, you're overthinking it. It's just one block—next point, they'll score for sure!" Bokuto said brightly.
"Tch. This is why spikers with rocks for brains annoy me. Setters have way more to worry about," Atsumu said, unimpressed. "Even if you don't care about the last point, how do you know the setter won't hesitate next time?"
Mid-rant, Atsumu noticed Sakusa's gloomy stare.
"What now…? Did I piss him off again?"
"Before you start calling spikers brain-dead, maybe think about who leads the team in setting errors," Sakusa replied with a cold smile.
"???" Atsumu blinked. Then his face cleared. "I wasn't even talking about you! You're so petty!"
"And anyway, those weren't errors, they were necessary experiments!" Atsumu huffed. "You should be praising my spirit of innovation!"
"If someone had the brains to realise those experiments belong in practice, not matches…" Sakusa said icily, shooting him a glare.
"Okay, okay, let's focus on the game," Meian said, rubbing his temples. These two were brilliant, sure—but they never gave him a break…
"You two really get along, huh?" Bokuto said slyly.
"—SHUT UP!" Atsumu and Sakusa snapped in unison.
"…I am your senpai, you know," Bokuto said with a bit of hurt.
-----
Service change. DH to serve.
Yoshii Hiyu's powerful jump serve—sharp and precise—flew straight toward Matia Bottono.
Smack!
Unfortunately, the serve lacked speed. Matia Bottono received it cleanly and sent the first pass right to the net.
Tsunotate Kazuki leapt up for the spike!
Kaedehara Taichi was forced to jump for the block.
Whoosh—!
The ball soared toward the centre. Ushijima Wakatoshi jumped.
Tom Wilde jumped solo to block.
BOOM!!!
The ball sliced past the right side of the block and slammed against Nitta Asahiro's arm before flying out of bounds.
A perfectly executed line shot!
Ushijima Wakatoshi scores!
[DH 14 – 16 AD]
No matter what, AD still had the upper hand.
Service change. AD to serve. Hirugami Fukurō rotated into the front row.
Sokolov Tatsuto tossed the ball up and launched a powerful jump serve!
BOOM!!
The serve had incredible momentum, and all of DH's front-row players instinctively stepped back slightly. But—
A net dribbler!
The ball struck the top of the net and tumbled down on DH's side, almost scraping the net as it fell.
Iizuna Tsukasa and Tom Wilde both lunged forward to save it—
Thud!
The ball hit the floor.
Sokolov Tatsuto with an ace!
[DH 14 – 17 AD]
At such a critical point in the match, even luck seemed to be siding with AD.
"Beep! Timeout requested by DH," the referee called.
Coach Nick had called it just in time. They couldn't afford to let the point gap widen further—they had to act now.
"Sorry," Nitta Asahiro muttered.
On the surface, the ace had nothing to do with him, but in truth, Iizuna Tsukasa had shifted his position backwards to cover for Nitta's reception. Had that not been the case, there might've been a chance to save the ball.
"Idiot. Are you trying to throw shade at me?" Kubo Wataru shot him a sideways glance.
"No, not at all, Kubo-senpai—"
Kubo Wataru waved him off and then turned seriously to the coach.
"I think I've recovered enough. Let me back in."
Coach Nick nodded. Truthfully, he had considered subbing Kubo in earlier—like when the score was still tied. But even then, it would have been a gamble. At a crucial moment, Nick Foster had hesitated.
"Thanks to everyone's efforts, we're still in it. Now let's take this win home!"
As the oldest player on the team, Kubo Wataru's rallying words held the weight of a true locker-room veteran.
"Besides," he added with a grin toward Kaedehara Taichi, "it's just three points. That shouldn't be a big deal for you, right?"
Kaedehara Taichi stared back at him, replying slowly, "As long as you can hold the back row, Kubo-senpai—three points is just three swings."
Kubo Wataru: "…."
He could tell—Kaedehara Taichi wasn't joking.
-----
Time-out over. The match resumes.
Kubo Wataru swapped places with Nitta Asahiro and rejoined the court. (Since liberos and back-row players don't count toward substitution limits, the switch was legal.)
AD to serve again. Sokolov Tatsuto sent his second serve flying.
Smack!
Kubo Wataru received it—perfect pass!
Iizuna Tsukasa repositioned and smoothly set the ball to the right wing.
Kaedehara Taichi leapt to spike!
"Double block!" Ushijima Wakatoshi and Hirugami Fukurō jumped together.
BOOM!!!—
SMACK!!!
The ball sliced between them and slammed into the outstretched arm of Tsunotate Kazuki on the left. It bounced out of bounds.
A sharp cross!
Kaedehara Taichi scores!
[DH 15 – 17 AD]
DH's offence had finally found its rhythm.
Service change—DH to serve.
"Beep! Substitution for DH."
"Kujō Reiji IN, Kitajima Kippei OUT."
The faces on the AD side turned grim. With all the substitutions DH was pulling out, it was obvious—the match had reached its boiling point.
Kaedehara Taichi walked to the service line.
"Tweet!—"The whistle blew.
He tossed the ball, took a running start, jumped, and swung.
BOOM!!!
Smack!!!
Hoshiumi Kōrai barely managed to receive the ball, and it floated directly above the net.
—"Ushijima!"
—"Kujō!"
Both players jumped—Ushijima Wakatoshi from one side of the net, Kujō Reiji from the other.
Their hands clashed in midair above the ball.
Smack!
The ball fell into AD's side—
As expected, the 10cm height difference gave Kujō Reiji the advantage in the joust.
But that brief moment was enough for AD to reorganize!
Heiwajima Toshirō dove to save it.
Matia Bottono repositioned and passed to the right wing.
Hirugami Fukurō went up for the spike!
"Double block!" Iizuna Tsukasa and Tom Wilde jumped together.
—BOOM!!!
The ball flew over Iizuna's block—
A high-hand spike!
It smashed toward the centre of DH's court.
Smack!
Kubo Wataru dove and saved it with a perfect pancake!
"I got it, Ace!" he shouted toward Kaedehara Taichi.
Taichi sprinted down the right sideline, leaping from the back row.
Iizuna Tsukasa's set reached him cleanly.
"Triple block!" Ushijima Wakatoshi rushed in from the left, joining Tsunotate Kazuki and Hirugami Fukurō to form a wall in front of Taichi.
BOOM!!!—
The ball shot between Tsunotate and Hirugami, straight toward the AD back row.
Matia Bottono lunged low on his left knee to receive—
THUD!!!
Too late. The ball ricocheted off in front of him.
Kaedehara Taichi scores!
[DH 16 – 17 AD]
Taichi looked calmly toward Kubo Wataru.
"Nice one!" Kubo praised sincerely. This guy…he's like a damn monster.
"One more," Taichi muttered as he walked to the service line.
Holding the ball, his right hand opened gently, palm up against the ball's underside. His gaze swept across AD's court through the top of the ball.
"Tweet!—"The serve whistle blew.
The ball rose—
In the eyes of everyone watching, its arc was nearly a perfect parabola.
In the next instant, Kaedehara Taichi gently pushed off with his right foot, body tilting forward, his motions deceptively smooth but brimming with power.
Then came the stride—his left leg lunging forward, muscles sharply defined.
The sole of his shoe scraped the court with a gritty, resonant shhhkkk!
The ball hovered at just the right height.
Taichi's right foot slid to meet the left.
Both arms swung back.
His legs tensed, joints coiled, power converging through ankles, knees, and hips.
The floor trembled faintly under the surge.
THUMP!
Kaedehara Taichi jumped.
His body arched gracefully midair like a drawn bow.
Core muscles taut, his right arm stretched back to its limit.
The moment of release—imminent.
The ball seemed to pause, frozen just above and in front of his right shoulder.
BOOOOM!!!
His palm struck—
The surface of the ball dented slightly under the contact.
As it rebounded off his hand, his wrist snapped forward, imparting violent topspin.
The ball whirred as it accelerated away.
THUD!!!
Like a thunderclap, his feet touched down lightly.
Knees bent, then straightened.
By the time he rose to full height again, a bold smirk was already tugging at his lips.
"IN!"
No one had touched it.
Kaedehara Taichi scores directly from serve!
[DH 17 – 17 AD]
"132 km/h!!!"
Kaedehara Taichi delivered that terrifying serve once again!
After the timeout, DH scored three consecutive points to tie the game!
"Beep! AD requests a timeout."
In less than a minute, AD's lead had completely vanished!
Coach Suzaku's head was spinning with confusion. In all his years of coaching, he had never encountered a player this absurd.
It was completely outside the bounds of normalcy.
-----
Timeout over. The match resumed.
Kaedehara Taichi narrowed his eyes—none of the AD players had lost their fighting spirit.
"Perfect."
This timeout had indeed disrupted his rhythm slightly, but the moment he stepped back onto the service line, excitement coursed through him once more!
"Tweet!—" The referee's whistle rang out.
Taichi tossed the ball, ran up, leapt—and struck!
—BOOM!!!
The moment the ball left his hand, the surface spun violently, generating turbulent airflow. The serve sliced through the air in a sharp arc, its rotation visibly intense.
"I've got it!"
Hoshiumi Kōrai flashed forward, positioning himself right in front of the ball. He bent his knees, lowered his centre of gravity, and extended his arms beneath the descending sphere.
"???"
In his dazed expression, it was clear—he had misjudged.
The spinning trajectory suddenly dropped lower, catching him completely off guard.
THUD!
The ball slammed to the floor.
Kaedehara Taichi scored another service ace!
[DH 18 - 17 AD]
"The ball changed trajectory—at that speed?!"
"Taichi's serve is downright terrifying! There's no question—he's this season's Number One server!"
"And his serving show isn't over yet!"
-----
"Number one or whatever," Miya Atsumu said languidly, "It's not like this world only cares about rankings."
He shrugged. "Don't they say? 'Friendship first, competition second'…"
Sakusa Kiyoomi turned and gave him a disgusted look.
"Aaagh! Fine, I get it! I GET it!" Miya exploded, bristling. "Other than first place, the rest are all garbage!!!"
"…I didn't say anything," Sakusa muttered, pulling his mask higher and inching away from him.
"Then what was with that look just now?!"
"You're disgusting," Sakusa said flatly, without hesitation.
"?"
"???"
"That's it! I had ENOUGH!! I'm gonna rip your mouth off Sakusaaaa!!" Miya lunged, only to be yanked back by Bokuto Kōtarō.
-----
DH continued their serve.
Kaedehara Taichi launched a third serve!
BOOM!!!
Heiwajima Toshirō managed to receive it—but the ball rebounded wildly back into DH's court!
"Chance ball!" Yoshii Hiyu rushed up to cover, delivering a precise first touch.
Iizuna Tsukasa leapt into the front row, preparing to set. He had many choices at this moment: to the left, Kujō Reiji; to the right, Tom Wilde; or he could even go for a surprise second-touch attack himself…
But one silhouette was impossible to ignore.
Thud!
Kaedehara Taichi leapt from the back row, soaring toward the net.
Give it to me!
Iizuna could almost hear that voice calling out to him.
Whoosh!—
The set flew cleanly into Taichi's strike zone—perfectly timed, not a fraction off.
BOOOM!!!
The ball blasted through a three-man block, slamming into AD's court with violent force!
Kaedehara Taichi scored again with a back-row spike!
[DH 19 - 17 AD]
_________
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