Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 525: The Absolute Ace (Double-Length)
Five consecutive points!
From trailing by three to taking the lead by two!
Kaedehara Taichi had single-handedly turned the game around!
Coach Suzaku, who had just called a timeout, stared blankly—how were they supposed to play against this?
The score gap wasn't that wide—just two points. Nothing insurmountable. But the way DH had claimed those two points left Suzaku overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness.
-----
"Next ball!" shouted Hirugami Fukurō loudly, trying to lift the oppressive atmosphere blanketing AD. "Hold the next point!"
"Yeah," Ushijima Wakatoshi responded flatly.
"Come on, show a little emotion, will you?" Hoshiumi Kōrai muttered, pouting slightly. Then his gaze fixed firmly on Kaedehara Taichi as he stepped back onto the service line.
"Taichi, come at me!"
Tsunotate Kazuki took a deep breath and said softly, "It's rare to meet such a strong opponent. If all we do is fear him, wouldn't that be a waste?"
"I agree," said Heiwajima Toshirō with an unbidden smile.
Matia Bottono looked surprised at first, but then exhaled and smiled. "Then let's enjoy the hell out of this game."
"Bring it on!!!" the entire AD lineup shouted in unison at Kaedehara Taichi.
"Tweet!—"The serve whistle sounded.
"As you wish," Kaedehara Taichi replied calmly, without a trace of emotion.
The volleyball was tossed high.
BOOM!!!
A blur streaked across the sky above the court.
Smack!!!
Hoshiumi Kōrai received it!
The ball flew diagonally toward the net—not a perfect pass.
"I've got it!" Tsunotate Kazuki stepped in to recover the ball.
In the front row, Ushijima Wakatoshi and Hirugami Fukurō; in the back row, Matia Bottono—all launched into an approach for the attack.
"Kujō! Left side!" Kaedehara Taichi shouted loudly.
Kujō Reiji immediately shifted left, forming a double block with Iizuna Tsukasa.
Ushijima leapt up and pounded the ball hard against the block.
BOOM!!!—
The ball pierced over Iizuna's arm and slammed into DH's court.
Smack!!!
Yoshii Hiyu dove to dig it out, but the ball ricocheted off his arms, slipped under the net, and flew into AD's side.
Ushijima scores with a spike!
[DH 19 – 18 AD]
Service change. AD to serve.
In both the first and third sets between AD and DH, one was a narrow win and the other a narrow loss—this already proved that the two teams were evenly matched.
Ushijima Wakatoshi stepped onto the service line. At this level, the outcome would be decided in every single exchange.
"Tweet!—" The whistle blew.
Under the attention of every spectator, Ushijima tossed the ball high. As it left his hand, he drove hard off his right foot, his approach faster than before.
Thud!
Ushijima jumped, his body stretched to the limit. His left arm carved a perfect arc through the air before hammering down on the ball with a roaring gust.
BOOM!!!
The ball shot forward like a fired cannonball, wrapped in fierce topspin, charging toward DH's back row.
Smack!!!
The ball struck Iizuna's arm and rebounded back into AD's court.
"Chance ball!" Hoshiumi calmly received it and made a perfect pass.
Matia Bottono jumped to set. Hirugami Fukurō initiated a quick from the middle.
BAM!!!
Seizing the moment before Iizuna could rotate back to the front row, Bottono faked a set and went for a second-touch attack, driving the ball into DH's three-meter zone.
Smack!
Kaedehara Taichi dove forward and barely got a touch, deflecting the ball toward the left side. Kujō Reiji jumped and spiked!
BOOM!!—
—SMACK!!!
The ball was cleanly stuffed back and slammed hard into DH's court.
Hirugami Fukurō scored with a block!
[DH 19 – 19 AD]
"Lucky it was you who spiked. Thanks~" Hirugami said with a casual smile.
"Kujō, don't let him provoke you!"
"Don't worry," Kujō Reiji replied with a smile to Yoshii Hiyu. "No one knows better than me just how weak I am."
AD had tied the score again!
AD continued serving. Ushijima's second serve.
Kubo Wataru received it, and the pass flew straight toward the net.
"I've got it!" Kaedehara Taichi jumped from the back row.
Matia Bottono leapt up to block. For AD, even the slightest chance of a Taichi spike demanded attention.
Whoosh!—
The ball sailed high toward the middle.
"He really is…" Miya Atsumu paused, trying to find the right word to describe Taichi's set.
"Ah, yes—ruthless."
Kujō Reiji jumped to spike again. On the other side of the net, it was Hirugami Fukurō once more.
A perfect repeat of the previous play!
BOOM!!!—
Without hesitation, Kujō spiked it straight into Hirugami's arms.
Smack!!!
Hirugami's arms bent slightly from the impact, and the ball floated back above DH's court.
"Damn it…looks like it's still not time…" Kujō Reiji thought, frustrated. "No way to break through him head-on."
"Chance ball!"
Yoshii Hiyu calmly dug the ball. Iizuna jumped to set.
"Again!"
Front-row Kujō Reiji and Tom Wilde, back-row Kaedehara Taichi—all launched into an attack!
"Which one will it be?!"
AD's blockers were forced to split.
Whoosh—!
A third time! A high set to the middle!
"Still going for that?!" Hirugami and Matia quickly shifted toward the centre.
Thud!
Kujō leapt.
"Thank you all…for believing in me!"
—BOOM!!!
Kujō's spike was faster than the block—just barely grazing Hirugami's fingertips before flying into AD's back row!
If you can't do it alone—then learn to rely on your teammates!
Smack!
Heiwajima Toshirō dove to save it!
But AD's defence didn't rely on Hirugami's block alone.
Tsunotate Kazuki covered quickly and set the ball high to the left.
Ushijima Wakatoshi spiked from the back row.
"Double block!" Kujō and Tom Wilde jumped together.
BOOM!!!
The ball hit Kujō's arm and deflected out of bounds.
Ushijima scored again!
[DH 19 – 20 AD]
—"Kujō has failed to break through the defence with three consecutive spikes!"
—"And it's Ushijima who puts AD back in the lead!"
"Well, that's the end of them," Miya Atsumu said smugly. "DH's so-called 'game-changing' substitution has totally backfired."
-----
"Damn it!!!" Kujō stood with arms slack at his sides, fists clenched tightly. Whether from the high-intensity attacks or from the turmoil inside, his body trembled slightly.
The DH players fell silent—this wasn't the time to offer comfort.
What could they even say? That they shouldn't have passed to him? That would only deepen Kujō's guilt and make him feel he'd betrayed the team's trust.
"Kujō." Kaedehara Taichi's voice came from the back row—calm, almost cold. "Seems like you're still far from being a real ace."
"Taichi?" Tom Wilde couldn't understand—why would he criticise a teammate at a moment like this?
"Until you're subbed out, don't let the team lose another point." Taichi's tone was icily indifferent. "The team's ace is me. I'll be the one to lead us to victory."
"Taichi, you—"
"I get it. I'm counting on you." Kujō Reiji cut off Nitta Asahiro, bowing his head slightly. This was fine. There was still something he had to do on court.
To be the ace meant: no matter the situation, your teammates trust that if they give the ball to you, you'll score.
If there's a next time…
Kujō buried the frustration in his chest.
AD continued serving—Ushijima's third ball!
BOOM!!!
Smack!!!
Iizuna barely got the ball up.
Three serves in a row—Ushijima had deliberately avoided Taichi's position.
If he couldn't stop the attacker directly, then he'd cut off DH's core: their setter!
Yoshii Hiyu rushed forward. After that last point, sending it to Kujō again wasn't a wise option.
Whoosh—!
The ball sailed high to the right wing. Kaedehara Taichi jumped to spike!
At this point, he was DH's only remaining reliable scoring option.
"Triple block!" Tsunotate, Hirugami, and Matia all jumped together.
Both teams were now of one mind—every eye was locked onto Kaedehara Taichi in midair!
—BOOM!!!
The ball soared over Matia Bottono's hands.
Overhand spike!
The ball slammed down along the right sideline!
Smack!!!
Hoshiumi Kōrai received the spike.
"Cover—!"
Though he had managed to dig Kaedehara Taichi's spike, it hadn't been easy. The ball veered past the baseline on AD's side. Worse, AD's three offensive organisers—Matia Bottono, Tsunotate Kazuki, and Hoshiumi—were all caught off guard and unavailable.
Smack!
Heiwajima Toshirō rushed in from the baseline and bumped the ball back toward the net. Hirugami Fukurō jumped to spike!
BOOM!!!
"Double block!" Kujō Reiji and Tom Wilde moved into position swiftly.
Smack!
"Touch!" Kujō shouted.
"Chance ball!" Yoshii Hiyu made a perfect dig, sending it to the net.
Kaedehara Taichi jumped from the back row to attack!
"Triple block!" AD's front line jumped again.
But with Hirugami already worn out from repeated jumps, his blocking height had begun to drop. Heiwajima instinctively stepped up to support the front row coverage.
Whoosh!—
"???"
Instead of spiking, the ball flew sharply from the far right side to high above the far left.
Another set?! What the hell?!
Amid the confused looks from AD's blockers, Kaedehara Taichi cracked a meaningful smile.
"If there's a next time…I know you'll seize it."
—BOOM!!!
The ball slammed down inside AD's three-meter line!
A near-vertical spike!
Kujō Reiji scores!!
[DH 20 – 20 AD]
Kujō had personally tied the game!
"H-Hell yeahhh!!" Kujō let out a roar. "Taichi!!!"
"Nice touch, nice finish," Kaedehara Taichi said with a faint smile.
"Yeah!" Kujō felt something sting at the corners of his eyes—oddly, it hadn't hit this hard even when he got blocked earlier.
"So that's what it was…" Yoshii Hiyu murmured. He'd seen Kaedehara Taichi's subtle hand signal—only then did he decide to bump the ball directly to the net. Normally, he would have chosen to set it up for Iizuna.
And now, DH's once-dim attacking front had burst into light again.
-----
AD to serve.
Hirugami Fukurō jumped high—powerful jump serve!
BOOM!!!
Smack!!
Even Kubo Wataru couldn't receive it cleanly. The ball flew toward the right sideline.
Iizuna Tsukasa quickly moved to cover and adjusted the pass.
The ball soared steadily above the left wing. Yoshii Hiyu faked a spike but wasn't bought.
Kaedehara Taichi leapt from the back row—a clearly telegraphed pipe attack!
"Triple block!" Matia Bottono, Hoshiumi, and Sokolov Tatsuto jumped together.
BOOM!!!
The ball ricocheted off Matia's arm and out of bounds.
Off the block—Taichi scores!
[DH 23 – 23 AD]
"Your blocks aren't even remotely threatening," Taichi said, face full of disdain. "Try a little harder, won't you?"
"You bastard…" Matia Bottono clenched his teeth.
Rotation change—DH to serve. Kujō rotated to the back row, and Taichi returned to the front.
"This is my last chance to be on court in this rotation," Kujō thought. "I want to end it here!"
"Tweet!—" The whistle blew.
Kujō tossed the ball high, ran up, jumped and struck!
BOOM!!!
Smack!!
Ushijima Wakatoshi received it, but the ball veered out of bounds.
"Nice serve!" Nitta Asahiro shouted.
Tsunotate quickly moved to cover and passed it to the net. Sokolov leapt to spike!
"Double block!" Taichi and Nitta jumped together.
BOOM!!!
Smack!!
The ball deflected off Nitta's arm and shot high into the air.
"Touched it!"
"I've got it!"
Kujō steadied the ball, and Iizuna jumped to set.
Taichi was already in the air on the left!
"Double block!"
But AD only had Matia Bottono and Hoshiumi available!
—BOOM!!!
Over-the-block smash!
The ball crashed down into AD's court centre and bounced up high.
Taichi scores again!
[DH 24 – 23 AD]
Set point!
"Huff—" Taichi exhaled slowly, blowing on his palm. "Too easy."
AD had already used up their timeouts. They were teetering on the edge.
DH to serve again.
"Tweet!—"
Kujō's second serve!
Tsunotate received it. Matia moved to the centre and set the ball high.
Hoshiumi ran up—but he was clearly just a decoy.
Behind him, Ushijima launched into a back-row spike.
The set was high—
Thud!!
Hoshiumi and Ushijima jumped in sequence.
"Crap!"
A clearly telegraphed pipe attack—Taichi and Nitta were both focused on Ushijima.
But at that height—
—BOOM!!
Hoshiumi, jumping alone, scored with a clean spike through an empty net!
[DH 24 – 24 AD]
"356 cm!!!"
Considering his height, Hoshiumi had practically taken flight.
"Little Giant" Hoshiumi Kōrai ties the score!
"Beep! Substitution for DH."
"Kitajima Kippei IN, Kujō Reiji OUT."
DH made one final adjustment.
Rotation change—AD to serve.
Matia Bottono served with full force—targeting the freshly substituted Kitajima.
Smack!
The serve was cleanly received.
Veteran Kitajima blended in instantly, showing no signs of hesitation.
Iizuna made a steady set to the left wing. Taichi jumped to spike!
"Triple block!" Hoshiumi, Sokolov, Ushijima—all jumped.
And yet—just one player change, and AD's blocking pressure looked completely different!
—BOOM!!!
But still, not enough to stop Kaedehara Taichi.
The ball sailed above the block, struck Matia's arm, and bounced out of bounds.
Taichi scores again!
[DH 25 – 24 AD]
Rotation change—DH to serve.
Nitta Asahiro tossed the ball high, ran up, jumped, hit!
Smack!
Tsunotate received it—pass was only halfway there.
Matia sent a high ball to the right. Ushijima leapt to spike!
BOOM!!!
The ball evaded the double block by Tom Wilde and Taichi, and smashed into DH's left-side 3-meter line.
Smack!
Iizuna dove to dig it out!
Yoshii stepped in to assist, setting a high ball to the middle!
"Uh-oh!"
The ball was too close to the net. AD's triple block formed an iron wall before them.
Thud!
Taichi leapt high—seemingly unfazed by the wall in front of him, going through the motion of his spike with terrifying focus.
His eyes held unmatched determination—he poured everything into this one attack.
BOOOM!!!
Like a wrecking ball through concrete, the volleyball tore between Hoshiumi and Sokolov's outstretched hands.
Heiwajima and Tsunotate dove toward the landing point—
THUD!!!
Too late.
The ball slammed down in the centre of AD's court. Their desperate defence meant nothing.
Unstoppable. Unshakable.
Kaedehara Taichi scores!
[DH 26 – 24 AD]
"BEEEEEP—!"A long whistle echoed through the arena.
Fourth set: Game Over.
Winner: DESEO Hornets.
_________
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