Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 548: Suppression! (Triple-Length)
The serve rotated—Ryujin's turn.
Miya Atsumu stepped up to the service line.
"Everyone, stay sharp. He was last season's best server in the Japanese league," said Yaku Morisuke.
Unlike his Nizhnev teammates, Yaku kept close tabs on the Japanese volleyball league.
"Yes, sir!"
"Got it."
The team snapped to attention, fully focused.
"Tweet!—"
The whistle blew.
Atsumu tossed the ball high, ran up, leapt—
BOOM!!!
The serve exploded off Kobzar's forearm and ricocheted high into the air.
"Tch." Atsumu clicked his tongue, unsatisfied.
"Cover it!"
Ivan, at Position 2, moved quickly and bumped the ball back toward the centre. Igor leapt to spike it!
"Triple Block" Hirugami Fukurō, Sakusa Kiyoomi, and Hoshiumi Kōrai all jumped in unison.
This was the signature of Nizhnev's setting style—height.
Even when the pass came from the opposite hitter or setter, the ball was set sky-high.
—BOOM!!
Igor's arms snapped tight as he smashed down with full force.
The ball flew past the block—
Smack!
—only to be dug out cleanly by Kunimi Akira.
They got it!
Atsumu's serve had disrupted Nizhnev's tempo, and this was Ryujin's first successful dig against their attacks!
Atsumu repositioned and jumped to set.
Now came the next challenge—offence.
Whoosh!—
The ball soared to the centre. Sakusa leapt to attack.
"Triple Block" Mikhail, Igor, and Ivan all jumped together.
Nizhnev had no intention of defending. Instead, they aimed to shut down Sakusa's spike entirely!
The three-man wall left no gap in height or width.
BANG!!!
Smack!—
The ball deflected back toward Ryujin's side—but flew out on the right.
Block out.
Sakusa scored!
[Ryujin 2 – 3 Nizhnev]
"Oh! I get it now," Igor laughed. "So that's how short guys attack."
Though Sakusa stood at 192 cm, in front of 209 cm Igor, calling him "short" wasn't entirely wrong.
Thwack!
Yaku flew in and landed a sharp kick on Igor's knee. Sakusa didn't understand, but Yaku definitely did.
"What, got a problem with short players, you jerk?!"
"I wasn't talking about you, Yaku!" Igor scratched his head with an awkward grin.
Ryujin continued serving.
Atsumu launched his second serve—this one spinning hard with wicked side-rotation.
BOOM!!—
"Cover!"
Even Yaku couldn't receive it perfectly—the ball curved off at an odd angle.
Kobzar rushed to cover and managed to set the ball.
"Left wing," Mikhail called out, signalling and sprinting in.
Whoosh—!
The ball's trajectory was obvious, and Ryujin's front line set up the block.
Screech!
Mikhail's sneakers scraped the floor as he approached—but he twisted midair at the last moment.
"Triple Block"
—BOOM!!!
A short-angle high contact shot!
The ball shot over the block and slammed into Ryujin's right sideline.
Mikhail scored!
[Ryujin 2 – 4 Nizhnev]
Serve change—Nizhnev's turn.
Ivan jumped to serve—a cannonball.
Komori Motoya received the ball cleanly. The pass, though not perfect, was serviceable.
Atsumu moved in to set.
Frontline options: Hirugami, Sakusa, and Hoshiumi—all primed for attack.
Nizhnev's blockers spread wide—but subtly aligned themselves at one-third court points.
"Damn it, don't even think about catching up to my set!"
Whoosh!—
Atsumu sent the ball high and wide to the right.
Hoshiumi leapt to spike!
Igor shuffled a step to the right and jumped vertically.
Mikhail took two quick diagonal steps and jumped too.
"Double Block"
"—?!"
—BOOM!!
The ball barely grazed Igor's fingertips and smashed down near Nizhnev's baseline, bouncing out.
Hoshiumi scored with an overhead spike!
[Ryujin 3 – 4 Nizhnev]
"Eh?" Igor stared at Hoshiumi, then looked toward Yaku.
He's the same height as Yaku, and yet when he spiked, it looked like he took flight!
His spike height…had to be at least 3.5 meters?!
Thwack!
Yaku kicked Igor again, this time in the calf.
"What the hell are you thinking now, huh?"
"Hehe…" Igor laughed sheepishly. "That little guy's amazing. Does he have springs in his legs or something?"
"Forget that—weren't you underestimating him just now?" Yaku's voice went cold. "You were blocking straight up, and your jump height barely matched Mikhail's."
"S-Sorry…"
On and off the court, Nizhnev players had always been well cared for by Yaku. On the court, he was Coach Maksim's eyes and ears.
In a way, Yaku's word carried more weight than even Mikhail's.
To young players like Ivan, Yaku was the strongest libero they'd ever seen—a wall in the backcourt with elite reception, digging, and setting skills. The fact that Yaku defended Nizhnev's court with such a small frame made them think, That's what it means to be a real man.
But to seasoned players like Igor and Kobzar…
Yaku was more like a terrifying team mom.
"I've said it before—underestimating them will cost you," Yaku warned. "And besides, you're my most trusted teammates now. I want them to see—"
"Just how strong the people around me are!"
"I understand," Igor answered seriously.
"Yaku-san!" Ivan looked completely moved, eyes shining.
Mikhail watched the scene with a faint smile.
Being part of this team really did feel easy.
All he had to do was focus on defeating the opponent.
Serve change—Ryujin's turn.
Hirugami Fukurō went for a power jump serve.
BOOM!!!
Smack!!
Yaku took the ball head-on and absorbed the impact by rolling backwards twice.
Kobzar stepped in and set the ball high to the right.
Thud!
Wing spiker Viktor soared into the air.
"Triple Block" Sakusa, Hoshiumi, and Meian Shūgo all jumped.
At 196 cm, Viktor was the shortest in Nizhnev's lineup—besides Yaku. But no one dared underestimate him.
Nizhnev's "twin stars"—Viktor and Igor—were both capable of 3.7+ meter spike heights!
—BOOM!!!
A devastating high-contact spike!
The ball soared above the triple block.
Atsumu darted into position.
After two years of pro experience, his defence was no longer a weak link.
However—
SMACK!!!
The ball struck his forearm and shot skyward—flying way out of bounds!
Atsumu dropped to the floor, the contact point on his arm already red and stinging.
Thud!
Komori couldn't chase it down—the ball landed out.
Viktor scored!
[Ryujin 3 – 5 Nizhnev]
So it's not just height…
Nizhnev's raw power was now on full display.
"Nice spike!" Yaku shouted.
Serve change—Nizhnev's turn.
Igor stepped up to serve.
"Time for us to kick this match up a notch."
"Tweet!—"
He tossed, ran, jumped, struck—
BOOOM!!!
The ball blurred into a white streak headed straight for Ryujin's backcourt.
Komori took a small step—
THUD!!!
The ball hit the ground.
"Out!"
Igor's serve went long.
[Ryujin 4 – 5 Nizhnev]
"126 km/h!"
"Phew—" Atsumu let out a long breath.
The ball missed the line by just half a palm's width. At that speed, the margin for error was razor-thin.
"Nice read!" Hoshiumi shouted.
Thanks to that, the score gap hadn't widened.
"Pfft, that was your 'speed boost,' huh, Igor?" Viktor chuckled.
Igor switched positions with Yaku. "Ahem. Sorry."
"You didn't do anything wrong. No need to apologise," Yaku gave him a sidelong glance. "Just make up for it with your next serve."
"Of course!" Igor answered with force.
Serve change—Ryujin's turn.
Sakusa launched a strong jump serve. Ivan received it—
Smack!
But the ball ricocheted out at a diagonal.
"I got it!"
Yaku had anticipated this—he was already in position and bumped the ball toward the net.
Mikhail leapt to spike.
"Triple Block" Hoshiumi, Meian, and Kunimi jumped to block.
BOOM!!!
The ball blasted past the block and smashed into Ryujin's centre court.
Mikhail scored!
[Ryujin 4 – 6 Nizhnev]
"They still can't stop it!"
"Our block isn't giving them enough pressure!" The crowd on the sidelines murmured among themselves.
Coach Suzaku signalled to the players on the court.
Triple blocks were meaningless against super-high-angle spikes—they might as well redistribute the defenders to cover the back row instead.
Serve change—Nizhnev's turn.
Mikhail tossed the ball high, pulled his arm back, and whipped it with full force.
BOOM!!!
"Atsumu!"
THUD!!!
The ball slammed between Komori Motoya and Miya Atsumu, slightly angled toward Atsumu's position.
No one touched it.
Mikhail scored directly from his serve!
[Ryujin 4 – 7 Nizhnev]
"120 km/h!"
"Another one of those jump serves...Their serve speed is unreal!"
"What a serve!"
"Do it again!"
Nizhnev's players called out to Mikhail, who answered only with that same calm, faint smile.
"That libero seems to be tracking my serve trajectory," Mikhail noted to himself. "But I'm in good condition today—should be able to push it even harder."
"Tweet!—"
The whistle blew for his second serve.
Mikhail aimed straight at Komori and launched again!
BOOOM!!!
Even faster than before!
The ball vanished from spectators' view in a blink.
Smack!!!
Komori received it!
"Oh!" Igor gasped from the sidelines.
The pass was good—nearly on point!
"Nice receive!" Atsumu called out, leaping from the back row—feint spike, real set!
Viktor jumped in front of Atsumu to block, while Kobzar and Volvich stayed alert on the right for any sets to Hoshiumi or Meian.
Whoosh—!
Atsumu did set the ball, but the direction was—left wing!
Kunimi Akira sprinted down the sideline and jumped.
"This setter really is something," Viktor thought. "But—"
Thud!
Viktor landed, then jumped again—right in front of Kunimi!
At their spike heights, tricks like that wouldn't be enough to escape his block.
Kunimi aimed for the gap on the left side of the block—
Swoosh!
Viktor snapped his arms downward.
"Too slow!"
Viktor didn't understand why someone would go for such a slow, soft-looking spike in a situation like this.
But Kunimi seemed to read his thoughts—his lips curled slightly upward.
"Baka."
BAM!!—
Kunimi scored!
[Ryujin 5 – 7 Nizhnev]
Even though Viktor didn't speak Japanese, that mocking little "baka~" was crystal clear (especially since Yaku often cursed like that when he was mad at them)!
"Odd rhythm," Viktor thought. He wasn't angry—he was analysing Kunimi's attack.
After all, for someone who stood only 196 cm, to survive among offensive players averaging 205 cm in height, he relied not just on power and jumping, but most of all—on thinking.
Serve change—Ryujin's turn.
Hoshiumi tossed the ball high, ran up, leapt—spike serve!
"Whoa~ that's some insane hang time."
Watching his serve made Hoshiumi's vertical even more apparent than during spikes. He looked completely unbound by gravity or his build.
BOOM!—
The ball wasn't particularly fast, but carried a powerful spin.
It arced high through the air—then dropped vertically at the baseline!
"What ridiculous drop-off!" Mikhail backpedalled quickly, heels on the line, and bumped the ball upward.
Hoshiumi's eyes narrowed—he could sense it. Mikhail's skillset was complete.
"I got it!"
Yaku leapt from the back row and passed overhead.
Thud!
Volvich jumped and spiked!
"Do they all have crazy attack points like this...?"
Kunimi looked up as he backpedalled, preparing for the dig.
"Double Block" Meian and Atsumu jumped together.
—BOOM!!!
Hoshiumi, Sakusa, Kunimi, and Komori formed an L-shape across the backline. Thanks to Kaedehara Taichi's brutal training, they had been conditioned to handle relentless high-angle spikes—no one wavered.
Smack!
Kunimi dug it!
"Nice one!" Atsumu's eyes widened in surprise.
When did he become this strong?
The guy who used to follow Taichi around lazily had transformed completely!
Whoosh!—
The ball went to the left wing—Meian soared to attack!
"Double Block" Kobzar and Volvich jumped to meet him.
BOOM!!!
The ball narrowly slipped past the block's left edge, smacked Ivan's arm in the back row, and flew out of bounds.
Meian scored!
[Ryujin 6 – 7 Nizhnev]
Ryujin scored consecutively! The gap was narrowing again! They'd managed to stop Nizhnev's offence twice in a row!
"We've got this!" Coach Suzaku clenched his fists tightly.
This "Monster Generation" really could take on the world!
Ryujin kept serving.
Hoshiumi launched his second serve.
If Nizhnev's weakness was in their receive, then serve pressure was Ryujin's best weapon!
BOOM!!—
The ball homed in on Ivan in the back row.
"Found you—Nizhnev's weak link!"
"Ivan!"
Hearing Yaku's warning, Ivan smartly stepped aside.
Smack!
Yaku received it and floated a perfect pass to the net.
"Nice pass, Yaku-san!"
Kobzar moved up and set the ball high to the right—Viktor leapt to spike!
"Double Block"
Ryujin stuck with the same defensive strategy.
Viktor pulled his arm back and unleashed a full-force swing.
BOOM!!!
SMACK!!!
"Bastard—!"
The ball deflected sharply off Atsumu's arm and dropped right in front of him.
Tool-off the block!
Viktor scored!
[Ryujin 6 – 8 Nizhnev]
"You okay, Atsumu?" Meian caught him.
"I'm fine."
Atsumu stared intently across the net.
How could a team this strong have failed to win the European Championship?
Just how powerful was that Polish team?
And how much had Kaedehara Taichi grown…?
-----
Serve change—Nizhnev serve.
Viktor stepped up for a powerful jump serve!
BOOM!!!
Sakusa Kiyoomi received it, the ball bouncing toward the net.
Atsumu leapt from the front row and tapped the ball lightly with one hand toward the left—Kunimi Akira jumped to spike!
"Triple Block" Ivan, Kobzar, and Volvich jumped together.
Kunimi felt like a wall was collapsing on him. Even the overhead arena lights seemed to disappear behind the towering blockade.
Tap!
Kunimi changed it up with a light tip toward the back row.
Mikhail handled it with ease, and Kobzar leapt from the front row—a spike!
"Wait, isn't he a setter?!"
A sudden second attack—Atsumu and Kunimi both jumped to block at the net.
—BOOM!!!
The ball cleared the block and slammed into Ryujin's court.
Kobzar scored with a spike!
[Ryujin 16 – 19 Nizhnev]
"That setter's spike height is insane…!"
"Higher than most of the hitters in our league…"
"352 cm."
The slow-motion replay from the arena screen gave the answer.
"A setter with a spike reach over 3.5 meters…"
Even the staff watching courtside had apprehension in their eyes.
Nizhnev continued to serve. Viktor launched his second serve.
BOOM!!!
Hoshiumi received the ball solidly.
Viktor sighed and trotted back onto the court.
This Japanese team's receive feels airtight. Increasing serve power feels like it only increases our own risk…
Atsumu jumped from the front row and set the ball.
If the attackers couldn't pose a threat, then his second-touch options would lose effectiveness too.
"Meian-senpai!"
The ball arced high to the left wing—Meian Shūgo jumped to spike!
"Double Block"
BOOM!!!
Smack!
"Touch!" Ivan called out loudly.
Mikhail caught the ball effortlessly—perfect reception.
Kobzar set the ball to the right—Volvich leapt to spike!
"Double Block"
BOOM!!!
The ball smashed into Ryujin's right sideline and bounced out.
Volvich scored!
[Ryujin 16 – 20 Nizhnev]
Ryujin's offence, which had been effective earlier, was gradually getting read by Nizhnev's blockers. Meanwhile, Ryujin's own block continued to fail to restrain Nizhnev's attacks.
The contrast caused the score gap to widen.
"Beep! Ryujin calls a substitution."
"Kiryū Wakatsu IN, Kunimi Akira OUT."
Kunimi had been scoring well, but because of that, Nizhnev had focused all their attention on him. Coach Suzaku wanted to diversify his offence—after all, this was just a practice match. He decisively gave up on the first set.
"Tweet!—"
The whistle sounded again.
Viktor served for the third time.
Smack!
Sakusa Kiyoomi received it—perfect first pass!
Atsumu jumped to set from the front row. With Meian, Kiryū, and Hoshiumi all ready to attack, Ryujin executed one of their most difficult-to-defend patterns.
For Nizhnev, who relied on blocking as their primary defence, this spread formation was a nightmare. When their block was forced to split up, even they struggled to defend Ryujin's one-on-one attacks.
So this time, they adopted a tighter formation, hoping to read Atsumu's set and then move to block. But that came with its own risk—they might be a step too late.
"Give me the ball."
"Hmm?" Atsumu hesitated—then heard the unexpected call.
Whoosh!—
The ball flew to the middle—Kiryū Wakatsu leapt to spike!
"Triple Block" Ivan, Kobzar, and Volvich jumped together!
They hadn't expected Atsumu to choose the one position that was easiest to triple block.
But midair, Kiryū Wakatsu showed no fear. His eyes were firm—not the slightest hesitation.
Huff—
In that instant, he drew in a deep breath and held it, his chest expanding, his right arm muscles bulging with explosive tension.
In the next second, Kiryū swung like a steel whip, his arm trailing a blur as it smashed into the ball.
BOOOM!!!—
The ball deformed at his palm, then—carrying the full force of Kiryū's body—slammed into the block.
BANG!!!
The two impacts were so close together that they merged into a single earth-shaking roar.
Kobzar's arms were snapped aside by the force.
The ball rocketed through the air and landed deep inside Nizhnev's court.
THUD!!!
It bounced high, then hit the ground again.
Kiryū Wakatsu scored!
[Ryujin 17 – 20 Nizhnev]
"Power…isn't theirs alone," Kiryū said firmly. "We won't lose!"
"Th-that was awesome!" Atsumu was stunned—this was the quiet "former top-three high school ace"?
What a monster of a swing.
They could go head-to-head against Nizhnev's blocks after all!
"Incredible!" Ivan exclaimed. "Seriously, every one of them is a threat!"
Serve change—Ryujin's turn.
Meian delivered a powerful jump serve—Yaku received it cleanly. Perfect pass.
"Trying to outmuscle us is not the best idea," Kobzar said coolly as he set the ball to the right.
Volvich faked a quick to draw out Hirugami's block—
Then Viktor leapt from the back row.
"Kiryū!"
"Got it!"
"Double Block" Hirugami re-jumped, lining up with Kiryū to face Viktor directly. No more free high-angle shots.
—BOOOM!!!
But in the next moment, Hirugami's block was blown apart.
The ball soared—out of bounds.
Viktor scored again!
[Ryujin 17 – 21 Nizhnev]
_________
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