Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 552: Remember The Name (Double-Length)

"San Juan is opening with Conte's power serve rotation—this lineup has gradually become their standard formation after the South American Championship."

"Outside hitter Kaedehara Taichi became the team's ace just one year after joining San Juan. Many fans are undoubtedly looking forward to his performance today…"

From the audience, some fans unfamiliar with the Argentine league curiously looked over at San Juan's side of the court. Facundo Conte had been a familiar face in international competitions over the past few years, frequently appearing as his team's ace.

"Can't believe he actually gave up his ace position. That kid named Taichi...hasn't even turned twenty yet, right?"

"I heard there's been some tension between Conte and San Juan management—probably a salary dispute. Maybe they're grooming a new ace."

"That would make sense…or they're using the rookie to pressure Conte."

The front-row spectators murmured with speculative gossip. Most of them didn't believe some unknown rookie could actually surpass someone like Conte, who was still in his prime. There had to be more to the story.

Conte stood at the service line, occasionally catching wind of the whispers.

"What a joke," he thought, gazing at Kaedehara Taichi's back.

"There's nothing complicated about it. This guy is just that strong—so strong that there's no room for doubt."

"Tweet!—"

The whistle blew for serve.

Conte tossed the ball high, took his approach, jumped, and swung—

BOOM!!

The first serve was relatively controlled—fast, but not at full power.

Yaku Morisuke received it cleanly in the back row with a textbook pass.

Kobzar, in the front, jumped to set.

Ivan leapt on the left pin for a powerful spike!

"Double block!" Taichi and Ramos jumped together.

"Huh?!"

Despite being roughly the same height, Taichi's block reach extended a full half-hand above Ramos's!

Wasn't he supposed to be the outside hitter? Who was the middle blocker here?

BOOM!!!

Ivan fired a cross toward the right side, but Ramos managed to get a hand under it.

"Touch!"

"Chance ball!"

Santiago passed it cleanly.

Oikawa calmly positioned himself under the descending ball, while Taichi started his approach from a wide angle.

Strangely, no one else on San Juan moved.

"What are they doing?"

The front-row blockers from Nizhnev were confused. No fake attacks? No decoys?

Was this a tactical failure? Miscommunication?

Still, Nizhnev shifted their triple block toward the left in preparation. After all, they were known for being unbreakable at the net.

In the back row, Conte smirked.

Of course no one else moved. There was no need. For San Juan's first ball, it would always go to him.

And no one else in the world could touch it.

Swooosh—

Oikawa floated the ball softly—slow, rotating gently as it sailed through the air.

Thump!

Taichi completed his approach. Both feet planted. Body tilted forward. And—

Vertical takeoff.

"Triple block!" Ivan, Igor, and Mikhail jumped together.

"Wait…no way…"

"He's…flying?"

In midair, Kaedehara Taichi's presence was magnetic.

No one could look away from him.

"He's above the block!"

The ball floated perfectly into his strike zone—just the right height, just the right angle.

—BOOM!!!

As the thunderous impact echoed through the arena, Yaku Morisuke was momentarily stunned.

THUD!!!

The ball cleared the block and smashed into the back line, bouncing out of bounds.

Kaedehara Taichi scores!

[San Juan 1 – 0 Nizhnev]

"???"

"!!!"

"Who is that?! Wasn't his spike point insanely high?"

"I've got chills…"

"OHHHHHHHH!!"

—"K—Kaedehara Taichi's spike point just hit 375 cm!!!"

—"To fans around the world—remember this name from this moment on!!!"

The Nizhnev players: "….."

Was this guy for real?

Conte caught sight of the dumbstruck expressions on Nizhnev's side and grinned even wider.

This was only the beginning.

With a guy like that on your team, there's just no room for pessimism.

Yaku glanced at Taichi's cool, unreadable face.

Yep. He was in the zone.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Yaku quickly brought his teammates' attention back.

"Game just started—don't worry about it!"

"We have the strongest block. Focus on shutting him down—leave the rest to me!"

"Yes, Yaku-san!" Ivan shook himself back into focus.

It was just one point—it didn't mean anything.

He believed in Nizhnev's blocking system more than anything.

San Juan continued their serve.

Conte went again.

BOOM!!!

This time, the serve had noticeably more power, but Yaku still handled it well. A perfect pass.

Kobzar set the ball carefully this time—

Whoosh—!

The ball went right. Mikhail took to the air for the spike!

"Double block!" Ramos and Oikawa jumped to meet him.

But Mikhail had over half his arm above Oikawa's block.

—BOOM!!!

The spike landed behind Oikawa—Conte couldn't get there in time.

Mikhail scores!

[San Juan 1 – 1 Nizhnev]

"Nice hit!" Yaku shouted. "We've got this!"

Mikhail smiled faintly in response.

Serve rotation: Nizhnev to serve.

Ivan tossed the ball high—powerful jump serve!

BOOM!!

The ball had a sharp trajectory and subtle sidespin.

Smack!!

Santiago received it—a decent pass, but not perfect.

Oikawa jumped forward to adjust.

Taichi and Ramos started attacking from both wings.

"Let's not rush. Get everyone warmed up first."

Whoosh—!

With Nizhnev's block spread out, Oikawa sent a back set to the right.

Ramos jumped for the kill!

Viktor went up solo—but Mikhail stepped across just in time.

1.5-man block!

BOOM!!!

The spike cleared the net but couldn't find a sharp angle—Mikhail had limited his shot.

Smack!

Yaku caught the ball cleanly!

The ball floated to the right. Kobzar moved into position, sending it to the left pin.

Igor leapt to attack!

Thud!

One figure leapt to meet him—Kaedehara Taichi, single block!

He tracked it!

"What incredible pressure…"

As a top-tier middle blocker himself, Igor knew this feeling.

"No wonder Ivan avoids the line shot—there's no getting through this guy up front."

BOOM!!!

Igor went for a deep cross shot.

Smack!

Conte dug it out!

The ball was skewed toward the right sideline. Oikawa hustled over and set it back to the net.

Taichi jumped for the kill!

"Got you now."

"Triple block!" Igor, Mikhail, and Viktor leapt together.

Nizhnev's strongest three-man block!

BOOM!!!—

The ball slammed into the block, ricocheted high, and shot out toward the baseline!

"Kobzar—!"

Yaku was already sprinting. He'd known it might not hold!

Smack!

Just barely, right in front of the sponsor board, Yaku bumped the ball back in.

Kobzar jumped to set. The ball flew right.

Viktor leapt for the attack!

"Double block!"

BOOM!!!—

Viktor avoided the block with a small angle shot!

Smack!

Taichi received it!

"He was THERE?!"

Oikawa quickly adjusted—

"One more time!"

"You're impossible, seriously~" Oikawa chuckled as he slowed the pace.

Whoosh!—

The set rose left—Taichi charged in and spiked again!

"Triple block!"

—"They've got a lock on Taichi now!"

Even in a world-class tournament, Nizhnev's triple block had a 60% success rate.

—BOOM!!!—

The ball pierced through all three—hugging the top of the net before dipping sharply into Nizhnev's side.

THUD!!!

"Dammit!"

Yaku dove, full-stretch.

From the back row to the three-metre line—his reaction speed was incredible.

But—

The ball landed just one metre from the net.

A super close-range shot!

Kaedehara Taichi scores!

[San Juan 2 – 1 Nizhnev]

"You bastard!" Igor scowled. No one had ever hit a diagonal spike against their triple block!

"Unbelievable!"

"Taichi's cross shot danced along the top of the net like magic!"

"It didn't even seem physically possible!" the Italian commentator raved with passion. Kaedehara Taichi had scored two points straight out of the gate—and both were highlight-reel material!

Serve change.

San Juan to serve.

"Taichi's a little too fired up, don't you think?"

Oikawa stepped onto the service line with his trademark mischievous smirk, letting his eyes sweep across Nizhnev's back row.

"Tweet!—"

The whistle blew.

Oikawa tossed the ball high, started with a slow jog, then suddenly accelerated—springing upward just as the ball began to drop.

BOOM!!!

Nizhnev's reception had always been their Achilles' heel.

Mikhail had already dropped into the back row to help form a four-man reception.

Still, the ball sailed perfectly into the seam between Mikhail and Yaku—right toward Kobzar!

"This guy's still such a pain!"

Yaku knew instantly—Oikawa definitely did that on purpose.

SMACK!

The ball hit Kobzar's arm and deflected out of bounds.

Yaku sprinted off court trying to save it—

Smack!

And, barely managed to keep it alive.

Kobzar jumped in from the back row and sent the ball over without a spike.

THUMP!

"What is he trying to—wait, no!"

A huge hand came crashing down right as the ball crossed the net.

—BOOOM!!!

Mikhail instinctively reached up to stop it—but the ball zipped past his fingertips and exploded into the centre of Nizhnev's court.

Too fast.

So fast their brains hadn't even caught up.

Net-crushing quick spike!

Kaedehara Taichi scores again!

[San Juan 3 – 1 Nizhnev]

"Next time, try setting higher," Taichi said in crisp English.

"This...is a no-fly zone."

"380 cm!!!"

"My God—what did I just witness?!"

For one split second, the arena went utterly silent.

Then—a roar of thunderous cheers erupted.

"Mama…I think I just saw Superman," one fan murmured with eyes shining in reverence.

The commentators didn't even need to speak.

The frenzy inside the stadium spoke for itself.

San Juan to serve again.

Oikawa tossed the ball up for a second serve—

BOOM!!!—

Kobzar still hadn't recovered from the previous shock.

THUD!

The serve landed right at his feet, bouncing high into the air.

No contact.

Oikawa scores on a service ace!

[San Juan 4 – 1 Nizhnev]

"Get your heads back in it!" Yaku shouted. "We can do this—don't let them get in your heads!"

"Y-yes!"

Nizhnev adjusted their formation again.

Viktor dropped to the back row.

Kobzar was shielded by teammates, and once again, they lined up in a four-man reception.

"Oh~ running away already?"

Oikawa's annoyingly smug smile widened.

"Now…who's next~?"

"Tweet!—"

Serve whistle blew.

Oikawa fired his third serve—

—BOOM!!!

A perfect arc flew toward the left baseline of Nizhnev's court.

"Ivan—!"

Ivan locked his eyes on the ball, stepping in for a clean reception—

"?!"

Suddenly, the ball curved slightly right at the last second, skimming just past Ivan's hands.

THUD!

Another service ace.

Oikawa scores again!

[San Juan 5 – 1 Nizhnev]

"Is this their ultimate weapon?!"

Kobzar's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Beep! Nizhnev calls a timeout."

Coach Maksim's face was grim.

He had never expected San Juan to be the strongest team in Group A.

-----

"Have they really…gotten this strong?"

Hibarida Fuki, watching the match from afar, muttered under his breath.

Even though he had long seen Taichi as a generational talent, his growth always managed to exceed expectations.

Just five months ago, Nizhnev had completely dominated Team Ryujin.

And now?

They were being toyed with—by San Juan.

-----

"Beep!—"

Timeout over. Play resumed.

Nizhnev returned to the court and deployed a five-man reception formation.

"Oho~ finally dropping the act?"

Oikawa cast a teasing glance at Nizhnev's back row.

Kobzar didn't know what he said, but from the tone, it clearly wasn't anything flattering.

"Tweet!—"

The whistle blew again.

Oikawa's fourth serve took flight—

It shot toward Ivan like a cannonball.

"Liar!"

Kobzar cursed silently.

Oikawa's eyes had been locked onto him—it was a feint!

Smack!

Ivan stepped in, managing a decent pass.

Though his reception skills weren't elite, he stayed fully alert, never letting his guard down.

"Nice receive!"

Kobzar quickly moved to set.

Nizhnev's front row launched a triple synchronised attack.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew to the right—Viktor jumped for the spike!

"Double block!" Taichi instantly read the set and moved right to block alongside Ramos.

BOOM!!!—

The spike hit Ramos's arm and deflected out of bounds.

Touch out.

Viktor scores!

[San Juan 5 – 2 Nizhnev]

Nizhnev had finally broken out of their rotation jam.

Serve change.

Nizhnev to serve.

Igor delivered a powerful jump serve.

Conte received it cleanly—slightly off, but still playable.

Oikawa jumped in to set.

Nizhnev's blocking positions were very clear—besides Viktor who stood across from Taichi, even the side blockers leaned toward the middle.

Whoosh!—

Oikawa dumped the ball directly to the left side—Bruno leapt up for a quick attack!

"Double block!" Mikhail and Viktor immediately closed the gap in front of Bruno.

"No wonder they're confident leaving Taichi open…"

Oikawa was honestly impressed by how fast their block formed.

—BOOM!!

Bruno's spike barely slipped above the block—

Smack!

It hit Ivan's hand and deflected out of bounds.

"Sorry—screen it!"

Kobzar chased the ball and set it back from the baseline—

The pass was high and clean.

No fancy setups—just height.

That alone was enough to break through.

Thud!

Viktor widened his approach and went up for the spike from the middle.

"Double block!" Taichi and Ramos jumped together.

"That's high…really high…"

From the front, Viktor was completely blocked by Taichi.

The only option was to go slightly right, over Ramos.

But—Oikawa was waiting behind them in the back row.

BOOM!!!—

Viktor smashed down, snapping his wrist at the last second to adjust the angle!

The ball looked like it was about to go around Taichi's left—

But it didn't.

SWISH!

Taichi's arm had dropped at lightning speed—cutting off the trajectory completely!

—SMACK!!

The ball struck Taichi's hand and bounced straight back into Nizhnev's court.

THUD!

Ivan tried to copy Yaku's earlier save—but failed.

The ball ricocheted off behind Viktor—

Taichi scores off a block!

[San Juan 6 – 2 Nizhnev] freewebnσvel.cøm

—"A clean kill block!"

—"Kaedehara Taichi's block is like a wall of despair—once again shutting down Nizhnev's offence!"

Taichi tapped his temple with his index finger.

"Over-reliance on height makes the rest of your game dull," he said calmly.

"Your strategy…is so naive, it's practically see-through."

_________

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