Boom!
Smack!
A blistering spike from Sakusa Kiyoomi was completely stuffed by Akashi Asuka.
The volleyball flew off at an astonishing speed and ricocheted straight back onto Itachiyama's court just as fast.
Sakusa froze on the spot.
3–0.
The arena went dead silent. Everyone was stunned.
Even when Itachiyama lost the first two points earlier, their players hadn't shown much surprise, but now, their entire mentality had shifted.
"Akashi actually blocked Sakusa?!"
It wasn't just his teammates from Itachiyama who were shocked, even Motoya Komori looked utterly baffled.
He knew full well what Sakusa was capable of. And after the summer training camps, he also had a solid grasp of Akashi Asuka's offensive prowess.
To put it plainly: in terms of pure attacking strength, Akashi Asuka had undoubtedly reached a level on par with the nation's top three aces. Others might still question that, but Komori didn't doubt it for a second.
So if Akashi Asuka had simply shown attacks on par with Sakusa in today's match, Komori wouldn't have been surprised at all.
But this?
Akashi had just blocked Sakusa.
That was something no one on Itachiyama, or even across the national scene, had expected.
After all, it was widely accepted across Japan that the Top Six Aces were essentially unblockable by each other. It wasn't that the blockers were weak, it's just that their firepower was too overwhelming for traditional defense to handle.
"Let me just make one thing clear," Akashi said as he landed and casually rolled his shoulders
"Today, Aoba Johsai has only one goal."
He turned his head, eyes sharp.
"To win, no matter what."
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With that block, Akashi helped Oikawa Tooru retain the serve.
Unfortunately, Oikawa couldn't maintain the momentum. On his third serve, he failed to capitalize, and Komori returned it cleanly. Itachiyama quickly turned the tide and scored their first point of the game.
Round one of the offensive-defensive battle ended.
Akashi turned his head to glance at Oikawa. He didn't say anything, but his expression said it all:
I give you the serve, and this is what you do with it?
Give me a break.
Do you even realize who we're up against?!
That's the number one libero in the country! If you're so confident, why don't you go and try scoring on him yourself?!
Clearly, Oikawa wasn't happy about Akashi's silent judgment, and he wasn't going to take it lying down.
And then, the next rally.
Akashi received Oikawa's set, and bam!, unleashed a "meteor cannon" of a spike that blasted straight through Itachiyama's block and sent Komori crashing to the floor!
[What a KO!]
[This is exactly why Akashi Asuka is known as the founder of KO-Style Volleyball! With raw, unrelenting power, he sends Itachiyama's libero flying!]
[Even Japan's #1 libero couldn't handle the "Boxer's Punch!"]
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"HAHAHAHA!"
The commentator Oda's words sent the entire audience into roaring laughter.
The Founder of KO-Style Volleyball.
That was Akashi Asuka's newest nickname in the Spring High Tournament.
And it came from scenes like this, nearly every game, without fail, Akashi would land at least one spike so devastating it sent a defensive player sprawling.
And not just once.
These thunderous spikes reminded people of knockouts in a boxing match, and the comparison stuck. Thus, the name "KO-Style Volleyball" was born.
For most spectators, the nickname was probably just a joke.
But for anyone who'd ever actually tried to receive one of Akashi's spikes, the title couldn't be more accurate.
"Did this freak take steroids or something?!"
Motoya Komori, standing at 180cm, a fairly big build for a libero, was just as stunned as any other defender who had faced Akashi. After eating that monster spike, he couldn't help but mutter a curse.
But honestly, no one could blame him.
Compared to the summer training camp, Akashi's power had grown terrifyingly fast over just a few short months.
Power: 87.
And not just raw strength, both Core Strength and Arm Strength had reached 87.
Stats like that were way beyond what a high school athlete should be capable of.
"What's wrong?" Sakusa Kiyoomi, rarely one to speak up, noticed Komori's rattled state and asked curiously.
Komori shook his head. "Nothing. Just… this match's gonna be a rough one."
Sakusa nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing."
And they weren't wrong.
For Itachiyama, this wasn't just a difficult match, it was a brutal one.
Back during the game against Itachiyama, Akashi had boldly declared:
"Aoba Johsai's championship isn't some miracle, it's inevitable."
He hadn't said it just to motivate his team.
He had said it because he believed it, because he could back it up.
Using the early lead as momentum, Aoba Johsai stayed ahead. Soon, the two teams entered the fourth rotation.
7–6.
Aoba Johsai had reclaimed the serve.
And this time, the server was none other than Akashi Asuka.
Itachiyama immediately tensed up.
Why? Because just last rotation, Sakusa's serving had cut down Aoba Johsai's 3-point lead to 1, thanks to his exceptional technique and delicate wrist control that created unpredictable spins.
But not ten seconds had passed, and Itachiyama already found themselves facing another massive crisis.
Everyone knew how brutal Akashi's serves were.
Let's put it this way:
During last semester's Summer Nationals, Komori could receive about two out of every three of Akashi's serves, after the first few warm-up ones.
But during the summer training camp? That dropped to two out of every four.
Now, after several more months of development, Komori could tell just from watching footage that Akashi had leveled up again, but how much? The only way to know for sure... was to face it.
BOOM!!!
A cannonball of a serve roared past the net and slammed into the floor of Itachiyama's court, with a deep, echoing thud.
Itachiyama's players stood frozen.
Komori glanced at the floor nearby, cracked, maybe even splintered from the sheer impact.
...Well, never mind experiencing it firsthand.
The court had already taken the hit for them.
8–6.
Even Aoba Johsai's own players paused for a moment, then turned to look at Akashi standing calmly in the serving zone.
"Welp. The monster's showing his true nature again."
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria