The single-person tempo attack (or time-difference attack).
It's a signature offensive move for Seijoh.
This kind of tactical offense requires high skill from the setter, so Akashi rarely used it in the past.
But now...
BAM!
The volleyball smashed onto the floor, scoring the point.
The score came to 2:1.
"Huh?"
Tendo Satori looked at Akashi with his characteristically morbidly-sweet eyes, a hint of confusion in his expression, as if wondering where Akashi had suddenly emerged from.
The next ball was served by Seijoh.
The volleyball was received over the net, and the attack was once again initiated by Shiratorizawa's Ushijima Wakatoshi.
Akashi and Kindaichi set up a block together. This time, both of them jumped simultaneously with Ushijima Wakatoshi. But just as they began to descend, Ushijima Wakatoshi's body seemed to hang in mid-air, as if time had stopped.
BAM!
The volleyball flew past Akashi's fingertips, spiking over the block for a score.
2:2.
After landing, Kindaichi and Akashi's expressions were strained as they watched Ushijima Wakatoshi turn and walk away.
Akashi's [Hang Time] stat wasn't low, but it was clearly still a notch below Ushijima Wakatoshi's. Akashi's hang time could at most buy him a split-second more for thought in the air, but Ushijima Wakatoshi's hang time could be used directly as a weapon of attack.
"Dammit, what's with that guy? Is that kind of hang time even humanly possible?"
Kindaichi Yutaro admitted he was a little intimidated. An attack like Ushijima Wakatoshi's puts too much pressure on the opponent.
Absolute height and absolute power.
Facing such an attack, the pressure felt is completely different, even if it's for the same point loss.
"Don't worry, the more despairing part is yet to come."
Akashi patted Kindaichi's shoulder. Kindaichi thought Akashi was trying to console him with the first part of the sentence, but then he was immediately hit with another blow.
He really is the king of inverse comfort!
However, when Kindaichi saw Ushijima Wakatoshi holding the ball and walking to the service line, he had to admit the truth of Akashi's statement.
It really is 'the more despairing part is yet to come!'
Like Akashi, Ushijima Wakatoshi also mastered the [Powerful Jump Serve]. However, one difference in his jump serve is that because Ushijima Wakatoshi is left-handed, his serve carries a rotation that is the exact opposite of a normal player's.
Fast speed, high power, and reverse rotation.
A serve like that.
The mere thought of it is chilling.
BAM!
The moment the volleyball was struck by his palm, the surface seemed to ripple with a wave-like vibration.
The next second, the volleyball whizzed past the block, plummeting directly toward the Seijoh court.
Just as Shiratorizawa's Libero was accustomed to Oikawa's [Ultra-High-Speed Serve], Seijoh's Libero, Watari Shinji, was also accustomed to Ushijima Wakatoshi's ball speed.
To be precise, Ushijima Wakatoshi's serve speed isn't actually that fast. It's not as fast as Oikawa's [Ultra-High-Speed Serve], and not even as fast as Akashi's.
But the problem is that the advantage of Ushijima Wakatoshi's serve has never been speed.
THUD!
The moment Watari Shinji's hands touched Ushijima's serve, his first sensation was weight. He hadn't felt this level of force, even from Oikawa or Akashi recently.
His second sensation was that the ball's rotation was extremely strange. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't grasp the rebound angle of the ball.
In an instant.
The volleyball bounced high, soaring over the third floor. Only after reaching a height of over ten meters did it slowly begin to descend, hitting the second-floor railing and bouncing back to the first floor.
The breathing of the Seijoh team momentarily hitched.
Although the person with the best serving technique in the prefecture is undoubtedly Seijoh's own Oikawa Tooru.
Ushijima Wakatoshi's sheer brute-force scoring ability is equally suffocating.
The score moved to 2:3.
"Don't be nervous, relax a little. We've seen their serve before, and we'll definitely be able to defend the next one," Iwaizumi Hajime clapped his hands, using his voice to dispel the team's tense expressions.
In truth, the Seijoh team shouldn't have been this tense, as this was only a practice match.
Even though the coach had instructed them to treat it like a real match, there is always a difference between a practice match and an official match; no matter how serious they are, the mindset will inevitably be slightly different.
However, the overwhelming strength of Ushijima Wakatoshi caused the Seijoh team to subconsciously tighten their nerves.
This had nothing to do with the match.
It was a more instinctive reaction, much like when a normal person faces a fierce beast—even if the beast is caged, it's difficult for the deep-seated genes in the human body to completely relax.
Soon, Ushijima Wakatoshi served the second ball.
It was still a powerful and heavy serve, but this time it was received by Watari Shinji. Oikawa got the ball and, using Akashi as a decoy to draw the defense, passed the ball to Kindaichi.
Kindaichi spiked into an open court for the score.
The score was tied again at 3:3.
Then the serving rights rotated to Seijoh... and into Akashi's hands.
"Serve a good one!"
"Let them see what you've got!"
"Akashi-chan, don't be too nervous, okay!"
...
The ordinary Seijoh players were still cheering Akashi on, while 'smart' teammates like Kindaichi were already carefully covering the back of his head and retreating obediently to the edge of the court.
The two other third-year teammates in the frontcourt, Matsukawa Issei and Hanamaki Takahiro (who had just replaced the Libero), showed 'disdain' for this behavior.
Are you kidding me?
We don't even dodge Ushijima Wakatoshi's serve! No matter how strong Akashi's serve is, can it really be stronger than Ushiwaka's?
Kindaichi, that first-year, is such a weakling!
Unlike us...
BAM!
A sound like a sudden clap of thunder erupted. The next second, Matsukawa Issei and Hanamaki Takahiro felt like a cannonball whistled past them, instantly landing on the Shiratorizawa side of the court.
THUNK!
The volleyball smashed into the floor, rebounding behind all the Shiratorizawa players.
From start to finish.
The Shiratorizawa players couldn't react.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment. The players standing on the Shiratorizawa court remained stunned for a while before finally seeming to regain their senses, their pupils gradually widening as they turned stiffly, like robots...
"What was that just now?"
In the backcourt of Shiratorizawa, Ushijima Wakatoshi looked at the volleyball that had flown past him and felt his pupils slightly contract.
He then slowly turned around. From the start of the match until now, Ushijima Wakatoshi's gaze finally fell upon Akashi for the very first time...
...