Trading Blows
BAM!
Brute force pushed Kindaichi's arms aside, and the volleyball ricocheted out of bounds.
Ushijima Wakatoshi landed from the air, and Shiratorizawa scored another point.
12:15.
...
BAM!
Akashi utilized the single-person tempo attack, simultaneously evading the two blockers in front of him, and the volleyball slammed down hard.
Although the Shiratorizawa setter barely managed to receive the spike, the power contained in the volleyball was so ferocious that it flew straight up to the second floor, soaring far out of bounds.
Seijoh scored.
13:15.
...
BAM!
The ball shot out from Ushijima Wakatoshi's hand, carving a huge cross-court angle across the court, bypassing Akashi's block in the front court and Watari Shinji's defense in the back court, successfully landing in bounds.
13:16.
...
BAM!
Akashi powerfully swung his arm. Relying on his exceptional 'intuition,' Tendo Satori preemptively moved to set up a block in front of him. However, the instant the volleyball made contact with Tendo Satori's arms, the tremendous force brutally squeezed past the defense, landing on the Shiratorizawa court.
14:16.
...
The Duel of the Aces
The match entered the latter half of the third set, transforming completely into a personal show between Akashi and Ushijima Wakatoshi.
The stamina of the other players was nearing its limit. Although both teams had substantial reserve players, they mutually decided not to substitute anyone.
Firstly, this was a practice match, and it wasn't the time to fully reveal all their 'hidden daggers.'
Secondly, facing the current full-power Ushijima Wakatoshi and Akashi, substituting reserve players might not necessarily be effective.
As the score reached 14:16, the serving right rotated back to Akashi.
Holding the ball at the position one baseline, Akashi slowly exhaled. Immediately, his aura gradually collected, abruptly transforming from a volcano about to erupt into a deep, silent abyss.
Seeing this, the few players in the front court silently covered the back of their heads and moved out of the way of the block.
The next second, Akashi slowly tossed the volleyball into the sky, then took his approach run, jumped, swung his arm, and struck the ball...
"Hmm? That felt quite good."
CRACK!
An explosive sound.
The volleyball shot out abruptly, and just as the Shiratorizawa backcourt players began to move, the ball had already slammed onto the floor of the Shiratorizawa court.
The faces of the Shiratorizawa players suddenly changed color.
"So fast!"
"Can this guy's serve still increase in power?"
This serve, far more powerful than any before, directly helped Seijoh narrow the difference to one point.
15:16.
After a brief moment of surprise, the Seijoh players instantly surrounded Akashi, cheering wildly.
"One more ball!"
"One more ball!"
...
The Seijoh players chanted in unison.
Akashi returned to the position one baseline with the ball and fiercely launched his second serve.
THUD!
The volleyball whizzed out once more, arriving over the Shiratorizawa side of the court in the blink of an eye.
"Damn it! Don't think you can score that easily every time!"
SLAP!
At the critical moment, Shiratorizawa's Libero, Yamagata Hayato, suddenly leaped out and received the ball. However, the angle was poorly controlled, causing the volleyball to land in front of Goshiki Tsutomu instead of flying towards the setter.
"Push it over, Goshiki!" Yamagata Hayato roared.
Goshiki Tsutomu instantly reacted, jumping up with both feet, intending to reach out and push the volleyball back into the Seijoh court.
However, at that exact moment, a shadow suddenly appeared opposite Goshiki Tsutomu. Just as his hands touched the volleyball, another pair of hands abruptly emerged from the other side of the ball, and two forces simultaneously pushed against the ball in mid-air.
The 'joust' situation lasted only an instant. Goshiki Tsutomu felt the opposing force suddenly increase, and the ball dropped back down at his feet.
"We have more than just first-years on our side, kid. You're still way out of your league!"
This kind of cheeky remark could clearly only come from one person on the Seijoh side.
Oikawa stood opposite Goshiki Tsutomu at the net, a smile on his face that made others want to punch him.
16:16.
The point Oikawa scored at the critical moment finally tied the score.
"Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh~~~"
"Nice one, you jerk Oikawa!"
The Seijoh players instantly became extremely excited, because this was the first time Seijoh had seen hope of victory while both teams were in their 'complete state' against Shiratorizawa.
...
"My apologies, it was my..."
"If you want to apologize, save it until the match is over!"
On the Shiratorizawa court, Goshiki Tsutomu was about to apologize to his seniors, as he was responsible for losing that point, but he was interrupted right after he spoke.
"Besides, we haven't lost yet! If Shiratorizawa can be defeated just because of one mistake by a junior, then what use are we seniors?"
"Haha, you've got a point."
"Hey, Waka-toshi, why don't you say something, too?"
The Shiratorizawa team looked towards Ushijima Wakatoshi. Ushijima Wakatoshi blinked, then nodded: "Yes, we won't lose."
The Shiratorizawa players: "..."
...
"One more ball, Akashi!"
THUD!
Akashi leaped high like a soaring roc and powerfully struck his third serve.
Akashi's form was unexpectedly good for these few serves, landing three consecutive hits with excellent feel. The volleyball flew over the block and plummeted downwards, whistling.
However, this time, before the volleyball could hit the floor, a pair of hands suddenly reached out and received the ball steadily.
When the others saw the identity of the person who received the ball this time, the expressions of both the Shiratorizawa and Seijoh players changed.
The person who caught the ball was none other than Ushijima Wakatoshi, who never participates in serve receives.
SLAP!
The volleyball flew high.
Shirabu Kenjiro, though momentarily shocked, quickly snapped back, took the volleyball, and immediately organized a quick attack. They successfully launched a counterattack, scoring a point for Shiratorizawa.
16:17.
...
Iwaizumi Hajime's face darkened. He looked at Ushijima Wakatoshi on the opposite side, both shocked and somewhat incredulous: "That bastard... he can receive serves too?"
Because in the past matches against Seijoh, Ushijima Wakatoshi never participated in any serve receives.
So, while the internal Shiratorizawa players knew Ushijima Wakatoshi was all-around capable besides offense, the players on other teams were completely unaware of this fact.
"That's not just the level of 'can'..."
Oikawa's expression was similarly grim: "Being able to receive Akashi's serve so steadily is impossible without a certain amount of training... "