"Wait, wait, wait~~~ What was that just now?"
"A serve?"
"You must be kidding. You call that cannonball-like thing a serve?"
...
A group of people widened their eyes, filled with shock.
If they could, the Seijoh players watching would be very reluctant to call that thing a "serve."
However, the fact could not be changed.
No matter how unbelievable it was, when the referee blew the whistle for the point, they could only accept it.
"That hateful first-year. Why didn't he have this good a form when facing Shiratorizawa?" Oikawa pouted and mumbled under his breath.
Iwaizumi Hajime and Yahaba Shigeru inside the court were also a bit stunned.
They knew Akashi's serve was powerful before, but that last ball felt completely different from before. No, to be precise, Yahaba Shigeru felt a degree of familiarity.
Because that ball awakened his memory of first seeing Akashi's serve.
That terrifying shadow that seemed designed not just to score but to utterly annihilate the opponent along with it.
...
"Big brother, you don't have to treat your seniors like this, do you? Why did you have to hit the zone right now?" Mishita Ryuhei inwardly complained bitterly. He suddenly had a premonition that after this match, he and Akashi might incur the wrath of all the Seijoh players.
Especially those who were close friends with Iwaizumi Hajime and Yahaba Shigeru.
Akashi clearly couldn't hear Mishita Ryuhei's inner thoughts. To be precise, even if Mishita Ryuhei spoke loudly now, Akashi might not hear him.
Because Akashi had once again entered the state of [Still Water, Clear Mirror].
This was his third time entering this state.
The first was during the match against Yamarashi Industrial Junior High in middle school, when Akashi first entered this state, but it was very brief, only lasting for a few serves before fading.
The second was during the first match of the Junior High National Tournament. At that time, all the other Seijoh players were stunned by the atmosphere of the venue. It was then that Akashi entered the state and, relying on his own power, crushed the opponent in half a set.
And now was the third time...
CRACK!
Like a thunderclap ringing out from a clear sky.
Akashi's second serve arrived in the blink of an eye. This time, Iwaizumi Hajime and Yahaba Shigeru were completely focused and finally captured the volleyball's trajectory. And then... there was no then.
The volleyball slammed onto the floor, compressed and deformed by the force, then bounced high and struck the wall.
2:0.
Iwaizumi Hajime and Yahaba Shigeru froze. The two finally realized the severity of the situation.
In a 2{v}2 match, due to the limited number of players, the team's defense is inherently weak. Two people defending against a powerful serve like Akashi's was already a stretch.
And now Akashi's form had exploded. In this situation, receiving the serve, or even touching it, was incredibly difficult.
CRACK!
While they were stunned, Akashi mercilessly launched his third serve.
The instant Akashi struck the ball, the part of the volleyball making contact with his palm seemed to cave in. In that split second, it was as if Akashi was hitting not a hard volleyball but soft, elastic cotton.
A non-existent white shockwave burst forth, and the volleyball shot out from his palm, flying over the net and once again smashing onto the floor without obstruction.
3:0.
Three consecutive service aces.
The court outside was now completely silent.
Even the other first-years, Kindaichi and Kunimi Akira, felt that Akashi was being a bit too much.
How could he bully his seniors like this?
It was simply inhuman.
Sensing the looks from the surrounding players, Mishita Ryuhei shivered. He felt that if the match continued this way, he and Akashi might truly become unwelcome here.
But he couldn't do anything about it!
In this state, Akashi was terrifying not just for his opponents but for his own teammates as well.
When the first match of the Junior High National Tournament ended, Mishita Ryuhei was the first to snap out of it. He would never forget the eyes of the opponents at that time.
It wasn't just the disappointment of losing the match, but a deep-seated 'fear.'
The inner despair and terror that humans feel when confronted by a powerful existence far beyond themselves.
CRACK!
Finally, Akashi's fourth serve was launched.
The landing spot of this ball was excellent—for Yahaba Shigeru, that is—because the ball flew directly towards him.
Yahaba Shigeru quickly took the serve-receive stance. The next instant, the volleyball landed straight on his forearms.
Immediately, Yahaba Shigeru felt a force far greater than any previous serve. This sudden change caused Yahaba Shigeru's face to turn pale, and he urgently shifted his center of gravity backward and downward, trying to absorb the power contained in the volleyball.
However, even when Yahaba Shigeru squatted all the way down, he couldn't completely dissipate the force. Instead, he lost his balance due to the overly rearward shift in his center of gravity, coupled with a little 'assistance' from the volleyball's impact.
THUD!
Yahaba Shigeru fell flat on his backside.
At the same time, the volleyball flew high, passing over the net and landing directly out of bounds.
At first glance, it looked as if Yahaba Shigeru had been directly knocked down by that serve.
4:0.
Yahaba Shigeru sat on the floor, staring at Akashi opposite him, his pupils trembling violently.
"Yahaba, are you alright?" Iwaizumi Hajime reached out a hand.
"I'm fine... Be careful, Iwaizumi. Something is wrong with Akashi. His serve seems to have evolved?" Yahaba Shigeru recovered, took Iwaizumi Hajime's hand to stand up, and warned.
Iwaizumi Hajime paused, not immediately grasping the meaning of Yahaba Shigeru's words.
What does 'evolved' mean?
Does it mean 'improved'?
If so, there was no need for the warning, as the current score already clearly showed that Akashi's form today was obviously much better than in previous matches.
But before long, Iwaizumi Hajime understood.
The moment Akashi's fifth serve flew out, Iwaizumi Hajime finally managed to see and capture the ball's trajectory and, with a diving save, narrowly reached the ball.
However, the instant his forearms made contact with the volleyball, Iwaizumi Hajime's entire arm was directly thrown back, as if struck by a large iron ball. The force of a single arm simply couldn't control the serve's impact.
The volleyball struck Iwaizumi Hajime's arm, changed its trajectory, and flew out of bounds.
At this moment, Iwaizumi Hajime finally understood the meaning of Yahaba Shigeru's word 'evolved.' Compared to his previous serves, the current serve couldn't simply be described as an improvement, because this wasn't just a problem with the serve itself; Akashi's overall power had undergone a massive change.
The volleyball landed, and the whistle blew.
The score:
5:0.
...