"I didn't expect them to be this tenacious!?"
Coach Irihata fell silent in thought. He had not expected the other side to keep digging up attack after attack from his team. As expected of a team from Tokyo, their way of handling the ball was something he had never seen before.
At this point, there was nothing more he could do to help from the sidelines. The players on court would have to deal with it themselves, or problems were bound to appear next.
"Hank!"
Oikawa glanced at Hank, who had already rotated to the front row, and a sharp light flashed through his eyes. For them, it was time to reveal a few more hidden cards. Otherwise, they might not be able to break the deadlock.
After catching Oikawa's signal, Hank, standing in the front row, actually shifted his position on court and took a sprinting stance.
"What is that guy trying to do?"
The moment Yaku noticed Hank's new movement, his whole body tensed up.
Among all the opponents he had faced, there were very few power-hitting aces like Hank, and on top of that, he was also outstanding at serving and blocking.
He was unbelievably hard to deal with.
Every move Hank made was putting enormous pressure on them.
"Don't worry about what he's doing. As long as we can receive his shot, we haven't lost!"
Kuroo's back was already drenched in sweat, and he was even starting to pant, but his eyes stayed locked on Hank. As long as Hank's ball did not go straight into a dead angle, they did not need to panic. They just had to get it up.
That was all there was to it.
"After we get it up, send it to Kenma!"
Yamamoto was also close to the end of his strength by now. The score between Aoba Johsai and Nekoma had already reached 20:15. Although Aoba Johsai had still been the first to reach 20, the score was locked so tightly that almost every point required both sides to exchange several rounds of attacks before the final result could be decided.
...
Boom!
Before Nekoma's players could even process what was happening, Hank exploded from the left side of the court and sprinted straight toward Oikawa. The instant Oikawa set the ball, Hank attacked from a sharp side angle.
The ball even skimmed the net as it flew.
Then it slashed diagonally into Nekoma's front court.
The moment they saw a ball come down from such a bizarre angle, every Nekoma player's expression changed drastically.
What had just happened?
How could he possibly pull off a spike like that?
It was completely absurd!
How could anyone attack like that!?
"What was that just now!? Did you all see it clearly!? Aoba Johsai's ace actually hit from the side and sent the ball skimming the net straight into Nekoma's front court!?"
"How is anyone supposed to receive that? To dig a ball like that, the receiver would have to turn sideways to face Hank, and that makes it way harder!"
"He really is a monster... It's not just his serve or his jumping ability anymore. Even his spiking technique has improved massively!"
...
After witnessing Hank's spike just now, everyone in the gym started doubting their own eyes. None of them had expected him to accelerate from outside the sideline, rush all the way to his own setter's side, and then launch that attack from the side.
They had never seen anything like it in any previous match.
"How did that guy even do that!?"
The moment Kageyama saw Hank use that side-angle spike, his expression changed drastically. He had never imagined that Hank could score like that.
Why had he never seen him use that move before?
It looked like Hank had improved yet again during this stretch of time.
"He really is a monster. He probably only figured out that technique recently."
Ukai shook his head, and the sense of danger Hank gave him rose to yet another level.
That guy did not seem like a volleyball player at all.
He seemed more like a monster.
Not only was he training nonstop and improving every moment, but he also possessed top-tier talent.
A person like that would succeed no matter where he was placed.
That kind of talent was simply monstrous.
If Karasuno ran into Aoba Johsai again in the Spring High qualifiers, Hank would absolutely be a huge problem for them.
"What kind of spike was that just now!?"
"It came from the side and landed in the front court. Doesn't that mean his spikes don't even have to target the back row anymore!?"
After seeing Hank's spike just now, Yaku was overwhelmed by a heavy sense of helplessness.
How was that even possible?
Why could his spike land in the front court from such a strange angle?
Did that mean that for a guy like him, no matter what angle he attacked from at the net, he could still score successfully!?
If that was true, then it was simply terrifying.
No one would be able to receive his spikes.
It was impossible to imagine just how high his talent really was.
No matter how good he was at receiving, if the ball never came to him in the first place, then there was nothing he could do.
That single move completely shut him down.
"Beautiful, Hank!"
The moment Oikawa saw Hank score successfully, he could not stop himself from shouting.
That point did not just mean they had won a single rally.
It also symbolized that they had finally broken through Nekoma's defense.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]