"Up!"
After the fifth ball was sent over, Aoba Johsai's back-row libero finally adapted to Goshiki's serve. He stepped forward into a lunge and saved the ball. At the front row, Hank quickly prepared his approach and takeoff.
That movement was immediately caught by everyone on Shiratorizawa's side. Tendō, who was blocking at the front row, also made his judgment at once.
He even predicted Hank's hitting point and moved there one step ahead.
"That guy can read where Hank is going to spike."
"Is it going to get blocked?"
Oikawa suddenly thought of setting this ball to someone else on the team, or simply tipping it over himself. But after glancing at Hank, his heart quietly settled.
As expected, he still sent the ball straight to Hank.
"He already noticed that I predicted this ball, but he's still choosing to set it to me?"
"Isn't he underestimating me a little too much?"
Almost the instant Hank rose, Tendō also sprang up quickly. His timing was exactly the same as Hank's. As he stretched out both hands, his whole body leapt straight into the air.
"Boom!"
However, at that moment, Hank increased the force of his arm swing. His entire back tightened and contracted, making him look like a longbow on the verge of releasing an arrow.
In an instant, the moment the ball touched Hank's right hand, it shot out like a cannonball.
Tendō's hand had already touched the volleyball, but he still could not stop its force. Hank blasted it straight through. Because of the contact with Tendō's hand, the volleyball flew directly out of bounds.
In the end, the referee ruled that Tendō had completed the first touch, and the point was awarded to Hank.
"What!?"
Tendō felt the numbness spreading through his index finger, and for a moment, his expression changed.
At that instant, he had felt as if Ushijima himself had appeared in front of him.
There was no doubt that Hank, standing before him now, possessed power that did not lose to Wakatoshi Ushijima's. In fact, because of his extreme jumping talent, Hank was even stronger than Ushijima when it came to hang time.
It seemed this opponent was not someone they could easily look down on.
"He can actually spike such a perfect ball. Just what is his background!?"
Goshiki and the others' expressions changed sharply as well.
This was the first time they had seen someone hit such a beautiful arc. Aside from Wakatoshi Ushijima, the only one who could do it should have been Hank.
"Did you see that just now!? The ball spiked by Aoba Johsai's ace actually couldn't be stopped by Shiratorizawa's block!"
"They clearly predicted it, too. Looks like Tendō has met his match now. This is putting serious pressure on him."
"This match might get interesting now. A showdown between two super aces!"
But to be honest, very few people still believed that Aoba Johsai could win from here.
After all, the teams' overall strength was right there for everyone to see. It was hard to say that Aoba Johsai could claim the final victory. Still, Hank's presence was undoubtedly a massive highlight.
"…"
Wakatoshi Ushijima did not say anything. His forehead tilted slightly forward, and his face was filled with seriousness.
(End of Chapter)
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