"Heartless?" Iizuna Tsukasa wasn't sure why Miya Atsumu would say sothing like that.
"You seriously didn't notice?" Atsumu looked genuinely surprised.
"Iizuna-senpai doesn't have the sa twisted thoughts as you," Sakusa Kiyoomi said flatly. "He's not that kind of setter."
Atsumu blinked. "???"
"What do you an by twisted thoughts? And what do you an that kind of setter?"
"Sakusa, whose side are you even on?!"
"More importantly," Sakusa muttered darkly, "you should be worrying about what cos next..."
Maybe most of the audience, players, and even coaches were favouring the Black Jackals. But to the Monster Generation—those who'd faced Kaedehara Taichi many tis—they wouldn't let their guard down until the very last point.
And right now, this might be the most dangerous situation yet.
A rotation. DH's serve. Kaedehara Taichi walked up to the service line. anwhile, on the Black Jackals' side, Oliver Barnes—who wasn't exactly known for his receiving—was in the back row.
Even though Bokuto Kōtarō had rotated to the back, only three players on the Black Jackals could realistically participate in serve receive. (Oliver Barnes was practically hiding behind Inunaki Shion.)
"Tweet!—"
The whistle blew for serve.
The ball arced high into the air. Taichi followed close behind, sprinted, jumped—and swung.
BOOM!!!
The sound exploded like a cannonshot as the ball shot off like a missile toward the Black Jackals' back row.
Bokuto was certain he hadn't blinked—but the ball was already right in front of him in the next instant.
No ti—
Here it cos.
"Bokuto shield!"
THUD!
The ball slamd into Bokuto Kōtarō's raised chest and bounced upward.
He received it!
The ball deflected toward the DH side. Atsumu leapt at the net, intercepted it, and with one hand, set it high toward the right wing.
Even under these conditions, the Black Jackals had managed to form two threatening attack options—Oliver Barnes on the left and Adriah Thomas on the right.
Tom Wilde was pulled to the left.
"Double block!" Iizuna Tsukasa and Kitajima Kippei jumped together.
The gap was massive.
—BOOM!!!
The ball soared past the block easily and pounded into DH's court.
Adriah Thomas scored off the spike.
[DH 13 – 14 Black Jackals]
—"Wow! Just one rally and the Black Jackals shut down Kaedehara Taichi's serve rotation. Looks like DH couldn't capitalise on that rare chance to take the lead."
-----
Rotation. Black Jackals' serve.
BOOM!!!
Smack!
Yoshii Hiyu received the ball. Iizuna quickly set it to the right. Kitajima Kippei leapt to spike.
The ball zipped past Atsumu's right-hand block.
Smack!
The spike hit Adriah Thomas's arm and flew out of bounds.
Kitajima Kippei scored.
[DH 20 – 22 Black Jackals]
—"DH showing tenacity—finally breaking past the 20-point mark! Despite being under the Black Jackals' intense pressure, they haven't given up, fighting tooth and nail for every single point!"
—"The outco is still up in the air. Can DH seize the montum and pull off a coback? Or will the Black Jackals hold firm and protect their lead?"
Rotation. DH's serve.
Tom Wilde launched a powerful jump serve. Sakusa received it cleanly.
Atsumu quickly repositioned and set the ball high on the right side. Bokuto Kōtarō jumped to spike.
"Double block!" Kitajima and Nitta Asahiro leapt together.
"The straight shot's sealed?"
BOOM!!!
The ball streaked past Kitajima's left side and slamd into the back left corner of DH's court.
Bokuto Kōtarō scored with a cross shot.
[DH 20 – 23 Black Jackals]
"Feels like DH is having an even harder ti than in the first set..."
"Yeah, the Black Jackals' offence and defence have both beco way more fluid. anwhile DH seems to be constantly struggling to keep up. Just holding the point difference has been a challenge."
"At this rate, the match might end quickly in a clean 3-0 sweep for the Black Jackals."
The crowd buzzed with speculation. Coach Nick Foster's tactical rotation hadn't seed to bring any positive impact.
Rotation. Black Jackals' serve. Atsumu Miya stepped up to the line.
In DH's back row stood Kubo Wataru, Kaedehara Taichi, and Yoshii Hiyu. On paper, their receive formation didn't look half bad.
"Tweet!—"
The whistle blew.
Atsumu tossed the ball, ran up, jumped, and spiked.
—BOOM!!!
The serve carved a beautiful arc through the air, dropping right between Taichi and Yoshii.
"I got it!"
Taichi stepped forward to receive. Yoshii followed close behind.
Smack!
Even for soone like Taichi, it was difficult to imdiately rejoin the offence after handling Atsumu's serve.
Fwoosh!—
The ball was set high to the right. Nitta Asahiro leapt for the spike.
"Double block!" ian Shūgo and Bokuto jumped together.
BOOM!!!
The ball slipped past ian's left side.
Smack!
Sakusa picked it up.
Atsumu moved in and set it leftward. Oliver Barnes soared for the spike.
Iizuna jumped solo to block—but it was clear it wouldn't be enough.
BOOM!!
A wipe-off attack.
The ball slamd towards the floor behind Iizuna.
Smack!
"Got it!" Kubo Wataru managed to receive, though he lost his balance and fell to one knee.
Still, the ball flew cleanly upward.
Iizuna scrambled to set it. Simultaneously, Kaedehara Taichi, Kitajima Kippei, and Nitta Asahiro launched into a three-point offence.
Bokuto solo-marked Nitta. ian and Oliver held their position in the middle, eyes locked on Iizuna's movents.
Fwoosh!—
The set went middle. Kitajima and Taichi both jumped in sequence.
"Wait!" ian ignored Kitajima's feint.
"Double block!"
Only when Taichi appeared at the net did ian and Oliver launch into the block.
BOOM!!!
Smack!
The ball zipped past ian's right side and deflected off Atsumu's hand, flying out of bounds.
Kaedehara Taichi scored.
[DH 21 – 23 Black Jackals]
"I'll catch you on the next one," ian grinned at Taichi. Blocking wasn't just about stopping a spike—it was about planting fear in your opponent's heart.
But suddenly, a sharp glint flashed in Taichi's eyes. He glanced at the scoreboard. He had to admit—professional matches moved fast. In the blink of an eye, the second set was nearing its end.
"You think you can stop ?" Taichi stretched in place, bones cracking with a satisfying pop.
He hadn't fully recovered yet, but if he didn't push harder now, the match would be over.
"Iizuna-senpai, leave the rest to ." Taichi's voice was casual. "Let's see just how strong one of V1's top two middle blockers really is."
Rotation. DH's serve.
Iizuna launched a powerful jump serve. Inunaki shielded Atsumu, allowing him to receive.
Atsumu stepped in and set. The Black Jackals' front row launched into a full offence.
"Middle!"
"Double block!" Kitajima and Nitta jumped together.
BOOM!!!
The ball flew past Nitta's right side, aiming directly at Kaedehara Taichi.
"DH isn't trying to fight the Black Jackals head-on," Nitta suddenly chuckled. "It's always been just Taichi alone."
Kaedehara Taichi ignored the volleyball entirely and sprinted forward.
Smack!
Kubo Wataru slid sideways and received the ball; Iizuna Tsukasa supplented with a set.
Fwoosh—!
Thump!
That familiar, solid stomp echoed across the court, and the players from Black Jackals imdiately sensed danger.
"Triple block!" Oliver Barnes, ian Shūgo, and Bokuto Kōtarō jumped simultaneously.
"This guy—"
ian had to lift his head slightly just to catch a glimpse of the mocking smirk forming on Kaedehara Taichi's lips from the other side of the net.
A full half-arm's length in height difference!
BOOM!!
The ball flew straight down the line and slamd hard into the backcourt of the Black Jackals.
Kaedehara Taichi scored with a super spike over the block.
[DH 22 - 23 Black Jackals]
"This is what you ant when you said you were gonna block ?" Taichi tilted his head, his grin arrogant and unrestrained.
360cm!
The slow-motion replay on the arena's giant screen displayed Kaedehara Taichi's spike height.
A spike like that—guaranteed to be among the Top 10 plays of the day—seed almost casual in Taichi's hands.
The most outrageous part? That was a back-row attack.
DH continued serving. Iizuna Tsukasa sent out the second ball.
"Mine!" Sakusa Kiyoomi stepped in and received cleanly—perfect first touch.
It didn't matter if they couldn't stop the opponent's attack. As long as they scored faster, they'd win.
Miya Atsumu jumped and set. All three front-row attackers for the Black Jackals leapt forward simultaneously.
"You can't tell at all which side the attack is coming from!"
DH's blockers were forced to spread out, leaving only Nitta Asahiro in the middle, waiting for the right mont.
Fwoosh!—
Atsumu pulled off a beautiful back-set to the right wing. Bokuto Kōtarō leapt up for the spike.
"I've got to catch up—!"
Nitta rushed to the right. It was unlikely he could block the ball outright, but at the very least, he had to limit the attack angles!
BOOM!!!—
Bokuto slamd the ball down.
Though Nitta and Yoshii Hiyu managed to form a partial block together, the ball still slipped through the narrow gap between them and crashed into DH's court.
Bokuto scored with a spike!
[DH 22 - 24 Black Jackals]
"Hey! Hey!! Hey!!!" Bokuto shouted, pumping both fists in the air in excitent.
The Black Jackals were the first to reach 24 points. Two set points in hand. The situation was identical to the first set.
Service change. Black Jackals to serve.
Bokuto Kōtarō stepped up to the service line and took a deep breath.
"This is it—the mont everyone's watching."
He tossed the ball high and burst into his run-up.
Thud!
He planted hard and soared into the air. Midair, his body ford a perfect arc—like a bowstring pulled to its limit. The muscles in his back stretched taut, outlined with startling clarity.
"Bokuto's hyped again…"
"Energy blast!!!"
—BOOM!!!
The serve rocketed over the net and crashed down into DH's backcourt with a massive vertical drop.
Smack!
Kaedehara Taichi received it!
"Cover!"
The ball didn't lose much of its force, rebounding sharply high and back toward the Black Jackals' side.
Thud!
Nitta Asahiro leapt up just behind it.
"Hamr it down!"
"Block him!"
"Double block!" Oliver Barnes and ian Shūgo jumped to contest.
Smack!
Nitta tipped the ball lightly over the net.
"Mine!" Bokuto—despite unleashing a monstrous serve—was still alert. He dove forward and saved the ball with a clean dig.
Miya Atsumu quickly stepped in and set to the left wing. Sakusa Kiyoomi soared up to attack.
"Let end this—!"
"Like hell you will!"
"Double block!" Kitajima Kippei and Nitta Asahiro jumped together.
BOOM!!—
Smack!
The ball hit Kitajima's arm and deflected out to the left.
Touch out!
Smack!
"I never forget an attacker's hitting habits," said Iizuna Tsukasa, diving to save the ball. Yoshii Hiyu was already rushing over from the right. Everyone on DH moved with one goal in mind—get the ball to Kaedehara Taichi!
Fwoosh—!
The ball flew high to the right side. Kaedehara Taichi sprinted down the sideline.
The arm he'd used to receive earlier still stung faintly. Should've expected it—Bokuto Kōtarō's explosive growth was enough to even surprise him.
Thud!
Taichi leapt from the back row.
"Triple block!" Sakusa Kiyoomi, Oliver Barnes, and ian Shūgo jumped at the sa ti.
BOOM!!!
BANG!
Even with Sakusa's arms tightly braced, the impact from Taichi's spike blasted them apart.
The ball forced its way between Sakusa and the net and dropped straight down.
Off the block and into the net!
Kaedehara Taichi scored!
[DH 23 - 24 Black Jackals]
"He did it on purpose," murmured Hirugami Fukuro from the stands. "That spike was angled sharply downward, not aid to blast through the block."
"Probably to avoid Atsumu in the back row?" Heiwajima Toshirō chuckled. As a libero, he both dreaded and admired attackers like this—ones who left zero openings.
"But DH's situation hasn't changed," said Hirugami. "Black Jackals still only need one point to end it."
"No—it's changed," said Ushijima Wakatoshi calmly, eyes fixed on the court.
The rest of AD followed Ushijima's gaze.
-----
Service change. DH to serve. Kaedehara Taichi returned to the front row.
—"Bokuto's 124 km/h serve just broke the Black Jackals' speed record, but Taichi received it clean on the first try!"
—"The tension remains high—both teams are locked in a fierce standoff!"
"Tweet!—" The whistle signalled the next serve.
Kitajima Kippei launched a powerful jump serve.
Inumaki Shion stepped in to cover for Miya Atsumu, who moved forward to set.
The Black Jackals only had one task left: score. No matter how well their opponents played—as long as their own attack worked, it'd be enough.
Fwoosh—!
The set flew to the far right. ian Shūgo rose for the spike.
Rather than have him double-tead by both Nitta and Taichi, they'd rather pit ian against Taichi alone.
BOOM!!!
Kaedehara Taichi made no unnecessary movents. The ball passed to his left.
Smack!
Kubo Wataru received it cleanly.
These veterans might not be as sharp in the air, but no one had better ground coverage than them.
Iizuna Tsukasa stepped in without hesitation and set high toward the right wing.
"Sotis, being a setter feels so simple—all I have to do is focus on sending the ball accurately."
And that, just so happened to be Iizuna Tsukasa's specialty.
THUMP!
Kaedehara Taichi jumped.
"Triple block!" The Black Jackals reacted quickly.
But—sothing was off!
Taichi jumped even higher than before!
BOOM!!!
Sharp diagonal spike—OVER the block!
The ball slamd behind Adriah Thomas before he could react.
Kaedehara Taichi scored!
[DH 24 - 24 Black Jackals]
The match was now tied!
_________
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