Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 362: Is Karasuno Really This Strong? (Quad-Length)

The ball slammed behind Kyōtani Kentarō and bounced off the floor.

Tsukishima scores!

[Aoba Johsai 6 - 6 Karasuno]

Karasuno held tight onto the score, refusing to let Aoba Johsai pull ahead.

"Wait, is Karasuno actually this strong?" gasps echoed from the spectator stands.

"I thought we were going to see Aoba Johsai's strongest starting lineup just steamroll them!"

"Steamroll? Heh. Karasuno was the fastest team to qualify for the quarterfinals. Their point gap was the widest among all four matches."

"Wasn't that just because their opponents were weak?"

"Excuse me?!"

"I mean, I'm just stating facts..."

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The spectators began analyzing both teams with logic and passion. The outcome of this match suddenly seemed a lot less predictable.

After all, before the match began, almost no one thought Karasuno could beat Aoba Johsai in an official game.

-----

Service change—Karasuno's serve.

Tanaka Ryūnosuke stepped up to the service line, stretching his arm forward with his palm balancing the ball—his signature (totally-not-for-show) concentration pose.

Whish—

He gently tossed the ball up, took three quick steps forward, and leapt with explosive force.

Boom!!

The ball zipped toward Aoba Johsai's back row.

"Whoa, that shaved-head guy's serve is nuts!"

Smack!

Kaedehara Taichi received the ball cleanly—first touch to target.

Nakamori Daiki jumped from the back row to set. All three of Aoba Johsai's front-row spikers moved in for an attack.

Boom!—

On the right, Kunimi Akira fired off a sharp line shot—direct point.

[Aoba Johsai 7 - 6 Karasuno]

"Damn it!" Tanaka Ryūnosuke shouted in frustration. The serve had felt great—yet it was handled easily.

Service change—Aoba Johsai's serve.

Kyōtani Kentarō stepped up and launched a powerful jump serve.

BOOM!!!

"Ryū!" Nishinoya Yū shouted.

Smack!

The ball struck Tanaka's arm and ricocheted out of bounds.

Kyōtani scores an ace.

[Aoba Johsai 8 - 6 Karasuno]

"That guy...!"

Maybe it was because of their matching hairstyles, but Tanaka Ryūnosuke stared at Kyōtani Kentarō with visible irritation.

"He totally stole my character design!"

Ennoshita Chikara muttered, "Tanaka, that's what you're focused on right now?"

"Of course not!" Tanaka snapped back. "That guy's even stronger than me—damn it!"

"You think so?" Enoshita said thoughtfully. "Personally, I think you're stronger."

"Really?! You mean it, Chikara?!" Tanaka lit up.

"Well, at least in terms of willpower, yeah."

"Oh come on, I was talking about volleyball!"

"That is volleyball, right? You're not gonna lose to him—are you?" Enoshita replied meaningfully.

"Of course not!" Tanaka struck a cocky pose. "Bring it on, you character-stealing delinquent wannabe!"

"I don't understand a word you're saying," Kyōtani said flatly.

"Tweet!—"

The referee's whistle blew. Kyōtani served again.

BOOM!!!

Once again, the serve came straight for Tanaka Ryūnosuke.

Kaedehara Taichi shook his head with a sigh, muttering under his breath, "So easy to provoke, it's ridiculous..."

Smack!

Tanaka received the ball. It still veered off toward the sideline, but this time, he'd given it enough height for his teammates to reposition.

Smack!

Kita Seio, with keen instincts, rushed in and saved the ball—sending it back toward the net.

Kageyama Tobio jumped for a spike.

"Double block!" Kindaichi Yūtarō and Kunimi Akira leapt together.

The three prodigies of Kitagawa Daiichi stood face-to-face on the court once again.

But their minds were focused entirely on the ball—no room for anything else.

Boom!—

Smack!

"One touch!" Kindaichi called out.

Kyōtani handled the first touch easily. Yahaba set to the right wing—Kaedehara Taichi jumped into position.

"Double block!" Enoshita and Tsukishima leapt to stop him.

Tsukishima's gaze was razor sharp as he locked eyes with Taichi. For a split second, their eyes met midair.

"Here it comes!"

Tsukishima's breath caught. As his eyes met Taichi's cold, emotionless gaze, his heart thudded—just once, violently.

BOOM!!!—

A gust of wind whipped past his ears. Then came the deafening crash.

Tsukishima turned to look—his face filled with disbelief.

A faint white scuff mark appeared at the intersection of Karasuno's 3-meter and sideline.

Kaedehara Taichi scores!

[Aoba Johsai 9 - 6 Karasuno]

Just like that, the gap widened.

"Holy crap! Aoba Johsai is insane!"

"I wanna get on the court, I wanna get on the court, I wanna get on the court, I wanna get on the court!!!"

In Karasuno's bench area, a certain little beast radiated pure offensive energy. Even without stepping onto the court, he was already drawing the eyes of players in play.

"I know, I know!" Kageyama Tobio muttered, forcing himself to ignore the presence. "Just one more play—and you're up."

"That brat gives off some real bad vibes," Yahaba Shigeru muttered with a scowl. "Seriously annoying."

"Yahaba, eyes on the court," Kyōtani said coolly beside him.

"Yeah, got it."

Kyōtani served for the third time.

BOOM!!!

This time, his target was Kita Seio, who had underperformed during the previous practice match.

Smack!

Kita received it head-on.

"Oh?" Taichi noticed the clear improvement in his form.

[Kita Seio—Outside Hitter: Overall Rating: 88.8; Height: 188.5 cm, Strength: 95, Jump: 80, Stamina: 90, Speed: 85; Key Attributes: Receiver: 88, Spike: 95.]

Coach Ukai Keishin's eyes lit up.

Karasuno's final puzzle piece—a balanced wing spiker—had finally slotted into place.

Kageyama Tobio repositioned. Karasuno launched a multi-angle offensive!

Fwoosh—!

The ball arced high over the middle. Enoshita jumped for the spike.

"Kindaichi!" Kunimi Akira called from the left.

Aoba Johsai's front-row blockers were forced to spread out—leaving Kindaichi Yūtarō alone in the middle.

"I got it," he said, eyes locked on the ball. He crouched, prepping for a block.

Kunimi's warning, his own instinct—both pointed to one thing.

Whoosh!

Enoshita swung wide—a decoy.

The real attack came from the back row—Kita Seio!

Karasuno's tiered attack formation.

Despite having just received Kyōtani's cannon of a serve, Kita had repositioned and launched his attack in record time. Kageyama's decision was bold—but perfect.

Kindaichi jumped to block.

"He didn't get fooled by the decoy?!"

Kageyama Tobio looked at Kunimi Akira and Kindaichi Yūtarō with clear displeasure. These two had changed a lot from how he remembered them.

Kita Seio blinked in slight surprise—it was impressive that Aoba Johsai's blockers had predicted correctly.

"…But that's all."

As the ace, there was no way he would allow a solo block to stop him.

"Kita, heads up!"

Another pair of arms appeared to Kindaichi Yūtarō's right—Kaedehara Taichi had arrived just in time!

Kita Seio: "!!!"

Wasn't he just on the far right?! When did he—?!

Boom!—

Smack!

Kita Seio tried his best to adjust the angle of his spike, but the ball struck Kaedehara Taichi's arms and deflected outward.

"Chance ball!" Yahaba Shigeru shouted, getting ready to receive.

"I got it!" Nakamori Daiki called out as he rushed into position and jumped up to set the ball.

Yahaba: "???"

Kaedehara Taichi landed from his block and immediately dashed left without missing a beat.

"Don't tell me—?!" Kageyama's eyes widened.

Even from the sidelines, Hinata Shōyō stared intently at Taichi's movement. They knew exactly what kind of approach that was.

Thud!

Kaedehara leapt on the far left side.

"Not happening!" Kageyama jumped up right in front of him.

Whoosh—!

The ball, set from Aoba Johsai's back row, arced cleanly toward the left side of the net.

Swish—

Tap, tap, tap...

Taichi swung—and missed. The ball sailed out of bounds, landing beyond the court.

A misfire in Aoba Johsai's combo play—point for Karasuno.

[Aoba Johsai 9 - 7 Karasuno]

The court fell silent for a moment.

"Pfft—what the heck was that?" Futakuchi Kenji laughed loudly from the audience seats, not even trying to hide it.

"Futakuchi," Aone Takanobu murmured, his expression serious.

Futakuchi settled down and said in a calmer tone, "Yeah, I know."

That super quick attack between Taichi and Daiki definitely failed—but the fact that they even attempted it in a match meant they must've been at least somewhat confident it would work. (No. They weren't.)

And if it ever did succeed, Aoba Johsai would become even harder to beat.

Serve rotation—Karasuno's turn. Hinata Shōyō returned to the court.

"Let's gooo!" Hinata hopped in place, bursting with energy.

Tsukishima Kei stepped up to the service line and calmly delivered a float serve.

"He practiced that in secret too, huh? That's so him," Taichi thought. He knew well that Aoba Johsai weren't the only ones who had grown. After tasting defeat, their opponents would change too—and the scarier ones would change the most.

Smack!

Yahaba was forced to receive the ball, and Kunimi moved in to send a high set toward the right wing.

Thud!

Taichi leapt and spiked.

"Triple block!" Hinata, Kageyama, and Ennoshita jumped up together.

BANG!!!

Karasuno's high wall was completely ignored.

A tooling spike.

The ball slammed off Karasuno's hands and bounced high into the air, landing squarely inbounds.

Kaedehara Taichi scored.

[Aoba Johsai 10 - 7 Karasuno]

"Oops, guess I'm taking this one back," Taichi said lazily, shaking out his hand.

"We'll take it right back!" Hinata shot back, unwavering.

Serve rotation—Kindaichi Yūtarō stepped up to serve.

Boom!—

Kindaichi's jump serve blasted across the court.

Smack!

Tanaka Ryūnosuke barely managed to receive it. Kageyama adjusted, moving in to set.

"Nice—first touch is off, they can't do the freak quick!"

Fwoosh—!

The ball flew toward the high left side.

Thud!

A solid stomp echoed through the gym. Hinata soared into the air like he had wings.

"Double block!" Kunimi and Taichi jumped together.

But Hinata's spike height—he was just barely matching Taichi's block.

Smash!—

The ball flew clean past Kunimi and landed deep in Aoba Johsai's back row.

Hinata scored.

[Aoba Johsai 10 - 8 Karasuno]

"YESSS!"

He'd really wanted to see if he could break through Taichi's block—but in that crucial moment, Hinata held back.

We're still chasing the score, he reminded himself. Team victory comes first.

Serve rotation—Karasuno to serve.

Ennoshita Chikara stepped up and sent a float serve flying. Nakamori Daiki received it cleanly.

Yahaba filled in and—without hesitation—set the ball to their ace.

Thud!

Taiche jumped from center court to spike.

You've gotta block like you're spiking!

Hinata made space for a full approach and launched himself at the net.

"Double block!"

Kita Seio mirrored Hinata's movement from the side, the two jumping up together in front of Taichi.

"Wait—is this guy seriously able to block like that?!"

Gasps rippled through the audience.

In mid-air, Taichi remained completely calm.

Now this...is what I call a real block.

BOOM!

The spike avoided the block entirely and rocketed toward Karasuno's back row.

To win this match…we have to receive Taichi's spikes. No matter what.

Nishinoya Yū knew this deep in his bones.

So I'll be the first anchor to take Aoba Johsai down!

Smack!

Nishinoya Yū dove forward and received the ball, sending it flying toward the backline.

At that very moment, Kageyama Tobio, who was supposed to be at the net for the block but had retreated to the back row, burst into motion.

"I know you guys can do it!" Kageyama lunged forward, positioning himself beneath the descending volleyball, his upper body arched backward. "So that means I can, too!"

Fwoosh—!

A back minus from beyond the baseline!

In the blink of an eye, the volleyball soared over to the left wing—where Hinata Shōyō was already waiting!

The Freak Quick, Revamped—Back Minus!

Boom!—

Kaedehara Taichi was already there to meet him. He was the only one who could keep up with Hinata's speed.

Their eyes locked between the ball and each other, calculating, anticipating. In a flash of lightning, Hinata launched his spike.

Smack!

Taichi's arm swung down—but it was still a beat too late.

Trying to completely shut down a freak quick with a solo block…it really was too much to ask.

Thwack!

Nakamori Daiki darted in. The ball ricocheted off his arm and flew out of bounds.

Hinata Shōyō scores!

[Aoba Johsai 10 - 9 Karasuno]

Karasuno had scored back-to-back points, once again clinging tightly to Aoba Johsai's heels!

Hinata cast a glance at Seijoh's back row, particularly at Nakamori Daiki. He had deliberately aimed away from the libero's zone, and yet…Nakamori still managed to get a touch.

"This must be Karasuno's perfect combo," murmured one of the spectators. "No doubt about it—these guys are fun to watch."

Karasuno continued serving—Ennoshita Chikara sent up the second ball.

Kindaichi Yūtarō received it, and Yahaba Shigeru handled the set.

"Right wing!"

Kaedehara Taichi raised his right hand, calling for the ball. His gaze stayed locked on Hinata. "If you think you can block me, go ahead and try."

Yahaba didn't hesitate—he sent the ball soaring high toward the right wing. Taichi charged in and leapt.

"Double block!" Kita Seio and Hinata once again rose up to face him.

"Height alone isn't enough."

"Uh-oh!"

Nishinoya saw where Taichi was aiming and rushed to guard the crosscourt. Kageyama fell back to cover the line shot.

BOOMM!!!—

The ball slammed into Karasuno's left back corner and ricocheted high.

A brutal crosscourt!

Even after stacking their defense with two blockers, Karasuno couldn't contain Taichi's variety of shot angles.

Kaedehara Taichi scores.

[Aoba Johsai 11 - 9 Karasuno]

-----

Boom!

Smack!

Kunimi Akira scored off Tsukishima Kei's block with a deflection out of bounds.

[Aoba Johsai 20 - 17 Karasuno]

Seijoh was the first to reach the 20-point milestone.

Kyōtani's powerful jump float serve was perfectly received by Nishinoya Yū. Kageyama pushed a quick to the middle.

Kita Seio launched a back-row attack, striking past Kunimi's block and under the net.

[Aoba Johsai 20 - 18 Karasuno]

Karasuno clung desperately to that two-point gap.

The atmosphere inside the gym grew thick with tension—so oppressive, it felt like you could hear each player's heartbeat.

Aoba Johsai had maintained a narrow two-point lead for several rotations now. It was a fragile thread, but one that pulled taut on the nerves of every player on the court.

Karasuno was clearly the more desperate side. They were giving everything they had—every play executed with pure resolve—and yet…they could only just barely keep the gap from widening. No matter how hard they pushed, those two points always loomed just out of reach, like a shadow that wouldn't fade.

But Aoba Johsai wasn't comfortable either. Under Karasuno's relentless pressure, even their starters had begun to wear stiff expressions, as if clouds were gathering over their heads.

"Karasuno is really this strong…?" The spectators could hardly believe how tight the match had become.

"It's so frustrating..." Kunimi Akira gasped, eyes fixed on Kageyama Tobio. "Of all the players from Kitagawa Daiichi, he's the one who went the furthest."

Nakamori Daiki, meanwhile, had his eyes on Karasuno's libero. In terms of receiving alone, Nishinoya's presence was far more oppressive than the legendary Komori Motoya of Itachiyama. The fact that Karasuno had stayed neck-and-neck for so long—much of that was thanks to Nishinoya's tenacity.

-----

"Karasuno is this strong…?"

The same thought passed through the minds of the Date Tech bench. The Karasuno they'd defeated in the prefectural preliminaries felt like an entirely different team from the one now battling Seijoh.

"Is this even possible?!"

Futakuchi Kenji even felt a sliver of relief. He had once believed that the road to Nationals would be a battle between just Date Tech and Seijoh. The prefectural preliminaries had seemed like nothing more than a formality to decide which of the two was stronger.

But now, seeing how things had unfolded, it was clear—if Date Tech faced either Karasuno or Aoba Johsai, the outcome would be completely up in the air.

-----

"Coach Irihata…is something wrong with Taichi?" Mizoguchi Sadayuki finally voiced the concern that had been gnawing at him.

One reason Seijoh hadn't widened the gap was Karasuno's tireless pursuit and rapid growth. But another reason…was that Kaedehara Taichi wasn't syncing with his teammates like he usually did.

"He's already made three errors," Mizoguchi said anxiously. "None of those combinations worked—why is he forcing such risky plays in an actual match?!"

"There were two failed combos with Nakamori, and one with Kunimi."

"Even without taking those risks, Taichi could still score just fine! Why is he practically handing Karasuno points? Why won't you let me call a timeout?!"

Mizoguchi was growing desperate. This was only a prefectural match—it wasn't even the finals. In his mind, Seijoh should never have been pushed to this extent.

"But we're still in the lead, aren't we?" Coach Irihata smiled kindly, showing no sign of panic.

"But—"

"What kind of player do you think Taichi is?" Coach Irihata suddenly cut him off. "Would he do something reckless without a reason?"

Mizoguchi froze.

Kaedehara Taichi had always been a player who surpassed expectations. He wasn't just quick to improve or physically gifted—what truly stood out was his game sense. He always seemed to perform right at the edge of his potential—no, beyond it.

Right…A guy like him wouldn't be playing like this without a reason...

But then—what was his reason?

Confusion deepened in Mizoguchi's eyes.

"Don't worry," said Coach Irihata calmly. "The match is still under Taichi's control. As for what he's trying to do—well, I can only guess."

Back on court, Hinata Shōyō returned to the front row.

The fire had returned to Karasuno's eyes. The match was entering its final stretch—this might be their last chance to wrest control from Seijoh's hands.

Every Karasuno player zeroed in on Kaedehara Taichi—the one man standing in their way.

While tension had visibly settled over the rest of Aoba Johsai as Karasuno closed the gap, Taichi alone remained composed. There was a steady fire in his eyes, a quiet but unwavering confidence. He seemed completely unshaken, maintaining his grip on the match's rhythm with a subtle mastery—nullifying Karasuno's every push with frightening calm.

"Tweet!—"

Karasuno calls for a substitution—Tadashi Yamaguchi IN, Tsukishima Kei OUT.

"Right now?!"

Even Coach Irihata's expression grew serious.

It was Karasuno's usual play—to bring in their ace server Yamaguchi when Hinata was up to serve. Partly because Hinata had the weakest serve on the team, and partly because Tsukishima's block worked best in tandem with Yamaguchi's serve pressure.

"Looks like this is Karasuno's final full assault."

The Seijoh squad steeled themselves. They knew better than anyone how sharp Karasuno's spear could be.

Yamaguchi stepped onto the service line, inhaling deeply. Strangely, he didn't feel nervous at all.

Wham!—

A jump float serve.

The ball wobbled through the air—its speed, its trajectory, its drop point—everything was hard to read!

"Kindaichi, move up!"

Taichi's voice cut through the noise.

But as soon as he said it—the ball plummeted over the net!

It had looked like it would float further, but—

Kindaichi Yūtarō lunged forward in a panic—too late for an overhead receive, he instinctively tried to kick the ball up with his foot.

Smack!

The ball clipped the bottom of the net and dropped.

"Beautiful serve!!" The Karasuno bench exploded in cheers.

Yamaguchi scores an ace.

[Aoba Johsai 20 - 19 Karasuno]

Just one point behind!

_________

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