Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 587: Striking the Heart (Triple-Length)

Even without Kaedehara Taichi, San Juan was still the world's fifth-ranked team.

The players of Ryujin should never have underestimated such an opponent.

No—they didn't actually underestimate them. They were simply too focused on Taichi. Somewhere deep down, they had a vague plan: when Taichi rotated to the back row, they would attack aggressively to quickly close the score gap.

San Juan continued serving. The ball spun lightly in Taichi's palm.

"What a pity, you didn't treasure the gift I gave you," he said.

"Tweet!—" The whistle for service sounded.

Taichi tossed the ball, took his approach, leapt, and struck. The ball briefly stayed on his palm.

—BOOM!!!

In an instant, the ball sliced across the court and dropped sharply right in front of Bokuto Kōtarō—

THUD!!!

No one touched it.

Taichi scored directly with his serve!

[San Juan 7 - 2 Ryujin]

"Another service ace!"

"Ryujin, known for their defence, are repeatedly losing points on reception in this first set!"

"Taichi's serve looked nearly identical to the previous one, but slow-motion replay shows the differences in flight time and drop angle."

"As of now, Kaedehara Taichi has the most service aces in this Club World Championship!"

"The gap has suddenly stretched to five points—I think this is a level of pressure Ryujin has never experienced before!"

San Juan continued serving.

Taichi sent out his third serve!

Smack!!

Heiwajima Toshirō received it, but the first pass was only half on target.

Miya Atsumu quickly stepped up to set. Bokuto and Hoshiumi launched a simultaneous attack!

"Hard to judge, isn't it?"

Ramos and Conte set up one-on-one single blocks in the front row.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew toward the middle. Bokuto leapt to spike!

Unable to hit over the block, he was forced to avoid it—his options for angles were limited.

BOOM!!!

The ball shot past Ramos's left side.

Smack!

An unexpected hand popped up—Bruno had rotated in for backup defence!

Against monsters like Wallace or Zaytsev with spike points over 370 cm, Bruno's block might not be effective. But against Ryujin's "shorter" players, at least height wouldn't be a disadvantage!

"One touch!"

The ball bounced high. Santiago calmly caught it and sent a perfect first pass.

Thud!

Taichi already rose from the back row.

Hirugami reacted quickly, and Bokuto shifted left after landing, jumping diagonally.

"Double block!"

Whoosh!—

The ball flew to the left wing.

"I told you, don't underestimate us!" Conte soared for a spike!

Hoshiumi jumped alone to block. Ryujin's back row defenders focused sharply on Conte.

—BOOM!!!

Even ignoring the height factor, Hoshiumi's block wasn't short. But against Conte, an ordinary block simply wasn't enough.

THUD!!!

The ball shot over Hoshiumi's head, smashing hard on the three-meter line behind him and bouncing high.

"That angle…!"

Heiwajima couldn't save it in time.

Conte scored with a super spike!

[San Juan 8 - 2 Ryujin]

"372 cm!!!"

"What a terrifying spike height!"

"Ryujin's blockers are really struggling up there..."

"Beep!—"

Technical timeout.

The huge point gap was something no fan had anticipated before the match.

"This is what I mentioned before. Perhaps San Juan's blocking didn't stand out in Group A, and people only remember Kaedehara Taichi. But to Ryujin's players, San Juan's block is still world-class."

"Looking at player data, both San Juan and Ryujin only have one player over two meters tall."

"However, San Juan's attackers average 198 cm, while Ryujin barely averages 190 cm. The difference is clear."

-----

The timeout ended. The match resumed.

Taichi's powerful jump serve!

BOOM!!!

"Taichi's serves come in many types, and each one poses a huge threat to the opponents."

"But this time, Hoshiumi Kōrai seems to have perfectly predicted the type of serve!"

"The ball flew steadily forward—Hoshiumi's reception was beautiful!"

Atsumu jumped in the front row to set.

Bokuto launched an attack from the side!

"Double block!" Ramos and Conte rose together.

BOOM!!!

On the side, Bokuto fully exploited his shallow cross shot!

The ball passed in front of the blockers, flying to San Juan's left-side three-meter line.

Smack!

Taichi dug it up!

"Perfect reception!"

The ball floated stably above San Juan's court. Oikawa stepped in to set.

Conte pulled away for a full approach!

"A triple block!" Hirugami, Bokuto, and Hoshiumi all jumped together.

—BOOM!!!

Once again, an unreasonable super spike!

Smack!

But this time, Heiwajima received it steadily!

Whoosh!—

Atsumu quickly organised the counterattack. Kiryū jumped from the back row for the spike!

Ramos jumped for a single block. Bruno came in from the left for backup.

Just like how San Juan had blocked Bokuto earlier, now Kiryū's back-row attack was also trapped in their block.

BOOM!!!—

—SMACK!!!

The ball slammed into Ramos's arm.

Kiryū gave up on changing his angle, throwing his full body strength into the spike.

Ramos's arm was forced low; the ball barely popped off the block and flew back toward Ryujin.

Heiwajima's expression turned serious.

The ball's bounce was low, but not impossible to save.

However—

Just before contact, Heiwajima pulled his body away.

THUD!

The ball hit the ground.

"OUT!" The line judge signalled.

Block out.

Kiryū scored with the spike!

[San Juan 8 - 3 Ryujin]

"Wonderful!"

"The ball landed only 2 cm from the sideline—incredible that the libero dared make that judgment!"

"Miya Atsumu's setting lives up to its reputation; he started the counterattack the instant Conte finished his spike, drastically reducing the pressure on their attackers."

"Kiryū's spike was powerful as always!"

"Ryujin broke San Juan's serve right after the timeout—could this change the momentum?"

Service switched. Ryujin to serve.

San Juan carefully maintained a four-man reception formation.

Hoshiumi's powerful jump serve!

The arc was high, dropping sharply only near the baseline.

Smack!!

Bruno retreated step by step and barely got his hands under it—the first pass wasn't ideal.

"This little guy…his serve is way stronger than that player from São Paulo!"

Oikawa quickly adjusted and set to the right wing. Conte leapt for the spike!

"Double block!" Hirugami and Bokuto rose together.

BOOM!!!

"——?!"

Right in front of Bokuto's eyes, Conte sent a precise shallow cross-shot right through the gap between the block and the net.

Smack!!!

The ball struck Atsumu's arm and bounced out of bounds.

Exactly like before!

Conte scored with the spike!

[San Juan 9 - 3 Ryujin]

"He could've just gone for a power spike, but he chose a shallow cross…" Oikawa looked a little exasperated. "Even Conte's been corrupted by that guy!"

Service switched. San Juan to serve.

Bruno's powerful jump serve!

BOOM!!

Hoshiumi easily received it, perfect pass.

Atsumu jumped in the front row to set. Oikawa stood right in front of him, wary of a second touch.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew to the right wing. Bokuto launched another attack from the side!

Ramos and Conte both went up to block.

"Looks like Ryujin wants to return the favour to San Juan the same way!"

BOOM!!!—

The ball shot past Conte's right side and landed right on San Juan's sideline, bouncing up.

"Incredible!"

"San Juan probably thought Bokuto would go for his signature shallow cross, but he surprised them with a line shot right on the edge!"

"That perfect trajectory is mesmerising!"

Bokuto scored with the spike!

[San Juan 9 - 4 Ryujin]

"Although the start was tough for Ryujin, they've managed to stabilise the situation no matter what!"

-----

"Off the block and out!"

"A very smart spike! I don't think being short is any obstacle at all for Hoshiumi's attacks—he's such an outstanding player."

"Yes, he's incredible," Lim agreed.

Hoshiumi scored with his spike.

[San Juan 18 - 14 Ryujin]

Service switched. Ryujin to serve.

"San Juan still leads by four points. Although Ryujin stabilised after the first technical timeout, they haven't been able to shrink the gap at all."

"David, that was another point by Ryujin right after a timeout. Do you think they might change the momentum again?"

"Oh, I think it depends on their serve."

"Tweet!—" The service whistle sounded.

Bokuto tossed the ball high, powerful jump serve!

BOOM!!!—

A strong sidespin serve!

Smack!

Taichi received it steadily; the first pass was a bit off but controlled.

Oikawa jumped to set in the front row, while Atsumu tightly guarded against a possible setter dump.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew to the left wing, Ramos jumped to spike!

"Double block!" Kiryū and Hirugami both leapt up.

—BOOM!!!

The ball passed over the block and struck Heiwajima Toshirō's arm, bouncing out of bounds.

Ramos scored with the spike!

[San Juan 19 - 14 Ryujin]

"Finally starting to read some of their spiking trajectories," Heiwajima said, shaking out his hand slightly.

It took longer than expected, but they finally saw some hope for a counterattack.

Service switched. San Juan to serve.

Ramos's powerful jump serve!

BOOM!!!

Smack!

The ball hit Heiwajima's arm and popped up high—a perfect pass!

Atsumu jumped to set in the front row. Ryujin launched a full four-point attack!

Oikawa didn't overthink it; he simply stood in front of Atsumu. Blocking? Leave that to the big guys.

Whoosh!—

BOOM!!!

Kiryū took a long run-up from the left and spiked heavily!

The ball deftly avoided Conte's block and landed inside San Juan's court.

Smack!

Bruno dug it up!

It wasn't just Ryujin who was adapting to their opponent's attacks.

The ball flew high, Taichi sent it back from the baseline to the front row.

"Even his sets are that good—Taichi really is ridiculously cool."

Loser jumped on the right, arms tensed, swinging with force.

—BOOM!!!

"Double block!" Atsumu reluctantly joined Hirugami, leaping side by side.

The ball passed over the block and smashed behind Atsumu.

Smack!

Hoshiumi flew and dove for a miraculous save!

However, the danger wasn't over.

Loser's spike had so much power that even though Hoshiumi managed to keep it alive, he couldn't soften the momentum. The ball flew far toward the sideline.

Just as Atsumu chased it toward the back line, Bokuto had already appeared beneath it!

—BOOM!!!

Bokuto twisted in midair and swung down with a fierce spike!

A second attack!!

The ball carved a sharp arc straight into the middle of San Juan's court.

Loser, who had barely landed after his spike, tried to jump again but couldn't reach it.

Smack!

Kaedehara Taichi dove for the save!

He understood. If it had been him, he would've chosen the same move!

The ball popped high, Oikawa quickly moved in to set. Conte launched from the left wing!

"Double block!" Kiryū and Hirugami both leapt.

—BOOM!!!

An extreme high reach diagonal shot!

The ball slammed into Ryujin's back right corner and bounced out of bounds.

Conte scored!

[San Juan 20 - 14 Ryujin]

"Too strong! Conte has taken on so much of the attacking load in the front row, while Taichi makes San Juan's defence almost flawless in the back row."

"They're both true all-around superstars!"

"Perhaps because he rested a day, Conte's attacking condition today is clearly much better than in previous matches," David said with a laugh.

"No," Lim corrected, "I think it's because Ryujin's blocking hasn't given him enough pressure. Defence is far more passive than blocking. When you don't need to worry about being blocked, Conte can spike with so much more freedom."

San Juan continued serving.

Ramos sent out his second serve!

BOOM!!!

The ball hit Hoshiumi's arm and popped up.

"This reception was really good—Ryujin is doing excellent here!"

Atsumu jumped to set. All the attackers were one-on-one; the setter could only give the ball to the most comfortable position and then it depended on the hitter's execution at the net.

Hirugami soared on the right side for the spike.

Loser jumped for a solo block.

Just by locking eyes with Taichi for a split second, Hirugami realised he wouldn't score that way.

BOOM!!!—

The ball avoided the block—it didn't aim at Taichi's straight line defence but flew to San Juan's back left corner.

A sharp cross-court shot!

SMACK!

The ball hit Ramos's arm and bounced out.

Hirugami scored!

[San Juan 20 - 15 Ryujin]

"That reception wasn't perfect—such a pity."

"Hirugami smartly targeted the moment when San Juan's libero wasn't on court and went after the back-row middle blocker for the point!"

"Ahaha, I didn't think that far ahead…" Hirugami smiled as he walked to the service line.

"I told you, middle blockers should also spend more time practising reception. Their middle blocker's reception is way better than yours," Santiago muttered as he and Ramos switched positions.

"Y-yeah." Ramos forced a wry smile.

Height aside, Ryujin's offence was still excellent. Both their ball speed and spin weren't that different from top-level opponents.

Service switched. Ryujin to serve.

Hirugami's powerful jump serve!

The ball dropped between Bruno and Taichi.

"I got it!" Taichi stepped forward to receive. Since Conte's offence was so sharp today, he wouldn't hog the spotlight unnecessarily.

The ball flew stably to the front row. Oikawa jumped to set, Conte and Loser both launched for attack.

"Damn it."

With Oikawa there, San Juan's attackers were unstoppable, and Ryujin couldn't focus on any single hitter.

The ball flew to the left wing—Conte one-on-one against Hondō Sakuma!

"Chance!"

At two meters tall, Hondō Sakuma firmly blocked Conte's line, and Ryujin's defensive shape shifted accordingly.

BOOM!!!

The ball slammed into Hondō's arm and deflected out to the left side.

Off the block and out.

Conte scored!

[San Juan 21 - 15 Ryujin]

"Conte's shot selection is simply textbook. He always chooses the most appropriate trajectory."

"This is San Juan's other ace!"

"Beep!—"

Coach Suzaku called a timeout.

He knew it would be extremely difficult to take the first set from San Juan, but they couldn't accept completely losing control of the game's rhythm.

At the very least, the players' mindset must stay steady!

"Motoya, let me tell you some details about their attack," Heiwajima called out to Komori Motoya as soon as he got back to the bench.

Of course, Ryujin had analysed San Juan's hitters through match footage and drawn up plans before the game, but actually experiencing it on court revealed many more details than film ever could.

The other players also gathered with the bench players to exchange insights. No one hung their heads, no one fooled around.

"We must strengthen our back-row attacks," Atsumu said. "Relying only on the front row to break through their block is nearly impossible. Any mistakes will turn into counterattack points."

"Putting all our hopes on defence is useless. You have to score points to win in volleyball."

Atsumu's words were blunt, showing no concern for the hitters' pride. Yet none of Ryujin's flamboyant attackers expressed any dissatisfaction.

Looking at the score, that was simply reality.

"We need to use more second-tempo attacks to confuse their blockers. The risk and reward are directly proportional," Hoshiumi added. "We must make their block feel nervous."

"These guys…" Coach Suzaku couldn't help but smile. It was the first time he'd seen them this united.

-----

Timeout over. The match resumed.

Service changed—San Juan to serve, and Kaedehara Taichi was now back in the front row.

Conte tossed the ball, ran up, jumped, and struck!

BOOM!!!

Smack!

Hoshiumi received the ball!

"Ryujin's receiving strengths are gradually becoming apparent—their first touch is quite stable!"

The first pass wasn't ideal, so Atsumu quickly moved to adjust.

Whoosh—!

The ball was set high to the middle, where Kiryū took his most comfortable three-step approach!

"Loser!"

"Got it!"

"Double block!" Loser and Kaedehara Taichi both jumped together.

"——?!"

"I'll get stuffed!" Kiryū's heart pounded with dread.

Once Taichi returned to the front row, San Juan's blocking pressure felt completely different!

Tap!

Kiryū gently tipped the ball over.

That feeling wasn't an illusion. Although he had a brief urge to grit his teeth and swing with full force, his instincts told him that doing so would end the rally immediately.

In the end, he knew very clearly he had chosen to avoid the fight.

"Free ball!" Santiago easily received it, perfect pass to the front.

Oikawa slowed the tempo, and Taichi began a wide approach.

San Juan's attack didn't even bother to hide its intentions.

Whoosh!—

Again a set to the middle, Taichi soared high.

"Triple block!" Hondō Sakuma, Kiryū, and Atsumu all jumped together.

The three blockers' heights looked like a phone signal indicator, dropping step by step.

However, Taichi deliberately aimed at the tallest, Hondō Sakuma.

—BOOOM!!!

The ball passed above the block and smashed into Ryujin's back left corner.

Hoshiumi had already been waiting!

With the sharp angle of Taichi's high reach spike, Hoshiumi almost faced it head-on.

CRASH!!!

The moment he touched the ball, Hoshiumi's entire body was forced forward by the sheer power.

BANG!

His posture crumbled, and he fell to his knees unbalanced as the ball slammed down in front of him.

Utterly overwhelming.

Kaedehara Taichi scored!

[San Juan 22 - 15 Ryujin]

"Sorry, I guess I hit it a bit too hard," Taichi said lightly.

"This bastard…"

The point difference widened, but Ryujin's fighting spirit only burned stronger.

San Juan continued to serve.

Conte's second serve!

BOOM!!!

The ball dropped between Heiwajima and Atsumu.

"I got it!"

Smack!

Heiwajima received it, though the pass was only half-ideal.

Atsumu gave an early signal—Ryujin launched a full four-point attack!

Can he get it there?

That wasn't something for the attackers to worry about. They only had to focus on one thing: how to put the ball on San Juan's floor.

He could do it.

Everyone attacked with fierce desire, because the setter was Atsumu!

Loser and Taichi were instantly pulled by Hondō and Kiryū in the front, but Ryujin's true attacker was—

Leaping from the back row, only 173 cm tall—Hoshiumi!

Thump!

"What?!"

It wasn't just one blocker. Before Hoshiumi stood a double block of Taichi and Loser!

A back-row attack against a second-time jump block—

BOOM!!—

The ball struck their arms and dropped down.

The ball speed wasn't that fast, but with Ryujin's full commitment to attack, no one was left to cover.

Thud!

San Juan scored on the block!

[San Juan 23 - 15 Ryujin]

San Juan continued to serve.

Conte's third serve, targeted directly at Atsumu!

Although Atsumu's reception skills had improved significantly, he still struggled to handle Conte's serve smoothly.

"I got it!"

Hoshiumi stepped in to assist, precisely sending the ball above the left wing.

Bokuto sprinted along the sideline and jumped for a back-row spike!

"Double block!" Loser and Taichi both leapt up.

BOOM!!!

The ball passed through Loser's left side and fell right on San Juan's sideline!

"Oh my god! Such a sharp line shot! The ball slipped through the tiny gap between Loser's arm and the antenna!"

"Bokuto's mastery of straight shots is just as terrifying as his short angles!"

Smack!

However, Conte dug it up!

Oikawa quickly moved to set, Taichi sprinted cross-court and jumped on the right side!

"Double block!" Hondō and Kiryū followed tightly.

Whoosh!—

The ball was set to the left wing.

Loser faced Atsumu's single block and easily spiked it down!

[San Juan 24 - 15 Ryujin]

"So cruel."

If someone like Kozume Kenma described it that way, it was enough to show how most spectators felt watching this set.

"Yeah…that guy Taichi really does love to crush not just your body but your spirit," said Yaku Morisuke, sitting with the Nekoma group even though he'd already been eliminated.

"Huh?" Lev tilted his head. "Did Taichi really do anything? It seems like aside from the opening, he barely even attacked?"

"Idiot! That's exactly why it's cruel," Kuroo said, clearly annoyed.

Kaedehara Taichi was practically a demon in Ryujin's hearts—defeating him was the one thing they most desperately wanted in this match.

This obsession was what kept Ryujin's players burning with fighting spirit.

Yet Taichi simply played sound, textbook volleyball like the rest of San Juan.

And Ryujin still couldn't handle it at all.

-----

BOOM!!!

Kaedehara Taichi spiked and scored!

[San Juan 25 - 15 Ryujin]

"Beeep—!"

The first set ended.

Winner: CA San Juan.

_________