Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 588]: Response (Double-Length)

A complete defeat!

San Juan looked as though they hadn't even taken Ryujin seriously—they won the first set far too easily!

"A pure gap in strength," Wallace said to Hinata Shōyō.

"There are people online saying Ryujin only squeezed into the final four thanks to a lucky bracket," Wallace continued, leaning back in his seat. "Of course, those comments are meaningless, but at least it shows how some spectators see it—that Ryujin's level is clearly below the other three semifinal teams."

"Their strength is real!" Hinata couldn't help but argue back.

Wallace glanced at him. "I watched a few of Ryujin's previous matches. No doubt about it, this is the best condition they've shown so far."

"No obvious mistakes, they're maintaining their own style…and yet, they still haven't managed to pose any threat to San Juan."

Hinata clenched his fists. Everything Wallace said was true.

"Objectively speaking, they're just an ordinary team."

"Of course, I don't mean that as an insult. In a world tournament, there are plenty of players who are both strong and 'ordinary.' Every one of them is an indispensable piece of their teams."

"But…that's all. Defeating monsters with ordinary players alone is practically impossible."

-----

Set break over. The teams switched courts.

Ryujin NIPPON's lineup:

Front row—Setter Iizuna Tsukasa, Middle Blocker Meian Shūgo, Outside Hitter Sakusa Kiyoomi.

Back row—Outside Hitter Ojiro Aran, Middle Blocker Hondō Sakuma (Libero: Komori Motoya), and Opposite Hitter Kunimi Akira.

CA San Juan's lineup:

Front row—Outside Hitter Facundo Conte, Middle Blocker Martín Ramos, Setter Oikawa Tōru.

Back row—Opposite Hitter Bruno Lima, Middle Blocker Agustín Loser (Libero: Santiago Danani) and Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi.

"We can see that Ryujin NIPPON has made a large-scale rotation for the second set—this has already become one of their trademarks at the World Tournament," said commentator David Gross. "Although Ryujin didn't play the way they wanted in the first set, they're sticking to this substitution strategy."

"This kind of approach is rare in other teams. Mr. Lim, could you briefly analyse Ryujin's strategy for us?"

"Of course."

Lim Scotch nodded, and the big screen in the arena displayed Ryujin's positional changes. Apart from middle blocker Hondō Sakuma, every other player, including the libero, was different from the first set.

"On the one hand, this strategy demonstrates Coach Suzaku's boldness; on the other, it shows the depth of their roster."

"From a positive perspective, Ryujin can reduce the physical burden on core members through these rotations. They don't have to conserve energy for decisive moments—they can give their all on every point."

"Secondly, different players mean different tactical systems. They can try to disrupt the opponent's rhythm this way and break San Juan's adaptation to a fixed lineup."

"I see. Then what are the drawbacks?" David asked, mainly to clarify things for the viewers.

"The biggest risk is that these new players need to adjust quickly. If they can't adapt to the match tempo in time, Ryujin might lose even faster than they did in the first set…"

-----

The second set began, with San Juan serving first.

Kaedehara Taichi stepped up to the service line, tossed the ball, and unleashed a powerful jump serve!

BOOM!!!

Kunimi received it!

The first pass angled forward, and Sakusa moved in to assist the setter, sending the ball high toward the middle.

Meian Shūgo jumped to spike!

"Double block!" Conte and Ramos both rose up to block.

BOOM!!!

"First touch!"

The ball deflected off Ramos's fingertips and popped up.

Santiago passed it perfectly to Oikawa, who leapt for a front-row set.

Kaedehara Taichi sprinted down the right sideline and launched from the back row!

Meian Shūgo and Sakusa both jumped to block.

Whoosh—!

The ball flew to the far left.

"This guy, he didn't even attack on the first ball!"

Conte adjusted and spiked instead. Iizuna jumped up to block him.

BOOM!!!

The ball avoided the block and slammed down inside Ryujin's three-meter line.

Conte scored!

[San Juan 1 - 0 Ryujin]

"Even from the back row, Taichi can still draw Ryujin's main blockers."

"San Juan continues their first-set momentum, easily taking the opening point."

San Juan kept serving.

Taichi's second serve!

BOOM!!!

Smack!!

The ball struck Kunimi's arm and shot high—a half-ideal first pass.

"Interesting. Taichi is specifically targeting Kunimi Akira twice in a row with his serve."

Iizuna quickly repositioned and glanced at Taichi.

Whoosh!—

The ball went high to the right side. Sakusa jumped to spike!

"Double block!" Conte and Ramos rose together, eyes locked on Sakusa's wrist.

Even Taichi himself found this player hard to read, which only intrigued the blockers more.

BOOM!!—

The ball shot through between them and landed inside San Juan's left three-meter line.

Smack!

The ball deflected off Bruno's arm and went out.

Sakusa scored!

[San Juan 1 - 1 Ryujin]

"Amazing!" Conte exclaimed. "From your approach, I couldn't tell at all that you were going to hit such a sharp cross!"

Ramos was also surprised. Just a moment ago, he thought Sakusa was going to hit off the block, but at the very last instant, the ball changed direction. The twist in Sakusa's wrist seemed almost unnatural, as if his bones didn't exist.

Sakusa showed no joy from scoring, his expression as gloomy as ever.

"This kid…so rude," Bruno muttered unhappily.

Service switched. Ryujin to serve.

Iizuna targeted Oikawa in the front row with a float serve.

Smack!

Oikawa underhanded the pass up.

"I got it!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Taichi soared from the back row to spike!

"Double block!" Sakusa and Kunimi both jumped.

—BOOM!!!

The ball shot directly over the block —

A back-row quick attack, an overhand high-reach spike!

Smack!

Komori dug it up near the baseline.

Iizuna calmly stepped in to slow down the offence, waiting for Sakusa and Kunimi to reset before tossing it forward.

"Middle!" Ramos shouted.

Sakusa rose to spike again.

Conte and Ramos were once more in front of him.

"Left…or right?"

Sakusa's arm lashed out like a whip, the tip cracking the ball.

BANG!!!

The ball hit Conte's arm and bounced away fast.

THUD!

Bruno failed to reach it, and the ball smashed down near Conte's feet.

Sakusa scored again!

[San Juan 1 - 2 Ryujin]

"Beautiful spike!"

"Sakusa Kiyoomi is a mysterious player. His spikes don't look powerful, yet they always manage to score so easily!"

"It flies left because of the angle, and drops hard because of the topspin?" Conte muttered. "The spin is so complex, you can't tell until the last second."

"No wonder it's such a fascinating shot."

Conte looked at Sakusa with curiosity, but Sakusa didn't look back.

"Taichi…you better not be holding back."

Sakusa stared fiercely at Kaedehara Taichi.

"Of course not," Taichi said with a gentle smile. "Just saying hi—long time no see."

"Take your time. I hope this match will be fun for me~"

"You bastard." Sakusa ground his teeth.

Kunimi looked utterly uninterested, like it had nothing to do with him. Seeing Sakusa's reaction, it was no wonder Taichi loved messing with him so much.

Ryujin continued to serve.

Iizuna sent another floating jump serve, this time aimed at Ramos.

"Tch…so cautious," Oikawa muttered, annoyed.

Ramos underhanded the ball up—a half-decent pass.

Oikawa calmly set it high to the left wing. Conte leapt for the spike!

"Double block!" Meian Shūgo and Sakusa Kiyoomi jumped at the same time.

—BOOM!!!

A super high-reach spike!

The ball sailed over Sakusa's hands and slammed down hard.

SMACK!

The ball struck Ojiro Aran's arm and flew out of bounds.

"Ki-yoomi!" Komori Motoya shouted.

For a split second, Komori felt like they were back in high school. Back then, three of Ryujin's players were from Inarizaki, while San Juan had Aoba Johsai's Oikawa Tōru and Kaedehara Taichi.

Smack!

Komori directly pushed the ball back to the net. Sakusa jumped up to spike!

"Double block!"

Whoosh—!

The ball was redirected to the right side. Kunimi Akira jumped to spike!

Oikawa went up for a solo block!

In the stands, Iwaizumi Hajime clenched his fist, unsure for a moment which side to be more anxious about.

BOOM!!—

Kunimi aimed for Oikawa's right side and slammed the ball down.

A straight shot!

However—Kaedehara Taichi had already been waiting at the sidelines for a long time.

SMACK!

"—?!"

The ball hit Oikawa's arm and flew out of bounds.

Off-the-block point! Kunimi Akira scored!

[San Juan 1 - 3 Ryujin]

"Oh dear, it looks like Oikawa wanted to block it directly, but he got tricked instead!"

"It's rare to get a clear kill chance, so no way Oikawa-senpai would just let it pass," Kunimi said with a grin.

This spike had nearly scraped right past Oikawa's hand on purpose, to lure him into the block.

"You brat," Oikawa sneered.

"Looks like Ryujin's rotation strategy is a huge success! They've completely seized the momentum at the start!"

"Beep! San Juan calls for a timeout."

"Coach José called that timeout extremely quickly, showing he doesn't mind 'wasting' one early on."

The San Juan players returned to the bench, looking uneasy. They all vividly remembered the scolding they got from Coach José during the group stage—and they'd even lost that first set back then.

"Sorry!" Oikawa spoke up first.

Coach José ignored him. Calmly, he said, "It's a bit unexpected, but it's true—Japan has adapted to our offensive rhythm much faster than I anticipated."

"Those players looked as if they were on court from the start. Their anticipation and movements don't resemble newly substituted players at all."

"Mhm." Taichi nodded slightly. "Japanese volleyball has always prioritised team cohesion above all. Even when they're on the bench, the substitutes keep mentally rehearsing possible scenarios just as if they were actually playing."

"Rotation doesn't make them unstable—instead, it keeps a subtle dynamic balance."

"Sakusa Kiyoomi and Kunimi Akira were specifically chosen to counter our blocking," José continued. "Before we fully figure them out, don't interrupt your attacks. You can go even harder."

"Yes!" the players responded in unison.

-----

On the other side, in Ryujin's bench area.

"Looks like they absolutely won't get complacent or careless," Coach Suzaku said. "Before Taichi rotates back to the front row, keep focusing on their block."

"Keep moving actively on defence, and hold tight to the two surprise points we just stole!"

"Yes!"

-----

Timeout over. The match resumed.

Ryujin continued to serve.

Iizuna Tsukasa served the third ball.

BOOM!!!

This time, a powerful jump serve aimed right at Kaedehara Taichi!

Smack!

Taichi received it steadily, perfect pass.

Oikawa jumped to set from the front row, Kunimi ready across from him.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew high to the middle. Ramos jumped for the spike!

"Double block!" Meian Shūgo, moving quickly from the left, joined Sakusa. They both jumped together.

—BOOM!!!

The ball flew over the block, crashing down in the centre of Ryujin's court.

Smack!!!

Ojiro Aran dove to save it!

"Nice dig!"

Iizuna rushed into position.

"Steady."

Iizuna calmly set the ball high to the middle again.

Sakusa backed up for a full approach, then leapt to spike!

"Double block!" Conte and Ramos blocked Sakusa for the fourth time.

—BOOM!!

Just as Sakusa targeted Conte's block, Conte quickly withdrew his arms.

The ball flew over the net and dropped toward San Juan's baseline!

It was on purpose!

Smack!

The ball struck Santiago's arm and deflected out of bounds. Bruno chased immediately.

Smack!

Bruno barely bumped the ball back to the front row. Conte adjusted and leapt for the spike!

"Low!"

"Double block!"

This time, Conte was the one surrounded by the block.

BOOOM!!!

"Damn it!"

Sakusa's arm was pushed aside. The ball dropped down in front of him.

Off-the-hands and into the net.

Conte scored!

[San Juan 2 - 3 Ryujin]

"You played right into it—just like Taichi said," Conte whispered.

Sakusa had the ability to keep the ball in even when the block pulled back, so San Juan's back row had already prepared for it.

Service switched. San Juan to serve.

"These guys have grown so fast…they almost feel like strangers now," Oikawa muttered. "Guess I'll have to try them one by one!"

"Tweet!—" The whistle for serve.

Oikawa unleashed a powerful jump serve!

The ball drew an arc toward Ryujin's left baseline—targeting Iizuna!

"So petty," Taichi muttered softly.

Smack!!

The ball struck Iizuna's arm and popped up—a half-decent pass.

Sakusa stepped in to set, with Meian Shūgo, Ojiro Aran, and Kunimi all launching into approach at once!

"Such a confident toss?"

Conte stood in the middle, Bruno and Ramos spread across the net's thirds.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew to the left wing. Meian Shūgo jumped to spike!

Conte reacted instantly, stepped two strides to the side, and joined Bruno in the block.

"You didn't split them apart!"

Sure enough, not setting to the middle was the right choice. Sakusa thought, otherwise Aran from the back row would likely face a triple block.

BOOM!!!

The ball slammed against Bruno's fingertips and flew far away.

"I got it!"

Taichi, even faster than Loser, easily chased the ball and brought it back in.

Oikawa calmly set it high to the middle again. Conte jumped to spike!

BOOM!!!

The ball glanced off Meian Shūgo's fingertips and soared far away.

Answer Ball!

An even more precise off-the-block point than Meian Shūgo's.

Conte scored!

[San Juan 3 - 3 Ryujin]

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