Bang!"
Akashi Asuka leaped, and before Fukurodani's blockers could arrive, he slammed the volleyball to the ground, securing the point for Seijoh.
12:13.
Akashi Asuka landed, turned, and returned to his position, never once glancing at Kyotani Kentaro.
You little punk!
I knew you weren't honest; you had a record in the original, so how could I not be on guard against you?
Kyotani Kentaro froze in place, taking a long time to recover, until a hand clapped him on the back, startling him awake.
"Hey~ It's your turn to serve. Do it properly; this is the National Tournament, not a place for you to mess around. If you dare to snatch the ball again, even if it makes the coach angry, I won't let you off, understand?" Matsukawa Issei's warning voice came from beside him.
However, this time, Kyotani Kentaro, uncharacteristically, did not retort, because after he had just recovered, he also realized that he had indeed been too impulsive.
In the previous match against Morisen High School, Kyotani Kentaro had no chance to play for the entire game, only able to watch from the bench, which truly stifled him.
"Sorry, I'll pay attention from now on."
Kyotani Kentaro, uncharacteristically, apologized, which in turn startled Matsukawa Issei.
"Σ(゜ロ゜;)??????"
Really?
This scoundrel can apologize? The sun must be rising from the west!
Kyotani Kentaro, however, did not notice Matsukawa Issei's reaction; after apologizing, he immediately took the ball and walked towards the serving area at position one.
But as he passed Akashi Asuka, he couldn't help but glance at the expressionless Akashi Asuka.
"This guy, he's gotten stronger again!"
You know, the reason Kyotani Kentaro returned to the Volleyball Club at this time was partly because Seijoh made it to the National Tournament, but there was also another reason: he heard that Akashi Asuka had joined Seijoh, which prompted him to return to the club.
After all, Kyotani Kentaro was thoroughly crushed by Akashi Asuka back at the Sendai City Gymnasium.
Even his current serve is a result of his previous defeat by Akashi Asuka's serve, which prompted Kyotani Kentaro to undergo special training for it.
His goal was to one day avenge himself.
Yet, even he didn't expect that before his path to revenge even began, he would be directly defeated by Akashi Asuka's aura. This result was clearly unacceptable to him.
So, filled with a sense of frustration, Kyotani Kentaro viciously tossed the volleyball, then leaped. His body suddenly twisted into a large arc in mid-air, like a fully drawn bow, until the power was accumulated to its peak, then it exploded with a roar.
Bang!
The volleyball was struck heavily, the ball vibrating continuously, then like an arrow released from a bowstring, it shot from above Seijoh's serving area, suddenly landing near Fukurodani's baseline.
Until the volleyball landed, Fukurodani's backcourt Defense players hadn't even had time to react.
Fukurodani players' expressions suddenly froze.
[Oh~~~ A sharp serve!]
[Seijoh's substitute player, Kyotani Kentaro, making his debut in the National Tournament, unleashed an incredibly powerful serve. Facing this unexpected server, even Fukurodani's Defense players didn't have time to react, allowing Seijoh to score again...]
Beep!
The commentator's excited voice hadn't finished when suddenly, a whistle sounded on the court, and then the line judge near Fukurodani's baseline suddenly waved the flag in his hand.
[Oh dear~ An unexpected situation!]
[The line judge suddenly gave a new signal. After confirmation by the referee, the serve just made by Seijoh's player number 16, unfortunately, was out of bounds.]
[So this point is not awarded to Seijoh, but to Fukurodani.]
[12:14.]
[Fukurodani has once again pulled the score back to a two-point difference. →]
...
"Oh dear~~ It went out of bounds, what a shame!"
"Oh oh oh oh~~ Lucky, lucky!"
When this decision was announced, the spectators supporting Seijoh immediately expressed regret, while those supporting Fukurodani erupted in cheers.
And in the resting area.
Seijoh's substitute players and the team leader, teacher Mizoguchi Sadayuki, also looked regretful: "What a pity, what a great pity, just by a tiny bit!"
Mizoguchi Sadayuki was heartbroken, but Irihata Nobuteru, standing nearby, smiled and said, "No, it's not a pity. Our goal has already been achieved."
Although Fukurodani was lucky to get this point, Fukurodani's Defense players still broke out in a cold sweat.
Was Kyotani Kentaro's serve sharp?
Indeed, it was sharp.
But not that sharp.
Because although Kyotani Kentaro's serve was very fast, in terms of both Speed and power, it was still a notch below Oikawa Tooru's and Akashi Asuka's serves.
It was only due to a momentary lapse in attention by Fukurodani's backcourt Defenseplayers that they completely failed to react.
If they had been prepared, while they might not have definitely been able to receive Kyotani's serve, at least they would have had no problem touching the volleyball.
But the essence of this issue wasn't how fast Kyotani Kentaro's serve was, but that Seijoh now had another powerful server besides Oikawa Tooru and Akashi Asuka.
That was the most crucial problem.
Originally, just receiving the serves of Akashi Asuka and Oikawa Tooru alone, Fukurodani's Libero already felt immense pressure.
After all, facing such serves, no team nationwide could claim to achieve stable Defense; almost every time they received serves from those two cannons, Fukurodani's Libero had at least a 50% chance of relying on luck.
And now there was another one; just thinking about it made Fukurodani's Libero feel uneasy.
Serve rotation.
The next serve just happened to be Motoyasu Kotaro's turn.
Motoyasu Kotaro, as one of the top five Aces in the nation, naturally had excellent serving skills.
He lacked neither Speed nor power.
He served two consecutive balls.
The first ball scored.
The second ball was a fault.
The score between the two teams became 13:15.
If it were a regular team, Motoyasu would have already established an advantage for his side in this set, because after the serve rotation, the right to attack would be in Fukurodani's hands.
However, Seijoh was clearly not a regular team, because right after Kyotani Kentaro, it was Oikawa Tooru's serving turn.
Speaking of which, Oikawa Tooru's condition today was quite average.
Although not bad.
But it never reached the 'perfect' level. Oikawa Tooru also served two consecutive balls, the first scoring, the second a fault.
The score changed to 14:16.
Oikawa Tooru regained the right to attack.
And relying on this attack right after the receive, Seijoh successfully scored a point, narrowing the deficit to 15:16.
Then, immediately after, it was Akashi Asuka's turn to serve.
Watching another heavy-hitting server from Seijoh step onto the serving area, Fukurodani's Libero finally started to crack, a look of agony gradually appearing on his face.
Thousands of words ultimately converged into one: "Damn it!"
Akashi Asuka took the ball to the serving area, closed his eyes slightly, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. When he opened his eyes again, the depths of his pupils had become completely calm.
Several Seijoh front-court players wisely covered the backs of their heads, making way for the Ace.
Akashi Asuka gently tossed the volleyball, the soft and comfortable feel instantly stirring something within him. He then began his run-up, jump, arm swing, and strike...
"Thump~"
This time, the sound of the strike was different from before; compared to the previous thunderous boom, this one was more like a muffled thunder.
However, this was only from Akashi Asuka's perspective; in reality, to others, the sound of this strike was no different from usual.
No.
Perhaps, besides Akashi Asuka, there was one other person who could sense something was amiss.
That was Fukurodani's Libero.
Because at this moment, Fukurodani's Libero, who had already prepared to receive the serve, suddenly noticed a slight anomaly the moment the volleyball flew towards him.
Compared to the previous Power Jump Serve, which was simply like a cannonball, this ball... actually curved!
"What the hell is this thing?"
The sudden change caused Fukurodani's Liberoto panic for a moment. Akashi Asuka's serves were already exceptionally difficult to receive; not only were they fast, but they also had immense power.
Every time Fukurodani's Libero received a ball, he felt like he wasn't receiving a volleyball, but an iron ball.
He originally thought that was already too much.
He never expected.
He truly never expected that the inhuman scoundrel on the other side would actually come up with new tricks for him.
Fukurodani's Libero really felt like swearing.
He had just barely started to adapt to the previous Power Jump Serve, but now with the sudden addition of a change, even if it was just a tiny bit, it was enough to cause Fukurodani's Libero a moment of hesitation.
And facing Akashi Asuka's serve Speed, that single moment of hesitation was already completely fatal.
The volleyball grazed past Komi Haruki's ear, the force of the wind gently rustling the hair at his temples. Facing this serve that would suddenly curve when close, Komi Harukiultimately failed to successfully pinpoint its landing spot, only able to watch the volleyball slam into the center of his team's court.
Thud!
Beep~~~
The sound of the volleyball landing and the referee's whistle sounded in quick succession.
The scoreboard beside them flipped.
16:16.
Seijoh successfully tied the score.
...