The gym air still vibrated from the impact of Ryuu's spike, but Karasuno wasn't breaking. If anything, the sheer violence of the point seemed to have snapped something into place for them.
Kageyama Tobio held the ball, spinning it in his hands. The vein throbbing on his forehead was visible even from across the net.
"Nice kill, City Boy!" Tanaka yelled, slapping his cheeks. "But don't get cocky! We're just warming up!"
"Is that so?" Ryuu stood at the net, checking his fingernails. "Then hurry up. I hate filler episodes."
Karasuno served. It was a safe serve to the back line.
Kai, Nekoma's other wing spiker, picked it up easily. "Kenma!"
The ball arced toward the setter.
Ryuu watched. He didn't call for this one. He wanted to see the timeline correct itself.
Kenma set a quick to the middle. Kuroo slid in, jumping for a classic A-quick. Fast, fluid, deceptive.
But Nishinoya was there.
BAM.
"Rolling Thunder!" Nishinoya shouted (he didn't actually roll, but the spirit was there).
"Nice receive!"
The ball flew high toward the net. It was slightly off, drifting too close to the Nekoma side. To the average player, it looked like a broken play.
But Ryuu's eyes narrowed. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
'Here it comes,' Ryuu thought, his Emperor's Eyes booting up not to analyze, but to witness. 'The signature move. The plot armor special.'
He watched Hinata Shouyou.
The small boy took off. He was sprinting diagonally across the court.
Ryuu observed the timing. 'Minus Tempo. He's leaving the floor before the set even exists.'
Lev looked confused. "Where is he going? The ball isn't—"
And then, Ryuu saw it. The thing that didn't translate through a manga panel or a TV screen. The absolute, blind insanity of it.
Hinata jumped. And he closed his eyes.
'He actually does it,' Ryuu thought, a chill of excitement running down his spine. 'He's not looking. He's putting his entire existence into the hands of that angry blueberry.'
Kageyama made contact. He didn't toss the ball; he fired it. A laser beam of a set, pinpointed to the exact micro-coordinate where Hinata's swinging hand would be in 0.2 seconds.
Whoosh.
BAM!
The ball slammed into the Nekoma court before the blockers even had time to realize they were supposed to jump.
The sound echoed like a gunshot.
Silence fell over the gym.
Lev stood there, mouth open. "Did... did the ball teleport?"
Kuroo blinked, his arms half-raised. "What the hell was that speed?"
Ryuu didn't gasp. He didn't flinch.
He started clapping. Slow, rhythmic claps.
"Bravo," Ryuu said, his voice cutting through the silence.
He walked up to the net, looking down at the panting Hinata and the intense Kageyama.
"Seeing it in 4K really makes a difference," Ryuu mused, leaning over the net. "That was the 'God-like Quick,' wasn't it?"
Hinata's eyes snapped open. "Whoa! You saw it? It went gwah and then woosh!"
"I saw it," Ryuu nodded. He looked at Kageyama. "And I saw you, Mr. Setter. That wasn't a toss. That was a calculated projectile. You hit a moving target that wasn't even looking."
Kageyama stiffened, surprised that Ryuu analyzed it so quickly. "It's the only way to use his speed."
"True," Ryuu agreed. He narrowed his golden eyes, his tone shifting from impressed to predatory. "But here's the spoiler alert for you two."
He pointed a long finger at Hinata.
"That trick works because nobody expects a guy to swing with his eyes closed. It relies on shock value. And shock value..." Ryuu grinned, showing his teeth. "...expires."
"It's not a trick!" Hinata yelled.
"We'll see," Ryuu turned his back on them, walking toward the service line. "Now that I've seen the protagonist's ultimate move, I suppose I should show you the Villain's response."
It was Nekoma's rotation. Ryuu held the ball.
He walked back. Far back. Near the wall.
Nekoma's bench went quiet.
Ryuu took a deep breath. 'Okay. Plot armor aside, physics still applies. If I hit this ball hard enough, their "trust" won't matter because their arms will be numb.'
He tossed the ball high.
'Trajectory: Perfect. Power output: Maximum.'
Ryuu launched himself into the air. He felt the familiar weightlessness. He saw the court map in his mind.
'Target: The Guardian Deity. If I break him, I break the team.'
BOOM.
The sound was thunderous. The jump serve screamed across the net, a flat, heavy line of destruction.
"Mine!" Nishinoya stepped in. The libero was fast. He was ready.
But Ryuu knew the plot. Nishinoya was good, but he struggled with overhand receives on power serves early in the series.
The ball smashed into Nishinoya's forearms. It didn't bounce up. It spun wildly, ripping through his platform and shooting off sideways into the stands.
Service Ace.
"Noya-san!" Tanaka shouted.
Nishinoya stared at his arms. They were stinging. A wide, feral grin broke across his face. "Awesome... It felt like catching a bowling ball!"
Ryuu landed, catching the ball tossed by a ball boy. He spun it on his finger.
"Hey, Guardian," Ryuu called out. "You might want to reinforce that shield. I'm just getting started."
"One more!" Daichi yelled, trying to calm the team. "Don't let him intimidate you!"
Ryuu served again. Another cannon blast. This time, Daichi managed to touch it, but the sheer force sent it ricocheting into the net.
Another Ace.
"Monster..." Sugawara whispered from the sidelines. "He's overwhelming. He's not just big; he's skilled."
Ryuu felt the rush. This was better than reading the manga. This was dominating the manga.
He tossed the ball for the third serve. He jumped. He swung.
Whack.
He hit it slightly too far under.
The ball sailed over the net... over the court... over the back line... and hit the back wall with a loud THUD.
"Out!" the referee called.
Ryuu froze in his landing pose, arm still extended. The menacing aura shattered instantly.
"Pfft," Kuroo snorted from the front row.
"Don't laugh!" Ryuu snapped, pointing an accusing finger at the captain. "That was a warning shot! I was testing the structural integrity of the gym wall!"
"You just overcooked it, you chuunibyou!" Yaku yelled. "Stop trying to look cool and just put it in!"
"I am cool!" Ryuu argued, marching back to his position. "My power is simply too great for this dimension!"
"We're in Saitama, not another dimension!"
On the other side of the net, Hinata was practically vibrating.
"I want to do that!" Hinata grabbed Kageyama's shirt. "Kageyama! Did you see that serve? It went BOOM! I want to go BOOM!"
"Shut up, boke! You can't even serve a normal ball yet!"
Ryuu watched them bicker, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
'Yes,' Ryuu thought. 'Get stronger. Show me that freakish evolution. Because in this timeline... I'm the final boss you have to beat.'