A powerful wave of pressure surged across the court.

The moment Wakatoshi Ushijima landed from his spike, the players of Aoba Johsai felt as though they were staring up at an insurmountable mountain. A massive shadow loomed over their hearts.

"Damn it... That monster." gritted Tooru Oikawa, sweat dripping from his brow.

There was no doubt in his mind, compared to Akashi Asuka, Ushijima felt even more like a true monster now.

Just like Akashi Asuka's crushing spike in the first set, Ushijima had responded in kind at the start of the second, only his was even more powerful, even more overwhelming.

"So strong!"

That spike didn't just shock Aoba Johsai, Goshiki Tsutomu, Ushijima's own teammate, stood frozen in awe.

Goshiki had joined Shiratorizawa because he idolized Ushijima's strength, and he longed to surpass him one day. But ever since school started, Goshiki never fully grasped just how strong Ushijima truly was, because in every practice, Ushijima had always dominated so effortlessly.

It wasn't until today, when Aoba Johsai won the first set, that Ushijima was finally pushed to reveal his true power, befitting one of the nation's top three aces.

….

"Hey! Snap out of it!"

Just as the Aoba Johsai players were still stunned by Ushijima's spike, Oikawa clapped his hands loudly, bringing them back to their senses.

"Don't be scared. We've always known how strong Ushiwaka is. But we've got our own weapons too. Let's keep it steady and grab a point first."

Though Oikawa often came across as carefree, as a setter and captain, he was undeniably a brilliant leader. With him around, Aoba Johsai's rhythm never faltered.

They refocused, bracing themselves as Shiratorizawa prepared to serve again.

….

With the referee's whistle, Eita Semi's second serve flew over.

This time, Watari Shinji received it cleanly.

Oikawa quickly set up the next play. The ball went to Akashi Asuka, who leapt into the air. At that same moment, a blocker appeared right in front of him, it was Shiratorizawa's middle blocker, Taichi Kawanishi.

Kawanishi stood at 188.3 cm, not short by any means. But to block Akashi Asuka's spike alone? That was a tall order. After all, aside from Ushijima, Shiratorizawa's players were merely "excellent." not unstoppable.

But the real problem wasn't Kawanishi alone.

Thanks to his strong hang time, Asuka took a quick glance mid-air and realized with a jolt, there were no gaps in the defense.

The front was sealed off by a blocker, and the flanks were covered by Shiratorizawa's libero and another steady wing spiker.

"They're targeting me."

In a flash, Asuka understood the situation.

There was no time to hesitate. He adjusted and aimed his spike toward Ohira Reon's position.

Smack!

Predictably, the spike was received.

Though Asuka's spike was incredibly powerful, Ohira couldn't control the rebound, and the ball bounced back toward Aoba Johsai.

"Sorry!" Ohira apologized.

"No worries! Chance ball!" Aoba Johsai shouted in response.

They reorganized. After receiving from the backline, Oikawa prepared the second attack.

He had noticed Asuka was being heavily targeted. So after a moment's thought, he sent the ball to Kindaichi instead.

As the ball flew to Kindaichi, Oikawa noticed something strange, Kawanishi, who had been shadowing Asuka, didn't move to block.

"Are they... ignoring everyone else just to Shigerut Asuka down?"

Before Oikawa could fully process it, Kindaichi's spike was blocked.

Thump!

Smack!

The ball bounced off a pair of hands and dropped back onto Aoba Johsai's court.

The blocker, none other than Tendo Satori.

0:2.

"Sorry!" Kindaichi apologized with a pained expression.

"It's okay, really. Shake it off, next point!" his teammates reassured him.

Meanwhile, Oikawa studied Shiratorizawa's formation carefully, and realization dawned.

"So that's their plan... Have Kawanishi lock down Asuka, and let Tendo handle everyone else. They're so wary of Asuka they're willing to gamble the whole defense on him alone... Heh. They're seriously underestimating the rest of us."

A wicked grin crept onto Oikawa's face.

With Ushijima not participating in defense, Shiratorizawa was already short one blocker. Now with another player glued to Asuka, that left just Tendo to cover every other attacker Aoba Johsai had.

It was a defensive strategy, yes, but it also sent a message.

To Shiratorizawa, no one else on Aoba Johsai was worth defending against.

"Iwaizumi-chan!"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Iwaizumi replied, cracking his knuckles with a dark grin. "Time to show them who Aoba Johsai's real ace is."

….

Tweet!

Semi served for the third time. His serve remained strong, but Watari Shinji, now familiar with the rhythm, received it cleanly.

Oikawa caught the ball. The front three jumped in unison, yet Tendo didn't budge.

Then,

A twisted grin crept across Tendo's face. He suddenly shifted far right and leapt to block, right in front of Matsukawa.

As Matsukawa began descending, a figure emerged from the back, Hajime Iwaizumi.

"Got you, Aoba Johsai's 'ace'!" Tendo grinned as he anticipated the spike.

But Iwaizumi's face didn't waver in the slightest. With unshakable focus, he swung his arm.

Boom!

With a thunderous crack, the ball tore through the air, cutting a clean line through Tendo's defense, and landed right on Shiratorizawa's sideline.

Tweet!

The whistle blew.

Iwaizumi landed and shouted toward the stunned Shiratorizawa players:

"Don't underestimate the pride of a senior! You bastards from Shiratorizawa!"

==========

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