Host: Akashi Asuka

Strength: 82.3 [Core Strength 82.2, Arm Strength 82.4]

Speed: 78.5 [Burst Speed 78, Reaction Speed 79]

Stamina: 79.8 [Endurance 79.8, Cardiovascular 79.8]

Jump: 80.4 [Leap 80.9, Hang Time 79.9]

Basic Skills: 75.9 [Serve 78.8, Dig 73.8, Pass 67.5, Spike 81.6, Block 79.5, Defense 74.3]

Advanced Skills: [Cross-court Spike 80], [Straight Spike 80.1], [Power Jump Serve 81]

Hajime Iwaizumi and Yahaba Shigeru's instincts were right, Akashi Asuka had indeed "evolved" again.

Entering the Clear Mirror, Still Water state lets Akashi perform at 100%, even beyond his normal limits, but this supercharged state mainly enhances his technique.

For example, his serving success rate soars, and each hit feels more precise and controlled.

But some things, no matter how much you push beyond normal, don't change easily.

Like serving power.

Serving power depends largely on Akashi's physical strength, which comes from consistent training. No matter how hyped his state is during a match, his raw strength won't suddenly spike.

So the reason his serves now hit with a whole new level of force compared to a few weeks ago was because his overall strength attribute had grown.

Since joining Aoba Johsai High…

Though competition there was fierce, it still pushed Akashi's training speed far beyond the solitary grind after his Junior High club disbanded.

After a month of training, all his stats improved noticeably, including his advanced skills, Cross-court Spike and Straight Spike both surpassed the 80-point mark after extra practice just yesterday.

But the match had just started, so he hadn't had a chance to show off his upgraded spiking yet.

Of all his improvements, the fastest was in Strength.

It was always his natural gift, and even after breaking through his limits, this attribute still held a clear advantage.

That's why Akashi's serves could now break through at an even higher level.

5-0 to start the match.

No one had expected such a scenario before the game began.

Even Nobuteru Irihata felt Akashi was being a bit ridiculous.

Five consecutive serve points? This was just an intra-squad practice match! Was it really necessary to dominate this hard? Why didn't he dare to show this level against Shiratorizawa?

Was he really the king of internal competition? The top contender for "most intense" player on the team?

────────── ✦ ──────────

Thud!

At that moment, Akashi served his sixth ball.

Maybe even fate couldn't stand how much he was "bullying" the seniors, because this serve just barely brushed the block, losing some power.

Finally, Yaguchi and Iwaizumi managed to receive the first ball of the entire match.

In a 2v2 match, there's not much strategy, attack and defense come down to just two things:

Stability and speed.

Iwaizumi passed to Yaguchi for adjustment, who quickly set it back.

Meanwhile, Ryuhei Sanashita, nearly bored out of his mind in the front corner, suddenly perked up the moment he saw the first successful reception.

"This is it!"

Sanashita rushed forward to set up a block in front of Iwaizumi.

But probably because he'd been dodging Akashi's serves from too far away to avoid getting smashed, Sanashita hadn't reached Iwaizumi's front before the ball was already spiked down.

5-1.

Three minutes into the match, Iwaizumi's team finally scored their first point.

Sanashita stayed silent for a moment, then sheepishly glanced at Akashi.

"Uh… sorry about that."

"No problem."

Akashi replied calmly, showing no sign of emotional fluctuation.

He hadn't yet exited the Clear Mirror, Still Water state. The more often he entered it, the longer he seemed able to stay within it...

The serve returned to Iwaizumi's team, but neither Sanashita nor Yaguchi were strong servers, so regaining serve wasn't necessarily an advantage.

The ball flew over the net and was received by Akashi.

Sanashita set the ball high above Akashi, who suddenly stepped forward and jumped.

Iwaizumi and Yaguchi jumped at the same time to set up a block.

And then, what the Aoba Johsai team members watching from the sidelines saw was a masterpiece.

Three figures jumped in unison across the net, but one player's hand towered half an arm length above the other two.

Despite their desperate reaches, veins bulging from the effort, Yaguchi and Iwaizumi watched helplessly as Akashi smashed the ball down over their fingertips.

A "super hand!"

And it was right in front of both of them, a stunning demonstration of power.

The ball hit the floor.

Yaguchi and Iwaizumi looked like they'd just been hit with a crushing blow from Garen's Whisper, the damage heavy and the humiliation worse.

6-1.

The referee called the score.

Even the players around the court were momentarily speechless.

If this were just about winning or losing, they could argue who was better.

But this? Not even professional volleyball players could find words.

Though the match was still ongoing, what had just happened revealed a gap far, far greater than any mere score difference.

The air was still for a few seconds.

Then Iwaizumi slowly said, "Yaguchi, focus on defense."

Clearly, even after all this, Iwaizumi wasn't ready to give up.

Honestly…

Akashi admired Iwaizumi deeply.

Without a system like his own, Akashi doubted he could keep such a clear head in this situation.

But it was because of that…

Akashi was even more determined to crush the opponents completely.

The "ace" represented more than just the main attacker, it was the core of the team's offense.

If Akashi didn't show absolute strength now to cement his ace status, even if he officially took the position later, he wouldn't hold it firmly.

==========

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