Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 319: A Show of Force

A service ace! And he targeted Aoba Johsai's libero!

Whether it was his serving technique or the sheer pressure he exuded…

For a moment, the Aoba Johsai players could almost see a slightly shorter Oikawa Tōru standing across the net.

"Nice serve!"

"One more point!"

Karasuno had been waiting for this moment for a long time. The pressure Oikawa Tōru's serves had put on them last year was still fresh in their memories—this time, they could finally make Aoba Johsai taste the same bitter experience.

"Go for it! A killer serve!" Hinata Shōyō shouted excitedly.

Normally, Kageyama Tobio would scold him for disrupting his serving rhythm. But today, it seemed there was no need for that.

Even though he was standing on unfamiliar ground—Aoba Johsai's court—Kageyama felt an unprecedented sense of calm.

He stood at the service line, pressing the ball against his forehead with both hands.

"I can hear everything around me clearly, and my mind is steady."

He took a deep breath.

Then, he tossed the ball into the air, took a quick approach, swung his arms back, and launched himself upward, striking the ball with explosive force.

Boom!!!—

"That speed is nearly identical to Taichi's!" Nakamori Daiki moved to his right in an attempt to receive.

Smack!

The ball ricocheted off his hands and flew out of bounds.

Kageyama Tobio had scored back-to-back service aces!

[Aoba Johsai 0 - 2 Karasuno]

"Whoa—!"

"Nice serve!!!"

The Karasuno players shouted with excitement. Now, they could finally go head-to-head with Aoba Johsai!

"So strong..."

Tōma Kaoru felt as though a powerful gust of wind had swept past him. The match had started, yet at the same time, it felt like it hadn't—after all, only two players had touched the ball so far.

A setter's strength wasn't just about their sets.

"Don't mind, next ball!"

Yahaba Shigeru turned to reassure Nakamori Daiki, only to notice that his teammate was staring straight at Kageyama Tobio, completely motionless.

"His focus is incredible. He's not affected by the last two points at all..."

Yahaba recalled what Watari Shinji had once told him:

"His talent is obvious to anyone who watches him. As long as he's on the court, you can see him improving in real-time."

"Tweet!—"

The referee blew the whistle for the next serve. Kageyama stepped up to the service line again.

Of course, he had noticed that short, tan player. Before the match even started, Kaedehara Taichi had dragged Hinata Shōyō over to compare their heights with him.

Naturally, that idiot Hinata was shorter and had thrown a fit over it.

Kageyama never underestimated any opponent—especially not a libero, whose position had no height requirement.

Right now, he had only one goal—to crush Aoba Johsai!

Boom!!!

Kageyama's third serve rocketed toward the back row of Aoba Johsai's court.

Nakamori Daiki sprang into action.

Smack!

Just a little more—!

"Sorry, cover me!"

Kunimi Akira had already sprinted in the direction the ball had rebounded. Adjusting to this serve in just three attempts…how reassuring.

Whoosh!—

"Taichi!"

A long-distance pass from outside the baseline reached the left-wing attacker just as it descended.

"Three-man block!"

Tanaka Ryūnosuke, Kita Seio, and Hinata Shōyō leaped up together.

The ball was engulfed beneath the three-man block. A sinister grin spread across Kita Seio's face.

"A national-level ace? Let me show you what it means to be put in your place!"

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Boom!!!—

The ball didn't completely avoid the block—but the moment it grazed Hinata Shōyō's forearm, it ricocheted off with incredible force.

A sharp cross-court spike!

The ball slammed onto Karasuno's right sideline and bounced out of bounds!

Kaedehara Taichi had scored with a spike!

[Aoba Johsai 1 - 2 Karasuno]

"Even that kind of ball…he chose to attack head-on?!"

"And with such a reckless angle?!"

That was the collective thought running through the minds of every first-year player on the court.

But the fact remained—it worked.

Kita Seio stared in disbelief. The ball had just whizzed past him, almost grazing his arm.

The most ridiculous part was—not just the Aoba Johsai players, but even Karasuno's own team looked completely unfazed.

"Oi, do you have some kind of misconception about what 'national-level' means, big guy?" Kaedehara Taichi mused, resisting the urge to reach out and shut Kita's gaping mouth.

If you're already this shocked now, you won't survive what's coming next.

Aoba Johsai had clawed back a point, and with that, the serve changed hands.

Kaedehara Taichi strolled up to the service line, the corners of his mouth curling into a smirk—one laced with an almost imperceptible trace of mischief.

"It feels like you all relax so much when Oikawa-senpai isn't around..."

A heavy silence fell over the Karasuno players.

In some ways, Kaedehara Taichi was even more of a menace than Oikawa Tōru.

"Tweet!—"

The volleyball was tossed lightly into the air. Kaedehara Taichi moved with effortless grace, leaping just as the ball began to drop, his body forming the perfect arc. His arm swung forward from behind.

Bang!—

Kita Seio thought the ball wasn't particularly fast, but in the blink of an eye, it had already grown larger in his field of vision—one moment at Taichi's fingertips, the next right in front of his face.

"Damn it!"

Kita barely had time to process the situation.

The ball seemed like an intentional provocation, aimed straight at his face. A petty revenge attempt—at least, that's how it looked to him.

"Like hell I'd flinch!"

Gritting his teeth, Kita shut his eyes and leaned forward, bracing for impact. As long as he could receive it, it didn't matter how.

Smack!

...But there was no pain.

Kita's eyes flew open, just in time to see the ball's trajectory sharply drop. It slammed against his chest before rolling to the floor.

Kaedehara Taichi, service ace.

[Aoba Johsai 2 – 2 Karasuno]

Kita stared, stunned, toward the back row of Aoba Johsai's court—just in time to catch the slight tilt of Taichi's head, the infuriating smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"This bastard…!!!"

Tōma Kaoru and Yamabuki Yūjin stood slack-jawed on the sidelines.

So jump float serves could move like that too?

A steep drop right over the net. Even from an outside perspective, the ball's movement was bizarre—it was no wonder the first attempt to receive it had failed.

"So that red-and-white match on our first day, when we didn't score a single point…Taichi-senpai wasn't even going all out."

Yamabuki finally understood what Kunimi had meant when he said, "Don't even think about trying to take the ace position from Taichi."

Because no matter how much he tried, Yamabuki simply couldn't picture himself surpassing Kaedehara Taichi.

"That was a jump float serve," Nishinoya Yū said from the back row. "Since the ball doesn't spin, its trajectory can be unpredictable. I'll call it out next time—focus!"

"Got it!"

Kaedehara Taichi stepped up to the service line once more.

"Hm…someone looks a little tense. Let me help you adjust."

He tossed the ball into the air, took his approach, and swung.

BOOM!!

"Chikara!"

Smack!

The moment Nishinoya's voice rang out, the ball had already hit the ground at Ennoshita Chikara's feet and bounced out of bounds.

Kageyama had moved to cover left, but he still wasn't fast enough.

Kaedehara Taichi, service ace.

[Aoba Johsai 3 – 2 Karasuno]

"That's insane…" Yamabuki muttered in disbelief.

Seamless transitions between two types of serves. Not only was there no visible difference in his form before striking, but after a slow-moving jump float, his jump serve seemed even faster than before.

"Don't worry about it, Chikara!" Nishinoya reassured.

Enoshita stared at the faint white mark on the floor where the ball had landed behind him. He let out a small breath and smiled wryly.

"…It's fine. I was expecting this."

If someone that skilled was serving, it was only natural that he'd fail to receive it.

He turned back to his teammates.

"Noya, Kageyama—I'm counting on you two."

There was no shame in relying on his teammates when he couldn't do something himself.

Nishinoya and Kageyama nodded, shifting slightly closer to the centre. Enoshita took a step back toward the baseline, keeping his gaze locked on Kaedehara Taichi.

"Oh?" Taichi raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

Enoshita was tougher than he looked. No wonder he was Karasuno's new captain.

…But if he thought that alone would be enough to stop his serves—

Not even close.

Taichi served again.

Boom!!!

The ball shot between Nishinoya and Kageyama, precisely targeted the gap between them. Taichi's control was terrifying.

"I got it!" Nishinoya didn't hesitate for a second. He dove forward, extending his arms.

Smack!

Despite the distance, Nishinoya managed to pop the ball up.

"Get it!"

Enoshita immediately sprinted in the direction of the ball's flight path.

Thud!

But before he could reach it, the ball struck the wall and bounced away.

Kaedehara Taichi, service ace.

Three points in a row.

[Aoba Johsai 4 – 2 Karasuno]

_________

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