The Birth of A Volleyball Legend-Chapter 481: Is It Finally Over?

Right after that, the game went back and forth, with both teams trying t get an upper hand against each other. With Ezaki as their big gun, Shimo High managed to narrow the gap to two points so quickly, keeping the game as close as possible. As for Shirayuki High, while the new adjustment made their offense a bit slower, their overall performance also became more stable, ensuring their survival in the critical situation.

Right now, this game is not a pure volleyball game anymore. Just like how Tsunemori High against Kikugawa High went in the last game, during the last set, it was more of a psychological battle here, with the players fighting against themselves. Currently, most of them should've already been on their last breath, trying to survive the rest of the game. Their focus also started to decline, proven by the constant small mistakes that players from both teams kept making here.

The game seemed to be downgraded into an amateur one, where the two teams that played here always scored so casually, just because their opponent gave them the chance to. Not that anyone could blame them, as the defense was a meticulous job that needed effort and hustle, and in a final set like this, it was hard to do that when their focus was just to attack, attack, and attack.

However, just like in any game, right before it was about to end, one of the teams would always get the second wind out of nowhere, and in this case, Shimo High was blessed with it.

BAM!

"ONE TOUCH!" Ezaki yelled after deflecting the opponent's attack.

"FUCK!" Yuya cursed loudly when he realized that his shot was blocked again. This was probably the fourth time in this set that he had been targeted by Ezaki, and while not all of them ended up with him losing, Ezaki's resilience was so annoying, and he started to feel pressured by his defense. "Sorry, Tsubasa-kun!" fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

"Don't worry, just go back and get ready to defend!"

"Yuya, keep your eyes on your opponent! He is about to – "

BAM!

Takumi, the player who was standing behind Yuya, hadn't finished his warning yet, and the quick counterattack by Shimo High was already launched. Ezaki, who a moment ago was still flying after blocking Yuya's shot, was now the main actor here, showing off his dominance in the air by shocking everyone with his bounce ability. His spike had a sharp angle and was so close to the front line, making it impossible for anyone on the back to pick it up.

"OOOOH!" Ezaki punched his chest violently, waving his hands on the court. "COME ON! WE ARE STILL HERE!" This was the message that he and his teammates kept shouting constantly during this set. After all, they were somehow a bit insulted after seeing a lot of people start leaving after they saw how Kuniyoshi dominated Shimo High from the service line earlier. This was their direct response, that they were still alive and fighting here, and Shirayuki High hadn't won the game yet.

"YOSH! Good job, Ezaki-kun!" Hideo also high-fived his junior after the successful play. "Come on! One more!"

All of the Shimo High players stared at the scoreboard simultaneously, and when they saw the score changed to 18 – 17, they all clenched their fist, knowing that this was their chance to overtake the score.

"Come on, everyone! Let's work harder one more time!"

Meanwhile, with each point that Shimo High scored, all the Shirayuki High players grew more frustrated. Even though they had already solidified their defense, they still struggled to defend against the strong attacks from the other side of the court, and whenever they tried to break through the Shimo High's line of blockers for a counterattack, there would always be two players or more waiting for them there, forming a solid wall to repent all of their attacks. While it hadn't always worked, the constant pressure from Shimo High's front line started to wear their patience off.

"Damn, Shimo High is about to stage a comeback." On the stand, Riku whistled lowly, appreciating Shimo High's fighting spirit. "Shirayuki High has no way to stop this wave of offense from their opponent." He commented casually.

Most of the people there who overheard that nodded silently, agreeing with his words. After all, they could see Shirayuki High players, once so confident, were now desperately trying to regain their focus. Meanwhile, Shimo High players fed off their own excitement, each point pushing them to new heights. Even though they were still down by one point, everyone could see that the momentum was completely on their side.

"So, can we go back already?" Ogawa yawned, also feeling tired. After all, they hadn't taken any rest after their last game before, and exhaustion started to creep into their body. However, to their surprise, two people shook their heads immediately.

"No, we have to watch it until the end. / This game is still far from over, you know?"

When they turned around, everyone could see the surprised state that Yuki and Kaede had here, not expecting that they both had the same thought right now. The others were also curious, wanting to know why would those two think that the game was still worth watching when it was clear that Shimo High was about to win.

"Well, yeah, this situation might look bad for Shirayuki High, but there is still one person who hasn't given up yet on their side," Kaede commented, leaning his body forward seriously.

"Oh?" Riku crooked one of his eyebrows, interested. "Do you also think the same, Yuki?"

"Yes, of course." The glasses boy smiled at Kaede. "It is understandable that only Kai-senpai and I could see this. In fact, if Oka-senpai is not distracted, he would be able to see it too."

"Me?!" The libero was startled when his name was mentioned out of nowhere.

"Yup!" Yuki nodded. "You can see even from here that their defensive specialist still has fire in his eyes. I don't have to tell you what kind of an impact a good defensive play could have on the game, right?"

This time, Okamura nodded solemnly, could see where Yuki and Kaede came from. The three were the defensive-minded players on the team, so they knew that one good defensive play coming from hustling for the ball was enough to raise the team's morale, telling everyone that it was not the time to give up yet. This was different from any offensive play that needed to be successful at least two or three times before it could impact his teammates like that.

"So, you mean to tell me that Shirayuki High's DS is about to make a big move here?" Now, Riku was hooked.

"Yes, and if I could guess from the determination in his eyes, he is going to go crazy for the rest of the game. This is going to be worth our money, trust me."