"So this way, Kaedehara Taichi and Meian Shūgo are almost completely misaligned in their positions?"
It looked like a way to reduce the offensive burden on Kaedehara Taichi—but in reality, with Nitta Asahiro no longer in the back row, DH was once again facing the same problem they had in the first set: a lack of threatening offensive options.
Reappearing on court were outside hitter Kitajima Kippei, setter Iizuna Tsukasa, and middle blocker Tom Wilde—a straightforward, no-frills player. No matter how one looked at it, this front-row formation didn't seem like it could break through a blocking line led by Meian Shūgo.
If the front row continued to struggle with attacking, they would inevitably have to involve Kaedehara Taichi in the offence from the back row. Even if that meant facing Meian Shūgo's block again, switching Kaedehara from the front to the back didn't necessarily lighten his load.
But then again, Nick Foster's formation wasn't designed for offence in the first place—it was a gamble that placed the outcome of the match entirely on serving. How much of a lead DH could build from Kaedehara Taichi's initial serves would determine their chances of winning this set.
Kaedehara Taichi spun the ball in his left palm while his right hand stroked the ball's textured seams. Step by step, he walked to the service line.
Swish…swish…swish…
He spun the ball three times in his palm—and on the last spin, the ball rotated an additional fifteen degrees. Then suddenly, Taichi tossed the ball high into the air, the volleyball spinning toward the overhead lights. At the exact moment it hovered at its apex—
Taichi exploded into motion, taking a three-step approach. Each step was faster and heavier than the last.
Thump!
His final step struck the ground with enough force to shake the court. Taichi launched into the air.
"It's coming!!" Inunaki Shion shouted loudly.
Bokuto Kōtarō had already retreated into the back row. Black Jackals adopted a four-man receive formation.
"Bring it on!"
Taichi drew his right arm back to the limit—his shoulder blades taut like a bowstring—then slammed the ball forward.
—BOOM!!!—
"Barnes!!!" Inunaki Shion shouted again.
The landing point was easy to read—only, for Black Jackals, that was exactly what made it so dangerous!
"I got it!"
Sakusa Kiyoomi lunged a full step to the right, lowering his centre of gravity as he brought his arms together into a soft receiving platform to meet the serve.
"—?!"
No wonder he could see the ball's trajectory so clearly—predicting the landing point and all that…it was just arrogance. Inunaki Shion realized that too late.
Just after crossing the net, the volleyball suddenly accelerated downward, almost as if it had lost all lift—and it carried a vicious sidespin.
Thwack!
Sakusa made a second desperate dive, but the ball spun out toward the sideline, grazing his fingertips and flying out of bounds.
Kaedehara Taichi scored directly on the serve.
[DH 1 - 0 Black Jackals]
"That bastard…" Sakusa muttered, glancing down at the red mark forming on his right index finger.
"Damn it, he really opened with a serve that nasty?!" Miya Atsumu glared intently at Kaedehara Taichi.
DH continued to serve.
"As pro players, you'd better learn how to receive properly," Taichi said calmly.
This time, he deliberately kept the toss lower. The ball wobbled slightly as it rose. His approach felt completely different from before—almost relaxed, even casual.
"He added half a step!"
Everyone on Black Jackals could spot the slight change in his footwork—but none of them understood what it meant yet.
Thud.
That muffled thud—the final step Taichi took—seemed to reverberate through the entire floor and straight into the players' chests, making their hearts skip a beat.
"Focus!!"
In midair, Taichi's waist twisted like a drawn compound bow. As he struck the ball, his index and middle fingers dug into the seam, sending it spinning with violent topspin.
BOOM!!!—
Not fast?
No—very fast!!
In the blink of an eye, the ball was nearly in Oliver Barnes's face.
"Overhand receive!!"
Sakusa Kiyoomi shouted loudly—pinning their hopes on Kaedehara Taichi serving out was completely unrealistic. They had to receive the ball cleanly themselves!
Smack!
Just as Oliver Barnes raised his arms above his head, the volleyball seemed to float away from him—it felt like it dodged him (though in reality, it simply hadn't followed the predicted trajectory, creating an illusion).
Thud!
The ball plummeted sharply at the end line.
No contact at all!
Kaedehara Taichi scored directly again with his serve!
[DH 2 - 0 Black Jackals]
"Taichi! Taichi! Taichi! Taichi!"
"Nice! Nice! Nice! Nice!"
"Beautiful serve!!!"
"Damn it...it's the final set and only goes to 15 points…"
The players of Black Jackals felt their hearts sink. There was nothing Oliver Barnes could do about being targeted like this.
"You again. Don't even think about running away."
Kaedehara Taichi's cold gaze made Oliver Barnes feel a twinge of panic.
Before his toss, Taichi took a deep breath. The ball's arc toward the ceiling lights was smooth and steady. During his approach, each of his steps seemed precisely measured, not even a centimetre off. When he jumped, his body extended fully mid-air, like a hawk spreading its wings. His arm swung around from behind in a perfect arc as he struck the ball.
—BOOM!!!
Sakusa Kiyoomi dashed in from the left to save the ball, the screech of his shoe soles scraping the court echoing loudly. Oliver Barnes barely had time to bend his knees and raise his arms.
WHAM!!!
The ball struck his arms and ricocheted toward the advertising board, knocking over a press camera along the way.
No way to stop it.
Couldn't block it.
Kaedehara Taichi scores again with a service ace—three points in a row!
[DH 3 - 0 Black Jackals]
"Beep! Black Jackals requests a substitution."
"Kurata Nakamitsu IN, Oliver Barnes OUT." Searᴄh the NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Barnes got subbed out! He didn't even do anything yet..."
"He's one of the top five opposite hitters in the league—and he's benched just because of poor receiving?"
"The rest of Black Jackals couldn't cover for his position anymore…"
Even with Bokuto Kōtarō dropping back to help in reception, even with Sakusa shielding Barnes in front, Kaedehara Taichi's precise control always managed to target him anyway.
Coach Samson Foster had no better solution—they had to survive Kaedehara Taichi's service rotation first before thinking of anything else.
This was the final set—only up to 15 points. This was no time to be conservative about substitutions.
[Kurata Nakamitsu—Opposite Hitter:Height: 188 cm
Serve: 84 | Receive: 90 | Dig: 86 | Set: 82 | Spike: 80| Block: 82
Spike Reach: 336 cm /Block Reach: 315 cm.]
Of course, a team like Black Jackals had another type of opposite hitter in reserve. But stylistically, Oliver Barnes fit far better into Black Jackals' system.
"124 km/h."
The slow-motion replay displayed the speed of Kaedehara Taichi's last serve.
Kurata Nakamitsu swallowed hard. The guy across the net had apparently made this kind of insane speed his "normal" serve.
And this was the fifth set...
During all of this, Kaedehara Taichi remained standing at the service line, eyes closed, calmly resting.
"Tweet!—"
The whistle sounded.
Kaedehara Taichi opened his eyes—without hesitation, he tossed the ball. The ball's trajectory was slightly to the left of his centerline.
—"Left hand!"
Bokuto Kōtarō and Sakusa Kiyoomi shouted at the same time.
Kaedehara Taichi wasn't shaken in the slightest. His steps were calm and measured.
One step. Two steps. Three steps…four steps!
His stride was shortened by about ten centimetres—which meant he took one more step than usual! With his final step, the force of his push-off made the muscles in his calf tighten like steel.
Thump!
Kaedehara Taichi jumped. His left arm pulled back tightly, and the next moment, it whipped forward with explosive speed.
BOOM!!!
"What the hell! Wasn't his left-handed serve supposed to be slower?!"
Kurata Nakamitsu screamed internally, his eyes reflecting multiple overlapping images of the spinning volleyball.
"Mine!"
Sakusa Kiyoomi rushed from the left to meet the ball.
Smack!
The ball shot straight toward the out-of-bounds area.
—"There wasn't even time to adjust—but this is still better than letting it drop untouched…"
"Get the ball!" Sakusa shouted.
Kurata Nakamitsu snapped out of it and dove for the save.
Smack!—
On the second contact, the ball still continued flying out of bounds.
—"That spin on the ball—it wasn't completely neutralised!"
Thud!
Bokuto Kōtarō, who was trailing behind Kurata, couldn't catch up. The ball landed out of bounds.
Kaedehara Taichi scored yet another service ace!
[DH 4 - 0 Black Jackals]
_________
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