"What... what a terrifying spike!"
That one hit sent a wave of silence crashing over the entire gym.
Everyone stared blankly at the volleyball that had already flown far out of sight, at a complete loss for words.
It wasn't until a few seconds later that the Aoba Johsai players finally snapped out of it and surged toward Akashi Asuka.
"Nice shot! That was amazing, Akashi!"
"Damn it, I didn't expect you to improve this much without saying a word!"
"I thought I finally caught up to you!"
Lately, although Akashi Asuka had been training harder than ever, his effort visible to the naked eye, his performance during practice matches had been unusually messy, with more and more mistakes piling up each time.
Seeing that, even though he'd insisted everything was fine, the team couldn't help but feel concerned.
If Irihata Nobuteru hadn't personally stepped in to settle their doubts, they might've thought something was seriously wrong with Akashi.
"My training style's a bit different from yours. Still... thanks for trusting me these past few days–" Akashi said with a smile. Honestly, if he'd been on a different team, his recent form might've already gotten him benched.
"What are you talking about? We're a team, remember!"
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On the sidelines…
Watching Aoba Johsai's celebration, Tendo Satori suddenly remembered something and leaned over to ask Ushijima Wakatoshi, "Hey Wakatoshi, that spike Akashi-kun just did... would you say its power is close to yours?"
Ushijima considered for a moment, then calmly shook his head. "No. In terms of raw power, that one actually surpassed mine."
He didn't say it loudly, so few people heard it. But if that comment had reached more ears, it would've sparked an uproar.
After all, while Ushijima isn't purely a power-type spiker, his spikes are recognized as some of the most powerful in the country. For him to admit that Akashi's power now exceeded his own, well, it was the kind of revelation that could shake the entire volleyball scene.
Tendo's eyes widened in disbelief.
But just as he was about to speak again, he noticed Ushijima fidgeting with his hands.
"Huh? What's wrong, Wakatoshi?"
"Nothing–" Ushijima replied. "Just... my hands feel itchy. I really want to play, Tendo."
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"This guy's completely different from the first set!" grunted Nakagawa Seishu, the Itachiyama middle blocker, staring at his reddened wrist from a single block attempt. Beads of cold sweat ran down his forehead.
"No kidding. In the first set, he kept going for soft, easy hits. I seriously thought he was sick or something–" said Komori Motoya from the back row, stroking his chin.
"That power... it's already getting close to Wakatsu's level."
Tweet!
Oikawa Tooru served for Aoba Johsai.
As the referee blew the whistle, a sly smirk crept across Oikawa's face, and without warning, he served a sudden drop shot from the back row.
The surprise attack completely threw Itachiyama off.
Komori, who had retreated deeper to defend against Oikawa's increasingly dangerous power serves, barely managed to react. He lunged forward and got a touch on the ball, but the quality of the receive was poor, nearly unusable.
"Damn it! That sneaky bastard!"
Veins bulge on Komori's forehead as he shot a glare at Oikawa.
No proper receive meant no set, and without a set, there was no attack. With that clever serve, Oikawa had stolen Itachiyama's offensive turn and handed it right back to Aoba Johsai.
They immediately launched a counterattack, and once again, the ball landed in Akashi Asuka's hands.
"Damn it, don't let him score!"
Seeing that, Itachiyama instantly set up a tight defense. In the front, Nakagawa and Sakusa Kenjirou blocked the line with a synchronized double block. In the back, Komori stood ready. At first glance, it looked like Akashi had nowhere to spike.
Yet midair, Akashi didn't hesitate. He gave a slight roll of his shoulder and fired a sharp cross shot that fell just three meters inside the sideline.
"OHHH! What a shot!"
"Has Akashi been practicing sharp cross shots lately? That looked way too clean!"
Even the bystanders from Shiratorizawa were stunned.
So were Itachiyama's players.
2–1.
Aoba Johsai had reversed the score and now took the lead.
Oikawa served again.
This time, it wasn't a drop shot, but a blistering ultra-speed serve, aimed far from Komori and instead targeting Itachiyama's other wing spiker, Takada Kaoru.
Bang!
Takada managed to receive it, but the ball floated awkwardly back toward Aoba Johsai's court.
Once again, Oikawa's serve had seized the offensive rhythm and handed it to his team.
As expected, Akashi Asuka lined up for the final spike.
This time, Itachiyama's blockers sealed off every angle, line, sharp cross, even the small diagonal. It looked airtight.
And so, Akashi unleashed a massive wide-angle cross shot to the back corner.
Boom!
The ball soared over Komori's head, dipped just before the end line, and landed with perfect precision in the far corner.
3–1.
The moment the ball hit the ground, even the usually loud Shiratorizawa crowd went quiet.
Because at that moment, both Itachiyama and Shiratorizawa could feel it.
A huge threat had awakened.
"He's... he's mastered the wide cross too?!"
Tsutomu Goshiki bit his thumbnail, eyes filled with a mix of awe and frustration.
Learning a new technique is never easy, but using that new technique perfectly in a high-stakes match? That's something else entirely.
For some players, a new move is just one more option.
But for others, it becomes a deadly weapon.
And Akashi Asuka clearly belonged to the latter.
A sharp cross isn't scary.
A wide cross isn't scary.
But when those moves are combined with Akashi's height and power…
Neither Shiratorizawa nor Itachiyama could even begin to imagine how to stop a player like that.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria