Knock, knock...
The drumbeat of Inarizaki's cheer squad grew more and more intense, like a fierce wind and torrential sound crashing down on Akira in the middle of the court!
But even in such a hostile atmosphere, Akira remained as calm as a spring breeze—utterly unshaken.
He looked up, eyes fixed on the formation of Inarizaki across the net.
That simple glance made every player on Inarizaki's side tense involuntarily.
It was as if they had been targeted by some terrifying predator.
Without further delay, Akira tossed the ball straight into the air.
Whoosh—
The spinning ball shot upward, high and fast!
Just like before, the ball was sent far ahead of him!
It's another powerful jump serve!!
At the same time, everyone watching from outside the court held their breath!
Would this ball be as powerful as the last?
Akira answered their question with action.
Not only was it on par with the last one—it was even more powerful!
From the moment his swing ended to the ball landing on Inarizaki's side, it all happened in a flash!!
The players from Inarizaki didn't even have time to react. All they saw was a faint afterimage streaking past!
It seemed almost slow, and a thought briefly flashed through their minds—
I can dig it!
But the instant that thought surfaced, they realized in horror…
The ball was already gone!!
A loud boom erupted from the side.
Boom!!!!
The gust of wind stirred up by the volleyball slamming into the court swept across the arena in an instant!
Everyone on Inarizaki felt a chill ripple through the swirling air!
A piercing, bone-deep chill that sent goosebumps crawling across their exposed skin!
In the stands, the spectators stared blankly at the court.
Even Inarizaki's usually thunderous cheer squad had fallen completely silent.
That same shocking, unexplainable sensation—it was that serve again!!
Could this be his true power?
Tweet!
The referee's whistle pulled everyone out of their stunned daze!
Karasuno scores!
"What an incredible serve!!"
At that moment, the two commentators could no longer contain their excitement.
From the very first serve Akira unleashed, they had been left speechless by the sheer power of it.
By the time they came back to their senses, Akira was already preparing for another serve.
They hadn't dared to speak during it—afraid of disrupting his concentration!
But this time, the moment his serve ended, they couldn't help but shout aloud!
"I don't even know how to describe Akira's terrifying serve—but I'll try!"
"Based on what we've seen so far, if Inarizaki doesn't come up with a solid countermeasure…"
"Then Akira might just serve straight through to the end of the match!!"
...
"Can you receive it?"
In one corner of the stands, Motoya Komori sat alongside Kiyoomi Sakusa.
Still shaken by the sheer force of the serve, Komori turned as Sakusa suddenly asked the question.
"Me??"
Komori looked back at him in confusion.
"Sakusa, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about me?"
"That serve isn't even on the level of a high school player!!"
He sighed helplessly.
"You think I can actually receive that?"
Sakusa furrowed his brow slightly.
"You don't have to perfectly receive it—just keep the ball from landing."
"You can manage that, right?"
"If you—"
Seeing him about to launch into one of his monologues again, Komori rubbed his forehead with a sigh.
If he didn't cut him off now, Sakusa would probably go on to declare the match lost.
"Okay, okay!"
"I'll receive it, fine!"
"But the ball might rebound right back across the net—I probably won't be able to control the force properly!"
"Also, he'd have to serve it very, very close to me!"
"Otherwise, I wouldn't even be able to touch it!"
Komori's response was enough to halt Sakusa's spiraling thoughts. He turned back toward the court, satisfied.
"That's good."
"At least that means two players on our team could potentially receive his serve."
"Even if…"
"We just need to keep the ball off the ground."
...
Back on the court, the pressure was now squarely on Inarizaki's side!
When Akira rotated to the back row, they had thought it was their chance to recover the score.
But after two back-to-back serves like that, no one believed that anymore.
Tweet!
Just as everyone watched with bated breath, Inarizaki's coach called for a timeout.
Coach Kurosu —known for his stern demeanor—now believed it was absolutely necessary to halt Karasuno's momentum!
If they let Akira continue to serve, the outcome of this match would be in serious jeopardy!!
"All three front-row players, fall back!"
Seeing his team's morale dip, Coach Kurosu spoke with gravity:
"Everyone get to the back line and receive his powerful jump serve!"
"I don't care if the ball ends up going back to Karasuno's side! Just make sure it doesn't land on ours!"
"And Atsumu!"
"You're joining the receive line too!"
"All six of you, cover the entire court!"
"We can't allow him to keep scoring off his serve!!"
"Yes!!"