Beep!
The referee's whistle signaled the serve.
Both Sengoku and Yamarashi Technical Industrial instantly shifted into game mode.
The substitution of Nishimori Tomohiko had boosted Sengoku's offensive potential, but at the cost of losing Oda Miki, one of their key defenders in the back row.
While Nishimori had performed decently during practice matches, he was still a junior with less training time and weaker fundamentals compared to the seniors.
With both teams at peak alertness, the atmosphere was tense and heavy.
And in that moment, Akashi Asuka, now standing at the back line, finally made his move.
Toss.
Approach.
Jump.
Swing.
Impact.
Score.
Every motion flowed in perfect rhythm, seamless and precise.
By the time Akashi landed, neither side had moved an inch.
"…Huh??"
The referee's whistle broke the silence to announce the point, snapping everyone out of their daze, not just Yamarashi Technical, even Sengoku's players were momentarily confused.
Did I space out just now?
One of Yamarashi Technical's players doubted whether he had mentally blanked for a moment.
But Akashi was already preparing his second serve.
As soon as the whistle blew again, Yamarashi Technical's players snapped back to full focus, their eyes locked on the calm figure across the court.
They watched as he repeated the same motions; toss, approach, jump, swing, impact…
And once again, a clean point.
21:23.
"…Huh?? What even was that served?"
Yamarashi Technical's players stood frozen again. This time, they had seen the ball, but their bodies simply couldn't respond in time. They could only watch it fly past them.
What kind of serve is that?
Shock and disbelief rippled through the team.
All eyes turned toward Akashi Asuka, who was already walking back to the baseline, cradling the ball in hand to serve again.
His gaze looked steady and focused,, if one looked closely, there was an emptiness in his eyes.
And yet, somewhere deep in his mind, he saw everything on the court with razor clarity.
Third serve.
Akashi gently tossed the ball, then followed through with his approach and jump.
Each movement was natural and instinctive, there was no need to consciously adjust for the ball's height, spin, or trajectory.
All he had to do was swing with everything he had.
Boom!
This time, Yamarashi Technical finally heard the impact.
And it scared them.
The sound echoed like thunder, unlike anything they had heard in a volleyball match.
As the ball sliced through the air with a whistling roar, it seemed less like a volleyball and more like a cannonball. It arced over the net and slammed into the floor with terrifying force.
21:24.
Three consecutive serves. In a flash, Sengoku had reached a set point.
No one had predicted this turn of events.
The crowd exploded into gasps and stunned silence. A wave of awe rippled through the stands.
Even Yamarashi Technical's coach was wide-eyed and jittery, his leg bouncing uncontrollably.
He could tell, Akashi had entered some kind of zone, a heightened state.
But with no timeouts left, there was nothing he could do.
Meanwhile, Akashi remained unaffected by the noise, or perhaps, he couldn't hear any of it.
After scoring, he didn't even pause, he immediately stepped up for the fourth serve.
Akashi Asuka's powerful jump serves were already a level above what was expected in junior high.
But now, in this hyper-focused state, calm as still water, every serve he delivered unleashed his full strength without restraint.
Boom!
The fourth serve exploded off his hand.
The ball shot across the court with incredible power and speed, heading directly toward Yamarashi Technical's libero.
Normally, one weakness of a power serve was its lack of precise targeting.
But this ball moved so fast that it didn't matter.
The libero's eyes followed it, but his feet felt frozen, like they were nailed to the floor.
Move. Move, damn it… MOVE!
He screamed internally, watching the ball race closer. But it was no use.
His body wasn't really frozen.
It was just that the speed of the serve had far surpassed his ability to physically react in time.
In the blink of an eye, the ball was already overhead.
Just as it looked like it would soar past him untouched,
Thud!
Yamarashi Technical's libero suddenly straightened and blocked the ball, with his forehead.
The move stunned everyone, teammates and opponents alike.
Even the players from Sengoku froze for a moment.
But when they saw the ball bounce back into their court, they quickly snapped back to life.
"It's fine! Free ball! I got the first touch, "
Before Neko Kurata could even finish his sentence, a towering shadow loomed over him.
Right before everyone's eyes, Akashi Asuka soared up from the back row, met the returning ball, and spiked it with a powerful overhead swing.
Boom!
A back-row kill.
The ball, which had just bounced into their court, stayed in play for barely two seconds before slamming down again on Yamarashi Technical's side.
Beep, beep beep beep beep,
The whistle echoed across the court.
The scoreboard flipped one final time:
21:25.
First set, Sengoku wins!
…
The players from Yamarashi Technical stood motionless, eyes dazed, ears ringing with the final whistle.
They still couldn't believe it.
After fighting neck and neck the entire set… it had ended in less than a minute.
On the other side, Sengoku's players quietly left the court, no cheers, no celebration.
They were just as stunned as their opponents.
Akashi's eruption had been so sudden, so overwhelming, it didn't even feel real.
Even as teammates, they couldn't help but feel… overpowered.
"A monster."
That was likely what both teams were thinking about Akashi Asuka at that moment.
Everyone was left deep in thought, except for one.
Nishimori Tomohiko, standing at the back, looked completely bewildered.
"…Wait, what exactly did I sub in for?"
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