To the casual observer, Akashi Asuka's last spike didn't look any different from his previous ones, still as powerful and unstoppable as ever.
But to the two setters who had studied him most, Oikawa Tooru and Ryuhei Sanashita, it was a different story. Something had changed.
In the past, Akashi's spikes had never just relied on raw power. They came with lightning-fast speed and unpredictable variation.
Yet in those recent spikes, Oikawa and Sanashita only saw brute force. The speed and variation that used to define Akashi's attacks had clearly diminished.
Factoring in Akashi's earlier exchange with Sanashita, Oikawa quickly arrived at a conclusion.
"That guy... he's not even going all out!"
Oikawa's lips curled into a twisted smile.
If he'd only been annoyed before, now he was genuinely angry. To be a third-year and be looked down on like this by a first-year, regardless of the reason, was something he couldn't tolerate.
"Damn you, you cocky first-year brat!"
And yes, anger really can make people stronger.
Oikawa briefly explained to the remaining third-years that Akashi had been holding back, and from that point on, Kindaichi, Kunimi, and Sanashita began to feel an intense pressure.
But even so, the point gap didn't shrink.
That's because Akashi Asuka's strength had increased again, surpassing the already terrifying level he reached after their summer boot camp.
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Player: Akashi Asuka
Height: 189.4 cm
Weight: 81 kg
Attributes:
Strength: 85.3 (Core Strength: 85.3, Arm Strength: 85.4)
Speed: 80.4 (Explosiveness: 80.3, Reaction: 80.6)
Stamina: 83.9 (Endurance: 84, Cardiopulmonary: 83.8)
Jump: 84.9 (Vertical: 85.8, Hang Time: 84)
Basic Skills: 79.2 (Serve: 82.3, Receive: 78.8, Set: 71, Spike: 83.8, Block: 82.6, Defense: 77)
Advanced Techniques:
Cross Spike: 82.9
Straight Spike: 83.1
Sharp Cross: 75.6
Wide Cross: 75.4
Power Jump Serve: 84.3
Banana Jump Serve: 75.2
Tactical Shot: 77.2
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After nearly two weeks of power-focused training, and with the additional "Grind King Points" earned from his obsessive self-discipline during summer, Akashi had pushed his strength past the 85 threshold.
In the system's standard, 85 points marked the absolute limit for high school athletes. Even someone like Ushijima Wakatoshi hovered around the 85 range, but none of his stats broke through it.
Across the entire national stage, only one player was known to surpass that cap:
Wakatsu Kiryu.
Unlike the refined techniques of Sakusa Kiyoomi or the versatility of Ushijima, Wakatsu was arguably the least technical of Japan's "Three Aces."
But during the National Tournament, Wakatsu's overwhelming presence had arguably been even more suffocating than Shiratorizawa or Itachiyama. His unmatched raw power allowed him to bulldoze through any defense.
Even Ushijima couldn't replicate that kind of sheer force.
Now, Akashi's strength has reached that level.
While his individual Core and Arm Strength stats might still fall slightly short of Wakatsu's, his ability to utilize them in-game had reached the same destructive level, if not surpassed it.
To top it off, Akashi had also broken the 85 mark in his jump stat.
In other words, when Oikawa and the third-years faced Akashi now, it was like going up against Wakatsu at full force during the Nationals.
Thanks to his own summer training, Oikawa had improved considerably. If he were facing Wakatsu with a full six-man team, maybe he'd have a chance.
But in the end, no matter how powerful a brain is, it's still just a brain. And a brain alone can't take on a monster.
"Damn it… this kid's way too smug."
"Yeah, and the worst part? There's nothing we can do about it."
"Oi, Oikawa! Don't just stand there, think of something! We can't just let Akashi walk all over us like this! We're third-years, we've got our pride too!"
Matsukawa, Hanamaki, and Iwaizumi were all panting as they voiced their frustration.
They had worked their butts off after the summer camp, training in secret so they could finally put Akashi in his place once school started.
But not only had they failed to reclaim their pride, they were getting humiliated even worse.
Oikawa glanced over at the scoreboard.
23–20.
The red and blue teams were three points apart. Trying to claw back five points without letting the red team score once? Impossible.
"Damn you, Akashi, you couldn't even leave us a little pride?"
After racking his brain and coming up empty, Oikawa finally gave up.
He mentally cursed Akashi for showing no mercy, and the match ended with a score of 25–22.
Just like the welcome match at the start of the school year, the first-years came out on top.
The third-years were not happy.
But outside the court, Irihata Nobuteru and Sadayuki Mizoguchi had wide smiles on their faces.
"This year's recruits are phenomenal–" Mizoguchi said excitedly.
"Even after Oikawa and the rest of the third-years graduate, Aoba Johsai won't suffer much. In fact, if we get a few more talents next year, we might even become a dynasty."
Given their current strength, and with Ushijima Wakatoshi set to graduate next year, there'd be no one left in Miyagi Prefecture who could challenge Akashi Asuka.
And that meant...
Aoba Johsai might dominate the Nationals for the next three years.
Irihata, however, wasn't quite as optimistic.
Two first-years from Karasuno appeared in his mind, and he shook his head.
"No team ever truly dominates. Staying on top in high school is far harder than it looks."
High school volleyball wasn't like the pros, no matter how strong a team was, players would graduate every year. That constant turnover made it almost impossible to maintain dominance.
But still...
Irihata looked back at Akashi on the court and thought to himself:
"If it's Akashi… maybe, just maybe, Seijoh can dominate for the next three years."
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria