The chaotic noise from Inarizaki's cheering squad kept disrupting Aoba Johsai's players' focus.
Yet, standing calmly amidst it all, Akashi Asuka's lips slowly curled into a faint, fierce smile.
"Taking on an entire school by yourself... what a rare opportunity."
A deep breath escaped him, and his aura instantly shifted.
On Inarizaki's side, Miya Atsumu caught sight of that change and his heart skipped a beat. He quickly shouted, "Everyone, back up! Number 8 on the other side, his serves pack serious power!"
Just as Aoba Johsai had studied Inarizaki's style beforehand, Inarizaki had carefully researched Aoba Johsai's tactics. Among all their players, Akashi stood out the most.
The Inarizaki players quietly retreated to better prepare for the powerful jump serve.
But Akashi seemed completely unfazed by their little maneuver. The chaotic noise blaring in his ears couldn't settle his mind, but that didn't matter.
Because for Akashi Asuka, calm wasn't when his serves were at their fiercest.
Quite the opposite.
When his emotions surged beyond a certain limit, his skill would truly reach its peak.
The volleyball floated gently upward, a nearly perfect toss. As the ball rose, every player from both teams couldn't help but fix their gaze on it.
Akashi began his approach. His steps were light and graceful, hardly matching a 1.9-meter-tall powerhouse. He moved like a feather floating on the wind.
His toes barely touched the ground until the final step, when his leg muscles tensed explosively. The raw power hidden beneath surged forth in an instant.
Iwaizumi, standing opposite, felt a breeze brush past him. The others' eyes reflected Akashi's figure soaring like an eagle.
As the ball descended slowly, Akashi's right arm relaxed, but the moment his palm met the ball, every muscle snapped tight. Veins bulged like snakes beneath the skin, revealing the strength coursing through his arm.
BOOM!
A deafening crack echoed through the air.
The volleyball deformed violently, bending and twisting as if it were a water-filled balloon instead of a hard ball.
Until the very last second,
A white shockwave burst forth, and the ball rocketed across the court like a meteor falling from the sky.
From afar, it looked fast, but as it neared the players, it became clear: this meteor was actually a blazing meteorite, powerful and unstoppable.
THUD!
CLANG! CLANG!
Two muffled impacts rang out.
The first was the ball striking Inarizaki's libero, knocking him to the floor.
The second was the ball rebounding into the cheering section, like a cannonball smashing into a musician's instrument, sending it flying.
Suddenly, the entire stadium was deathly silent.
Even the commentators' swallowing sounded loud in the stillness.
"Gulp…"
"K-KO!"
"Akashi Asuka just knocked Inarizaki's libero down again, and this time, with a serve!"
"Like a cannonball, no, a meteorite, that terrifying jump serve caught everyone off guard. The Inarizaki team froze like statues, helpless against Akashi's point."
"Inarizaki's famously loud cheering squad was completely silenced by that serve…"
The commentator shouted hoarsely, voice strained but overflowing with excitement.
As his voice broke the silence, the stadium erupted again with cheers and gasps.
"Whoa!"
"Was that really a serve? It sounded like a cannon!"
"Wow! Whoever tried to receive that must have felt like their arm was going to break!"
"Scary, so scary! Who is this No. 8 from Aoba Johsai? Can a high schooler really serve like that?!"
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"See? I told you so!" Iwaizumi, stunned for a moment by Akashi's serve, finally forced a smile and looked at Iwaizumi.
Iwaizumi turned, face a little pale but smiling awkwardly. "Yeah… you're right. The Inarizaki noise really doesn't affect Akashi. But that serve just now, it was terrifying."
"Maybe Akashi actually got triggered by their cheering. It's normal for him to be even better then! Haha!"
For some, Inarizaki's noisy cheering might feel unfair or oppressive. For others, it's a challenge.
Some feel wronged; Akashi feels anger.
Undoubtedly, Akashi belongs to the latter.
And whether in his past or this life, Akashi always responds to provocation with heavier fists.
So Inarizaki was lucky, their cheering struck Akashi's hot button.
Now, both Inarizaki players and supporters were a little stunned.
Though they knew Akashi's serving power was top-tier nationwide, even Miya Atsumu hadn't expected Akashi's serve now to be leagues beyond his own from the summer nationals last season.
The musician whose instrument was smashed by the rebounding ball just stood there, dumbfounded, unsure what to do next.
Inarizaki's momentum, built on Miya Atsumu's three-point streak, had been shattered by a single serve from Akashi.
But Aoba Johsai's players also felt the weight of that momentum.
Akashi's overwhelming presence affected both sides equally.
Most notably, the players now rotating to the front row looked pale as ghosts.
If the rules allowed, some probably would have fled the court by now.
"This monster… does he even intend to be human?" whispered one.
As the thoughts churned, Akashi already held the ball again and stepped into the serving area.
Inarizaki's cheering squad hesitated, but soon resumed their chaotic playing.
Then,
BOOM!
Akashi unleashed his second serve.
Powerful and heavy as before, the ball shot across the court like a cannonball, but this time, it arced across the air.
"Is that… a curveball?"
Inarizaki's libero and Miya Atsumu stared wide-eyed, stunned.
They had prepared for a powerful jump serve but hadn't expected Akashi to wield a second serving style. Their defense instantly became ineffective.
THUD!
The ball landed, giving Aoba Johsai the point.
5:5.
Inarizaki's cheering suddenly went silent.
["Tied!"]
["Akashi Asuka again scores with an unbelievable curve serve!"]
["That unique curve serve made him famous during the last Inter-High Nationals, and it's back!"]
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"Just a coincidence, right?"
"Yeah, it has to be! There's no way that serve became a regular weapon."
"The best hope… but honestly, I've got a bad feeling."
Miya Atsumu admitted he had underestimated Akashi. Perhaps his focus had been on Iwaizumi at the start, causing him to overlook Akashi.
Though Akashi was a top-six nationwide ace, their team had another player at the same level.
So Atsumu hadn't been too worried initially.
But now, he had to admit: even two players ranked similarly could be completely different.
Akashi served a third time.
Inarizaki's cheering was quieter but still there.
Then,
BOOM!
A thunderous jump serve with a crescent-shaped arc slammed into Inarizaki's backcourt.
"What a terrible ball… My bad feeling was right. That No. 8's a two-way threat!"
Atsumu's face darkened. Though he hoped his premonition was wrong, it had become reality.
THUD!
Another point for Aoba Johsai.
6:5.
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Beep!
Finally, Inarizaki's coach couldn't take it anymore and called a timeout.
The timeout was meant to break Akashi's rhythm.
Because serving is volleyball's ultimate attack, the only offensive move is impossible to block with tactics.
More importantly, Akashi's sudden burst was so quick, Inarizaki had no time to find any flaws.
Unlike Miya Atsumu, Akashi could prepare two different serves with identical motions until the ball left his hand.
When the timeout ended, Inarizaki's players returned, and their cheering resumed.
Even the musician whose instrument was broken earlier picked it up again to disrupt Akashi's serve.
But Akashi smoothly sent his fourth serve.
BOOM!
Switching from curve serve back to power serve, the ball thundered through the air.
Though Inarizaki's backcourt reacted, they couldn't find the landing spot.
THUD!
Score: 7:5.
Akashi had scored four straight points, overtaking Miya Atsumu.
Inarizaki's cheering squad began to fade into silence.
Both teams' players had lost momentum, their eyes dull from the blow.
But Akashi's spirit blazed, riding the wave as he approached the service line for the fifth time.
Looking around, many cheering members had already put down their instruments.
A few still lifted them slowly to play.
Then,
A familiar roar again.
BOOM!
Akashi's ferocious serve ripped across Aoba Johsai's side.
This time, Inarizaki's libero finally tracked the ball, but the serve bounced off his hands back into the air.
Sliding more than twenty meters, it landed again in the cheering section.
SMACK!
One unlucky cheering member got hit square on the head. Dazed, he looked up, only to have the ball land perfectly in his arms.
The crowd around stood frozen.
At that moment, the entire Inarizaki cheering squad fell utterly silent.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria