Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 436: Stronger Than Strong

The serve switched sides—Team Japan was up to serve, and Miya Atsumu stepped onto the service line.

And just then—

"Beep! Substitution request from Team Japan."

Once again, Coach Hibarida made a lineup change while Japan held the lead and was about to serve.

Kageyama Tobio walked to the sideline, holding the substitution paddle.

"…Huh?"

"They're subbing out the setter when Miya's finally getting back in rhythm?"

"Even if it's just for a serve, Atsumu's still better than that guy…Kageyama Tobio, was it? Atsumu's definitely the stronger player!"

"Wasn't he the one who messed up at the end of the second set and cost them the game? Why is the coach still putting him in?"

The moment Kageyama appeared, murmurs of confusion and doubt rippled through the crowd.

"Kageyama Tobio IN, Hyakuzawa Yūdai OUT."

"Huh?"

"A double setter formation?"

"No way, right? Sakusa's sets are already enough! And this is the worst time to lose an attacker on the front line!"

"And now the block's shorter, too! How are they supposed to defend against this?!"

The scepticism on the sidelines only grew louder. Now, the tallest players left on Japan's side were Sakusa Kiyoomi and Kaedehara Taichi, both at 190 cm. Meanwhile, half the U.S. team was over 2 meters tall.

To be precise, only libero Eric Shoji was under 196 cm at 184 cm—the rest of the players easily cleared that. The average height difference between the two lineups now exceeds 20 centimetres.

"…Didn't think we'd be teammates standing on the same court." Miya Atsumu muttered with a crooked smile.

Kageyama had also been surprised when the coach called his number. But that surprise was quickly overtaken by a feeling he couldn't suppress—excitement.

Just being able to step back onto the court again, that alone made him genuinely happy.

Coach Hibarida had deliberately sacrificed blocking height—so what exactly was he hoping to see? Kageyama silently vowed to answer that expectation.

"I trust your sets, Kageyama," said Taichi.

Putting Kageyama in at this moment—Coach Hibariyuda's intent was simple.

Don't play it safe. Attack boldly.

"I'll give you the best sets I've got," Kageyama replied seriously.

"…Oi."

Was he just ignored?

Are all guys from Miyagi this rude?

"Tweet!—"

The serve whistle blew.

"Watch this, you bastards! I'll show you who the real star of the court is!"

Atsumu tossed the ball. Approach. Jump. Swing.

Each movement felt flawlessly executed—clean and precise.

—BOOM!!!—

A powerful jump serve!

The ball shot through the air—too fast. Taylor Sander couldn't even get fully in front of it in time. He hurriedly raised his arms sideways to intercept.

"—!?"

Smack!

But just before his arms could touch it, the ball dropped violently, slipping right under them and slamming into the floor.

A direct point off the serve—Atsumu Miya!

[Japan 10 – USA 7]

"What was that? A jump serve? A jump float?"

"It was fast, but the trajectory changed so weirdly, too."

"No way…is this guy…?"

"Nice serve, Atsumu!"

"One more!"

"Let's go, Miya—keep it coming!"

"Beep! Team USA request a timeout."

"You actually guessed right, Atsumu!" Miya Osamu threw an arm over his twin's shoulder, grinning.

"'Guessed'?! Oi, Osamu, you're just like those damn Miyagi guys—annoying as hell!" Atsumu shot back with a scowl.

A few sets of eyes turned toward him.

In this hastily assembled team, the number of players from Miyagi was equal to those from Tokyo.

"…Wh-What?" Atsumu looked around warily. "You think numbers give you an advantage?"

He grabbed someone next to him. "Us twins aren't pushovers, you know!"

Smack!

Sakusa Kiyoomi smacked Atsumu's hand away in disgust and immediately took out a handkerchief to meticulously wipe where he'd been grabbed.

"…Your twin already ran off," Sakusa muttered darkly.

"OSAMU! YOU BASTARD!!"

-----

The timeout ended, and the match resumed.

As expected, Team USA switched to a four-man receive formation.

Miya Atsumu returned to the service line. He took a deep breath, and the usual mischievous grin in his eyes faded away in an instant.

"Tweet!—"

The whistle blew.

Atsumu served his second ball.

—BOOM!!!

The ball shot toward the deep corner of Team USA's court. Matt Anderson stepped forward to meet it head-on.

But again, the ball veered mid-air, this time horizontally—

Thud!

It landed cleanly, right on the right sideline of the American court.

No mistake this time.

Atsumu had scored again with a service ace!

[Japan 11 - 7 USA]

—"What a serve!"

—"Another no-touch service ace!"

—"Miya Atsumu's serves are unstoppable! Japan keeps adding to their score!"

"Atsumu! Atsumu!! Atsumu!!!"

"Hahaha!" Atsumu spread his arms wide, soaking in the roaring cheers from the crowd.

Japan continued to serve.

Atsumu launched his third serve.

BOOM!!!—

The ball cleared the net and then dropped sharply, the vertical drop so steep it slammed down near the three-meter line.

Smack!

Taylor Sander dove forward and barely got under it.

"Cover!"

Whoosh!—

Micah Christenson slid over to the right and jumped, upper body arching backwards as he raised both hands and popped the ball back up.

—"Even from that awkward position, the ball soared cleanly to the left wing!"

—"It's a back-row quick from Christenson! Japan's blockers are too slow to respond!"

BOOM!!!

Facing a solo block from Sakusa Kiyoomi, Aaron Russell's spike turned into a blur as it shot past the block and slammed into the line on Japan's left.

Thud!

Aaron Russell scored with a clean spike.

[Japan 11 - 8 USA]

So far, Japan still hadn't figured out how to stop the Americans' spiking game.

Serve rotation. Now it was Team USA's turn.

Aaron Russell stepped up, unleashing a powerful left-handed jump serve aimed directly at Atsumu.

BOOM!!!

Smack!

The ball smacked off Atsumu's arm and flew out of bounds without suspense.

"I've got it!"

A figure darted across the court—Kageyama Tobio chased it down just before it hit the floor.

"Right side!" Kaedehara Taichi raised his right hand for the ball and began his approach from the back row.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kageyama tracked Taichi's movement. As he planted his final step beneath the ball, his breathing synced up with his form—already locked in for the perfect back set.

Whoosh!—

A textbook back-row quick.

The ball wasn't blazingly fast, but with a subtle spin, it floated precisely above the right side.

THUMP!

Kaedehara Taichi soared.

"Triple block!" Micah Christenson, Max Holt, and Matt Anderson all went up together.

—"You're strong, aren't you?"

Taichi could see it—Matt Anderson's fierce competitiveness burned behind his eyes.

—"No, that's not it," Taichi thought. "I'm stronger than strong!"

Gasps rang out across the court as Kaedehara Taichi kept rising—and then, he rose even higher, surpassing Matt Anderson's block entirely.

"Impossible…"

At that moment, Taichi's body reached its peak power. He channelled everything into his arm, swinging it with all his might— fгeewebnovёl.com

BOOOM!!!—

The ball soared over the block, tracing a flawless arc through the air.

It happened in a flash—Taylor Sander didn't even see how the ball ended up behind him.

THUD!

Right on the line!

Kaedehara Taichi had scored with a line-hugging spike!

[Japan 12 - 8 USA]

Japan still hadn't found a way to stop Team USA's spikes. But if that was the case, then they'd just solve it with offence.

Following Miya Atsumu's redemption for his earlier service error, Kaedehara Taichi had now succeeded in spiking over the towering Americans.

"210 cm? So what…"

"I'm number one!"

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