The air had shifted.
Not because of the heat.
Not because of the silence.
Herinhard had stood up.
As his foot touched the edge of the court, a vibration rippled through the ground.
The world seemed to hold its breath.
> Naraka (approaching the stage):
"Final match. Team A… versus everyone."
Vercurius rose silently.
She adjusted her cloak, her eyes calm.
> Vercurius:
"They're the unfair side. Not us."
> Herinhard:
"Let's find out then."
---
🔥 Teams
🛡️ Team A:
– Herinhard
– Vercurius
🌊 Team C+B (United):
– Muzan (Coolest one)
– Ren
– Maria
– Mabaka
– Nujah
---
🌟 Arena Shift
Maria snapped her fingers.
The floor became a blooming meadow, the sky softly violet, the wind gentle.
But... the sky itself remained completely white.
> Maria (whispering):
"I shape it... but he writes the rules."
> Vercurius:
"Let's see how hard they push us."
---
⚔️ Rally 1 – First Clash
Muzan served.
The moment he touched the ball, nine curses surged into it:
Dizziness, memory loss, weight, forced honesty, vibration, silence, heat, directional confusion, blur.
The ball descended as it crossed the court—
—but then stopped.
Herinhard just looked at it.
It froze midair. A ring of gold formed around it.
The curses peeled off one by one.
It landed, purified, into Vercurius's open hands.
> Vercurius (calmly):
"Cleansed. Ready?"
He tossed it up. Spirits coiled around her arm.
She struck.
The ball wasn't an object anymore—it was a memory.
Whoever touched it would recall their most fragile moment.
> Mabaka:
"Don't touch it! Dodge!"
Too late.
Maria dropped to her knees.
Muzan held his breath.
Ren's barrier came too slow.
Nujah... didn't move at all.
Point.
1–0
---
🌊 Rally
Vercurius and Herinhard didn't speak.
No signals. Just understanding.
Each serve had a new logic:
One rewound time.
One vanished.
One whispered to itself.
Maria and Ren created a maze of mist and water.
It worked for two volleys.
Then—
> Herinhard:
"Not allowed."
Mist vanished.
Water pulled back.
The net rose unnaturally.
10–0
---
🔊 Rally 11
> Mabaka (before serving):
"Your wrists are aching, aren't they?"
Vercurius paused half a second.
Herinhard responded with shadow.
> Mabaka:
"Never losing is its own weakness."
As the ball soared, gravity twisted.
Reality shook.
Mabaka nearly scored.
But Vercurius opened her hand—
Spirits burst forth.
She tapped the ball.
Maria tried to duplicate illusions—
Herinhard flicked a finger. They vanished instantly.
17–0
---
Muzan slowed.
Ren's water weakened.
Maria's illusions flickered out.
Mabaka grew weary.
But Nujah—
He was still moving.
Faster now.
Reflexes beyond thought.
He felt, didn't think.
Herinhard spiked — Nujah was there.
Again — still there.
> Vercurius:
"Notice? He's smiling."
> Herinhard (softly):
"He's growing."
23–0
---
🏁 Final Rally
Score: 23–0.
One point left.
If Team A scores again, they win.
But standing against them is no longer just Team C.
Mabaka, Maria, Nujah, Muzan, and Ren — one spirit, one block.
B+C has fused into a wall of willpower.
---
Herinhard walks to the service line.
He lifts the ball — his eyes glimmer.
> Herinhard (in thought):
"Reality walks with me. If I score… they may never rise again."
The moment he touches the ball, the court blurs.
Time warps.
The ball becomes a mass of intent—pure will.
Vercurius, eyes closed, delivers the final touch.
Spirits spiral inward.
The ball launches like a falling star.
---
As it streaks toward them—
Mabaka throws her arms wide.
Her knees tremble,
but her voice slices the arena:
> Mabaka (like a command echoing through stone):
"STOP!"
It's not a shout. It's a spell.
Her word is her will.
So dense, it bends the ball's momentum.
Even Herinhard raises a brow.
From her eyes flow not tears—but light.
That single word emptied all her energy.
---
Maria turns that moment into opportunity.
She stretches her hands outward.
> Maria:
"You'll see only what you believe."
Six translucent walls appear across the court.
Each looks solid.
Even Muzan and Ren instinctively shift — the illusion is that real.
---
Muzan plants his feet.
He rubs his palms and conjures cursed chains around the ball.
> Muzan (through clenched teeth):
"I have to stop this."
The chains don't all hit—
but they slow the ball's path.
Space bends around them.
---
Ren places a hand to his chest.
A towering water barrier rises from beneath his feet.
But this time, the water carries not just force—
—it carries emotional memory.
> Ren:
"This is our court. You don't pass here."
---
The ball pushes through the walls.
Escapes the chains.
Enters the barrier.
Time accelerates again.
And in that second, only one moves:
Nujah.
He cuts across the court like a beam of light.
Time ripples behind him.
His real body — beneath the ball.
> Nujah (whisper):
"Now or never."
Just as it reaches the line—
Time halts.
---
Vercurius's eyes flash.
She flings her teacup to the ground.
Her arms spread. Moonlight gleams.
Thousands of spirits rise — some roaring, some whispering.
> Vercurius (softly):
"Enough play."
The spirits consume every enchantment.
Maria's illusions — shattered.
Mabaka's spell — silenced.
Muzan's curses — unraveled.
Ren's barrier — evaporated.
The ball is bare again.
Only truth remains.
---
🕊️ Herinhard – Will Against Fate
At that instant—
Herinhard clasps his hands.
Eyes closed, breath calm.
As if calling back the fabric of the universe.
> Herinhard:
"Reality… return."
The arena shivers.
The air folds like paper.
The entire space distorts.
The ball veers—
not toward the line,
but toward—
---
🌀💥 Nujah – Impact
—Nujah's face.
CRACK.
Direct hit.
No slowing down.
He drops—dramatically.
Silence.
---
> Mabaka (stunned):
"So... we didn't score, but... someone did get hit."
> Maria (kneeling):
"Nujah! Is he breathing? Are his eyes open? Is his spirit still with us?"
> Muzan (leaning in):
"Pupils are symmetrical… but vacant. Maybe they always were?"
> Ren (reaching out):
"He's got a pulse. Either unconscious or very committed to the bit."
> Nujah (eyes half-open, weak whisper):
"...Did we... score?"
---
From the far end, Herinhard and Vercurius approach quickly.
> Herinhard (smiling faintly):
"You okay, little Shinrei? Ball came in a little hot."
> Vercurius (kneeling):
"Your illusions were strong. But truth... truth hits harder."
> Mabaka (hands on hips):
"Was that some kind of philosophical volleyball win? Because I'm hungry."
> Maria (hugging Nujah):
"If you're okay... then that point doesn't count!"
---
Nujah pauses.
Eyes a little crossed.
Then he grins.
> Nujah:
"I... took the point."
Everyone bursts into laughter.
---
Naraka steps back onto the court,
the black chained box once again in her hand.
> Naraka (smiling):
"The Shinrei Tournament… was just a game.
But this game... reminded you of who you are."
She tosses the box into the dark void beside her.
> Naraka:
"Tomorrow's a grand celebration.
Everyone's coming. You'd better be ready."
She snaps her fingers.
The world dims. Curtain falls.
---