"Just one point left!!!"
In the hearts of all eight players on the court, that was the single thought echoing simultaneously. Though the words were the same, the intentions on each side were completely different.
A Team, leading by one point, thought: Just one more point, and victory is ours.
Team B, trailing, thought: We must win this ball… then even the score again.
The spectators on the sidelines were equally tense.
"This match is giving me a heart attack! Feels just like watching the World Cup."
"Yeah, totally."
"Same here. They're at 33–32, yet both sides are still full of energy!"
"If it were me, I wouldn't even be able to get up off the floor."
The first- and third-years exchanged their thoughts, each slightly differently expressed, yet all agreed: this match was heart-stopping.
Even the referee, Kiyomizu Kiyoko, didn't speak, but the way her fingers interlaced betrayed the calmness her face tried to show.
"Opportunity ball!"
Hinata Shoyo shouted as he saw Tsukishima's high pass, alerting Kageyama Tobio.
"Damn! My strength was off!"
Tsukishima gritted his teeth. With stamina always being his weak point, even after proper nutrition and a growth spurt, he still couldn't fully control his power at the set's end.
Observing the high pass, both Nishinoya and Kageyama understood immediately:
'Opportunity… it's here!'
Nishinoya, having roughly understood Kageyama's preferred sets, delivered what could be called a nearly perfect pass.
"Good ball!"
Kageyama praised without hesitation. For a strong opponent, respect was automatic.
Yet his feet and eyes never stopped moving. While the ball descended, he analyzed the positions and situation of both teams.
'This time… we need a set. Team A quick attack!'
Though exhausted, Ichinose Guren had adapted completely to Hinata's movements. Kageyama knew the freak quick attack had a high chance of being blocked.
While an Team A set couldn't maximize his tactical passing potential, it would still give the hitter options.
He subtly signaled Hinata, using the silent hand gesture they had devised mid-set.
Hinata understood immediately. He was excited.
This deciding ball would be his airborne duel with Ichinose Guren, the ultimate boss of volleyball in his mind.
'Now… I'm going to beat you!'
The little beast who had grown strong under Guren's protective wings in Junior High was now ready to bare its fangs.
Guren, observing Hinata's aggression, felt pleased, but he would never yield his throne to train a pup.
The king of beasts confronted a challenge directly, demonstrating dominance with victory.
High above the court, with energy nearly depleted, both displayed what true flight looked like.
"So high!"
That was all anyone could think.
Using every ounce of power from his approach run, Hinata converted his momentum perfectly into lift, soaring skyward with his slight frame.
Opposite him, Guren, nearly 190 cm tall, demonstrated a vertical jump rivaling Hinata's, his long arms covering a far larger attack area.
This was no longer about skill or jump technique, it was pure physical difference.
Guren's long arms blocked all of Hinata's right-hand hitting angles. Hinata, realizing this, couldn't find a solution.
Instinctively, he tightened his core mid-air, prolonging his flight to buy thinking time.
Guren, defending, extended his block duration with equal intensity.
In that moment, the entire gym felt as though time had frozen. Both floated midair, superhumanly suspended.
Yet gravity remained inevitable.
After a brief hover, both began descending rapidly.
Hinata, unable to find an opening, didn't give up. His eyes frantically searched for a gap.
Guren's expression indicated he expected this, he adjusted his block according to Hinata's gaze.
'Damn! Truly a Demon King!'
'I told you, defeating me is still far away!'
Hinata, about to land without striking, suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He swung his left hand in a masterstroke. The hit was outside Guren's block awareness.
Even Guren, reacting instantly, couldn't guarantee a perfect block of this unpredictable left-hand strike.
Yet his hands still moved at lightning speed, aiming to touch the ball, so Yamaguchi could make a better dig.
But fortune favored Hinata. The ball's random trajectory, unpracticed, unpredictable, touched the net slightly, altering its arc. The volleyball's speed decreased.
The ball slipped past Guren's fingers and landed straight onto the court.
Yamaguchi anticipated its landing, but the net obstructed him; he missed.
'What the hell!!!!'
Guren, about to lose to this sheer luck, was filled with frustration and disbelief.
Using his super-strong core developed through training, he attempted one final move: landing on one foot and swinging the other toward the ball mid-fall.
'Even just a touch will do!'
'Yamaguchi! Hyakuzawa! Tsukishima will cover!'
'Touch it!!!!'
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria