The Fourth Round

"They actually dared to underestimate us? Let's show them what we're made of!"

After Shimokawa Mitsuto laid out the tactical plan, Akashi Asuka, the player being benched, had no real reaction. Instead, it was players like Oomae Masato who were inexplicably fired up.

We know Akashi Asuka is strong. But Shirakawa, putting all their focus on defending against him while completely ignoring the rest of us? Isn't that taking things a bit too far?

If we don't completely destroy them, how are we supposed to survive in the volleyball world after this?

That, more or less, summed up the mood of the rest of the team.

This twist of events…

Was actually a reverse morale boost.

Even Shimokawa Mitsuto, the mastermind behind this strategy, hadn't expected it to play out this way. But overall, it was a huge win for him.

Taking Akashi Asuka's place was a second-year wing spiker.

This was a temporary tactical decision.

If the next part of the match went smoothly, Shimokawa planned to rotate in other promising young players like Nishimori Tomohiko, giving each of them a chance to experience the game firsthand.

After all, once Akashi Asuka's class graduates, they would become the core of the team.

It was about time to start developing them.

…

As the second set began, Shirakawa, who had just spent the entire break strategizing around Akashi Asuka, were completely stunned by the new lineup.

And after the shock came the anger.

"What the hell is this?"

They had swapped out their main players, was this a joke?

Did they think so little of us?

Before the first point of the second set had even been played, the atmosphere between the two teams was already tense and explosive.

…

Back on the bench, Akashi Asuka was lazily yawning, looking half-asleep.

Then, as if sensing something, he turned his head toward the stands, just in time to lock eyes with Tobio Kageyama.

Their gazes met, and for a brief moment, it felt like sparks lit up the air between them.

"Let's go. Nothing worth watching here anymore." Kageyama said suddenly, slinging his bag over his shoulder and standing up.

"We're leaving already? The match isn't over yet." one of Kitagawa's players said in surprise.

To be honest, many of Kitagawa 's players still had a strong impression of Akashi Asuka.

Even though they had crushed Sengoku easily during the prefectural tournament, most of that was thanks to overpowering Sengoku's other players, not Asuka.

"No need. He won't be playing the rest of the match." Kageyama replied bluntly.

And with that, he left the venue without looking back.

The rest of Kitagawa 's team had no choice but to follow.

…

Meanwhile, the match continued.

Without Akashi Asuka's oppressive presence, Shirakawa finally began showing their true strength.

The second-year substitute who had taken Asuka's place struggled at first, understandable for someone playing in a major tournament for the first time.

A series of early mistakes put Sengoku at a disadvantage.

But with the support of his teammates, the score was soon back to even.

At the 26-minute mark of the second set

The referee blew the final whistle.

25–22.

Thanks to continuous attacks from Oomae Masato and Jujiro Kazama, Sengoku edged out Shirakawa by three points and advanced to the next round.

…

After the match, Shimokawa Mitsuto once again drove the team home in the school van.

Back at his house, Akashi Asuka quietly resumed his training routine.

After more than three weeks of consistent practice, his [Arm Strength] stat had finally surpassed 80.

80.

On the system's data panel, that marked the upper limit of what a normal high school athlete could achieve in raw power.

Beyond 80 was the realm of naturally gifted high school power players.

For example:

Asahi Azumane from Karasuno, at his third-year peak, had an [Arm Strength] of around 82–83.

But that was just his arm strength.

Due to a lack of core strength, Asahi's spikes, while powerful, couldn't compare to the destructive force of national-level heavy hitters.

Akashi Asuka might still be a bit behind Asahi in terms of arm power, but once his [Core Strength] also crosses the 80 threshold, the combined effect should allow his spikes to rival even Asahi's peak form.

…

Preliminaries – Second Round

Sengoku vs. Midori-no Junior High.

Once again, Akashi Asuka did not play, as Midori-no was even weaker than Shirakawa.

This time, Shimokawa subbed in several first- and second-year players throughout the match.

In the end, Sengoku won 25–21 and 25–23, securing another round with narrow but clean victories.

With two rounds completed, the team now had a one-week break.

…

Preliminaries – Third Round

Sengoku faced Seiten Junior High, another team that had reached the top 16 in the prefectural tournament.

The first two sets ended in a split: 25–22, then 23–25. Tied 1–1.

With the match on the line, Shimokawa finally brought Akashi Asuka in for the third set.

But Asuka didn't need to do much.

He simply blocked the opposing ace's spike three times in a row, and just like that, Seiten's morale collapsed.

2–1 victory.

Sengoku advanced to the fourth round.

…

Sunday.

Sengoku's next opponent: Shinkuuji Junior High, a private school.

They were a seeded team in this year's prelims, and had made the top four in last year's tournament.

As the Sengoku players stepped onto the court, a familiar feeling hit them, not because Shinkuuji was too strong, but because the whole scene mirrored a moment from the past.

Same elimination round.

Another seeded top-four team.

But this time, they wouldn't let history repeat itself.

Tweet!

The referee's whistle blew.

First serve came from Sengoku's opposite hitter, Oda Miki.

The ball sailed cleanly into the opponent's court.

Shinkuuji quickly organized their offense, and just as expected, the final touch went to their ace attacker.

Much like Sengoku, Shinkuuji was built around a single core weapon, an extremely aggressive, spearhead-style offense.

Their spear?

A top-tier, 186cm tall outside hitter named Amakawa Tenka.

Amakawa leapt high, his max reach exceeding 330cm.

The moment he jumped, Sengoku's blockers, Oomae Masato and Jujiro Kazama, felt like they were staring at a past version of Akashi Asuka.

Boom!

The spike flew clean over the double block, no surprise there.

But strangely, no one heard the ball hit the floor.

Neko Kurata had dug the spike.

Thanks to the training camp, she'd received countless of Akashi Asuka's spikes, and her body instinctively reacted to Amakawa's eerily similar strike.

The ball shot back into the air.

Still midair, Amakawa's expression instantly shifted.

At the same time, Ryuhei Sanashita stepped in, gently flicking the ball toward the space above Akashi Asuka's head.

Then…

Everyone from Shinkuuji watched as a dark shadow, taller and mightier than their own ace, suddenly blocked out the lights above the court...

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