Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 220: Game Over
"The moment Nekoma reduced their blocking focus, their defence once again showcased its tenacity!"
"And on the offensive end, they're relentlessly attacking with their entire team, refusing to conserve stamina in an effort to break through Aoba Johsai's defence!"
"But the real question is—just how long can Nekoma keep this up?"
The commentator's voice echoed in Nekoma's players' ears.
"So damn annoying. At the very least, we're going to last through the second set!" Kuroo Tetsurō grumbled toward an empty space, venting his frustration.
Jumping repeatedly—blocking, receiving, jumping again, spiking—Nekoma's players felt like their legs were filled with lead, their breathing growing heavier with every rally...
"Kenma-senpai, what's the score?" Lev Haiba panted, too exhausted to even turn and check the scoreboard himself.
Kozume Kenma didn't respond. His entire focus was locked on the Aoba Johsai's players. Nekoma had already pushed themselves to the limit, yet Aoba Johsai continued playing at their usual tempo, unaffected by Nekoma's shifts in strategy.
But that was only natural—despite Nekoma's best efforts, Aoba Johsai still maintained their lead.
[Aoba Johsai 18 – 16 Nekoma]
Kai Nobuyuki relayed the score to Lev.
"Damn it, they're still ahead?! And we haven't even reached 20 points yet..." Lev groaned in frustration.
"Lev, are you already giving up?" Yamamoto Taketora shouted. "Show them your fighting spirit! Your guts!"
"Yes, Taketora-senpai!" Lev gritted his teeth.
Gazing at the composed figures across the net, he finally understood what Kenma-senpai meant whenever he called them the boss of the game.
"Man, they really don't let up, huh~" Oikawa Tōru smirked, watching Nekoma's relentless persistence.
So this was what it felt like to be the villain.
And honestly, it felt great.
"Iwa-chan, give us a good serve!"
Aoba Johsai's serve. Iwaizumi Hajime leapt up for a powerful jump serve.
Smack!
Yaku Morisuke received it cleanly.
"Again!"
Nekoma surged forward, attacking from multiple positions at once.
Bang!
Kuroo Tetsurō spiked the ball straight into Aoba Johsai's court.
[Aoba Johsai 18 – 17 Nekoma]
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"Nice kill, Kuroo-senpai!"
"Mm..." Kuroo gave a thumbs-up to Lev.
Serve rotation—Nekoma's turn.
Kai Nobuyuki unleashed a powerful jump serve, but Kaedehara Taichi received it solidly. Oikawa quickly set the ball to the left wing.
Boom!
Kyōtani Kentarō fired a sharp straight shot, but Kai dived for the save. Kenma moved into position.
"Push forward!!"
"Attack, Nekoma!!"
From the stands, Yamamoto Akane shouted through a megaphone.
At that moment, everyone realized—Nekoma's usual defensive chants had transformed into a battle cry!
"Let's go!!"
Nekoma charged the net again.
Smash!
This time, it was Fukunaga Shōhei attacking from the middle.
Smack!
"Gotcha, little kitties!"
Matsukawa Issei's hands appeared in front of the ball.
"Touch!"
"Nice block, Matsukawa!" Iwaizumi shouted as he rushed to recover the ball.
Oikawa jumped, ready to set. Aoba Johsai countered with their own multi-position attack—their version of a full-team offence.
Six pairs of feline eyes locked onto Aoba Johsai's attackers.
Kaedehara Taichi leapt from the back row—
BANG!
But Oikawa faked the set and executed a quick setter dump, scoring the point.
[Aoba Johsai 19 – 17 Nekoma]
"What a disgusting playstyle!" Kuroo muttered, scowling at Oikawa.
They had so many attackers to use, yet this guy just had to pull off a sneaky move like that…
Aoba Johsai's serve. Matsukawa stepped up to the service line.
Boom!
Smack!
Damn it, every one of their servers hit with such insane power!
Yaku barely managed to dig the serve, sending the ball high above Kenma.
Suddenly, Kuroo rushed forward, and Kindaichi Yūtarō instinctively jumped to block.
"Shit!"
The moment Kindaichi left the ground, he realized he'd been tricked.
A delayed tempo attack!
Thinking Nekoma would go for a quick spike, Kindaichi had jumped too early—only to watch Kuroo jump after him. Kenma's set arrived at the perfect moment.
Bang!
Smack!
"Don't think you can score that easily!!" Iwaizumi dived for the save.
"Recover it!"
Oikawa rushed in, bumping the ball upward.
Kyōtani fired off a counterattack.
Boom!
Smack!
But Kuroo jumped again, blocking Kyōtani's spike!
"Don't underestimate us, you brats from Aoba Johsai!"
The ball dropped back onto Aoba Johsai's court.
[Aoba Johsai 19 – 18 Nekoma]
Kuroo landed awkwardly, nearly collapsing from exhaustion. His teammates rushed over to support him.
"Looks like we're really gonna burn out this time..." Kuroo chuckled breathlessly.
"Kuroo," Kenma said, staring straight at him, "Take the second set."
Kuroo blinked in surprise—Kenma was actually asking him to win?
"Hah, never thought I'd see the day when you would say something like that." Kuroo grinned and raised his fist. Kenma hesitated, then bumped fists with him.
"Alright, time for the friendship power-up to kick in!"
Serve rotation—Kuroo stepped up to the service line.
"We will take this set!"
Boom!
Kuroo's serve carried even more force than before, curving sharply toward Aoba Johsai's back row.
Smack!
Received! But the ball flew toward the far end of the court.
The ball hit the floor—Kuroo's serve scored directly!
[Aoba Johsai 19 – 19 Nekoma]
Nekoma had tied the score in the second set once again!
"They're completely ignoring the third set, aren't they?" Someone in the audience muttered.
Even though the score was tied, the difference in both teams' stamina was clear as day.
Still, at this point—securing at least one set was all that mattered to Nekoma.
Kuroo tossed the ball up, took a deep breath, and jumped to serve.
Boom!
Just as he struck the ball, sweat dripped into his eye, making him blink instinctively.
"Damn it—!"
The ball clipped the net—
It still landed inside Aoba Johsai's court!
"Damn it!" Kyōtani cursed as he dove forward—too late.
Another service ace for Kuroo!
[Aoba Johsai 19 – 20 Nekoma]
"Nekoma takes the lead for the first time in this match!"
"Even luck is standing on their side right now!!"
Irihata Nobuteru furrowed his brows—the momentum of the game seemed to be shifting.
From the current situation, it was clear that Nekoma had no energy left for a third set, but there was no reason for Aoba Johsai to give up on winning the second.
Just as he was contemplating whether to call a timeout to disrupt Kuroo Tetsurō's rhythm, he noticed Oikawa Tōru and Kaedehara Taichi shaking their heads at him from the court.
Irihata: "..."
He hadn't even said anything yet!
-----
Kuroo Tetsurō stood at the service line, breathing heavily.
He took nearly eight seconds after the whistle before tossing the ball.
Boom!
Kuroo launched his third serve.
Despite his intention to avoid Kaedehara's direction, the ball still veered toward the gap between Kaedehara and Iwaizumi.
"I got it!"
Iwaizumi Hajime called out loudly, determined to break Nekoma's momentum.
Smack!
He delivered a clean pass, and Oikawa swiftly moved into position to set.
Kaedehara Taichi took a running start from the back row and leapt into the air.
"Two blockers—no, three!"
The newly rotated-in Haiba Lev firmly positioned his hands in front of Kaedehara.
Boom!
He managed to hold his ground!
"First touch!" Lev shouted.
But—this was a wipe-off shot!
The ball rebounded high and was heading out of bounds.
A figure rushed after it—Yaku Morisuke!
"Not letting a single ball drop!"
Smack!
Yaku lunged and sent the ball back into Nekoma's court, rolling twice from the sheer force of his dive.
But—
"The ball that seemed to be going out-of-bounds was saved by Nekoma!"
"Did they anticipate Kaedehara would go for a wipe-off shot?" the commentator speculated.
"I doubt it," Nohebi's Suguru Daishō muttered, his expression tense. "Earlier, Aoba Johsai's #10 deliberately used a tip shot to warn Nekoma not to stand too close to the baseline. So Nekoma had to judge and react in real-time the moment the ball was hit."
"Is that even possible?" Yamaka Mika asked in surprise. "These cat-like players are terrifying…."
"Normally, no," Suguru replied, recalling some unpleasant memories. "But Nekoma's libero, Yaku Morisuke, is in a league of his own. His reaction speed is not something an average libero can match."
Meanwhile, Kenma had started moving.
Up until now, his teammates had been creating opportunities for him—but now, he was creating opportunities for himself.
Coach Nekomata, who had been watching with closed eyes, now stared at the court intently. As the match progressed and the opponents became stronger, Kenma had no choice but to evolve.
But today, there was something more—Kenma's determination was fueled largely by Aoba Johsai's #10.
From the back row, Kuroo and Kai leapt into action, while in the front row, Fukunaga and Lev prepared to attack.
Nekoma, a team renowned for its defence, was leaving no room for retreat!
—Whoosh!
Boom!
Haiba Lev's spike came from the right wing.
Smack!
Iwaizumi dug the ball—but it rebounded back toward Nekoma's court!
"I got it!"
Thud!
Kaedehara Taichi leapt from the back row, launching himself behind the ball.
"Are you kidding me?!!"
"Block him!!!"
Kenma shouted as he sprinted back to the net.
Fukunaga and Lev gritted their teeth and jumped once more.
Three-man block!
Whoosh—
But Kaedehara didn't spike. He simply redirected the ball to the left wing.
!!!
Nekoma's players' eyes widened in shock.
Boom!
Oikawa Tōru rose from the left wing and hammered the ball down.
[Aoba Johsai 20 – 20 Nekoma]
Aoba Johsai had refused to let Nekoma widen the gap.
"What the hell is that?!!" Yamamoto Akane clenched her fists, torn between admiration and frustration as she stared at Kaedehara Taichi.
Spike, block, dig, set…
He had done everything possible.
"Kenma," Kaedehara's voice was calm.
"The game is over."
_________
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