Creak!
The game continues!
After the referee's whistle, Hinata served again!!
It's still aimed at Kiryū!!
And this ball is about to land behind Kiryū!!
Slam!
In the blink of an eye, Kiryū made his judgment!!
If he didn't receive it, this ball would definitely land within bounds!
So he took a step back and received Hinata's serve with an overhead pass!!
"As the ace, you're always the primary target…"
In the stands, Akiteru Tsukishima watched the scene unfold and couldn't help but sigh.
Both of the previous serves had been aimed at Kiryū!
Judging from his response, he was already used to it!
He handled the serves with exceptional composure and skill!!
"Yeah."
Udai Tenma beside him also nodded in agreement.
Back in high school, he had been Karasuno's ace.
So he deeply understood what that sentence meant!!
As long as the opponent finds an opening, nine times out of ten, their attacks will be directed at the ace!!
And as the team's ace, you have to bear that weight without complaint!!
Though the title of "ace" sounds glorious and cool…
It only truly means something if you have the ability to carry it!!
Otherwise… it'll hurt both yourself and the team!
"Mujinazaka is a very calculating team."
Udai Tenma's brows furrowed slightly as he watched the court.
"I'm sure they saw something in yesterday's match too."
"In today's game, Akira, as the ace, might have a rough time."
...
Whoosh!
After receiving Kiryū's pass, Usuri didn't hesitate!
He coordinated directly with Keisuke Unnan to launch a quick attack down the middle!!
However, the middle zone was Akira's main area of focus!
Even before the ball reached Usuri, Akira had already read the play!
Just as Keisuke Unnan jumped for the spike, Akira leapt too!
At the same time, Tsukishima came in from the flank to reinforce the block, sealing off the sideline angle!!
Smack!
Keisuke Unnan unleashed a quick strike!!
The ball shot straight toward a gap in Karasuno's defense!
Right toward Kageyama's direction!
But even though Kageyama wasn't at the net, he had his eyes locked on that open space the whole time!
Just as Unnan's spike flew in, Kageyama lunged and picked it up!
The pass soared toward Akira!
Without needing much communication, Akira jumped!!
Decisive and crisp, he executed a sharp back set!!
And behind him, Tsukishima—who had just landed—jumped again and soared into the air!!
Smack!
Before Mujinazaka's front row could react and form a block, the fast attack was already in motion!
The ball slammed cleanly into Mujinazaka's side of the court!!
Creak!
The whistle blew!
Karasuno scored again!!
"Wow! That was pure art! Amazing!"
"Akira showed setting skills on par with a real setter, and pulled off a perfect quick attack with Tsukishima!"
"Mujinazaka's front line couldn't even react in time before they lost the point!!"
...
Whew!
Everyone on Mujinazaka's side exhaled heavily.
Starting off by losing two points in a row—
This is already a very tough situation!
They'll need to tread carefully from here!!
...
"Damn! I didn't know that guy could set that well!"
Watching Akira's play on the court, Tetsurō Kuroo and the others who had come to spectate couldn't help but be impressed.
It was the first time they'd seen Akira's setting.
That back set just now—concise and precise, with the perfect weight and speed!
The level he showed was already higher than some team setters!
"That's cheating. He's an all-rounder!"
Morisuke Yaku looked at Akira on the court with exasperation.
"Is there anything he can't do??"
"No weaknesses at all??"
Lev Haiba, standing nearby, hesitated and said:
"Would that count as one?"
His words left the group momentarily speechless.
...
"Karasuno's on fire!!"
On the other side of the arena, the players from Inarizaki were also watching the match.
"They look even better than yesterday!!"
Atsumu Miya watched the game with great interest.
After the current match, they would face Kamomedai for third place.
But by that point, most of the attention wouldn't be on that game.
Because after that, it would be the awards ceremony for the entire tournament!
"If Mujinazaka can't figure out how to handle Akira's spiking power, they're going to be in trouble."
Osamu Miya shook his head, clearly not optimistic about Mujinazaka's chances.
"Yeah."
Everyone agreed.
They had just played against Karasuno the day before, so they knew exactly how difficult Akira's spikes were to deal with!
If they couldn't respond in time, Akira would keep scoring.
And Mujinazaka might not be able to handle the consequences of that!!
"I think Mujinazaka came in with a plan."
Shinsuke Kita suddenly spoke up:
"They must have something in mind."
"Oh?"
As soon as he said that, everyone turned their eyes back to the court.
...
Just like Kita said—
Every one of Mujinazaka's attacks seemed to serve another purpose.
When Akira was in the front row, they ramped up the pressure on Karasuno's other front-row players!!
Forcing Kageyama to increase the number of sets to Akira!!
This way, even though they started losing points faster…
They also increased the number of times Akira had to attack—draining his stamina!
And with the rotation of players on the court, Mujinazaka's ace—Wakatsu Kiryū—finally moved into the front row!!