Haikyuu : The Unstoppable Force

The impact of the spike sent a shockwave through the court, but Maruyama Haito and the others completely forgot about the soreness in their arms.

They could only stare blankly behind them.

They watched as the volleyball that had been slammed into the ground still retained enough force to bounce high into the air.

*Tweet!*

It wasn't until the referee's whistle blew that Maruyama Haito snapped out of his daze and muttered in disbelief,

"What... what just happened??"

"Why did that happen?"

He was completely stunned.

"Haha! Just as I expected!"

"Izumitate's defense... can't stop him at all!"

In the audience, the uncle in the cap laughed triumphantly.

"Hmph! What's so impressive about that?!"

"Isn't this common knowledge in Miyagi Prefecture?"

A young man sitting behind him scoffed at his words with a proud expression.

Annoyed, the uncle in the cap turned around and retorted,

"Predicting! I was predicting, you wouldn't understand, you little brat!"

Startled by his sudden reaction, the young man instinctively shrank back.

"What an ill-mannered kid!"

—

"Focus on the next play!"

Seeing his teammates still in a daze, Kitamura Yuta frowned and spoke firmly.

As the team's ace, he had been blocking in the front row just now, and although he was initially stunned, his role as captain helped him recover quickly.

"No matter who our opponent is, the game must go on!"

"Pay attention to the *tempo* of the match!"

"Even if they're strong, we still have a chance to win!"

The so-called *tempo* was Izumitate's signature playstyle.

In their eyes, no matter how formidable the opponent, every offensive move had a pattern.

If they could defend long enough, with unwavering resilience, then like a stone in a raging river, they would adapt to the current and withstand the relentless force of the water.

The jagged edges of the stone would be worn down, its shape molded by the river's flow.

By the time it was fully refined, no amount of rushing water—no matter how fierce—could move it.

Izumitate's entire strategy relied on this unwavering defense.

Maruyama Haito, now calm, took a deep breath.

In the back row, Yusuke Irie grinned and spoke playfully,

"Hey! No need to be so tense!"

"It's not like we haven't faced teams with strong offenses before!"

"This is the kind of playstyle we specialize in countering!"

"Just hold off their fiercest attacks for a little while!"

"Once their momentum slows down, they'll be sitting ducks!"

"A few more rounds, and I'll *definitely* catch one of his spikes!!"

Yusuke's words instantly reignited Izumitate's spirits.

That's right! A powerful offense?

Wasn't that exactly the kind of team they were best at handling?

One by one, the players turned to look at Akira across the net, their eyes burning with determination.

"Ahem."

"Why is this backfiring?"

Kageyama, looking at the opposing team's reactions, was dumbfounded. He quickly ran up to Akira and asked,

"Are they scared stiff or what?"

"I have no idea..." Akira muttered, equally confused.

"They can't *really* be scared stiff, right?"

"Maybe we should just keep going and see?"

"Good idea."

Kageyama nodded. If one spike wasn't enough, they'd just hit a few more.

If they kept smashing through the defense, eventually, even the most resilient team wouldn't be able to keep up.

*Tweet!*

With the last point secured, Karasuno now had the serve.

After Yusuke Irie received the serve in the back row, Maruyama Haito immediately jumped to set the ball.

Izumitate wasn't known for its offense, but their attacks were steady.

Their entire team radiated an air of *stability*.

And against a strong opponent, Maruyama Haito instinctively passed to the most *reliable* person on their team—

Kitamura Yuta.

As their ace, Kitamura was responsible for most of Izumitate's offensive points.

However—

If he wanted to get past Akira's block, he was going to need more power.

Instead, his spike was immediately stuffed right back onto their court.

Karasuno scored another point!

"Their defense is just as strong..."

Kitamura Yuta's frown deepened.

But Izumitate didn't seem too concerned.

They had lost the first set too many times to count.

Yet, in almost every match, they had come back to win the next two sets and take the game.

To them, losing the first set was completely normal.

But as the match progressed, it was Karasuno who first sensed something was *wrong*.

"Wait a second..."

Kageyama looked at the scoreboard, an uneasy feeling creeping up his spine.

Karasuno 12 - 1 Izumitate.

"Am I seeing things?"

"We have *12* points, and they only have *1*?!"

"That's right," Akira muttered, equally puzzled.

Izumitate was clearly *way* behind.

And yet—

Why did they look so *confident*? As if *they* were the ones leading the match?

Why was that?

Even the spectators began to notice something off about the game.

If someone ignored the scoreboard and only focused on the players' expressions...

They would *definitely* assume Izumitate was ahead.

And leading by a *huge* margin.

Each player carried an unwavering confidence, as if they *knew* they were winning.

Hey...

You guys are losing!

Wake up!

Have you lost your minds?!

----

Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones ✅