Having understood his meaning, Akagi raised a hand to make an OK sign, moved to the center of the court along with Miya Osamu on the other side, completely removing Hinata from the task of receiving serves.
Coach Kurosu nodded in satisfaction.
This was no longer a time for training; rather than letting Hinata, who couldn't receive anything at all, repeatedly try to give points to the opposition, it would be better to directly implement a strategy where both Middle Blockers handle the receive, shifting the pressure to the Libero.
Sakusa clicked his tongue lightly, raising his hand to spike the ball into the corner of the court near Miya Osamu.
Inarizaki's reaction and adjustment speed was far too fast; they basically didn't do anything blind or meaningless.
That's exactly why.. it's even more troublesome.
What a great receive!
The ball was steadily received by Miya Osamu, sent up toward Miya Atsumu.
After a quick glance at Koldorf standing in the center, Miya Atsumu performed a feint as if preparing to set a ball to Position 4, before nonchalantly sending a Second Attack over.
Komori, who had just prepared to retreat, couldn't help but curse Miya Atsumu inwardly, saving the ball with a rather clumsy movement just before it hit the ground.
Captain!
Great receive!
Iizuna stepped forward quickly, chasing the ball to a position very close to the net.
For an average setter, this kind of ball is no longer worth a set; after all, it is too close to the net, if it isn't handled properly, it will cause the spiker to touch the net during their subsequent spike.
And Iizuna's setter level was indeed inferior to Miya Atsumu's; in many extreme situations, he was unable to provide a decent set.
But.. this is an exception.
He was merely half a step behind the heaven-blessed Miya Atsumu.
After all, Iizuna Sho was also a genius who once won Best Setter at the World Junior Championships; just because ordinary people can't do it doesn't mean he can't.
Stuck between the ball and the net, Iizuna Sho jumped and touched the volleyball with one hand.
At the moment of contact, he sent the ball directly back to Amatori, who was preparing to cover position four.
Aran and Oori followed up with a block immediately.
Iizuna's setter provided an impeccable set, Amatori, who had plenty of time to adjust, instantly locked his gaze onto Aran's fingers.
A heavy thud echoed in everyone's ears as the volleyball struck Aran's hands, popping high into the air and flying out of bounds, landing outside the guardrail.
Hinata, being the closest, didn't hesitate to spring forward, sprinting at his maximum speed toward the direction where the ball was falling.
The angle of this ball was very high; to the naked eye, it was actually well outside the range of a normal save.
Amatori judged it the same way.
Yes! We got it!!
After landing, he turned and raised his hand toward the crowd at Itachiyama to celebrate, while on the other side, Iizuna also raised his hand, preparing to high-five him.
Sakusa, who was also preparing to turn around, slightly tilted his head at the very last moment to look toward the Inarizaki side.
An orange shadow flashed across the field of vision, then descended, finally landing behind the guardrail at the edge of the view.
But.. the volleyball flew up.
Sakusa's eyes widened slightly, his fingers twitching at his sides, his body moved before his consciousness could even register it.
No.. it's not over yet!
"Amatori-senpai!" Sakusa shouted sharply, stopping Amatori Toru and Iizuna Sho.
At that moment, the Inarizaki cheering section, which had been relatively quiet, suddenly erupted with gasps so loud they could have blown the roof off.
My God! He saved it!
He's flying!
Counterattack! Counterattack! Go! Inarizaki——
Miya Atsumu had already rushed toward the ball's position, as if he had anticipated this.
He rushed toward the three-meter line and jumped, reaching almost his maximum hitting point to send the ball back with a back set.
Having secured the ball, Aran summoned all his strength, locked onto the gap in Itachiyama's defense that the players were too flustered to fill, delivered a powerful spike.
Inamura, who barely managed to touch the ball, had no control over it, the volleyball flew past him, crashing heavily outside the side of the court.
But since the ball had already touched Inamura's hands, it was still a point for Inarizaki.
It was dead silent on the Itachiyama side, Aran had already high-fived Miya Atsumu in celebration.
YES!!
The score on the scoreboard jumped to Inarizaki 16:15 Itachiyama; Inarizaki took the lead at 16 points, entering a technical time-out.
Komori, his face filled with shock, locked eyes with Hinata, who had just straightened up from the other side of the railing.
Even though it was too far away to see Hinata's expression clearly, that momentum was conveyed with unerring precision.
The sound of the horn completely overwhelmed the opposition, completely drowning out the cheers from Itachiyama that had held the upper hand until this point.
It seems to be an announcement..
—The tide has turned.
Amatori was completely stunned.
How is that even possible? How did he save that ball just now? That height and ball speed.. it's just too ridiculous!
Hinata, who had jogged back from outside the court, raised his hand to high-five Miya Atsumu, was immediately surrounded by his seniors.
Great save, Shoyo!
Thanks to you being able to catch up! My legs definitely wouldn't have run that fast.
Watching from the sidelines, Shiratori Natsume glanced at her T-shirt, which had a wet handprint left on it after Hinata grabbed her, her brain still failed to process what had happened.
—What happened?
The heavy spike from the Itachiyama artilleryman went out of bounds, flying right over the position where they were standing.
The height was estimated to be nearly 3.4m; very few Liberos could jump to that height to save the ball, any further back.. it would crash into the stands.
It was at that very moment that the little one from Inarizaki leaped into the air in front of the railing, using a side-on punch with a single clenched fist to send the ball back.
Then, leaping over the railing, he nearly collided with them and almost tore his clothes off.
According to the rules of the volleyball league, players are not allowed to use any external objects during the process of a save.
If he were to make contact with the barrier or the others before touching the ball, the save would be ruled invalid, so as he stepped over.. it was practically a 110-meter hurdle.
Kuroo looked up at his setter again, instantly reading the emotion of "what it feels like to give this person a toss" on that dazed face.
After two seconds of silence, Kuroo withdrew his gaze, refusing to pay any more attention to Shiratori.
Suddenly, Shiratori couldn't help but take a step closer to the court: "As expected.. I'm so envious."
Kuroo clicked his tongue lightly. "What are you envying? Miya Atsumu?"
Shiratori shook his head: "No, that's only one aspect of it."
His gaze toward the Inarizaki court was filled with longing, his nose tingled, giving him the sensation that he wanted to cry.
After calming his emotions, Shiratori said softly, "Their volleyball.. it's truly joyful and free."
That kind of posture—once you've seen it, you can't help but be moved by it.
The Middle Blocker, who had approached from behind the two at some unknown moment, raised his hands and wrapped them around both of them, a soft and warm voice following immediately after.
Because they are 'strong'.
That is the prerequisite for being 'free'.
So.. Natsume and Rei also have to become 'stronger,' okay?
Kuroo turned around and saw Shimizu Kanata looking at them with a smile: "Kanata?"
Kiyoko Shimizu lowered her hands and looked toward the court before her, just as he had: "Watch closely."
This is.. the battlefield where geniuses fight to the death.
No matter which side emerges victorious, they will ultimately walk toward them, bathed in blood.
That is the ultimate arena.
The surroundings gradually fell silent as Owari Aran prepared to serve.
Hinata took his position at the net, his peripheral vision met Koldorf's, who was facing him directly.
He looked up and returned a smile.
Gentle and harmless, he seemed to be greeting a friend.
Koldorf, whose mind had suddenly gone blank, recoiled a step, only to be warned by the referee's whistle from above.
Koldorf forced himself to calm down.
Just now, he thought he was going to be bitten by some ferocious beast..
——That was terrifying.
Chapter 102: The One Hundred and Second Fox
In the quietened arena, Aran patted the ball in his hands.
Behind him, the Inarizaki supporters gave Aran as much space as possible for his serve, providing a silent yet incredibly powerful cheer.
Hinata's positioning was very deep, a state intended to avoid participating in subsequent blocks as much as possible.
Although Miya Atsumu's block was not as specialized as a setter's, it was still quite sharp, when coordinated with Oori Ren on the other side, it could achieve the goal of restricting the opponent's attack.
However, avoiding blocking as much as possible doesn't mean they would never step up; it just means they would choose the most necessary timing.
"I've got it!" Komori steadily received Aran's serve.
Sakusa added extra power from the back row, spiking the ball into the corner of the Inarizaki court. The overall trajectory was almost an arc, making it very difficult to absorb the force when it hit the arms.
Aran failed to control the ball, allowing Sakusa to score a point.