Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty - Chapter 605: The One Standing Before You Is—(Double-Length)

Serve rotation. San Juan to serve.

Bruno aimed a jump float serve straight at Jakub in the front row.

BANG!!!

“I got it!”

León moved in to cover and received cleanly. The first pass went directly to the right for a quick attack.

Kurek rose for the spike!

Conte went up alone for the block—but the ball slipped past his left side and slammed hard into San Juan’s court.

Smack!

Taichi dove in and made the save.

His left arm extended fully, hand making contact just in time to tip the ball upward. He pulled his wrist back to absorb the impact, gently lifting the ball into the air.

The pass flew steadily toward the front row. As his chest brushed the floor, Taichi pressed both palms into the court, tightened his core muscles, and used the momentum to spring back onto his feet. Through it all, his eyes never left the ball.

“Give it to me!”

Without a second’s hesitation, Taichi planted a heavy step and launched himself from the back row.

Whoosh!—

Oikawa’s expression flashed with shock—but his set remained as precise as ever.

“Triple block!” León, Jakub, and Kurek jumped simultaneously.

The entire route was sealed. There wasn’t a single gap in the block.

Taichi’s eyes narrowed. His arm swung down like lightning.

“He’s going to power through?!”

The triple block pressed down at once, trying to snuff out the spike directly.

But just before contact—Taichi’s hand abruptly halted in the air…then accelerated again.

BO-OM!!!

The ball skimmed off Jakub’s fingertips and sailed high into the stands.

Touch out!

Kaedehara Taichi scores!

[San Juan 17 – 20 Lublin]

“I’m thrilled, León!” Taichi laughed loudly. “I’ve been waiting for this moment too!”

“He can do that?!”

“Kaedehara made that attack right after the dig?!”

“His ball control is terrifying!”

“His spiking rhythm changed midair, didn’t it?” Iizuna Tsukasa commented.

“He baited the block, then swung late—it’s just like your style!”

“Yeah. He was already doing that back when he played in Japan,” Kunimi Akira said quietly.

That same technique—when used by Kaedehara Taichi—became exponentially more threatening.

—–

San Juan continued serving. Bruno launched his second ball.

BANG!!!

It landed deep in the left corner of Lublin’s court.

Christensen stepped up and received with his hands—pass slightly off-target.

“Give it to me!” León shouted, eager for the ball.

Paweł stepped in to set, sending the ball high to the left wing.

“If you want to close the gap, offence alone won’t cut it. Can you stop León?”

Thump!

León exploded from the left wing, soaring well above Ramos and Conti’s block!

—BOOM!!!

Over-the-block spike!

The ball screamed toward the centre of San Juan’s court at an impossible angle.

Taichi had rotated back to the baseline—too far to reach the dig.

SMACK!—

But Oikawa dove in and saved it!

León had clearly been targeting the backline behind Taichi—a zone that was nearly impossible to cover with power and placement both aligned.

But Taichi had already rotated into position, eyes locked on León.

León didn’t hesitate. He snapped his wrist downward, brushing the ball off the block and into the middle zone.

And the one who had covered that gap—was Oikawa Tōru!

“Cover!”

Bruno rushed to reposition. Right now, there was only one man who could turn this momentum around.

Whoosh—!

The ball soared high over the middle.

“Perfect set.”

Taichi took off from the baseline, launching from just behind the three-meter line.

“Triple block!” Lublin’s blockers rose again.

But this time—only one attacker towered over the net.

—BOOM!!!

The ball exploded past the block and slammed into the far corner of Lublin’s court.

Kaedehara Taichi scores!

[San Juan 18 – 20 Lublin]

“He’s brought them within two!”

“That’s the Taichi we know! The anchor of San Juan!”

“More than the spike—I want to praise San Juan’s defence for that play,” Lim said. “That was textbook-level coordination between defence and offence!”

“I noticed it too!” David chimed in proudly.

“Taichi and Oikawa’s chemistry plugged the last remaining hole in San Juan’s formation!”

“This is it!”

“Keep the pressure on!!!”

The crowd roared with renewed energy. Every eye in the arena was now fixed on Kaedehara Taichi.

—–

San Juan continued serving.

Bruno launched his third serve.

BOOM!!!

It was a surprise power jump serve—but poorly executed. The ball dropped awkwardly between Christensen and Paweł.

“Mine!”

Smack!

Paweł shifted over and handled it easily. Perfect reception.

Christensen jumped from the back to set. Ramos moved up to block.

BAM!!!

Christensen attacked with a left-handed dump!

“A fake set into an attack?!”

“That’s right! And Christensen’s dumps are notoriously hard to stop one-on-one!”

The ball slipped past the block on the right side—

Smack!

Taichi covered it cleanly—slightly off, but playable!

“Ball’s in play—San Juan is setting up a counterattack!”

Oikawa bumped it up—Taichi adjusted his form, sprinted from the back row, and leapt for another attack!

“Triple block!”

“This is the fourth straight rotation where Taichi has faced a full triple block from Lublin!”

BOOM!!!

The ball clipped Kurek’s arm and deflected far out of bounds.

Touch out!

Kaedehara Taichi scores again!

[San Juan 19 – 20 Lublin]

“Only one point away!”

“This was a huge misplay by Christensen—his urge to attack backfired, giving San Juan a golden opportunity!”

“If they’d just set to León, it probably would’ve been a point,” Zaytsev remarked. “But Lublin isn’t a team that relies on León alone. That’s why they’ve led—and why they left themselves open.”

“His timing for that dump was great. I doubt many would’ve seen through it,” said Alexander.

Trentino hadn’t had much success against Christensen either.

“Taichi’s reading ability is terrifying,” Fabio said. “Even from the libero’s position, I might not have saved that one.”

“Probably wasn’t the motion,” Kageyama Tobio chimed in.

“It was the rotation.”

“Christensen wanted to attack—so he had to jump set from the back. Before he even moved, Taichi had already read him.”

“Even if things look bad, as long as Taichi’s on the court…”

“As long as he’s there, something will change.”

—–

That silent determination burned in every San Juan player’s eyes.

“Tch. Annoying as hell,” Kurek muttered.

Taichi’s eyes held not a hint of panic—not even in the face of their strongest block.

San Juan continued serving.

“Hold the line!” Paweł shouted.

Without a strong serve, Lublin would have to initiate from the back, while also splitting focus to defend.

And if Taichi managed to bring the score even—from five points behind—it would be a mental blow of the highest order.

That’s exactly why Coach Nikola hadn’t called a timeout—he couldn’t afford to give Taichi a breather.

He couldn’t afford to show even a sliver of weakness.

“Tweet!—”

The whistle blew.

Bruno served for the fourth time—

After learning from the previous serve, Bruno went with his signature: a jump float serve.

The ball dropped toward the front right side of Lublin’s court—between Jakub and Kurek.

Smack!

Kurek handled it, though the reception was slightly off.

Christensen moved in to set—only two hitters were available up front.

Whoosh!—

The ball sailed high toward the left wing.

At this moment, the only thing that mattered for Lublin was securing this next point.

Thud!

León rose into the air and launched his spike!

“Triple block!” Ramos, Conti, and Oikawa jumped to meet him.

Taichi stood ready, eyes locked onto León in midair.

“Come on…let’s see your choice.”

Objectively, Oikawa’s block added little in terms of height—but that wasn’t the point.

He and Conte were both there to cloud León’s vision—to increase the pressure.

“There’s no one left to cover the gap behind. Will you try again anyway?”

“Interesting…”

León drew his arm far behind him.

Their eyes met—Taichi’s intense, unwavering.

Then León swung with all his might!

Taichi took a step back, then the moment the ball left León’s hand, he dug his toes into the floor, calves tightening, and used the recoil to launch himself forward.

SMACK!

“He got it!!!”

“That speed—he’s not human!”

But the force of the ball sent Taichi stumbling. His form was off—he could only manage a soft bump to keep it alive.

“Save it!”

The ball flew out of bounds—but Santiago chased it down, diving to push it back into play.

Taichi staggered, then broke into a run.

Mid-sprint, he adjusted his posture and jumped from the back row for a spike!

“Is he insane?!”

León, Jakub, and Kurek all went up for the block.

“If you’re going to be that arrogant—then we’ll make you regret it!”

Swish!

“——?!”

Taichi’s hand swung through empty air.

“A feint?!”

“Taichi’s presence was so overwhelming, it drew every single blocker! All of Lublin bit on the fake!”

Conte followed right behind—leaping to spike!

Thud!

León dropped his weight in an instant, landed, and immediately jumped again.

A one-on-one at the net: Conte vs. León.

BOOM!—

—Smack!

The ball struck León’s arm and popped back into the air—a rebound!

“At a critical moment like this, of course the ball goes to our ace!” Conte smiled for the first time.

“Free ball!”

Santiago calmly received it.

Oikawa jumped, perfectly poised for the set.

Taichi had time—plenty of it.

His steps were sharp, controlled, his approach explosive.

He launched into the air from the back row!

“Triple block again.”

Their fifth head-to-head at the net.

The audience leaned forward instinctively—some even stood.

BOOOOM!!!

SMACK!!!

The ball punched through the gap between Jakub and Kurek and slammed down on Lublin’s three-meter line.

Devastating. Unstoppable.

Kaedehara Taichi scores!

[San Juan 20 – 20 Lublin]

Tie game.

As Taichi landed, he didn’t spare Lublin a glance.

He turned straight to his teammates.

“Looks like you’ve all calmed down,” he said with a smile.

“Now…let’s go win this.”

“Yeah!!!”

“Beep! Lublin called for a timeout.”

The momentum had completely shifted.

The stadium echoed with chants for Kaedehara Taichi and San Juan.

—–

San Juan bench.

“Thank you, Taichi,” Conte said seriously.

“Nice rebound on that last point,” Taichi said softly.

“After all, we’ve been rivals for the ace spot for a long time now. Don’t fall behind, Conte.”

“Mm.” Conte nodded.

“Thanks to you, I remembered something,” Conte said, eyes drifting toward the Lublin bench.

“I’ve always wanted to beat León—To become the world’s number one outside hitter.”

“At the very least…I want to share the court with players like you.”

—–

Timeout over. The match resumed.

“Relax,” León told his teammates calmly.

“Victory is still ours. As long as we play to our standard—we won’t lose.”

“Tweet!—” The whistle blew.

Bruno served the fifth ball!

BOOM!!!

The ball again targeted the front row.

Kurek stepped aside—Ushijima Wakatoshi moved in and received it cleanly.

Pass slightly off-centre.

Christensen jumped from the front row to set.

“Despite the pressure, Lublin’s movements haven’t faltered. Their rhythm remains intact.”

León and Kurek launched from opposite wings.

San Juan’s blockers had to split.

Whoosh!—

The set flew to the left wing—León rose up, facing Ramos in a one-on-one!

BOOM!!!

The spike tore past the left edge of the block and slammed down right on San Juan’s sideline.

Line shot. Perfectly placed.

León scores!

[San Juan 20 – 21 Lublin]

“Keep attacking,” León signalled to his teammates.

“We’re still in control.”

“Lublin finally breaks the streak. Even after being tied by Taichi’s five-point run, their players are showing no signs of panic.”

“For a team under pressure, they’re remarkably composed.”

Serve change. Lublin to serve.

Kurek launched a power jump serve!

BOOM!!!

The serve smashed into Taichi’s arm and bounced high.

“Lublin isn’t changing their strategy—they’re still targeting Taichi with every serve.”

“It’s like they’re saying: ‘We took the lead before with this tactic—and we’ll do it again.'”

The ball arced toward the front—pass just slightly off.

Oikawa jumped, faking a set and drawing Christensen’s attention.

“I heard what you said. Let’s see if we’re ‘back’—this next point will prove it!”

Whoosh!—

The ball sailed to the far left—Conte jumped for the spike!

“Double block!” León and Jakub went up!

BOOM!!!

The ball slipped between the block and the net, landing precisely behind Christensen.

Kurek couldn’t reach it in time.

Waist-level. Line shot.

Conte scores!

[San Juan 21 – 21 Lublin]

“León—!”

“The one standing before you now…Is San Juan’s former ace—Facundo Conte!”

—–

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by readnovel.co