Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty - Chapter 608: Hunger (Double-Length)
“Completely misread?!”
“Oikawa fooled Lublin’s blockers with a one-handed set!”
“Just one play—and San Juan breaks León’s serving rotation!”
“Incredible! They’re showing a completely different side compared to Set 2…”
The technical timeout ended. The match resumed.
“Beep! Lublin requests a substitution.”
“Akutsu Ao IN, Bartosz Kurek OUT.”
[Akutsu Ao—Outside Hitter:Height: 196 cm
Serve: 97 | Receive: 94 | Dig: 92 | Set: 92 | Spike: 99| Block: 96
Spike Reach: 365 cm /Block Reach: 340 cm.]
“Interesting decision—Lublin makes a lineup change at this stage,” analyst David commented. “In previous matches, Akutsu usually rotates with Ushijima, but today, Coach Nikola has taken out Kurek.”
“Given they’re trailing, this sub clearly sacrifices some blocking height.”
“It makes you wonder—what are they planning?”
San Juan to serve.
“Tweet!—”
Conte tossed the ball, took off, and smashed it over.
BOOM!!!
León received it—a shaky pass, Christenson moved in to cover and set.
“Give it to me!!!”
Akutsu roared as he leapt up the left sideline.
“…This guy…”
Taichi, drawn toward the left, sighed helplessly. Even Loser couldn’t help but glance over at Akutsu’s aggressive movement.
Whoosh!—
The ball flew far right—Ushijima launched into the air!
Loser shifted across from the middle and went up solo for the block.
BOOM!!!
A clean, powerful left-handed hit—Ushijima hammered the ball into the centre of San Juan’s court.
Ushijima scores!
[San Juan 16 – 12 Lublin]
“Tch.”
Akutsu shot a look of annoyance at Christenson, who didn’t seem to care at all.
On the sidelines, Coach Nikola clapped softly, clearly satisfied.
Akutsu wasn’t dramatically different from Kurek in terms of stats. He was slightly better in reception and defence, but clearly lacked in blocking. So it wasn’t a technical decision that brought him on court.
It was about mindset.
Obsession with offence. Obsession with being the ace. Obsession with winning.
That’s the kind of player Lublin needed on the court right now.
Lublin to serve.
Akutsu jumped and smashed a power serve—
BOOOM!!!
The ball tore through the space between Oikawa and Santiago—
THUD!!
“OUT!”
The serve slammed into the floor just beyond San Juan’s baseline.
Akutsu’s serve goes out.
[San Juan 17 – 12 Lublin]
“Dammit,” Akutsu muttered under his breath.
San Juan to serve.
“Scary guy, huh?” Oikawa joked with a mock-shiver as he returned to the front row.
“Tweet!—”
Bruno sent over a controlled jump float serve—
Smack!!
Akutsu handled it cleanly—not a perfect pass, but decent.
“Wait, what? That touch was so smooth…”
Bruno raised an eyebrow in surprise and hurried back into defensive position.
Christenson jumped in the front row to set—Oikawa positioned himself directly in front.
“Playing cautious?”
Christenson glanced at him—but if he truly wanted to go for a dump set, one blocker wouldn’t stop him…
Whoosh!—
The ball flew to the high middle—Ushijima went up!
“Left side!”
Akutsu came charging in from the back row for a surprise pipe attack—but this time, San Juan didn’t fall for the bait.
“Double block!” Taichi and Loser leapt in front of Ushijima!
BOOM!!!
The ball ricocheted off Loser’s arm and flew out of bounds.
“A wicked spin!”
Loser hadn’t expected a middle attack to result in a touch-out so easily.
SMACK!
Bruno dug the ball up—Oikawa moved in and set again.
Whoosh!—
Taichi came sprinting in from the side and jumped for the spike!
“Double block!” Bieniek and Christenson went up!
—BOOM!!!
The ball soared over Christenson’s hands and slammed off León’s arm—flying out of bounds. Paweł gave chase.
“Give it to me!”
Akutsu yelled, sprinting from the back row.
Thud!
The ball arced toward the net. Akutsu tensed his arm and swung hard!
“Double block!”
BOOOM!!!
The ball cut past Loser’s right side, slamming into the back right corner of San Juan’s court!
A brutal diagonal!
SMACK!!!
The ball struck Bruno’s arm and shot out of bounds.
Akutsu scores!
[San Juan 17 – 13 Lublin]
“Great hit!”
“Akutsu’s back-row diagonal was deadly sharp!”
“Even with an off-set, he went for a full-force attack—amazing control!”
“The trajectory was ambiguous—right on the edge of going out. Bruno hesitated just a split second—and that made all the difference.”
Lublin to serve.
“Hey kid, serve it right,” Akutsu growled.
“…Okay.”
Ushijima showed no change in expression.
“You do realise you just missed your serve, right? Don’t let him get to you,” Paweł chuckled.
“Mm.” Ushijima nodded calmly. In truth, he took it as encouragement—Akutsu just had a strange way of motivating others.
“Tweet!—”
Ushijima launched a powerful left-handed jump serve—
BOOM!!!
SMACK!!!
Santiago received it, but fell backward—off-balance. The ball popped high into the air.
Oikawa sprinted into position, setting the ball to centre. Taichi leapt for the hit!
“Triple block!” Christenson, Jakub, and León jumped together.
BOOM!!!—
The ball split through just past León’s right side and struck Akutsu in the back row—out of bounds!
A sharp line shot!
Taichi scores!
[San Juan 23 – 20 Lublin]
“Lublin’s been under pressure this entire set!”
“No one expected Conte to get completely unleashed…” Coach Nikola frowned slightly.
There was no question—San Juan’s biggest change from the first two sets was how smoothly Conte’s offence was flowing.
Taichi and Conte were both all-around players. With Taichi covering more and more ground, Conte could focus solely on attacking.
“And that setter is the key,” Nikola muttered, tapping his clipboard.
Even with the third set slipping away, he didn’t look the least bit flustered.
—–
San Juan to serve.
Coach Nikola raised both hands, signalling a shift in formation. León spotted the gesture and nodded with a smile.
“…These guys?”
Oikawa felt a chill creep up his spine.
“Tweet!—”
Taichi tossed the ball, ran up, jumped—and struck with full force.
BOOOM!!!
“No matter what tricks you’re planning, this set is ours!”
The serve curved sharply with heavy sidespin, targeting the back right corner of Lublin’s court.
SMACK!!!
Akutsu barely managed to receive it—and the ball flew out of bounds.
Paweł dove and barely kept the ball in play—Jakub jumped and sent it over with a no-spike free ball.
“Chance ball!”
Santiago easily received it—perfect pass.
Oikawa leapt in the front row to set.
“What a waste having León defend a second-touch attack.”
Whoosh!—
Oikawa sent the ball flying to the far left—Conte jumped and went for the spike!
“Double block!” Christenson and Jakub went up together.
—BOOM!!!
High contact spike!
The ball cleared Christenson’s block by inches.
Conte was on fire. He had spotted Ushijima lurking in the back row and angled his spike low to avoid him. It was a tough shot—but not for Conte in this form.
Ushijima, recognising it was a lost cause, didn’t even move.
Conte’s lips began to curve into a smirk—until his pupils shrank in surprise.
SMACK!
Paweł made the dig!
What?! How is he in that position?!
Conte glanced at position 5—Paweł was supposed to be there—
But it was León!
When Oikawa’s set went out wide, León realised he couldn’t make it to the block, so he rotated into the back row—allowing Paweł to step forward for coverage!
Ushijima now moved—setting the ball high to the middle.
Thud!
León came charging in from the back, took one step, and launched into the air!
“Double block!” Conte and Ramos jumped together.
BOOM!!!
The ball slipped through the block, smashing down on the left sideline of San Juan’s court!
León scores!
[San Juan 23 – 21 Lublin]
“Lublin’s defensive coverage was lightning-fast—perfect rotation!”
“Taichi’s service rotation ends scoreless!”
Side change—Lublin to serve.
“It’s Christenson!”
“Lublin hasn’t given up on Set 3—they’re just two points behind!”
Christenson went up for a power serve—
BOOM!!!
Smack!!
Taichi received it—a shaky pass.
The rally felt like it had rewound to Set 1—Taichi tied down by the serve, Oikawa stepping in to set, Conte attacking from the left!
“Triple block!” Jakub, León, and Akutsu jumped together!
“Again? Triple block?!”
Conte scanned the court midair—his wrist snapped sharply as he slammed the ball.
BOOM!!!
It tore through the gap between the block and the net—slamming towards Lublin’s right sideline.
SMACK!
Paweł dug it up!
“So they pushed the libero forward because Conte can’t spike over León?”
Oikawa scrutinised Lublin’s formation.
Ushijima moved in to support—Akutsu leapt from the back row for the spike!
“Double block!” Conte and Ramos jumped up!
BOOM!!!
The ball slipped between their hands—touch-out at the net!
Akutsu scores!
[San Juan 23 – 22 Lublin]
“They’re back in it!”
“Conte’s spike was stopped, and Lublin countered right away!”
“Still, Conte’s shot wasn’t off—it’s just that Lublin suddenly figured out how to block him!”
“There’s no magic trick,” Oikawa muttered bitterly. “They shifted their joint block from Taichi to Conte.”
“Those bastards—they’ve built a defence specifically to neutralise Conte as the finisher!”
“That’s why they locked down Taichi first.”
Lublin continued to serve.
Christenson stepped up for his second serve.
BOOM!!!
The ball curved between Santiago and Taichi—tilting slightly rightward.
“I got it!”
Taichi stepped across to receive it.
Smack!!!
A high pass. Oikawa slowed the tempo—Taichi had plenty of time to prepare for the spike.
“That guy!”
Lublin’s blockers split—León went one-on-one with Taichi.
BAM!!!
But Oikawa rotated midair—a second-touch spike!
SMACK!
The ball flew off Ushijima’s arm—out of bounds!
Paweł couldn’t reach it in time.
Oikawa scores!
[San Juan 24 – 22 Lublin]
“Is that a warning?” Paweł muttered, staring at Oikawa.
Dealing with Taichi was already a headache—now this guy was throwing in sudden second-touch attacks too?
San Juan reaches 24 points—two set points in hand.
“Focus! It’s not over yet—don’t let up for a second!”
Oikawa shouted.
We’re not letting Set 1 happen again.
“Tweet!—”
Oikawa tossed the ball, ran up, and smashed it with everything he had!
BOOM!!!
The serve targeted the gap between Ushijima and Akutsu.
Smack!!
Ushijima took the serve—an imperfect pass.
Christenson covered and set the ball—a synchronised three-man attack from the front line!
Conte and Loser had to cover all three attackers.
Whoosh!—
BOOM!!!
Jakub hammered it down from the far left—right inside San Juan’s 3-meter line. Conte couldn’t recover in time.
THUD!!!
Jakub scores!
[San Juan 24 – 23 Lublin]
“Lublin stayed calm—even on a possible final play, Christenson didn’t blindly go to León.”
“Tensen, you’re being too conservative,” León commented.
“Block this next play—and I’ll hand the next attack to you,” Christenson said coolly.
“Tch, bargaining now, are we?”
León crouched, his eyes sharpening.
Side change—Lublin to serve.
Jakub launched a power jump serve—
BOOM!!!
Oikawa received it—perfect pass.
Bruno stepped in for the second touch.
Conte, Ramos from the front, and Taichi from the back all moved to attack.
“Middle!” León shouted.
Bruno chose the safest option—high set to the middle.
Conte went up for the hit!
“Triple block!” León and Akutsu switched—León was now in the middle.
“Perfect.”
Conte aimed toward Jakub in the far back—high contact spike!
“—?!”
A hand suddenly came over Akutsu’s side—León!
His palm caught Conte’s spike!
SMACK!
León’s hand deflected the ball, but kept it up!
“One touch!”
Ushijima dug the ball cleanly. Christenson chuckled and set the ball to the middle.
León leapt once more—
“Double block!” Conte and Ramos went up!
—BOOM!!!
High contact again!
Smack!!
Taichi dug it up!
The pass wasn’t perfect— but Taichi charged forward.
“I knew it’d come to this.”
From the back line, Oikawa chuckled and tossed the ball high for a middle attack.
Thud!
Taichi jumped!
“Triple block!”
This time, Lublin put Akutsu in the centre of the wall.
Ushijima waited in the back for the spike.
Want me to go over the block? Nope.
Taichi swung with full force, his wrist snapping downward at the last second!
BOOOM!!!
The ball struck Akutsu’s arm and dropped in front of him.
“Damn it!”
SMACK!
Ball lands. Touch-out.
Taichi scores!
[San Juan 25 – 23 Lublin]
The volleyball rolled to Taichi’s feet.
He raised his palms slightly—fingers curled.
“Come on. Now you’re the challengers.”
_________
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by readnovel.co