The Moving "Chaos Aura"

"Now that I've got the feel for it, let's keep this going on the next ball."

Kageyama Tobio stared at his hands, the subtle sensation in his fingertips still lingering. It was like a player who had just unlocked a new skill, eager to find a training dummy and test out the damage.

Lu Ren stood beside him, stretching his wrists as he delivered a cool, cutting remark, "Yeah, you should definitely hurry. If this kid's CPU overheats and restarts, turning him back into the 'serve-headshot' state from the first set, we can basically call this game."

Hinata Shoyo, who had been bouncing with excitement like a husky just let out of its cage, bristled at the words, his face turning a deep shade of purple. "No, that won't happen! That will absolutely never happen again!"

"I hope not," Lu Ren shrugged. "After all, the back of my head isn't as tough as Kageyama's."

The referee's whistle blew, and the match resumed.

The score was 1-1.

Sawamura Daichi stood at the baseline with the ball. The captain's serve lacked the killer instinct of Kageyama's or the flashy flair of Oikawa Tōru, but it was steady.

The volleyball traced a smooth arc, landing in Aoba Johsai's backcourt.

"I got it!"

The libero, Du Qin Zhi, stepped forward with a clean, efficient movement. The ball hit his forearms and was sent reliably to the net.

First pass, in position.

Aoba Johsai's substitute setter, Hideshi Yahaba, quickly moved into place. While he didn't possess the suffocating pressure of Tōru Oikawa, his fundamental setting skills were solid. He pushed the ball forward with both hands, sending it towards the right wing.

There was Kunimi Akira.

This first-year, who always seemed to have his eyes half-closed and a perpetually sleepy look, ran an exceptionally clear route. His jump timing wasn't early, and his height wasn't exaggerated.

At the net, Tanaka Ryūnosuke and Tsukishima Kei had already set up a double block.

"No way you're getting past!" Tanaka roared, pressing his arms down forcefully.

Kunimi Akira showed no panic in mid-air. He didn't opt for a direct power hit. Instead, he rotated his wrist with extreme flexibility, gently brushing the side of the volleyball with his palm.

The ball didn't crash to the floor. Instead, it hit Tsukishima Kei's outstretched fingertips and bounced backward, flying high before landing within Aoba Johsai's court.

A block-out? No, it was using the block to create an opportunity ball.

"You can do that?" Hinata's eyes widened, as if witnessing something incredible.

"That guy..." Lu Ren narrowed his eyes. This playstyle was typical of "exploiting mechanics." Instead of aiming for an instant kill, he sought weaknesses by resetting the attack timing. Kunimi Akira was quite the veteran PVP player.

Aoba Johsai reacted swiftly. Hanamaki Takahiro easily bumped the rebounding ball, sending it back towards the net.

"Let's run another one!" Yahaba Shigeru shouted.

This time, the ball was set to the left wing.

Iwaizumi Hajime had already completed his approach.

This ace of Aoba Johsai had a completely different aura from the lazy Kunimi Akira. Each step he took on the floor resounded with a dull thud, and he charged forward like a heavy tank.

"Block him!"

Tanaka and Tsukishima jumped again.

Iwaizumi Hajime tensed his abs in mid-air, swinging his arm in a wide arc. There were no fancy techniques, just a pure release of power.

"CRACK!"

The volleyball slammed heavily against the outside of Tanaka's forearm. The immense impact directly broke through the block, deflecting the ball as it flew out and smashed onto the floor outside the court.

The referee raised his flag. Aoba Johsai scored.

The score was 2-1.

"Nice shot, Iwaizumi-senpai!"

Aoba Johsai's players cheered loudly. After landing, Iwaizumi Hajime simply high-fived his teammates, his face displaying a calm demeanor that said, "Just a normal play, nothing to see here."

"This is the kind of intensity a BOSS fight should have," Lu Ren glanced at the scoreboard. That last spike wasn't a failure of Karasuno's block; it was a pure stat difference. They failed the power check and were forcibly defense-broken.

It was Aoba Johsai's turn to serve.

The ball came in fast, with intense spin.

"Daichi-senpai!"

"Leave it to me!"

Sawamura Daichi lowered his center of gravity, his footwork incredibly quick as he intercepted the ball before it could hit the floor. Although his receiving form was a bit clumsy, the ball obediently flew towards the setter's position.

"Nice first pass!"

Kageyama Tobio stood at the net, his gaze sweeping across the entire court in an instant.

At that moment, an orange figure suddenly moved.

Hinata Shoyo didn't sprint directly. Instead, like a startled rabbit, he cut a bizarre zigzag across the court. He charged from the left side of the court into the middle, his soles screeching against the floor.

Fast.

Too fast.

That unreserved running speed carried a kind of blind confidence, as if believing, "As long as the ball hasn't landed, I can reach it."

On the opposite side of the net, Kindaichi Yutaro's nerves instantly tensed. The image of that blind-quick attack still lingered in his mind.

"The same move again?"

His body reacted faster than his brain. Kindaichi moved laterally, following Hinata's run, and Iwaizumi Hajime next to him was swept up by the momentum, instinctively closing in on the center.

Hinata stomped on the ground in the middle and leaped into the air.

"Defend the center!" Kindaichi yelled, jumping up as well.

The arms of the two blockers formed a high wall at the net, completely sealing off all of Hinata's spike routes.

However, Hinata's hand swung through empty air.