Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 396: The Strongest Middle Blocker (Double-Length)

"Ahahaha, breaking through Date Tech's block with brute force alone? Yeah, good luck with that."

Kaedehara Taichi burst into laughter without restraint after watching Suna Rintarō get cleanly stuffed. Behind him, the rest of Aoba Johsai glared at him with resentment—after all, just about everyone on their team had tasted the sting of being blocked by Date Tech at some point.

[Suna Rintarō—Middle Blocker: Overall Rating: 89; Height: 186 cm, Strength: 82, Jump: 90, Stamina: 90, Speed: 90; Key Attributes: Block: 90, Spike: 92.]

Hirugami Sachirō, Aone Takanobu, Suna Rintarō—Kaedehara Taichi mentally listed the three names that, to him, represented the current top-tier middle blockers in high school volleyball.

Though Hirugami and Aone leaned more toward defence while Suna was an offensive powerhouse, all three were undeniably well-rounded, capable on both sides of the ball.

Date Tech continued their serve.

Futakuchi Kenji once again aimed his jump float serve at Suna Rintarō.

Bang!

It drifted backwards?

Smack!

Suna backpedalled and managed to dig the ball.

The receive wasn't perfect—but for Miya Atsumu, it was more than enough.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew to the middle, and Ginjima Hitoshi leapt in for the spike.

"Double block!" Koganegawa Kanji and Aone Takanobu were right there in front of him, hands perfectly placed.

Boom!!!—

Ginjima's spike won out in speed. The ball sliced through Koganegawa's left side and smashed into Date Tech's back row.

Smack!

Sakunami Kōsuke picked it up.

"Use high-pressure blocks to restrict the opponent's angles—it makes the receives much easier," Yūki Yōji observed sharply from the sideline. "Date Tech's defence is seriously levelling up."

"It's not just that," Kunimi Akira added, brows furrowed as he watched the positions shifting on the court. "There are new movements too."

Nothing fostered rapid growth like the pressure of a national-level match.

Kimura Ryōta quickly rotated into position, and Date Tech launched a front-row triple attack. Obara Yutaka, Koganegawa Kanji, and Aone Takanobu all jumped simultaneously.

Whoosh—!

Date Tech's toss prioritised height above all else.

BOOM!!!

Koganegawa spiked past Ginjima's solo block for the point.

[Inarizaki 2 - 4 Date Tech]

If you only compared raw skills, Ginjima Hitoshi—now a third-year—clearly outclassed Koganegawa in every category. However, that height advantage…was absolutely merciless. It crushed those minor disparities without mercy.

[Ginjima Hitoshi—Outside Hitter: Overall Rating: 87; Height: 181 cm, Strength: 88, Jump: 86, Stamina: 90, Speed: 86; Key Attributes: Receive: 86, Spike: 88.]

On paper, it was a first attack vs. first defence battle between Ginjima and Koganegawa—but performance-wise, Koganegawa was dominating.

Date Tech scored again.

Like sly foxes and omnivorous crows, some teams could take in every kind of attack and weaponise it. Yet in front of Date Tech's iron wall, even a team like Inarizaki—with their arsenal of complex attacks—found that nearly 80% of their attempts were being shut down cold…

Futakuchi Kenji served his third ball.

"This guy is seriously starting to piss me off…"

Smack!

Suna Rintarō dug it again—his third reception in a row.

Miya Atsumu jumped on the far left side as if to spike, but from behind Suna, Miya Osamu appeared and set the ball instead!

A hyper-quick—a twin variant, in reverse!

"Double block!" Obara and Koganegawa immediately followed—it was a speed they were used to by now.

Boom!

Ginjima came flying down the middle with the spike and landed the point.

[Inarizaki 3 - 4 Date Tech]

"They fell for it?!"

"It was a decoy!"

With the Miya twins' perfect coordination, Ginjima got a clean swing against an empty net, slicing through Date Tech's line for a flawless score!

"Hey—!"

Atsumu and Osamu smacked hands with a cheer. This was what happened when Japan's top high school setter teamed up with one of the nation's top five wing spikers.

"You two are seriously disgusting in that creepy twin way…" Suna muttered half-heartedly. "Oh, and that was a compliment, by the way."

Service changed. Inarizaki now had the serve.

Miya Atsumu walked up to the line—and Date Tech braced for war.

So far, across the first two sets, Atsumu had scored seven direct service aces. And that wasn't even counting the times his serves broke the opponent's reception formation and gave Inarizaki an indirect scoring chance.

[Miya Atsumu—Setter: Overall Rating: 93.5; Height: 184 cm, Strength: 88, Jump: 90, Stamina: 95, Speed: 90; Key Attributes: Serve: 99, Set: 99.]

[Miya Osamu—Outside Hitter: Overall Rating: 90; Height: 184.5 cm, Strength: 90, Jump: 90, Stamina: 90, Speed: 90; Key Attributes: Receive: 90, Set: 90, Spike: 90.]

"Tweet!—"

The whistle blew for serve.

Here it comes!

BOOM!!!

The ball roared through the air like a gust of wind.

Smack!

"Save it!" Kimura Ryōta barely kept it alive.

He thought it would be targeted at Koganegawa again—but no!

Sakunami Kōsuke dove out of bounds, managing to return the ball. Futakuchi Kenji attacked from the back row but didn't have enough power to clear the net.

"Free ball!"

Sakurai Shōta shouted as the receive came up clean.

Atsumu leapt in the front row for the toss. They didn't even need to account for a second-touch dump anymore, but—

Ginjima, Suna, and Osamu all surged forward.

Three attackers in the front row. It spread out Date Tech's blockers—but none of them took the bait and jumped early.

Whoosh—!

The ball soared to the far right. Koganegawa immediately sprinted into position.

"Double block!" Koganegawa and Aone jumped up to meet Osamu.

Even against a full triple attack formation, Date Tech would still make sure to pressure the attacker with at least two blockers!

Boom!!—

Beautiful angle!

Osamu struck with a crisp cross-court spike that slammed into the three-meter line on Date Tech's left side.

Point, Osamu!

[Inarizaki 4 - 4 Date Tech]

—"What a phenomenal exchange!"

—"Date Tech's block adjusted instantly—they weren't shaken and held their wall! But Miya Osamu didn't hesitate—he made the call and went for it!"

—"Inarizaki caught up in the blink of an eye!"

"Don't mind! Next ball!" Futakuchi called out.

They had already managed to receive the first ball this time. Compared to the first set, that was a huge improvement.

Atsumu served again.

Of course—he was targeting Koganegawa once more!

The serve floated, dipped just over the net, and dropped sharply.

Koganegawa dove forward, barely managing to dig it.

"Tch."

Futakuchi scrambled up from the back row, quickly got under it, and set high to the right. Aone Takanobu jumped for the spike.

"Triple block!" Ginjima, Suna, and Osamu all went up to meet him.

BOOM!!!

Smack!

The ball hit Suna's hands and shot high into the air.

"Chance ball!"

Suna had absorbed the impact perfectly. Though the ball soared high, it still hovered within Inarizaki's court.

Sakurai Shōta moved to receive it—

"I got it!" Atsumu called out, stepping in first.

Whoosh—!

Miya Atsumu's set was a first-touch toss straight to the net.

"That bastard," Suna Rintarō growled as the ball came soaring toward him, irritation bubbling up. "Seriously, what the hell is his problem?"

Thud!

Despite the timing, Suna barely managed to jump. The only blocker on the other side able to keep up was Koganegawa Kanji.

Boom!

The ball slammed into the floor—Suna Rintarō scored.

[Inarizaki 5 - 4 Date Tech]

Inarizaki took three straight points and seized the lead!

"Rintarō! That spike was beautiful!" Atsumu beamed, scooting up with a grin as if expecting praise.

"Bastard, can you think about how other people are feeling for once?" Suna muttered angrily. "I just finished blocking, y'know!"

"But you still did it, didn't ya?" Atsumu replied, completely unfazed. "Their blockers didn't even catch up to you."

"That's why it pisses me off!" Suna pouted.

"Let's go, Atsumu! Serve it well!"

"Another one, Rintarō!"

The Inarizaki cheer squad was fired up.

Atsumu served his third ball.

BOOM!!!

This time, he aimed at Date Tech's libero.

Smack!

Sakunami Kōsuke received the serve solidly.

"This idiot's getting cocky again," Coach Ōmi Tarō muttered, facepalming.

Koganegawa Kanji leapt up for the toss.

"Is the setting point always this high?!" Miya Osamu jumped right after Koganegawa, matching his movement.

Whoosh!

But Koganegawa only gently pushed the ball to the right—Aone Takanobu leapt for the spike.

Suna jumped to block.

BOOM!!!

The ball hit the edge of the right sideline on Inarizaki's side and flew out.

Aone Takanobu scored!

[Inarizaki 5 - 5 Date Tech]

"Damn it, what is with teams from Miyagi being so damn tough?!"

Both teams were relentless with their attacks, neither willing to yield a point easily. The score remained neck-and-neck, with no room to pull away.

-----

Aone Takanobu leapt for another spike.

"Double block!" Suna and Osamu jumped up together.

This time for sure—we're shutting him down!

Whoosh—!

Koganegawa sent the ball left—Obara Yutaka spiked through the open court and scored.

[Inarizaki 12 - 13 Date Tech]

"Ughhh! I can't believe I got tricked by that guy!" Atsumu shouted from the back row in disbelief. "You guys are idiots!"

"Takes one to know one, jackass!" Osamu snapped back without hesitation.

Tch. It wasn't the setter that fooled us, Osamu thought. It's just that scary-looking big guy's presence is getting stronger with every attack…

Since this was the final set, Date Tech's 13th point triggered the court switch.

For Inarizaki, there was one piece of good news—Aone Takanobu had rotated to the back row. After this service turn, he'd be out for a while.

Date Tech serve.

Aone Takanobu launched a powerful jump serve.

BOOM!!!

Smack!

"Damn it, that hurt!" Atsumu winced, forced to make the receive.

Without Atsumu to set, and Osamu having to cover the toss, Inarizaki temporarily lost an attacker up front.

Whoosh!—

The ball floated to the centre. Suna leapt for a spike.

"Triple block!" Fukiage Jingo, Obara Yutaka, and Koganegawa all rose together.

Suna didn't panic—he twisted his body to the left.

Unlike most spikers who were strongest at hitting straight or cross shots from the wings, Suna's flexibility made him more dangerous from the middle. His powerful waist rotation allowed him to strike sharp angles in either direction.

"No way!" Fukiage Jingo dropped his arms to his left front, sealing off the cross-court shot.

But in doing so, the block opened a gap.

Boom!!—

Suna's arm sliced the ball cleanly through the opening.

The ball landed—Suna Rintarō scored.

[Inarizaki 13 - 13 Date Tech]

"His body leaned left, but the ball still went straight," Kindaichi Yūtarō frowned, picturing himself in the blocking position. "I totally got fooled…"

"Kindaichi, how would you block that?" Taichi asked curiously.

Even if Suna kept a normal posture, he could still swing either straight or cross. With that twist in his torso, the angle only widened.

Which meant a blocker would have to guess right—twice—in the air, in the blink of an eye.

And even then, you'd have to keep up with the movement…

"It's too hard. I don't think I could stop him," Kindaichi said glumly.

"Idiot." Taichi thumped him lightly on the head. "Just don't move."

"Huh?" Kindaichi blinked. "You mean only block the straight shot? But then—"

"Isn't Daiki behind you?" Taichi cut him off. "You block the straight, Daiki covers the cross. Easy."

"Huh…?" Kindaichi froze. That…actually made sense. Maybe he didn't need to stop Suna by himself.

"Instead of flailing your hands and messing up the back line's view, it's better to trust your teammates to make the play," Taichi added, resting his chin in his hands as he gazed toward the court. "But hey, I really do hope that someday, when people talk about the best middle blockers in high school—they mention you, Kindaichi."

"I…"

"Just keep thinking. You're not any worse than them." Taichi turned back and gave him a reassuring smile.

-----

Side-out. Inarizaki serve.

Ginjima Hitoshi launched a powerful jump serve—Sakunami Kōsuke received it.

With Aone Takanobu on the back line and Kimura Ryōta still in the rear rotation, Date Tech's offensive threat had dropped significantly.

Whoosh—!

Wary of Suna's blocking, Date Tech aimed for the middle.

Obara Yutaka avoided Osamu's block and spiked. Sakurai Shōta dug it up cleanly.

"Heisuke!"

From the far backline, Atsumu launched the ball straight to the right wing.

Riseki Heisuke jumped, no hesitation in his swing despite the back-set. He didn't have the refined control of someone like Kiryū Wakatsu. Balls like this weren't his speciality.

But Heisuke believed in Inarizaki's top-tier setter. He knew the ball would reach him.

"Double block!" Obara and Koganegawa jumped in unison.

BOOM!—

The ball cut past Obara's left side and soared toward the deep corner—a sharp diagonal cross.

Kimura Ryōta dove for the ball.

Smack!

It flew out of bounds. Heisuke Riseki scored.

[Inarizaki 14 - 13 Date Tech]

"Hm? Isn't that the same guy who served in the final set last year?" Yahaba Shigeru glanced up from the bench.

He remembered Heisuke well—Inarizaki's only first-year to play last year. His serve had left a lasting impression.

"Didn't think he'd be a starter this year—and with a spike like that?"

[Riseki Heisuke—Outside Hitter: Overall Rating: 87.5; Height: 186 cm, Strength: 90, Jump: 85, Stamina: 88, Speed: 82; Key Attributes: Serve: 90, Spike: 90.]

"Ohhh! That was a beauty!" Atsumu laughed brightly.

"Inarizaki's counterattack…is just getting started!"

_________

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