In today's game, the first to serve was Inarizaki!
And in their rotation, the first to step up was the second-year setter—Atsumu Miya!
As a top-tier player, Atsumu excelled not only in setting but also in serving.
Having mastered both the jump float serve and the powerful jump serve, he had become a major threat that teams struggled to counter.
At Karasuno's strategy meeting the previous evening, Akira had brought up Atsumu's serves.
Because he used both types, it was hard to predict which one he would use before he hit the ball.
But Akira had noticed a detail.
It was in the number of steps Atsumu took after crossing the backline.
If he took four steps, it meant a jump float serve.
If it was six steps, it was the powerful jump serve.
So at this moment, everyone on Karasuno was watching Atsumu's footwork with bated breath!
Six steps!
It's the powerful jump serve!!
Then, standing outside the backline, Atsumu raised his left fist into the air.
In the stands, Inarizaki's cheerleaders—drums, chants, and cheers—all fell silent in an instant.
"So cool," Hinata murmured, eyes wide with excitement as he watched the scene.
Before anyone could react, Atsumu tossed the ball high into the air.
He took off! A full-speed approach!
And then—
Boom!!
The serve crashed straight into Karasuno's back row!!
The ball exploded between Daichi Sawamura and Asahi Azumane!
Atsumu Miya!
Service ace!!
Inarizaki takes the first point!
"Whoa…"
"What an insane serve!!"
Everyone on Karasuno stared in disbelief.
Even though they'd faced powerful jump serves from both Akira and Kageyama in practice, the sheer force behind this one still caught them off guard.
"Ha!"
"Don't panic!"
"Next one's mine!"
Yū Nishinoya held his breath and locked his eyes on Atsumu across the court.
During team training, they had frequently received jump serves from both Akira and Kageyama.
Thanks to that rigorous training, their serve reception had improved significantly.
That last one? It just caught him off guard.
If he got another shot at it—even if it wasn't perfect—he was confident he could receive it cleanly.
As Atsumu stepped back for his second serve, the Inarizaki cheerleaders roared to life again from the stands!
"Inarizaki! Let's go, Atsumu!!"
"One more!"
… …
Creak.
Back at the service line, Atsumu gave Karasuno's formation a quick glance and, after the referee's signal, prepared for his second serve.
Another six steps!
The entire Karasuno side watched him, eyes sharp and focused.
Boom!
Another devastating jump serve!
At the critical moment, Nishinoya lunged left!
Smack!
He received it!
And the ball flew with perfect control, sailing toward Kageyama.
Swish!
Kageyama stepped in, positioned under the ball, and sent it flying with a lightning-fast set!
"Right wing!!"
Inarizaki's front line immediately responded!
At the net stood Rintarō Suna, Osamu Miya, and Ren Ōmimi!
They jumped to block Akira's spike!
"Stop him!!" shouted Suna.
Aside from Atsumu's service ace, this was the first real clash between the two sides.
The importance of this point was crystal clear.
If they could shut it down, it would give Inarizaki a huge boost in momentum.
They'd seen Akira's spikes before—brutally strong.
But who here didn't have pride?
Even if his spike was powerful, what of it?
Without trying, how would they know if they couldn't block it?
With that resolve, the three blockers launched themselves upward!
And Akira, seeing the triple block in front of him, pushed even harder in the air, accelerating with everything he had!
Boom!!
The ball tore through the air, blasting past the triple block as if it didn't exist!
Inarizaki's back row had no time to react—the ball slammed into the court before they could even move!
In the instant before it hit, they could clearly see the volleyball flatten against the floor under the force of impact.
For a second, it looked like it might explode!
Boom!!
It wasn't until the ball bounced high into the air that the deafening sound reached their ears.
Creak!!
While some of them were still stunned, the referee's whistle cut through the gym.
Karasuno scores!
"Unbelievable!!"
"A crushing spike from Akira has shattered Inarizaki's iron-clad defense!"
"That was absolutely stunning!"
"In the first exchange of the match, Akira delivers a huge momentum shift for Karasuno!"
"Inarizaki will need to step it up from here!"
As the announcers' voices rang out, the Karasuno supporters erupted with cheers!
In the last few matches, Akira's electrifying plays had won over a huge number of fans.
Many had feared that against a powerhouse like Inarizaki, Akira might not be able to keep up the kind of dominance he'd shown before—steamrolling past every challenge.
But to their surprise, that spike was possibly even more brutal than any he'd landed in previous games.
"Akira!! So cool!!"
"That was awesome!"
"Even Bokuto's keeping an eye on you!!"
… …
Though Karasuno's cheers weren't as synchronized as Inarizaki's, they didn't lose in sheer energy and spirit!
Well… though there were a few strange voices mixed in.
"This guy…"
"Was he holding back the last few days?"
Suna rubbed his stinging wrist, eyes fixed on Akira across the net.
Right now, he couldn't help but wonder…
Was this guy the same kind of heavy artillery attacker as Wakatoshi Ushijima or Wakatsu Kiryū?
"It's fine," Ōmimi said calmly, trying to reassure him.
"That kind of explosive spike is probably just for morale."
"No one can keep that up the whole game—not even Iron Man."
Whew.
Suna let out a breath.
"Let's hope you're right."