Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty-Chapter 434: We Don’t Need Tomorrow (Double-Length)

"We've scored three points in a row! Looks like Team USA's strongest lineup isn't having the impact they expected!"

"It's almost as if Taichi is directly answering their challenge—his condition is getting better and better."

"If this keeps up, maybe there's a chance…"

"Tweet!—"

The whistle blew for serve.

Kaedehara Taichi served his fourth ball.

BOOM!!!

Smack!

Erik Shoji received it cleanly.

The ball finally stayed in bounds, and Micah Christenson swiftly moved to cover.

Whoosh—!

The ball soared high toward the right wing. It was clear—Micah Christenson's set carried no hesitation.

Thud!

Matt Anderson leapt to spike. The usual smile plastered on his face had vanished completely, replaced by a focused, serious expression.

"Triple block!" Hoshiumi Kōrai, Hakuba Gao, and Hyakuzawa Yūdai jumped in unison.

Matt Anderson swept his gaze across Team Japan's back row. Whether it was Komori Motoya or Kaedehara Taichi, both looked like they were itching to take on his spike.

"What a pain."

BOOM!!!—

BOOM!

Two thunderous impacts crashed together. The ball struck Hyakuzawa Yūdai's arms with overwhelming force.

The volleyball rocketed out of bounds, and Hyakuzawa, having lost his balance midair, crashed to the floor.

Absolute dominance.

Matt Anderson scored with his spike.

[Japan 3 – 1 USA]

"Go bulk up a bit more before you challenge me, kid," Matt Anderson sneered at Hyakuzawa Yūdai.

"You okay?" Hakuba Gao reached out and helped Hyakuzawa up. Out of all the players in this match, the two of them were in the most awkward position. As the only members of Team Japan whose height could match the Americans, their technical gap was still painfully apparent.

"I'm fine. I'll block him next time," Hyakuzawa said firmly, eyes burning with resolve.

Hakuba blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected someone so similar to himself to be this composed on the court.

Of course, that likely came from the "hostile" volleyball environment in Miyagi Prefecture. Having endured countless defeats over the years, Hyakuzawa had grown through those setbacks—refining his technique and hardening his mindset.

"Hyakuzawa-senpai's mental game is rock solid. He's not even phased by their trash talk," Kai Suzuharu commented from the bench.

Hirugami Sachirō glanced toward the court. He didn't know Hyakuzawa well, but Hakuba was a familiar teammate. The reason neither of them reacted to the taunts might just be—

"…Those two probably didn't even understand what he said."

Serve change. Team USA to serve.

Japan's surprise opening had clearly shaken Team USA. But whether by coincidence or design, in this decisive final set, the Americans mirrored them with a front-loaded, powerful service rotation.

Micah Christenson stepped up to the service line.

Miya Atsumu immediately felt the pressure of being targeted. The image of Kageyama Tobio being focused down at the end of Set 2 was still fresh in his mind.

Hoshiumi Kōrai dropped back instantly, forming a four-man reception lineup. In this final set, it was all about adaptability—Japan couldn't afford to give up their hard-earned lead.

"Tweet!—"

The whistle blew.

Micah Christenson tossed the ball, ran up, jumped—and served.

BOOM!!!

As expected, the ball flew toward Miya Atsumu. However—

"Mine!"

Smack!

Komori Motoya made the receive.

The ball popped high into the air, and Miya quickly moved into position for the set.

Only Hakuba and Hyakuzawa were in the front row, so Miya slowed down his tempo to wait for both wing attackers to come in.

From the left and right, Hoshiumi Kōrai and Kaedehara Taichi launched into their approaches. Retreating to the backline had given Hoshiumi a long runway to gather speed.

Whoosh—!

The ball flew to the left wing.

Thud!

Hoshiumi jumped from the front row.

"Double block!" Max Holt and Matt Anderson jumped together.

The two of them seamlessly sealed off the cross-court angle, leaving the straight shot for Micah Christenson to cover.

BOOM!

Hoshiumi aimed at Max Holt's fingertips and drove the ball through.

"Was that a feint, or…?" The moment Max Holt second-guessed himself, he was already too late.

Smack!—

The ball nicked the tips of Max Holt's fingers and flew high into the second-floor stands.

"That extreme?!"

If the ball hadn't visibly arced upward at the last second, the crowd might've thought Hoshiumi had just whiffed and launched a wild "home run."

Erik Shoji could only watch as a fan caught the ball in the stands.

Off the block and out.

Hoshiumi Kōrai scored.

[Japan 4 – 1 USA]

"Kōrai! That was sick!" Miya Atsumu shouted.

Just like that, Micah Christenson's service turn was over. Japan's lead at the start of the set seemed secure—for now.

Serve change. Team Japan to serve.

Hyakuzawa Yūdai launched a powerful jump serve. Aaron Russell received it cleanly.

Micah Christenson covered and tossed the ball high over the middle. Matt Anderson went up to spike.

"Triple block!" Hirugami Sachirō, Hoshiumi Kōrai, and Hakuba Gao jumped at once.

In that moment, it was as if Kamomedai's strongest blocking formation had materialized on court. The three worked in perfect sync, sealing off nearly all of Anderson's options. Now it all depended on the back row's defense.

It had to be said—when Atsumu and Hyakuzawa were both in the back row, Japan's defence noticeably weakened.

BOOM!!!

Completely against expectations.

Even though Anderson's contact point was above the block, he still chose to aim straight for Hoshiumi Kōrai's arms.

BANG!!

The instant the ball hit Hoshiumi's forearms, his arms shot upward from the shock, and his whole body lurched backward.

The impact flung him into the air—he lost all balance like a bird with broken wings, flailing for a moment before crashing hard to the floor.

THUD!

The ball landed beside him with a loud thud.

Matt Anderson scored again.

[Japan 4 – 2 USA]

"Hey, little sparrow, you okay?" Matt Anderson bent down, barely suppressing a grin.

Hoshiumi sat on the ground, still dazed from the brutal impact and the pain of the fall. No surprise—even Hyakuzawa had struggled to handle that level of force, and for Hoshiumi, it was even more overwhelming.

Hakuba crouched beside him in panic, checking if he was okay.

Meanwhile, Hirugami stood in front of Hoshiumi, glaring coldly at Matt Anderson.

"What's the matter? You look like you've got something to say," Anderson asked casually.

"You won't stay smug for long," Hirugami replied flatly. "We're the ones who'll win this match."

"Heh…That arrogance's coming from you guys, not us." Anderson chuckled, but there was no mirth in his eyes. "All that bouncing around in front of us—at the end of the day, even you…you're just a slightly bigger sparrow."

Serve change. Team USA to serve.

Once everyone confirmed that Hoshiumi Kōrai was uninjured, the match resumed.

Hibarida let out a quiet sigh of relief. In this final set, every substitution slot was precious—and there was no room for injuries, especially not to someone as crucial as Hoshiumi.

Max Holt launched a powerful jump serve, but Komori Motoya received it with ease.

Kaedehara Taichi immediately leapt from the back row to attack.

"Double block!" Matt Anderson and Taylor Sander jumped in unison.

Whoosh—!

The ball flew toward the left wing—Hirugami Sachirō jumped up to spike.

Matt Anderson landed and leapt diagonally a second time.

BOOM!!!

Smack!

The ball struck Max Holt's arm in the back row and shot out of bounds.

Hirugami Sachirō scored with the spike.

[Japan 5 – 2 USA]

Serve possession changed—Japan to serve.

Hakuba Gao approached the service line, but just then—

"Beep! Japan requests a substitution."

"Hakuba Gao OUT, Sakusa Kiyoomi IN."

Despite holding the lead, Coach Hibarida made the first substitution.

Both Hyakuzawa Yūdai and Hakuba Gao were somewhat one-dimensional players, so Coach Hibariyama's strategy was to let them shine while in the front row. Once they rotated to the back, Hyakuzawa could be swapped for Komori Motoya, while Hakuba was replaced during his serving turn by the more threatening Sakusa Kiyoomi.

"Tweet!—"

The whistle blew for the serve.

Sakusa Kiyoomi launched a powerful jump serve.

While not the fastest in terms of speed, Sakusa's serves were notoriously hard to read due to their unpredictable spin.

"Watch the spin, aim high!" Micah Christenson shouted.

The USA's back row—Erik Shoji, Micah Christenson, and Aaron Russell—was their strongest receive lineup.

Smack!

Aaron Russell lifted the ball high, and Micah Christenson quickly moved in to set it to the left wing.

Matt Anderson soared into the air.

When raw power alone could crush everything in its path, there was no need to overthink strategy.

"Triple block!" Miya Atsumu, Hirugami Sachirō, and Hoshiumi Kōrai all leapt.

BOOOM!!!

BANG!

SMACK!

The ball slipped past Miya's block and struck Kaedehara Taichi's arm, bouncing out of bounds.

Matt Anderson scored with the spike.

[Japan 5 – 3 USA]

Once the spike hits the block, its trajectory becomes harder to predict—making it even tougher to receive than a clean wipe-off.

Serve possession changed—USA to serve.

Matt Anderson stepped to the service line.

Good news: Matt Anderson had rotated to the back row.

Bad news: Aaron Russell was now in the front row.

Japan's dilemma hadn't changed.

"Tweet!—"

Anderson tossed the ball, took his run-up, jumped, and swung.

BOOM!!!

At this point, it was barely any different from a spike!

Smack!

Komori Motoya received the ball, rolling twice toward the baseline to absorb the impact.

The ball soared into the air—Atsumu quickly moved in and set it.

With Hoshiumi Kōrai in the front row, and Kaedehara Taichi and Sakusa Kiyoomi in the back, Japan's three top wing spikers all launched their attack!

A rare sight that stirred excitement in the crowd.

Whoosh—!

The ball soared toward the left wing—Kaedehara Taichi leapt from the back row.

"Double block!" Taylor Sander and Jeff Jendryk went up together.

Team USA's blocking was adjusting quickly—simple multi-point attacks were no longer enough to shake them.

—Boom!!!

The ball narrowly slipped over Sander's block, traced an arc, and fell down on the U.S. side.

Smack!

Erik Shoji received it—ball flying out of bounds.

Micah Christenson stepped out and leapt to bring it back—he set it up front. Aaron Russell jumped for the spike.

"Triple block!"

BOOM!!!

The ball blasted past Hoshiumi from above.

Smack!

"Save it!" Sakusa barely managed to dig the ball.

Kaedehara Taichi immediately charged past the baseline—almost mimicking Micah Christenson's earlier move—leapt hard and intercepted the ball midair, sending it back to the front row.

Hoshiumi jumped for the spike.

"Triple block!" Taylor Sander, Jeff Jendryk, and Aaron Russell all went up together.

BOOM!—

—Smack!

Hoshiumi aimed for the right of Aaron Russell—but was cleanly stuffed at the net.

THUD!

The ball slammed down on Japan's side.

Team USA scored off the block.

[Japan 5 – 4 USA]

"He got blocked..."

For the past few rallies, Hoshiumi Kōrai had clearly been the focus of Team USA's defence.

"The fewer attack options you have, the more likely you are to get blocked," Aaron Russell said expressionlessly as he looked at Hoshiumi. "Your technique is excellent, but that's not enough. Without a skill level far beyond ours, how could that tiny body of yours possibly stand against us?"

Hoshiumi fell silent. Unlike Matt Anderson's taunts, Russell's words rang painfully true.

For a short player, merely being as skilled as the taller ones was never going to be enough...

But if short stature was a major disadvantage in volleyball, then the desperate desire for the sky burning in players like him—that was the wings that helped them soar.

"I'll take the next point," Hoshiumi said calmly.

It wasn't a rebuttal to Russell, nor a pep talk for himself.

It was simple: if he didn't take that next point, no one would need him tomorrow.

And if that version of him couldn't score that point—then he wouldn't need tomorrow either.

This was Hoshiumi threatening himself.

USA continued serving—Matt Anderson sent the second ball.

BOOM!!!

Smack!

Once again, Komori Motoya rolled out to the baseline for the receive.

But this time, the ball flew stably toward the front row.

Atsumu jumped to set—Japan launched another triple threat attack.

"Set it to me!!!" Hoshiumi shouted.

Normally, Miya Atsumu didn't care much about hitters calling for the ball—but earlier...

—"Atsumu, give me the next one too. If I can't score, I'll take myself off the court."

For a proud wing spiker to wager his court time—Atsumu's set wasn't out of pity, but trust that Hoshiumi would score.

Whoosh—!

The ball soared high toward the right wing.

Thud!

As Hoshiumi took his final step, it was as if wings unfurled behind him—

"Triple block!"

Miya's set was too obvious—Team USA's block mirrored their last formation!

—Boom!!—

In the middle stood the 208cm Jeff Jendryk.

Right wing: 207cm Aaron Russell.

But the ball flew over the 196cm Taylor Sander.

A wipe-off spike!

The 210cm Matt Anderson lunged forward—but couldn't reach the ball falling rapidly.

Bang!

The ball landed precisely on the junction of the sideline and 3-meter line on Team USA's left side.

In that moment—170cm claimed victory.

Hoshiumi Kōrai scored with the spike!

[Japan 6 – 4 USA] freewebnoveℓ.com

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