Thud!
Gao Hakuba collapsed to his knees right in front of Akashi Asuka.
"Oh no, what's happening? Why did Gao Hakuba from Kamomedai suddenly fall to his knees before Akashi Asuka?" the commentators wondered.
Even through the net, Hakuba was drenched in sweat. Though he was on his knees, he still desperately raised both hands, trying to block Akashi's spike.
But his knees felt like jelly. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stand back up. Helplessly, he watched as Akashi smashed the ball over his head.
Thump!
The volleyball traced a sharp diagonal arc through the air, bypassing the backline defense and crashed onto the court floor.
24–22.
Aoba Johsai officially reached match point in the third set.
"Whistle!"
The referee blew the whistle, and Kamomedai High immediately called their final timeout.
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"Hakuba, are you alright? Can you keep playing?"
On the bench, Hakuba sat trembling uncontrollably, but his voice was firm: "I'm fine. I can keep going."
"What's going on, coach?"
"Why did Hakuba suddenly collapse like that?"
Hakuba's sudden collapse on the court shocked not only the crowd and commentators but even his own teammates at Kamomedai.
After so many matches, none of them had ever seen anything like this.
The Kamomedai coach sighed quietly. Clearly, using Hakuba against Akashi Asuka had been too much to ask.
Height in volleyball isn't an unqualified blessing. It grants reach and blocking advantages but also comes with a heavy physical toll, especially for high schoolers still growing. Excessive height can place an enormous burden on the lower body.
Before facing other opponents, Hakuba rarely needed to jump at full strength to defend effectively. So his knees managed.
But against Akashi Asuka, every offensive play forced Hakuba to leap with maximum effort just to reach a sufficient blocking height.
Three grueling sets of this had pushed his knees to the breaking point.
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Honestly, the Kamomedai coach had expected their libero, Kanbayashi Keiichiro, to be the first to tire. After all, Oikawa had intentionally sped up the game's tempo starting the third set, placing tremendous strain on the libero, who directs the back defense.
Kanbayashi was already ready to rotate out for a fresh libero in the fourth set.
But unexpectedly,
The libero held firm, while the blocker defending Akashi's spikes, Gao Hakuba, was the first to collapse.
Truly, life is unpredictable.
"Hakuba, you're coming off the court for a rest," the coach decided and said without hesitation.
"Coach, I..." Hakuba started to protest.
"No need to say anything. You need to recover quickly. Trust your teammates."
Hearing the coach's order, Hakuba panicked and tried to speak, but the coach cut him off.
Against anyone else, maybe it would be fine, but against Akashi Asuka, a blocker who can't jump is no threat at all.
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The timeout ended.
Kamomedai subbed in a replacement middle blocker, almost as tall as Hakuba at nearly 190 cm.
After seeing Hakuba leave the court, Oikawa's gaze toward Akashi shifted slightly, a flicker of unease growing.
"Didn't expect the first player to go down to be him," Oikawa muttered.
As the one who dragged Kamomedai into this exhausting match, Oikawa had been carefully watching the enemy's stamina, especially the main attacker and libero. In such a fast-paced match, receivers and attackers cover the most ground.
Like Kamomedai's coach, Oikawa thought the first signs of fatigue would come from one of those two roles.
But to his surprise,
"You're turning more and more into a 'monster,' huh?" Oikawa said with a strange gleam in his eyes as he watched Akashi physically wear down Hakuba.
Kamomedai had lost one of their two pillars.
Aoba Johsai was already at match point.
The third set slipped smoothly into Aoba Johsai's hands, pushing the overall score to 2–1.
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Shortly after, the fourth set began.
Right from the start, Aoba Johsai launched a quick attack, maintaining their familiar rhythm.
1–0.
Kamomedai's setter, Aikichi Suwa, looked somewhat grim.
"Don't tell me Aoba Johsai only has that one trick?" he muttered.
Oikawa smiled faintly. "Of course they have more. If you can keep up with our pace, you might get to see them."
Suwa's face hardened. "Don't underestimate us. Kamomedai won't give up so easily."
"Is that so? Then I look forward to seeing it. But..."
Oikawa's smile faded, a cold light flashing in his narrowed eyes. "You'd better prepare to fight with everything you've got. This battle may have started with you, but when it ends, that will be up to us."
"Already the fourth set! Now it's all about whether Kamomedai can hold on. If they do, there's still hope."
Teams like Fukurodani, Itachiyama, and Inarizaki, all with histories of making national finals, knew the truth well:
The real turning point in championship matches isn't the fifth set, it's the fourth.
High schoolers' bodies rarely sustain a full five-set grind.
Often by the end of the third set, players are already pushed to their physical limits.
This match was a little different.
Aoba Johsai still had some energy left, but Kamomedai had already reached their limit.
So in terms of momentum, the fourth set was an uphill battle for Kamomedai.
But if they could survive it, their chances of a comeback would skyrocket.
Not just because of the score.
More importantly, if Aoba Johsai failed to take the fourth set, their players would also hit their limits in the fifth.
Then both teams would start fresh, physically even.
The fifth set would be a battle of endurance.
And with the momentum from a fourth-set victory, Kamomedai's spirits would soar, tilting the odds back in their favor.
Just then, Akaashi Keiji glanced toward the court, lowering his voice to say:
"But before that, if they can't deal with that guy, none of it will matter."