Macedonian phalanxes are not invincible.
Even the unyielding, persistent Oikawa–Iwaizumi one-two connection was intercepted and crushed by the predator soaring in the sky.
And now, the genius underclassman who once chased Oikawa relentlessly finally stood on the court against the senior he had admired for so long, this time, in a direct serving duel.
Kageyama Tobio tossed the ball lightly, adjusting his breathing to narrow his focus.
Facing Oikawa, he had to go all out.
He had known this since the first year of junior high.
Toss.
Approach.
Jump.
His arm swung down with the sound of wind being torn apart, and a powerful force slammed into the descending ball.
Even Aoba Johsai's all-rounder, Hanamaki Takahiro, had to squint against the sheer pressure of the serve.
But because Kageyama's serve control was still lacking, Hanamaki's body instinctively reacted, allowing him to complete the receive.
With Karasuno's current front-row lineup standing two tall, one short, Aoba Johsai didn't need Oikawa to speak a word.
Their front-row attackers moved with practiced familiarity, using positioning and Oikawa's threat to tear open the defense.
To Karasuno's blockers, it felt like everyone on Aoba Johsai was a weapon, every attacker establishing pressure, every run meaningful.
And they all knew: Oikawa could set anywhere.
There was no "blind zone."
Because of that trust and fear… Karasuno's block formation shattered.
Exactly what I wanted.
A glint of satisfaction flashed across Oikawa's eyes.
Every Karasuno reaction so far had been well within his predictions.
Without hesitation, he sent a fast, short quick-set.
Kindaichi leapt, and with the perfect toss from Oikawa, struck over Hinata's head, executing a clean over-the-block spike.
Aoba Johsai 2 : 1 Karasuno
Karasuno's memories of Kindaichi's jump height were rewritten in an instant.
"Was Kindaichi always able to jump this high…?"
But Kageyama already knew the answer.
It wasn't that Kindaichi's jump changed.
It was that for three years, Kageyama never once let Kindaichi hit at his true peak.
Not once did he let his former teammate play happily.
His eyes moved toward Oikawa.
Kageyama's opening "Monster Quick" had been received.
And Kageyama's former teammate was now performing better under Oikawa.
That truth hit harder than the score.
What followed was a duel of wills.
Under Oikawa's orchestration, Aoba Johsai's members all performed at 110%, fulfilling the creed:
"A team is only strong if all six are strong."
And under Oikawa's pressure, Kageyama's abilities surged in response.
Kageyama scored with a setter dump.
Aoba Johsai 2 : 2 Karasuno
Oikawa redirected attention away from Guren as much as possible.
With coordination and boosted tempo, Iwaizumi forced a power spike past Hinata.
Aoba Johsai 3 : 2 Karasuno
Nishinoya easily received Aoba Johsai's serve, none of them could break his defense yet.
Kageyama then used the trick he learned from Nekoma, deceiving Kindaichi with eye-feinting to score.
Aoba Johsai 3 : 3 Karasuno
On the sideline, #16 Kyotani Kentarou watched with a clenched jaw and burning resentment.
He wanted in.
He wanted to slam points into Guren's face to prove he was no longer the one who had once been crushed.
During the next rally, Oikawa issued instructions, target Kageyama's movement lanes.
A visual obstruction tactic.
But against players with god-tier reaction like Nishinoya and Hinata, and Hyakuzawa whose reach alone could adjust even late,
It only worked once.
Still, Aoba Johsai earned a point.
Then Guren struck back immediately with a brutal spike.
"Damn spring-loaded freak!"
"Is that jump even legal?!"
"This spike height is cheating!!"
Aoba Johsai's back row wiped sweat and cursed internally at this walking volleyball glitch.
Oikawa simply shrugged:
"Relax. Worst case, he's just the second Ushijima. It's not like we haven't survived that before."
"Don't make facing Ushijima sound easy, idiot!"
"You're making it worse!!"
"Shut up, Oikawa!"
Their yelling rekindled the team's competitive fire.
At 4 : 4, both teams entered a deadlock, six touches with no points.
Then, Aoba Johsai's receive faltered slightly.
Oikawa's brain spun.
And he executed the third trap against Kageyama:
He set the ball… to Kageyama.
He forced the setter to become a hitter.
He locked away Kageyama's identity.
A setter who cannot set, what is he?
This was not just strategy.
This was a psychological chokehold.
His traps so far:
Receive the Quick Attack → prove Aoba Johsai is superior. Show Kindaichi's true potential → prove Oikawa is a better setter. Force Kageyama to abandon his setter role → trigger identity collapse
When that pressure peaked, Kageyama would break.
And when he broke, he would turn into Aoba Johsai's weapon.
A spy without knowing.
Habits do not change easily.
The path of the "King" is not so easily abandoned.
Even if you've found your miracle partner…
Oikawa's cool gaze fell on his former underclassman.
Yes, #15 has monstrous talent.
A second prodigy.
But Kageyama, you are not Ushijima.
A setter is the engine. The core. The nerve center.
If the engine fails, the supercar doesn't move.
His eyes slid toward Guren's unreadable expression.
When the time comes
We'll see what you do, little King.