["Alright!"]
["After a short timeout, both teams have returned to the court."
"Kamomedai High, having clawed back three consecutive points, is now riding a wave of momentum."]
["On the other hand, Aoba Johsai, whose once-dominant lead was suddenly shattered..."]
The announcer's voice abruptly trailed off.
"Ohhh... terrifying! He's really starting to look more and more like a true 'Ace'!"
Motoya Komori drew in a sharp breath.
Shifting the camera to the court below, Akashi Asuka walked ahead of the Aoba Johsai lineup, leading with unwavering resolve, while his teammates followed behind, their eyes sharp, their presence overwhelming.
────────── ✦ ──────────
Kourai Hoshiumi continued serving.
This time, his serve again landed in Aoba Johsai's backcourt, and once more, Iwaizumi and Watari moved at the same time, only to collide again.
However, unlike the last time, even after bumping into each other, the two of them endured the pain and managed to keep the ball alive.
Smack!
The ball soared high back into Aoba Johsai's side of the court.
Grinning despite the swelling from their collision, Iwaizumi and Watari looked almost ferocious.
"Come on, you bastards from Kamomedai! If you think cheap tricks like that are enough to win, think again! We're not just here to win, we want the momentum, the lead, and the morale. We want it all!"
The entire Kamomedai team stiffened at those words.
For a moment, the fierce aura radiating from Aoba Johsai reminded them of themselves during the second set.
Meanwhile, standing at the front, Akashi Asuka calmly awaited a potential toss from Oikawa. But instead of preparing to spike, he simply stood still and closed his eyes.
He was trying to force that door open again, through his own power...
Oikawa, understanding the situation without needing words, chose not to set the ball to Akashi in this rotation. Instead, he passed to Kindaichi, who launched an attack, only to be blocked by none other than Kourai Hoshiumi.
In his heightened state, Hoshiumi's all-around skills had surged, allowing him to react even to Oikawa's deceptive set.
Thankfully, Iwaizumi managed to dive and save the ball, preventing a point loss.
Aoba Johsai quickly restructured for another attack.
Kamomedai, noticing Akashi's inactivity, didn't pull off their blockers. That's how much pressure Akashi exerted.
Even just standing there, he was enough to draw the attention of two defenders.
On Aoba Johsai's next play, Oikawa set a tricky pass to the back row for Kentarou Kyotani. The angle of the toss caught Kamomedai off guard, and while their front blockers failed to react in time, their back-row defense managed to receive the ball.
Then Kamomedai counterattacked.
Facing a double block, Hoshiumi still managed to score cleanly.
9:10.
Kamomedai had officially taken the lead.
Aoba Johsai was now playing from behind.
And yet, no one on Aoba Johsai seemed shaken. They continued to battle fiercely, sticking to their rhythm...
Everyone except Akashi Asuka.
He seemed almost like an outsider now.
────────── ✦ ──────────
Over the next several rallies, Akashi only helped occasionally with blocking and once during a serve, but otherwise didn't participate in any attacks.
The score kept climbing:
10:10.
10:11.
10:12.
11:12.
11:13.
Kamomedai pulled further ahead, carried by Hoshiumi's incredible performance.
At the same time, Akashi's presence on the court began to vanish, so much so that spectators not paying attention might've forgotten Aoba Johsai still had their ace.
On the surface, this looked like a good thing for Kamomedai.
But oddly enough…
Hoshiumi didn't feel lucky at all, in fact, an inexplicable sense of unease kept growing in his chest.
As for those who knew Akashi well, like Kotaro Bokuto and Keiji Akaashi from Fukurodani, or Sakusa and Komori from Itachiyama, they frowned, sensing something ominous.
"This feeling... That bastard Akashi's about to pull that move again, isn't he?"
Trying to open that "door" using only his own power was incredibly difficult.
Akashi racked his brain, trying to recall the exact sensations from the last time he entered the Clear Mind state, but no matter how hard he focused, he felt like there was an invisible membrane separating him from that zone.
It was so thin, and yet, he couldn't break through.
And as the gap between the scores widened, even Akashi began to feel a creeping sense of impatience.
He knew that the more impatient he became, the further he'd drift from the Clear Mind.
But he couldn't help himself.
Until,
During yet another spike from Hoshiumi, something inside Akashi clicked. He leapt forward, straight into Hoshiumi's path,
Smack!
With a clean, resounding block, he stuffed the ball right back down in front of Hoshiumi's stunned eyes.
And in that very instant...
That invisible membrane finally shattered.
"God, I'm such an idiot,"
Akashi mentally chided himself, almost laughing aloud.
"I knew this kind of state only emerges in the heat of real competition. So why was I trying to force it inside my head like some kind of simulation?"
He'd always known another name for Clear Mind was Fired-Up Mode.
So how could he possibly ignite his state when both his heart and body had already started to cool?
That sudden block brought both teams' relentless battle to a screeching halt.
Oikawa froze, staring in shock. "Akashi, you..."
Akashi turned back to his teammates with a soft smile. "Thanks for holding the line, everyone. Leave the rest of the match to me."
Current score: 16:19.
After that block, Aoba Johsai was still trailing by nearly four points.
That was why Akashi had grown so anxious earlier.
But now?
Now everything was different.
Because with that point, it was his turn to serve.
As Akashi stepped into the service zone, gently tossing the ball and smiling calmly, no one needed a reminder.
That crushing pressure, the kind that felt like it rose from the depths of the abyss, had already gripped every heart on the court.