If he could raise even his spiking to national-youth level, then he would be able to face Shiratorizawa on equal terms. At the very least, in raw ability, he would not be inferior to them in the slightest.
"Damn it, this brat is really trying to crush us completely. He's already figured out how to break through our block."
"And yet he's still choosing to rely on sheer power to smash through our mental defense!"
Futakuchi and the others had already realized what Hank was doing. He was trying to break them down completely, inside and out. Even though they understood what was happening, there was nothing they could do to stop it. The gap between their strength and Hank's was simply too great.
They had no way to resist. All they could do now was pray for a miracle, but the truth was, hardly anyone still believed one would happen.
The pressure Hank was putting on them was just too overwhelming. It was beyond words.
"How can there be such an all-around ace? It feels like his physical talent has already gone beyond anything we imagined."
Even Date Tech's coach was deeply shaken. He was stunned by both Hank's ability and his body. He had never seen anyone in that age group reach this level before. Aoba Johsai had truly struck gold this year.
They might even lock down a Spring High berth in the future. After all, Wakatoshi Ushijima was already a second-year, while Hank was only a first-year.
Even if they could not surpass Shiratorizawa this year, or even next year, that would not stop them from reaching the Spring High final eventually. Of course, for Hank, that was only one possible end result. If luck was on his side, he might even grab a Spring High berth this very year.
"From here on out, clear your minds. Don't put pressure on yourselves. Just leave everything to Hank."
"Date Tech is going to collapse soon enough."
Seeing Hank fall more and more into rhythm, Oikawa knew in his heart that the match was basically already decided. Until they reached the final, it was hard to imagine them losing to any other team.
After all, it was not just Hank who had been improving. Iwaizumi beside him, along with Kindaichi and Kunimi behind him, had all made major progress as well.
Their match against Date Tech felt more like a warm-up for the final, a chance to deal with any problems that might come up later.
And that was exactly how it played out. Once Hank shattered Date Tech's defense, the triple block of Aone and the other two instantly became meaningless. In the second set, Aoba Johsai swept through them and took the entire match in dominant fashion.
The final match score was 2–0.
The set scores were 25–7 and 25–9. After Johzenji, Date Tech became the second team that failed to reach double digits in either set. Once the match ended, many of the Date Tech players looked deathly pale.
"Why is our block completely useless against him? Who the hell is he?!"
Futakuchi collapsed to his knees, finally breaking down in tears. The Spring High preliminaries only came once a year. They had fought their way into the top eight with great difficulty, only to be completely crushed by Aoba Johsai.
No one could accept something like that easily.
"Next time, I'll definitely block you!"
The towering Aone stared at Hank as he spoke. A few tears rolled down his resolute face as well. This was the Spring High preliminaries, not some casual practice match. Losing here was not something anyone could just walk away from calmly.
"I'll be waiting."
Hank answered simply. He knew they would probably have the chance to meet again on the court. After all, his goal was to make it all the way to Spring High and claim a spot on the best lineup in one stroke. When he finally stepped onto the world stage, that would be his true destination.
Victories at any other stage did not matter that much to him.
Still, Hank was not arrogant enough to believe he could win Spring High outright on his first try.
So during these three years of high school, there should still be chances to fight in the Spring High preliminaries again.
"You were amazing! That's my little brother for you."
"You made it into the final four so easily. At this rate, you'll be in the final soon."
Just as Hank finished packing up and was saying goodbye to the Date Tech players one by one with handshakes, Yui Michimiya, who had been standing in the spectator stands, could no longer hold back and ran down. In the end, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug.
For a moment, Hank felt a little helpless. He had not even gone home yet. It would be pretty embarrassing if other people saw this.
And since Michimiya had previously been the captain of Karasuno's girls' volleyball team, the only one of Hank's matches she had missed was the one against Johzenji. As long as she was not in class, she usually came to watch all the others.
"Sis, too tight."
Hank struggled to pull himself free from Michimiya's arms, speaking a little awkwardly. Every last bit of this was seen clearly by the Aoba Johsai players.
Among them, Iwaizumi clicked his tongue.
That tiny sound, however, immediately caught Oikawa's attention.
"Oh? Oh? Oh? What's this, Iwa-chan? Don't tell me you're the only one on the entire team without any female fans?"
"Oikawa, I'm warning you one more time. Keep acting like an ass, and I'll beat you up right here."
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]