"Beep! Trentino calls for a timeout."

Taichi had just scored three consecutive points, instantly overturning the flow of the match.

Trentino was hanging by a thread.

The players returned to the bench, the atmosphere heavy. Only now did they truly understand why Nizhnev had been utterly powerless against San Juan.

Form might have played a part, but there was also a truth that everyone had subconsciously ignored—San Juan's strength was simply absurd.

Alexander took a sports drink from a substitute, the cold liquid sliding down his throat yet providing no sense of coolness. In his mind, he still saw the image of Taichi's spike—especially those cold, indifferent eyes.

"Am I...actually trembling?"

Alexander's voice was rough and unfamiliar, his forearm muscles twitching uncontrollably, the bottle in his hand shaking along with them. The genius known as Alexander Delloro had never once imagined he would feel fear in the face of someone else's talent.

"Don't set limits for yourself." Kageyama Tobio's voice came from beside him.

"Huh?" Alexander turned his head in confusion.

"Taichi…that guy is terrifying, isn't he?" Kageyama gripped his water bottle tightly, his voice low. "Every time you think you can finally defeat him, he always surpasses your imagination."

"It's really frustrating…I've always lost to him."

Alexander's confusion only deepened, because he clearly saw a smile on Kageyama's face.

"But don't you think…this is also a blessing?"

"Someone once told me that as long as I keep getting stronger, I'll always have matches to play. I'll get to play more and better volleyball."

"And now, there's someone right in front of me who can constantly push me to improve. You might never meet another opponent like him again—no matter how strong you become, he always seems to be just a little stronger."

"So don't set your own limits. This is your chance—use it to become stronger!"

"Until—you surpass even your own imagination."

-----

Timeout over. The match resumed.

[San Juan 25 - 24 Trentino]

San Juan continued serving.

Taichi tossed the ball high and fired off his third serve!

BOOM!!!

Coach Ferdinando's timeout had worked. This serve didn't maintain the extreme velocity from before.

Alexander received it, the pass only half-ideal!

Kageyama quickly repositioned, jumped, and set. The ball flew toward the right wing—Zaytsev took off for the spike!

"Double block!" Ramos and Conte both jumped up.

BOOM!!!

Zaytsev swung decisively, the ball slicing past Conte's right side.

Oikawa flashed across, stepping on the sideline to receive.

SMACK!

The ball deflected off his arms and went out of bounds.

Zaytsev scored!

[San Juan 25 - 25 Trentino]

—"Tied again! At this critical moment, Trentino withstands the pressure!"

Serve rotation. Trentino's serve.

Zaytsev tossed the ball high and unleashed a powerful jump serve!

BOOOM!!!

SMACK!!!

Santiago's reception was blown off, and he crashed onto the floor.

Oikawa rushed beyond the baseline and barely managed to hook the ball back to the front row with one hand.

Ramos jumped for a quick middle attack!

Ryan and Yuri both went up to block.

SMACK!!!

"One Touched!" Ryan shouted loudly.

The ball flew to Trentino's back corner. Boro received it, perfect pass.

Kageyama jumped in the front row to set—Alexander and Zaytsev both charged in from the back row!

"A double back-row quick attack!"

Conte was about to react but was held in place by Kageyama's stare.

BOOM!!!

Alexander avoided Ramos's single block and hammered it down!

Smack!

The ball struck Santiago's arm and dropped to the floor.

Alexander scored!

[San Juan 25 - 26 Trentino]

"Sorry!" Santiago raised a hand, admitting he was a step too slow.

"Don't mind! Next point!"

Trentino continued serving. Zaytsev stepped up for his second serve!

BOOOM!!!

The ball turned into a white blur, its speed terrifying.

Smack!!!

The ball shot high—Conte's reception was only half-ideal.

Oikawa repositioned and set, sending it high to the left wing—Taichi soared in from the back row!

BOOM!!!

"Double block!"

The ball deflected off Ryan's fingertips and sailed far out of bounds.

Kaedehara Taichi scored!

[San Juan 26 - 26 Trentino]

"He really dares…"

The closer they got to the match's climax, the more relaxed Kaedehara Taichi looked as he attacked.

Serve rotation. San Juan's serve.

Bruno fired a powerful jump serve!

Smack!

Fabio received it easily, perfect pass.

Kageyama jumped in the front row to set—Trentino initiated a four-point simultaneous attack.

"Oh no!"

San Juan's front-row block was at its weakest stage.

BOOM!!!

The ball slammed hard into San Juan's court.

Ryan scored!

[San Juan 26 - 27 Trentino]

—"A quick middle attack! Kageyama's decision is so calm and precise!"

Serve rotation. Trentino's serve.

Kageyama walked to the service line.

Alexander, Zaytsev, and Kageyama—Trentino's triple-strong servers in a row!

"Hold this point!" Conte shouted loudly.

"Tweet!—"

The serve whistle blew.

Kageyama's powerful jump serve targeted Taichi!

BOOM!!!

"Tobio has matured so much…" Miya Atsumu's expression was heavy.

Continuing to target Kaedehara Taichi wasn't arrogance or recklessness. Instead, Kageyama wasn't aiming to finish the match directly with an ace, but to disrupt San Juan's offensive rhythm. From the perspective of being one point ahead, his choice was far more stable.

He's not finishing the match as a server—but as a setter!

Smack!!

Taichi received it, the pass only half-perfect.

Oikawa repositioned and set from the front row—Conte jumped for a middle attack!

"Triple block!" Boro, Ryan, and Yuri all jumped up together.

On this final defensive round, Trentino suddenly reinforced their front-row block.

—BOOM!!!

Conte spiked diagonally—the ball passed over Boro's block!

Smack!

Alexander kept the ball alive!

Targeting Boro, who had the lowest block height, was within Trentino's expectations. But at the same time, Conte clearly aimed to restrict Alexander's offence. Without Zaytsev up front, Trentino lacked any more truly threatening attackers.

The ball flew diagonally toward the net. Kageyama jumped in to set.

BAM!!!

Kageyama's second-touch attack!

Oikawa had been waiting for this moment, yet even so, he was a hair too slow—

Smack!

Oikawa managed to hook the ball up with one hand, Bruno scrambled to assist.

Taichi soared in from the back row to spike!

"Block him!"

Both the first and second touches had been poor—this timing!

"Triple block!"

BOOM!!!

SMACK!

The ball hit the block and bounced up high, floating above San Juan's side.

A rebound ball!

"What a pity~" Taichi smirked.

Bruno kept the ball steady with a perfect pass.

Oikawa jumped to set, sending the ball precisely high to the middle.

Thud!

Kaedehara Taichi once again leapt in front of the net.

"Triple block!"

Same spike, same block—but now the situation was completely different!

Alexander, Fabio, and Kageyama—Trentino's entire back row—had their eyes fixed on that figure in the air.

BOOM!!!

The ball struck Ryan's arm and dropped down right in front of him.

Off the block and down!

Kaedehara Taichi scored!

[San Juan 27 - 27 Trentino]

He didn't…go for an over-the-block shot…

Alexander stood frozen, for the first time ever feeling an intense curiosity to understand an attacker's mind. Deep down, he realised that his biggest gap with Kaedehara Taichi lay in these decisive moments—those attacking choices at critical points.

"This was probably Trentino's best chance at victory," León sighed. "What a shame."

-----

Serve rotation. San Juan's serve.

Ramos stepped up for a powerful jump serve!

Smack!!!

Fabio received it, but the pass wasn't ideal.

"Their libero is close to his limit too," León stretched lazily.

Kageyama Tobio quickly moved in to cover and set the ball high to the left wing. Alexander approached from the back row to spike!

"Double block!" Conte and Loser jumped simultaneously.

They completely sealed Alexander's straight-line option, and Loser even partially covered the diagonal.

BOOM!!!

The ball flew past Loser's front. Alexander's diagonal spike was a split second faster than their block!

Smack!

Oikawa received it!

Bruno rushed to set—Taichi jumped in from the back row!

"Triple block!" Boro, Ryan, and Yuri all went up together.

A sharp straight-line shot cut past the right side of the block and slammed towards Trentino's back corner!

Kageyama dug it up!

"It's not over yet!"

Fabio jumped from the back row to set. Trentino's front row all launched into a three-point attack!

"Left wing!" Taichi shouted loudly.

Loser and Conte didn't hesitate at all and moved left to jump and block.

Sure enough, the ball flew high toward the left wing. Boro avoided the block and also went for a diagonal shot!

Smack!

"Touched once!"

The ball hit Loser's hand, bounced up, and brushed the top of the net—

And dropped into San Juan's court!

"Taichi!"

Oikawa swung a foot out and managed to kick the ball up. Kaedehara Taichi jumped in from the back row!

—BOOM!!!

The ball passed over Yuri and smashed down onto Trentino's 3-meter line.

Because Trentino had just launched a multi-point front-row attack, they weren't able to quickly reorganize a block against the counterattack…

Kaedehara Taichi scored with a back-row attack!

[San Juan 28 - 27 Trentino]

—"O-Oikawa actually used his foot to save the ball, and then teamed up with Taichi for a quick back-row kill!"

—"San Juan retakes the lead!"

"Damn it!" Fabio roared in frustration. It was because his set had been read that…

"Trentino's mounting pressure is reaching its peak. San Juan is going for the kill," Jacob said with lingering fear. This team might really become Lublin's greatest threat.

"Ugh…"

León, who had just been yawning, fell silent, his eyes serious as he stared at the court.

"They…don't seem ready to give up just yet."

Ramos, stepping up to serve again, wore a grave expression.

San Juan continued serving.

Ramos sent off his second serve!

BOOM!!!

Smack!

This time, Fabio received it steadily, a perfect pass!

Thud!

Alexander had already flown up to the net.

You'll pass it to me, right? If we want to win, we can't do it without me!

Whoosh!—

The ball seemed to "pause" right in front of Alexander.

—BOOM!!!

Conte and Loser were a fraction late in their block. The ball passed over them and smashed down in front of Ramos.

Alexander scored!

[San Juan 28 - 28 Trentino]

"Beautiful spike!!!"

Serve rotation. Trentino's serve. Alexander returned to the front row.

"Leave the remaining balls to me," Alexander stood tall and resolute. "Whether we win or lose, I'll carry it all!"

"Tweet!—" The serve whistle blew.

Yuri targeted Conte in the front row with a float serve.

Smack!

Conte received it steadily, perfect pass.

Oikawa jumped in the front row to set. Boro shadowed him closely, fully guarding against a possible second-touch attack, with zero gamble.

Whoosh!—

Under Trentino's pressure, the ball could only be set to the right wing.

Was it going to Loser in the front row, or Kaedehara Taichi in the back?

"Double block!" Alexander and Ryan both jumped up!

BOOM!!!

Loser hammered the ball down!

Smack!!!

The ball struck Ryan's arm and bounced high.

They guessed right!

"One touch!"

Although Alexander was already prepared to jump again, it was even better to stop San Juan's offence outright.

Yuri kept the ball steady with a perfect pass.

Alexander sprinted sideways and jumped up.

"Again?"

Conte and Loser didn't have time to think. They simply locked onto Alexander without hesitation.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew precisely in front of Alexander, not even a millimetre off.

Beautiful!

If he could receive a million sets like this, Alexander would praise them a million times in his heart.

Facing the two-man block, Alexander's arms tightened as he swung hard.

BOOOM!!!

SMACK!!!

"Blocked!"

Conte felt a surge of joy. His arms instantly pressed downward, ensuring the ball wouldn't fly out past San Juan's sideline.

THUD!

The ball rebounded toward Trentino's side and hit the floor.

"Out!"

"What?!"

Whatever your ace can do, so can I.

The ball landed outside the left sideline of Trentino's court.

Block out.

Alexander scored!

[San Juan 28 - 29 Trentino]

"Interesting, truly interesting."

León clapped enthusiastically from the sideline, his excitement overflowing. It seemed this Italian genius who wanted to challenge him was no mere pretender.

Trentino had scored consecutively, and the momentum had swung once again.

During the rotation with Yuri—arguably their least threatening server—Trentino had somehow managed to take the lead!

"Beautiful spike!" Even Zaytsev, standing at the sideline, couldn't help but get excited. With this, the time for him to return to the front row was getting closer and closer!

Trentino continued serving. Yuri launched his third serve!

BOOM!!!

The ball wobbled and dipped sharply toward Oikawa.

Oikawa stepped aside, allowing Santiago from the back row to step forward and set it with his hands—a slightly off pass.

"Damn it, should I have switched strategies earlier?" Yuri felt a flicker of panic.

Oikawa jumped in the front to set. Boro stayed right in front of him, still wary of a second-touch attack—absolutely no gambling.

Whoosh!—

The ball soared to the right wing. Taichi jumped up from the back row to spike!

"Double block!" Alexander and Ryan went up together.

—BOOM!!!

A super high contact spike!

Just when Kageyama thought Kaedehara Taichi would target the block again, ready to move forward for defence, the ball soared over the top of the block and dropped sharply onto the baseline behind him.

Thud, thud, thud...

Kageyama's heart pounded violently. He retreated while turning around.

"Damn it, I won't make it!!!"

Smack!—

A figure slid across the baseline—Fabio dove from the left and saved the ball!

"W-we're saved."

"Kageyama—!"

Alexander once again sprinted sideways. He knew he couldn't beat Kaedehara Taichi alone. But he had Fabio. He had Kageyama Tobio!

Thud!

Alexander leapt at the left wing.

"Not so fast!" Conte and Loser reacted even faster than last time!

Fabio's pass wasn't ideal. Kageyama quickly sprinted underneath, back facing the net, and jumped to set!

Whoosh!—

"I knew it, Kageyama." Oikawa and Taichi moved at the same time. "You'll definitely set it to—"

The high ball on the right wing!

Ryan jumped to spike!

Oikawa jumped for a solo block!

—BOOM!!!

The ball cleared the block and slammed heavily towards San Juan's back row.

Kaedehara Taichi darted sideways.

Smack!!!

The ball struck his arm and flew out of bounds…

Ryan scored!

[San Juan 28 - 30 Trentino]

Tap, roll, roll…

The ball landed beyond San Juan's right sideline, rolling a few times before stopping.

Oikawa's block had no effect. Ryan had essentially faced an open net on that spike—even Taichi hadn't been able to dig it up.

Maybe…if I switched positions with Taichi in the front and back, the outcome might have been different.

In that frozen moment, Oikawa silently thought to himself.

"Beeeeep—!"

A long whistle rang out.

The third set had ended.

Winner: Trentino Volley.

With the collective effort of all the players, Trentino had avoided a straight-set sweep.

But the match was far from over…

-----

"Woooooo!!!"

Italian fans in the stands looked as if they might burst into tears of joy. This single set win had not come easily at all!

But since they had won, they could not help but dream of an even better result!

"Hahaha! Amazing!" León laughed. "Even if we go to another set, I wouldn't feel sleepy at all!"

"That setter…Kageyama Tobio, he's gotten so strong now." Christensen marvelled. In his memories, there hadn't been many scenes of Kageyama Tobio. But now, the guy was undoubtedly on his level.

"Whether it's Kageyama or Oikawa, I'm really looking forward to seeing more."

-----

The break between sets ended, and the teams switched courts.

Trentino Volley's lineup:

Front row—Setter Kageyama Tobio, Outside Hitter Alexander Delloro, Middle Blocker Ivan Zaytsev.

Back row—Middle Blocker Ryan Mosca (Libero: Fabio Balaso), Outside Hitter Yuri Romano and Opposite Hitter Luca Boro.

CA San Juan's lineup:

Front row—Outside Hitter Facundo Conte, Middle Blocker Martín Ramos, Setter Oikawa Tōru.

Back row—Opposite Hitter Bruno Lima, Middle Blocker Agustín Loser (Libero: Santiago Danani) and Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi.

"Hey, Ferdi, do you see this?"

Trentino assistant coach Reisen felt a strong sense of foreboding the moment he saw San Juan's starting rotation.

Coach Ferdinando looked toward San Juan's bench, where Coach José returned a gentle smile.

"They're…not planning to fight head-on?"

Ferdinando had wanted to maintain the third-set matchup, with Zaytsev and Alexander simultaneously targeting Kaedehara Taichi. But José's adjustment had instantly disrupted that plan.

This didn't make sense. Ferdinando pondered silently.

Using Taichi's serve rotation to forcibly push the opponent's aces to the front row for three strong attack rotations clearly wasn't worth it. Besides, Trentino had won the third set precisely by exploiting the period when Taichi was in the back row.

If you said Kaedehara Taichi was afraid to face Zaytsev and Alexander head-on, Ferdinando wouldn't believe that at all.

There could only be one explanation—San Juan wanted to split the spearhead, to see which side could score more points during attack rotations.

"Is it really worth taking this risk?" Ferdinando didn't understand.

If San Juan got stuck in an early rotation, Trentino would seize the advantage first and then tighten their defence to maintain the lead until the very end.

Ferdinando gestured toward the players on the court.

"If you're letting us attack first…don't regret it later!"

-----

The fourth set began. San Juan to serve first. Kaedehara Taichi stepped up to the line.

"Sure, we'll let you attack first," Oikawa said, hands clasped behind his head. "But you'll have to survive Taichi's service turn first."

Thump! Thump! Thump…!

Taichi stood at the line, head lowered, patting the ball repeatedly.

Gulp.Someone swallowed audibly. In the vast, silent arena, that sound echoed clearly.

"H-hey, this bastard…isn't this way too scary…"

Yuri didn't say it aloud but thought it silently. Or rather, the feeling of directly facing Taichi made it hard to even breathe.

"Tweet!—"The service whistle sounded.

Taichi lifted his head. His black eyes swept over Trentino's back row five.

Every single one of them felt as if they were being directly locked onto, their bodies instinctively tensing up.

Smack!

Taichi grabbed the ball one-handed, flipped his wrist, and gently tossed the ball upward from his palm.

"It's coming!"

Even under crushing pressure, the Trentino players all instinctively braced themselves to receive.

Kaedehara Taichi started forward slowly, accelerating. At the ball's highest point, he appeared just beneath it, knees bent, pushing powerfully upward.

THUMP!

Time seemed to freeze, allowing everyone to witness Taichi's perfect airborne form—his body fully extended in an arched bow shape, right arm drawn back. Then, as if someone had hit fast-forward, his arm swung so quickly it blurred.

BOOOOM!!!—

A thunderous crack echoed. The ball, freshly struck from Taichi's palm, left only a fleeting shadow in the air.

Too fast!

In Yuri's eyes, the ball seemed almost oval-shaped—

BOOOM!!!

The ball smashed onto the floor, bouncing up at full speed toward the stands.

SMACK!!!

Iwaizumi Hajime stepped in front of the crowd to block it from hitting a spectator.

The ball soared up again before finally dropping to the floor.

"I-IN!" The line judge, as if waking from a dream, finally gave the call.

Kaedehara Taichi's serve scored directly!

[San Juan 1 - 0 Trentino]

_________