[CA San Juan 21 - 25 ASAS São Paulo]

[CA San Juan 25 - 20 ASAS São Paulo]

[CA San Juan 25 - 19 ASAS São Paulo]

[CA San Juan 25 - 22 ASAS São Paulo]

San Juan came back from a set down to win 3-1 in their final group stage match. Meanwhile, in Group B, LUK Lublin Club also defeated Al Rayyan Club with a clean 3-0 sweep.

Both teams finished the round robin undefeated, each earning the maximum 9 points, and successfully advanced to the semifinals.

-----

In the afternoon, Group A featured Trentino versus Nizhnev. Since São Paulo failed to earn any points, as long as Trentino won—regardless of the score—they would advance to the next round.

On the other hand, Nizhnev still held a sliver of hope: if they could defeat Trentino by a large margin, they would qualify based on a points advantage (4 points).

As one could imagine, the tension around this final Group A match was suffocating even before the game began.

However, after some hesitation, Coach José decided to lead the players to the Group B venue instead. After all, the winner between Ryujin and Mazembe would be San Juan's opponent in the semifinals, so they had to show proper respect.

-----

Kaedehara Taichi and Oikawa didn't go with the rest of the team. After greeting the coaches, they headed straight to Ryujin's cheering section.

Iwaizumi Hajime and Chiba Kaho had already saved them seats. Upon hearing they were coming, Kuroo Tetsurō and Kozume Kenma also joined.

"Hello, everyone, it's your boy Kenma live again," Kozume Kenma calmly greeted the camera. "Today I'll be streaming the final match of the Club World Championship group stage: Ryujin versus Mazembe, whose team is from DR Congo, an African nation."

"It should be evening in Japan now, right?" Taichi muttered. "Kuroo-senpai, other people's streams are usually more hyped…Can Kenma really pull it off like this?"

Kuroo handed his phone to Taichi without a word. On screen was Kenma's live stream.

"KENMA-SAMA IS LIVE!!!"

"Hubby!!!"

"Oh wow, is this in Italy? No wonder he hasn't updated his gaming streams recently."

"There are so many foreigners here!"

"Can you twerk?"

"Kenma's actually interested in volleyball too?"

The barrage of comments scrolled endlessly and incredibly fast.

"Well…okay." Taichi's expression looked complicated; he hadn't expected Kenma's stream to be so popular.

No—he hadn't expected the former social anxiety shut-in to become a streamer at all. Maybe after becoming a professional esports player, he had simply gotten used to being on camera.

But…what was with that proud look on Kuroo's face?

"Today's stream is a little special. Besides Kuroo, we have a few other special guests," Kenma slowly panned the camera toward the Aoba Johsai group (they'd already agreed beforehand). "If there are volleyball fans among you, some faces might look familiar."

"Hello everyone, I'm Kaedehara Taichi. I'll be commentating on today's match with Kenma."

"Long time no see, I'm Kuroo Tetsurō from the Japan Volleyball Association's development division."

"Hi everyone, I'm Iwaizumi Hajime, trainer for Ryujin."

"Chiba Kaho."

Chiba just gave a brief nod before quietly stepping behind Kaedehara Taichi.

"Kenma's friends are all so handsome!"

"Wait, is that THE Kaedehara Taichi?!"

"Kuroo is back again for a limited appearance, haha…"

"My god, Kenma is actually friends with Taichi? His connections are insane!"

"Huh? Do you guys know who that is? Is he famous?"

"Someone explain!!"

"Hey hey hey, these guys are from that legendary Aoba Johsai team!!!"

Kenma then pointed the camera at the stadium's big screen, where both teams were warming up. The announcer was introducing each player one by one.

"Ryujin is here!"

"All these foreign players are so tall…"

"I just looked up who Taichi is! Kenma's friend is amazing! An international superstar!"

"Someone give a detailed intro!"

"He's Japan's strongest high school player, the 'Nightmare of the Monster Generation,' the most talented player in history, Japan's No. 1 Active Professional Volleyball Player—Kaedehara Taichi!"

"THAT'S THE REAL GUY?!"

"OH MY GOD!!!"

Meanwhile, Oikawa Tōru—the only one who hadn't introduced himself—was secretly planning to maintain a mysterious air and grab viewers' attention. Unfortunately, no one cared. Everyone was already busy talking about Kaedehara Taichi.

"Damn it…they didn't even recognise the world's best setter!" Oikawa muttered in frustration.

———

The match began. Taichi leaned forward slightly, eyes sharply focused on Ryujin's lineup—familiar rivals he hadn't seen in a while.

For Ryujin's first attack, Miya Atsumu set the ball to the right side for Kiryū Wakatsu.

"Kiryū's jump is high enough, and his power is solid. But Mazembe's middle blocker predicted it well. Looking at his hand posture, he's trying to shut down the straight shot," Kenma analysed in his calm, flat tone.

Just as Kenma finished, the blocker shot up, his arms like iron walls right in Kiryū's face.

BOOOM!!!

The ball slammed into Mazembe's sideline and bounced out.

Ryujin scored the opening point!

「Miya Atsumu—Setter, 186.6 cm tall; Serve 98, Receive 94, Dig 90, Set 99, Spike 82, Block 84; Spike reach 335 cm / Block reach 318 cm.」

[Miya Atsumu—Setter:Height: 186.6 cm

Serve: 98 | Receive: 94 | Dig: 90 | Set: 99 | Spike: 82| Block: 84

Spike Reach: 335 cm /Block Reach: 318 cm.]

[Kiryū Wakatsu—Outside Hitter:Height: 190 cm

Serve: 95 | Receive: 95 | Dig: 88 | Set: 88 | Spike: 96| Block: 90

Spike Reach: 355 cm /Block Reach: 333 cm.]

Kiryū's power was on par with world-class players. Though his technique wasn't absolutely top-tier, he had mastered all the essentials. Now, with Miya Atsumu as his setter, it felt as if a new door had opened in front of him.

"Not bad at all," Taichi said with a grin.

The match continued. Ryujin maintained their offensive rhythm—Atsumu's sets were fast and precise, and if Mazembe's block was even slightly slow, they were instantly left behind.

Kenma's eyes stayed glued to the ball's trajectory.

"This looks like a cross-court attack, but it's deceptive," he remarked unhurriedly. "The hitter's wrist has a slight adjustment—it's likely a straight-line sneak attack."

BANG!!

Sure enough, Sakusa Kiyoomi's body faced slightly sideways, but at the last moment, his wrist flicked outward. Mazembe's defenders shifted their weight the wrong way, and the ball scraped the sideline as it landed. The crowd erupted in gasps.

Sakusa scored!

It was the same sideline shot, but Kiryū relied on raw power and speed to smash through. Sakusa, on the other hand, toyed with the block, using his wrist technique and an acute angle to score.

"Kenma really knows volleyball!"

"So professional!"

"God-tier commentary!"

"Don't tell me Kenma's a volleyball genius too, lol."

"Hahaha, if Kenma played, he'd probably die from exhaustion on the court!"

In Kenma's stream, gift animations kept popping up nonstop, and viewers marvelled at his pinpoint breakdown of every play.

[Sakusa Kiyoomi—Outside Hitter:Height: 191 cm

Serve: 95 | Receive: 99 | Dig: 92 | Set: 94 | Spike: 98| Block: 88

Spike Reach: 350 cm /Block Reach: 328 cm.]

"Sakusa hasn't been losing much lately, huh," Taichi commented with interest. "Feels like his expression's gotten a bit more arrogant too."

"???"

"Whose voice was that?"

"That arrogant tone…was that Taichi?"

"Has he always been this cocky?"

Kuroo Tetsurō looked at Kaedehara Taichi with a mischievous grin—it seemed Taichi had forgotten that anything he said could be heard by everyone in the stream.

Taichi froze for a second but didn't really mind.

Kozume Kenma turned the camera toward him.

"I'm just telling the truth," Taichi said nonchalantly. "You guys can go ask Sakusa yourself—see how often he beats me."

"Wait, what? He's flexing like that?!"

"He's so arrogant…I love it!"

"This guy is going to be Ryujin's opponent in the semifinals, right? Let's see if he gets slapped back to earth soon!"

"I want your kids!!!"

"HUSBAND!!!"

Taichi: "..."

Why were there always these deranged comments mixed in the barrage?

———

"Ryujin reaches set point first, leading by two," Kenma commented in his usual flat tone. "Atsumu's serve is very aggressive, but Mazembe's defence isn't bad either."

"Oh, it's a float serve," Taichi said before Atsumu even made contact. "He really loves showing off his technique."

Kenma's eyelids twitched slightly. He hadn't managed to figure out the type of serve in time—after being away from the court for so long, even his eyes couldn't keep up with these monsters anymore.

Mazembe received the ball and launched a quick middle attack.

—BOOM!!!

A super-high reach spike. Ryujin's block couldn't stop it at all. That was how Mazembe managed to stay close to Ryujin through their offence.

Smack!

Heiwajima Toshirō calmly received the ball.

Atsumu set it up; Kunimi Akira approached for the attack.

"Oh dear, he jumped too early," Taichi chuckled—though he was actually talking about Mazembe's blockers.

Even so, Mazembe's block was so high above Kunimi's contact point that even when it started to come down early, it still loomed in front of him.

Kunimi swung. His entire motion looked slow compared to the others.

BOOM!!

The ball threaded right through the gap in the block and slammed into Mazembe's court.

Even though they had the height, their hand shape had collapsed mid-air.

Kunimi scored!

[Ryujin 25 - 22 Mazembe]

First set over—Ryujin took it fairly comfortably.

"Taichi, what do you think of Kunimi now?" Iwaizumi Hajime asked, his expression full of pride.

Oikawa, next to him, was grinding his teeth, wondering why Iwaizumi only ever looked proud when introducing other people, but always looked annoyed when it came to him.

During the set break, Kenma muted the stream audio so they could talk freely.

"Very strong," Taichi said with genuine admiration.

Kunimi had grown yet again in just these few days. No, actually—the entire Ryujin roster seemed to be evolving rapidly as they adapted to the intensity of the World Championship.

[Kunimi Akira—Opposite Hitter:Height: 185 cm

Serve: 92 | Receive: 98 | Dig: 92 | Set: 96 | Spike: 95| Block: 82

Spike Reach: 348 cm /Block Reach: 322 cm.]

He had completely blended in with these "Monster Generation" players, without any difference at all.

If this had been the old days, Taichi would have never imagined Kunimi could grow to this extent.

"Taichi," Iwaizumi said seriously, "everyone in Ryujin wants to beat you more badly than you think. We know better than anyone just how strong you are."

"Hmm."

Kaedehara Taichi slowly straightened his posture, eyes deep and unwavering as he stared into Iwaizumi's.

"Iwaizumi-senpai…are you officially challenging me on behalf of Ryujin?"

"!!!"

Kuroo instantly felt a familiar, overwhelming pressure. His muscles tensed instinctively. The next second, he let out a wry laugh—he hadn't expected that even as a non-player, he'd still react like this when facing Taichi.

"Hahaha, well, I'm not going to lose," Taichi said lightly. The air around them suddenly loosened again.

Iwaizumi's expression remained grave. In that moment just now, he might have experienced for the first time what it truly felt like to stand as an opponent before Kaedehara Taichi.

-----

The second set began, and Ryujin made multiple rotations in their starting lineup.

Bokuto Kōtarō, Hoshiumi Kōrai, Iizuna Tsukasa, and Komori Motoya—who hadn't played in the first set—all started this one.

Coach Suzaku wasn't just showcasing Ryujin's tactical depth; he wanted to prove one thing—this was no longer the same team from Day 1.

They needed to fully recover their confidence in this match!

Moreover, once they learned that winning would mean facing San Juan in the semifinals, the whole team seemed even more fired up.

[Iizuna Tsukasa—Setter:Height: 188 cm

Serve: 90 | Receive: 98 | Dig: 92 | Set: 99 | Spike: 80| Block: 80

Spike Reach: 332 cm /Block Reach: 318 cm.]

Purely from a setter depth perspective, Ryujin was in a league of its own at this tournament.

[Hoshiumi Kōrai—Outside Hitter:Height: 173 cm

Serve: 95 | Receive: 99 | Dig: 95 | Set: 95

| Spike: 96| Block: 80

Spike Reach: 355 cm /Block Reach: 322 cm.]

Not only was he 2 cm taller than Hinata Shōyō, but in every respect, Hoshiumi now surpassed Hinata.

[Bokuto Kōtarō—Outside Hitter:Height: 191 cm

Serve: 93 | Receive: 95 | Dig: 98 | Set: 85 | Spike: 99| Block: 92

Spike Reach: 355 cm /Block Reach: 335 cm.]

What Taichi hadn't expected was that Bokuto was the only Ryujin player with a spike rating of 99.

[Komori Motoya—Libero:Height: 181 cm

Serve: 70 | Receive: 99 | Dig: 99 | Set: 92 | Spike: 65| Block: 65.]

Ryujin's indispensable, absolutely world-class libero!

"This guy…he's getting excited again," Oikawa commented when he saw the sparkle in Taichi's eyes.

But even Oikawa couldn't hold back his own excitement.

These rivals they hadn't seen for so long…had grown so brilliantly.

It made you want—more than anything—to crush them.

———

"BEEEEP—!"

The final whistle blew.

[Ryujin NIPPON 25 - 22 Mazembe]

[Ryujin NIPPON 25 - 23 Mazembe]

[Ryujin NIPPON 25 - 18 Mazembe]

Ryujin unexpectedly won 3-0, earning three full points.

Among Club World Championship teams, there was a mix of strong and weak squads—but Ryujin had become the third team to complete a 3-0 sweep, alongside San Juan and Lublin.

Their stunning form left everyone shocked.

The final Group B standings:

LUK Lublin—9 points

Ryujin NIPPON—5 points

Al Rayyan—2 points

Mazembe—2 points

Lublin and Ryujin advanced successfully to the next round.

However, an even bigger surprise came from Group A—

Nizhnev defeated Trentino 3-2.

The heavily favoured Trentino was expected to advance for sure, yet after a brutal five-set battle, they ultimately fell.

"Yaku!!!" Kuroo Tetsurō nearly cried tears of joy.

This result meant that Group A finished as follows:

CA San Juan—9 points

ASAS São Paulo Club—3 points

Trentino Volley—3 points

Nizhnev—3 points

With the latter three teams tied in points and no clear decision from set wins, they would have to play tiebreaker matches the next day to determine who advanced.

The "Group of Death" lived up to its name.

-----