"Ping!"
The white baseball soared high into the air.
Seibo High School Baseball Team's second baseman was already waiting beneath its projected landing point.
"Snap!"
The ball settled cleanly into his glove.
"Out!"
Two outs. Runners on first and second.
Inside Seidou High School Baseball Team's dugout, the atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing. Every player wore a grim expression as they stared toward the pitcher's mound.
That young man standing there—
An ominous feeling quietly crept into their hearts.
As long as he remained on the mound, scoring runs would be incredibly difficult.
And as the innings slipped away, their remaining chances were becoming fewer and fewer.
"Perhaps… I was too greedy."
Manager Ota rubbed his hands until they nearly turned red.
"If only Zhou Hao had made it home just now—"
The moment those words fell, the dugout fell completely silent.
Everyone understood what their Manager meant.
At this point, they weren't asking for much anymore.
Just one run.
One run would be enough to decide the game.
Yet now, even that single run felt impossibly distant.
Still—
No one blamed Zhou Hao.
Shirazawa's pitching ability was already among the very best in the nation, and coupled with his frightening condition today, he was nearly flawless.
Even elite sluggers from other powerhouse schools would struggle against him.
Zhou Hao had already collected two hits.
More than that—he had nearly forced in a run all by himself.
If anything, it was simply a matter of bad luck.
Just as the mood sank lower and lower—
Zhou Hao, who had returned to the dugout, suddenly smiled.
"It's fine," he said calmly. "There are still two innings left."
Everyone instinctively turned toward him.
Two innings?
They understood exactly what he meant.
What truly worried them wasn't whether they could break through Shirazawa.
It was Shirazawa's determination.
He had clearly decided not to challenge Seidou's three core sluggers head-on anymore.
As long as his stamina held up, it would be extremely difficult for the rest of Seido's lineup to get anything going.
Even in the ninth inning, Zhou Hao would still bat.
That wouldn't change.
Coach Kataoka also seemed to realize something and looked at Zhou Hao thoughtfully.
"My stamina really isn't that high," Zhou Hao said honestly.
"By the end of the ninth inning, I'll probably be close to empty. I might last one or two more innings at most. But—"
He paused, then nodded toward the opposing mound.
"They're the same."
Everyone followed his gaze to Shirazawa.
"He's not much stronger than me."
As a third-year, Shirazawa did have better endurance than Zhou Hao.
But he also had a serious problem—
His pitch count.
Intentional walks might save some energy, but every pitch still added up.
By now, Shirazawa's pitch count was already frighteningly high.
And against Seidou's batters, none of those outs had come easily.
"Hehe… you're right!"
Someone suddenly laughed.
Before this, their biggest fear was simple—
Once Zhou Hao left the mound, Seido would lose control of the game.
Nanjo was strong, but not strong enough to completely suppress Seibō.
But now they realized something important.
This problem didn't belong to Seidou alone.
Seibo High School Baseball Team faced the exact same dilemma.
How much longer could Shirazawa last?
Whether his stamina collapsed or they were forced to change pitchers—
Either outcome favored Seido.
Their overall strength wouldn't be inferior in either scenario.
Seeing the mood lift, Zhou Hao nodded.
"I don't think our overall strength is weaker than theirs."
If anyone else had said that, it wouldn't have carried much weight.
But coming from Zhou Hao—
Those words lifted every head in the dugout.
Seidou was never a one-man team.
If overall strength was compared, they feared no one.
After Chris, it was Nanjo's turn—
And Yuki struck out.
"Three outs! Side retired!"
Seven innings complete.
The score remained—
0 : 0
The Seibo High School Baseball Team erupted with excitement.
This was exactly the situation they had been aiming for.
Unable to score off Zhou Hao, they had chosen one path—
Drag the game into extra innings.
Wait until Zhou Hao's stamina collapsed.
Only then would Seibō have a chance to strike.
But Seido wasn't blind to this plan.
They saw it clearly.
Yet instead of becoming anxious or shaken—
Their morale rose instead.
It was as if they'd been injected with adrenaline.
Top of the eighth inning.
Seibo High School Baseball Team on offense.
Their cleanup hitter, Oishibashi, stepped into the batter's box.
He wanted to hit.
Their plan had been to wait—but plans were never absolute.
If he could score now, why gamble on extra innings?
Even then, victory wasn't guaranteed.
Shirazawa was still waiting.
And how much longer could Shirazawa really last?
As Shirazawa's partner, Oishibashi knew better than anyone—
The pressure, the fatigue, the mental strain—
Shirazawa was nearing his limit.
This was a gamble.
And Oishibashi intended to go all in.
He raised his bat high.
He wanted to end it here.
Then—
Zhou Hao pitched.
"Boom!"
The sound alone made Oishibashi freeze.
It wasn't a straight ball.
It was—
The Spiral Ball.
That terrifying rotation.
That sudden acceleration.
Oishibashi felt his mind go blank.
"How…?"
There was no way to hit it.
"Snap!"
"Strike!"
One strike, no balls.
The stands exploded.
"Zhou Hao!! Zhou Hao!!!"
It was clear now—
Zhou Hao had stopped holding back.
He intended to end this game himself.
Seibo's supporters fell silent.
There was no sign of Zhou Hao's stamina collapsing.
Not even a hint.
Oishibashi grit his teeth.
I can't lose here.
As Zhou Hao pitched again, Oishibashi swung with everything he had.
"Boom!!"
The bat met the ball—
For a moment, joy surged through him.
He hit it.
But in the next instant—
A terrifying force surged through his arms.
The bat flew from his hands.
Spinning.
Flying.
The home plate umpire ducked instinctively.
"Snap!"
"Out!!"
One out. No runners on base.
Zhou Hao calmly fielded the ball and tossed it to Yuki at first.
But no one was watching that.
All eyes were locked onto the bat—
Spinning helplessly through the air once more.