Paak!
It was as if the earth itself was shaking, yet the pitch was still met by Kominato Haruichi's bat.
Even though his swing wasn't particularly smooth, the precision with which he struck the ball was far beyond what an average person could do.
He was really skilled. Truly impressive.
But clearly, his opponent was no slouch either.
The small baseball that was hit seemed less like it was struck and more like it bounced off.
The baseball drew an arc, falling toward the outfield.
The outfielder of the Komadai Fujimaki High School baseball team caught the ball effortlessly, as if it were no challenge at all.
Snap!
"OUT!"
One Out, no one on base.
In the Komadai Fujimaki High School's dugout, there wasn't much joy in the air.
The scene that had just unfolded was certainly not something that could bring them any joy.
Kominato Haruichi, despite his training, didn't have the strongest hitting power.
But it was still far from his weakness.
In fact, among the top players of Seidou High School's baseball team, his hitting power was probably the weakest.
Yet even now, Kominato Haruichi, with his weakest hitting power, had still managed to hit the ball cleanly and send it flying.
This scene was truly awe-inspiring.
It was impossible for anyone to ignore it, nor could they help but think about it.
It was truly shocking, really alarming!
Was it Seidou High School's overall strength that had increased?
Or had something gone wrong with Hongou Masamune's pitching?
The massive electronic scoreboard displayed the pitch speed of the last ball Hongou had thrown.
153 km/h! (95 mph)
Compared to his previous fastest pitch, this was 2 km/h slower.
But even at this speed, it was hard to say his performance was lacking.
In fact, this was already very close to his peak pitching speed.
Considering that the game had already reached the 7th inning, this speed showed that Hongou Masamune's performance was far from bad.
His condition could even be said to be excellent.
But despite this, Hongou Masamune, facing off against Kominato Haruichi, had still been hit, and the ball had even been sent to the outfield.
This small detail spoke volumes.
Through this one moment, it could be inferred that the overall strength of Seidou High School's baseball team had improved.
In the past, Seidou High School's team, while powerful overall, had obvious shortcomings.
Apart from the mighty ace, Sawamura Eijun, and the tactical genius, Miyuki Kazuya, the other players' abilities were clearly one level below.
It wasn't just their skill; the understanding of the game and their sensitivity to the flow of the match were also lacking.
The gap was all-encompassing.
After the retirement of players like Yuuki and the others, some even claimed that Seidou High School's team was essentially Sawamura's team alone.
Although harsh, this sentiment was widely accepted at the time.
The fact that it was acknowledged meant that Seidou High School had indeed presented such a situation.
There was little else to say about it.
Not just other people, but even the players of Komadai Fujimaki High School had thought along similar lines.
But now, their views had changed.
From Kominato Haruichi's performance, the players of Komadai Fujimaki High School clearly realized that Seidou High School's current team was no longer a one-man team, relying solely on Sawamura to carry the game.
After more than a year of effort, every player on the field now posed a threat.
Especially as the game entered its later stages.
The later innings meant Seidou High School was now playing at their own pace.
At this rhythm, no one could predict what kind of breakthroughs Seidou's players could make.
They were about to unleash their potential.
If their focus remained only on Sawamura and Miyuki...
"We might even end up losing to these lesser-known players," said Renji, adjusting his glasses as he crouched down again.
Despite being behind at the moment, both Hongou and Renji felt their performance was still commendable.
Neither of them truly believed they had lost to Seidou yet.
Although other players had begun to catch Renji's attention, it was Kominato Haruichi's performance that had made him more alert.
But before tackling them, there was still one more opponent he needed to work with Masamune to defeat.
That opponent was the Demon King, Sawamura Eijun.
Sawamura stood in the Batter's Box, appearing calm.
He lifted his bat with one hand, adjusted it as if aiming, then pulled it back and gripped it with both hands.
The bat was raised high and swayed slightly.
Sawamura Eijun quietly observed the pitcher walking up to the mound.
Hongou Masamune.
A man who, before his regression, Sawamura Eijun had never been able to catch up to, no matter how hard he tried.
Now, standing in the Batter's Box, Sawamura was about to face him directly and settle the score.
It was cruel, but that was the reality, and no one could stop it.
As Sawamura stood in the Batter's Box, he felt as if he had been transported to the Major League Baseball fields.
He was no longer standing in the Koshien Batter's Box.
Instead, he was on a baseball field in New York.
The sound of the crowd and the singing of the fans filled his ears.
Unconsciously, Sawamura immersed himself in that magical state.
This time, more than ever before.
At this moment, Sawamura seemed to enter a third-person perspective.
In this state, he could only feel the realness of the situation.
He saw through every movement in Hongou's pitching.
'It was coming!'
No matter how slow the world seemed in Sawamura's eyes, the ball still came flying at him.
And it came just right…
In Sawamura's vision, the pitch was incredibly slow, and while the trajectory was tricky, once he had guessed the direction of the ball, hitting it was no longer a challenge.
Shuuuuuuu!!!!!
Without any warning, Sawamura swung his bat decisively.
PAAAAKKK!!!!
The bat made solid contact with the small baseball, sending it flying far into the distance.
The tremendous force of the recoil almost made the bat slip from his hands.
"And The Ball Is Flying!!"
"Through The Defense!!!"
The announcer shouted with all his might.
At this critical moment, Sawamura Eijun hitting a double was highly significant.
It proved that Seidou High School's offense was far from over.
…