On the day of the semifinal, Seido's baseball team arrived at the stadium.
"Ryou, why did you suddenly decide to pitch?" Miyuki asked as he stretched inside the dugout.
"What? It's already the semifinals. Am I not allowed to play?" Kanzaki Ryou sneered.
There was no way he was going to tell Miyuki the real reason.
What was he supposed to say?
"You're going to get run over and injured by Seikou's giant pitcher today."
Who would believe something like that?
"Heh, I thought you'd save yourself for the final," Miyuki said with a grin.
"How could I do that? Our opponents in the final will be either Inashiro or Yakushi. I need to get into rhythm first. What if my touch isn't there when it matters?" Kanzaki replied.
"Fair enough."
Miyuki adjusted his glove and didn't pursue the matter any further.
Soon, the game began.
First-base side: Seido High School.
Third-base side: Seikou High School.
Seikou would bat first.
"Let's go!"
Kanzaki stepped out of the dugout first.
"OHHHHHH!"
The rest of Seido's players followed with loud battle cries.
Top of the first inning.
Seikou's leadoff batter stepped into the box.
From behind home plate, Miyuki looked toward the batter.
Masu Shinichiro.
A second-year.
Captain of Seikou High School.
The heart and soul of their lineup.
In every previous game, Seikou's scoring efficiency skyrocketed whenever he reached base.
Come on, Ryou.
Get this guy out, and the rhythm of the game is ours.
Whoosh—
On the mound, Kanzaki looked unusually focused.
His left leg rose slowly.
All of his weight settled onto his right leg.
His sharp eyes locked onto the target.
Then—
His left foot landed.
His center of gravity shifted.
His arm whipped forward.
The baseball exploded from his fingertips like a meteor streaking across the night sky.
SWISH!
BOOM!
The sound of the ball slamming into Miyuki's mitt echoed throughout the stadium.
Masu Shinichiro froze.
His eyes widened as he stared at the glove.
For a long moment, he couldn't react.
How...?
How is that possible?
The radar gun flashed.
164 km/h.
One pitch.
A new personal best.
The stadium erupted.
"Kanzaki!"
"Kanzaki!"
"Kanzaki!"
The Seido supporters roared his name from the stands.
"What the hell? 164?!"
"He's even faster than before!"
"I don't remember him pitching this seriously against Teito."
"Tsk, he's establishing dominance from the first pitch. Seikou's in trouble."
Meanwhile, Miyuki flexed his numb fingers.
Seriously...
This ball is way too heavy.
It's hard enough just catching it.
He tossed the ball back to the mound.
Then a grin spread across his face.
Looks like my ace is fired up today.
In that case...
Sorry, Seikou.
Miyuki gave the sign.
Whoosh!
SWISH!
The first pitch had reached 164 km/h.
The next two were also close to 160.
Facing Kanzaki's near full-power pitching, Masu Shinichiro could do nothing.
A feeling of complete helplessness washed over him.
Strike three.
After him, Seikou's second and third batters met the same fate.
Three batters.
Three strikeouts.
Nine straight fastballs.
Three up, three down.
The crowd was stunned.
"Nine consecutive fastballs!"
"What kind of monster is he?"
"They couldn't even touch the ball!"
"Unbelievable..."
"This is the strength of the Overlord!"
Seikou possessed one of the most powerful lineups in Tokyo.
Every batter had the ability to hit for extra bases.
Some could even launch home runs.
Yet against Kanzaki's fastball, not a single batter managed to make contact.
This was pure velocity.
This was the overwhelming beauty of a power pitcher.
Bottom of the first inning.
Seido's offense took the field.
Kuramochi led off.
CRACK!
The ball shot into right field.
Kuramochi immediately accelerated.
First base.
Second base.
Third base.
Safe!
A triple!
The Seido crowd erupted again.
Next came Kominato Haruichi.
CRACK!
A line drive to center field.
Single.
Kuramochi crossed home plate with ease.
1-0.
Seido struck first.
Then Miyuki stepped into the batter's box.
SWING!
Another solid hit.
With a hit-and-run in motion, Haruichi sprinted aggressively around the bases and reached third.
Runners on first and third.
No outs.
Cleanup hitter Kanzaki Ryou at the plate.
Behind home plate, Masu Shinichiro hesitated.
Should they intentionally walk him?
If they did, Seido would score another run.
But if Kanzaki connected...
Three runs could disappear instantly.
No.
We have to get him out.
It's already the fourth batter.
We don't even have a single out yet.
Walking him would only make things worse.
The first pitch came high and outside.
Ball.
Kanzaki watched it pass without moving.
An obvious waste pitch.
Do you really think that'll fool me?
His eyes drifted toward the catcher.
The second pitch came inside.
This time, Kanzaki swung.
CRACK!!!
The sound echoed like thunder.
The ball exploded off the bat.
Its exit velocity exceeded 200 kilometers per hour.
The Seikou players could only watch in despair as it soared higher and higher.
The stadium erupted.
"OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"
"IT'S GONE!"
"HOMERUN!"
"THREE-RUN HOMERUN!"
"KANZAKI!"
"OVERLORD!"
Every Seido supporter rose to their feet.
Home Run No. 73.
Kanzaki raised his right fist as he rounded the bases, responding to the deafening cheers.
"Hahaha! Seikou's ace got blown up in the first inning."
"This is brutal."
"The first four batters all scored."
"Seikou's morale must be shattered."
"Seventy-three home runs as a second-year..."
"That's not human."
Following the home run, Seikou immediately made a pitching change.
Their ace was pulled from the game.
A giant figure stepped onto the mound.
Ogawa Tsunematsu.
194 centimeters tall.
Nearly 95 kilograms.
The moment he appeared, the stadium buzzed.
"Whoa, what's with this guy? He's huge!" Kuramochi exclaimed.
"His pitches are probably heavy."
"We need to be careful."
"If Seikou is willing to pull their ace this early, this guy must be their trump card."
The Seido players immediately became serious.
At the plate, Arima Kazusa tightened his grip on the bat.
Seido's scouting report on Ogawa was extremely limited.
Left-handed.
Excellent spin rate.
Heavy fastball.
That was about it.
I'll watch a pitch first.
Arima made up his mind.
At that moment—
Ogawa let out a roar.
Then he fired.
WHOOSH!
The baseball seemed to grow larger and larger in Arima's vision.
Faster.
Closer.
Closer—
"ARIMA!"
"LOOK OUT!"
"ARIMA-KUN!"
The warning cries rang out from every direction.
But it was too late.
THUD!
The pitch smashed directly into Arima's shoulder.
The bat slipped from his hands.
Arima staggered backward before collapsing to the ground.
"Hiss—!"
He clutched his shoulder in pain.
"Arima!"
"Call the doctor!"
"Hurry!"
The atmosphere in the stadium instantly changed.
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