Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 305: The King and the Conqueror

"Whoosh!"

"Pop!"

"Strike! Batter out! Three outs! Change sides!"

"The final pitch was an inside fastball. Even after allowing Komadai to tie the score and walking their cleanup hitter, Eijun didn't collapse. Instead, he regained his composure and, with four pitches, struck out their fifth batter, Kanemoto, ending Komadai's offensive drive!"

"Seidou! Seidou! Seidou!"

"Well done, Sawamura! You've pitched great so far. Don't worry about it!"

"Sawamura-kun, hang in there!"

"You can do it! We absolutely believe in you, Sawamura!"

"Let's go!"

In the Seidou dugout on the first-base side:

"I'm so sorry. It's because of my immaturity that we lost our lead. If only I could have..."

Back in the dugout, Eijun bit his lip and shouted his apology, his voice filled with guilt.

"What are you talking about, Sawamura? You only gave up three runs over eight innings. If anyone should take responsibility, it's us seniors who couldn't score more runs! You've already done more than enough!"

Before Eijun could finish speaking, Isashiki Jun wrapped an arm around his shoulder and shouted, cutting him off. His expression was uncharacteristically serious.

"Isashiki-senpai, I—"

"That's right, Sawamura. You've pitched excellently. Leave the rest to us." Masuko added with a hearty smile and a low, booming voice.

"Hehe, if you blame yourself, you're basically blaming us seniors for not backing you up with enough runs," Ryousuke said with a teasing grin.

"Well done, Sawamura," Yuuki said, his eyes filled with encouragement. Those three simple words carried the weight of the captain's trust.

"Yahaha, you've already done great, kid!" Kuramochi added, slinging his arm around Eijun's other shoulder with a mischievous laugh.

"Senpai..."

"Don't tell me you don't believe in us, Sawamura?" Isashiki's warm smile and firm grip on Eijun's shoulder radiated reassurance.

Eijun felt his nose sting, overwhelmed by the urge to cry.

"Yes, I've always, always trusted my seniors!!!"

"We will definitely score again!!! Let's go!!!"

"Ohhhhhhh!!!"

The unity of Seidou shone brightly, even after Komadai tied the score in the top of the eighth inning.

It didn't break their spirits. Both teams understood the significance of this match. For both Komadai and Seidou, reaching the pinnacle wasn't going to be easy.

At this crucial juncture, with everything on the line, no one would give up without a fight!

"They actually chose to trust Sawamura? Well, so far, it's worked out. But the real trouble lies ahead. With Komadai having the momentum after tying the score, and only two innings left—one for offense and one for defense—any mistake could be catastrophic. Coach Kataoka, what will your next move be?"

Ochiai watched Kataoka from the Seidou dugout, his eyes gleaming with a hint of intrigue as he pondered.

On the third-base side, in Komadai's dugout:

"We have the upper hand now, so there's no need to rush. Slow the pace down. If it goes to extra innings, the advantage is ours. Understood?"

Coach Nitta spoke in a calm tone, his hands clasped behind his back, his demeanor icy and composed.

"Yes!" Komadai's players responded with enthusiasm.

They had complete confidence in Coach Nitta's strategy, and the current situation validated his decisions. They had tied the game, taken the momentum, and fully believed they could secure victory.

It wasn't just trust in their coach but also in their own abilities and the correctness of their judgment of the game.

"Hongou."

"Hmph."

The response came with cold pride and defiant arrogance.

The prodigy, Hongou Masamune, maintained his aloof and self-assured demeanor—one that he had every right to hold.

"Bottom of the eighth. Seidou High's offense begins. Leading off: shortstop, Kuramochi-kun!"

"Go, Kuramochi!"

"Show them what our dorm-mate can do!"

"Kuramochi, get a hit and use your speed to your advantage!"

"Charge, charge, Kuramochi!"

Sawamura, you've done more than enough. Now it's time for us seniors to step up.

"Kid, hang in there and grit your teeth!"

Kuramochi Yoichi, wearing a fierce expression, stepped up to the plate, completely unleashing himself.

Unfortunately, while Kuramochi was aggressive, Hongou was even more unyielding.

"!!!"

At the umpire's signal, Komadai's catcher, Kanemoto, immediately flashed the sign. With Hongou still at his peak physical condition and barely showing signs of fatigue, Kanemoto had no hesitation in directing the full extent of Hongou's power.

First pitch: inside fastball. Unleash your full strength.

Whoosh!

Hongou's arm snapped forward with explosive speed.

The ball gleamed like a blade of light.

Accompanied by a fierce, cutting wind, the pitch blazed through the air like a streak of lightning.

So fast!?

In that instant, Kuramochi had only one thought echoing in his mind.

The next second, a sharp gust, like a knife slicing through the air, struck him.

Thud!

The deafening sound reverberated through the field.

Kuramochi's eyes widened in shock.

A 150 km/h fastball? Is it really this fast!?

His expression twisted in disbelief, as if he had just seen a ghost. He had faced Furuya's pitches before, but the difference now was staggering.

Kuramochi couldn't understand it. This kid's pitches felt alive—wild, merciless, and aimed straight at the heart.

Damn it! I can't let him control the rhythm!

Whoosh!

Hongou's arm moved again, unleashing another pitch.

A sharp gleam streaked toward the plate.

Swish!

Kuramochi swung his bat with all his might, twisting his body to generate power and adjust his timing.

But as the ball neared the plate, it suddenly dropped sharply.

The white streak dipped, evading the bat entirely, and landed squarely into Kanemoto's glove with precision.

Pop!

A sharp splitter!

"Strike!"

In just two pitches, Kuramochi found himself cornered.

It was as if everything was under his control, toyed with in the palm of his hand.

The devastating impact of Hongou Masamune's splitter and the sheer dominance of his fastball, which completely outclassed Furuya's raw but unrefined speed, left no room for counterplay.

In his first at-bat against Hongou, Kuramochi found himself utterly powerless.

Whoosh!

Pop!

"Strike! Batter out!"

Damn it! Kuramochi clenched his fists in frustration, his brow tightly furrowed. He had been struck out in just three pitches—completely overwhelmed.

"Next batter, No. 2, second baseman, Kominato-kun."

Kominato Ryousuke, known for his exceptional ability to battle at the plate, was often regarded as Seidou's most skilled hitter in terms of technique.

But even he, in his first face-off against Hongou's unique combination of brute force, precision, and cunning, was unable to put up a fight.

In just four pitches, Hongou forced Ryousuke to swing at an outside pitch that wasn't even in the strike zone, resulting in a grounder to third base. The play ended in an easy out at first.

Then came Isashiki Jun, who managed to pose more of a threat to Hongou with his raw power, able to go toe-to-toe in terms of strength. However, this was still his first at-bat against Hongou.

Unable to fully adjust to Hongou's unpredictable pitch arsenal, Isashiki quickly found himself down in the count. After being cornered with three pitches, the fourth—a splitter—secured another strikeout.

Hongou's exceptional display against Seidou's top-order lineup was nothing short of spectacular.

With ease and dominance, Hongou demonstrated his mastery over the game, showing the true meaning of pitching prowess in the bottom of the eighth inning.

This was a clash between a king and a conqueror—a battle that truly embodied the essence of baseball!

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•Only one chapter today, guys. In two days, the regular schedule will resume because I'm working on a new book. The other one will finish soon, and the new book will be a Danmachi fanfic.

If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.

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