Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 223: The Demon King Arrives!

"BOOM!!!"

The white baseball seemed like some unknown beast, tearing through the strike zone in an instant.

At first, the crowd fell silent.

Then came a collective gasp.

"My goodness..."

"Wow, that's terrifying!"

"It was like a meteor falling—just zooming by in a flash..."

The audience was awestruck.

Standing in the batter's box, Harada's face turned visibly grim.

In truth, Inashiro's players had been mentally prepared for Furuya's improved velocity.

The opponent was just a first-year, still new to high school, and was clearly in a phase of rapid growth.

Given that, the Inashiro team had already anticipated the possibility that their opponent's pitches would be incredibly fast—even faster than before.

Harada, the cleanup hitter, had done extensive training before the match. He adjusted his pitching machine at home to fire 155-kilometer-per-hour fastballs. Then he stepped into the batter's box to practice against them.

At first, the results were dismal.

Even a top-tier slugger like Harada found himself struggling against pitches at that speed.

But he refused to give up.

He kept practicing, over and over again.

As one of the top three hitters in West Tokyo, Harada had both immense natural talent and unwavering determination.

He firmly believed that through relentless practice, he could eventually crush those high-speed pitches.

Eventually, his ability to hit against the pitching machine improved significantly.

This progress gave him confidence to face Furuya—the first-year phenom—head-on.

At that moment, Harada's only thought was to send the rookie's pitches flying.

Inashiro's team had done their homework on Seidou and Furuya in particular.

Through detailed research, they realized just how heavily Seidou relied on their ace pitcher.

And Furuya, for his part, had never let his teammates down.

This mutual dependence was the foundation of Seidou's current dominance.

However, a team's greatest strength can also be its greatest vulnerability.

Seidou's players and supporters placed near-blind trust in their ace.

That level of reliance was, without a doubt, a dangerous signal.

If Furuya were to falter or perform below expectations, it could deliver a crushing blow to the team.

Inashiro saw this as their opportunity.

Harada stepped up to the plate with a strong resolve:

He would smash the ball out of the park.

He would shatter Furuya's confidence.

From Inashiro's perspective, this approach wasn't unusual.

Just moments ago, they had scored a run off Furuya—a rarity against Seidou.

This unprecedented achievement boosted their morale.

Perhaps Seidou's "invincible" first-year ace wasn't so untouchable after all.

This shift in perspective strengthened Inashiro's players, both in confidence and capability.

Now, Harada entertained the thought of breaking Furuya entirely.

And yet, just moments ago, Seidou's first-year phenom had effortlessly thrown another pitch.

Every Inashiro player, Harada included, was stunned.

They were utterly floored.

158 kilometers per hour!!!

Despite doing everything they could to overestimate Furuya's strength, they were left in shock.

In the end, they were shocked to realize they had still underestimated this first-year phenom from Seidou.

"158 kilometers per hour? You must be kidding me."

Usually calm and composed, Harada's eyes were filled with disbelief and shock.

The velocity of the pitch was just one aspect.

What truly troubled him was the aura emanating from Furuya—a forceful, overpowering presence that overwhelmed everything in its path.

It struck Harada to the core, making it impossible for him to remain composed.

"Damn it! You can't be this weak. You're Inashiro's cleanup hitter!"

Harada repeatedly scolded himself internally.

He couldn't afford to be timid. He had to stand firm.

If Inashiro's No. 4 hitter showed fear on the field, even though they'd already scored a run, their momentum would undoubtedly falter.

Possibly even take a severe hit.

This thought spurred Harada to muster his resolve again and again.

"It's only a three-kilometer difference. I can hit it! There's got to be a way!"

This was his private conviction.

But perhaps from nerves or something else, the words spilled out of his mouth.

In his catcher's squat, Miyuki looked at Harada in disbelief.

The two teams were archrivals, deeply familiar with one another.

And Miyuki knew Inashiro's cleanup hitter and captain well.

To him, Harada was a dependable leader, on par with Seidou's captain, Yuuki.

In fact, the two were often grouped together as part of the "Top Three Sluggers" in West Tokyo.

But this normally formidable player was now visibly rattled by just one pitch from Furuya.

158 kilometers per hour!

Two kilometers faster than his previous top speed.

Honestly, this increase wasn't that significant.

At least, not to Seidou's players, who already believed Furuya could pitch even faster.

But perception and reality are two different things.

For a regular pitcher, increasing velocity by a few kilometers—even 10 kilometers—isn't unheard of.

Slight adjustments to their form or habits could lead to natural improvements.

But for a pitcher of Furuya's caliber, even a small increase—one or two kilometers—can be challenging.

Why? Because it's not just about hard work anymore.

It comes down to innate talent and potential.

If you have it, you can achieve it.

If you don't—or if you've already reached your ceiling—your maximum speed might never go beyond what you've hit so far.

Furuya's progress hadn't been as quick as some might have imagined.

The main reason? Everyone had become accustomed to his terrifying fastballs.

They subconsciously thought that throwing faster than 155 kilometers per hour wasn't a big deal anymore.

So when Furuya showed improvement, they couldn't help but wonder: Could he go even faster?

But the reality was far more complex.

Just reaching 158 kilometers per hour was already an extraordinary feat.

Otherwise, Harada wouldn't be reacting like this.

He was completely stunned.

"Excellent! Keep it up. Use your fastest pitches and crush their confidence."

Just moments earlier, Miyuki had been considering giving Furuya a break.

This approach of repeatedly throwing high-speed pitches was demanding for any pitcher.

It could potentially affect Furuya's future innings—and, in turn, the entire team's performance.

But now, Miyuki's mindset had shifted dramatically.

If they could crush Harada here, it would deal a devastating blow to Inashiro's players.

From Miyuki's perspective, this was their chance to completely dominate the opposition.

Even if their opponent was Inashiro Industrial High.

After all, they were just a group of 16- and 17-year-old boys.

Their age made it unlikely they'd maintain the same composure as adults.

When faced with incomprehensible challenges, their collapse wasn't entirely unexpected.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity…"

Miyuki changed his mind—he was determined to give it a try. He wanted to see if they could take down the opponent in one swift blow.

With Miyuki's signal, Furuya's intensity grew even stronger.

The players of Inashiro Industrial High School's baseball team clearly felt it. Their faces darkened, as if storm clouds were gathering.

Standing at the front of the dugout, their coach Kunitomo cracked his neck, the sound echoing faintly.

After their experience in the Kanto Tournament finals, they thought they would never underestimate Furuya again. They'd already seen him as their greatest rival, their largest obstacle on the path forward.

But now, in a direct match against Seidou, the Inashiro coach realized they had still underestimated Furuya Satoru—this first-year phenom.

They had underestimated him yet again.

"BOOM!"

When Furuya threw his second pitch, the stadium, including both dugouts, fell completely silent.

Harada swung with all his might but couldn't even graze the ball.

"POP!"

"Strike!"

The batter was at a disadvantage.

And then Furuya unleashed another commanding pitch.

"BOOM!"

It was clear that Harada was genuinely flustered. He clenched his teeth and swung his bat.

Yet even so, he failed to connect. He could only watch helplessly as the white ball zipped past him.

"POP!"

"Strike!"

"Strikeout!"

Two outs, runner on first base.

Now stepping into the batter's box was the "Tokyo Prince," Narumiya Mei.

"Senpai, you're being careless!" Narumiya frowned at Harada, who was walking dejectedly back to the dugout.

That was just the way the two communicated.

On the surface, Narumiya seemed tactless, but Harada knew that his partner's words held genuine concern.

"It's not carelessness. That kind of pitch is just really hard to hit. But…"

Harada trailed off.

Though he didn't say it outright, Narumiya, knowing him well, understood what Harada had left unsaid.

Furuya's pitching style—so aggressive and relentless—was not sustainable.

Such explosive pitching couldn't last forever.

Under these circumstances, their strategy against Furuya would have to focus on endurance—making him throw as many pitches as possible.

Despite his earlier shock, Harada maintained his composure. Seeing his captain still steady and calm gave Narumiya some reassurance.

He felt a similar thrill to Furuya's.

"This is what makes it fun!"

The stronger the opponent, the more satisfying it would be to defeat them.

"Bring it on! Bring it on!"

Although Narumiya knew that the best approach right now would be to drag things out and force Furuya to throw more pitches, knowing and actually doing it were two different matters.

Narumiya clearly had no intention of playing it safe.

"Just a measly 158 kilometers per hour—you think I can't hit that?"

As that thought crossed his mind, the white baseball came hurtling toward him.

"BOOM!"

It felt like the earth itself was trembling.

The baseball streaked past him in a blur, leaving Narumiya Mei, standing in the batter's box, unable to react in time.

"What just happened?"

That thought barely formed in Narumiya's mind before the next pitch came flying in.

BOOM!!!

The white baseball seemed to explode as it rocketed toward him in an instant.

Narumiya wanted to swing, but he simply couldn't keep up.

POP!

"Strike!"

Two pitches in, Narumiya kept trying to make contact.

But when he finally tried to swing, he was shocked to find that even attempting to swing the bat was incredibly difficult.

The ball was just too fast—leaving him no time at all to react.

BOOM!

"Strike!"

"Strikeout!"

Three outs, and the teams switched sides.

In Narumiya's eyes, his first-year rival, who used to be on equal footing with him, had now transformed into a demon king.

His pitches were completely untouchable to Inashiro's batters.

Even just making contact felt nearly impossible!

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