At the end of the top of the eighth inning, the players and supporters of Seisho High were all dumbfounded.
Moments earlier, most of them had already fallen into despair.
The pitching strength Zhou Hao displayed throughout the game made it feel impossible to score off him. Even getting one hit had felt like a luxury.
Otherwise, their proud Fourth Batter wouldn't have stepped into the box just now wearing such a heavy expression.
But now—Zhou Hao's stamina had visibly dipped.
The moment their Fourth Batter finally connected and sent the baseball into the field, the hearts of Seisho High's supporters—hearts that had already withered—were suddenly reignited!
Hope returned.
They could still fight. They could still compete for victory against Seidou High School Baseball Team.
After all, the difference was only one run.
Two consecutive hits could tie the game. With a little luck, they could even reverse it.
To their credit, Seisho High's players had performed brilliantly today. They were already deep into the eighth inning and still had a chance to turn the tide.
If not for Zhou Hao's suffocating presence on the mound, Seisho High would never have thought about giving up based on the score alone.
That rekindled fighting spirit almost seemed enough to change the flow of the game—
Until they saw Zhou Hao throw a Spiral Ball.
A pitch whose name they had heard countless times. Zhou Hao's signature finisher.
But until now, Seisho High's players refused to believe this pitch would be the deciding blow.
After all, the Spiral Ball consumed a huge amount of stamina.
Could Zhou Hao still throw it at this stage?
Even before the game began, none of Seisho High's players imagined Zhou Hao would still have the energy to use it in the late innings.
What they didn't know was that Zhou Hao's Spiral Ball wasn't a technique—it was a skill.
His control might falter. His pitch velocity might dip. But the Spiral Ball itself wouldn't break.
At worst, the pitch would drop from Level 3, to Level 2, or even Level 1.
But as long as Zhou Hao didn't completely collapse, he could still throw a Spiral Ball.
And the Spiral Ball he threw just now—
Did he look like someone out of stamina?
Based on that Spiral Ball alone, it felt like Zhou Hao intended to crush Seisho High's hopes outright.
To choke their willpower.
To make them surrender.
"No! We won't give up!!"
The Seisho High players understood their situation well.
They refused to give up—because their pride wouldn't allow it.
But realistically…
They no longer had a chance.
Even if the gap was only one run.
Bottom of the Eighth — Seidou on Offense
Leading off was Seidou's Ninth Batter.
Coach Kataoka took a glance at the dugout but ultimately chose not to use a pinch hitter.
Aside from Miyuki, Seidou had some decent batters on the bench.
But none were definitively stronger than the Ninth Batter.
And sending in a fresh hitter who hadn't seen Akutsu's pitches yet carried its own risks.
Moreover, changing the lineup casually brought consequences—just like earlier, when Shimo's substituted position had let a ball slip through that he surely would've stopped.
That one hit seemed meaningless…
But it had put a huge burden on Zhou Hao's stamina.
So Coach Kataoka held back from making changes.
"Ping!"
The Ninth Batter hit the ball—
But it was easily fielded by Seisho High.
"Out!"
One out, no one on base.
Everyone could see Akutsu—the Ace of Seisho High—was exhausted.
He didn't have too many pitches on paper, but facing Seidou's monstrous batting lineup drained both stamina and mental energy.
Zhou Hao was no different—he had fewer pitches, but Seisho High's offense was bizarrely persistent. And he hadn't used the Spiral Ball throughout the game. His control and power had come at great cost.
Still—
Both pitchers held firm.
"Maybe this is what a real genius looks like."
Matsumoto, Seidou's leadoff batter, stepped up for their fourth confrontation.
The supporters in the stands roared his name.
Akutsu was clearly fatigued. He suppressed the bottom order, but facing Seidou's top? Mistakes were bound to come.
Or so they believed.
Akutsu pitched—
And even exhausted, he threw the Bullet Ball with absolute conviction.
Coach Kataoka raised an eyebrow.
What a terrifying pitcher.
"Incredible guy."
Matsumoto, seeing the unyielding pitch, felt despair.
Four at-bats. Akutsu at low stamina. Yet he still couldn't hit it cleanly.
"Ping!"
The ball flew—straight up.
Caught.
"Out!"
Two outs, bases empty.
The score remained 1–0.
Seidou's supporters felt their hearts sink.
What was happening?
Why couldn't they score?
But then—
The man they were waiting for finally stepped forward.
"Second Batter… pitcher… Zhou Hao!"
The stadium froze for a split second.
Then—
A roaring cheer shook Koshien.
"Zhou Hao!"
"Hit it out!!"
"The pitcher is exhausted, this is your chance!!"
Zhou Hao waved to the fans.
The entire stadium fell silent at once.
Fujio, Baseball Kingdom's senior reporter, stared in shock.
Did Zhou Hao really have this kind of influence over the crowd…?
But Zhou Hao didn't have time to care.
His Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated, consuming the last of his stamina reserves.
But he couldn't afford to miss a single movement from Akutsu.
Akutsu still intended to fight him head-on.
If Zhou Hao got on base, Akutsu would intentionally walk Yuki and Azuma Kiyokuni.
He already lost face once.
He didn't mind losing it again.
Akutsu wanted to keep the suspense alive until the very last inning.
Even with a microscopic chance of victory…
He refused to back down.
"Incredible guy. Even now… he refuses to relax."
He placed the team above himself.
A true pitching machine.
Akutsu delivered the first pitch—
"Whoosh!"
"Strike!!"
Zhou Hao didn't swing.
Seisho High's supporters were ecstatic.
"There's still hope!"
"If we crush him here… maybe the Spiral Ball won't appear in the ninth!"
Akutsu pitched again. Right into the corner.
The perfect anti–home run pitch.
"All the home-run angles are blocked…"
But from the perspective of the Sharingan?
Zhou Hao could see a single hitting point.
A single path to send the ball flying.
He stepped back.
Adjusted his angle.
Gripped the bat tightly.
The baseball approached—
He swung.
"Ping!!"
The ball exploded off the bat.
Akutsu looked up in disbelief.
That pitch hugged the inside corner. It shouldn't have been possible to hit it out.
But Zhou Hao did.
Under thousands of stunned gazes—
The baseball soared past the outfield fence…
And crashed into the stands.
"Pop!"
Home run.
He hit it out!!