Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Hakuryu High School launched a counterattack from a desperate opportunity and scored a point off Seidou High School.

They also created the biggest crisis for Seidou High School, nearly pushing the reigning champion into a cliffhanger.

This successfully infuriated all the players of Seidou's baseball team.

Among them is Sawamura Eijun, along with his partner Miyuki Kazuya.

So, when faced with a critical situation, Sawamura Eijun almost single-handedly turned the tide. After conceding a point, he immediately executed a double play.

But that wasn't all—he also struck out Hakuryu High School's third batter.

With that, he completely finished Seidou High School's defense for the sixth inning.

Under his powerful pitching, Seidou's baseball team was pumped up, eager for revenge.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, they launched a ferocious attack.

The initiators of this attack were the superstar rookie Nishiyama and the seasoned hitter Toujou Hideaki.

Under their leadership, they consecutively hit singles.

Although they were unable to score, leaving two runners on base, their offensive momentum was clearly established.

To put it in Fuji's words, Seidou High School's players had now fully found their rhythm.

Next, Hakuryu High School would undoubtedly face a relentless offensive from Seidou High School.

And Hakuryu High School's players were mentally prepared for this.

They knew that the players from Seidou High School were not easy to deal with. They had clearly slapped them in the face, and now they had to prepare for a powerful counterattack.

Before the players took the field, Hakuryu High School's coach gave them strict instructions.

"There are three innings left. Seidou High School will certainly pour all their energy into attacking. Unless absolutely necessary, I don't mind if you confront them head-on. Our main goal is to avoid giving up any more Runs. As long as we don't let Seidou's baseball team score, we will have succeeded. The lead is only one Run; if we can hold the line, we still have a chance to turn the game around."

Saying such things and bragging about taking on Seidou High School head-on was incredibly foolish.

Not just Coach Sasaki, but even Hakuryu High School's players didn't believe it.

Although Hakuryu High School is one of the top schools in the nation, when it comes to pure might, they still falls slightly short compared to Seidou High School.

The fact that the game had reached this point was partly because Hakuryu High School's players had prepared well before the match.

On the other hand, it was also because Seidou High School had become complacent...

If not for that, the situation would never have been like this.

This was clear to all Hakuryu High School players.

They knew that head-on confrontation wasn't in their favor, so they didn't dwell on that and instead focused on how to compete against Seidou High School. How could they defend their current lead? How could they turn the game around?

Merely obsessing over the opponent is useless. You must also understand your own strengths and weaknesses.

This way, you can develop the best strategy.

From this perspective, Hakuryu High School's players did a good job.

They steadied themselves and formed a strong defense, preventing Seidou High School's sudden and fierce offensive from achieving anything.

Thus, the game reached the top of the seventh inning.

The match was in its final stages. If luck was on their side, Sawamura Eijun would only have one last chance to face each of Hakuryu's players.

This opportunity was once-in-a-lifetime!

Sawamura was like a beast that had broken free from chains, preparing to strike at his target.

He was also fortunate that his first opponent was a very good target.

Hakuryu High School's cleanup hitter and first baseman, Kitaooji.

"He gives the impression of being an uncle in the neighborhood!" Sawamura muttered, looking at Kitaooji's mature face.

Although Sawamura said that, it didn't mean he was underestimating his opponent. On the contrary, Kitaooji was a very dangerous opponent.

Even in a school as strong as Hakuryu High, Kitaooji's strength ranked among the best.

In terms of batting power, Sawamura felt that Kitaooji was second only to Mima Soichiro.

Facing such a tough opponent from the start wasn't ideal, but Sawamura didn't seem to mind at all. On the contrary, his eyes burned with an unprecedented fighting spirit.

He couldn't wait to face off against this formidable opponent and defeat him.

Holding the baseball firmly in his hand, Sawamura threw it with all his might.

WHRROOSH!!

The sharp ball whizzed through the air, and Kitaooji didn't hesitate, swinging his bat with all his strength, sending the ball flying.

This wasn't the first time they had faced off. This was their third confrontation in this game alone. Kitaooji was already familiar with Sawamura's pitching form and rhythm.

Now, Sawamura's pitching style and rhythm wouldn't deceive Kitaooji anymore.

Ping!

As expected, the sharp ball was sent flying.

The baseball soared into the air and quickly went out of bounds.

Although this was a Foul ball, it was incredibly close to being in bounds. The position was tricky, and the ball had traveled at great speed. Had it landed in bounds, it would have likely resulted in a hit or even a long hit.

So this Foul ball felt significant.

Everyone felt that the Demon King, Sawamura Eijun, was being pushed back.

This feeling became even more pronounced with the second Foul ball.

Ping!

The first ball was just a little bit out, but the second ball nearly hit the line before flying out.

"Although neither ball stayed in bounds..."

"The feeling was that the opponent's skill was improving."

"It seemed like a miracle was about to happen."

"The opponent was about to take down Sawamura."

This was big news for the spectators who were eagerly watching the game. This kind of thrilling moment would be talked about for quite a while after the game.

[The Demon King's Fall!]

This topic didn't even need to be written down. Just imagining it was enough to get the blood pumping.

Of course, there were also fans who supported Sawamura or were diehard supporters of Seidou High School.

Many such fans were present, and they were all worried and anxious.

This sudden change made them speechless.

'Could it be that the end line for the Demon King?'

If only Sawamura knew what his fans and Seidou High supporters were thinking, he would surely go crazy.

Although the scene may have caused some misunderstandings, hasn't the situation in front of them already made everything clear?

Two consecutive Foul—what else is there to debate?

He was clearly two Strikes ahead of his opponent, all he needed was to throw the finishing pitch.

His right foot was lifted high, then came crashing down like a battle axe. At the same time, Sawamura, with his right hand gloved, kept pushing forward, as though trying to push away every obstacle in front of him.

As his body shifted weight, with his right hand and body blocking the view, Sawamura's left hand whipped through the air like a lash!

Without any warning, that baseball suddenly appeared.

And before anyone could react, it was already at the batter's side.

Kitaooji felt a chill run down his spine.

Although he had prepared himself mentally, when he actually saw Sawamura throw that pitch, he still felt a cold shiver.

'So fast!'

He thought his reaction was fast enough, but compared to Sawamura's speed, he felt as slow as a crawling turtle.

The baseball came at him without warning.

Fortunately, its position wasn't too difficult—it was right down the middle.

It was the so-called right down in the middle.

To calm his nerves, Kitaooji swung at the ball without hesitation.

Although he didn't know what might happen next, he was two strikes behind, he could only swing.

Buuzzzzzzz!

As the fourth batter of a top national team, Kitaooji's strength was undeniable. Even though he was caught off guard, he still completed the swing with significant force.

With this kind of swing, as long as his bat made contact with the baseball, Kitaooji was confident that he could rely purely on strength to hit it out of the park.

Resolved, Kitaooji swung like an executioner about to deliver a fatal blow.

He swung without mercy.

The bat hissed through the air, ready to strike the baseball and send it flying.

But then something incredibly strange happened in front of him.

The baseball that he was certain he would hit suddenly disappeared.

Kitaooji's face immediately changed, as if he had seen a ghost.

He searched desperately, looking for the baseball.

But where was it?

The baseball had just vanished, right before his eyes.

At that moment, time seemed to stop.

At least, in Kitaooji's mind, time froze. During that pause, he searched every corner but could find no trace of the baseball.

Only after what felt like an eternity did he hear the sound of the baseball sinking into a Mitt behind him.

SNAP!

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

The baseball had somehow bypassed him and appeared in catcher Miyuki's Mitt.

At that moment, the entire stadium fell silent.

It wasn't until two or three seconds later that the crowd understood what had just happened.

The previously criticized Demon King, Sawamura, had made an incredible comeback.

After being hit twice, he forcefully struck out his opponent.

All the fans who supported Sawamura, or Seidou High School, erupted in cheers.

"SAWAMURA!"

"SAWAMURA!!!"

"DEMON KING!"

"SEIDOU!"

"DEMON KING!!!!"

 "SEIDOU!!!!"

The stadium turned into a sea of joy.

Obayashi and Kobayashi were so excited they couldn't contain themselves.

In this game, Sawamura faced many crises.

The once invincible Demon King, who had been repeatedly hit by the opposing team, had left many people questioning him. This was something difficult to accept.

But now, all of that was behind them. Everything had returned to square one.

Their Demon King was still the same unbeatable Sawamura, the terrifying pitcher no one could defeat.

After striking Out Kitaooji, Sawamura didn't let up.

In the final stages of the game, he fully unleashed his true power.

Tricks were no longer necessary. Sawamura had removed all his restraints.

He was now firing on all cylinders!

Sawamura suddenly got serious, and for the players of Hakuryu High, it was nothing short of catastrophic.

They stared in shock, not knowing what to say or do.

The two teams stood facing each other, both bewildered.

No, it could be said that Hakuryu High was foolishly standing against Seidou.

Sawamura and Miyuki, however, knew exactly what to do.

Their goal was clear: to get the Out.

After striking out Hakuryu's fourth batter, Sawamura was on fire—nothing could stop him.

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"

He and Miyuki quickly dealt with Hakuryu's fifth and sixth batters.

The final score remained 3:2.

Sawamura has three consecutive Strikeouts.

A performance that amazed everyone!

Although other players had also performed well, there was no doubt that Sawamura was the standout.

Others readily admitted this, and no one dared challenge Sawamura at this moment.

With three Outs, the sides switched.

...

T/N: As always, Thank you all for reading!!

See you Tomorrow!

Until then, take care!

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