The game moved into the top of the seventh inning.
Seido High School Baseball Team was on offense.
The score stood at 6:2, and Seido already held a considerable advantage.
Ichidai San High School Baseball Team was not willing to collapse so easily. After Amahisa took the mound, he quickly secured two outs.
Two outs. No runners on base.
The strong performance from their young pitcher immediately injected life into Ichidai San High School Baseball Team.
Similar scenes had happened before.
They had turned the tide more than once under such circumstances.
And every time, those struggles had produced results.
It was just unfortunate that whenever they managed to claw back a bit of hope, they would always run into the same obstacle.
Or rather—
A towering mountain that they simply could not cross.
Because of this mountain's existence,
no matter how hard they tried, Ichidai San High School Baseball Team still could not find a path to victory.
What awaited them, again and again, was only despair.
Just like now.
Just when they had finally seen a sliver of hope—
that enormous stumbling block appeared once more.
"Third batter, number one, pitcher—Zhou Hao."
When Zhou Hao stepped into the batter's box, the expressions of Ichidai San High School Baseball Team's Coach and players became extremely complicated.
Shock.
Confusion.
And a trace of unwillingness.
As one of West Tokyo's three powerhouses, Ichidai San High School Baseball Team also possessed pride and ambition.
Being forced to bow their heads was more painful than losing.
They wanted to fight Seido High School Baseball Team to the very end.
But every time they encountered Zhou Hao, all of their efforts seemed meaningless.
No matter how hard they struggled,
they were crushed all the same.
That feeling was enough to drive anyone crazy.
Now, Amahisa and Zhou Hao were facing each other for the second time.
Coach Tahara and the Ichidai players unconsciously widened their eyes.
Their hearts pounded violently.
This alone was enough to show how nervous they were.
On the mound, Amahisa stared at Zhou Hao with burning eyes.
For him, this was the most exciting moment of the game.
"The Great Emperor has finally appeared."
Before today's match, Amahisa had been arrogant.
No matter how famous Zhou Hao was, he never truly believed Zhou Hao could be that strong.
But after personally experiencing it,
Amahisa understood better than anyone just how terrifying this man named Zhou Hao was on the field.
That was why he had given Zhou Hao a nickname—
The Great Emperor.
The ruler who possessed absolute authority on the baseball field.
Aside from this title, Amahisa could not think of a more fitting description.
Because Zhou Hao was too strong,
many powerful hitters and pitchers would choose to retreat when facing him.
Rather than challenge him head-on, they would intentionally walk him.
Before Amahisa took the mound, he had also received instructions from the Coach.
If things became dangerous, just intentionally walk Zhou Hao.
Intentionally walking ordinary batters might be humiliating for a national powerhouse.
But intentionally walking Zhou Hao?
That was considered normal.
After all, even top teams like Osaka Kiryu and Seibō had done the same.
Compared to them, Ichidai San High School Baseball Team losing a bit of face was nothing.
But Amahisa did not agree.
Even if he avoided Zhou Hao,
the outcome of today's game was already destined.
They would still lose.
And likely lose badly.
Since that was the case—
he would rather fight with dignity.
If he could somehow get Zhou Hao out,
maybe—
just maybe—
their team would still have that one-in-ten-thousand chance.
Coach Tahara saw the determination in Amahisa's eyes.
Pitching required calm analysis.
But at critical moments,
it also required the courage to draw a blade and charge forward.
Giving up without a fight simply because the opponent was strong—
that was cowardice.
Amahisa turned his head toward the dugout.
Coach Tahara nodded.
If you want to fight—
then fight.
By now, Ichidai San High School Baseball Team had nothing left to lose.
The only thing they could do—
was burn their bridges.
Receiving his Coach's approval, Amahisa's eyes lit up.
He had been waiting for this moment.
"Give it everything… one hundred percent."
Amahisa set and delivered a straight ball.
"Whoosh!"
The white baseball shot toward home plate.
The Seido supporters in the stands held their breath.
They were extremely familiar with Zhou Hao's batting style.
If the first pitch looked hittable—
he would swing.
He rarely waited.
Which meant—
this pitch was very likely to be attacked.
The moment Zhou Hao saw the ball, a faint smile appeared on his face.
This pitcher from Ichidai…
seemed to have learned his lesson.
In the future, Amahisa would definitely become a boss-level pitcher.
A straight ball exceeding 150 km/h.
A sharp slider.
A half-slider.
Now he had chosen to use his fastball to decide the outcome.
Zhou Hao widened his stance.
Against this straight ball, he might not blast a home run—
but finding a gap was more than enough.
That was well within his ability.
Just as Zhou Hao prepared to swing—
his pupils suddenly contracted.
Something was wrong.
"Interesting…"
On the surface, it looked like an ordinary fastball.
But the spin was abnormal.
This was a straight ball with extremely heavy rotation.
If he swung using the usual fastball trajectory,
the bat would likely deviate slightly at the moment of contact.
Even a tiny deviation…
could turn a clean hit into an easy out.
Zhou Hao instantly made a decision.
He stopped his swing.
The baseball whistled past the plate.
"Thwack!"
"Strike!"
Amahisa had earned a strike, yet there was no joy on his face.
Only the supporters of Ichidai San High School Baseball Team in the stands felt encouraged.
They burst into cheers, loudly calling out Amahisa's name.
It was as if they were summoning a hero.
On the pitcher's mound, Amahisa couldn't help but mutter,
"Stop shouting… haven't you realized it yet?"
"The opponent has already seen through my pitch."
Against Zhou Hao, this was never a multi-pitch battle.
It was a one-pitch showdown.
Once he was dragged into Zhou Hao's rhythm, no pitcher could fully display their strength.
Amahisa was no exception.
Failing to trick Zhou Hao into swinging on the first pitch gave him an ominous feeling.
At this moment, Amahisa desperately wanted to use his decisive pitch—the one he trusted the most.
But he restrained himself.
Because he knew better than anyone…
That very pitch had already been blasted away in their first confrontation.
Which meant—
it could not threaten Zhou Hao at all.
The only option left was to rely on overwhelming fastballs and seize a fleeting opportunity.
"With reliable seniors behind me… I have nothing to fear in a head-on confrontation."
As if encouraging himself, Amahisa murmured before setting his stance again.
"Whoosh!"
The baseball left his hand like a bullet.
Straight ball!
Seeing the pitch, Zhou Hao immediately understood.
Amahisa had no intention of using breaking balls anymore.
"He really has gotten smarter."
Zhou Hao had originally planned to go all out and aim for another home run.
But since the opportunity wasn't there, he did not force it.
He adjusted instantly.
As the baseball entered his hitting zone—
Zhou Hao twisted his waist and swung.
"Ping!"
The bat met the ball squarely.
The baseball soared high into the outfield.
The two outfielders of Ichidai San High School Baseball Team quickly realized—
the ball was dropping between them.
They sprinted toward the landing point.
But they were a step too late.
The baseball landed.
Then bounced away.
"Thwack!"
Knowing smiles appeared on the faces of Seido High School Baseball Team's supporters.
They had already expected this result.
"It went through!"
"Zhou Hao's gap-hitting ability is still unstoppable!"
The commentator's voice rose sharply, filled with excitement.
No one could remain calm when watching Zhou Hao bat.
Amahisa's performance today had been outstanding.
Even Seido's powerful lineup had struggled against him.
That alone proved how strong he was.
Yet in front of Zhou Hao…
Amahisa looked like a rookie.
No matter how he struggled, it was meaningless.
"Safe!"
Zhou Hao sprinted past first base and slid into second.
Two outs.
Runner on second.
At this moment, the next batter stepped up.
"Fourth batter, number three, first baseman—Yuki Tetsuya."
Yuki entered the batter's box.
On the mound, Amahisa glanced at Zhou Hao on second base.
He replayed their exchange in his mind.
"As expected of the Great Emperor…"
"Perfect… without flaws."
Only after facing him head-on did Amahisa truly acknowledge Zhou Hao.
But this did not mean surrender.
On the contrary—
the real battle had only begun.
Yuki had faced Amahisa twice.
One hit.
One out.
Seemingly even.
But Amahisa understood—
as a pitcher, getting hit even once already meant losing.
"I won't avoid you."
"If I can get you out once, I can get you out a second time."
"I am the super genius—Amahisa Kousei!"
As these words left his mouth, his aura changed.
His eyes burned with fighting spirit.
His entire body radiated battle intent.
In Seido's dugout, several players narrowed their eyes.
In their minds, Amahisa had become a monster.
He had been crushed twice by Zhou Hao.
Home run.
Double.
Any ordinary pitcher would have collapsed.
But Amahisa hadn't.
Not only had he not collapsed—
he grew even more ferocious.
From Seido's perspective, how could they not regard him seriously?
Even after taking heavy hits, the power of Amahisa's pitches showed no decline.
Anyone could see—
this pitcher was terrifying.
"What exactly is this guy made of?"
Several first-year Seido players muttered in disbelief.
Under such circumstances, he was still standing.
Still fighting.
The game continued.
Facing Amahisa's first pitch, Yuki chose to watch it pass.
He had no intention of rushing.
He was waiting.
"Thwack!"
"Strike!"
The hearts of Ichidai San High School Baseball Team's players and supporters were in their throats.
The score was 6:2.
A four-run gap.
It looked safe.
But until the seventh inning ended, nothing was guaranteed.
If Seido scored again and stretched the lead to seven—
the game could be called early.
Two outs.
Zhou Hao on second.
Yuki at the plate.
Who dared say this situation was safe?
Under suffocating tension—
Amahisa threw his second pitch.
"Whoosh!"
The moment the ball left his hand—
Yuki moved.
"Boom!"
The bat tore through the air like thunder.