"Boom!"
From a distance, Zhou Hao's pitching motion looked completely ordinary.
Even the release didn't seem especially explosive.
To Seido's die-hard supporters, it was hard to tell—
whose form looked more powerful, Zhou Hao's or Furuya Satoru's?
At a glance, they seemed about the same.
But—
the moment the ball left Zhou Hao's hand—
everything changed.
It became a streak of white light.
In the blink of an eye, it crossed the full 18 meters to home plate.
Kohoku's leadoff batter froze.
This…
was nothing like what he had imagined.
How can it be this fast?
That was the only thought left in his mind.
Then—
the stadium erupted.
"Zhou Hao!!!"
His name echoed first—
followed by thunderous applause.
The crowd was in a frenzy.
Some overly excited fans even shouted outrageous things like wanting to marry him.
What… just happened?
The batter instinctively turned his head—
toward the giant electronic scoreboard.
A number glowed brightly.
160 km/h.
His pupils shrank.
Wasn't Zhou Hao's top speed supposed to be around 155?
At most, 157 km/h had been his limit.
So how—
how had he suddenly broken past 160?
His mind went blank.
Even against 155 km/h pitches—
making solid contact was already extremely difficult.
At 160?
Unless luck was on his side—
he wouldn't even graze the ball.
For a top-tier batter—
this wasn't just pressure.
It was humiliation.
This wasn't about hitting anymore.
It was about whether he could even touch the ball.
Realizing that—
as a core player of a national powerhouse—
he might be reduced to that level…
The thought alone was suffocating.
Am I… not good enough?
His confidence collapsed.
The pride he carried moments ago—
vanished just as quickly.
On the mound—
Zhou Hao didn't spare him a glance.
His focus remained entirely on himself.
He had practiced this countless times.
Now—
his pitching was no longer bound by the system's limitations.
The moment the ball left his hand—
its speed surged naturally.
"Boom!"
The second pitch roared forward.
To the batter—
it was nothing but a white blur.
A flash.
A tearing sound through the air.
Terrifying.
Before he could even fully process the thought—
the ball was already gone.
"Snap!"
"Strike!"
Two strikes.
No balls.
The crowd was completely captivated.
There were many ways for a pitcher to dominate—
but none more exhilarating than pure speed.
This was absolute power.
A visible gap in strength.
And the batter's stunned expression—
only made it more thrilling.
"Just one more pitch!"
"Finish him!"
"Show them the difference!"
Seido's supporters roared with excitement, arms waving in unison like a surging tide.
Even the local Kanagawa fans—
wanted to argue back.
But after witnessing that pitch—
they couldn't.
There was nothing to say.
Zhou Hao blocked out everything around him.
His mind was calm.
Focused.
Breaking free from the system had increased his speed—
but at the cost of control.
If he wanted complete domination—
he had to combine precision with overwhelming momentum.
Still—
his opponent was already shaken.
A good start.
He gripped the ball tightly—
and threw again.
"Boom!"
This time—
his pitch was like a wild horse finally freed from its reins.
Unrestrained.
Unstoppable.
The batter stood there—
watching helplessly.
This was the third pitch.
No matter what—
he had to swing.
If he didn't—
their team's pride would be crushed.
Even without confidence—
he forced himself to act.
He swung.
Too late.
Far too late.
Before his bat could even complete the motion—
the ball had already passed him.
"Snap!"
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!"
The players—and even the supporters—of Kohoku High School were left stunned.
Honestly, this outcome had never crossed their minds.
Who could have imagined—
that a pitch could be that fast?
By the time they understood what was happening—
it was already too late.
Their leadoff batter had been struck out cleanly.
Through that brief exchange,
Kohoku's players realized something they hadn't fully grasped before.
The gap between them and Seido—
was enormous.
Especially against Zhou Hao.
Facing Seido's Ace, their batters looked… inexperienced.
Almost helpless.
Before they could process it—
the game moved on.
Kohoku's second batter stepped into the box.
As the lineup's connector, he wasn't flashy—
but he was reliable.
Balanced.
With almost no weaknesses.
Seido had done their homework.
They knew Kohoku well.
According to their scouting report,
this second batter was similar to Seido's own Shirasu—
not overwhelming at first glance,
but extremely troublesome in actual play.
Against this type of hitter,
there was only one solution:
Overwhelm them with pure power.
Fortunately—
that was exactly what Zhou Hao had.
And now,
with his fastball breaking past 160 km/h—
there was no longer any debate.
He was the fastest pitcher in high school baseball.
The second batter had never seen anything like this.
Even in training,
he had never set a pitching machine above 155 km/h.
And that—
was just a machine.
What stood before him now—
was a real pitcher.
And that made it even more terrifying.
"Boom!"
The moment Zhou Hao released the ball—
the batter's mind went blank.
Too fast.
So fast—
he couldn't even react.
"Snap!"
"Strike!"
"Strike!!"
"Strike!!!"
"Strikeout!!!"
Two outs.
Bases empty.
Most of the crowd in the stands were locals from Kanagawa.
They knew Kohoku's strength very well.
This wasn't just a baseball powerhouse—
it was an all-around sports giant.
Baseball.
Basketball.
Soccer.
Volleyball.
Even table tennis.
In nearly every major sport, Kohoku was among the best.
Their athletes were versatile.
Talented.
Difficult to deal with.
And yet—
right now—
their batters looked completely outmatched.
It was as if something had stripped away their confidence—
leaving them unable to think, unable to react.
Two outs—
just like that.
How are we supposed to play like this?
Even before considering Seido's other pitchers—
just facing Zhou Hao alone…
could they score at all?
Before the game,
Kohoku's players had been confident.
Now—
if you asked any one of them,
their answer would be the same.
They would still give it everything.
But victory?
They no longer dared to guarantee it.
Deep down—
they knew.
This game might become very difficult.
And reality quickly proved them right.
The third batter stepped up.
A core slugger.
Comparable to a cleanup hitter.
Even on a national scale—
he was a formidable presence.
But against Zhou Hao—
that didn't matter.
"Boom!"
The pitching motion remained simple.
The pitch—
just a basic fastball.
Nothing fancy.
Even the control looked average.
By all logic—
there were flaws.
But what did that matter?
When one attribute reached its absolute peak—
it erased everything else.
Speed.
A fastball exceeding 160 km/h—
wasn't something you could achieve through effort alone.
Without talent,
no amount of training could push you to that level.
Zhou Hao had once relied on the system.
But now—
his own ability had caught up.
And that power—
was finally being unleashed.
The third batter's eyes were filled with unease.
Zhou Hao didn't notice—
and even if he did,
he wouldn't care.
He simply threw.
Clean.
Decisive.
This feeling—
of absolute dominance—
was intoxicating.
As long as he maintained this speed—
he didn't need to worry about anything else.
Not location.
Not tactics.
At 160 km/h—
if the ball entered the strike zone—
he won.
"Boom!!"
The pitch roared forward.
The batter watched—
powerless.
He wanted to swing.
He wanted to hit.
But it was too fast.
Even giving everything he had—
he couldn't catch up.
"Boom!"
He swung with all his strength—
a full-force attempt.
But—
nothing.
Not even a graze.
"Snap!"
The ball slammed into Miyuki's glove.
"Strike!"
"Strike!!"
"Three strikes—strikeout!!!"
Three batters.
Three strikeouts.
Clean.
Decisive.
Overwhelming.
Hope—
turned into silence.
Then into despair.
The players and fans of Kohoku struggled to put their feelings into words.
In the end—
only one remained.
Frustration.
But for Seido's supporters—
for those cheering Zhou Hao—
it was something else entirely.
As they watched his figure on the mound
only one thought filled their minds.
Terrifying.