"Take it!"
Kanzaki Ryou casually waved his arm.
Almost instantly, Seidou's roaring fans quieted down, as if they had reached a tacit understanding with him.
Seeing this scene, Matsugi Musashi clenched his teeth fiercely.
The guy who had blasted two home runs off him earlier…
was now standing on the pitcher's mound, shining brighter than anyone else.
"Just you wait," Matsugi muttered darkly.
"I'll hit your pitch out too."
Behind home plate, Miyuki Kazuya crouched down and patted his glove.
The first batter they faced was Osaka Kiryu's ninth batter.
Whoosh!
Under everyone's gaze, the white ball tore through the air at terrifying speed.
The batter's pupils shrank violently. Before he could even react, the ball had already slammed into Miyuki's glove.
"157 km/h!"
"Another 157!!"
The entire stadium erupted.
"He's throwing this fast right from the start?!"
Seidou's fans were instantly ecstatic.
They all remembered how Matsugi Musashi had relied on speed early in the game—
and now, Seidou's Ace was returning the favor with absolute dominance.
On the mound, Matsugi's face had already darkened completely.
He glared at Kanzaki Ryou—only to meet a calm, faintly provocative gaze.
"Bastard…!"
Unfortunately for him, Kanzaki only glanced once before turning his head away.
After the opening fastball, Kanzaki adjusted immediately.
A two-seam fastball.
A cutter slider.
Clean, sharp, merciless.
Osaka Kiryu's ninth batter was struck out without resistance.
The next two batters, despite their powerful swings, met the same fate.
Strikeout. Strikeout.
The bottom of the seventh inning ended cleanly.
Kanzaki's dominant pitching ignited Seidou's confidence.
The cheers never stopped, even as voices grew hoarse.
In the top of the eighth inning, Matsugi Musashi returned to the mound.
Though visibly exhausted, he still managed to retire Seidou's lower batting order—including Miyuki.
"Tch… his pitches are still nasty," Miyuki muttered after returning to the dugout.
"How did you even hit those out?"
"I just see them more clearly," Kanzaki replied with a smile.
It was a shame—if even one batter had gotten on base, it would've been his turn again.
"You freak," Miyuki muttered.
This was Koshien.
The previous rookie home run record was two.
Kanzaki Ryou had already blown past that like it was nothing.
He was practically a wall standing in front of future rookies.
"Enough complaining," Kanzaki said. "It's our turn to defend."
Miyuki nodded and put on his catcher's gear.
Bottom of the Eighth Inning
"Three runs," Osaka Kiryu's Coach encouraged his players.
"Just three. Don't rush—play your usual baseball."
Wada Daisuke nodded and stepped into the batter's box.
Whoosh!
"Strike!"
Whoosh!
"Strike!"
A low outside slider.
A high inside fastball.
Wada didn't swing once.
"He's patient," Miyuki muttered. "Even now…"
As the third batter, this could be his final at-bat.
Miyuki carefully signaled: low inside two-seam.
Kanzaki nodded slightly.
Whew—
He exhaled, shoulders loosening, eyes locking in.
Whoosh!!
The ball screamed toward the plate.
At that moment, Wada stepped forward and swung with full force.
Bang!!
The ball flew high.
"Left field!"
Araki Keita tracked it carefully.
The ball landed.
Wada was already closing in on first.
Araki fired the ball back—
No outs. Runner on first.
On the mound, Kanzaki pouted slightly.
149 km/h, good movement… and he still hit it.
This was Osaka Kiryu's third batter for a reason.
Unfazed, Kanzaki turned to face the cleanup hitter.
Tahara Kazuki.
Miyuki raised his eyebrows and signaled: cutter slider, edge of the zone.
"With your control," Miyuki said softly, "even if he hits it, it won't go far."
Kanzaki's eyes sharpened.
This isn't a nine-grid strike zone anymore…
It's an eighty-one grid.
He exhaled slowly.
Lifted his leg.
Cracked his arm forward.
Whoosh!
Tahara swung.
Bang!
A high fly ball to right field.
Yoshikawa Junpei sprinted in and settled beneath it.
"Out!"
Tahara clicked his tongue in frustration.
After that, Kanzaki retired the remaining batters with calm precision.
The eighth inning ended.
Score: 12–9.
Osaka Kiryu's fans fell silent.
Hope was slipping away.
In the top of the ninth, Seidou failed to extend their lead.
Then came the final defense.
Osaka Kiryu's lower lineup resisted fiercely—two batters even reached base.
But that was all.
A grounder.
A fly ball.
A final swing—
Strike three.
The whistle rang out.
Game Over.
Summer Koshien — Semifinal Match
Seidou High School vs Osaka Kiryu High School
Final Score: 12–9
After more than ten years—
Seidou High School advances to the finals once again!
The stadium erupted.
And on the mound, Kanzaki Ryou stood quietly—
the Ace who had sealed victory with his own hands.