"There's no choice but to push through this."
"We all want that throne too."
"So if someone gets hit… don't blame me."
With that thought, Sanada Shunpei gripped the baseball tightly, his expression turning fierce from the strain.
"SWOOSH!"
The baseball screamed toward Kitaoji's chest.
Yet Kitaoji stood motionless like a statue, showing no intention of backing away.
Smack!
"Two strikes!"
Then came the third pitch.
"SWOOSH!"
Another high-and-tight inside fastball.
Ping!
"Foul!"
Kitaoji deliberately sent the ball into foul territory again.
Fourth pitch.
Fifth pitch.
Sixth pitch.
Neither side was willing to retreat even a single step.
Sanada relentlessly attacked the inside corner, while Kitaoji fouled off nearly every pitch after the first two.
Some people might ask—
Was Sanada really this stubborn?
Why not simply pitch outside?
But this had already gone beyond simple strategy.
This was now a battle of momentum.
Of courage.
Of willpower.
If Sanada backed down here, it would be no different from admitting defeat.
And once that happened—
Forget this match.
Forget even this game.
Would he still have the courage to stand on the mound again?
This was a battle he absolutely could not lose.
Sanada was already breathing heavily.
Even though this was only the fourth inning, the pressure crushing down on him was unlike anything he had experienced before.
He couldn't allow a single mistake.
The moment he slipped up, Hakuryu High School would launch a merciless assault.
"Huff... inhale..."
"Huff... inhale..."
Sanada was already nearing his limit.
Yet he still refused to retreat.
Kitamura Kou had pitched the entire previous game by himself.
If Sanada could somehow endure just one more inning, Kou could rest a little longer.
Although he desperately wanted more recovery time himself, the pitch clock left him no choice.
All he could do was delay until the final second every time and squeeze out even a little more rest.
"SWOOSH!"
Just before the timer expired, Sanada fired another pitch.
Still inside.
Still high.
He no longer dared to throw his Cutter.
With his stamina nearly exhausted, any poorly controlled breaking ball could easily turn into a hittable pitch.
Ping!
Kitaoji fouled it off once more.
Kitaoji narrowed his eyes slightly.
"...He probably can't throw outside or low anymore."
"Dragging this out benefits us, but finishing him quickly is even better."
"The sooner Kitamura Kou takes the mound, the more innings we'll have to break through him."
"And the better our chances of winning become."
Quietly reaching that conclusion, Kitaoji tightened his grip on the bat.
Ready to deliver the finishing blow at any moment.
"SWOOSH!"
Sanada once again released the baseball just before the pitch timer ran out.
This time, however—
Kitaoji changed his approach.
Instead of aiming foul, he targeted third base directly.
Clang!
Sanada's pitch still carried plenty of force, causing Kitaoji's swing to jam slightly.
The result was a weak pop-up drifting toward third base.
Not fast.
Not difficult.
An easy catch.
"Good!"
"This should finally get him out!"
Relief flashed across Sanada's face.
After such a brutal battle, his efforts had finally paid off.
But the moment he looked toward third base—
His heart instantly sank.
"RAICHI!!"
Sanada shouted desperately.
But Todoroki Raichi remained frozen in place.
His eyes were unfocused.
His mind was still trapped in the earlier scene.
Tanaka's blood-covered figure.
The roar.
The collision.
The obsession.
Raichi stood there blankly, completely unable to react.
Thump!
The baseball landed several feet away from him before bouncing into left field.
Hakuryu's runner on first immediately waved his arm wildly.
"Kitaoji! Go for second!"
Caught completely off guard by Raichi's mistake, Akiba Kazuma failed to cover in time.
By the time he recovered the ball, Kitaoji had already safely reached second base.
No outs.
Runner on second.
Hakuryu High School had another golden opportunity to widen the score gap.
And more importantly—
Yakushi High School's greatest slugger was clearly no longer mentally stable.
With this, Yakushi effectively lost one of its two strongest offensive weapons.
At this moment, Hakuryu's chances of victory had skyrocketed.
"Timeout. Yakushi High School requests a substitution."
Without hesitation, Todoroki Raizo stepped out of the dugout and signaled to the umpire.
As Raichi's father, the person who spent every single day with him—
Raizo understood his son better than anyone.
In Raichi's current mental state, forcing him to remain on the field would only create bigger problems.
Not only would it damage the defense further—
It would also affect his batting.
Substituting him out was the correct decision.
At the very least, it would patch Yakushi's largest defensive weakness.
"Yakushi High School substitution!"
"Todoroki Raichi will be replaced by Nakanishi-kun at third base!"
The moment the announcement echoed across the stadium, Hakuryu's supporters erupted with excitement.
Their morale had already reached its peak after Tanaka's bloody play.
Now, Yakushi had lost another major offensive threat.
Victory suddenly felt incredibly close.
Yet despite holding a massive advantage, Hakuryu High School remained perfectly composed.
They chose the safest possible method to score their fourth run.
The sixth batter executed a sacrifice bunt, advancing Kitaoji to third.
Then the seventh batter followed with another sacrifice bunt, bringing him home.
Clean.
Simple.
Efficient.
That concluded Hakuryu's offense for the inning.
Although Sanada managed to gather himself and retire the eighth batter afterward, he had completely emptied the tank.
The remaining five innings—
Would belong entirely to Kitamura Kou.
As soon as the inning changed, Nakanishi Daiki stepped up to the plate to face the imposing Ono Shintaro.
But Hakuryu High School's next decision instantly stunned the entire stadium.
Instead of challenging Nakanishi—
They intentionally walked him.
The crowd exploded into confusion.
"Wait, what?!"
"Who's this chubby kid? Some secret weapon?"
"I don't get it either!"
"This move is insane!"
"Hakuryu already has complete control of the game. Why give the opposing batter first base for free?!"
But moments later—
Hakuryu's next action made everything clear.
"Ball!"
Smack!
"Walk!"
Immediately after Nakanishi—
They intentionally walked Kitamura Kou as well.
At that moment, countless people finally understood Hakuryu's true plan.
Yakushi High School was now facing its greatest crisis since arriving at Koshien.
Their offense had been completely suppressed.
Their defense had collapsed repeatedly.
Todoroki Raichi had been forced out of the game.
And now—
Even Kitamura Kou was being denied the chance to swing.
Could Yakushi overcome this desperate situation?
And if they could—
How exactly would they break through Hakuryu's iron wall?