Diamond no Ace: My Sharingan

Chapter 448 - 448: Cried from the Beating!

The first game of the Kanto Tournament—Seidō High School versus Kōhoku High School.

By the bottom of the third inning…

everyone already understood.

This was the moment that would decide everything.

Seidō High School Baseball Team led by five runs.

5–0.

Zhou Hao hadn't allowed a single run.

And in the top of the third, Furuya Satoru had taken the mound and delivered an equally dominant performance.

On the other hand—

Kōhoku High School Baseball Team had already been beaten into a daze.

After Zhou Hao's bases-clearing blow,

Kōhoku quickly made a move.

They brought in a substitute pitcher.

Their ace didn't leave the field entirely—he retreated to the outfield, trying to recover.

Three consecutive hits.

One devastating grand slam.

To say he was fine after that…

Even his own teammates wouldn't believe it.

Something had clearly broken.

And not just a little.

What Kōhoku needed now—

was time.

Time for their ace to regain himself.

Time for their substitute pitcher to stabilize the game.

It was a reasonable plan.

Unfortunately—

reality wasn't so kind.

The moment the substitute pitcher stepped onto the mound…

he was greeted by a monster.

Yuki Tetsuya.

The kind of batter who didn't need to swing to create pressure.

The moment he stood in the batter's box—

Seidō's die-hard fans already believed one thing:

He would get on base.

No outs.

No runners.

And yet, just getting on base here would already mean everything.

Because Seidō—

wasn't satisfied.

Five runs?

Not enough.

Far from enough.

Yuki stepped into the batter's box with calm authority.

He raised his bat high—

his eyes locked onto the pitcher.

No matter where the ball came—

it felt like he could crush it.

The catcher from Kōhoku felt it instantly.

This guy… is trouble.

Against an opponent like this, the logical choice would be an intentional walk.

But—

this was the substitute pitcher's first batter.

If they backed down now…

how could they pitch the rest of the game?

The catcher hesitated.

For the first time, he truly felt it—

the suffocating pressure of facing Seidō.

Every step forward felt like walking along the edge of a cliff.

One mistake—

and they would fall into an abyss.

Cold sweat soaked his back.

There was no room to breathe.

"…Just throw your best pitch."

In the end, that was all he could say.

"Give it everything you've got."

No strategy.

No tricks.

Only faith.

The rest—

would be left to fate.

Taking a deep breath,

the substitute pitcher threw the ball.

Swoosh!

The pitch cut cleanly through the air.

Even Seidō's players were slightly surprised.

This pitcher—

was good.

His control, his form—

they weren't inferior to Kōhoku's ace.

For a brief moment,

admiration flickered through the stands.

Then—

Yuki moved.

When he stood still,

he was like a mountain.

Unshakable.

But the moment he acted—

he became lightning.

Fast.

Explosive.

Unstoppable.

Before most people could even react—

his bat had already swung.

BOOM!!

Ping!!

The ball exploded off the bat—

soaring high into the sky.

At first—

the Seidō supporters weren't overly excited.

It looked like a deep hit.

A powerful one, sure—

but still just a long hit.

But then—

the ball kept going.

Past 100 meters…

and still rising.

The atmosphere changed.

"…Wait."

"…No way?"

A thought began to form.

Zhou Hao had just hit a grand slam.

Could it be—

again?

All eyes followed the ball.

Higher.

Farther.

Until—

it cleared the outfield stands.

Gone.

"It's out!!!"

"It's a home run!!"

"Yuki Tetsuya delivers!!!"

The stadium erupted.

Seidō's supporters exploded with joy.

Their pride—

completely unrestrained.

One monster batter was already terrifying.

But Seidō had two.

The score changed once more.

6–0.

In less than a minute—

five runs had been added.

What had once been a narrow lead…

had turned into a crushing gap.

Kōhoku fell silent.

No cheers.

No anger.

Only silence.

Technically—

the game was still in the third inning.

There was still time.

Still chances.

But deep down—

every player knew.

Even if they somehow caught up…

Seidō could simply send Zhou Hao back to the mound.

And that—

would be the end.

This game…

was already beyond their reach.

They had no choice—

they could only fight to preserve what little pride they had left.

"Don't worry! Just focus on your pitching!"

"Let them hit it—we'll back you up!"

"Get the first out!"

Kōhoku's fielders suddenly came alive, shouting encouragement toward their pitcher.

But for the substitute pitcher—

those words didn't sound like support.

They sounded like mockery.

Let them hit it?

Wasn't that just a reminder of what had just happened?

The ball he threw—

had been blasted straight into the stands.

If it stayed in the field, maybe someone could stop it.

But that one?

Not even a miracle could have saved it.

Doubt.

Regret.

They swirled in his mind, refusing to fade.

And because of that—

he couldn't steady himself.

That was his fatal flaw.

It wasn't that he lacked ability.

Compared to their ace, his pitching wasn't inferior.

But mentally—

he was far weaker.

And now, his emotions were bleeding directly into his pitching.

Swoosh!

The ball flew toward the plate.

Standing in the batter's box, the fifth batter—

Isashiki Jun—

his eyes lit up.

Too easy.

"Leave it to me!"

Ping!

He swung without hesitation.

The crack echoed—

and the ball shot forward.

For a split second—

everyone froze.

They hadn't expected such a clean hit.

Before they could react—

the ball had already landed and bounced away.

Isashiki dashed past first—

and didn't even slow down.

Straight to second.

No outs.

Runner on second.

At this point—

Kōhoku's players were numb.

Only one thought remained:

Why are they this strong?

From the ninth batter until now—

home runs.

Hits.

Relentless pressure.

Like a raging river—

unstoppable.

Before they could even process it—

the next batter stepped up.

Miyuki Kazuya.

No outs.

Runner on second.

To Seidō's supporters—

his presence felt just like Zhou Hao's.

Because they knew—

as long as there was a runner on base,

Miyuki was just as reliable.

Swoosh!

The substitute pitcher, unfamiliar with Miyuki, felt a slight sense of relief.

This one looks manageable…

If he could get past this batter—

maybe they could finally breathe.

"Starting with an outside pitch?"

"Too obvious."

Miyuki didn't hesitate.

Not even for a moment.

He stepped in—

and swung.

Ping!

The Kōhoku catcher froze.

He hadn't expected this at all.

No probing.

No waiting.

Just a direct attack.

By the time they reacted—

it was already too late.

The ball had flown into the outfield—

landed—

and rolled away.

"It got through!!"

The stands erupted.

Seidō's supporters were flushed with excitement.

Sure—

home runs were thrilling.

But this kind of relentless offense?

It was suffocating.

It gave them absolute certainty.

Seidō wasn't just winning—

they were taking complete control.

Isashiki Jun didn't stop.

From second—

to third—

to home.

"Safe!!"

"Seidō scores their seventh run!!"

7–0.

In this inning alone—

six runs.

Their offense was completely unleashed.

Meanwhile—

Kōhoku's players…

were breaking.

At the start, they still had hope.

Even if they were being suppressed—

the score had only been 1–0.

Compared to other powerhouse teams—

they thought they were holding up well.

Teitō… Ichidai…

Even they couldn't hold Seidō down like this…

Maybe—

they weren't that far behind.

But now?

That illusion shattered.

Completely.

They finally understood.

The gap between them and Seidō—

was far greater than they had imagined.

Before—

they were just lucky.

Now—

reality had caught up.

7–0.

And it wasn't over yet.

In the stands—

some Kōhoku supporters began to cry.

Not just because of the score.

But because of what they were witnessing.

This overwhelming offense—

this unstoppable force—

crushed their spirit.

No matter what they did—

they couldn't stop it.

They would lose.

And not just lose—

be completely crushed.

The only hope left…

was waiting.

Waiting for Seidō to ease up.

Waiting for a substitute pitcher.

Waiting for a miracle.

But when would that come?

That thought alone—

felt suffocating.

Like a fire burning in their chests—

consuming everything.

"…Again."

In the end—

youth refused to surrender.

Even knowing defeat was inevitable—

Kōhoku's players clenched their fists.

They would fight.

Until the very end.

But reality was merciless.

By the end of the third inning—

they had given up nine runs.

The scoreboard read:

10–0.

That one-run difference they had protected so desperately…

now felt like a joke.

Seeing the score—

it wasn't just the fans.

Even Kōhoku's players…

had tears in their eyes.

As proud athletes—

when had they ever been pushed this far?

If Seidō hadn't eased off later—

the gap would have been even worse.

In the stands,

veteran reporter Fujio from Baseball Kingdom shook his head.

"Kōhoku has never suffered a defeat like this."

"The fact they haven't forfeited…"

"is already a victory."

"Is it really that serious?"

Oowada Akiko asked, confused.

"Of course."

Fujio's voice was calm—

but heavy.

"Baseball is their pride."

"And today…"

"They've been completely beaten at it."

That kind of defeat—

was the most crushing of all.

Kōhoku High School Baseball Team—

had fallen into despair.

And the outcome of this game…

would shock everyone.