Adam's throat went dry. "That wasn't a slow spin…" he thought, baffled, "It was a normal leg-spin delivery. I was going for a huge shot, and my timing just… completely failed."
Elias' brow furrowed, "There it is."
"Only a spinner could understand that, right?" Ren murmured, eyes flicking toward Rauf, Evandor, and Nagi.
Evandor nodded, his voice low. "He's reading Adam's movements… every subtle return, every shift in his stance. He knows Adam was aiming for a big shot, and he cut off every movement and instinct before it could even be executed."
Ryan shook his head, incredulous, "But the delivery just… shifted. That was an average leg-spin before, right? How did it change into slow spin out of the blue?"
Rauf leaned back, calm but intense, "That's where his Realm comes in. Realm of Irreversibility. It lets Galleous take control of the pitch itself. The pitch… remembers every previous counter, every prediction the batsman has made. Then it 'switches' the ball's variation in real-time—always to the bowler's advantage. The result? The batsman loses rhythm, footing, mindset… and eventually, their wicket."
Cassiel's voice barely rose above a whisper, "Whoa, so that's what it was. His Realm—and even his bowling—is so subtle, so silent… if you didn't know about it, you wouldn't even notice the pitch was bending reality itself."
Feng exhaled slowly, a chill running through him, "This over sure looks way too calm for the terror it's really delivering."
"I wonder if Adam can figure it out," Heber said, a hint of concern in his voice.
"He will figure it out, one way or another—he has to," Seraph added, his tone full of conviction.
Kazuna looking at the middle schoolers whispered, voice quiet, "The fear of the unknown… without doubt, is the most terrifying one."
"Heh~ you all figured that out with just three deliveries?!" A sudden burst of voices pulled the boys' attention, and they turned around in surprise.
"That's Rauf for you—what a cricket freak. Didn't expect anything less," Pierre called out with a wink as he made his way down.
Alan blinked, stunned, as half of the Multan Sultans pavilion seemed to flood into their stands, "You guys…?" "Heavens…"
Ezekiel slammed his face into his hands, trying to shrink behind Seraph, while Heber and Azazel swallowed nervously.
Senri extended his hand to Lucas, who clasped it with a grin, "Wow, what a pleasant surprise."
"What? Got bored already?" Ren teased as Mahd dropped between him and Aigou, exhaling long and slow.
"Bored? Nah. We just… missed you guys," Mahd replied with a sly wink.
"Right…" Nagi rolled his eyes, a faint smile tugging at the corners.
Daniil, glancing at Xavier, Helios, and Kenzo, couldn't help blurting out an instant apology, "We're sorry. Honestly… if we'd known Senior Pierre had this in mind while talking about 'finding out,' we would've thought twice."
"Thought twice? You're here already—just sit down now," Feng said, pulling Leon and another middle schooler beside him.
"Finding out about what?" Xavier asked, clearing space for Daniil as he settled in.
"About Senior Galleous," Daniil explained, eyes lighting briefly, "Like you were just discussing his Realm a moment ago."
Mark caught Ryan's gaze, sensing his awkwardness, and smiled. Ryan, still a little flustered, patted the spot beside him inviting him too.
Slowly, the boys settled into the stands. Karachi's pavilion, now far fuller than usual, didn't go unnoticed—the commentators and crowd alike quickly registered the sudden surge in presence.
"And look at that," Jones laughed, eyes scanning the stands, "More than half of Multan's players have settled into Karachi's pavilion. As expected—haha."
"Yup," Wasim nodded, a grin tugging at his lips, "Maaz and I had a feeling this would happen… and here it is, all true. What's more fun than teasing your rivals and sharing moments like this, even if it's unusually new?"
"Nothing else, I presume," Maaz added with adoration, eyes sparkling.
A cheer erupted from the crowd beside Karachi's pavilion, engulfing the boys. Karachi's middle and high schoolers sighed, watching as Multan waved back, pride and playful rivalry radiating from every gesture.
"I can't believe it…" Kenzo muttered, exhaling, mortified yet awed.
"Don't worry," Daniil chuckled awkwardly, still waving, "We can't believe it ourselves either."
"You kids are gonna get into trouble again," Chief Counsellor Mir called out from the coaches' stand.
"Don't fret, sir," Pierre said, voice dipping into a somber whisper at the end, "I think we actually escaped trouble. I couldn't help feeling a little suffocated back there."
Nidou and Pedro exchanged a glance, then turned their focus back to the field.
"You all are going through a lot, aren't you?" Isa asked gently.
"Yeah… so much so that we're practically evaporating. Save us," another exaggerated, leaning against Orion. Orion, clearly annoyed, pushed him away with a groan.
"Save you, hun… when you actually left some behind," Haris said, nodding toward a corner of the pavilion, "Look at Raza there."
"Him?" Pierre raised an eyebrow, casting a glance at Raza and the few others who had stayed back in Multan's pavilion with the coaches, "He's boring. We asked—he said no. So we left him."
"Cruelly efficient," Senri couldn't resist mocking lightly.
"Seriously, now—don't start cheering for Multan from here. It'll be catastrophic," Aaron warned, grinning.
"Heh, don't worry. Those who are going to win don't need cheering. Worry about yourselves," Basil teased.
"Just throw yourself out already," Aigou shot back, clearly exasperated.
Multan high schoolers laughed, amusement lighting their faces. "Haha, you all are way too easy to tease," they said.
Lucas let out a soft sigh and made his way to the far end of the pavilion, where Rauf and Evan sat behind the coaches' table. His eyes caught Alan, as he noticed a subtle—but profound—shift in his demeanor, a calm intensity radiating from him. He smiled and extended his hand.
Alan traced it with his own, offering a faint, confident smirk.
"You're up next with the bat, aren't you, junior Pakistan's Galaxy?" Lucas asked.
"Yeah," Alan replied, his grip firm, "Look forward to it."
"Already looking forward to it," Lucas said, a playful grin tugging at his lips, "I'm glad our match even gave you the chance to shine."
Alan couldn't help but return the smile.
Lucas then leaned casually against a pole, turning his attention to Rauf. "And what's on your mind, Karachi's captain?" he asked.
Rauf paused, a small, knowing smile forming. He gestured toward the pitch, responding, "Just waiting for the moment the scoreboard ticks up."
Lucas followed his gaze, a faint smirk playing on his lips, "As expected."
Back at the pitch, Adam completed the run as Haruf settled onto the striker's crease—his wide, radiant smile visible even through the grill of his helmet.
Galleous stepped onto the popping crease and released the penultimate delivery of the over. It was short and carried low bounce as it skidded viciously off the surface. Haruf's eyes sharpened as he read it instantly—near-perfect, almost alarmingly so. A flipper.
He adjusted his stance, rocking a fraction backward. The ball skimmed in, arrowing toward the stumps—and Haruf met it. Timing locked. Weight transferred. Bat lifted with full force and unleashed toward wide long-off.
CRACK. The sound echoed.
"Whoa—!" Adam gasped from the non-striker's end, frozen as the ball soared clean over the crowd for six.
Haitam swallowed hard, excitement flashing in his eyes as he stared at the ball landing in the stands and then Haruf, "Finally!"
The roar of the crowd came crashing down moments later as Multan's fielders stood rooted, watching the ball's aftermath in silence.
"MASSIVE! DESTRUCTIVE!" the commentators thundered, "As expected from Karachi's Destructor! Haruf Noorfaris announces his return in style after two long years! The kings who've been waiting in the stands are finally rewarded—and they are ecstatic!"
Rauf's smirk deepened as he glanced at Lucas, who exhaled slowly, clearly impressed.
Behind them, Basid raised a brow at Nagi's grin, "You figured it out, didn't you? That creepy smile's giving you away."
Nagi nodded, thoroughly satisfied, "Though, you're the creepy one."
Poseidon leaned in from the side, "Found out what?"
"Galleous' weakness," Aigou answered calmly.
"You mean how his Realm suddenly lost effectiveness the moment Adam left the striker's end and Senior Haruf took control of the over?" Cassiel asked.
Nagi blinked, amazed, "You already knew?"
Kenzo raised a brow, unimpressed, "Who wouldn't? You said Galleous counters a batsman's predictions and returning instincts by reading them—then controlling the pitch to disrupt timing and shot selection." His gaze slid toward Xavier, "But what happens when the batsman he analyzed throughout his over… changes?"
Xavier picked up seamlessly, "Everything he gathered on one batsman becomes useless against another. Every player has a unique playstyle. Different instincts. Different rhythms." He continued evenly, "Galleous has to start analyzing from scratch before he can dominate again. That's why his Realm lost intensity the moment Adam left the striker's end."
"Exactly," Seraph affirmed.