The players of Seisho High were completely stunned.
Even Akutsu had to admit it himself—
Zhou Hao's Bullet Ball was even stronger than his Bullet Ball.
What kind of monster was this?
Everyone understood what that meant.
As long as Zhou Hao's stamina didn't give out, getting a hit off him was nothing short of a fantasy.
That realization crushed Seisho High's conviction.
Their goal was to become national champions.
Earlier, when they heard that Seidou High School had eliminated their strongest rival—the Universe Team, Osaka Kiryu—they had been thrilled. In their eyes, it was as if someone had cleared their biggest stumbling block for them.
But now, standing against Seidou for the first time…
They realized they had celebrated far too early.
The team that beat Osaka Kiryu wasn't some fluke individual. It was Seidou—a team equal to, or perhaps even more terrifying than, themselves.
The score was 1–0.
Ordinarily, Seisho High, being a national powerhouse, wouldn't care about a one-run gap at all.
Their lineup featured some of the best hitters in the country.
Who were they supposed to fear?
But now, facing Zhou Hao…
Whether they admitted it or not, they all knew:
They were no match for this monster.
A single run now felt like a blade pressed against their throats—one slip, and everything could end.
Although Zhou Hao had crushed the opponent's morale and Seidou looked poised to win, Chris in the catcher's mitt couldn't smile.
When the seventh inning ended and they returned to the dugout, he immediately confronted him.
"What was that?"
Zhou Hao didn't want to answer—but he couldn't avoid it.
"I… got carried away. I couldn't hold back."
He had thrown the Bullet Ball with full power.
Was that necessary?
Not at all.
Especially since his stamina was already running low.
It wasn't clear when he would run out completely.
For the Ace, wasting stamina was the same as slow suicide.
Chris wanted to reprimand him for that.
"A game is long. As the Ace, you need to think about the whole situation. Don't ruin your pacing just because of one impulse."
"Thank you for the guidance, senpai. I promise—this is the last time."
Chris was satisfied with his answer.
Players with overwhelming talent often became arrogant, dismissive, and impulsive.
But Zhou Hao was different.
Despite his strength, he maintained humility, corrected mistakes, and didn't repeat them.
That was one of the traits Chris admired most.
In Seidou's dugout, Coach Kataoka was in a good mood.
Although they were momentarily outsmarted earlier… their Ace slapped the opponent right back, and with enough force to leave a lasting scar.
"Their mentality has collapsed. But we cannot relax. Continue attacking—try to score another run!"
"Yes!"
Seidou was known nationwide for their explosive batting.
It was already the bottom of the seventh. The game could end soon—yet they had only scored one run.
Unacceptable.
Chris adjusted his stance and swung decisively—
Ping!
The ball was hit, but not far enough.
"Out!"
One out, no runners.
Yoshida and Isashiki Jun followed—same result.
It wasn't that their batting hadn't improved.
They were now able to make contact with Akutsu's pitches at all—something that was originally unthinkable.
Even Seidou's lower order could now hit him.
That alone proved Akutsu's stamina was dropping.
But even weakened, as a top national pitcher, his Bullet Ball was no easy thing to handle.
Even Miyuki and Chris, despite their strong batting, couldn't score off him now.
That said everything.
The seventh inning ended.
Score: 1–0.
Seidou remained ahead.
Top of the eighth inning—Seisho High's offense.
Their Fourth Batter stepped up first.
He was one of their strongest hitters.
Yet even he looked pale.
Seisho High was on the brink. That one run felt fatal.
Their fans in the stands had even stopped cheering—not because they lacked loyalty, but because their team's condition was too fragile. Pressure might break them completely.
Everyone thought Zhou Hao would wipe them out and send Seisho High straight to hell.
But then—
An accident occurred.
On Zhou Hao's third Bullet Ball—one he expected to settle cleanly—the desperate Fourth Batter erupted with a burst of raw survival instinct.
He judged the timing perfectly and swung with everything he had.
Boom!!
Ping!
The ball shot out.
The substitute second baseman reacted too slowly. The ball landed just ten centimeters in front of his glove.
"Safe!"
Seisho High had finally recorded their first hit of the game—in the top of the eighth.
The fans exploded.
"It went through!"
"No way! That first-year kid isn't invincible after all!"
"He's fifteen. Holding out this long is already incredible."
They didn't deny Zhou Hao's strength—doing so would be slapping themselves.
But he was still only a first-year.
Surely he couldn't last forever.
And now, they believed his stamina had hit its limit.
In Seidou's dugout, everyone looked grim.
Even the fans could see Zhou Hao's stamina was failing.
How could the team not?
"Should we substitute?"
That thought flickered through their minds—
But was immediately rejected.
They had seen Seisho High's strength. Without Zhou Hao, they would lose control instantly.
Replacing him now would be too risky.
All eyes turned to Coach Kataoka.
"He is the Ace of this team."
As always, his conviction was unwavering.
Unless the Ace was injured or completely unable to fight—
He would pitch until the end.
Even if they lost.
That was the trust they placed in their Ace.
Some third-years involuntarily pressed their lips together.
Thank goodness Yoshida was in the outfield right now… otherwise hearing that would've been heartbreaking.
After all, he still wore Seidou's No. 1 jersey.
Back on the field, Chris finally released the breath he'd been holding.
He had been worried about Zhou Hao's stamina since the seventh inning.
Now the first hit had come.
Oddly enough… he felt relieved.
"At this point, facing stamina issues—what's your plan?"
Zhou Hao looked up at the bright sky, took a long breath, exhaled slowly—
Then turned back with a completely different aura.
One look, and Chris understood:
Zhou Hao was going for it.
"With your stamina… you still want to use that pitch?"
Zhou Hao nodded.
Chris didn't like it—but he couldn't deny him.
"You're the Ace. If that's your decision… let's do it."
Zhou Hao gripped the ball.
He could feel his power fading.
When stamina dropped, intricate pitches became harder to execute.
He had imagined stamina loss would only reduce speed and movement… but reality was harsher.
A slight deviation at this level could be fatal.
Especially against Seisho High's core hitters.
He couldn't risk that.
So he chose decisively—
A Spiral Ball.
Boom!
The Fifth Batter's eyes widened.
Wasn't Zhou Hao supposed to be running out of stamina?
Yet the rotation tearing through the air was monstrous.
Before he could comprehend it—
Pop!
"Strike!"
Chris's palm tingled from the force.
A grin spread across his face.
He thought Zhou Hao was finished…
But his pitching hadn't collapsed at all—only weakened slightly.
No wonder Zhou Hao had proudly claimed he could finish the game with Spiral Balls alone.
Zhou Hao wasn't surprised, either.
Insufficient stamina wasn't the same as collapse.
He wasn't done yet.
Maybe his Level 3 Spiral Ball dropped to Level 2—
But a Level 2 Spiral Ball could still dominate.
Didn't the batter look like he'd just seen a ghost?
In Seisho High's dugout, the entire team was dumbfounded.
Why would he use the most stamina-draining pitch now of all times?
No one understood.
But they all knew one thing:
They were in trouble.
Worse than ever before.
Boom!
Pop!
"Strike!"
"Strike!!"
"Strike!!!"
"Strikeout!!!"
Three batters.
Three helpless swings.
Side retired.