Looking at the baseball that was rapidly approaching his head, Kitamura Kou showed no trace of fear.
Instead, his expression remained incredibly calm.
In fact, the worries of the spectators were somewhat unnecessary.
Even without possessing some kind of superhuman, all-seeing vision, Kitamura Kou could easily determine that this pitch was not the Gyro Ball he wanted to hit.
Nor was it a malicious pitch intentionally thrown by Naoki Enomoto to injure him and force him out of the game.
Based on the speed of the pitch and the familiar rotation of the baseball, Kitamura Kou was already confident about what type of pitch it was.
"A pitch that isn't the Gyro Ball I'm looking for..."
"But to give you a warning and allow me to enjoy this battle even more, I'll show you a little bit of my strength."
While his thoughts moved rapidly, Kitamura Kou's eyes never left the approaching baseball.
His focus reached its absolute peak.
As the baseball tore through the air, accompanied by a sharp whistle, Kitamura Kou slightly tightened his grip on the bat.
The muscles in his arms tensed.
His entire body resembled a hunting leopard patiently waiting for its prey to enter striking distance.
Finally—
When the baseball approached home plate, only a short distance away from his head...
The motionless Kitamura Kou suddenly moved.
His bat erupted forward.
The swing was so fast that it looked like a sudden storm sweeping across the field.
The speed was astonishing, making it almost impossible to clearly see the path of the bat.
However...
Something completely unbelievable happened.
The baseball was clearly flying directly toward Kitamura Kou's head.
Yet the direction of his swing was aimed toward the low outside corner.
The difference between the two directions was like the distance between north and south.
They had absolutely nothing to do with each other.
But then—
The bat seemed to possess some kind of invisible attraction.
Like a magnet pulling metal, it forcefully redirected the baseball.
The pitch that had originally been traveling straight suddenly changed its trajectory.
It dropped downward.
Then it moved toward the low outside corner.
Exactly where Kitamura Kou's swing was waiting.
"What?!"
Sato Toshiya and Naoki Enomoto exclaimed at the same time.
At that moment, both of their hearts were filled with shock.
They never expected such a thing to happen.
Facing this unbelievable scene, they could only watch helplessly and pray that the final result would not become something irreversible.
But the next instant...
Their hearts almost jumped out of their chests.
"CLANG!!!"
A terrifying sound erupted.
The baseball struck by Kitamura Kou's bat instantly transformed into a cannonball that had just been fired.
Carrying an unimaginable amount of power and explosive force, it shot toward the first-base foul line at an incredible speed.
Like a flash of lightning.
Its speed was so fast that everyone present could only see a vague afterimage.
Under the horrified gazes of Naoki Enomoto and the others, the baseball flew straight beyond the field and disappeared from everyone's sight.
"Foul ball!"
The umpire's announcement finally allowed Naoki Enomoto's tense nerves to relax slightly.
He slowly released the breath he had been holding.
But even so, the terrifying swing from Kitamura Kou still caused him to break out in a cold sweat.
However, Naoki Enomoto did not collapse because of this.
As an experienced Pitcher who had faced countless strong opponents and endured countless intense battles, he would not lose his composure because of one unexpected hit.
But this swing had completely changed his impression of the Batter standing before him.
The slight trace of disdain that had remained in his heart disappeared completely.
What replaced it was caution.
And a strong desire to fight.
"Enomoto-senpai... you should understand how terrifying this Batter is now."
Sato Toshiya's heart was also surging with shock.
When he saw Kitamura Kou swing, he had already sensed that the baseball had a high chance of being hit.
However, the result he expected was only that the ball would fly deep into the right-field stands.
What he never imagined was that Kitamura Kou would display such overwhelming power and technique.
He had actually blasted Naoki Enomoto's vertical Curveball directly toward the boundary!
That unbelievable performance caused Sato Toshiya's evaluation of Kitamura Kou to rise once again.
"But a foul ball is still only a foul ball."
"No matter how far it flies, it doesn't change the result."
"The count is now two balls and one strike."
"The advantage is still ours."
"With your ability, Enomoto-senpai, you can definitely handle him."
"The only thing required is to completely trust my pitch selection and throw your strongest pitches into my glove without hesitation!"
Thinking this, Sato Toshiya quickly made several signs beneath his glove.
Then he looked toward Naoki Enomoto on the Pitcher's Mound.
His eyes seemed to transmit a silent message.
"Trust me."
"Let's defeat this opponent together."
Naoki Enomoto's expression became extremely serious.
He nodded slightly toward Sato Toshiya.
His thin lips parted as he muttered quietly.
"Brat... I admit it."
"I underestimated you before."
"But with only this level of ability, you think you can make This Great Master bow his head?"
"Hmph."
"You're still far from it!"
"Next, open your eyes wide and watch This Great Master's true strength!"
The moment his words fell...
A powerful aura suddenly erupted from Naoki Enomoto's body.
It was like a violent ocean wave crashing forward endlessly.
One wave after another.
Stronger.
More terrifying.
The atmosphere around him seemed to change.
Even the surrounding air appeared to tremble under the pressure, creating visible currents that spread outward.
When that aura reached its peak—
Naoki Enomoto threw the baseball without hesitation.
The battle between the two sides instantly entered an intense stalemate.
A thrilling tug-of-war began.
Having completely abandoned his previous arrogance, Naoki Enomoto finally displayed his true ability without reservation.
Slow Curveballs.
Knuckleballs.
Sliders.
Forkballs.
Every pitch he possessed was used one after another.
He continuously changed his pitching style, refusing to give Kitamura Kou any chance to adapt.
But Kitamura Kou showed no signs of backing down.
Facing such a powerful Pitcher, he stood firmly in the Batter's Box.
Except for the few pitches that were completely outside his hitting zone...
Any pitch that entered his attack range was fiercely sent flying.
The sound of the bat connecting with the baseball echoed repeatedly throughout the stadium.
The cheers of the spectators rose wave after wave.
The atmosphere became increasingly tense.
Both sides continued fighting with everything they had.
One was a genius Batter with overwhelming hitting ability.
The other was a veteran Pitcher unleashing his full arsenal.
Who would emerge victorious from this breathtaking confrontation?