kvmb Chapter 427 - 427: The Final Frenzy!
Chapter 427 - 427: The Final Frenzy!
Bottom of the eighth.Scoreboard: 9–7.
Seido had just piled on four more runs.
Arata gave up two before being pulled—
and the reliever who replaced him immediately surrendered another pair.
It was undeniable—
every player on Inashiro's roster was terrifyingly capable.
And yet, consider this—
Seido had already faced two other national powerhouses in this tournament.
Both teams stood at the very peak of high school baseball.
Even against their Aces going all out, Seido had still broken through—
scoring enough runs by the fifth… or at worst, the seventh inning—
to crush them outright.
But today—
Zhou Hao had yet to step onto the mound.
And still—
with their core lineup unchanged—
they had already scored nine runs.
That alone was astonishing.
If their Ace had pitched from the start—
Inashiro might have scored even less.
Of course—
once Zhou Hao entered, Seido's offense might also slow.
At that point, both sides would be trading their strongest cards.
Who would have the last laugh—
no one could say.
Top of the ninth.
Inashiro Industrial's final chance at bat.
On the mound—
Tanba Koichiro felt a pressure unlike anything before.
Since entering the game, he had given up four runs.
Judging purely by the numbers—
his performance looked terrible.
And judging by the situation now—
it seemed like the damage might continue.
But anyone who had truly watched the game knew—
that wasn't the full story.
Seido's Ace, Zhou Hao, hadn't pitched at all.
Among the remaining pitchers—
first-year Furuya Satoru had already burned out after just three innings.
Fresh out of middle school, with no real understanding of pacing—
he had gone all out from the start.
And burned through everything in an instant.
It was predictable.
Unavoidable.
A flame that burned too brightly—
could never last.
Kawakami, meanwhile, couldn't contain Inashiro's offense either.
That left only one man—
Tanba.
While both teams swung with everything they had—
while Inashiro's batters grew increasingly desperate—
Tanba remained steady.
Calm.
Like still water.
No matter how dangerous the situation became—
he endured.
So what if he gave up runs?
They had come from behind.
From trailing 3–4—
to leading 9–7.
A one-run deficit—
turned into a two-run advantage.
And Tanba—
had played a decisive role in that turnaround.
Pitchers like Zhou Hao, who could dominate from start to finish—
were monsters.
Rare existences.
For most teams—
a pitcher didn't need to be perfect.
He only needed to do one thing:
Give up fewer runs than the opponent.
That was enough to win.
And right now—
the scoreboard said it all.
9–7.
Measured by that standard—
Tanba had done more than enough.
As long as he could hold this line—
he would leave the mound with his head held high.
But—
things were never that simple.
Top of the ninth.
Inashiro's batters stepped up—
like men possessed.
One out.
Bases empty.
Carlos stepped into the batter's box.
His dark skin gleamed under the stadium lights as he locked eyes with the mound—
a predator sizing up its prey.
It was as if he was saying—
Throw it.
The moment it comes—I'll crush it.
The pressure radiating from him was suffocating.
"…Not him again."
"He's already gotten on base three times…"
"Power and speed—he's a nightmare."
Even Seido's players couldn't hide their frustration.
They knew it all too well—
Carlos was trouble.
From their previous clashes, they understood—
the probability of him making solid contact was terrifyingly high.
But what choice did they have?
Zhou Hao was done for the day.
Furuya and Kawakami had already pitched.
Even if they could return—
Seido wouldn't do it.
The rules wouldn't allow it.
And their pride wouldn't permit it either.
Just like Inashiro had no choice but to rely on Arata earlier—
Seido now had only one option.
Tanba.
Only Tanba.
Of course—
in a higher-stakes tournament, neither team would play this "cleanly."
They weren't naive.
No one would throw away a championship for the sake of pride.
But this—
was the Spring Tournament.
Important—
yet not everything.
Win it, and you gain momentum.
Lose it, and you move on.
But one thing remained unchanged—
neither side wanted to lose to the other.
That alone—
was enough.
The coaches wanted it.
The players craved it even more.
Every swing—
every pitch—
felt like it could draw blood.
And so—
even knowing Tanba might break—
Coach Kataoka chose to trust him.
He would ride him—
to the very end.
On the mound, Tanba understood.
This was the burden of an Ace.
Others could step down.
Others could say, I've done enough.
But not him.
Not now.
Facing Carlos—
Tanba lifted his leg—
and delivered the pitch.
Ssshh—!
The ball fell—
like a meteor crashing from the sky.
In the batter's box, Carlos's eyes sharpened.
By this stage—
both teams had gone completely all-in.
Not just Inashiro—
Seido too.
Their desire to win burned just as fiercely.
No—
even fiercer.
Take Tanba, for example.
Every pitch he threw now—
its speed, its movement, its angle—
had all reached another level.
By all logic, his stamina should have been long exhausted.
And yet—
his pitching showed no signs of decline.
Is this… the aura of a reigning champion?
Aside from that, Carlos couldn't think of any other explanation.
This wasn't the Tanba he knew.
But—
so what?
No matter how strong Tanba had become—
Carlos had no intention of backing down.
He would crush it.
Drive it out.
That was the mission entrusted to him.
And one he would fulfill.
At that moment—
his focus reached its peak.
Carlos no longer looked like an ordinary high school player.
He was a force of destruction.
The instant Tanba released the ball—
his bat came alive.
Boom!
Crack!!!
Perfect contact.
"I've seen that drop before—"
"You won't fool me again."
Behind the plate, Miyuki's eyes gleamed.
This result—
was expected.
It was inevitable.
Carlos might only be Inashiro's leadoff hitter—
but his batting ability ranked among the very best on the team.
A hitter like that—
was bound to explode sooner or later.
And now—
this was his moment.
Under the gaze of tens of thousands—
the ball hit the ground and shot forward.
Carlos exploded out of the box.
"Too fast!"
"Does he have springs in his legs?!"
For Seido's players and fans—
this was the worst possible outcome.
But reality didn't care what they wanted.
"Safe!"
Carlos rounded first and slid into second.
One out.
Runner on second.
A heavy silence fell over Seido.
They could feel it—
the storm was coming.
The game had reached a razor's edge.
"Inashiro's final offense has begun!"
From the stands, veteran reporter Fujio gave his blunt assessment.
At this stage—
there was no holding back.
No restraint.
Both teams would do anything to win.
"Who do you think has the edge?"
Owada Akiko asked.
Given Inashiro's momentum—
Seido looked like they might not hold.
"Seido."
Fujio answered without hesitation.
Even if Tanba couldn't completely stop Inashiro—
Inashiro's pitchers couldn't stop Seido either.
Seido still had their turn at bat.
And more importantly—
they were still leading.
No matter how fierce Inashiro's rally became—
he didn't believe they could fully overturn the game.
But—
Inashiro had no intention of giving up.
Not now.
Not ever.
As the next pitch came in—
Shirakawa swung without hesitation.
Crack!
The ball skipped across the field.
Shirakawa dropped his bat and sprinted.
At the same time—
Carlos flew around third—
and charged home.
Before Seido could relay the ball—
he crossed the plate.
"Safe!"
"Inashiro scores their eighth run!"
Score:
9–8.
Just one run apart.
From the stands, Inashiro supporters roared.
"Our top of the order is unstoppable!"
Seido wasn't the only team with a deadly one-two punch.
Inashiro's top batters were just as terrifying.
In Seido's dugout—
every face turned grim.
They had expected resistance.
They knew Inashiro wouldn't go down quietly.
But seeing it unfold like this—
still hit hard.
And worse—
it didn't look like it would stop.
Inashiro's third batter stepped up.
The pressure he radiated made Seido's hearts tighten.
He wanted to hit.
No—
he had to hit.
The desire burned so fiercely that no one doubted it.
If given the chance—
he would send the ball soaring.
One out.
Runner on first.
A single swing—
could flip the entire game.
They had seen it before.
Zhou Hao's home run earlier—
had done exactly that.
One swing—
and everything changed.
Now—
Inashiro stood on the verge of doing the same.
Seido didn't even want to imagine it.
Because if it happened—
the consequences would be devastating.
On the mound—
Tanba felt it too.
The weight.
The danger.
The turning point of the game.
His eyes hardened.
No matter what…
I will stop him.