Chapter 74: Monster Tamer!

~~~

T/N: The Fourth Chapter is here!!

~~~

After resolving the third batter, Furuya's momentum soared to its peak.

His pitching resembled an unexpected artillery strike, catching everyone off guard.

After striking out Taniguchi, he smoothly dealt with the fourth batter, Yanagi. Just like with Taniguchi, Yanagi was also struck out.

Komadai Fujimaki High School's third and fourth batters fell one after another, like monsters being slayed.

Faced with Furuya's terrifying pitching, they couldn't even touch the ball.

This spectacular performance had the audience completely enthralled.

They excitedly clapped whatever they could, cheering wildly for Furuya.

In that moment, it felt as if he were no longer just an ordinary high school student, but a true superstar.

"I never expected such a monster to exist in Koshien!"

"It's incredibly rare that this pitcher has thrown over 150 km/h in his first year."

Furuya had made appearances in Koshien before. In fact, he played as a rotation pitcher last year.

His performance was impressive.

If it weren't for Sawamura's dazzling brilliance that overshadowed everything during that Koshien, Furuya's fame might have been bigger.

However, with the Senpais and with Sawamura's outstanding performance, Furuya's presence was overshadowed among the five star players of Seidou High School.

But after today, everything would change.

Previously, everyone thought Furuya was excellent, boasting the fastest pitch speed in the country.

But since his opponents weren't particularly strong, his true strength remained unknown.

After today's match, perceptions would surely shift. Furuya was now competing against Komadai and held his own.

Not fearing ignorance, but fearing comparisons.

Lacking formidable opponents for comparison created doubts about Furuya's strength.

Now, with worthy opponents, there would be a clearer judgment of Furuya's prowess.

Undoubtedly, Masamune Hongou is one of the best pitchers in the country.

And Furuya, who can compete with him without losing ground.

Though there are still some shortcomings, overall, his strength is definitely at the same level.

This means that, apart from Sawamura Eijun, the 'Demon King', Seidou High School has another top-tier pitcher like Furuya.

With everyone watching, there were two Outs and no runners on base.

Furuya faced the fifth batter of Komadai Fujimaki High School, the catcher, Enjou Renji.

Roaar!

In Furuya's dictionary, there is no concept of holding back.

Each pitch he throws is with his life.

Pitching is life.

Roaar!

His terrifying pitch, as if the world were collapsing, shot towards home plate at the speed of a Shinkansen. (Bullet Train)

Renji in the Batter's Box instinctively swallowed hard.

'Incredible!'

This pitch seemed almost alive, giving the sensation of facing a raging monster.

He glanced up at the large score displayed on the electronic scoreboard.

1:0.

Before Furuya's impressive pitching, they had felt confident about their victory. But now, a question mark loomed.

Though they still had confidence in Hongou's pitching, a one-point lead felt too precarious to be comfortable.

To feel completely at ease, they needed to score one or two more points.

And with Furuya's pitching improving, it seemed it would only get harder to handle.

In this situation, to take control of the game, they had to act now.

While Furuya was still on the mound, they needed to seize the opportunity to score.

Nodding inwardly, Renji raised his bat high.

Roaar!

The second pitch came in, looking even more intimidating than the first.

The most terrifying part was that the small ball dropped rapidly after approaching the batter's hands.

SNAP!!

"STRIKE!"

'The first pitch was a fastball, the second a forkball.'

'It seemed Furuya was fully unleashing his strength, suggesting he wasn't planning to pitch the entire game, right?'

Even though most of the audience had forgotten about Eijun, Renji had never overlooked him for a second.

The opponent they needed to watch out for was still calmly waiting in the outfield.

Komadai Fujimaki High School's pitching lineup was great.

But compared to Seidou High School, they were lacking significantly. After all, Seidou had two of the nation's top pitchers.

'Truly enviable.'

Renji, faced with two strikes, showed no sign of fear on his face.

His eyes were cold as he scrutinized Furuya on the mound, feeling remarkably calm.

The world is so unfair; some players evoke despair with just a single pitch.

Like Furuya!

His talent is absolutely unparalleled.

Even if others worked their entire lives, they could never reach this level.

For the vast majority, such pitching velocity is unattainable through effort alone.

'But velocity isn't enough to make me despair.'

'For the past few years, I've dealt with such monsters.'

'I'm immune to high velocity like this now.'

Roaar!

The ball hovered through the air, like a berserk monster ready to devour everything.

Yet Renji, in the Batter's Box, was like a prepared monster tamer. He swung his bat steadily and hit the ball.

Ping!

The ball, after being hit, flew into a gap in the defense.

Renji sprinted to second base.

From his position as a catcher, Miyuki was stunned.

The opponent aimed for that hit, while Renji focused on the low angle.

'Of course!'

At second base, Renji wore a triumphant smile.

To him, this outcome was no surprise.

Furuya's control wasn't perfect; he could barely pitch to the low strike zone.

'But that was about it.'

Where the pitch would land was anyone's guess, even for the catcher.

'In this case, guessing the pitch was pointless; it was simply about aiming and hitting.'

'I have plenty of experience working with such monsters.'

"Impressive!"

Miyuki could only give a thumbs up in his mind.

Renji's hit was that good.

'Probably due to his long partnership with Hongou, his eyes had become accustomed to such fastballs.'

Once your eyes are fully adjusted to Furuya's fastball and you have enough power, it isn't that hard to hit.

Many spectators believed Furuya was now on par with Sawamura Eijun and Hongou Masamune.

But Miyuki never thought so.

He knew the strength differences among them.

The main reason they appeared evenly matched now was their opponents.

Their opponents were the top monster batters in the nation's high schools.

While these batters weren't weak, they weren't prodigies either.

When the real star-level batters appear, the difference becomes obvious.

Ping!

Just as Miyuki's thoughts drifted, the situation on the field suddenly changed.

The ball was hit and soared far away.

It finally landed in the gap of the outfield defense.

Sawamura rushed forward, picked up the ball, and without stopping, threw it straight to home plate.

Due to a finger injury, his throw was slightly off-target.

By the time Miyuki retrieved the ball and returned to home plate, it was already too late.

"SAFE!"

Renji, who just hit a double, was aided by his partner Hongou.

He successfully scored the second point.

Helping his team lead 2:0.

The game's situation heavily favored Komadai Fujimaki.

This wasn't the worst part; the most concerning issue was that after falling behind 2:0, Seidou High School didn't make any substitutions.

Sawamura remained in the outfield.

Even the less astute players of Komadai Fujimaki understood the implications.

Although they didn't know why, it was clear that today, the Demon King Sawamura Eijun wouldn't be appearing on the mound.

…

T/N: That's it for now!

As always, Thank you all for reading guys!

Have a good day!

You also can check my Patre0n for extra Chapters.

https://www.patre0n.com/ColdColt

There are +130 Chapters there.