Chapter 123: The Demon King’s Cannon!

One Out, no one on base.

Sawamura stepped into the Batting Box under such a situation.

Currently, most of the audience on-site remains captivated by the prior astonishment. They reminisce about the moment Kominato Ryosuke repeatedly hit the ball out of bounds, stirring intense emotions within them.

Appreciating baseball is quite straightforward for spectators. If they find the game exceptionally cool, it often seems quite magical to them.

Everything that Kominato Ryosuke did just now is very magical.

In baseball, the duel between the battery and the Batter is often shown in this way.

But that kind of matchup is generally aimed at players who are not particularly good with the ball.

In this way, they have a high chance of getting the Four-Ball.

Facing star pitchers such as Akutsu and Nanami, who have excellent ball control, aiming for a Walk is certainly not a wise strategy.

Ordinary batters would never dare to do this, and since Kominato Ryosuke dared to do it, it means that he is not an ordinary batter!

Such splendid performances offer the audience visual delight, akin to grand-scale magic. Thus, even when Kominato Ryosuke didn't manage to make a hit, or get a Four Ball, he still received warm applause from the spectators.

Clap! clap! clap clap!!

Amid this round of applause, Sawamura stood on the strike zone.

The battery of Hoshiryu High School still had a very excited expression on their face right now.

The average spectator might not notice, but the shrewd scouts in the stands sense that something is amiss. Meanwhile, in the Hoshiryu High School dugout, Hosho Ryuki's expression is as dark as the gathering storm clouds.

Hosho Okuchi and Nanami Haruka, having just celebrated, have not yet fully grasped the gravity of the situation. Now, they remain engrossed in the satisfaction of having resolved the issue of Kominato Ryosuke.

It's not only that, during their recent collaboration, it appears they have made multiple discoveries simultaneously. Initially, Nanami Haruka was overly fixated on the break of his pitches, neglecting the significance of speed and power. Subsequently, after facing repeated defeats against Sawamura Eijun and Narumiya Mei, he came to understand that relying solely on breaking balls is futile.

If he wants to achieve something, he must hone a sharp Straight ball, even if it is a false Straight ball.

His dedication yielded results. Following meticulous research and training, he finally accomplished a breakthrough. His Straight ball now possesses unique characteristics. However, as he became fixated on developing these traits, Nanami's focus on his previous Breaking balls waned.

During their recent collaboration, they suddenly realized that their prior training might have been somewhat misguided. They had focused solely on perfecting the Straight ball to enhance the sharpness of the Breaking ball. Now, having developed a distinctive Straight ball, how could they neglect their previously mastered Breaking ball?

The two are not at odds they're quite the dynamic duo. Nanami experienced an evolving moment with his pitch, shaking off the old chains and leveling up.

Hosho discovered newfound agility in his game calling. And now, they're up against Sawamura Eijun, an opponent who's more than just another face in the crowd for both of them.

'Let's test it out on him!'

Nanami and Hosho Ryuki were like children who had just received a new toy and couldn't help but show off.

Sawamura on the strike zone smiled in his mind.

'They are starting to notice!'

He cooperated with Okuchi for two years. Although Hosho was his senpai, in terms of baseball experience, Hosho was far from him.

And Sawamura knew all about his habits and personality.

As for Hosho's current partner Nanami.

Initially, he was Sawamura's most formidable rival, and his insight into Nanami's tactic was on par with Okuchi's.

With such familiarity, their intentions were clear to Sawamura almost from a glance.

The previous duel has made these two guys realize the direction of Nanami's future progress.

According to Nanami's personality, he must have used a new Game calling plan against Sawamura.

'That would be perfect!' Sawamura is very happy.

His grip is very long, and according to his understanding of Hosho Okuchi, Hosho will not let go of this detail.

What will Hosho do after seeing him holding the bat like this?

The first ball will be matched with a Breaking ball.

Because the grip is so long, it's hard to hit the breaking ball well.

'If you want to use the Breaking ball, there's never been a better time, come on, throw the Breaking ball over there.'

Sawamura feels strange now.

That kind of feeling is like a strange uncle seducing a child with a lollipop.

Now, he is playing the role of the strange uncle.

He waited for a long time, and it seemed that Hosho and Nanami were very cautious when dealing with him.

Finally, when Sawamura Eijun was waiting impatiently, The white ball soared forward.

Whoosh!

Nanami's pitching stance is wide open, and the ball goes straight into the outside corner.

Judging from the course, the ball should fall outside the strike zone in the outer corner, with a deviation of about ten centimeters.

It is very similar!

It can even be said that it is almost the same as the ball that solved Kominato Ryosuke before.

'Here is it!'

In the strike zone, Eijun was wildly thrilled.

Bizarre visions danced in his head, reminiscent of a peculiar uncle enticing a kid with the promise of candy successfully.

He shook his head vigorously, throwing this unbearable picture aside. Sawamura's mouth gleamed with a wide smile.

'Here it comes!'

The baseball flew over as he wished, and just before it was about to enter above the plate, the ball that going outside the outer corner suddenly turned back.

'A Slider!'

It looks amazing, but the real ball speed is not fast. The break of the ball is so great that such a ball cannot be thrown at high speed.

'Perfect!'

For Eijun, there is no better pitch than this one.

He is not good at dealing with the kind of ball that has power, and such a ball that can be hit completely by experience is the most perfect for Sawamura.

Speaking of other things, he may not be much different from the Players around him.

But when it comes to baseball experience, whether it's defensive experience, tactical experience, or hitting experience.

There was no one more experienced than him in the entire high school.

Eyes firmly locked on the flying baseball!

Here it comes!

'And now!'

Having figured out the timing of the swing, Sawamura swung the bat decisively and hit the baseball cleanly.

PING!

The white ball soared into the sky, just like a rocket with a set path, and flew directly to the outside of the field.

"O-OUT OF THE PAAAARK!!!"

"The second home run in this game appeared, the creator is the Maou, Sawamura Eijun!!!"

"Demon King!"

"Demon King!!!"

The stands erupted with cheers as Seidou High School's fans and the Demon King's Guards chanted for Sawamura, each shouting more enthusiastically than the last.

It seemed like they'd burst if they kept their excitement bottled up.

And who could blame them? The face-off between Seidou and Hoshiryu High Schools was nothing short of epic.

Seidou was flexing their muscles, showing off a solid game. Their ace, Sawamura Eijun, was chilling in the outfield, with on plan of taking the mound.

Meanwhile, Hoshiryu was sweating bullets, finding Seidou's backup pitcher, Tanpa Koichiro, an insurmountable wall.

Despite not racking up a high score, Seidou High School's offense was nothing short of spectacular.

 Spectators could easily sense the prowess of Nanami Haruka with his razor-sharp breaking balls and Straight balls had his signature.

While the crowd might not dissect Nanami's skills like the pros, they certainly knew strength when they saw it – and Haruka had it in spades.

Although Tanpa Koichiro has only lost one point and Nanami Haruka has lost three points so far, the audience can feel that Nanami Haruka's presence and strength on the pitching mound should be far more than that of Tanpa Koichiro.

The most important reason why Tanpa lost fewer points than Nanami in the result on the spot should be that their opponents were different.

Even if Sawamura and Yuuki are taken out of the lineup, the current Seidou High School's strength will surpass Hoshiryu High School.

The score is 3:1, but the difference in strength between the two sides is by no means the score. The reason why they didn't get a higher score was mainly because Nanami's performance was too good!

And Sawamura got a home run from him!

Amid the cheers of support, Sawamura ran back to home plate very plainly.

Before leaving, he nodded at Hosho, then returned to the rest area to welcome the cheers of his friends.

"Bad boy, you did a great job!"

"Haha, as expected of Sawamura!"

"I knew you could do it, kid."

Sawamura laughed with the Players around him.

Furuya and Haruichi took the initiative to bring the water cups up.

"Thanks!"

The reaction of the people around was more intense than Sawamura imagined.

As far as he is concerned, he doesn't think it's a big deal.

He knew Okuchi and Nanami very well, Under the continuous blows of Kominato Ryosuke, their cooperation appeared a little flawed.

Of course, Sawamura wouldn't let this flaw go.

And he felt no guilt!

He knew Nanami and Hosho very well, those same two people should know him well too, right?

If he was on the mound instead, would these two let him go if they had the chance?

The answer is of course not.

Friendship is friendship, a game is a game.

If you can't make this distinction, you are not qualified to enter the professional world. After entering the professional world, there are only so many teams, and you can face them many times.

If you hesitate in the game because of your friends, then you don't deserve to be in the professional circle.

In the catcher's position, Okuchi looked annoyed at Sawamura who returned to the rest area.

When Sawamura was attacking, he suddenly changed his grip, and his foot stepped toward the plate…

'This bastard, he knew from the beginning that I was going to use the Breaking ball.'

Okuchi almost forgot about it, Sawamura was also very good at guessing the opponent's thoughts.

"Damn!"

On the pitcher's mound, Nanami Haruka also looked frustrated.

The home run that Sawamura hit just now was completely beyond his expectations.

How did Sawamura guess that they used the Breaking ball on their first Pitch? And it's a Breaking ball in the outside corner?

'Damn! Damn!!!'

Nanami can't figure it out, really can't figure it out.

...

T/N: The biggest Chapter in this Volume until now.