Chapter 11: Defeating the Demon King

"Sawamura!"

"Sawamura!!!"

Before Seidou took the field, the Demon King's Guard and the members of the Brotherhood of Red Heart shouted Sawamura's name as if they had lost their minds.

The combined crowd occupied one side of the stands.

Driven by their fervor, tens of thousands in the audience joined in a deafening chant. Their excitement was so overwhelming that it felt like they had no other way to express their surging emotions.

It's difficult for ordinary bystanders to grasp the extraordinary feelings of Sawamura's two fan clubs.

As Sawamura's fame has grown, so too has the number of his fans.

Now, there are at least 8,000 are willing to cheer for Sawamura in person.

When there were only three or four thousand fans, it was manageable; they could always find seats in the stadium. But now, that's simply impossible.

Seidou's status has also risen sharply, and the number of fans supporting Seidou is staggering. The number of fans willing to come to watch Seidou's games has long since surpassed ten thousand.

As a result, the total number of people on both sides almost reached twenty thousand.

Ordinary stadiums cannot accommodate so many people, not to mention the fans cheering for the opponents or those who just came to enjoy the spectacle…

Due to these objective constraints, Sawamura's two fan groups haven't been able to come together recently. Aside from a few die-hard fans, new fans rarely have the opportunity to sit with the main group and cheer for Sawamura.

Gradually, everyone became accustomed to either not being able to watch the games live or not being able to sit together when they did. So much so that when Seidou reached the quarterfinals, neither of Sawamura's fan groups fully attended the game at Jingu Stadium.

Until now, a week had passed between games. The fans reorganized, and they could finally openly support Sawamura as fans.

Today's action marks their first collective effort. More than half of the attendees are new fans.

This is their first time watching the game as die-hard fans of Sawamura, and their excitement is palpable.

As they cheered, they wished they could exert all their strength.

It seemed that without this, they couldn't express the tumultuous emotions in their hearts.

Before Seidou took the field, Miyuki Kazuya specifically ran over to Sawamura's side to tease his partner.

"How do you feel? Does today's atmosphere seem more intense than usual? Are you planning to explode?"

On the surface, he appeared to be chatting, but in reality, he was probing Sawamura's attitude and strategy.

Given their close relationship, Miyuki could usually guess Sawamura's plans from the slightest hint.

"The opponent is strong, so let's go all out from the start!" Sawamura replied.

Miyuki nodded in agreement. He understood Sawamura's perspective. Under the strong lead of Amahisa Kousei, the momentum of Sankou was terrifying.

To demoralize the opponent, they needed a decisive counterattack.

Ambitions grow gradually. As long as the game remains a stalemate, no matter how desperate the players of Sankou are, their ambitions will grow like weeds.

If the situation develops like that, even if Seidou claims victory, the price will be substantial.

Not worth the risk!

When danger is evident, it should be nipped in the bud.

This has always been Miyuki's strategy, and now Sawamura has stated his intent to go all out from the beginning.

There's no room for doubt.

"Let's aim for three Strikeouts first!"

For others, this task isn't easy. But for Sawamura, getting a few strikeouts in a row at the start is not particularly difficult.

With his variety of breaking balls and unique pitching form…

There aren't many players who can handle Sawamura's pitches from the get-go, but they are certainly a select few.

Thus, generally speaking, Sawamura can achieve consecutive Strikeouts without issue.

Of course, this is just the perspective of Seidou, or rather, Miyuki's opinion.

The opponents might not share the same thoughts.

The players of Sankou are not unaware of Sawamura's pitching abilities. However, they still believe they have a chance to hit the ball.

Indeed, the probability of Sawamura striking out players in the first inning is alarmingly high.

Yet it's not completely impossible to hit him. In fact, teams from other prestigious high schools have faced off against Sawamura a second time, and not every player has been unable to make contact.

Many can hit the ball.

Under such circumstances, the players of Sankou assume, quite reasonably, that if others can do it, they can too.

The last time they faced Sawamura was seven months ago.

As a player's skill level rises, the challenge becomes greater. Given Sawamura's current level, improving it is exceedingly difficult.

For other high school players, whose skill levels are relatively low, seven months could yield significant improvements.

But for Sawamura, considering that he was already close to the peek, any growth over seven months wouldn't be outrageous.

'His pitch speed might be slightly faster, but the variety of pitches and breaking balls hasn't changed much…'

These thoughts circulated in the mind of the third-year batter of Sankou, solidifying his confidence.

'No problem, I could definitely hit Sawamura's pitching.'

Seven months of hard work had transformed his hitting skills, and with a strategic mindset, he could catch Sawamura off guard.

Mori Hiroshi, the first batter of Sankou stood in the Box, his fighting spirit frighteningly high.

That intense spirit was palpable, even to Miyuki squatting behind the plate.

He looked at the opponent in astonishment, his mind racing with information about the batter before him.

If his memory served correctly, this opponent didn't seem to be the core batter of Sankou.

'The real strength of Sankou's lineup starts from the third batter and continues to the sixth!'

'While the other players have decent skills, they are not on par with those four.'

'And this first batter of Sankou, even disregarding those four, wouldn't rank in the top two.'

'In such circumstances, where does the opponent get such strong confidence?'

Miyuki was stunned for a moment but still signaled to Sawamura.

He even thought for a second that he might have misjudged the situation!

Only by this can one explain the source of the opponent's confidence.

So he resolutely signaled to Sawamura.

Sawamura on the mound, upon receiving the signal, showed no hesitation.

He simply took his stance and threw the ball.

As his weight shifted, his arm whipped out like a lash.

'Indeed, the pitch release point was still completely invisible.'

However, this did not surprise the batter of Sankou.

After all, it wasn't their first encounter with Sawamura. They had thoroughly studied his pitching.

This kind of pitch where the release point is entirely obscured, can be quite tricky, but it's not insurmountable.

For the past seven months, they practiced swinging until they couldn't move their arms anymore.

Their goal was to enhance their swing speed and strength so they could hit Sawamura's pitches with confidence.

Last year, Sankou lost to Seidou in the playoff finals. After the loss, the players reflected on their experiences and believed that while Ace pitcher Kousei's performance wasn't perfect, it was certainly adequate.

He shouldn't bear the blame for the defeat.

The primary reason for Sankou's loss was their inability to conquer the Demon King, Sawamura.

In this context, all players at Sankou practiced swinging with Sawamura as their imagined opponent every day.

To keep pace with Sawamura's velocity, they invested considerable effort during that time.

'Stamina, sweat, tears…'

All of their hard work seemed to culminate at this moment.

The first batter of Sankou swung the bat in his hands.

Buzz!

As he swung the bat, Miyuki could almost hear the sound of the bat slicing through the air.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

'Unexpectedly, this relatively unknown first batter of Sankou possessed such impressive hitting power.'

His swing hinted at the style of a strong hitter.

If the pitcher on the mound for Seidou wasn't Sawamura, Miyuki would genuinely worry whether others could handle him.

The current lineup of Sankou exudes a sense of rebirth.

'Too bad for them, their hard work seems destined to be in vain.'

'Sawamura isn't a pitcher who can be intimidated by mere roars.'

Whrroosh!

The ball shot through the air like a laser, covering a distance of several meters in an instant.

During this process, Mori Hiroshi, the first batter of Sankou swung decisively, exuding a sense of thrill.

His smooth swing instinctively inspired trust. It felt like hitting the ball was a matter of course.

But everything changed just as the bat was about to connect with the ball.

The ball was moving faster than the batter had anticipated.

In the blink of an eye, the baseball had zipped past the bat and landed securely in Miyuki Kazuya's Mitt.

SNAP!

"STRIKE!!!"

This sudden turn of events sent the crowd of spectators into a frenzy.

Mori Hiroshi revealed a deep apprehension in his eyes.

In his own imagined world, Sawamura's previous strength had already been so terrifying that he believed it was impossible for him to experience any significant growth in such a short time.

However, after witnessing just one pitch from Sawamura, he completely overturned his previous thoughts.

"Nice Pitching!"

"This ball was good!"

"Hyaa-ha-haa! You are feeling good today!"

"Take them down like that!"

On the pitcher's mound, Sawamura didn't even interact with his teammates around him. He stood there naturally, emanating a fearsome aura.

Just making eye contact with him sent a chill deep into the soul of Sankou's first batter.

That feeling was hard to articulate in words.

'We are different!'

Mori Hiroshi of Sankou could only think of this sentence, a sentiment that would be hard for an ordinary person to grasp.

After witnessing just one pitch from Sawamura, he fully understood the vast gap between himself and Sawamura.

'We are on completely different levels!'

They weren't even opponents from the same dimension.

'Clearly, in the past seven months, I had practiced hard as well. But why had the gap between us not narrowed but instead widened?'

Filled with dread, he glanced at Sawamura on the pitcher's mound and noted his relaxed demeanor. The first batter of Sankou was overwhelmed with unwillingness.

'No, there must be a way.'

Even for the sake of the team, as the leadoff hitter, Mori could not leave the field in such an embarrassing manner.

At that moment, Mori Hiroshi assumed a desperate stance.

No matter how the pitch came in, he was going to swing. Even if he couldn't get a hit, he at least needed to make contact.

No way could he allow Sawamura on the pitcher's mound to appear so relaxed.

'The spirit is strong!'

Kazuya Miyuki, squatting behind the plate, quickly sensed the batter's mindset. However, he didn't care too much; the opponent's active swinging was perfect.

As for momentum, if the two sides were evenly matched, it might affect the outcome of the contest.

But once the gap became significant, momentum alone couldn't determine anything.

Seeing Miyuki's signal, Sawamura on the pitcher's mound nodded almost imperceptibly, then decisively threw the pitch.

Whrroosh!

No matter how many times one watched Sawamura's pitching form, it was still difficult to get used to.

The first batter of Sankou felt that way now. Fear filled his eyes.

If possible, he really didn't want to face off against an opponent like Sawamura on the field.

But as regional rivals, Sankou and Seidou couldn't avoid this competition.

In the summer Koshien tournament, the rules were completely different from those of the spring Koshien. As teams from the same region, only one could advance to the national level.

Sankou, Yakushi, Inashiro, Seidou...

Only one among these top national powerhouses would get the chance to advance.

In this situation, the batter of Sankou would never give up.

'Without the courage to defeat Sawamura, Sankou would have no chance of entering the summer Koshien.'

All the potential within the batter erupted, and the thousands of swings he took each day made his entire motion incredibly fluid.

Ping!

After hitting the ball, it rolled out of bounds.

"FOUL!"

Although the ball didn't enter the field, the excitement it generated was significant.

The thunderous cheers that had once surged for Sawamura had unintentionally weakened.

From his position, Miyuki raised an eyebrow again.

'Really not simple.'

This batter, who he hadn't regarded highly at first, actually managed to catch up with Sawamura's fastball.

Sawamura's current pitch speed was over 145 km/h, combined with the Wall-Making Form that obscured the batter's view.

If viewed from the strike zone, Sawamura's fastball must have been at least 155 km/h.

'Facing such a pitch, the opponent had only just adjusted to the second pitch!'

It was worthy of being Sankou; even if they weren't the core hitters, they still had decent strength.

Sawamura on the mound felt the same.

He had been somewhat indifferent, and though he knew this attitude was not good and could easily lead to mistakes, some things were just hard to control.

When an adult holds and plays with a three-year-old child, they often subconsciously reduce their strength...

It's human instinct.

Sawamura had such feelings toward the first batter of Sankou. He couldn't help but go all out from the start.

But now, his focus was heightened.

It felt like facing off against a three-year-old who suddenly pulled out a dagger.

Although the child's fighting capability was not to be feared, that dagger was very sharp.

Sawamura instinctively became cautious.

'Time to get a bit serious!'

Looking at Sawamura on the pitcher's mound, Miyuki's expression changed, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.

The opponent had indeed made a foolish mistake.

In the state Sawamura was in just now, Sankou might have scored a run.

'But now, there was not even the slightest possibility.'

The sleeping lion had opened its eyes. And once it did, bloodshed would inevitably follow.

'Throw it here!'

Miyuki didn't even bother to signal; he simply positioned his Mitt in the inner corner.

He believed Sawamura understood his intent.

"Simple…"

Without hesitation, Sawamura unlocked his breaking balls.

Whrroosh!

The ball shot forward like a sharp beam, appearing in front of Mori in an instant.

'NOW!!'

Mori Hiroshi, the first batter of Sankou was filled with fighting spirit.

Just being able to make contact with Sawamura's pitch had given him a gigantic boost of confidence. Although luck played a big role, luck is also part of strength.

Next time, he might be just a bit luckier and hit one out of the park.

Without giving the batter too much time to revel in it, Sawamura's pitch arrived.

'Fast!'

'It seemed quicker than ever before.'

Mori was already mentally prepared. He silently hastened his swing and decisively took a slash.

However, despite swinging his bat, he failed to make contact with the baseball.

As the ball approached his hands, it suddenly veered.

'Slider?'

'No, that's not right!'

'This is a Cutter.'

Once Sawamura unleashed his breaking ball, the strength of his pitching increased severalfold.

The first batter of Sankou, who had barely managed to tangle with Sawamura, couldn't even touch the ball now.

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

He wasn't the only one; the next batter, Miyamori also had a high spirit and came swinging.

But it was still useless.

First came a Straight-Fastball, a pitch with no discernible rhythm.

"STRIKE!"

Then, another clean Change-up.

"STRIKE!!"

Sawamura completely abandoned the straight ball, using only breaking balls this time. He logically used breaking pitches to dispose of his opponents.

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!"

The second batter of Sankou raised his bat high and swung, but didn't touch the ball.

His fate was clear; he was easily struck out.

Facing off against Inajitsu and Seidou, Sankou was still overwhelmed, with Sawamura achieving two Strikeouts.

This was a boost for the supporters of Seidou, especially for Sawamura's own fan club.

They seemed to glow with excitement, frantically waving empty bottles and roaring loudly.

"SAWAMURA!"

"SAWAMURA!!"

It was as if they could transmit their power to Sawamura on the field.

Two Outs, no one on base.

Now, it was finally the turn of Sankou's core lineup.

"Third batter, catcher, Takami-kun!"

Even though the previous two teammates had been struck out in succession, Takami still stood in the Batter's Box full of confidence.

In addition to his confidence in himself, he was also confident in the intelligence he had gathered.

'Demon King!'

Looking at Sawamura, who stood tall on the pitcher's mound.

Takami felt sparks igniting within him.

He could hardly wait to take down his opponent.

Only to return to the dugout with a big question mark above his head.

Who? 

Where? 

How?

Takami pondered the third doubt just a minute later.

How exactly did I get Out?

In the beginning, Sawamura used very sharp breaking balls for the first two pitches.

Takami didn't swing at the first pitch, but caught the rhythm on the second and hit a foul ball.

His confidence was even stronger.

'I can do it!' 

The training over the past seven months was finally paying off. It had once been incredibly difficult for them to even touch Sawamura's pitches, but now, thanks to their relentless effort, they could finally make contact during practice.

This was a very good start.

Even if they still couldn't handle the Demon King this round, they believed that over time, they would surely find the opportunity.

An opportunity to defeat the Demon King.

Under such circumstances, Sawamura's third pitch came in.

Whrroosh!

The ball flew towards him, seemingly heading for the outer corner.

'Going for the win with an outside fastball?' 

Seeing Sawamura pitch, Takami quickly imagined various scenarios and decisively swung.

Even though he had previously hit a ball, it had gone Foul.

So now he was down two Strikes and had no choice but to swing.

As his bat was about to connect with the ball, it mysteriously vanished.

Sawamura used his Magic ball!

SNAP!

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

It wasn't until he reached the dugout that Takami couldn't comprehend it.

He had clearly grasped Sawamura's pitch, so how had he been struck Out?

…

T/N: The Fourth Chapter!

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