On the Batter's Box, Sawamura, although he had already made a decision in his heart, on the outside, it was difficult to tell if anything had changed about him.
His legs were spread apart, roughly 40 centimeters between them. His body's center of gravity slightly sank, and the bat in his hands was raised high, gently swaying.
This was the most standard batting posture.
The swaying bat served two purposes: one, to maintain the flexibility of his wrists, and two, to create enough distraction for his opponent.
The swaying bat naturally gave off the feeling of being poised for action.
It was as if, once the ball was pitched, it would instantly be sent flying.
Such a professional attitude and posture naturally put pressure on the opponent.
This point was most keenly felt by Morishita on the pitcher's mound and Hakumatsu, the catcher.
Although the Osaka Kiryu High School baseball team had never lacked troublesome opponents,
Just like the troublesome Kuramochi they had dealt with earlier,
Thankfully, their strategy had worked well, and the fielders had been strong.
That's how they managed to get through.
The pitcher's excellent performance gave the fielders great confidence.
Even though he was a first-year Kohai, who had previously pushed aside their teammate, who had been working with them for three years, from the pitcher's mound,
Now, they were able to stand on the Koshien final four's stage.
They could compete head-to-head with Seidou High School's baseball team.
All thanks to this first-year junior.
Without his presence, their match against Seihou would have already seen Osaka Kiryu High School eliminated.
Similarly, the excellent defensive abilities of the fielders of Osaka Kiryu's baseball team had given Morishita's pitching a new vitality.
In this situation, his pitching seemed to become more confident.
It felt as though, no matter who the opponent was, no matter what kind of difficulties the opponent posed,
They would be able to overcome them.
Such chemistry was enough to make any team envious and jealous.
Perhaps Morishita wasn't the strongest pitcher, but he was a very suitable pitcher for Osaka Kiryu.
Whether it was their match against Seihou or the current showdown with Seidou High School,
Facing strong opponents had helped them better integrate as a team.
Without a doubt, Osaka Kiryu, at this moment, had the right to confront Seidou High School's baseball team head-on.
In this situation, even if they were facing Seidou's star player, Miyuki,
Hakumatsu had the confidence to compete with him.
But there was one person who stood out as an exception.
That person was Seidou High School's ace pitcher, Sawamura.
This man, who had earned the title of "The Great Demon King."
Any high school player in the nation, when facing Seidou High School,
When they learned that their opponent would be Sawamura Eijun,
No one, probably, could proudly say that they weren't afraid.
How could they not be afraid?
After all, he was the one and only Great Demon King!
In this era of emerging geniuses, such talents, appearing once in a decade, seemed almost as if they were popping up endlessly.
So much so that there were more star players than one could count.
In the past, it was considered exceptional if five or six star players appeared on the Koshien stage.
On a nationwide level, the number of star players who could make a name for themselves would rarely exceed 20.
But now, the number of top-tier star players nationwide was almost at that number.
As for those who had reached the level of a star player, that number had increased by more than double.
It truly was a dazzling display of stars!
But even in this situation, the Great Demon King's position was very special.
When facing other top-tier star players or regular star players,
He had never been defeated.
Once or twice, his opponents may have caught him off guard and taken advantage of an opportunity,
But in a full game, Sawamura had never lost against any of those star players.
Even if Seidou High School had lost, he was always the MVP of that game, the best performer.
This was the essence of the Great Demon King.
He was a terrifying presence, undefeated in battle, and invincible.
Seidou High School's baseball team had not yet become a legend, although they were only two games away from it.
Not having become a legend meant they hadn't reached that point yet.
But as their Ace, Sawamura had already become a legendary player.
The history he created was unprecedented!
Even for future players, breaking the records set by the Great Demon King Sawamura would not be easy.
Up to this point, Sawamura still held the record for breaking the most records.
His presence had not only caught the attention of the nation's professional baseball league but also piqued the interest of Major League Baseball.
Before even graduating high school, he already had such a terrifying level of popularity and status.
Whether Sawamura was a legendary player or not, there was no need to say more.
The nation's top-tier star players were generally divided into two categories:
One category was Sawamura Eijun.
Already a terrifying presence who had ascended into legend.
The other category consisted of all the top star players other than Sawamura.
Morishita and Hakumatsu, from the Osaka Kiryu High School baseball team, had heard about Sawamura's strength from their teammates multiple times before.
When they had just joined the team, those teammates were pillars of the baseball world.
The strength of those teammates had already seemed terrifying to them, almost unbelievable.
But when their teammates talked about the strength of the Great Demon King Sawamura, they realized there was no comparison.
The gap between their strengths was too vast!
That gap was not something that could be overcome through hard work.
Now, standing on opposing sides, they were finally going to face Sawamura Eijun head-on on the field.
To be honest, they were very excited.
Out of the more than 4,000 high schools in the country, with tens of thousands of boys playing baseball,
Not many truly had the chance to face the Great Demon King Sawamura Eijun.
If it were a team from the West Tokyo region, it would be easier.
Although the possibility wasn't very high, they still had a chance.
For schools in other regions that couldn't make it to Koshien,
They didn't even have the opportunity to face the Great Demon King Sawamura Eijun head-on.
From this perspective, both Hakumatsu and Morishita were undeniably fortunate.
Heaven had been very kind to them, granting them such an opportunity.
And neither of them intended to waste it.
Although so far, they still hadn't discovered any weaknesses in Sawamura that they could attack,
Having come this far, they had no reason to back down.
Whether there was hope or not,
They would not give up the chance to face Sawamura Eijun.
They were determined to face the Great Demon King head-on.
Hakumatsu, having made up his mind, crouched down and opened his Mitt, assuming a ready-to-catch posture.
'No need to worry or be afraid!'
However, when facing such an opponent, it was natural to feel anxious.
But they had to trust their own pitching and trust those seniors standing behind them.
Though Osaka Kiryu's record had not been stellar the past two years and had even been somewhat sluggish,
The abilities of these seniors were unquestionable.
Each one of them, without exception, was a top-tier baseball player.
Even if Sawamura eventually hit the ball, they could still catch it.
'Believe in that, and throw the ball!'
Hakumatsu stood like a wall, unwavering.
This gave Morishita a special kind of confidence.
No matter where Morishita threw the ball,
Hakumatsu would certainly catch it.
"Leave it to you, Senpai..."
Morishita, always highly confident, had once been approached by the national team. When they extended an olive branch,
He only asked one question:
"Will I be a starter or a backup?"
At the time, the national team already had the ace pitcher, Nishiyama Kibo.
They naturally didn't need anyone else to compete for the Ace position.
"Our team doesn't differentiate between starters and backups. All pitchers, except for Nishiyama, get playing time based on their abilities."
The staff member had been foolish enough to give such a flawed answer.
It was essentially a blatant admission that the ace position was already secured for Nishiyama.
Receiving such a response, Morishita rejected the invitation without hesitation.
Although later his parents publicly apologized,
Thanking the national team for their recognition, they said Morishita had fallen ill and could not attend the training.
But everyone knew the real reason.
Morishita didn't want to be under anyone else.
He was confident in his abilities and wasn't going to let anyone stand above him.
From this, one could see his personality and strength.
He was not someone willing to play second fiddle to anyone,
'Even if the opponent was the Great Demon King!'
Others might avoid facing Sawamura Eijun head-on because of his reputation.
Given Sawamura's current strength and status,
If an opponent avoided facing him head-on, the audience wouldn't even bother booing.
Perhaps from the audience's perspective, it was only natural.
If you didn't have enough strength, why would you rashly challenge the Great Demon King?
That would be suicidal, wouldn't it?
But Morishita wasn't willing to make that choice.
Even though Sawamura felt dangerous to him, he still wasn't willing to give up the opportunity for a direct confrontation.
Whoosh!
With determination, he pulled back, launching the small baseball with all his strength.
He wasn't going to let Sawamura off easily.
In the Batter's Box,
Sawamura, watching the incoming baseball, tightened his grip on the bat.
Although he felt the pitcher on the mound wasn't giving up victory easily,
It seemed like he was ready for a direct confrontation.
However, Sawamura hadn't expected his opponent to be so decisive.
Without setting up with a Baal, the opponent went straight for a Strike to confront him.
The baseball came in on the inside corner, with reverse movement.
Although the change was slight, and if Sawamura wasn't in such a unique state, he might not have noticed,
'The movement was indeed there.'
The reason Seidou's team could hit the ball but not far enough was likely due to this!
On the surface, it appeared as if the batter just hit the ball with ease.
The feeling in his hands and the direction he hit it didn't seem any different.
But it was this small break that kept the ball from flying as far as it should have.
'This should be Morishita's specialty!'
When he was in middle school, this specialty had already shown some impressive power.
Otherwise, how could he attract the national team's attention?
At that time, though, he didn't feel as strong as Nishiyama.
But now, joining Osaka Kiryu, this top-tier powerhouse,
His original specialty had blossomed brilliantly.
Osaka Kiryu had helped transform him, and he, in turn, had transformed Osaka Kiryu.
"Interesting!"
Noticing the opponent's specialty, Sawamura muttered with admiration.
Osaka Kiryu's performance was stronger than he had expected.
Especially this first-year Kohai, his presence was like a catalyst, transforming Osaka Kiryu High School.
But that was all!
'Once his tricks were revealed, there was nothing too remarkable about it.'
Tightly gripping the bat with both hands, calculating the angle and timing, Sawamura decisively swung his bat as the ball came flying.
Shuuuuuuuuuu!!!!
The bat swooshed past Hakumatsu's face.
Hakumatsu's expression tightened immediately.
Although he had heard of the Great Demon King's strength,
He had the impression that Sawamura's swing wasn't particularly strong.
Some media outlets had even reported that when watching Sawamura's swing, you wouldn't be able to tell that he was an excellent batter.
Hakumatsu had thought the same.
But now, he clearly realized they were wrong.
The Great Demon King's strength was all-encompassing.
How could there really be any vulnerabilities or weaknesses?
'There were none; it was all lies!'
In fact, Sawamura's swing felt like it could sweep everything away.
Anyone who could swing like that surely had incredible strength.
PPAAAAAAAAKKKKKK!!!!!!
The bat made solid contact with the baseball, sending it flying far away.
In the Batter's Box, Sawamura let go of the bat, raised his left hand high, and clenched it into a fist.
This scene was keenly captured by the commentators in the stands.
"Eh...?"
"Could it be?"
Everyone's eyes shifted to the baseball, watching as it flew out of the Koshien field!!
…
T/N: Well, That's it for now.
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