The game had entered the bottom of the ninth inning.
The score was 8:0. With such a large gap, and standing on the mound was the number one pitcher in the country, Sawamura Eijun.
Sawamura's overall condition was still great, showing no signs of fatigue.
At this point, it seemed that no matter how you looked at it, the Yakushi High School baseball team had no possibility of a comeback.
If there was any hope, it was only theoretical.
Theoretically, as long as the bottom of the ninth inning hadn't ended with three Outs, anything could still happen.
But that possibility was limited to theory alone.
In the reality of this match, Yakushi still couldn't make it.
Since Sawamura took the mound, he hadn't shown any weakness.
His opponent, the eighth batter for the Yakushi High School baseball team, had just been substituted.
A first-year rookie, Kuroki, had been sent in.
Some people in the stands were saying that Yakushi High School had given up on the game.
After all, the opponent was the Demon King, Sawamura. No one could hit his pitches the first time they faced him.
This had almost become common knowledge.
Not only Yakushi High School, but even a first-year rookie, no matter how skilled, wouldn't stand a chance against Sawamura's pitches.
Even Seidou High School's fans and Sawamura's supporters agreed on this.
If they hadn't given up, they couldn't think of any reason why Coach Todoroki would make such a move.
While the bystanders were confused, Sawamura, the person involved, had mostly guessed what Coach Todoroki was planning.
At this point, Yakushi High School had no hope of making a comeback.
The only thing left to look forward to was how much Sawamura would improve his own record.
And also, the result of his final confrontation with Kuroki.
According to Todoroki's thinking, by sending in a rookie now, he was allowing the rookie to face Sawamura's pitching early.
That way, when they face each other again in the Fall or even next year's Spring and Summer, the rookie would have had some psychological preparation.
This guy, who looked big and strong and a bit silly, named Kuroki, was obviously someone Coach Todoroki had high hopes for.
"I'll help you!"
Having figured out his opponent's thoughts, Sawamura didn't care in the slightest.
Instead, he decided to help Coach Todoroki.
He took a stance, his right foot swinging down like an axe, his right hand blocking in front of him like a wall, pushing away all the resistance ahead.
WHRROOSH!!
The baseball shot forward like a white flash, instantly crossing the distance of several meters and flying past Kuroki's eyes.
During this process, Kuroki at the Batter's Box was completely stunned.
He couldn't even react in time before the baseball passed right in front of him.
SNAP!
"STRIKE!"
Kuroki only realized what had happened after hearing the umpire's call.
Once he understood, he almost wet himself from the shock.
'It is terrifying!'
As an elite youth baseball, Kuroki had been selected into the main lineup of Yakushi High School's baseball team as a genius.
Kuroki was very confident in his abilities.
If it weren't for the fact that Seidou High School had no special admission slots left, and his exam scores hadn't reached Seidou's acceptance standards...
Right now, Kuroki could've been the one out there on the field, contributing to Seidou High School's baseball team.
Now, standing on the opposing side, Kuroki had become more confident in his previous beliefs and thoughts.
He was capable. He had enough skill to challenge Seidou High School's baseball team.
Even a legend like Sawamura could now stand on the same field and face off against him.
Although this wasn't exactly what Kuroki had envisioned, it didn't matter as long as it didn't affect the outcome.
Now, standing on the same field as Sawamura, on opposite sides, Kuroki had big ambitions and wanted to hit the ball out.
But sadly, the reality was much harsher than he had imagined.
Facing the Demon King's pitch, even just the simplest fastball.
He was helpless.
He couldn't even see the release point. When watching from the side, Sawamura's pitch already seemed fast.
But standing in the Batter's Box, Sawamura's pitches were even more terrifying than those 155 km/h pitches from pitching machines.
The time in the Batter's Box was so short that Kuroki didn't even have time to think.
Let alone hit the ball.
A sense of despair filled Kuroki's heart.
Despite the fact that his teammates were shouting at him, urging him to at least swing the bat.
But Kuroki's entire body just froze there, unable to move at all.
He was completely paralyzed by the fear from Sawamura's pitch.
He was so scared that he didn't dare move.
The result was inevitable.
"STRIKE!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"
It wasn't just Kuroki; another first-year substitute that came later had the same result.
That first-year player even resorted to a bunt in the end.
But even with a bunt, he couldn't make contact with the ball.
Facing Sawamura's overwhelming power, they were simply too weak.
In this crushing process, Sawamura also broke his previous record.
23 strikeouts in a single game!
This record was absolutely unprecedented and would likely never be broken again.
It became a label for the Demon King, Sawamura.
On the stands.
All the fans who specifically came to cheer for Sawamura were so excited that they could hardly contain themselves.
Among them were the earliest supporters of Sawamura, the Brotherhood of Red Hearts.
There were also the Demon King's Guards who had grown alongside Sawamura, supporting him step by step.
These fans alone filled an entire section of the stands.
When Sawamura set the unprecedented strikeout record, they all waved their arms in unison.
It was as though they couldn't express their excitement in any other way.
Their Demon King had not had such a moment of glory in a long time.
The record that was just broken yesterday, he had already surpassed it today.
This morning, the media had been filled with reports, saying that for the foreseeable future, no one would be able to accomplish what the Demon King had achieved.
Breaking a record that had stood for over 100 years would require not only an excellent player but also the right timing and conditions.
The reports sounded convincing, but there was also a sense of bitterness in them.
It was as if the Demon King's achievement was entirely due to good fortune as if his own effort and skill were downplayed by the media.
How could these foolish people not see that? Were they really afraid that their own praise would make them seem less dignified?
Sawamura's loyal supporters were upset about this.
But little did they know that the reporters had their reasons for this approach.
To be honest, the reporters' goal in reporting this way wasn't entirely to diminish Sawamura's accomplishments, but also because they feared that his fame might overshadow everything else.
The more they watched Sawamura's matches, the higher their expectations for him grew.
But precisely because of this, many reporters became anxious.
They had already used up every possible superlative to praise Sawamura.
Now, with just over a year until Sawamura graduated from high school, these reporters were beginning to feel uneasy.
The saying, "A brilliant youth doesn't always guarantee a great future," had been circulating for a long time.
They were afraid that the star they had so vigorously promoted would suddenly fade away due to an unexpected setback.
This was undoubtedly a pessimistic thought, but it was the truth and no one could deny it.
As a result, whenever people talked about Sawamura, they subconsciously held back a bit.
They would praise him, but only with moderation.
They feared that Sawamura, like a brilliant shooting star, might shine brightly for a moment and then vanish.
Of course, this was only a thought buried deep in the reporters' hearts.
It was something that couldn't be publicly stated.
For these reserved praises, Sawamura's fans were, of course, dissatisfied.
In their eyes, their idol was already the best player in the world.
Since he was already the best, why not praise him wholeheartedly?
What was the point of holding back such praise?
This was the simple, straightforward mindset of Sawamura's fans.
Now, Sawamura had proven himself through his strength.
Wasn't it the media that said Sawamura's achievements were all due to favorable circumstances, like perfect timing, location, and support?
Now, one day later, facing the powerful Yakushi High School baseball team, the Demon King, Sawamura, had continued to perform as usual, breaking his own strikeout record from yesterday and setting a new record with 23 strikeouts.
Even Sawamura's die-hard fans thought this record was probably about as good as it would get.
Such a record could only be broken with the right opponent and the right occasion.
Looking at the situation now, the Yakushi High School baseball team seemed like a pretty good opponent.
They allowed the Demon King to perfectly showcase his abilities and beautifully set an unprecedented record.
If yesterday's match had some element of luck, you couldn't say the same about today's finals.
Of course, if Yakushi or Inashiro used some different strategies, Sawamura might not have been able to set such a high strikeout record.
But doesn't this just prove Sawamura's skill?
Facing two of the strongest teams in the country, neither of them was able to hit Sawamura's pitches without using bunts.
What more could anyone argue at this point?
For Sawamura's fans, they had finally been vindicated.
No one expected that, in the final stages of the game, Sawamura would face off with the Thunder Beast, Todoroki Raichi.
An unexpected surprise was waiting for them.
The name Raichi was not only famous in Tokyo, but also nationwide.
Facing such an opponent, Sawamura's fans initially thought that just getting out would be a big win. It was going to be extremely difficult to make such a hitter miss the ball.
Many experts had already analyzed Sawamura's pitching characteristics.
Although Sawamura had set strikeout records for both middle and high school, his pitches were never designed specifically to achieve strikeouts.
In simple terms, Sawamura's pitches were not thrown to make the batter miss, but to make them mis-hit.
Making Raichi miss a pitch in their fourth round of confrontation would indeed be difficult.
Even though Sawamura's pitching became stronger as the game progressed, the batter had already adjusted to his rhythm after several rounds.
While they might not necessarily hit the ball well, it wasn't hard to at least make contact.
With that, it became even harder for Sawamura to strike Raichi out.
The results of their initial confrontation proved this point.
Though Raichi didn't hit Sawamura's pitch for a long hit or home run, he had managed to foul off several pitches.
"FOUL!"
"FOUL!!"
PAANNG!!!
"FOUL!!"
With two Outs in the bottom of the ninth and a count of two strikes and one ball, it seemed that Sawamura had already cornered Raichi.
One more Strike and the Demon King would have him.
But things weren't that easy.
Now, Raichi had fully adjusted to Sawamura's pitching rhythm.
For the four previous pitches, Raichi had not swung at the balls that were Balls.
For the remaining three, he had fouled them off.
Yakushi High School's last chance wasn't one Raichi was going to waste.
There was no nervousness, no fear of the impending out.
Standing in the Batter's Box, Raichi looked like he had shed all his hesitation, purely focused on facing Sawamura.
A year ago, when the team was in a tough situation, Raichi's performance was still raw.
But now, Raichi was calm and confident.
In just one year, his growth had been frighteningly fast.
'Really tough!'
Even the catcher, Miyuki, realized that this opponent was no longer the same.
He thoughtfully signaled to Sawamura on the mound.
Sawamura received the signal, nodded slightly, and threw his final pitch of the game.
Whrroosh!!!
His right foot raised high, like an axe, coming down.
With the shift in his body's center of gravity, his right hand pushed forward like a wall.
Immediately following that was Sawamura's left arm, swinging.
'It is coming...'
A flash of white light, and the ball shot out.
Seeing the ball coming, Raichi's eyes shone like two large incandescent lights.
'It is coming!'
He had calculated the pitch's location and the type of pitch.
Without hesitation, he swung his bat at the incoming ball.
BUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!
At that moment, it felt as though all the air in the Batter's Box had been sucked away.
A vortex of air rushed in from all directions, creating a small tornado in the Batter's Box.
The baseball was about to be swept away by the whirlwind.
Unexpectedly, the ball suddenly dropped.
The falling ball just barely dodged Raichi's bat.
SNAP!!
The baseball passed through the bat's path and landed in Miyuki's Mitt.
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"
"GAME SET!!!!"
…