Seidou won!
27:0!
Although there is still quite a gap from the previous record for the largest margin of victory in Koshien, it's still one of the most outrageous scores in recent years.
Even though their opponent was a dark horse with little fame, no matter how mediocre they were, they were still the champions of the Kyoto region.
With the development and progress of the times, even teams from smaller regions today are not far behind in overall strength compared to the big names.
Let alone the region of Kyoto.
This has indirectly led to a phenomenon where underdog teams appearing in Koshien are becoming increasingly rare.
In such an environment, if an underdog team manages to push through, their strength would inevitably be impressive.
So, even though the baseball team of Nanakyo High School didn't perform very well, in reality, their strength should still be decent.
In fact, it could even be said that they are quite good.
Especially for people familiar with baseball, they can gauge Nanakyo's team strength from small details and assess what level they've reached.
Even those who are not so well-versed in baseball would not underestimate them, having heard about their past performance in Kyoto.
Moreover, this team also has a famous star player, one of the former Twelve Rising Talents—Hanagata.
Although this title is now a thing of the past and rarely mentioned, the truth is, that star players are star players, and their presence alone is enough to change the game.
Hanagata performed exceptionally well in this game.
Almost every ball that reached first base was caught by him.
In his four at-bats, he managed to hit their team's only base hit.
A 25% batting average!
Of course, this isn't an impressive statistic, not something to boast about, and not something Hanagata would brag about to others.
But considering his opponent was Seidou High School's baseball team...
Facing the likes of the "Great Demon King" Sawamura and the fastest pitcher in high school, Furuya Satoru...
Achieving such a result is already quite remarkable.
His strength definitely surpasses most players in the country.
Under his leadership, Nanakyo High School's baseball team had a solid foundation, the players were highly motivated, and the tactical arrangements were not unreasonable...
In fact, Nanakyo High School's baseball team didn't have too many disadvantages.
They were simply playing a fair match against Seidou High School's baseball team.
And it was like a basket of eggs crashing against a rock of the same size.
And not just any rock, but granite.
The result, needless to say.
All the eggs shattered on the ground, a true barbaric scenario, too painful to watch.
A blatant gap in strength.
Don't even mention Nanakyo High School's baseball team—if you brought the two top teams from Kyoto over, their outcome probably wouldn't be any better.
That's just the reality.
The gap is too vast!
And this gap was boldly displayed in front of all baseball fans across the nation.
It left the fans dumbfounded, filled with surprise, respect, and a bit of joy.
They weren't just witnessing a legendary team—they were witnessing the birth of this legendary team.
At this point, no one doubted whether Seidou High School's baseball team could win this Koshien.
With the kind of dominant strength they've shown if they can't win the championship...
Who in the country would have the qualifications to win?
No one.
Any team participating in Koshien with the ambition to compete for the championship, or anyone planning to bring Seidou High School down...
Would now feel like they've been hit with a heavy blow.
This blow was so heavy that they couldn't even raise their heads.
Crazy, completely crazy.
In this game, the players of Seidou High School's baseball team clearly didn't give it their all.
It's not that the opponents could feel something from Seidou's play, but Seidou made it obvious.
From the third inning, Seidou began to replace their main pitching and catching duo.
At that point, Seidou was probably operating at only 70-80% of their full strength.
Later on, Coach Kataoka continued to make substitutions with several key players.
By the final ten minutes of the game, the players left on the field were performing at only about 30% of their peak strength.
Yet, even with a team like this, in the eighth inning, they were still able to score 10 runs in a single burst.
And when defending, they didn't give Nanakyo's players much hope.
Tenacity, dominance!
The strength of Seidou's baseball team wasn't just reflected in their star players.
Even their substitutes displayed an imposing, unbreakable presence.
Kings!
This was the true meaning of being a king!
Don't even talk about a face-to-face matchup; just having them plan on the sidelines would probably be enough to discourage anyone from attempting to challenge Seidou High School's baseball team.
This was the overwhelming strength Seidou showed.
"The game is over, and the winner is Seidou High School's baseball team!!!"
As the announcer's passionate words echoed, the crowd in the stands erupted in waves.
With around 50-60 thousand fans, it seemed as though they had all gone mad, cheering for the players on the field.
It was as if they wanted to pass their strength to Seidou's players, helping them maintain this momentum and continue winning.
Faced with such passionate fans, the players of Seidou High School's baseball team were moved.
They sincerely stood in a row, bowing to the stands all around them.
This was quite rare at Koshien.
Generally, having a whole section of the stands occupied by fans supporting one team is already rare, and having fans in two sections is even rarer.
But for Seidou's team, with fans cheering for them all around, it was a rare sight indeed.
So rare that they had to perform this unique gesture of gratitude.
"Keep winning, and claim the legend!"
"We believe in you!"
"Go all the way, don't give other teams any chance."
"The championship belongs to Seidou!!"
While the Seidou team expressed their thanks to the fans, the fans responded with their most sincere blessings.
Although most of the blessings were directed at the Great Demon King, Sawamura ...
It didn't matter.
After all, most of the blessings weren't directed at any one individual, so it could be seen as being for the entire team.
However, when the female fans were cheering, some of Seidou's players became a bit restless.
Kuramochi even glared fiercely at Sawamura, planning to give him a quick self-defense lesson later at the hotel.
He was determined to use a friendly punch to remind Sawamura that in today's world, where talent is scarce, eating and taking more than your fair share comes with a hefty price.
On the other side...
The Nanakyo High School players were completely stunned.
They stood there in disbelief, unable to accept the result before them.
Such a large score difference, a blatant bloodbath.
How were they supposed to explain this crushing defeat when they returned to their hometown?
Especially after watching Seidou's baseball team play, many Nanakyo players began to doubt themselves.
What had they been playing before?
Did they even know how to play baseball?
Why did it feel like they were playing a different sport from Seidou's players?
Everything felt so strange!
So strange that they couldn't accept it...
They were truly dumbfounded, completely stunned by the defeat.
It took them nearly ten minutes before they started to come to their senses.
...