I Died on the Court, Now I'm Back to Rule It-Chapter 157: Horizon vs. Kurotsuki : The Conductor’s Vision 2

Dirga moved.

One dribble left.

Step-back.

Kick to Aizawa—far wing.

Late defense.

Catch.

Shot.

In.

40 – 36.

He backpedaled slowly.

Not smiling.

Not satisfied.

Just... listening.

To the floor.

To the weight of five defenders trying to anticipate something—

That hadn’t even been called.

He exhaled.

If I can keep them guessing... I can slow them.

...

Kaito peeled off the bench.

Unwrapped his towel.

Eyes locked.

Hands already clenching.

"KAITO IS CHECKING BACK IN!"

"The fire returns to the floor—just in time! Horizon holds the edge, but Kurotsuki’s pulse is rising!"

Dirga’s heart kicked—

Not from pressure.

Not from nerves.

From rhythm.

Because Kaito wasn’t just energy.

He was an amplifier.

And if Dirga could conduct the beat—

Kaito could burn through the silence.

Substitution.

Rei out.

Kaito in.

They bumped hands.

No words.

Just a rhythm transfer.

Dirga turned back to the court.

Sho: under the rim.

Taniguchi: drifting far corner like a ghost.

Toshiro: already shifting angles.

And yet—

Now?

It felt like Horizon had a second breath.

Dirga could feel it:

The pulse shift.

Momentum. Rebuilding.

He didn’t wait for it to crest.

He cut it early.

[TEMPO SIGHT – ACTIVE TRIGGER: GOD FRAME – 45 SECONDS]

The world fractured.

The hardwood peeled open.

Timing lines flickered—

Blue for allies. Red for threats.

Defensive pressure surged at the edge of his vision.

But it wasn’t the play itself.

It was the foundation—

The silence before the storm.

Dirga’s pupils narrowed.

He didn’t see Kurotsuki.

He saw how they’d break.

...

Eiji held the ball up top.

Sho flashed high—ghost movement.

Not to receive—

Just to pull Rikuya’s focus for half a second.

Toshiro began his curl early.

Too early.

Dirga saw it:

This wasn’t for a bucket.

It was for position.

A rhythm fake.

Taniguchi lifted.

Kaito stayed tight—shadowing with precision.

But then—

Sho sealed.

It wasn’t a backscreen for the wing.

It was for the slot.

Two layers deep.

Kurotsuki didn’t want points.

They wanted Sho at the elbow—

Toshiro opposite pocket.

An asymmetry trap.

Godframe burned.

Hot. Cold. Blinding.

Dirga didn’t chase the pass.

He chased the space behind it.

Eiji passed.

Straight into the vacuum Kurotsuki thought they’d created.

But Dirga was already there.

Sliding. Reading.

Pre-rotation.

No leap.

No lunge.

Just presence.

Interception.

Clean.

No drama.

No bounce.

Just hands.

The crowd didn’t erupt.

But the Horizon bench stood.

Because that wasn’t a stop.

That was a statement.

Dirga exploded upcourt.

Kaito filled the opposite lane—blazing fast, dragging Taniguchi in his wake.

Taiga broke early to the slot.

Rikuya held back, just enough to pull Sho half a step off his timing.

Aizawa curled across.

Nothing opened.

But Dirga wasn’t done.

He pulled both defenders into his gravity well.

Held them—

Not with force, but with rhythm.

Kaito looped behind him—

Ghost-cut.

Hard stop.

Taniguchi flinched.

Just a breath—

But enough.

And Dirga?

Pivot.

No-look.

Behind-the-back.

Thread-the-needle bounce.

Aizawa.

Mid-step.

Catch.

Glide.

Layup.

42 – 36.

"DIRGA WITH THE SPECIAL EYES! That wasn’t a pass—that was a break in reality!"

"He didn’t play the court—he rewrote it! HE IS THE MAESTRO!"

"Kurotsuki thought they were still leading the rhythm..."

"But Dirga just composed a new score—and played it in real time!"

...

[Godframe Timer: 00:14 Remaining]

Kurotsuki ran.

Toshiro flashed low—quick and sharp.

Sho drifted up the elbow—deliberate, heavy.

Taniguchi curled like smoke—fake flare screen.

Dirga’s vision seared.

Red threads looped and flickered—

not plays—but consequences.

He didn’t chase the ball.

He chased the inevitability.

Sho’s lane. Cut. Closed.

Rikuya slid back in—just enough.

Toshiro kicked it out—

Late.

Kaito lunged—

Almost.

Fingertips.

Deflection.

Dirga scooped the live ball—

Transition ignited.

Aizawa left.

Kaito right.

But the defense was already folding in—

wings tightening like a trap.

[Godframe Timer: 00:05 Remaining]

He made his choice—

Kaito broke hard.

Taniguchi chased.

Dirga rose. Midair.

Turned.

Fired.

Behind-head pass—blind but precise—

to the corner.

Not Aizawa.

Not Taiga.

Rikuya

Still trailing.

Still waiting.

Exactly where the silence had space.

Catch.

Set.

Release. freёwebnoѵel.com

Bang.

44 – 36

[Godframe: Expired.]

But the momentum?

Held.

Because this time—

Dirga didn’t use it to react.

He used it to compose.

...

Kurotsuki didn’t panic.

They returned like breath filling a lung.

No timeouts.

Just tempo.

Eiji stepped in. Called the stagger.

Toshiro curled wide.

Sho dipped low.

Taniguchi?

Slipped weak side—

Sho ghost-screened the corner.

Taniguchi popped.

Catch. Fire.

Swish.

44 – 39

Kaito turned to look—

Not at the scoreboard.

At the man.

He didn’t speak.

But his eyes sparked.

Dirga tapped his hip.

"We return the favor."

...

Horizon possession.

Dirga crossed midcourt slow, palm cradling the ball.

Kaito slid beside him.

Aizawa ghost screened.

Kaito flared. Caught.

Two defenders flashed hard.

Dirga dove behind the collapse.

Catch. No gather. Push to Taiga.

Midrange.

Clean.

46 – 39

—

Next Kurotsuki set?

Brutal.

Sho set early at the elbow.

Toshiro faked the flare—then reversed.

Sho re-sealed low.

Rikuya bit.

Pocket pass.

Sho caught.

Pump. Float finish.

46 – 41

...

Clock: 0:40

Dirga jogged the ball up.

This time?

He wanted control.

Kaito slid weakside.

Aizawa dropped dunker’s spot.

Taiga held top slot.

Dirga waited.

Then moved.

Crossover. Crossover.

Toshiro hedged. Sho braced.

Dirga didn’t blink.

Spun left. Split the gap.

Two defenders dodged.

Taniguchi dropped late—too late.

[Phantom Drive Passive Effect: The Untouchable – ACTIVATED]

Dirga vanished.

Not literally.

But the floor blurred.

Sho reached—air.

Taniguchi turned—ghosted.

Dirga sliced through the paint like a blade.

Jumped. Turned.

Glass. In.

48 – 41

"He didn’t just burn past them—he evaporated!"

"That’s Drive’s is Untouchable!"

...

Final Kurotsuki possession.

Eiji tried a stagger high.

Taniguchi moved—

But Kaito?

Attached.

Every breath.

The ball went to Toshiro.

He forced it.

Three.

Clang.

Rikuya cleaned the board.

Dirga pulled it.

5... 4... 3...

Aizawa sprinted sideline.

Kaito filled weak corner.

Dirga didn’t look.

One crossover.

Sho caught the tail—then missed the read.

Dirga stepped through.

Floated. Final layup.

Buzzer.

50 – 41

...

End of Third Quarter

Toyonaka Horizon High 50 - Nagano Kurotsuki High 41

Kaito jogged off, chest rising slow.

But he didn’t clutch his ribs.

Not this time.

Dirga bumped his shoulder.

"Back in it?"

Kaito smirked.

"Not done yet."

Across the court—

Taniguchi sat.

Not watching Kaito.

Watching Dirga.

Because now?

The tempo didn’t belong to either team.

It belonged to the one

who walked through three defenders

without a mark.

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