I Died on the Court, Now I'm Back to Rule It-Chapter 149: Horizon VS Kurotsuki : We Walked Into Their Dream

The tunnel was colder than it should’ve been.

Even with the overhead lights humming and the rubber soles squeaking faintly on concrete, the air felt still—unnaturally still.

Dirga bounced the ball once.

The echo didn’t come back right.

He frowned.

Ahead, the court waited, a bright rectangle under artificial sun. But something about it felt distant. Like it wasn’t inviting them in.

Like it was watching.

Aizawa stood beside him, stretching out his shoulders. Calm. Measured.

But he hadn’t spoken in three minutes.

No one had.

Coach Tsugawa walked past them toward the bench. He didn’t give a speech.

He didn’t need to.

They knew what this was.

Not a shootout.

Not a statement game.

A survival test.

The announcer’s voice crackled through the speaker system above.

"Now taking the court—Nagano Kurotsuki High and Toyonaka Horizon!"

The crowd clapped—politely.

No roar. No thunder.

Just a murmur, like someone dragging their fingers across sand.

Dirga stepped forward.

Then stopped.

Kurotsuki had already taken the court.

But they weren’t warming up.

They were just... standing there.

Positioned. Set. Motionless.

Five statues in moonlight-white uniforms stood across the court.

No noise.

No flexing.

Not even eye contact.

Just... waiting.

As if they’d been there long before the game started.

As if they weren’t warming up—

They were watching Horizon walk into their own trap.

Aizawa muttered under his breath.

"...This doesn’t feel like a basketball game."

Dirga glanced sideways.

"No," he said. "It feels like we walked into someone else’s dream."

And now?

They were about to burn it down.

...

Warm-up – Yoyogi Court One

Horizon began their prep—layup lines, shooting drills, high-arcing passes between teammates. The rhythm was solid. Sharp. Steady.

But Dirga’s eyes never left the other end of the court.

Kurotsuki had started warming up too.

If you could call it that.

No shouting. No counting reps. No bursts of energy.

They moved like clockwork—quiet, eerie, synchronized without looking at each other.

And there—

Dirga spotted them.

The three Sayaka warned them about.

The Shadow Shooter—Hiroki Taniguchi.

He barely moved during warm-ups. Just drifted from wing to corner, catching balls mid-step, releasing before his feet even settled. Every shot? Clean.

The Trap Setter—Toshiro Nishimura.

Didn’t shoot at all. Just mimed closeouts. Practiced rotations. Set invisible screens for teammates who didn’t need them. It looked meaningless... but Dirga could feel it.

And in the paint—

The Wall That Breathes—Shō Kurose.

No dunks. No block attempts. Just slow, perfectly timed box-out footwork. He didn’t move like a center preparing to fight.

He moved like someone who already knew how the fight would end.

The whistle echoed through the stadium like a pin dropped in a temple.

It was time.

Horizon walked to the bench. No handwarmers. No swagger.

Just five players stepping forward—shoulders squared, minds clear.

Starting Lineup – Toyonaka Horizon High

Dirga, Point GuardKaito, Shooting GuardAizawa, Small ForwardTaiga, Power ForwardRikuya, Center

Dirga stepped toward the circle and slowly scanned the opposition.

His vision sharpened.

[Echo System: Opponent Scanning Initiated...]

Eiji Yamazaki (PG)

Age: 16Height:Weight:Attributes:Inside Scoring: BShooting: BPlaymaking: A+Defense: CPhysical: AMentality: A

Hiroki Taniguchi (SG)

Age: 17Height: 183Weight: 76Attributes:Inside Scoring: AShooting: SSPlaymaking: BDefense: CPhysical: AMentality: SS

Ryōta Inagaki (SF)

Age: 16Height:Weight:Attributes:Inside Scoring: BShooting: BPlaymaking: CDefense: BPhysical: AMentality: A

Toshiro Nishimura (PF)

Age: 17Height: 188Weight: 81Attributes:Inside Scoring: BShooting: BPlaymaking: CDefense: SSPhysical: AMentality: S

Shō Kurose (C)

Age: 17Height: 193Weight: 94Attributes:Inside Scoring: AShooting: APlaymaking: CDefense: SPhysical: SMentality: S

Dirga’s breath slowed.

So many S-ranks.

On paper, it looked like a disaster waiting to happen.

But he smiled faintly.

"Stats don’t win games."

"We do."

...

The referee stepped into the circle.

Ball in hand. Whistle at his lips.

The gym wasn’t loud—

But it was dense.

The kind of quiet that thickened the air.

Kurotsuki stood in formation. Still. Calm. Shadows in motionless moonlight.

Dirga cracked his neck. Rikuya adjusted his stance.

Across from him, Shō Kurose stood upright. No crouch. No pre-jump tension.

Just presence.

The whistle blew.

TWHIP.

The ball soared into the air.

WHAM!

Rikuya and Shō leapt—

Hands clashed—then—

Tap.

Horizon’s way.

Dirga caught it mid-stride and pushed forward.

First possession.

Let’s set the tone.

He called for a high screen from Taiga, who rolled early—Kaito lifted from the corner, Aizawa cut baseline. The movement felt right.

He bounced a pass to Aizawa under the rim—clean lane—

But—

SNAP!

Toshiro was already there.

He hadn’t rotated.

He’d waited.

Aizawa stopped mid-gather, caught in hesitation.

Then passed out late—too late.

Stolen.

Ryōta tipped it, Taniguchi grabbed it in stride.

Fast break.

No shouting. No chaos.

Just silence and two perfect passes later—

Layup.

0–2

Dirga jogged back upcourt.

Eyes narrowed.

They didn’t pressure.

They invited.

...

Second possession.

Dirga slowed it down. Motion set.

This time, Taiga slipped inside early—Dirga drove left and kicked out—

Kaito was open.

Catch. Fire—

No. Wait.

Taniguchi was there.

Again.

Not closing out.

Already there.

Contest. Miss. Rebound Kurose.

Kaito blinked.

"...I didn’t even see him shift."

Kurotsuki’s ball.

Eiji Yamazaki brought it up—

Not fast. Not slow.

Just rhythm.

Measured like breath.

Like the floor itself had already told him how this play would unfold.

Dirga dropped into a low stance.

Focused.

Eyes scanning—peripheral lines burning.

But Yamazaki didn’t test the defense.

He just passed left.

Smooth. Deliberate.

To Taniguchi.

The Shadow Shooter caught the ball on the wing.

Didn’t dribble.

Didn’t look.

He just rose.

Like the shot was already in motion before the ball ever touched his fingers.

From six feet behind the arc.

Dirga’s body twitched.

"Wait—"

Swish.

0 – 5.

"deep three from Taniguchi!"

"No hesitation. No setup. Just rhythm. He’s not warming up—he’s executing."

...

Third possession.

Horizon was moving faster now.

Too fast.

Rikuya tried a seal and swing to Aizawa—who caught it on the elbow.

He jabbed. Drove right.

Then—

Hands.

Not blocking. Just... there.

Toshiro again.

Stripped.

Deflection. Loose ball.

Kurotsuki recovered. Another transition. Another two.

0 – 7.

On the bench, Sayaka muttered to herself.

"They’re not reading our plays."

"They’re reading our thoughts."

...

Back on court, Dirga gathered the team at halfcourt.

"Slow down," he hissed.

"They’re not attacking us. We’re giving it to them."

Aizawa’s jaw clenched. "They’re making us doubt."

"No," Dirga said. "We’re making ourselves hesitate."

He stared down the baseline.

At Shō Kurose.

Still. Silent.

Watching.

Waiting.

Dirga exhaled.

"Fine."

"No more hesitation."

He called the next play—not a read, not a motion, not a reaction.

Just pure command.

Time to test their wall.

R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at f(r)eew𝒆bnov𝒆l.com Only