Michael Jordan: Rebound from Oblivion

The street court was silent.

Not just quiet—dead. The kind of silence that presses down on your ears like altitude. Even the wind stopped moving when Ramo hit the ground.

He wasn't just defeated. He was erased.

Mike stood over him, one hand still hovering from the follow-through. Her black hair clung to her forehead, soaked with sweat, but her eyes? Ice cold. That grin stretched across her lips again.

"Y'all sure this court don't bite back?" she asked, laughing like she hadn't just ended a bloodline prodigy's entire career.

The other players didn't answer. Some of them were already backing away. Others just stared at her like she'd grown horns.

The ball rolled, hit her shoe.

> DING. Victory Confirmed.

Opponent: God-Class Bloodline Host.

Combat Evaluation: Exceptional.

Award: 1,400 Court Points.

Mike blinked. "Say what?"

> System Notification: Clearance unlocked. Initiating God Trial.

"...Hold up, what trial?"

The world twisted. The street court blurred like heatwaves dancing off concrete, then snapped into place—sharper, darker, wrong. Stone bleachers rose from nowhere. Iron hoops gleamed. The air cracked with static, thick with something not-of-this-world.

A man stood at center court, cloaked in violet mist. Tall. Regal. His hands were behind his back like he was here for an execution.

Mike narrowed her eyes.

"Yo... who the hell are you?"

> System Message: Opponent assigned – Minor God of Vertical Flow.

The man's voice echoed.

"Mortal. I do not know what brought you into this realm—but you will not walk out of it."

Mike's smirk faded. "System. What the hell is going on?"

> System Response: This is a Court Execution Trial.

You have been selected to challenge a god.

Their power has been forcibly reduced to your current tier. But all their techniques remain active.

You lose? You die.

You win? You live. And rise.

"...Oh, nah. You outta pocket for this one."

> Proceed. Tip-off begins in 30 seconds.

Mike stared at the god, then at the scoreboard which hadn't existed a moment ago. Her pulse thundered in her ears.

She was still just twelve.

And yet...

Her hands didn't shake. Her legs didn't quiver. Her grin returned—tight-lipped and dangerous.

"I guess I am back on air, huh?"

---

Court of Execution – Trial Match Begins

The god moved first. A blink. Then he was gone—no sound, no flash, just gone.

Mike dropped low, knees bent, hands wide.

> Court Grid Analysis: Phantom Shift Detected.

A flicker behind her.

She spun impossibly fast, snatching the ball out of thin air as the god reappeared mid-dunk.

"You telegraph too much," she said, turning the stolen momentum into a spinning cross.

The god's eyes widened. "Impossible—!"

She shot forward like lightning. Her footwork? Dirty. Raw. But alive. Her Circuit burned hot beneath her skin, syncing higher than ever.

> Court Sync: 79%. Skill Unlocked: Internal Energy (Awakening) Lv.1.

And for the first time, she felt it.

The court didn't just carry pressure. It responded to will.

She juked, cut left, cut right, floated—and the air itself tilted. Her Internal Energy wasn't refined, but it was loud. It screamed.

So did the god when she broke his stance and slammed the ball into his chest. He staggered. Blood sprayed.

A god. Bleeding.

The crowd—spectral watchers from the stands—gasped in horror.

Mike leaned in close, her voice low. "This ain't your court, fam."

---

Post-Match: Execution Confirmed. God Eliminated.

Mike sat on the edge of the ethereal court, breathing hard.

> System Reward: 4,000 Court Points.

Trait Unlocked: Pressure Conversion (Lv.1).

Warning: You are now marked.

"Marked?"

> System Response: The gods know one of them was erased. They do not know who or how. Yet.

Mike rubbed her temple. "Yet, huh? Great."

> Additional Alert: You will be sent to more trials. You are now a participant in the Eternal Game.

Kill, or be killed.

She didn't speak for a while.

Then finally, with a tired smirk: "You really are the devil in disguise, huh?"

> Incorrect. I am the Court.