Jujutsu Kaisen: I Can Manipulate Time.

After leading the Cursed Spirit away from the fear-infested building, Kamihara Hajime found himself outside the barrier. The veil erected here was primarily to contain civilians—it offered little resistance to jujutsu sorcerers.

Unfortunately, this meant the Cursed Spirit had broken through part of it during their exit. It wouldn't be long before the entire barrier collapsed.

The good news? Hajime had lured the Curse into an isolated area: surrounded by forest, devoid of roads or signs of life. No civilians would witness what was about to unfold.

"Feeding on fear, huh? Too bad there's nothing to terrify people out here. If you absorbed anger, maybe we'd have a different situation… but no matter. You're dead today. Not even God can save you"

Hajime raised his right hand, fingers curling as if grasping something. A stream of pale-blue Cursed Energy erupted from his palm, coalescing into a twisting mass. In a flash, it condensed into a short spear, swirling with unstable power. Its light shifted gradually from azure to white.

At a glance, it looked like mist or a bundle of clouds caught in his hand, constantly in motion.

This was a prototype—an experiment with his Technique. Hajime had been theorizing: if simply accelerating his Cursed Technique only made attacks harder to counter, then the core of its destructive power still relied on the amount of Cursed Energy he could output.

But what if he launched his Technique like a projectile—imbuing it with temporal acceleration? Not by applying the time effect to his target (which would only risk side effects), but by accelerating the damage itself.

He had already learned that using his Technique on enemies directly caused unpredictable results. Accelerating someone else could even eat away at their lifespan, but the side effects were too dangerous for controlled combat. Only when applied to himself—thanks to Technique Reversal—could Hajime neutralize those risks. That was why he hadn't aged prematurely like others might.

Instead, Hajime devised a new approach: merge his attack with his Technique, causing damage and accelerating its spread within the enemy. Rather than accelerating the target, he'd accelerate the injury.

Gojo-sensei had helped him brainstorm the method. With the aid of the Six Eyes, the concept was refined, though Hajime's control was still shaky. The technique remained unstable—its form inconsistent—but it showed promise.

Now, he took a throwing stance, spear poised in hand. And as he launched forward, it was as though time warped with him. The spear shimmered through the air, crossing boundaries like it pierced reality itself.

The Curse stumbled.

Chunks of its grotesque flesh burst apart, dry and decayed even before hitting the ground. The attack had done more than Hajime expected. The Cursed Spirit's body was destabilizing at a core level.

Logically, the Curse had recently absorbed fresh fear—it should have had enough energy to regenerate.

But it didn't. The nearly meter-long gash across its form pulsed weakly, flesh squirming but failing to heal. It wasn't a matter of surface wounds. Something deeper had been undone.

An alien Cursed Energy had seeped into the wound, corrupting it from within. Like removing a load-bearing brick from the base of a tower, the collapse wasn't gradual—it was immediate. Systems meant to regulate its recovery were bypassed, and the body began to fail before it could react.

Still thrashing, the Curse began to swell and rupture. From its cracking skin, clusters of eyeballs peeked through—and fired.

Black beams of cursed light screamed toward Hajime.

He raised a hand to deflect the first one, but it drained a significant portion of his energy. With a flash, he vanished into the smoke, cloaking himself. Then, quietly, he condensed his energy again.

He merged his Technique into the next attack, watching as it struck true once more.

Time Arrow. That's what he would call it.

Not a spear—not really. The form didn't matter much. It could be shaped like an arrow, maybe even blades someday. What mattered was the concept—a projectile imbued with accelerated destructive force, affecting only his enemies.

He nocked three ethereal arrows into the air with a bow-like gesture.

His right arm drew back. His left hand extended.

Three shimmering white projectiles launched, embedding themselves into the Curse's rotting flesh. They hadn't even detonated before the next two strikes followed instantly.

The Curse's attempts to retaliate scattered erratically. Its accuracy was gone. It flailed, firing beams in all directions, but none struck Hajime.

Wave after wave of Time Arrows tore through its body.

And here, it could no longer draw power from fear. Each time it attempted to flee, it failed.

Hajime's Cursed Energy continued to surge, but his mind was exhausted. Blood streaked his face—his own or the Curse's, he couldn't tell anymore.

"…It's time to end this."

The Curse had lost three of its limbs. Hajime spun the Time Wheel one last time.

A flurry of punches followed—each blow infused with devastating energy. He struck the exposed cluster of eyes, feeling them collapse under his fists like grapes crushed in a barrel.

With each Black Flash, cursed fluid exploded from the wounds. The monster's screams slowed, weakening until they faded completely.

Its deformed body finally crumbled into dust.

Only once Hajime confirmed the Curse's complete exorcism did he allow himself to exhale.

The battle had been short. His worst injury had come from overexerting himself while trying to reverse the effects on the swallowed victims earlier. His body was fine—his spirit, exhausted.

He looked back. The barrier around the original site had mostly dissipated.

With a quick boost of cursed energy, he returned to the building using his Technique. Inside, the rescued victims had gathered. Their faces were a blur of shock, relief, and disbelief.

Hajime didn't linger.

He headed for the top floor—and found Nanami Kento, surrounded by twelve bound men and a single bound woman.

As Hajime released his Technique and appeared in the room, several people gasped. Nanami spun around, blade drawn—only to lower it upon recognizing him.

"You're back already?" Nanami asked. "I was just about to head your way."

"The Curse has been exorcised," Hajime said calmly. "Speed is my specialty. Thank you for the concern, senpai."

Nanami smiled faintly behind his tinted lenses. "Excellent work. You'll be up for First Grade soon, no doubt."

Hajime showed no expression of pride. He instead nodded at the captured criminals. "What's going to happen to them?"

Nanami's eyes darkened as he thought back to what he'd seen. He loosened his tie. "The police will handle it. Evidence should surface during the investigation. Some might face execution. The rest… the courts will decide."

Hajime's cold gaze hadn't softened. His face, smeared with drying blood, gave him a grim, spectral look.

Nanami's tone grew serious. "Someone else will judge them, Hajime. You can't do it yourself."

He didn't need to say more. If Hajime killed them, the higher-ups would investigate. A trace of his cursed energy on their bodies would make him a target for discipline—or worse. Gojo's students were already under scrutiny.

"I know," Hajime said simply. "Let's bring them out. The rest isn't our concern."

He walked forward, gathered the ropes binding the group, and hauled them toward the stairs. Their bodies bounced helplessly, heads striking the steps as they were dragged.

No concern in Hajime's eyes. He didn't care.

The lobby was full of survivors—those Nanami had saved earlier. They had tried to escape but were blocked by the residual veil, which had since weakened. They returned here, confused and frightened.

Now, they stared as Hajime entered, trailing the criminals behind him. Gasps and murmurs broke out. He dropped the ropes at the center of the lobby, stretched, and turned to Nanami.

"It's filthy in here. Let's wait outside. Our mission's complete. No need to stay, right?"

Nanami gave one last sweeping glance at the crowd. Their fear and disbelief had shifted into anger, and the tide was turning.

"…Right. It's quitting time," he agreed. "I've called the police. They'll be here in three minutes."

Together, they left the building.

Behind them, the captured criminals screamed for help. Hajime casually closed the door on their voices.

Nanami adjusted his collar. "This might stir up trouble, you know."

"Let Gojo-sensei handle it," Hajime replied with a shrug. "Anyway, I'm starving, want to grab a bite?"

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