Jujutsu Kaisen: I Can Manipulate Time.

Kamihara Hajime had never felt so good. When he closed his eyes, his mind seemed to break free from the confines of time itself. All external distractions faded as he began to explore the profound meaning of the Reverse Cursed Technique.

He saw it—a sudden rush of clarity, like a river breaking through a dam, with trickles of understanding converging into a powerful current.

"I'm starting to understand it all…"

Reverse Cursed Technique.

The mental strain he'd been under vanished. The conversion and fusion of Cursed Energy became seamless. Without even activating Technique Reversal, the scorched parts of his body began to regenerate rapidly, returning to normal in just a few breaths.

Shuten-dōji's triumphant expression turned to shock and fury. This feeling… the seemingly endless flow of Cursed Energy… how was this possible?

She snarled, wrenching the iron wolf-tooth club from the ground. Blood-red flames flared around it, reflecting her burning rage. She swung with devastating force, compressing the air around her weapon—yet the attack never landed.

In the blink of an eye, the weapon was still embedded in the ground. Shuten-dōji looked down in disbelief. The Cursed Energy she had just expended had been nullified. Hajime had completely mastered the Reverse Cursed Technique.

Her eyes narrowed, her anger settling into eerie calm. She slowly pulled the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi from her demonic body. Black and crimson flames licked up her arm, engulfing the entire blade in unholy fire.

"Jujutsu Sorcerer, remember this well. I am Shuten-dōji, King of the Hundred Ghosts of Ōeyama!"

Her body withered before Hajime's eyes, the flames consuming her from within. But the sword in her hand radiated an immense aura despite the transformation.

Meanwhile, Hajime infused Cursed Energy into the Onikiri and Spider Cutter in his hands until both cursed tools were at full capacity. Despite that, his energy reserves remained unchanged. He had achieved a balance—no longer overtaxing his brain by misusing his Technique.

Now, he could fine-tune it. Reverse Cursed Energy flowed through his body with precise control. He could even expend all of his Cursed Energy at once and then fully restore it using Technique Reversal.

This meant the cost of Technique Reversal was virtually nonexistent.

He could've let Shuten-dōji's blow land, let her reduce him to pulp—only to restore himself in the next instant. But just imagining the pain gave him pause, so instead, he chose to reverse her state. It was difficult, but for Hajime, difficulty no longer mattered.

Her resistance now looked meaningless to him. He considered his options. Maybe he'd try to reverse her completely and see if Totsuka-no-Tsurugi could decapitate her.

Shuten-dōji struck again, and to her horror, her own body healed. The flames on her sword flickered and died. The demonic blade now gleamed like autumn water.

Time Wheel Spin.

A dual-blade spinning slash.

As the first Black Flash appeared, Hajime smiled. It was beginning.

One Black Flash. Reverse. Then another. Over and over again—black light flashing faster and faster until—

Five-hit Black Flash.

Five black sword trails tore through reality. Shuten-dōji stared at her severed arms on the ground. Her last remaining hand reached for her exposed innards, blood just beginning to trickle.

Totsuka-no-Tsurugi now rested in Hajime's hand. He gazed at it thoughtfully. Information flowed directly into his mind.

The three swords he had gathered—Onikiri, Spider Cutter, and Totsuka-no-Tsurugi—were meant to be used together. Only when all three inflicted damage at once could their full power be unleashed.

The technique marked the target. The greater the damage, the stronger the final attack when the mark detonated.

True damage.

Not just physical—but to the soul.

"That's right. I was once beheaded by a Jujutsu Sorcerer as strong as you," Shuten-dōji spoke suddenly, catching him off guard. "The wound itself wasn't fatal. But the beheading... it shattered my soul."

She was no longer resisting. Hajime had planned to cripple her and let Naine try to sever her soul. Failing that, he would have called on Gojo Satoru.

He could manipulate Naine's soul because of her unique Technique. But Shuten-dōji? He needed a different solution.

The body posed no issue—Shuten-dōji couldn't destroy it. Not anymore.

Still, she raised her wolf-tooth club again, roaring defiance. Her demonic form loomed tall, five red eyes glowing in the dark.

"I am the King of Hundred Ghosts… I don't believe in fate!"

Hajime frowned said coolly. "You talk too much."

Activating his Technique, he vanished and reappeared before her. Totsuka-no-Tsurugi slashed through her. Onikiri tore muscle from bone. Hajime let go of the hilt, excluding the blade from the Technique's effect.

It floated in the air.

He drew Spider Cutter and struck the open wound. Again and again, he switched blades, dancing between them like a master of death.

When the Technique ended, Shuten-dōji's mind was overwhelmed. Her grotesque body was ravaged—arms gone, horns broken, deep cuts splitting her demonic eyes.

Hajime felt the mark ignite.

With a thought, he triggered the detonation. A spectral figure rose from her body—clad in ancient armor, wielding a shattered blade, face hidden behind a demonic mask.

It struck.

Shuten-dōji's body lit up with spectral slashes. The light faded from her eyes.

As the Domain of the Hundred Ghosts collapsed, the twisted cityscape returned to its normal form under the night sky. Shuten-dōji had been exorcised.

Hajime stepped forward and used the Reverse Cursed Technique to heal the body, now returning to human form. Fortunately, the worst injuries were manageable.

Shuten-dōji, exorcised.

But countless Cursed Spirits still roamed the area. Mindless, they howled in fury.

In a flash, Hajime dealt with them all. One clean slash per spirit. The streets were littered with split corpses.

Nanami Kento, waiting just outside the Domain, saw the distortion vanish. All the Cursed Spirits collapsed instantly.

Hajime appeared before him, carrying Naine's body.

"I'll check on the others. Take her to Ieiri Shoko."

Nanami accepted her and nodded. "Understood. You—"

Before he could finish, Hajime vanished.

He reappeared beside Gojo Satoru. The foreign sorcerers had vanished. Gojo turned the moment Hajime arrived.

"Hajime? I saw the Domain Expansion disappear. Did you finish it?"

Hajime nodded.

"Good. We'll talk later. We need to get back to Jujutsu High—Yuta Okkotsu might be in danger."

Without another word, Gojo grabbed Hajime's shoulder, and they disappeared.

They reappeared above Jujutsu High. Below, the battlefield still smoldered.

Hajime thought, Maybe my Technique looks like this to others—just the result, with no visible process.

Gojo glanced around and vanished again, heading toward unfinished business.

Below, Hajime found Panda, Maki, and Inumaki Toge unconscious. He checked them—wounded, but stable. It looked like Yuta had already used the Reverse Cursed Technique.

Maki woke up and grabbed his arm. "Where's Yuta? That Curse Master, Suguru Geto—"

Her glasses were gone. Her hair, usually tied, hung loose over her shoulders.

Hajime calmed her. "Don't worry. Gojo and I returned together. He's taking care of it. And…"

He pointed at the devastated battlefield.

"It looks like Yuta beat the enemy before we even got here."

Inumaki stared at the destruction. Panda made a low sound of awe.

Hajime stood. "Let's go find him."

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