Jujutsu Kaisen: I Can Manipulate Time.

Mahito's body darkened as a hard shell began to form, but then a strange sensation tore through it—he knew the attack was complete.

Instantly, he examined his injuries: limbs severed like chopped scallions, seven clean cuts across his chest and abdomen, his neck and the area from left eyebrow to chin cleanly sliced, and a deep puncture from his left eye to the back of his head.

Alongside these wounds, two unknown forces were at work: one suppressing his flesh and blood's recovery, the other a toxin affecting both his nerves and Cursed Energy.

Those three swords—Kamihara Hajime noticed the slight shift in the young man's stance, the changed order of the swords in his hands, and the residual Technique within his body.

After Hajime activated his Technique and entered Time Null State, Onikiri pierced Mahito's left eyeball, slicing through the splattered fluids and embedding halfway out the back of his head.

Hajime, wielding Totsuka-no-Tsurugi and Spider Cutter, appeared before Mahito instantly. The incomplete black hard skin that had started forming on Mahito's body was almost nonexistent before the curse swords, which easily tore through flesh and bone, severing every limb with flashing strikes.

Seeing purple-black fluid leaking from his torn skin, Hajime understood Mahito's plan.

Without hesitation, these substances were noxious—venom or similar toxins disguised as flesh to counterattack.

"A pity… still useless. Let's see if you survive the Techniques of these three cursed swords."

Spider Cutter's blade, clear and precise, sliced through Mahito's neck before hovering in the air. Hajime pulled Onikiri from his eye, then with a single diagonal slash, Totsuka-no-Tsurugi split his head unevenly.

Another cut bisected his upper body; Onikiri followed, exposing Mahito's internal organs from another angle.

Hajime gripped Spider Cutter and plunged it into Mahito's heart. The three swords crossed, breaking Mahito into fragments. Feeling the Techniques deeply penetrated his body, Hajime deactivated his Technique.

Blood gushed from Mahito's torn body. Before hitting the ground, rapidly growing threads connected the severed flesh. Sitting up with hands on the floor, Mahito reattached his two halves, a rotating eyeball growing from the bulging flesh of his left eye socket.

He pushed the dangling eyeball back in and grinned wider, vomiting chunks of flesh before clapping his hands together, molding them into one.

Multisoul: Bodily Extraction

Mahito's Technique, Idle Transfiguration, lets him manipulate souls, changing victims' physical forms. He can also alter his own body to adapt.

Those flesh chunks were transformed victims, modified humans forced to obey him against their will. This soul alteration caused their deformity—Reverse Cursed Technique was powerless.

Merging souls, using the power of their rejection reactions, produced the Multisoul: Bodily Extraction Technique.

Mahito's face twisted with delight as he spread his hands. The merged flesh violently swelled, tumors jostled out, quickly obscuring most of his body.

Those tumors grew into many sharp-toothed heads, like a cluster of snakes, biting everything with violent Cursed Energy.

Hajime found this Technique fascinating. The souls, once ordinary people, under Mahito's manipulation, erupted with power beyond mere addition. Matsumoto Den, previously transformed, had acquired Cursed Energy he never had—Mahito's Technique altered souls and awakened latent Cursed Energy.

Facing these grotesque heads dripping mucus in the air, Mahito's smile froze.

Hajime raised Onikiri, aiming at that smile. "One more round to end you."

Onikiri and Spider Cutter danced in turns—Kesasatsu, Reverse Cross Slash, spinning cleaves. Anything blocking Hajime's path to Mahito was shredded by chaotic sword light.

Amid floating flesh fragments, Hajime felt an anomaly: headache, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, as if internal organs were failing.

"Poison gas?"

The sensation vanished instantly. Technique Reversal activated continuously, restoring Hajime's body before Mahito's poison gas could harm him.

"You're clever—avoiding your own poison blood, switching to gas that covers the area," Hajime said, stepping forward.

Mahito's gaze was fixed elsewhere as Hajime slashed diagonally from left shoulder to right hip with Onikiri, then followed with Spider Cutter and Totsuka-no-Tsurugi.

Mahito's body shattered again. His first instinct was to find Hajime's location; seeing him unharmed, confusion showed.

"Gas doesn't work either? What is his Technique? Not just speed? Long-range slashes?"

As expected, the modified creatures fell apart. No form—hard shell, fluid body—could withstand Hajime's slashes. Mahito was powerless.

Poison liquid, poison gas, spikes covering the space all failed, shredded again. The ominous feeling grew—Hajime was still at peak.

Mahito considered fleeing.

Idle Transfiguration!

His body split like an earthworm; from his mouth, he vomited "meat strips."

Modified humans emitted distorted sounds, stumbling toward Hajime.

Mahito clones transformed, bodies nearly bursting parking lot ceilings, sporting unnatural blade-like limbs.

"All you've got?"

Hajime whispered in Mahito's ear, entering Time Null State, stepping on the creatures to get behind him.

The Technique of the three cursed swords pinpointed Mahito's "main body." Slicing through a blocking clone, Hajime plunged Totsuka-no-Tsurugi into Mahito's back, the tip emerging from his chest.

A tall, ethereal figure appeared above Mahito—a demonic face stared mercilessly.

In the static space, the Asura-like phantom raised its decaying blood-stained sword and brought it down on Mahito's head.

Time resumed.

"How—"

Bloodlines burst from Mahito's face; his mutated body scattered. But this time, it wasn't just physical damage—his soul seemed severed.

This injury was not instantly healable.

More importantly, if Hajime could harm souls, Mahito would die.

Feeling death's kiss, Mahito's fragmented face laughed wildly. His Technique operated frantically—the true killing blow was coming.

"This feeling… wonderful! The edge of life and death?"

Walking a narrow path suspended in darkness, surrounded by eternal death, Mahito felt one wrong step would damn him forever.

Yet the thrill filled him with unparalleled pleasure.

In an instant, Mahito's Technique completed.

Hajime, still in Time Null State, saw modified creatures explode, while the five humans he'd brought from the hospital fused into a synthetic monster.

Mahito's body was unrecognizable, beginning self-disintegration.

Small, worm-like forms indicated his escape attempt.

Hajime faced one choice: gamble on killing Mahito with the next attack.

Otherwise, explosions would collapse the parking lot; Mahito could escape in the chaos, likely through underground drains.

Mahito's soul was incredibly resilient. The last attack wounded him severely, but death wasn't certain.

"Let's try."

Hajime repeated the attack, cutting Mahito into smaller fragments, summoning the Asura-faced demon phantom.

He expanded Technique Reversal's range, restoring all creatures except Mahito.

No explosion occurred; Mahito was severely wounded again but showed understanding.

Shattered into wriggling worms, Mahito burrowed downwards, concrete no obstacle; modified humans showed explosion signs again.

Hajime entered Time Null State, cut worms entering the sewer into flesh and blood.

After the third curse sword Technique activation, Hajime deactivated his Technique, watching the flesh mass accelerate into the sewage pipes.

"Still a bit short."

Hajime cursed. Mahito's health was absurd—tenacious as a cockroach, slippery as a loach.

Reversing him restored his state; no other soul-affecting methods meant letting him linger.

Counting the countless worms in sewage, most with Cursed Energy traces, indistinguishable from Mahito's own parts.

"Don't let me run into you again. Next time, I'll kill you for sure."

Hajime muttered to the flowing water—not a threat, a fact.

If Naine awakened, with her Technique she could slice Mahito to death. Finding other soul-affecting means would make it easier. Once Mahito's location was pinned, his death was certain.

"Besides Mahito, there was a volcano head and a tree spirit. Suguru Geto, once their ally, is confirmed dead. These Special Grade Cursed Spirits are unique. I'll report to Gojo-sensei later. Now to call cleanup."

Hajime leapt up from the opening and met a destructive explosion.

Unfazed, he watched as stones and debris rewound perfectly, repairing damaged walls, pillars, and large holes, like a video playing backward.

To ordinary eyes, it was a blink—the destroyed area restored, modified creatures reverted and collapsed, blood gushing from holes in their foreheads.

"Hello, I'm at XX Hospital. I encountered an unidentified Special Grade Cursed Spirit. A battle broke out in the parking lot. The opponent is severely wounded but escaped. The situation is complicated. Please send reinforcements."

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