Jujutsu Kaisen: I Can Manipulate Time.

"These…"

The scene in the auditorium made Kamihara Hajime narrow his eyes at the grotesque Cursed Spirit before him. It felt eerily similar to the Tengu. But wasn't that Technique supposed to be confidential? How were these Cursed Spirits using something so similar?

The possibility of a leak seemed unlikely. Considering how the higher-ups operated, they wouldn't easily hand over such a powerful Technique. And colluding with Curses? Impossible—unless they had a death wish.

If this Bone Demon was anything like the Tengu, that meant it would leave a physical corpse once destroyed. When that time came, he'd make sure to bring it back for Ieiri Shoko to study.

As his mind raced, the Bone Demon attacked. Jagged bones erupted from its body, transforming it into a monstrous form. Bone spurs thick as arms tore through the air, aiming to block every escape route.

Time Wheel — Spin.

Hajime evaded with ease, gliding past the bone spurs suspended in the air. Sword in hand, he charged straight at the Bone Demon mid-pounce. When Totsuka-no-Tsurugi struck the overgrown bone protrusions, a sharp shriek echoed. The blade cut deep, aided by its natural advantage against Cursed Energy defenses.

The creature resembled a massive thorn bush—its structure barely humanoid. Hajime cleaved through bone after bone, even splitting the skull-like face in two. It was made entirely of white bones, with the occasional scrap of flesh acting as an afterthought. Nearly half of its body was torn apart, but not a drop of blood spilled—it felt more like chopping through firewood than fighting a living being.

The Technique faded. Explosions echoed behind him—the earlier-launched bone spurs embedding into the ground. Despite losing half its body, the Bone Demon barely reacted, rapidly sprouting fresh bone spurs from its remaining mass.

Hajime surged his Cursed Energy and sidestepped. His blade fell like lightning, severing white bone after white bone. The creature began to 'blossom,' its form unraveling like petals. From within, a figure shot out, bone blades extending toward Hajime's head and neck.

But Hajime was faster—even without invoking a Technique. Totsuka-no-Tsurugi and Onikiri crossed in his hands, parrying the strikes and shattering the bone arms. Only then did Hajime see it clearly.

Barely humanoid, the creature's upper half had emerged from a mass of thorns. It lacked a head and other features. A gaping mouth full of fangs sat at its center. Two white arms extended outward, ending in blade-like bone structures—chipped and splintered from the earlier clash.

Dragging its rear mass, the creature rampaged forward. Its upper body acted more like an appendage. Even when Hajime struck it down, it regenerated.

Its entire form was saturated with Cursed Energy—especially the hardened, offensive limbs. Even Totsuka-no-Tsurugi couldn't sever it in one strike. Worse still, it seemed to lack vital points. Hajime destroyed piece after piece, but each one regrew from the spiny bulk of its body.

Time Rain.

Condensed Cursed Energy gathered above and fell like rain. Under Hajime's full output, the rain formed a barrier across the auditorium. Any being infused with Cursed Energy was caught in the downpour—and began to decay.

The rain was selective. Hajime had refined it through countless experiments and his deepening understanding of barrier techniques. It didn't require an enclosed Domain; instead, it affected every Cursed being within its reach, applying continuous, debilitating decay.

If released at maximum output, even Jujutsu Sorcerers would be reduced to husks within seconds. For Cursed Spirits, it became a test of how long their energy reserves could last.

The Bone Demon, now too large to reinforce every part of its body with Cursed Energy, began to rot. Its unshielded bones blackened and crumbled. Trying to adapt, it shed its massive frame, condensing itself into a smaller, denser form to survive.

"There, the weakness is revealed."

Totsuka-no-Tsurugi carved through the stagnant curtain of rain, cutting even the droplets midair. Hajime's blade struck true—the humanoid half emerging from the thorns was torn apart.

"No brain, no heart… just bone. Then where's the blood of the victims? This Cursed Spirit doesn't seem to feed on flesh. Did something else drain them before this one arrived?"

He remembered the scene—how the Curse had extracted a spine from its prey. It wasn't after flesh or blood.

Hajime dispelled the Technique.

Scraping sounds echoed—the Bone Demon's arm blades shattered. Its mouth was unrecognizable. Despite targeting every likely weak point, it still moved.

Even without blades for arms, it sprouted more bone spurs. A flash of sword light danced around Hajime, sweeping away everything. Only rust-colored dust remained.

"It really has no conventional core. Then I'll reduce it further and obliterate it with a Time Arrow."

Just then, another bone arm extended from the creature, forming a hand seal. Hajime's instincts flared. Around him, the corpses twitched.

He stopped, eyes narrowing. In the next instant, all the bodies detonated. Bone burst from their forms—erratic, grotesque shapes twisting in every direction. The forest of bone climbed to the ceiling, exploding into fine fragments midair and scattering like shrapnel.

Hajime's expression turned cold.

"You're defiling their corpses now?"

Time Wheel — Reverse.

The growing bone forest vanished. The mutilated corpses returned to their original state. The Bone Demon froze—stunned.

"I can't use Time Stop. After it's over, I can't use my Technique for a while. If I need to destroy every inch of this thing to kill it, sword slashes alone won't cut it."

With blades drawn, Hajime carved into the monster. The three cursed blades danced around him, slicing through its body. Finally, the Bone Demon began to fall apart.

He dispelled the Technique once more. Behind him, a phantom Asura emerged—demonic-faced and wielding destruction. It struck the final blow.

The Bone Demon exploded, falling into broken pieces.

Hajime scanned the rubble. Among the remnants, one fragment pulsed unnaturally. It was trying to regenerate.

"As expected. It's not that it has no vital point—every piece can act as one. But now that it's in fragments, it can't hide where the real one is."

Time Arrow.

Cursed Energy surged in his hand, forming a condensed beam of lethal energy. Before the Bone Demon could react, a streak of light tore through the air, silencing everything.

The wooden floor vanished beneath the blast, exposing gravel. The Cursed Spirit was gone—its remnants obliterated. Only fragments of bone remained. A miscalculation—he couldn't retrieve a complete corpse.

Still scanning, Hajime spotted something else: a Cursed Spirit, shaped like an eyeball, hiding in the corner. He picked it up. The eyeball rotated, reflecting his face. Hajime chuckled and crushed it beneath his sword.

—

In another location, Suguru Geto smiled as the final image cut off. Mahito, Hanami, and Jogo watched beside him.

"The first experiment is complete. We also confirmed his Technique. It accelerates time—so to him, speed is meaningless. And his long-range attack decays anything it touches by fast-forwarding its time."

"But the most dangerous part is his time reversal," Geto said, serious now. "We had speculations, but now we know."

Jogo snarled. "So what's next? If he fights beside Gojo Satoru, how will we ever seal him?"

Geto held up a blood-red bead, smiling faintly. "Isn't that what we're planning? Humans are bound by responsibility, compassion... It's easy to separate them—just take the right steps."

Jogo growled again. "Over four hundred people. That's the cost of one experiment. If this continues, Jujutsu High will respond with full force."

"Afraid?" Geto asked, turning to him.

For once, Jogo didn't explode. "Gojo Satoru. And now this Kamihara Hajime. If your plan works, the world won't accept it. I don't want to die before seeing the outcome."

Mahito added, "Even I've been targeted for making toys. And if Hajime catches me, there's no running. You said we shouldn't appear in front of Jujutsu High—then what?"

"Don't worry," Geto assured, eyes on the horizon. "I'll send Cursed Spirits and allies. And besides, we have other options. This fusion of Cursed Objects and humans… it's promising."

Mahito's face lit up. "The soul change is fascinating. Though the human mind disappears, their body becomes a true Curse."

"Just gather Cursed Objects," Geto said. "We'll reawaken them. This will make harvesting blood much easier."

"What about Sukuna's vessel?" Jogo asked. "That power alone won't be enough."

"They'll keep feeding him fingers. We'll intercept some. And when the time comes, we'll give him all of them at once."

He smirked. "For now, just follow the plan."

—

"Senpai!"

Yuji Itadori ran up to Hajime outside the school. Yoshino Junpei was beside him. Hajime raised a hand in greeting.

"You're here. The mission's done. Mahito won't show up again. It was a Special Grade Cursed Spirit this time. No need to go inside."

Seeing Yuji glance toward the building, Hajime stopped him. Itadori could be blunt, but he had a sharp emotional sense.

"Senpai… did people die in there?"

Hajime looked at the growing crowd of police and sorcerers.

"Yes. Everyone. Special Grade Spirits leave no time."

Yuji clenched the door handle, silent. Then he entered.

Junpei stood frozen. He'd glimpsed the bodies earlier. Pale and trembling, he murmured, "Those… were from Curses?"

Hajime nodded. "Yes. Connected to the one I mentioned—Mahito."

Yuji emerged, face ashen and voice firm: "Senpai, I'll exorcise Mahito."

Junpei ran outside and vomited. Hajime saw Ieiri approaching, and placed a hand on Yuji's shoulder.

"Let's go. Those Curses… we'll destroy them."

---

Become patrons...50+ Chapters are available on the platform.

patreon.com/Zphyr_