Jujutsu Kaisen: Wheel Of Time

Chapter 18: Wrapping Up

"Gojo Satoru! That must be the Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit! I told you long ago that the Curse recipient shouldn't participate in the exchange event; it's your stubbornness that led to this situation!" Gakuganji glared at the dangerous figure on the screen, blaming the still-smiling Gojo Satoru.

Everyone present looked solemn. The might of Rika as a Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit seemed to penetrate the screen and strike their hearts. Gojo Satoru, who was being blamed, stretched and said, "It's fine, leave it to me. Although Rika appeared out of control, she hasn't attacked anything around her."

Upon closer inspection, everyone realized it was true. Although the figure appeared chaotic, it indeed showed no aggressive attacks on its surroundings. Under Mei Mei's diligent control, the crows that had flown far away relayed other information from the scene.

They could vaguely see several students in the vicinity of the field, seemingly unharmed. Gojo Satoru waved his hand, "Then I'll go first. It's a small matter, don't worry."

Ieiri Shoko, who was beside him, said, "I'll go too, just in case someone gets hurt." Then Gojo Satoru and Ieiri Shoko walked out of the room and disappeared.

Looking at the monstrous entity in the air, its pale body's lower half was an amorphous, smoke-like mass. Its hands were broad, perhaps better described as claws. Its upper body showed protruding ribs, and behind its head were many tubular objects. Its face had no eyes, only a gaping maw filled with sharp fangs.

"How spectacular! Gojo, how do you plan to handle this?" Ieiri Shoko and Gojo Satoru stood at a safe distance, marveling at the sight.

Gojo Satoru took off his sunglasses, his blue eyes reflecting Rika's violent figure. "It seems Yuta Okkotsu's previous efforts weren't in vain; on the contrary, they were very successful. It's just that something unexpected seems to have happened, causing her to go beyond his control."

"Bang!"

Gojo Satoru snapped his fingers. "Then, I just need to weaken Rika to a point where he can control her!"

Ieiri Shoko knew his personality and rolled her eyes. "Gojo, you're not going to act recklessly again, are you? The students from both sides are still here."

Gojo Satoru smiled indifferently. "I'll go easy." With that, he vanished from his spot and reappeared in the air at roughly the same height as Rika.

Rika looked at the small figure that suddenly appeared not far from her, instinctively wanting to attack, but the restraint from Yuta Okkotsu made her hesitate.

Gojo Satoru looked down and saw Yuta Okkotsu on the ground, sweating profusely, and not far away, Panda, Bailang, and Aoi Todo. Then he turned his gaze back to Rika.

"Let's get her under control first!"

Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue

Cursed Technique Reversal: Red

After their respective infinites clashed, the imaginary matter born from them was released—this is Hollow Technique: Purple.

A point of purple light appeared from Gojo Satoru's fingertip, immediately stirring up endless turbulence around it.

Then Gojo Satoru flicked his finger, and a perfectly circular trajectory, taller than a person, pierced through the air, annihilating everything it touched.

From Gojo Satoru's perspective, he could see through Rika's damaged body all the way to a large hole in the uninhabited open ground behind her.

After letting out a sharp shriek, Rika's body immediately began to recover, though her aura visibly weakened significantly.

Looking at Rika charging towards him, Gojo Satoru waved goodbye, "Bye-bye!" Then he disappeared in the air, reappearing on the ground.

…

When Kamihara Hajime activated his Technique and arrived at the scene, he saw an anxious Yuta Okkotsu, Panda, and the others. Bailang whimpered and ran over, probably frightened by Rika.

When Yuta Okkotsu saw Kamihara Hajime appear, he was trying to control Rika and quickly said, "Hajime, where's Gojo? Rika's out of control, I can't hold her back anymore!"

Kamihara Hajime looked at Rika in the air, aimlessly calling out Yuta's name with sharp, distorted sounds. He then noticed Panda and Aoi Todo here were injured, though he didn't know how much was Rika's doing.

From the looks of it, Kamihara Hajime probably guessed what happened: Aoi Todo most likely found Yuta Okkotsu and the others, putting them in danger, and Rika then broke free from Yuta Okkotsu's control, manifesting herself to protect Yuta Okkotsu.

Looking at Aoi Todo, he probably wasn't feeling well either. It made sense; if you hurt the person she cared about most, Rika wouldn't have torn him apart if Yuta Okkotsu hadn't been there.

But thankfully, no one was seriously hurt, partly due to Yuta Okkotsu's desperate efforts to control her. Seeing this, Kamihara Hajime decided there was no need to reverse their conditions. Instead, he tried to heal them with his Reverse Cursed Technique. It had some effect, but it was quite far from Ieiri Shoko's level.

"Tsk!"

Seeing them go from serious injuries to minor ones, Kamihara Hajime decided to wait for Ieiri Shoko to arrive. Yuta Okkotsu felt his injuries improving and couldn't help but ask, "Hajime, is this your Technique?"

Kamihara Hajime's face darkened. "Didn't Gojo tell you? Seriously… this is Reverse Cursed Technique. You can learn it too; I'll teach you later."

Then, as if on cue, Gojo Satoru's figure suddenly appeared in the air, seemingly raising his hand. Then something terrifying pierced the sky, and Rika was severely wounded.

"Rika!"

Yuta Okkotsu looked nervous. Kamihara Hajime pressed his shoulder, comforting him, "A Curse will repair itself with Cursed Energy. Don't be too nervous."

Indeed, seeing Rika recovering her body at a visible speed, Yuta Okkotsu finally calmed down.

Turning to look at the terrifying destruction, everyone showed surprised expressions. Kamihara Hajime was somewhat better, as he vaguely remembered that Gojo could create even more exaggerated sights.

Before they could marvel much longer, Gojo Satoru suddenly vanished from the air and reappeared in front of them.

"Hi! Is everyone alright?"

Yuta Okkotsu excitedly exclaimed, "Gojo! I seem to be unable to control Rika now, and she won't listen to me…"

Gojo Satoru smiled at Yuta Okkotsu. "It's okay, you've done well enough. If it weren't for your restraint until I arrived, something might have really happened. Leave it to me now."

As Yuta Okkotsu relaxed, Kamihara Hajime saw Gojo Satoru look at him, feeling an inexplicable jolt. Then, as expected, Gojo Satoru said with a grin, "Hajime, I just severely wounded Rika. The rest is up to you! Just weaken her a bit more, and Yuta Okkotsu should be able to control her."

Looking at Rika already charging towards them, Kamihara Hajime's face darkened. "Didn't you say you'd handle it?"

Gojo Satoru motioned for Panda and the others to leave, saying, "Isn't it only natural for a disciple to share his teacher's worries? I also hope you can grow more."

"So, that's it. I'll take them to Ieiri Shoko now. You and Yuta Okkotsu stay here. I'll be back when you're done. Bye-bye!"

With that, they vanished. Kamihara Hajime turned to look at the approaching Rika. Yuta Okkotsu also looked at him, wanting to say something but hesitating. Kamihara Hajime sighed, patted his shoulder, and walked forward. "Wait, I'll go calm your girlfriend down. Afterward, it's still your business."

The charging Rika could no longer suppress her desire to attack. Even though she had been severely wounded by Gojo Satoru, Curses, as long as they have Cursed Energy and are not immediately exterminated, can slowly recover on their own. And Rika's own Cursed Energy was already enormous. She could even mutually borrow Cursed Energy from Yuta Okkotsu due to their existing bond, so she still had combat capability.

"Rika."

Rika charged headlong, her gaping maw open, unconsciously calling Yuta Okkotsu's name. Seeing someone block her path, she reached out and grabbed.

"Stop here."

Before the words finished, Kamihara Hajime's figure vanished. Rika's forward momentum was instantly reversed, and the resounding crash and subsequent shockwave arrived belatedly.

Kamihara Hajime looked at his clenched fists, feeling the boiling Cursed Energy throughout his body. Such a feeling of power was truly intoxicating! The curse sword was not suitable at this moment, as its grade was not high, and injecting too much Cursed Energy would make it unable to withstand it.

"Hiss!"

A massive amount of Cursed Energy suddenly surged from the shattered forest. Amidst Rika's sharp shriek, the rising dust was suddenly pulled in one direction. Rika's figure had enveloped Kamihara Hajime's vision, her sharp claws, carrying flickering Cursed Energy, carved out afterimages in the air.

"Too slow,"

Kamihara Hajime quietly remarked, clearly watching the attack trajectory slowly descend towards him. He hadn't even activated his Technique yet. As his mastery of the Technique deepened, Kamihara Hajime gradually found his neural reaction speed becoming faster and faster. When he concentrated, even high-speed moving objects appeared clear to him.

Time Wheel Spin

Kamihara Hajime, who had moved to Rika's side, raised his hands and clenched them into fists, maximizing Cursed Energy output!

One punch landed on Rika's body. The massive Cursed Energy broke through her currently not-so-solid defense, and the impact after the hit was suspended in the air. Kamihara Hajime could even vaguely see the distorted air.

Then came the second punch, and the third. Kamihara Hajime, feeling it was enough, withdrew his hands and then deactivated his Technique.

Immediately after, everything erupted in an instant. The impact, compressed and exploding at the same moment, was incredibly swift, accompanied by a thunderous roar. Violent winds swept outwards, blowing away all the scattered soil, rocks, and trees, clearing an open space. The Cursed Energy that erupted simultaneously seemed to shoot skyward but was then completely twisted away by the black light rising from within.

Rika had already flown sideways like a cannonball, breaking several trees until her figure was no longer visible. A massive, concave pit had formed in the ground where she had been, with all the soil and rocks inside compressed into a single mass.

Kamihara Hajime let out a long breath, simultaneously using Technique Reversal to revert his state to its previous condition. Maximizing Cursed Energy output and several attacks had used up a considerable amount of Cursed Energy, and he had also landed a Black Flash during that time, increasing the damage significantly.

It must be said that as a Special Grade Curse, Rika's defense was indeed absurd. If it had been some Grade 1 Cursed Spirit, it would have been reduced to ashes long ago. Even if it were other ordinary Special Grade Cursed Spirits, Kamihara Hajime felt he could have beaten them to near death, and directly exorcising them wouldn't be impossible. But now, in his perception, Rika was still recovering rapidly, but… it was almost enough.

"One more time."

Kamihara Hajime aimed at Rika's location, pointed his fingers there, and once again mobilized the abundant Cursed Energy within his body.

Cursed Energy Release

Shining Cursed Energy continuously condensed in Kamihara Hajime's hand, causing the wind to stir up flying leaves. Gradually, the surrounding air also became distorted because of it. When the mass of Cursed Energy at his fingertip expanded to the size of a human head, Kamihara Hajime stopped the Cursed Energy output and then activated his Technique again.

It vanished. The Cursed Energy at his fingertip abruptly disappeared, leaving only the surrounding leaves, now without their pull, drifting to the ground. And just as abruptly, a straight gully appeared, extending from Kamihara Hajime's front towards Rika, who had been sent flying earlier. The path between them was now clear of trees, visible all the way to the end.

At this moment, Rika's body was clearly seen to be extensively damaged, and her recovery speed under the influence of her Cursed Energy had slowed considerably. Then, amidst her intermittent cries of pain, Kamihara Hajime sighed, turned to the almost crying Yuta Okkotsu, and greeted him, "Don't worry, with her own Cursed Energy and yours, she'll recover quickly. She'll be jumping around in a few days."

"Why does that feel a bit strange?" Kamihara Hajime muttered to himself, then watched as Yuta Okkotsu easily recalled Rika. Rika also made a whimpering sound as she returned to Yuta Okkotsu's side, then entered the curse sword he carried with him.

Originally, the medium for the bond between Rika and him was the ring they exchanged when they promised to grow up and marry. Later, on Gojo Satoru's advice, to further master the Curse, Yuta Okkotsu continuously tried to infuse the Curse into the sword, repeating this process. Eventually, he would fully master this Curse.

Yuta Okkotsu half-crouched, gripping the sword and gazing at it for a moment, then looked up slightly at Kamihara Hajime. "Hajime, thank you so much, and Gojo too. I almost… caused someone else to get hurt because of me again."

Kamihara Hajime looked at the somewhat self-reproaching Yuta Okkotsu, walked over, grabbed his shoulders, and helped him up. "Don't say so much. If it weren't for your control until Gojo arrived, something might have really happened. You did very well. See, everyone's fine!"

Yuta Okkotsu tried to say something more but was interrupted by Kamihara Hajime. "Come on, let's quickly take you to Ieiri Shoko to see if you're injured. Perfect, let Ieiri Shoko explain Reverse Cursed Technique to you; she's best at that."

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