Jujutsu Kaisen: I Can Manipulate Time.

As Inumaki Toge swiftly dealt with the Cursed Spirit using his Cursed Speech in conjunction with Maki, three figures hid nearby in the dense forest—Mai Zenin, Mechamaru, and Miwa Kasumi from Kyoto.

Clearly, they had witnessed the entire encounter.

Mai whispered, "Looks like we were right to use a Cursed Spirit to probe their abilities. That white-haired boy with short hair—his Technique is Cursed Speech. In short, his words have binding effects."

"Good thing we didn't engage directly," Miwa muttered with a visible shudder. "We'd have been taken out before even realizing it."

Mechamaru's mechanical voice cut in coldly, "As long as we know his Technique, it's manageable. We'll pressure him from range, force him to use his Technique, and drain his Cursed Energy."

Miwa hesitated. "But I don't have any ranged attacks…"

Mai smirked. "That's why you're our backup plan. Let's move. Track them and be ready to strike."

Up above, Momo Nishimiya soared on her broom, observing the battlefield from above. Her phone relayed real-time updates to the team on the ground.

Meanwhile, Hajime had climbed into a tall tree, using the dense canopy for cover while tracking Momo through the sky.

"Oh, right. She can fly," Hajime muttered. "She's probably not that strong, though. Even without Extermination, I might be able to shoot her down. Knock out their eyes first."

He raised his fingers and began gathering Cursed Energy into a single concentrated point. Though raw Cursed Energy blasts lacked the efficiency of Techniques or reinforced melee strikes, they were useful for probing or targeting weaker foes.

Hajime didn't intend to seriously injure her. If he used too much power, the attack might spread and cause trouble. She was riding a broom—taking that out was enough.

He aimed.

"Bang," Hajime muttered playfully.

Time Wheel: Spin.

Momo, flying above, felt a sudden disturbance of Cursed Energy. "A sneak attack?" she thought as she turned, trying to locate the source. Then—

Snap!

Part of her broom broke midair, sending her tumbling downward in a chaotic spiral.

"What… just hit me?"

Shaken, Momo barely managed to land atop a tree. Looking at her damaged broom and the fading trail of Cursed Energy in the air, her face went pale.

"I didn't even see it. Was it that fast…?"

Scrambling to recover, she reached for her phone to report the enemy's capabilities. But just as she leapt to another branch—

Hajime appeared.

She landed awkwardly, twisting her ankle and leaning against the tree. Hajime whistled as he approached, amused. "Didn't expect that to work, honestly. Guess I should just finish it here."

"You…"

Before Momo could finish, a light strike to the back of her neck knocked her unconscious. Hajime caught her phone midair and gently draped her unconscious body over a low tree branch.

Sure enough, within moments, staff monitoring the match dispatched help to recover her. Watching the monitor, Mei Mei chuckled. "Fast, isn't he? Shot her down before she could say a word, then knocked her out before she landed."

Gojo Satoru, arms behind his head and feet propped up, grinned. "Naturally. He's my student, after all. Hajime's a beast. Give him a few more missions, and he'll be ready to apply for Grade 1."

Mei Mei's eyes gleamed with interest. She was tiring from prolonged use of her Black Bird Manipulation Technique, but Gojo's words caught her attention.

"If you need help, you know where to find me. Especially since you're so generous."

Gojo gave a thumbs-up. "You know it." Then he turned back to the screens, now showing Maki and Inumaki under fire.

---

Back in the forest, Maki and Inumaki continued pressing forward. Maki suddenly stopped and raised her hand in warning.

"Mustard leaves?" Inumaki asked.

"There's danger up ahead," Maki said, scanning the dense trees.

Before she could finish her thought, the snapping of branches broke the silence. Maki whipped her head toward the noise and yanked Inumaki aside just as a torrent of flames scorched the area they'd been standing.

Multiple fire streams bombarded the surrounding terrain, cutting off escape routes.

"Extinguish!" Inumaki shouted.

His Technique activated, compressing the fire midair until it fizzled out. At the same time, Maki's naginata spun, deflecting a bullet that had zipped toward them.

"Mai," she muttered.

"Toge, don't let them spread out," Maki ordered. "They know about your Technique now. Stay close." She vanished into the trees toward the origin of the attack. Inumaki followed.

The forest, while a hindrance to line-of-sight, gave Maki and Inumaki cover and reduced their opponents' chances of a successful strike.

---

Elsewhere, Mai, Mechamaru, and Miwa were clearly agitated.

They hadn't seen Momo in a while—and now they couldn't reach her either. Had she been taken out?

Mai scowled. "Without her aerial recon, we can't track Maki's movements. Her Cursed Energy is too low to detect properly."

Their only chance was to neutralize Inumaki before he could lock them down with his Technique.

As they crossed a small stream, a fist-sized rock whistled through the air at breakneck speed.

Mechamaru reacted first, raising his arm and smashing the projectile midair. But before they could regroup, Maki appeared ahead, smiling with her naginata resting on her shoulder.

"Starting trouble and running away? Not very classy."

Mechamaru's arms transformed—his left becoming a cannon and his right revealing gleaming blades.

"Mai, Kasumi—take out the Cursed Speech user. Even if it's a one-for-one trade, he has to go. I'll keep Maki busy. If we fail, break away and regroup."

Maki noted their movements but stopped short as a distant explosion shook the forest.

"What the hell was that?" Mechamaru asked, stunned. "That figure… that energy. Something like that is allowed in an exchange event?"

Maki, narrowing her eyes behind her glasses, spotted the monstrous figure rising above the trees. Dust and splintered wood swirled around it.

---

Earlier, after subduing Momo, Hajime had begun heading toward the central area. With Cursed Energy reinforcement, he sprinted through the forest like a blur.

Suddenly, he twisted backward mid-leap, avoiding a blood-red blade that sliced through the branches above.

"Fast reflexes," Kamo Noritoshi remarked, stepping from the trees, blood-blade spinning in hand.

Hajime smiled. "Of course. You're too slow."

He sidestepped just in time for the blade to miss again.

Kamo summoned a longbow and readied four Cursed Energy-infused arrows. His blood ring hovered beside him, poised to strike.

Ah, Hajime thought, so he's an archer too—but a more traditional one. His arrows are enhanced with Cursed Energy, whereas mine are pure CE constructs. Less efficient, maybe, but faster and more portable.

The blood-blade and arrows launched at once.

Hajime's right hand moved.

Time Wheel: Godspeed Slash.

A brilliant arc of light cleaved through the air.

Kamo's breath caught. His blade shattered. The arrows were sliced midair.

"What… just happened? My Technique was broken... when?"

Abandoning ranged combat, Kamo activated his Crimson Scale Burst. Veins bulged across his skin as his vitals spiked, increasing his physical stats dramatically.

He produced two blood packs, forming them into protective restraints that hovered around him like a net.

"Crimson Restraint: Defense."

Now, even if Hajime attacked at high speed, the blood net might buy him enough time to react and counter with Piercing Blood.

But then—

Another rumble.

The colossal figure reappeared in the distance, shattering trees with every step. Kamo tensed, confused, but Hajime immediately understood.

Rika… is out of control.

Something had happened to Yuta Okkotsu.

No time to waste.

"I'm pressed for time," Hajime said, lifting his sword.

Kamo barely blinked before Hajime vanished.

Pain struck his abdomen. His defense shattered.

Kamo hit the ground, incapacitated but alive.

"You'll be fine," Hajime said, patting his shoulder. "I avoided vital points. Just wait for rescue."

As he disappeared into the forest, Kamo stared at the sky, sighing in defeat.

---

Kamo Noritoshi — Eliminated.

---

(☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞ Support me by sending powerstones.

More Powerstones = Bonus Chapters.

Win Win.