JJK: Wheel of Time

"Gojo Satoru! That's the special-grade cursed spirit, isn't it? I've always said the cursed vessel shouldn't participate in the exchange event, but you insisted, and now look what's happened!" Gakuganji pointed at the screen showing the dangerous figure, blaming Gojo Satoru, who was still smiling nonchalantly.

Everyone present was tense. The pressure of Rika, a special-grade cursed spirit, seemed to reach through the screen and weigh down on their hearts. Unbothered, Gojo Satoru stretched lazily and said, "Don't worry, leave it to me. Though Rika's out of control, she hasn't attacked anything around her."

If you looked closely, you'd notice that despite her frenzied appearance, the entity wasn't engaging in any overly aggressive actions. Thanks to Mei Mei's efforts, a distant crow managed to relay footage of the situation on the ground.

Several students were faintly visible in the vicinity, seemingly unharmed. Gojo Satoru waved, "I'll head over first. It's no big deal, don't worry."

Shoko Ieiri chimed in, "I'll come too, in case anyone gets hurt." Then, the two of them left the room.

The monstrous figure floating in the air was grotesque. Its pale body had an undefined lower half resembling smoke, and its large hands looked more like claws. The upper half of its body had protruding ribs, while many tube-like structures extended from the back of its head. It had no eyes on its face—only a gaping maw filled with sharp teeth.

"What a sight. So, Gojo, how do you plan to handle this?" Shoko Ieiri marveled as she and Gojo observed from a safe distance.

Removing his sunglasses, Gojo Satoru's blue eyes reflected Rika's rampaging form. "Looks like all of Yuta's efforts weren't in vain. Quite the opposite—he succeeded. But something unexpected seems to have caused her to slip out of his control."

Snap!

Gojo snapped his fingers. "In that case, we just need to weaken Rika to the point where Yuta can regain control."

Shoko Ieiri rolled her eyes at his laid-back attitude. "You're not going to overdo it again, are you? The students are still here, you know."

Gojo laughed, dismissing her concerns. "I'll go easy." With that, he vanished, reappearing mid-air, at the same height as Rika.

Rika, seeing the small figure appear suddenly, instinctively wanted to attack. But the restraint from Yuta held her back, leaving her hesitant.

Gojo glanced down, spotting Yuta Okkotsu drenched in sweat below, alongside Panda, White Wolf, and Aoi Todo, all bearing injuries. Shifting his gaze back to Rika, he calmly said, "Let's get this under control."

Cursed Technique Reversal: Red.

Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue.

The two opposing techniques collided, creating a new, imaginary matter—the Hollow Purple

A small point of purple light emerged from Gojo's fingertip, instantly unleashing an endless torrent of chaotic energy in its wake.

With a flick, Gojo sent a massive, perfectly round beam through the air, erasing everything it touched.

From Gojo's vantage point, he could see straight through Rika's damaged body and the large hole that extended into the empty field behind her.

Rika let out a sharp shriek, her body beginning to heal immediately, though her aura had visibly weakened.

As she charged toward him again, Gojo waved goodbye. "See ya!" He vanished from the air, reappearing on the ground.

...

When Shin Shuichi arrived on the scene using his technique, he saw a frantic Yuta Okkotsu with Panda and the others nearby. White Wolf whimpered and ran over, clearly scared by Rika.

Yuta, struggling to control Rika, quickly called out, "Shin, where's Gojo-sensei? Rika's out of control, and I can't hold her back!"

Shin glanced up at the rampaging Rika, her distorted screams echoing through the air. Nearby, Panda and Aoi Todo were injured, though it wasn't clear how much of the damage was from Rika.

It wasn't hard for Shin to guess the situation. Todo probably found Yuta and the others, pushing them into a dangerous situation, which caused Rika to break free of Yuta's control in an attempt to protect him.

Judging by Todo's condition, he wasn't having a great time either. After all, messing with Yuta's most beloved person didn't end well—he was lucky Rika hadn't torn him apart thanks to Yuta's restraint.

Fortunately, no one was critically injured, thanks to Yuta's desperate efforts. Seeing this, Shin decided it wasn't necessary to reverse their conditions entirely, opting instead to use his Reverse Cursed Technique to heal their wounds. It worked, though it wasn't as effective as Shoko Ieiri's.

"Tsk!"

After healing them from severe to minor injuries, Shin decided to wait for Shoko to arrive. Yuta, feeling the improvement in his injuries, asked, "Shin, is this your technique?"

Shin frowned. "Gojo-sensei didn't tell you? Really... It's called Reverse Cursed Technique. You can learn it too. I'll teach you later."

Just then, Gojo Satoru reappeared in the sky. With a wave of his hand, something terrifying pierced the heavens, leaving Rika heavily injured.

"Rika!" Yuta cried out in panic.

Shin patted Yuta's shoulder, reassuring him, "Curses heal themselves with cursed energy. Don't worry too much."

Indeed, Rika's body began to regenerate rapidly, calming Yuta down.

Turning to the massive trail of destruction left in Gojo's wake, the group was left speechless. Shin, however, wasn't too surprised. He vaguely recalled that Gojo-sensei could create even more absurd scenes.

Before they could reflect any further, Gojo suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Hey, everyone! Still hanging in there?"

Yuta shouted in relief, "Gojo-sensei! I feel like I've lost control over Rika—she's not listening to me anymore..."

Gojo smiled at Yuta. "It's fine, you've done great. If it weren't for your restraint, we'd have a real problem on our hands. Now, leave the rest to me."

With Yuta reassured, Shin noticed Gojo turning his gaze toward him. His heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, Gojo grinned and said, "Shin, I've weakened Rika quite a bit. Now it's your turn! Just wear her down a little more, and Yuta should be able to control her."

Seeing Rika charging toward them, Shin's face darkened. "Didn't you say you'd handle it?"

Gojo waved the others off. "It's only natural for students to help their teachers out! I'm just helping you grow."

"Alright then, I'll take them to Shoko first. You stay here with Yuta, and I'll come back once you're done. Bye!"

With that, they disappeared. Shin turned to look at the approaching Rika, while Yuta Okkotsu stood there, looking at him, hesitant to speak. Shin sighed, patted Yuta's shoulder, and walked forward. "Wait here, I'll go calm your girlfriend down. After that, it's your problem."

Rika, unable to suppress her urge to attack, charged forward. Even though she had been seriously injured by Satoru Gojo, curses like her could slowly regenerate as long as they had cursed energy and weren't completely obliterated.

Rika's cursed energy was vast, and because of the bond she shared with Yuta, she could even draw on his energy. So, despite her injuries, she still had the ability to fight.

With her gaping mouth wide open, Rika charged forward, calling Yuta's name unconsciously. Seeing someone in her way, she reached out to grab them.

"Stop right there."

Before the words even finished, Shin's figure vanished, and Rika's forward momentum was instantly reversed. The deafening roar and the shockwave that followed arrived only moments later.

Shin looked at his clenched fist, feeling the surge of cursed energy coursing through his body. The overwhelming power felt intoxicating! The cursed blade he carried wasn't suitable for this moment—it wasn't of high enough quality, and too much cursed energy would shatter it.

"Hiss!"

Suddenly, an immense burst of cursed energy rose in the shattered forest. Amidst Rika's sharp screech, the dust that had risen was suddenly pulled in one direction. Rika's massive figure blocked Shin's line of sight, her claws gleaming with cursed energy, leaving afterimages in the air.

"Too slow."

Watching the slow descent of Rika's attack trajectory, Shin silently commented. He hadn't even activated his technique yet, but the deeper his understanding of it grew, the faster his reflexes became. When fully focused, even high-speed objects appeared crystal clear to him.

Wheel of Time

Shin moved to Rika's side, raised both hands, and clenched them into fists, maximizing his cursed energy output!

With a single punch, he struck Rika, the enormous force of his cursed energy breaking through her already weakened defenses. The impact hung in the air, and Shin could even see the faint distortion of the atmosphere.

Then came the second punch, and the third. Satisfied, Shin stopped and released his technique.

Everything exploded in an instant, the compressed shockwave erupting with a deafening boom. A fierce wind surged outward, sweeping away the scattered debris and trees, clearing an open space. The cursed energy soared skyward but was twisted and distorted by the black light that followed.

Rika, meanwhile, was hurled through the air like a cannonball, crashing through several trees before disappearing from view. The ground where she had stood now featured a massive crater, with the dirt and rocks inside compressed into a solid mass.

Shin exhaled deeply, using his reversal technique to restore his energy to its previous state. The maximum output of cursed energy, combined with multiple attacks, had drained a considerable amount. He'd even managed to pull off a Black Flash, amplifying the damage.

He had to admit, Rika's defense as a special-grade curse was absurd. If this had been any first-grade cursed spirit, it would've been reduced to ashes by now. Even most other special-grade spirits would've been left near death, if not exorcised entirely. But Rika? She was still regenerating rapidly. Still... it was almost over.

"One more hit."

Shin locked onto Rika's location, pointing in her direction, and once again gathered the overflowing cursed energy in his body.

The shimmering cursed energy gathered in Shin's hand, creating a wind that swirled around the falling leaves. The air itself began to distort from the pressure. Once the ball of cursed energy reached the size of a human head, Shin ceased the output and activated his technique once more.

The cursed energy vanished, and with it, the swirling leaves fell gently to the ground. At the same time, a trench extended from Shin's position to where Rika had been thrown, with no trees remaining to block the view.

Rika's body was now heavily damaged, her regeneration slowing significantly. Amidst her pained, ragged breathing, Shin sighed, turning to Yuta, who was on the verge of tears. "Don't worry, with her cursed energy and yours combined, she'll recover quickly. In a few days, she'll be back to her old self, jumping around again."

"Why does that sound a bit strange…" Shin muttered under his breath. He then watched as Yuta effortlessly summoned Rika back. Rika whimpered before merging into the cursed blade Yuta carried.

Originally, the bond between Yuta and Rika was tied to the engagement ring they had promised each other when they were young. But at Satoru Gojo's suggestion, Yuta had been working on transferring the curse into his blade. Over time, he would be able to fully master it.

Yuta crouched slightly, gripping the blade as he stared at it for a moment. Then, he looked up at Shin. "Shin, thank you… and thank Gojo-sensei too. I almost… hurt someone again because of me."

Shin looked at Yuta Okkotsu, who was filled with guilt, and walked over to help him up. "Stop talking like that. If it weren't for your control until Gojo-sensei arrived, something bad might have really happened. You did great. Everyone's fine, aren't they?"

Before Yuta could say anything else, Shin cut him off. "Come on, let's get you to Shoko-san to check for injuries. Perfect timing, she can teach you the reversed cursed technique. That's her specialty."