JJK: Wheel of Time

At 7:37 PM on the 24th, the legendary King of Demons, Shuten Dōji, reappeared in the heart of Tokyo's Shinjuku, manifesting once again in human form.

"Nao"... or rather, Shuten Dōji, after declaring her return, noticed the blade of a sword sticking out of her chest. Her flesh twisted and tore open at the sides, and two new arms grew from the gaping wounds. With a bizarre movement, she reached behind her, grabbing the sword with these new hands.

Effortlessly, she pulled out the legendary blade, Dojigiri, once used to kill her. She examined it carefully, all the while, the wound in her abdomen rapidly healed, sealing itself before anyone could blink. With her finger, she wiped the blood from the blade and brought it to her mouth.

Five sinister eyes flickered with what could be considered a sense of nostalgia. "The descendant of the Minamoto clan," she murmured, before shifting her gaze toward the cursed user who had resurrected her. "Human, as a reward for awakening me, state your desire." she commanded.

The cursed user, stiff with fear, felt her gaze more like a predator sizing up its prey than a benevolent ruler. Swallowing his fear, he stammered, "I have no desire, great one. We have merely revived the Hyakki Yagyō. Please, enjoy yourself." (Hyakki Yagyō = Night Parade of One Hundred Demons)

As Shuten Dōji's chilling laugh filled the air, the cursed user offered up the two other cursed blades, Onikiri and Kumokiri, to her.

But then, from behind, a voice interrupted them, filled with confidence and amusement. "I wonder, have you figured out how you want to die yet?" Shin Shuichi asked, walking towards the cursed user without fear.

Suddenly, all five of Shuten Dōji's eyes darted in different directions. Without warning, her body erupted into crimson flames.

The instant those terrifying flames ignited, the world around her seemed to shift. One of the two swords the cursed user had offered was now gone, and the man himself—who was still kneeling—was now headless, his body slumped lifelessly.

Her smile vanished. The numerous eyes swirled rapidly, all focusing on the youth standing not far away, holding the stolen Onikiri.

'Was that pure speed? No, it's his technique... I didn't even sense it—my defenses activated automatically.' she mused. Two hands gripped the swords she now held, and two other hands formed a seal in front of her chest. "You cursed users… you're as troublesome as ever." she sneered.

"Hyakki Yagyō!" she roared.

Shin, gripping the sword he had snatched, reflected on the last few moments. His initial plan to test the waters against Shuten Dōji had been disrupted by the sudden eruption of those strange blood-red flames that both attacked and defended.

Understanding that direct confrontation would be ineffective, Shin shifted his focus. Instead of attempting another direct assault, he had stolen the Onikiri and swiftly decapitated the cursed user who had resurrected Shuten Dōji.

However, seeing Shuten Dōji unleash an unknown technique, Shin quickly yelled to the other nearby sorcerers, "Get away from here, now!"

As dark energy began to swirl around Shuten Dōji, the other sorcerers immediately recognized the danger and scrambled to retreat.

"Haha! Come, offer me your everything! The demonic domain of Mount Ōe shall descend once more!"

An incredible scene followed: the nearby cursed spirits that had been battling the sorcerers suddenly stopped in their tracks, as if drawn to Shuten Dōji. These lesser spirits twisted and crumbled in mid-air, turning into dark smoke, which was then absorbed into Shuten Dōji's outstretched arms.

Out of the swirling darkness around her emerged several figures. The most prominent was a bewitchingly beautiful woman, her lower face hidden behind long sleeves, though her expression seemed to twist inhumanly with every passing second.

Then came a great spear that pierced the ground, followed by several more black-gray spears forming a cage of brambles. From within this cage came a massive, grinning creature. It had sharp fangs and eight eyes—an enormous spider-like cursed spirit.

Nearby, Nanami Kento unwrapped his tie and wrapped it around his hand, his gaze ice-cold as he prepared for battle. But Shin called out to him, "Nanami-senpai! Nao's still alive because of her technique. We need to exorcise this curse. Leave Shuten Dōji to me; take care of that big one, senpai."

Hearing that Nao's soul still remained, Nanami's expression softened slightly. He turned his attention back to the horde of cursed spirits still rushing toward them. "We'll need to finish this quickly. It seems like she can absorb these spirits and grow stronger."

"Understood. Let's move!" Shin responded.

With a deafening crack, Shin's figure vanished, reappearing in front of Shuten Dōji. Her body flared with crimson flames, but something had already torn through her defenses.

However, the cost was high. Shin's right hand, the one holding his sword, was blackened and charred. The intense pain caused his arm to spasm uncontrollably, but he gritted his teeth, using reverse curse technique to heal himself.

Shuten Dōji's eyes flicked down to examine her own body, where deep gashes had been carved into her flesh. The fact that this boy had even been able to wound her, the "King of Demons," was impressive in itself—especially with Onikiri, a blade that specifically harmed flesh.

Shin's rapid healing did not go unnoticed. Shuten Dōji smirked, recognizing the power of reverse curse technique. "These sorcerers," she muttered to herself. "Always so hard to kill. And over there..."

Her gaze shifted to another part of the battlefield where an enormous cursed spirit had just been obliterated by a single strike. The shockwave shattered the windows of nearby buildings, causing shards of glass to rain down like confetti.

'I need to end this quickly!' both Shin and Shuten Dōji thought simultaneously.

Shin guessed that the powerful attack from earlier had come from Gojo-sensei. Realizing Gojo had sent the others away earlier, Shin concluded the worst: Suguru Geto's real target was probably Rika.

While fighting, Shin began to ponder Geto's abilities. Could the information they had on his technique be wrong? After all, Shin hadn't revealed the true nature of his own technique to others. It seemed likely that Geto had kept something hidden as well. Could he actually absorb cursed spirits even if they were bound by contracts?

And now, Shuten Dōji seemed capable of a similar ability, not only absorbing cursed spirits but also transforming their energy into her own strength.

'She's too strong like this.' Shin thought as he watched Shuten Dōji, her blood-red eyes glinting with sadistic glee.

Suddenly, she pointed at a nearby car. Blood-red cursed energy shot from her hand, engulfing the vehicle. Within moments, the metal frame liquified, while anything plastic or rubber melted away, leaving only molten iron in its place.

In the blink of an eye, Shuten Dōji forged the molten metal into a weapon—a monstrous iron club covered in jagged spikes, each one looking as though it might leap off the weapon and bite.

With her newly forged club in one hand and her cursed blades in the others, Shuten Dōji prepared for the kill.

Shin, once again entering his Time Stop technique, thought about his options. If he could just get close enough to retrieve Dojigiri, it might give him a chance to break through her defenses.

However, he soon realized that her earlier attack had left cursed energy lingering all around her. Approaching her meant inevitable contact with the cursed flames that would reactivate the moment he dropped out of his technique.

Shin turned his focus to Nanami Kento's two opponents: the eerie, beautiful woman and the giant spider.

At this point, the woman's captivating beauty had vanished. Her left hand, once hidden in her sleeve, was now fully exposed, revealing a grotesque, bluish-black demonic hand.

This stark contrast with her previously enchanting face became even more jarring as the battle progressed. Her right hand fell away from her face, exposing a visage even more distorted, further tearing apart her former beauty.

The lower half of her face was like something out of a ghost story, with beastly sharp teeth that could send chills down anyone's spine.

This ghostly woman, in tandem with the giant spider, had Nanami on the back foot. Shin decided to take one down first before figuring out how to deal with Shuten Dōji.

Using Onikiri, Shin effortlessly severed the woman's head, then swiftly followed up by cutting off her limbs and driving his blade through her chest.

Nanami watched in astonishment as the cursed spirit's head suddenly tilted and fell off. Her body, like a pile of blocks, collapsed as her limbs detached, and a spray of blood erupted from her chest.

With a quick movement, Nanami sliced through the airborne head, then charged toward the giant spider.

[Ratio Technique]

The spider's steel-like limbs, which it used as weapons, were precisely divided into ten segments in Nanami's eyes.

His technique allowed him to create a critical hit at the seven-to-three ratio point of the target's length, and this effect could stack with Black Flash. Coincidentally, Nanami had already experienced Black Flash.

When Nanami's Black Flash-infused strike hit the spider's limb, the steel-like appendage split as easily as a sugar cane stalk.

Seizing the opportunity as the spider lost its balance, Nanami struck again, his blade glowing with black energy as he severed more limbs, leaving the spider mostly incapacitated.

Black Flash Triple Strike

Nanami leaped onto the spider's collapsing body, his eyes pinpointing the exact spot where its head could be divided into ten parts. With a thunderous strike, his attack tore through everything in its path, and as blood sprayed from the cleanly cut wound, the giant spider's body finally collapsed.

Black Flash Quadruple Strike

Nanami turned to check on Shin, only to see Shuten Dōji still engulfed in her blood-red flames. Shin, however, was flickering around her like a character in a fast-forwarded movie.

Each time Shin appeared, a burst of flames would erupt around him, but Shuten Dōji, relying on her massive, durable body, laughed maniacally as she absorbed his strikes that came faster than her reaction time allowed. She swung her massive spiked club, unleashing violent gusts of wind.

Every now and then, she would alternate between her Dōkijiri and Kumo-kiri, sending out streams of slashing attacks. Most missed their mark, but they served to limit Shin's movements.

'That recovery rate is unnatural.'

Shuten Dōji thought quickly. This kid wasn't just recovering from his wounds; he was restoring his cursed energy and overall state with each recovery. His energy-draining attacks had been going on for a long time, not to mention his constant suppression of her ghostly flames.

Meanwhile, the other battle was drawing to a close, and that terrifying sorcerer that she can feel from such a distance could join the fight at any moment. She couldn't afford to drag this out.

Shuten Dōji drove her terrifying spiked club into the ground, sending a wave of fire rolling outward, forcing both Shin and Nanami to retreat. Numerous lesser curses flew toward the flames, only to dissolve into mist before they even touched her.

She held her two cursed blades in each hand while her other two hands interlocked, her sharp thumbs and pinkies touching as massive amounts of cursed energy began to surge.

"Domain Expansion: Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, Mount Ōe!"

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