Arrow of Time

After taking the cursed spirit away from that fear-filled place, the bad news was that Shen Yuanyi had now left the range of the barrier. The barrier set up here had mainly been meant for ordinary people and imposed little restriction on sorcerers.

So, while leading the cursed spirit outside, he had inevitably torn a gap in the barrier on this side. At this rate, it probably would not be long before it collapsed.

Fortunately, the battlefield Shen Yuanyi had chosen was surrounded by wilderness and woodland. There was not even a road in sight, so the chances of ordinary people witnessing this were low.

"Absorbing fear is pretty powerful, but too bad there's no fear here for you to convert. If you absorbed anger instead... Forget it. No matter what, you're dead today. Not even Jesus can save you. That's what I say..."

Shen Yuanyi loosely clenched his right hand. Pale blue Cursed Energy surged forth and condensed in his palm, forming a constantly twisting short spear in an instant. Its originally blue glow gradually shifted toward white.

At first glance, it looked like a clump of drifting clouds or thin mist held in Shen Yuanyi's hand, flowing without pause.

This move was another attempt Shen Yuanyi had made with his cursed technique. If the Cursed Energy released through Time Acceleration merely made it difficult to block, with its actual power still depending on how much Cursed Energy he put into it...

Then what if he directly "fired" the cursed technique at the enemy? Of course, he did not mean applying the technique to the enemy and putting them into a state of Time Acceleration as well.

That could hurt the enemy to some extent, since cursed techniques applied to other beings came with side effects.

Ever since Shen Yuanyi had mastered Cursed Technique Reversal, the side effects of accelerating his own time with his cursed technique had been neutralized. That was why he had not aged far beyond others his age.

Accelerating an enemy was, in a sense, accelerating the depletion of their lifespan. But with Shen Yuanyi's current abilities, he could not yet use that as an effective offensive method.

So Shen Yuanyi changed his approach. If he combined an attack with his cursed technique, could he accelerate only the spread of the damage, or rather, the collapse of the enemy's body upon impact?

Shen Yuanyi had pondered this indirect method for a long time and even discussed it with Gojo-sensei. The Six Eyes had also saved him quite a bit of trouble.

Shen Yuanyi was still not proficient with it, so even its form was somewhat unstable. Still, with more use, he should become familiar with it.

Shen Yuanyi then gripped the Cursed Energy spear and assumed a throwing stance. The next moment, his entire body skipped a frame, and the short spear in his hand crossed the shackles of time, knocking the dice cursed spirit off balance.

Great chunks of flesh shattered and splattered. By the time they landed, they were already shriveled and decayed. This attack had dealt even more damage than Shen Yuanyi had expected. The large mass of flesh around the cursed spirit's wound had reached the brink of "death."

By all rights, with the Cursed Energy the cursed spirit had just replenished, such an injury should have already begun healing. But that was not what happened. In its panic, the nearly meter-long wound merely twitched with faintly wriggling flesh. If it had only been an external wound, that would have been one thing. So long as a cursed spirit was not destroyed on the spot, it could always restore its body afterward with its inhuman regenerative ability.

But apart from the wounds on its body, foreign Cursed Energy had invaded its insides and was wreaking havoc. It was like knocking out the foundation block beneath a tower of building blocks—the chain reaction skipped the process entirely and revealed the result directly.

Its body had not reacted at all. Once the destruction began, it could only slide toward the abyss of ruin. Under normal circumstances, the body's various safeguards and the control of its consciousness would suppress that tendency. But now, destruction surged forward unchecked. By the time its body finally "reacted," the momentum of destruction had already caused tremendous damage before exhausting itself and stopping.

Shen Yuanyi watched the cursed spirit's increasingly frenzied body swell and split apart again. Through the cracks, he could vaguely see the eyeballs packed inside. Then black beams shot toward Shen Yuanyi one after another.

He raised a hand to block the first beam, and that alone consumed a large amount of Shen Yuanyi's Cursed Energy. With a flash, he used the billowing dust to conceal himself, then gathered Cursed Energy once more and fused it with his cursed technique.

As Shen Yuanyi watched the attack strike the cursed spirit again, he thought, This move is pretty good. In a sense, it applies the cursed technique to a specifically isolated concept or existence, producing only negative effects on the enemy.

I should name it... Arrow of Time. As for why it isn't called a spear, that doesn't really matter. I can condense it in the shape of an arrow too. Blades and other shapes are harder to use, and it remains to be seen whether Cursed Energy Emission can achieve such precise shaping.

Shen Yuanyi then held two fingers of his left hand forward and drew back his right arm as though pulling a bowstring. After condensing three slender arrows, a thought sent all three arrows flying side by side into the cursed spirit's flesh.

Before they could burst apart, another two waves of attacks arrived in an instant. The cursed spirit's interrupted beams immediately scattered chaotically through the air.

Unable to grasp the trajectory of the attacks at all, the cursed spirit could only indiscriminately attack everything around it. Yet Shen Yuanyi's attacks repeatedly made it impossible for it to maintain any accuracy.

Several waves of Arrow of Time had already battered its body into a ragged mess. It could not draw upon the power of fear here, and every attempt it made to escape was futile.

Shen Yuanyi drove his still-surging Cursed Energy, but his mind was already exhausted. He could not even tell whether the blood on his face belonged to himself or the cursed spirit.

"It's time to end this..."

Looking at the cursed spirit, which had lost three hand-like limbs, Shen Yuanyi turned the Wheel of Time once more. A barrage of fists smashed into the cluster of eyeballs exposed by its shattered body. It felt like crushing a jar of grapes.

Amid flashes of black light, there was the crisp sensation of impact and splattering juice. At last, the cursed spirit's howls gradually ceased.

Its mangled body, almost unrecognizable, fell to the ground and turned into ash. Only after confirming that he had exorcised it did Shen Yuanyi finally let out a breath.

The battle itself had been very short. Shen Yuanyi's most serious injury had probably come earlier, when he had tried to reverse the victims swallowed by the cursed spirit. One of them had slightly exceeded his limit, which was why he had suffered some injury. The rest was merely the discomfort of repeatedly activating Cursed Technique Reversal to familiarize himself with his new move.

When he turned back, the barrier there had nearly dissipated. With enough Cursed Energy remaining, Shen Yuanyi used his cursed technique to return directly to the main building. The victims had all been released, their uncertain faces mixed with the joy of narrowly escaping death and the unreal disbelief of it all.

Shen Yuanyi looked at those people, like a vivid painting come to life, but did not linger. He went all the way up to the top floor and, as expected, found Nanami Kento along with more than a dozen people tied up—twelve men and one woman.

Shen Yuanyi, having released his cursed technique, abruptly appeared in the room. Several people facing the door were about to cry out, while Nanami Kento sensed someone appear behind him and turned defensively with his blade in hand. Only after seeing Shen Yuanyi did he lower his weapon.

"You already dealt with that cursed spirit? I was just getting ready to support you."

Shen Yuanyi nodded. "It's already been exorcised. My cursed technique is related to speed, after all. Thanks for your concern, Nanami-senpai."

Nanami Kento's eyes behind his goggles were full of appreciation. "Good work. With this mission under your belt, your promotion to First Grade Sorcerer should be secure."

Shen Yuanyi showed no joy. Instead, he pointed at the scum tied up nearby. "Nanami-senpai, how will these people be dealt with?"

The horrific scenes he had witnessed earlier surfaced in Nanami Kento's mind. He reached up and loosened his tie, then spoke after a moment of silence. "Once the police arrest them, they should be able to uncover evidence of their crimes. The ringleaders may receive the death penalty. As for the others, that will depend on the court's ruling."

Shen Yuanyi looked somewhat cold. The dark brown bloodstains on his face made him look like a murderer who had just finished committing a crime.

Nanami Kento said with a hint of severity, "Someone will judge them. Genichi, you absolutely cannot kill them yourself..." What he did not say was that if Shen Yuanyi acted, once the residuals of his Cursed Energy were identified, those Conservatives would not let the matter go.

After all, Shen Yuanyi was as firmly part of Gojo Satoru's faction as anyone could be. Those people who clung to the rules would pounce like hyenas.

Shen Yuanyi smiled. "Nanami-senpai, of course I know that. I'm not that stupid. Let's take them outside first, then notify the police."

Shen Yuanyi stepped forward and tied the ropes binding them together. Then, grabbing one end, he headed toward the stairs outside.

The dozen or so people were pulled off their feet and slammed to the ground. Shen Yuanyi dragged them along with sheer force, and whenever they struck the steps, they were left bloodied and battered. They tried to stand, but that force gave them no chance, dragging them relentlessly downstairs.

By the time they reached the first-floor lobby, the victims Nanami Kento had released earlier were all gathered there. They had previously tried to flee, only to discover in terror that they had somehow been stopped by an invisible wall. So they had returned to the lobby.

Amid several weak, pained groans, Shen Yuanyi descended the stairs with the rope in hand, dragging more than a dozen miserable-looking people behind him.

Once the people in the lobby recognized them, whispers immediately broke out. Shen Yuanyi dragged them to a spot near the center, dropped the rope, and stretched lazily. Turning to Nanami Kento, he said, "Nanami-senpai, this place is too dirty. Let's wait outside. Our mission is finished anyway, isn't it? The rest has nothing to do with us, right?"

Nanami Kento swept his deep gaze across the crowd, whose fear and shock had now turned into rising anger. He said nothing more and followed Shen Yuanyi. "That's right. It's quitting time. Let's go. I already notified the police. They should be here in about three minutes."

The two walked out through the front doors amid the terrified pleas for help from the dozen or so people tied up behind them. Shen Yuanyi casually pulled the doors shut, shutting out the screams, then heard Nanami Kento say, "Though we aren't directly responsible, there will probably still be trouble..."

"Whatever. Let Gojo-sensei deal with the headache later. I'm hungry, Nanami-senpai. Let's go eat and have a drink..."

"No. You're not an adult yet. You can only have juice."