JJK: Hourglass - CH10

[Nanashi POV]

I stared at the monster in front of me, my body still in shock, shaking from the hit. Yet, despite my situation, I wasn’t scared, on the contrary… I was confused.

That thing had punched me through several walls of hard concrete, and the damage was minimal.

I was in pain, sure, but… not on a level that required medical assistance.

Regaining a shaky semblance of composure, I eyed the monster warily, trying to reconcile the reality of my situation with the absurdity of it. Here I was, having survived a punch that felt like it could rival a freight train, yet I was still standing, well, sort of standing if you counted leaning heavily against what remained of a wall as standing.

The monster loomed closer, its form massive and intimidating, yet there was a curious tilt to its head, almost as if it was puzzled by my resilience. "You look delicious~" it repeated, the words slithering through the air like a promise of impending doom.

"Delicious?" I echoed, with a chuckle. "Look, I appreciate the compliment, but I'm really more of a fast-food kind of guy. Not sure I'd fit into your diet."

The attempt at humor was a desperate clutch at maintaining some normalcy in a situation that was anything but normal. The fact that I was joking in the face of such danger was either a testament to my bravery or a glaring indicator of my rapidly approaching insanity.

I was leaning into the insanity option.

As I pushed myself off the wall, testing my limbs for any signs of serious injury and finding none, a thought occurred to me. The minimal damage, the ability to still move, I wondered, could this be an effect of the cursed energy everyone had been rambling about?

Had I, in my moment of crisis, somehow tapped into that latent power within me?

The monster, seemingly growing impatient with my internal musings, let out a low growl that seemed to vibrate the very air around us. "No more games," it rumbled, stepping forward.

I guess in the end it didn’t matter whether or not I had tapped into that power, if I couldn’t do it at will.

"This was a game? And here I thought you were trying to kill me, my bad," I replied, my voice steadier than I felt. I had a feeling that if I knew how to use my damn curse energy things would fare different, but I couldn’t.

But hey, at least I was still breathing, and where there's breath, there's hope, right? Or at least the opportunity for more panicked improvisation.

Just as I braced myself for another potential hit, preparing to dodge or at least take it with some semblance of dignity, the monster decided to attack and without a warning, it swung its massive leg with a force that felt like being hit by a truck.

The impact was sudden and brutal, launching me through the air like a ragdoll.

I crashed through wall after wall, the world a blur of pain and crumbling concrete. The sensation was surreal, almost like I was detached from my own body, observing the chaos from a distance.

It wasn't until I burst through the final wall and landed with a thud in the sports field behind the school that reality came crashing back down on me.

Lying there, amid torn-up turf and scattered sports equipment, I took a moment to assess the damage.

Miraculously, I was still in one piece, albeit a very sore and disheveled piece. The pain was there, a throbbing reminder of my abrupt journey, but it was manageable.

“I’m still alive…” I muttered, confused.

Somehow, the fact that I'd just been physically ejected from a building and was relatively okay was the most confusing part of my day, not the giant cockroach and whatever this thing is.

Pushing myself up to a sitting position, I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh. "Well, that's one way to make an exit," I quipped to myself. What can I say? What I lacked in fighting skills I had in humor.

Just as I steadied my breath, preparing to stand, I heard the crumbling of concrete. Turning my head, I braced for the worst, and sure enough, the monster landed with a thud that sent a shockwave through the sports field. Dirt and grass kicked up around its massive feet, a testament to its power and my impending doom.

"Die," it growled, a smirk evident in its tone if such a thing were possible as he stepped forward, intent clear in its monstrous eyes.

This was it, I thought.

No more walls to be thrown through, just an open field and a monster between me and survival.

But as it lunged at me, something strange happened. My body reacted on its own, ducking under the monster's swing with an agility I didn't know I possessed. More than that, I felt it… a weird sensation, like an electric current running through my body, forcing me to move, alerting me moments before the danger came.

Scrambling to my feet, I felt the sensation again as the monster's fist came barreling toward me. This time, however, when the blow landed, it merely shoved me back a few feet, rather than sending me airborne.

I could feel something… tingling within me. And the sensation… was utterly wonderful.

I grinned, realizing what it was.

Curse energy.

“Is this what everyone feels when using their curse energy?” I asked, smiling, completely intoxicated with the feeling. I felt… high, full of energy, with no pain, I felt better than ever!

The monster paused mid-assault, its earlier confidence faltering as it regarded me with newfound wariness. "What….?" it demanded, a note of apprehension creeping into its voice for the first time.

"Oh, you mean this?" I gestured vaguely to myself, still buzzing with the unfamiliar power. "I have no fucking idea, isn’t it amazing?!"

It took a cautious step back, eyeing me as if I were the anomaly in this encounter. "You should not be able to do that," it muttered, almost to itself, its confidence shaken by the display of cursed energy from someone it had deemed an easy prey.

"Yeah, well, I'm new to this whole 'cursed energy' thing myself," I replied, laughing. "Looks like we're both learning something today."

“You… are tricking me!” The monster roared, as it gathered itself for another attack, its massive form coiling with lethal intent.

Meanwhile, I couldn't help but feel a surge of exhilaration mixed with a wild dash of recklessness, all fear, hesitation, or anything else was gone.

"Come on, then!" I shouted, my voice echoing across the empty field, challenging the beast before me. The current of cursed energy within me felt like a live wire, ready to spark into something more.

The monster charged, and instinctively, I knew what to do. As it swung, I stepped into the attack, not away from it, my own fist cocked back and ready. The air crackled around us, and as my punch met its flesh, there was a moment of utter silence, a heartbeat where the world seemed to pause in anticipation. And then, as if my fist was the key to a lock I never knew existed, the monster exploded in a burst of blood and cursed energy, its form disintegrating before my eyes.

I stood there, fist still extended, staring at the space where the monster had been just a moment ago. Bits of its essence faded into the air like smoke, the only evidence it had ever been there at all. The sensation of cursed energy around me hummed then slowly dissipated, leaving a lingering buzz in its wake.

That and the blood.

I blinked, utterly dumbfounded. "Did I just do that?" I asked the empty air, half-expecting the monster to reassemble itself and prove this was just another trick. But nothing happened. The field remained quiet, the only sounds my own heavy breathing and the distant noise of the city.

“You sure did my adorable student~” Gojo's voice suddenly rang out, startling me. I spun around to find him standing at the edge of the sports field, his usual insufferable grin plastered across his face. He clapped slowly, an exaggerated show of approval. "Impressive display of cursed energy for a beginner. I'd say you've passed today's unexpected test with flying colors... and a bit of monster guts."

“You were here the whole time?” I asked, blinking.

“Of course, what kind of monster leaves his student alone in a cursed building?” Gojo replied, stepping closer. "Besides, I had to make sure you didn't accidentally blow up the whole school. You're more powerful than you realize, and with great power comes a great need for sunglasses. Not just for style, but to save the world from our brilliance."

“Isn’t… isn’t the saying with great power comes great responsibility?” I asked, tilting my head.

“What? Why would anyone say that? Why would anyone want to be strong if that's the case?” Gojo replied, taken aback with my reply.