Chapter 401: City of Sin II
On the card, a blond young man wearing a yellow coat turned his head slightly. The star-shaped birthmark on his left shoulder was clearly visible as his cold eyes gazed beyond the card's edge, while a golden evil spirit began to float behind him.
[Match successful. The parallel world version of you is a born villain—evil, powerful, beautiful, a master manipulator, cruel and heartless, yet possessing a charisma that makes even the most wicked bow before you. Though you once entertained the idea of ruling the world, what you truly desired was to shatter, even surpass, that indescribable force called fate. Why must villains always lose? Why must justice always prevail?]
[To transcend fate, you must carry out the "Heaven Plan." To you, spiritual evolution equals the evolution of the Stand. When time accelerates infinitely, a singularity will be broken through, and a new universe will be born. After one complete cycle, you will lead the world to Heaven. What kind of change will someone like you bring to this world? Let's wait and see.]
[Current world exploration rate: 0%. You may obtain ownership once it reaches 66.7%.]
[If you die during this cycle of regression, the game ends.]
[Note: Using a template traversal allows you to freely choose the time and location of arrival.]
[Note: The template character has a strong sense of autonomy. The alignment of the Savior of Villains Zhou Ning, is Chaotic Evil. You have absolutely no control over his actions during traversal.]
[You are deciding on the time and location for traversal.]
[You have chosen to travel at night but did not choose a specific location.]
[Activating time machine… 1%… 33%… 65%… 95%… Whoosh… Traversal complete.]
[You have arrived in the Grand Capital in the year 1972. From this moment on, the wheels of history begin to turn.]
[On the evening of February 22, 1972, you stand on the streets of Metropolis, gazing at the towering skyscrapers and the ceaseless flow of cars. Your mind still lingers on that final moment of your death. You don't know what power saved you or sent you to this world, but you feel deep reverence toward it—and see this as a chance to begin again, to fulfill your "Heaven Plan."]
[This place, like every great city you remember, reeks of debauchery and the stench of human filth. In the display window next door, a television is broadcasting the news of U.S. President Nixon's visit to China. It seems you haven't left your original world after all.]
[Since you have yet to fully grasp the nature of this world, your cautious instincts lead you to lie low for now. You summon your Stand once more—The World. To constantly remind yourself of the Heaven Plan, you had engraved the fourteen vital words upon its body in the form of scars. But now, adjustments must be made.]
[Your original plan was as follows:
1. The Stand, "The World."
2. A trusted friend.
3. Thirty-six heinous souls.
4. Fourteen key words.
5. The courage to abandon your Stand.
6. Wait for the next new moon at 28°24′N, 80°36′W (Cape Canaveral).]
[After destroying your own Stand "The World," the broken remnants would absorb the souls of the sinners to form a new being. Your dearest friend would then recite the fourteen key words to this newborn entity, which would awaken its intelligence. The trust between you would fuse you into one, allowing you to ascend to Heaven.]
[In your original world, that dearest friend was Enrico Pucci—a loyal companion, free of desire, unmoved by power, fame, or wealth, and one who revered divine law above all else. He resonated perfectly with you. Finding such a friend again would be no easy task. Still, you firmly believe that "gravity" exists in this world too. Fortunately, you still possess an arrow capable of creating Stand users—your chance to rebuild your power base in this era. (Note: In Stardust Crusaders, an arrow was seen hanging on the wall of DIO's hideout. This was likely one of the five arrows Diavolo sold to Enya. DIO used it to create Stand users to hinder Jotaro's group.)]
[February 25, 1972. You soon realize your caution was well-founded. Although this restless city teems with crime, on the streets of Metropolis you witness a figure in a blue bodysuit and red cape soaring through the sky—a superhero known as Superman. He is nearly omnipotent. Under his heat vision, you doubt you'd survive even one second.]
[And Superman is not the only threat. Metropolis overflows with other powerful heroes and villains—some invulnerable, others capable of flight or teleportation. Even with your vampiric strength and The World's time-stopping power, you cannot guarantee victory in every encounter.]
[Still, where there are challenges, there are opportunities. You notice that in a place called "Hell's Kitchen," the Irish mob and the mafia are constantly at war. Perhaps this is the opportunity you've been waiting for.]
[After several rounds of observation, you discover that Peyton Riley, daughter of Irish mob boss Sean Riley, possesses the potential to awaken a Stand ability. She is anxious, deeply craves strength and peer recognition, and lacks inner fortitude.]
[If it were your old friend Pucci, he might simply say, "Those with conviction are always blessed." But in your eyes, winning over someone like her is effortless.]
[To you, every human being lives to overcome unease and fear—to obtain a sense of safety. Whether they chase fame, seek control, or amass wealth, it is all for peace of mind. Marriage and friendship serve the same purpose. Even striving for peace is merely an excuse to feel secure.]
[If she desires strength, then you will grant her strength. Within a single day, your methods and charisma completely subdue her. She becomes your loyal subordinate. Her awakened Stand is Bastet Goddess, which manifests as a socket-shaped Stand that induces strong magnetism upon contact—its magnetic force intensifying over time.]
[Perhaps "gravity" truly exists in this world. During a botched robbery, you encounter a man named Jonathan Crane—the perpetrator of the heist. You cannot deny that his name makes you falter for about 0.25 seconds, but soon it is his presence that captures your attention.]
[Despite his attempts to hide it, before you he appears both humble and arrogant, yet his eyes burn with ambition and an overwhelming will to survive. And your instincts are never wrong—those with such eyes are never ordinary.]
[As expected, your intuition proves correct. Through conversation, you learn he is none other than the supervillain Scarecrow, from the East Coast's city of sin—Gotham. He possesses combat skills beyond ordinary humans, formidable psychological expertise, and mastery in crafting toxins—exactly the kind of talent you need.]
[To deal with such a top-tier psychologist, you decide to demonstrate your overwhelming power. Just as you expected, after you release him and repeatedly teleport him back to his starting position with time stop, his psychological defenses finally shatter. In the end, you promise to help him awaken his Stand—and he joins you.]
[His awakened Stand is Killer Queen, which wields explosive power revolving around detonation-based attacks. It can deploy "Bomb Bubbles" and "Piercing Strikes," making him a powerful combatant.]
[Though the ability seems modest, paired with his keen intellect and mastery of toxins, he remains a valuable asset.]
[Following Peyton Riley's suggestion, Jonathan Crane and she used Killer Queen to blow up her father, Sean Riley, staging it as an accident. From a mere mob princess, she rose overnight to become the leader of the Irish mafia.]
-------
[Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxx_real.]
[WN Exclusive Powerstone Event: For every 50 powerstones, +1 chapter.]