The reactions of Upper Rank One, Kokushibo, and Upper Rank Three, Akaza, sparked heated discussions among the viewers outside the light curtain.
This wasn't the first time the power of a Stand had appeared in the broadcast. According to the more astute observers, the reason Kyogai had been stuck in place was most likely due to Dio's power, known as a Stand.
However, the exact nature of Dio's ability remained a mystery. Causing Kyogai to be trapped in place, even making his body move backward against his will—it couldn't be as simple as mind control.
Dio had definitely used his ability to do something, but so far, they had been unable to discern what that ability truly was.
---o---
[Light Curtain Comments]
[Conan Edogawa: "A Stand? So that's Dio's hidden power? But what's going on with these two demons? Why can't I see anything?"]
[Joseph Joestar: "OH MY GOD! Why can't even I, a Stand user, see it? Is it Dio's Stand ability, or is the broadcast intentionally hiding it?"]
[Yoshikage Kira: "A Stand? Invisible to ordinary people... isn't that just like [Killer Queen]?"]
[Romani Archaman: "The light curtain is deliberately concealing Dio's Stand. With so many beings across the myriad worlds, it's impossible that no one can see it." ]
[Otto Apocalypse: "This is a common tactic used by the broadcast. Its purpose is to arouse our speculation and attention. In other words, this power called a Stand is Dio's true trump card." ]
[Father Pucci: "Finally, I can witness your true majesty on the broadcast, Dio. You are the King of Kings, and that invincible Stand is the symbol of your status as a man of destiny!"]
[DIO: "Hmph. Is the progress this fast? I thought the broadcast would wait a while longer before revealing the secret of my Stand." ]
In the world of Stardust Crusaders, somewhere in Egypt, Dio spoke coldly. His Stand's ability was undoubtedly the most powerful in the world, meant to be his ultimate secret weapon.
To have it revealed on the light curtain now was unexpected, but it didn't matter. Just being featured on this broadcast was proof enough that he, Dio, was the chosen one. It didn't matter if the power of his Stand was exposed.
---o---
[Light Curtain]
Upon realizing that his Stand had been seen by two demons who possessed no Stand power of their own, Dio entered a state of extreme caution and suspicion.
His instincts told him that the two before him were no match for him, but... right now, Dio did not want to risk investigating the reason they could see his Stand.
His head had not yet fully fused with JoJo's body; this vessel was still subconsciously rejecting him.
This greatly diminished Dio's advantages as a vampire. His Stand could normally compensate for this weakness, but now that his Stand had been detected, continuing the attack under these circumstances was not a sound decision.
While Dio wasn't considering a retreat just yet, he no longer wanted to get entangled here. He had also given up on the idea of making these two his subordinates.
They were not his opponents, but Dio knew well the principle of sailing a steady ship. If he were to capsize in a ditch, the consequences would be unimaginable...
He was an existence of extreme caution. This was Dio's strength; without this cautious nature, he would have died long ago in his battle with Jonathan Joestar.
But at the same time, it was also his weakness. Sometimes, excessive caution could lead to missed opportunities.
Just like now. Dio's hesitation had been seen through by the two Upper Ranks before him. They had seen the change in Dio's expression.
From mysterious and powerful a moment ago, to unwilling to engage now. Although the terrifying aura around Dio still lingered, as Upper Rank One and Upper Rank Three, they had their own pride.
Both Akaza and Kokushibo were extremely belligerent among the Upper Ranks, warriors with a Bushido spirit. Although they were still unforgivable demons, their nature drove them to constantly challenge stronger beings.
And Dio, in their eyes, was a powerful opponent!
Destructive Death: Compass Needle—Akaza raised a single arm, and a twelve-pointed snowflake array instantly deployed beneath his feet!
"Nameless bastard! I don't care who you are, I'm taking your head! If you have anyone to blame, blame yourself for provoking Lord Muzan!"
The moment he finished speaking, in the very next instant, Akaza appeared right beside Dio, deliberately avoiding the phantom figure he could vaguely see behind him.
His fist descended with force, creating sharp sonic booms. The power of this single punch was enough to shatter a steel plate.
"Hoh? You underestimate me, Dio?" Raising his right palm, without using the power of his Stand, Dio blocked the blow using only Jonathan's body, which had yet to perfectly fuse with his own.
After catching the punch, Dio's body didn't even move an inch, a testament to the power of a vampire's physique.
Akaza's eyes were filled with astonishment, but he still threw his other fist viciously towards Dio's head.
"Destructive Death: Air Type!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
In an instant, shockwaves erupted. Dio's and Akaza's fists clashed continuously in mid-air, creating a series of booming sounds as the very air seemed to tear open with cracks.
"MUDA MUDA MUDA!! You're far too slow to trade blows with me, Dio!"
Blue and gold energies clashed relentlessly in the air, with Dio's golden power steadily overwhelming Akaza's blue energy.
A heavy punch landed, and Akaza was forced backward.
"Hah... hah—" After the brief exchange, Akaza panted heavily, his eyes wide. He had actually been at a disadvantage in a fistfight, his greatest pride. Although he hadn't used his full power, it was clear that the man before him was also just testing the waters.
"Interesting! So powerful! Such immense power! Hahahahaha!"
Akaza laughed almost maniacally. It had been a long time since he had felt this way—an evenly matched opponent, and one who fought with his fists like him, not a swordsman.
"This is truly astonishing! Such terrifying fighting spirit! Have you already approached the supreme territory? Or have you already reached it?"
That's right. In Akaza's eyes, Dio had very likely reached that legendary supreme territory. Fighting him was the best way to advance his own skills.
"WRYYY..."
"What a boring battle spirit. Do you think you can defeat me, Dio, with movements so slow they could put me to sleep?"
His expression was filled with contempt. Dio was not fond of martial arts fanatics like this. And after their exchange, he was once again convinced that these two demons were no match for him.
So Dio thought. In the next second, he appeared behind Akaza.
Pshh—
An arm pierced through Akaza's body. It was not Dio's, but the golden phantom's that had been by Dio's side from the very beginning.
"This... how is this possible?" Staring at the golden arm that had run him through, Akaza still couldn't figure out when Dio had gotten behind him.
"Not dead? Hmph. Although they are an inferior species similar to zombies, their self-healing is quite astonishing."
Dio pursed his lips. There was a big difference between zombies and demons. The regenerative and immortal capabilities of demons were, to some extent, comparable to vampires created by the Stone Mask.
This species was somewhere between a vampire and a zombie. Theoretically, like vampires, there was no way to kill them besides sunlight.
Of course, that was only in theory. If one could manually cut a vampire or demon's body into sufficiently small pieces of flesh, it could also effectively prevent regeneration and successfully kill them.
Retracting his Stand's fist, Dio returned to his previous arrogant posture. "What's wrong? With that tense stance of yours, are you looking to continue the fight?"
"Muda da. A monkey can never defeat a human. To me, Dio, inferior species like you are no different from monkeys."
Upper Rank Three, Akaza, did not reply to Dio's taunt. He was slowly regenerating, still confused as to how Dio had suddenly appeared behind him.
Was the gap between them really that large? He couldn't even see Dio's afterimage?
It wasn't just Upper Rank Three. Beside him, Upper Rank One, Kokushibo, hadn't seen anything either. He stared intently at Dio's body, his six eyes filled with immense confusion.
For the first time, he felt that his six eyes were useless. Not only were they ugly, but not a single one of them had been able to follow Dio's movements.
---o---
It happened again. Dio had used his Stand's power once more.
The comments section exploded with discussion. This time, it was an ability similar to the teleportation from before.
[Otto Apocalypse: "An ability that can affect another's actions and achieve an effect similar to teleportation... Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." ]
[Lord of the Scarlet Devil Mansion: "My, my. I feel a strange sense of déjà vu. I feel like I've seen this power somewhere before." ]
[Time-Stopping Maid: "Yes, Mistress. If I'm not mistaken, Dio's ability is likely the same as my own. Only that can explain all of his previous actions." ]
[Chika Fujiwara: "Hmm... Why does it seem like you all have already figured out Dio's ability? I've been watching for a while and still don't get it. This is way harder than a video game." ]
[Useless Goddess: "Eh? Nani? What happened? Was Dio's ability revealed? Damn it! Why does the light curtain always keep us in suspense!"]
[Idiot Water God: "Wow, your ID is so similar to mine! Could you be my alternate self from another world?"]
[Destroyer of Worlds: "Where did these two weirdos come from? Are they here for comic relief?"]
---o---
[Light Curtain]
Unable to withstand even a single blow from Dio, Akaza fell into deep self-doubt.
Meanwhile, Kokushibo, as Upper Rank One and supposedly the strongest, now held the sword formed from his own flesh and blood, his eyes fixed on Dio.
His eyes narrowed slightly, as if he had entered the Transparent World, allowing him to see through skin and observe a person's internal organs and blood vessels.
Simultaneously, as he entered this state, the phantom behind Dio became more and more corporeal in his vision.
"So that's it... the strange phantom that pierced Akaza's body."
Following Kokushibo's words, the light curtain shifted to his perspective, slowly revealing Dio's Stand, which was invisible to ordinary people.
Dio's Stand was a muscular, humanoid figure that bore a strong resemblance to Dio himself. It wore a headpiece that covered its face from the nose down, its features somewhat resembling the Red Crown of Egypt.
On its back was a pair of small, simple diving tanks, connected by short, dual-ridged pipes to the back of its mask. Thick, padded, ribbed belts ran from the back of its waist to the front of its shoulders. It had heart-shaped decorations on its chin, abdomen, and knees.
[The World]—The source of Dio's true power, his ultimate trump card, symbolizing the creation of opportunities and the beginning of a new world order.
As a Stand user, Dio naturally noticed Kokushibo's gaze. With a hint of ice in his voice, Dio spoke, "Hoh? You see it? You can see it?"
"I don't know what's changed with your eyes, but you can definitely see it. In that case, I'll start by killing you!"
His killing intent was so thick it was almost tangible. Ignoring Akaza, who was lying on the ground and slowly regenerating, Dio began to walk slowly towards Kokushibo.
Knowing Dio's power, Kokushibo did not choose to recklessly charge at him like Akaza did. Instead, he attacked Dio from a certain distance.
"Moon Breathing, Eighth Form: Moon-Dragon Ringtail!" "Moon Breathing, Ninth Form: Waning Moonswaths!" "Moon Breathing, Tenth Form: Drilling Slashes - Moon through Bamboo Leaves!"
Without even a pause, Kokushibo unleashed three of his most powerful Moon Breathing techniques. His combat intelligence was far superior to Akaza's. Dio was clearly a close-range fighter.
Including the golden phantom beside him, they were both close-range. Therefore... to defeat Dio, the best method was to maintain distance.
The sword techniques came with overwhelming power. Crescent-shaped slashes rained down like relentless drops of water, hurtling toward Dio's body.
At this, Dio's expression finally changed. It seemed the Demon King's subordinates weren't all useless trash after all. This one actually had some skill.
"A little interesting. Crescent blades visible to the naked eye. It seems I, Dio, will have to get a little serious."
A faint smile appeared on his face. Just as the crescent blades were about to reach Dio's body, the golden Stand moved directly in front of him.
Then, a voice echoed throughout the light curtain: "ZA WARUDO! Time, stop!"
A flash of golden light—and time stood still.
---o---
Author's Note:
PS: I've read all the comments from the last chapter. Thanks for all your input. For now, I'm not considering a fourth viewing. One step at a time. The second viewing isn't finished, and I haven't even thought of an entry point for the third. There's just so much I could write about. I could write several volumes on Type-Moon and Honkai alone. So, I'll try to write about worlds and characters that most people would enjoy seeing.