Light Curtain Barrage—
Detective Conan: "Why is it that Kars is the villain, but right now it feels like JoJo and the others are the antagonists?"
Putting down his soccer ball, Conan sighed. Thinking about it, from a numbers perspective, the three Pillar Men were at a disadvantage from the start. Furthermore, the resolve and spirit of Esidisi and Wamuu didn't seem like those of villains at all.
And then there's Kars. A lonely old man who, in ten thousand years, had only two friends, Wamuu and Esidisi, both of whom were now gone. Now, he had finally obtained the Red Stone, only to have it snatched away by his enemies.
Looking at it this way, Kars's situation was beyond tragic. In any other story, he would have been the righteous protagonist.
Yukino Yukinoshita: "Kars is indeed tragic, and his obsession with the Red Stone is quite moving. But he must still pay the price for the wrongs he has committed."
Sosuke Aizen: "Kars... will he really be taken out like this? This... seems a bit too simple. He doesn't strike me as the type to be defeated so easily."
Yoriichi Tsugikuni: "He is indeed not an enemy easily vanquished. But the Kars of now has been driven into a desperate corner. The only thing that can save him... is fate."
---o---
On-screen—
Looking at Kars's icy, venomous, and hate-filled expression, Joseph could only manage a bitter smile. He had now thoroughly provoked every last one of the Pillar Men.
But at least, once Kars was dead, it would all be over. The mission bestowed upon him by that unseen presence in the great beyond would finally be complete.
"Kars, surrender! You have nowhere left to run!" The members of the Demon Slayer Corps surrounded Kars. Joseph, at their head, pointed at Kars and spoke with righteous conviction.
Although he couldn't shake the strange feeling that he was somehow the villain in this scenario, a battle this easy didn't come along often. Moreover, the man cornered before him was his fated enemy, Kars.
"Hmph. A coward who only knows how to scheme. To think that I, Kars, would be defeated by such a lowly character. It seems even a tiger can be cornered when it leaves the mountains."
Much of the venom faded from his eyes. Kars clutched the arm that had been severed by Hamon. The energy that had thwarted him for so many years was still actively preventing him from regenerating his wound.
However, Kars did not despair or lose his composure now that the Red Stone had been taken from him again. Instead, he observed the crowd before him with extreme calmness.
This was a high-stakes gamble. If he won, he would successfully become the Ultimate Lifeform, kill everyone present, and avenge the fallen Esidisi and Wamuu.
But if he failed, the Clan of Darkness would vanish completely from the river of history, and the so-called Ultimate Lifeform would never exist.
"What's this? A red stone, it's so beautiful!" Picking up the Red Stone of Aja from the ground, the Love Hashira, Mitsuri, examined the perfectly smooth, edgeless gem and let out a sigh of admiration.
Girls tend to like shiny things like gemstones, and the Red Stone of Aja that had landed at her feet was no exception.
"That's the stone Kars was just holding. Is it yours?"
Kujo Jotaro's eyes were hidden by the brim of his hat as he stared at Kars. Star Platinum's vision was so sharp it could make out a mosquito from four hundred meters away, let alone a gem as dazzling as this.
"..." Kars remained silent. He couldn't let them know the true purpose of the stone. That was his only path to victory.
As long as he got that stone, as long as he embedded it into the Stone Mask, he would be victorious. Fate had decreed that he would become the Ultimate Lifeform. It had decreed that he would stand above all other living beings.
Even in this desperate situation, even facing death, he had to seize that one and only final chance. Resolve would blow away all despair, and his resolve had to surpass that of everyone present!
"Kanroji! Watch out for that stone!" A sudden shout shattered Kars's train of thought. The speaker was none other than Joseph Joestar.
"That guy just said something about an 'Ultimate Lifeform'! I didn't hear it clearly, but I'm sure it's related to that stone! In any case, don't let him touch it!!"
Joseph's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Kars's head. He shouldn't have said anything earlier. If Joseph confirmed the stone's importance to him, he would never let him get his hands on it.
Was he going to lose his last chance?
Seeing the Red Stone fall into the hands of a seemingly harmless "ordinary woman," Kars had been planning to risk everything in a final gambit to instantly devour her and seize the stone. But now that they were on alert, launching a surprise attack under so many watchful eyes had become infinitely more difficult.
"It's over. To think that I, Kars, after a lifetime of caution, would stumble at the final step to success?"
"Has the sacrifice of Esidisi and Wamuu lost all meaning?"
Kars repeated these thoughts in his mind, his expression becoming somewhat ferocious, completely at odds with his usually inscrutable image. He was now truly, utterly cornered.
That man named Joseph reacted too quickly. He had determined the stone's importance from a single phrase he had barely even heard.
A surprise attack was now meaningless; it would only be a suicide mission. There were no options left. All he could do was wait for the inevitable arrival of fate!
As he pondered, Kars's expression suddenly changed. It was a look of joyful surprise, of seeing a glimmer of hope. It was a look of pure elation.
"Haha, HAHAHAHA—" His sudden laughter drew everyone's attention. Kars's facial expression was grotesquely exaggerated, as if he had gone mad, without a trace of the unfathomable leader he once was.
This action stunned everyone, both inside and outside the light curtain. Had Kars... lost his mind? What on earth had happened to make him laugh so hysterically?
Before anyone could react, the unexpected—or rather, the fate Kars had been waiting for—occurred!
"Blood Demon Art—Freezing Fog, Bodhisattva of the Sleeping Water Lily!"
BOOM—!!!
A colossal, Bodhisattva-shaped ice statue appeared before the audience. This ice sculpture was even larger and more menacing than the one Douma had created before.
The next moment, a bone-chilling wind swept across the entire area. The ordinary Demon Slayers were frozen in shock by the massive statue. The Hashira and the two JoJos, reacting first, immediately distanced themselves from the sudden ice creation.
Through the frigid wind, Kujo Jotaro used Star Platinum to glimpse a lone figure standing before the body of Upper Rank Two, Douma. It was Shinobu Kocho. Douma's head had been severed, clearly killed by her.
And in his final moments, Douma had used all his remaining power to create a domain of ice that covered everything within a fifty-meter radius. The great Bodhisattva statue stood a full twenty meters tall.
Like a small Titan, the area around it was shrouded in a thick, cold mist. And this... was exactly what Kars needed.
Thank goodness! Thank goodness I didn't kill that annoying demon, but merely knocked him aside. Otherwise, this heaven-sent opportunity would never have fallen into my lap!
Before anyone could react, Kars, who could see perfectly clearly in the cold mist, broke into a hundred-meter dash toward the Love Hashira. The surge of adrenaline made his already cheetah-like speed even faster.
Even the wound on his arm from the Hamon began to heal. Yes, this was fate smiling upon him! If he were not destined to become the Ultimate Lifeform, how could such a one-in-a-million chance present itself now?
"Not good! Kars is after the Red Stone!!" Joseph, who had been keeping a close eye on Kars, shouted. But he was quickly enveloped by the cold wind.
"ORA—!!!" At the critical moment, Star Platinum's roar echoed across the battlefield. Star Platinum the Vacuum Cleaner reappeared, and with a mighty inhale, sucked the vision-obscuring cold air into its lungs.
Meanwhile, the other Hashira were not idle. The Flame, Mist, Wind, and Water Hashira worked in concert to shatter the giant Bodhisattva statue into blocks of ice. Joseph's Hamon delivered the final blow, and under its power, the entire statue dissipated into steam.
With that, Upper Rank Two was well and truly dead. And his death... forged the birth of another, more terrifying being...
---o---
Light Curtain Barrage—
A twist, and another twist! What on earth just happened? Why did Douma release such a massive ice statue before he died? When did his Blood Demon Art get so powerful?
The third-party observers outside the light curtain were completely baffled. Joseph and the others had painstakingly forced Kars into a corner, but now all their efforts were for naught.
Kars was definitely going to take the Red Stone and become the Ultimate Lifeform. This was a huge problem.
Detective Conan: "Dammit! What just happened? Why did Douma suddenly unleash such a huge Blood Demon Art? This isn't scientific!"
Slamming his fist on the table, Conan frowned. The way this all unfolded was far too dramatic, as if it were deliberately orchestrated.
Shinobu Kocho: "It was me. It's my fault. If I hadn't killed Douma in my rage, that ice statue wouldn't have appeared, and Kars wouldn't have gotten the Red Stone. It's all because of me!"
In the Demon Slayer world, Shinobu felt like committing seppuku on the spot. She did hate Douma to her very core, but if she had known that killing him would lead to this, she would never have acted so rashly.
L: "No, that's not right... This is not your fault. Because even without you, Kars would have still obtained the Red Stone. This is not something that can be stopped by human effort... Just as Kars said, standing behind him... is fate!"
In a dark room, a chill ran down L's spine. If Kars was destined to become the Ultimate Lifeform, destined to rule humanity, then how could the JoJos possibly defeat him?
The Overseer of Schicksal: "So this is... the power of fate? Fate decreed that Kars would become the Ultimate Lifeform, so all sorts of 'accidents' would occur to allow him to smoothly obtain the Red Stone. Even if it wasn't Douma, there would have been some other accident to bring about this result."
A look of apprehension in his eyes, Otto wore an unprecedentedly complex expression. If everything was fate... then was Kallen's death also a kind of fate?
---o---
On-screen—
The video continued. By the time the group had dealt with the destruction caused by Douma, Kars had already achieved his goal.
The one known as the Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji, was now held tightly in his embrace. The Red Stone in her hand was gone, obviously taken by Kars.
"Mitsuri!" "Kanroji!" "Lady Love Hashira!!"
Cries of concern sounded, but Mitsuri had no energy to pay them any mind. Kars's strength was too immense. Pinned in his arms, several of her bones had already been broken.
If it weren't for her superhuman constitution, she would have long since passed out from the pain.
"Hahahahaha! You didn't expect this, did you, JoJo? In the end, fate still sided with me, Kars!"
Kars's expression became one of extreme pleasure, so much so that he felt like breaking into song. Under the furious gazes of the crowd, he held Mitsuri Kanroji in his arms.
With a profoundly wicked smile, he lifted Mitsuri, whose bones were nearly one-third shattered, and suddenly touched her green stockings.
"Wiiiinwinwinwin~~~"
While making a pleased sound, his hand began to run up and down Mitsuri Kanroji's thigh.
"KARS!!" This act was the last straw, provoking the fury of everyone present. Needless to say, the Demon Slayers were enraged; Mitsuri was the most straightforward and kind-hearted of the Hashira, and got along well with everyone.
Even Joseph and Jotaro, who had only known her for a short time, held a friendly affection for her. Kars's insulting display made their blood boil.
Seeing the expression he wanted, Kars smiled. The blade on his arm suddenly stabbed toward Mitsuri's feet.
Squish! Blood splattered. The blade pierced straight through Mitsuri Kanroji's foot, and blood dripped down her green stockings.
The crowd's rage reached its absolute peak, their anger becoming unbearable.
Kars, however, coldly tossed Mitsuri's body into the air and kicked her toward the group.
"Kanroji!" The first to catch her was the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku. As her mentor and a brotherly figure, his anger had now reached an intolerable level.
Having lost his hostage, Kars's body was now exposed to everyone. A barrage of powerful attacks descended upon him.
But Kars calmly donned the Stone Mask, now embedded with the Red Stone. He smeared some of the blood from Mitsuri's body onto it. The next moment, Hermit Purple, carrying Hamon, slammed heavily onto the mask.
BOOM— A red light flashed. The activated mask bloomed with a dazzling brilliance.
Seeing this, Kujo Jotaro had no time for other thoughts. He immediately drove Star Platinum forward. Its A-rank power was pushed to the absolute limit as it sent Kars's body flying with a single punch.
Just as he was about to press his advantage, something strange happened to Kars's body!
"Ayiyayiya~~"
The exclusive BGM of the Pillar Men began to play. The tables had turned. Kars... had become the sole victor of this conflict!
His body convulsed as if electrocuted, emitting a dazzling light from all over. His skeleton was clearly visible within. Golden and red light filled the area, so bright that even Star Platinum had to shut its eyes.
Kars's injuries healed at a visible rate. He stood up from the ground, and the Stone Mask, having withstood a tremendous power, shattered into pieces.
---o---
Light Curtain Barrage—
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: "Wh-what happened? Did Kars put on the mask? Has he become the Ultimate Lifeform?"
The art manuscript in her hand hadn't moved for a long time. Eriri had been completely captivated by the screen, and now her heart was in her throat.
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "I... I think so. But there's nothing to be afraid of. Even as the Ultimate Lifeform, he can't beat so many people... probably."
A cold sweat trickled down her cheek. Kars didn't look any different, but a strange sense of dread now enveloped Utaha Kasumigaoka.
Joseph (Old): "Even though I knew it was coming... seeing Kars in that state again... I still can't help but tremble in fear."
In the Stardust Crusaders timeline, Joseph Joestar's prosthetic hand was shaking uncontrollably. Even after so many years, he had clearly never forgotten the terror that Kars had brought.
The Ultimate Lifeform... had been born.
---o---
On-screen—
Kars coldly scanned the crowd before him, his gaze like that of a god looking down upon mortals. Unsure of what had just happened to him, the group dared not make a rash move, their eyes fixed on him.
Ignoring the "little snacks" before him, Kars held out his palm. His hand began to transform, gradually taking the shape of a squirrel.
The squirrel hopped about the quiet battlefield, looking exceptionally lively. The Demon Slayers and the JoJos could only watch this bizarre scene in silence.
The squirrel played for a moment, then sat on the ground, sniffing at something. Suddenly, its eyes turned blood-red. It began to spin in circles, emitting a piercing, teeth-grinding sound.
Kars simply curled his lip into a wicked smile, giving the squirrel a permissive glance.
The next moment, the squirrel shot off like an arrow released from a bow, soaring into the sky toward a room high up in the Infinity Castle!
There seemed to be someone in that room. Seeing the squirrel charge toward them, they tried to use a Blood Demon Art to teleport it away, but the speed of their strumming was no match for the squirrel.
In the next instant, the squirrel burst into the room and began to gnaw on the true controller of the Infinity Castle, the one-eyed demon and Kibutsuji Muzan's direct subordinate—Nakime—as if she were food.
"Aaaargh—!!"
A powerful demon, yet she was no match for a strange squirrel. Soon, Nakime's screams grew fainter, her voice weaker.
She was dead... killed by a creature created by Kars, by a harmless-looking squirrel.
Immediately, the Infinity Castle began to collapse. The entire dimension started to turn illusory. The group supported each other and escaped, reappearing on the outskirts of Asakusa.
"What... what just happened?"
The Wind Hashira, Sanemi, had none of his usual arrogance in his eyes. There was only the fear of an unknown creature.
Kars's hand had turned into a squirrel, and that squirrel had effortlessly killed a demon no weaker than an Upper Rank.
"..." A dead silence fell over the scene. No one answered him. The entire group was now in the grip of a strange, chilling fear.
It was that squirrel again. It fell from the sky, a height that should have been fatal. But... somehow, as it descended, the squirrel suddenly transformed into a small bird, landing on Kars's empty hand.
Next, it became a butterfly, and then from a butterfly, a flower. Kars was continuously demonstrating all the abilities the Ultimate Lifeform should possess.
Finally, his hand returned to its normal form. Kars faced the group, and an invisible pressure spread through the air.
However... this fear did not last long. After so much time had passed in the Infinity Castle, the darkness before dawn had long since passed.
"The sun... it's the sun! The sun is rising!!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, instantly diminishing much of the terrifying atmosphere.
"That's right! Kars is like a demon, he's afraid of the sun! We're saved!!"
Another excited voice broke the silence. The ordinary members of the Demon Slayer Corps were celebrating their salvation.
But they failed to notice the grim expressions on the faces of the two JoJos. Both of them could feel it... that unnatural sense of dread.
The sun rose above the horizon, its golden-red light bathing the earth. The blood of Nakime, Douma, Kokushibo, and all the other demons spilled on the ground evaporated into nothingness under its rays.
The sun is the nemesis of all darkness and evil. Creatures like demons and Pillar Men could never appear under the sunlight. This was a truth the Demon Slayer Corps held as absolute, one that applied even to the Demon King, Kibutsuji Muzan.
There was no demon, vampire, or Pillar Man in this world who could be immune to the sun. No such evil, sun-immune creature could possibly exist.
"..."
"..."
Silence... a dead silence. Not a single sound. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
It was an unbelievable sight. Kars's hair danced in the sunlight. He stood with his back to the sun, like a figure in a beautiful painting. And Kars, the subject of that painting, was reveling in the gentle sunlight.
Kars, the Ultimate Lifeform, with his back to the sun, had cast off his final shackle and was bathing in its light!!!