---o---
A Hashira died right off the bat. Sanemi Shinazugawa wasn't the most popular character among the viewers across the infinite multiverse, mainly because the light curtain hadn't shown his backstory.
But even so, Sanemi was the Wind Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, one of its top combatants. Even if his personality was a bit difficult, he was firmly on the side of humanity.
Moreover, up until now, there hadn't been any casualties among the protagonists. Whether it was the battle of the Infinity Castle or the fight against the Ultimate Lifeform Kars, the Demon Slayer Corps' losses had been negligible.
But in the battle against DIO, a casualty occurred immediately. DIO wasn't necessarily that much stronger than Kars, so why did this happen?
Light Curtain Barrage
Kamisato Ayaka: "Was that... a time stop just now? It seems DIO didn't even summon his Stand to activate it. There was no warning or preparatory motion at all."
In the continent of Teyvat, Kamisato Ayaka frowned. Unlike before, DIO had activated his time stop without any wind-up or warning. This made it much more difficult for Joseph to uncover the secret of The World.
Otto Apocalypse: "Joseph Joestar is an extremely emotional person. In the words of the light curtain, he possesses an incredibly brilliant Golden Spirit. Therefore... killing someone right in front of him is tantamount to a direct provocation."
Noriaki Kakyoin: "Mr. Joestar, please, you have to figure it out! With your abilities, you can definitely do it!"
In the JoJo Part 3 timeline, Noriaki Kakyoin was drenched in a cold sweat. Time stop, such a supremely evil ability, was too unfathomable. Without the light curtain, they would likely all have died within DIO's stopped time.
---o---
Light Curtain
Cradling the rapidly cooling body, Joseph's mind raced even as he seethed with anger.
Something was wrong. Something had been wrong from the very beginning. DIO's position had changed in an instant. He had appeared in a flash at a position roughly ten meters from Sanemi.
How did that happen? How did he suddenly appear there? Could it be that DIO possessed the ability to teleport?
Joseph's mind worked furiously, but DIO wasn't going to give him much time to think.
As if sensing something, Joseph suddenly whipped his head around. DIO was hovering in mid-air, his body wreathed in a golden flame.
"Joseph, now it's your turn!" After saying this, DIO pulled down his collar slightly and continued, "Although my wounds have mostly healed, to fully merge with Jonathan's body, the blood of the Joestar family is still the most suitable, wouldn't you agree?"
Revealing Jonathan's powerful physique, which he was extremely satisfied with, DIO's face was alight with an irrepressible smile.
"DIO!!" Joseph roared, his eyes wide with fury as he pointed at DIO, his voice a soul-shaking interrogation. "You bastard! To heal your own wounds and completely fuse with my grandfather Jonathan's body, just how many people have you eaten!?"
DIO nonchalantly touched the back of his neck, where the star-shaped Joestar birthmark was clearly visible, and asked with an indifferent tone, "Do you remember how many pieces of bread you've eaten in your life?"
This absolute coldness toward life enraged Joseph in the video and the audience outside the light curtain alike. Every one of them wished they could tear DIO to pieces.
At the same time, the Sound and Water Hashira at his side could no longer contain their fury. Whether for Sanemi Shinazugawa or for the lives lost at DIO's hands, DIO had to die today.
But clearly, their actions were futile. Without even needing The World, DIO's own power was enough to casually swat them aside.
Seizing this moment, Joseph continued to ponder the question. "Teleportation is impossible. Otherwise, DIO would have ignored Sanemi and come straight for me. In a close-quarters fight, neither Hermit Purple nor Hamon is a match for DIO."
"He appeared within ten meters of Sanemi almost instantly, with no time difference whatsoever."
"Time difference..."
"Time!" His eyes inadvertently glanced at the hands of a clock on a nearby clock tower, and something exploded in Joseph's mind. That was it! Time! Only time could explain why DIO's movements and appearances were so bizarre.
"So that's how it is! It's incredible, but after eliminating all other possibilities, whatever remains, no matter how absurd, must be the correct answer!"
"I have to... I have to tell Jotaro and the others this secret." At that moment, Joseph's heart was filled with an urgent and anxious feeling. "If I don't tell them, everyone will lose this fight!"
"No one can stop me now, Joseph Joestar! Die!!" DIO, having finished off the remaining two Hashira, shouted with a hint of excitement and charged toward Joseph.
It was at that very moment that Joseph's Hermit Purple shot forward, binding DIO's body as the power of Hamon quickly spread along the Stand.
Faced with this, DIO showed no hint of nervousness. Hamon was an old trick, no longer suited for the current era. "Hamon is an old relic, Joseph! Your Stand is the most useless of all!"
With a powerful wrench, DIO tore free of Hermit Purple. Without a moment's hesitation, Joseph turned and fled.
The top priority was to tell Jotaro and the others the secret of The World. He had to be fast, as fast as possible. DIO's time stop definitely had a time limit. Though he didn't know exactly how many seconds it was, the further away he was, the better!
"ZA WARUDO!!" DIO opened his mouth wide and shouted with his arms raised.
The next instant, a golden fist shot toward Joseph's head. Clearly, DIO had used time stop once again!
In a panic, Joseph used Hermit Purple and Hamon to block, but how could he possibly defend against The World, with its A-rank power and speed?
Just like Sanemi Shinazugawa before him, Joseph's body was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, tumbling to the side.
---o---
Light Curtain Barrage
Caesar Zeppeli: "Hey, hey, you've got to be kidding me! There's no way Joseph could die that easily! That guy is the man who exiled a god!"
As Joseph's best friend, Caesar stared in disbelief at Joseph's nearly blood-soaked figure. Taking a direct punch from The World and then falling from a height of twenty meters... any normal person would be dead.
Lisa Lisa: "Joseph... he can't die that easily. He just uncovered the secret of The World. Fate wouldn't let him die just like that."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "Based on his usual antics, he must be playing dead right now. How could justice possibly lose to evil?"
Otto Apocalypse: "Fate will not allow Joseph to exit the stage so simply. At the very least, not until he has passed the information to Jotaro..."
---o---
"Old... Old man!"
Light Curtain. Just as the audience outside had guessed, Joseph's destiny was not yet over. And as luck would have it, he had landed in a spot not far from Jotaro.
Jotaro Kujo saw Joseph's injuries and immediately rushed to his side.
"Jotaro!?" Joseph was both happy and surprised. Happy to see his grandson, and surprised that his incredible luck had once again saved his life, having him fall right in front of Jotaro.
But this was no time to be surprised. DIO was still behind them. He would definitely come for his blood.
"Old man, your injuries... was it DIO?" Seeing the blood-covered Joseph, Jotaro's expression grew darker and darker, his fists clenching so hard they audibly cracked.
"Oho, so Jotaro has come as well? All the blood needed for my ascension to Heaven has arrived!"
"But don't be in such a hurry. After Joseph is dead, it will be your turn, Jotaro!"
DIO approached unhurriedly from behind Joseph, his body wrapped in golden flames, looking immensely powerful.
At that moment, Joseph felt a sense of dread. Without any further preamble, he told Jotaro his discovery.
"Jotaro! The secret of DIO's Stand is time! It's a Stand that can stop time, you have to be careful!!!"
Joseph had never spoken with such urgency, such speed, in his life. The instant the words left his mouth, DIO completed his arm-raising incantation and called forth his Stand.
"ZA! WARUDO!!!"
"VMMMMMMM!!!!!"
With DIO's shout, a powerful shockwave, like that of a nuclear bomb, erupted from him as the epicenter, instantly sweeping over the surroundings.
As if a pause button had been pressed, the people walking on the street, the moving traffic, the birds in flight—all froze in an instant. The entire world turned grey!!!
And in this paused world, only DIO retained his original golden color, elegantly descending from the air to the ground.
"From only being able to stop time for an instant at the beginning, to now that the wound on my neck has healed, the duration has slowly increased."
"Five seconds. I can still only stop time for five seconds!"
DIO walked unhurriedly toward Joseph. When a pedestrian blocked his path, he simply waved a hand and killed them.
DIO touched his neck, his pace quickening slightly.
"Although five seconds is not nearly enough for me, it is more than enough to kill you all."
"And sooner or later, this duration will grow longer."
"Ten seconds, one minute, ten minutes, an hour!"
"Until I can control time as I please!!"
DIO now stood before Joseph.
He looked at Joseph's neck as if he could see the exciting blood within. This was the bloodline of the Joestars, the blood of Jonathan's descendant. Absorbing this blood would surely allow him to achieve the most perfect fusion with Jonathan's body!
DIO smiled and clenched his hand, forming a knife-hand to chop at Joseph's neck. The speed was so great it broke the sound barrier.
But just as blood was about to spurt, DIO suddenly stopped his hand.
"I almost forgot. Joseph is still using Hamon all over his body. The full-body Hamon allowed him to miraculously survive a punch from my Stand, The World."
"But while Hamon was troublesome for me a hundred years ago, now..."
"Hmph."
DIO smirked. He was one to favor the new and discard the old. Now that he had The World, things like the Vaporizing Freezing Technique and the Space Ripper Stingy Eyes were things of the past. Of course... so was Hamon, which had once been considered the greatest threat.
"In the face of my Za Warudo, everything is useless!"
"Swoosh!"
DIO pulled a small knife from his clothes, the joyful arc of his lips widening.
"MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!!!!!"
DIO raised the small knife high, shouting a string of incantations before forcefully throwing the blade at Joseph.
"VMM!"
The sharp knife stopped right in front of Joseph's throat.
"Jonathan's grandson, Joseph! Now you will surely die!!" With his arms crossed, DIO looked utterly confident, as if he could already see Joseph collapsing to the ground the moment time resumed.
He slowly turned his back on Joseph, then looked at Jotaro, who was walking toward them, and raised a single finger.
"One second left."
"Zero."
His finger curled into a fist, his face bearing a wicked and joyous smile.
As DIO's characteristic voice faded, the paused world instantly began to flow again. The entire world regained its color.
The few humans DIO had casually killed died on the spot. Likewise, the sharp knife that had been poised at Joseph's throat plunged directly into it.
In an instant, blood splattered! Joseph let out a cry of pain and collapsed, the light in his eyes instantly beginning to dim.
"OLD MAN!"
Seeing Joseph suddenly stabbed in the throat, Jotaro's pupils throbbed violently. His mind felt as if it had been struck by lightning, going completely blank.
"Don't... don't come here... Run... run, Jotaro."
"Don't get near that guy... keep... your distance!"
"Stay... away from him... stay away... you can't... win."
Desperately trying to convey a final message to Jotaro, the purple thorns wrapped around Joseph's body began to fade, his Hamon becoming erratic.
He had reached his limit. Like a light bulb burning out, the purple thorns withered and turned to ash. At the same time, the sacred light of Hamon ceased to flow.
Joseph... was dead.
"Hmph."
Hearing the commotion behind him, DIO's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
Jotaro's face was as dark as it could be, his eyes like daggers stabbing straight at DIO. If looks could kill, DIO would have been killed countless times by now.
Seeing the silent Jotaro, DIO laughed and stretched his neck. "Now there are no more Hamon users in this world. It seems I, DIO, have become completely invincible. At this rate, I might be able to finish you all off before I even ascend to Heaven."
At this, the smile on DIO's lips widened again. He then pointed at Jotaro Kujo and said:
"You're next..."
"Jotaro!!"
---o---
Author's note:
PS: I was tormented by a group project today. Group projects are definitely the most disgusting thing about university.