---o---
Light Curtain Barrage
That was a satisfying punch. A punch that truly resonated with the audience outside the light curtain.
They had long wanted to see DIO slammed to the ground and pummeled. Setting aside everything else, the unspeakable acts DIO had committed were enough for him to die countless times over.
Argenti of the Knights of Beauty: "Ah, by the Goddess Idrila, that hideous creature has finally been punished! May he die swiftly!!"
The red-haired knight knelt on one knee, praying to the god in his heart. Aesthetically speaking, DIO wasn't ugly; in fact, he could be considered handsome. But in Argenti's eyes, to use "beauty" to describe DIO was a blasphemy against the Aeon of Beauty, Idrila. Judging by his actions, DIO couldn't be more grotesque.
A Certain Consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor: "The tables have turned. Even with a vampire's body, a punch to the head like that is definitely no small matter. DIO has been cornered."
That one punch shattered his entire skull. As expected, Star Platinum had been continuously growing ever since it first encountered DIO. Perhaps this too was the work of so-called fate. Just as Hermit Purple evolved when facing Kars, Joseph's fated rival was Kars, and Jotaro's was DIO.
Yukino Yukinoshita: "DIO is a man blessed by great fortune. He shouldn't be defeated this easily, especially since he hasn't ascended to Heaven as fate supposedly dictates. Although I know it's unlikely, I hope Jotaro can seize this opportunity and finish DIO off for good."
Otto Apocalypse: "Judging from the battle between Kars and Joseph, it will be very difficult for Jotaro to do so. Even if he holds nothing back, he will miss his chance due to all sorts of coincidences."
Such is the nature of fate. Jotaro, DIO, Joseph and Kars, and even the members of the Demon Slayer Corps—they are all slaves to destiny, unable to break free from their predetermined paths.
---o---
Light Curtain
"Finally."
Jotaro recalled Star Platinum. He clutched his own arm, looking at the flying figure of DIO, his tone serious. "Finally, I landed a punch on his head."
"But that bastard DIO is a monster who survived at the bottom of the sea for a hundred years. He shouldn't die just like that. I can't let my guard down yet."
As he said this, Jotaro glanced to the side, where two barrels happened to be placed, as if to collect water.
"CRASH—!!!"
DIO landed heavily on the ground, blood streaming from his head. He glared at Jotaro with terrifying eyes, clutching his bleeding head as he spoke in a chilling voice, "D-Dammit... I'll kill you!!!"
His voice filled with rage, DIO tried to stand, but as he moved to get up, he collapsed to the side.
His brain was damaged and couldn't recover immediately. Half of DIO's bodily functions had failed, leaving him in a pathetic state.
Looking down at his own legs, DIO's voice was tinged with panic. "Wh-What is this? How can this be? My legs... my legs have no strength. I can't stand up."
"My head is killing me... I-I feel like throwing up. What a joke! Me, the great DIO, feeling nauseous!"
"My head is damaged, and I can't even stand."
He felt a profound sense of crisis welling up from the depths of his being. In his current state, he couldn't fight at all. Jotaro could kill him with ease.
Dammit! The information he'd just received had made him arrogant. He should have dealt with Jotaro before celebrating. In any case, he had to think of something now.
As DIO thought this, gasoline suddenly poured down on him, making him look even more wretched.
Jotaro slowly walked over. He looked at DIO and said calmly, "I'm dousing you in gasoline so I can find you by the smell. I know it's a bit cruel to beat a dog when it's down..."
"No, my conscience is perfectly clear."
Tossing the empty gasoline can aside, Jotaro looked at the pathetic DIO. "Because of you, the old man, and countless other innocent people are dead."
As he finished speaking, Jotaro took out a lighter and, without another word, flicked it on, clearly intending to set DIO ablaze. Even for a vampire, being set on fire couldn't be a pleasant feeling.
"Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!"
Just as Jotaro was about to make his move, DIO burst into wild laughter.
It was this laughter that made Jotaro hesitate for a moment, causing him to miss his chance.
A car was approaching from down the street. DIO threw his arms open and shouted, "ZA WARUDO!!"
Instantly, time stopped. The entire world turned grey and white, and everything was frozen in place.
"!!!"
The moment he saw the car, Jotaro's eyes widened slightly, and he took a quick step forward.
But it was too late. The moment DIO shouted "Za Warudo," time had completely stopped. Although Jotaro could move slightly in the stopped time, it was only for an instant.
"There... as long as I can get there." DIO began to move, crawling toward the car, looking exceptionally pathetic.
Hooking his fingers onto the edge of the car's trunk, a smile appeared on DIO's lips.
"Time, flow once more!"
DIO shouted, and time resumed. Color returned to the world, and the speeding vehicle carried him away.
"That bastard... was he able to hear the car coming even while lying on the ground?"
"He's thorough, I'll give him that, but..."
Jotaro's eyes grew cold. He slowly reached up and pulled a throwing knife from his shoulder.
"I'm not letting you get away this time!"
"ORA—!!"
Star Platinum suddenly appeared. It leaned back, pulling its leg far behind it like a fully drawn bowstring, and then hurled the knife in its hand.
With A-rank precision and A-rank power, the throwing knife shot off like a bullet, accurately striking the car's rear tire.
PFFT!!!
The car instantly skidded, and the sudden force threw DIO from the back.
Having failed to escape, DIO looked around and saw a manhole cover. His expression was like that of a starving wolf seeing a tender lamb, saliva practically dripping from his mouth.
"As long as... as long as I can get there!"
DIO laboriously placed his hand on the cover, hooked his fingers under the edge, and slowly mustered what little strength he had left.
"Creaaak..."
The manhole cover moved. The smile on DIO's face vanished instantly.
Beneath the cover, Jotaro was pointing a finger at him, an invincible look on his face.
"It's already occupied. You can't escape."
DIO was completely dumbfounded. He had seen this move before. When he used the Stone Mask to become a vampire, Jonathan's father had suddenly appeared in the same way to block a blow meant for his son.
Unlike DIO, who had seen this before, the audience outside the light curtain was utterly baffled.
When did that happen? DIO had already flown a good distance away. How did Jotaro suddenly appear under the manhole cover?
Before the audience could comment, Jotaro emerged from the manhole and stood before DIO, looking down on him with contempt.
"DIO... you're finished."
DIO's pupils trembled. He clenched his fist and suddenly shouted.
"ZA WARU—!!"
He couldn't even finish the word before Star Platinum's sandbag-sized fist crashed into his face.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA!!!!!"
The first punch landed, and then a storm of fists rained down. Countless afterimages of punches overlapped, giving him no time to react.
DIO's body was relentlessly hammered by the ORA barrage. Soon, he was covered in wounds, his entire body soaked in blood. Each punch left a crater, so deep you could see the scenery behind him through his body. It was a terrifying sight, but this time, the audience felt no disgust, only a profound sense of satisfaction. After all, the one getting beaten was DIO.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA!!!"
"ORA!!!!!!"
BOOM!!! With a final punch, Jotaro sent DIO flying.
DIO's blood sprayed through the air. His clothes were in tatters, riddled with holes.
Only a vampire could survive this. Any normal person would have been dead several times over, but DIO was merely heavily injured, still having the strength to speak.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
"You fell for it, Jotaro!! This was my escape route!"
"You're still too green to match wits with the great DIO! Do you remember this road?!"
Hearing this, Jotaro's mind felt like it had been struck by lightning. He froze and looked around.
"You bastard!" His body trembled slightly, as if he had just remembered something terrible. "You bastard!" he roared in fury.
The veins on his clenched fists bulged, and his expression became contorted. He was clearly enraged beyond measure by DIO's actions.
With a sickening slurping sound, DIO, having shed his jacket, saw his body swell up. His injuries healed in an instant, and his lips turned a strange green. As Joseph's body shriveled, DIO spoke with glee. "That's right! This was my escape route, all planned out so I could drink the blood of Joseph Joestar!"
Finished, DIO stood up. He looked at Jotaro, stroking his chin. "Just as I expected, Joseph's blood is a perfect match!!"
"The blood of the Joestars is simply too compatible." DIO's tone was ecstatic. He raked his fingers through his hair, drawing blood, as if he were completely high.
Finally, DIO stopped clawing at his head. He looked at Jotaro with pure joy and said, "Jotaro Kujo! Do you believe in gravity?"
"Gravity?" Jotaro started walking forward. He didn't want to hear another word from DIO. Right now, he just wanted to smash DIO's goddamn head in.
"That's right." Completely ignoring the enraged Jotaro, DIO continued joyfully. "There is an attraction between people!"
"I can feel it! It's fate! Fate is pushing me toward the place I am meant to be! Yes... that is Heaven! The gates of Heaven are opening for me!!"
He was rambling, acting as if drinking blood was like taking a drug. DIO's current behavior was too bizarre, spewing nonsense that Jotaro couldn't understand at all.
"Hey! Jotaro!" DIO shouted, then reached out his hand and plunged it into Joseph's body. The already shriveled corpse was now left with nothing but a layer of skin.
"You... you BASTARD!!!" Seeing this, Jotaro's rage meter maxed out.
"Sucked dry," DIO continued to smile, as if he had just done something completely trivial.
Jotaro clenched his fists and charged at DIO. "Before, the old man warned me not to be rash," he shouted as he ran. "But how could I possibly do that!"
"No one could see this and remain calm!!!"
"This is the final round, Jotaro," DIO's cold voice rang out as time began to stop.
"One second has passed! Two seconds! Three seconds! Four seconds..." DIO counted as he approached Jotaro.
"VMM!"
As DIO counted to four, Star Platinum emerged from Jotaro and began to fight with The World.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA!!!"
After a brief clash, both Star Platinum and Jotaro froze.
"Five seconds have passed!"
DIO smiled, and then he continued to count. "Six seconds have passed!"
"!!!" When the sixth second was announced, Jotaro's eyes widened. It wasn't just his Star Platinum... DIO's The World... was also evolving!
In the world of stopped time, Jotaro frantically looked around, but he had lost sight of DIO.
"Seven seconds have passed!"
No one knew where DIO had gone. In the empty world, only Jotaro remained, his face a mask of anger and terror.
"Seven seconds have passed! The power is still flowing into me! I can continue to stop time!!"
Appearing suddenly from somewhere, DIO was once again in front of Jotaro, taunting him.
"By the way, Jotaro, you shouldn't be able to move anymore, right?"
"I imagine you were planning to settle this in the two seconds before time resumed, but your plan has gone awry."
At this, DIO spoke with great delight. "Mmmhmm This feeling is just too wonderful! So wonderful I feel like bursting into song!"
"Eight seconds have passed! Not even a hundred years ago, when I achieved immortality..." DIO inserted his fingers into his own temples, his voice filled with pleasure. "...did I ever feel such a pleasant and exhilarating sensation."
"Joestar blood is just too perfect! Saikō ni hai tte yatsu da! (This is the greatest high!)"
"Nine seconds have passed! I've stopped time for nine seconds!!" DIO circled Jotaro. "However, the maximum time I can stop for now is only nine seconds."
The World appeared. It unleashed a barrage of punches on Jotaro's body, sending him flying.
It was at that moment, as DIO was at the height of his power, that the time of the new moon arrived. The stars in the sky returned to their proper positions.
And DIO had prepared everything. The ascension to a state beyond Heaven... was about to begin!
---o---
Author's note:
PS: Thank you for waiting. The next chapter will be "Surpassing Heaven." I'm a new author, so please support me, qwq.
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