*Huff... huff...*
"Hahahahaha!!!"
A maniacal, triumphant laughter rang out from the rooftop of the skyscraper. Having finished drinking every last drop of Diavolo's blood, DIO felt his entire being ascending to a new, higher plane of existence.
"Yes... this is the feeling! This is the power!"
He habitually pressed a finger to his temple, his grin wide and predatory as he savored the surge of vitality. DIO's mood was nothing short of magnificent.
Before Yoshikage Kira had triggered [Bites the Dust], DIO's soul had entered a "Spectator State" due to his defeat at Jotaro's hands.
It was a stroke of incredible fortune. By existing in that detached observation phase, he had been granted a perspective that remained untouched by the subsequent temporal reset. He had seen everything with absolute clarity.
"These fools... they understand nothing."
"Everything in this world carries a price."
"To toy with the flow of time so recklessly... it is a display of the most profound ignorance!"
DIO had observed every nuance of Yoshikage Kira's strategy.
Furthermore, he had witnessed the clash between Berserker and Lancer. He had seen the intricate interplay of powers that had defined the "Lost" hour.
To be dragged back into the "Match" after being disqualified was a delicious irony that wasn't lost on him.
While his physical body had regressed to its previous state, his soul had retained the awareness gained during his time as a spectator.
In other words... DIO possessed a complete, unfragmented memory of the future.
This was why he held such contempt for men like Kira. The act of resetting time while your enemies were still technically "Watching" was a blunder of catastrophic proportions.
It meant those who were "Watching" could analyze every tactical mistake and refine their approach with the benefit of perfect hindsight.
In DIO's eyes, it was the ultimate failure of judgment.
"Hmph. Those wretches are likely still basking in their own perceived cleverness, aren't they?"
"They believe they've escaped disaster..."
"When in reality, they've only succeeded in opening a Pandora's Box that will eventually consume them."
Kira clearly wasn't the first to attempt a temporal regression. DIO recalled several "Glitches" in his perception throughout the morning that suggested multiple manipulators were active in Morioh.
"Time..."
"What an extravagant luxury it is for me."
"It is as if the heavens themselves have rolled out a crimson carpet to herald my inevitable triumph."
Consumed by a surge of dark excitement, DIO withdrew his hand and tossed the desiccated remains of Diavolo aside as if the man were nothing more than a used napkin.
To him, the Master of [King Crimson] had served his primary purpose. He was "Bread" to be consumed, a source of sustenance that allowed the predator to reach a higher level of manifestation.
Their alliance had been built on the fragile foundation of mutual survival, but the previous timeline had proven the arrangement was worthless.
Whether Diavolo lived or died was entirely inconsequential to the final outcome.
The man was functionally useless in a conflict dominated by those who could stop time. He lacked the fundamental "Awareness" required to survive a direct engagement with [The World] or [Star Platinum].
If that was the case, his life force was far more valuable as a catalyst for DIO's evolution.
"A power that manipulates others... Diavolo's experience looked more like a mental illusion."
"Hmph. Interesting."
Recalling the man's final, terrified moments, DIO had gained a rough understanding of the abilities possessed by Kira's Servant.
A bold, ambitious idea began to take shape in his mind.
"Yoshikage Kira... Caster... Assassin."
"I'll deal with you one by one."
"And finally... Jotaro!"
He catalogued the time-manipulating threats he had identified so far, his expression twisting into a cold, dangerous smile.
His figure blurred and vanished from the rooftop, leaving behind only the leathery husk of a man whose identity would likely never be known by the world.
***
"I'm telling you... can you please stop hovering over me?"
Accelerator lay back against the hospital bed, his voice dripping with irritation as he glared at the translucent figure of Yuuki Konno.
"Eh? You're not even a little bit curious?"
Yuuki floated beside him, her head tilted to the side as she studied his expression. She felt as though the script for their interaction had been changed without her knowledge.
Shouldn't he be asking her how she became a ghost? Or why they was suddenly back in the hospital?
"Tch."
Accelerator reached for a volume of *Dragon Ball* he had acquired from a nearby newsstand and tossed it onto the bedside table. He then activated his spirit form and began to phase through the wall toward the intensive care unit.
"Hey!"
Yuuki called after him, but her voice went unheeded.
By utilizing his spiritual manifestation to bypass the hospital staff, Accelerator reached the room where Yuuki's physical body was kept. He extended his left hand, resting it gently on her pale forehead.
"?"
Yuuki watched the scene in silence, her confusion deepening as she studied the man's intense focus.
'Manipulating the virus cells at a micro-level isn't the problem... but if I extract them, the damage left behind is something her regular physiology can't repair.'
'She's not like those clones back home. She's a normal human through and through.'
He wasn't ignoring Yuuki; he was systematically scanning her internal biology, identifying the structure and location of the [MIV] virus that was ravaging her system.
Her immune system was practically non-existent. Without intervention, it was only a matter of time before her condition spiraled into terminal failure. Even its absolute mastery over the vectors of her blood and cells couldn't "Create" a healthy outcome from a foundation of decay.
A memory of his confrontation with Kid Goku from the "Future" timeline flashed across his mind.
That "Repairing" fist... that specific energy that could restore the original state of an object...
That was the missing piece of the puzzle.
Josuke Higashikata.
That was the name of the Master with the strange, structural hair.
Accelerator knew he couldn't simply ask those people for help. He wasn't a man who relied on the goodwill of others.
Therefore...
He would find a way to "Acquire" that ability for himself. If he could use Miyu's method to channel Josuke's power, he was certain he could achieve a perfect "Cure" for Yuuki.
He would extract the virus, then use the [Fixing] ability to systematically rebuild her body into its healthy, "Normal" state.
With his computational power and that specific restorative ability, even a terminal illness would be nothing more than a solvable equation.
'First, I need to make sure those people are in a position where they have to cooperate...'
He knew that a direct, reckless approach like the one he took in the last timeline would only lead to another stalemate. He needed to be surgical. He needed to be calculated.
"Is it possible... you have memories of what happened before the reset?"
Yuuki watched his shifting expressions and finally voiced the question that had been gnawing at her.
After all, his behavior was beyond suspicious.
The moment the world regressed, Yuuki was simply relieved that Accelerator was safe. But instead of the usual brooding or confusion, the man had immediately gone out and secured a specific manga volume.
It was a complete departure from the person she had come to know.
He hadn't even shown a flicker of curiosity about her existence as a soul.
There was only one logical explanation.
"Hmph. You only just realized it?"
"Your reaction speed is abysmal."
Accelerator looked at the talkative girl, his head tilting to the side as he delivered the dismissive reply.
"Ah! How did you do it?!"
Yuuki was practically vibrating with questions.
She understood that her status as a soul might have granted her immunity to the temporal reset, but how had a materialized Servant like him managed to retain his memories?
"..."
Accelerator didn't bother to answer. He simply turned and walked through the door.
At the moment of the recoil, he had been in a state of "Death," his soul already transitioning into the spectator phase. He had been pulled back at the exact moment he achieved a higher perspective.
Just like DIO... he had crossed the threshold of time with his consciousness intact.
Thinking of this, a thin, dangerous smile touched Accelerator's lips.
The people who toyed with time... they never anticipated the horrific "Retribution" that would eventually find them.
***
*BANG!*
'!'
'?'
Jotaro and Rohan kicked open the door to the rooftop, their senses on high alert. They expected to find the colossal, crimson figure of DIO looming over them in the morning light.
But the platform was empty.
"Yuuya says the scent ends right here."
"Hey... there's a body over there."
"His blood has been completely drained. This is definitely DIO's work!"
Rohan and Jotaro looked down at the leathery husk of the man on the ground. Rohan was absolutely certain that this body hadn't been here in the previous timeline.
As they watched the Command Spells on the man's hand begin to fade away into spiritual dust, the realization hit them both with the force of a hammer.
"Has that monster... really gone as far as to murder his own Master?"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]