Three years had passed.
Leo—or rather, Jonathan—was no longer a child.
Now fifteen, he stood tall, his body sculpted like marble.
To the world, he was the noble heir of the Joestar family.
Since the market incident, the world had slowly begun to bend.
Not with explosions.
Not with chaos.
But through omitted words, adjusted reactions, and restrained emotions.
Dio still lived under the same roof.
But his influence had waned.
George still praised him—but less often, and with less warmth.
The servants whispered, "JoJo has matured wonderfully," and, "Master Dio's eyes seem darker every day."
Leo knew.
Everything was going according to plan.
Over those years, he had trained.
He learned to use his Stand passively—altering subtle reactions in real time.
He tweaked a judge's emotion to absolve an innocent villager.
Changed a dying thief's last words to incriminate the right accomplice.
Even tampered with one of George's dreams, leaving him paranoid about "a betrayal in his own home."
[Extended Editing Skill: Unlocked]
[Influence Duration: Up to 15 seconds per scene]
[Target: Secondary characters or simple narrative environments]
But it still wasn't enough.
Because his true goal—his final trial—still breathed under the same roof.
Dio.
[File "DIO BRANDO" — Comprehension: 99.98%]
[Status: On the verge of activating the Stone Mask]
[Condition for full absorption: Eliminate before contact with the mask]
Leo stood in his room, staring into the mirror.
His Stand watched him from the reflection:
a humanoid figure cloaked in floating text, eyes like broken seals from sacred manuscripts.
"It's time, isn't it?" Leo whispered.
The system replied:
Yes. Tonight, Dio will test the mask's power. If you stop him now… the file will be yours. Complete. Pure.
Leo drew a dagger hidden in the false bottom of his desk.
An exact replica of the one Dio used in his first real murder in canon.
Poetic.
"And if I fail?"
Then the vampire will be born… and everything will spiral out of control.
Leo closed his eyes.
He saw everything he'd achieved.
Every corrected scene. Every diverted emotion. Every thread of fate snipped and rewoven with care.
And yet…
To steal Dio's power, he would have to do what Dio had done.
Kill without mercy. Steal his story. Take his place. His identity.
Would he become the victim…
or the next monster?
He didn't hesitate.
He hid the dagger beneath his cloak and descended through the mansion's hidden passages.
The night was silent.
Dio was already in the cellar.
The Mask in hand.
The hidden documents read.
Leo had to reach him before any blood was spilled.
[Initiating operation: Theft of Divine Identity]
[Target: Dio Brando. Estimated time: 22:46]
And for the first time since arriving in this world…
the system fell silent.
From here on, it was all up to him.