At this moment, in a room a hundred meters away from the hotel, a dark-skinned man sat cross-legged on the ground.
The man's eyes were tightly closed, one end of his diamond-studded cane resting on the floor, the other held to his ear, his head tilted in a listening posture.
His name was Endor—a man born blind. His childhood had been nothing but a series of humiliations and discrimination.
But what he lacked in sight, his other senses overcompensated for. Every insult, every blow, every ounce of malice from those around him was etched deep into his memory, as vivid as sight itself.
Until one day, he discovered a power within him—fluid, adaptable, yet sharper than any blade known to man.
And with that blade, he silenced the voices that mocked him.
He fled his hometown, and from that day forward, his only companion was this mysterious, flowing power.
Over time, he honed his hearing to an extraordinary level. Sitting still, he could hear sounds from over four kilometers away, weaving entire scenes in his mind based solely on those vibrations.
This gift allowed him to survive his aimless, drifting life. And by "survive," that meant doing whatever it took—morals be damned.
The places he passed through were rife with crime, suffering, and darkness.
And then, one day, he met him.
Though Endor could not see, he felt that presence—the raw power, the depth, the terrifying beauty radiating from that man.
Dio.
The first person in the world to recognize his worth.
From that day, Endor swore loyalty to Dio—an oath to become his blade, to carve down all obstacles, no matter the cost.
And now, in the basement of a hotel just a hundred meters away, a group of thieves dared to scheme against Dio.
Endor had tracked this group two days prior. His orders were to observe. Nothing more.
But when he heard them plotting to ally with others to challenge Dio, the cold killing intent in his heart became uncontrollable.
He knew Dio's focus was on Jotaro and his companions—this pitiful gathering of "kindred spirits" wasn't worth Dio's concern.
But Endor would allow no threat, no matter how small, to linger near his master.
He made up his mind: once the so-called Wizard they mentioned arrived, they would all die.
Night fell. Endor sat cross-legged on the ground, connecting his cane to the earth to amplify distant sounds.
And then, he released his Stand.
Geb.
A manifestation of water, able to cut down enemies through high-speed, fluid movement. As long as Endor could "see" through sound, Geb could strike anywhere.
The moment the man appeared within his soundscape, Endor's temples throbbed—a sharp, inescapable unease gripped him.
And when that man casually pointed out the presence of hidden enemies, the feeling intensified, tightening around his chest like a steel cable.
But this was his only chance. Endor commanded Geb to strike.
Yet the situation spiraled beyond his control.
His first target was the newcomer—the one radiating such suffocating danger.
But just as he prepared to attack, that man vanished from his soundscape. Completely gone.
Endor's heart skipped a beat.
Only those who could utterly suppress all sound—their breathing, their heartbeat—could evade him this way.
His Stand's ability was exposed.
But he did not retreat.
The enemy would never suspect his true body was concealed a full hundred meters away. His Stand, composed of water, was nearly invulnerable to conventional attacks.
He had the advantage.
As expected, the group in the basement struggled against Geb. Even when some clever ones realized Geb hunted through sound, they were helpless. The environment—a closed-off basement—was his battlefield.
Geb could manipulate echoes, vibrations—impossible to avoid.
Just as he prepared to tap the walls to map the scene, a sharp sound echoed directly into his ear.
A throat being cleared—deafening as thunder in his heightened hearing.
A new image flooded his mind. The faint outline of a man—smirking.
The silence had been shattered.
Instinctively, Endor lashed out with Geb.
But as Geb closed in, a flood of dread surged through him. The malicious aura radiating from that man enveloped him—suffocating, heavy, like the taunts and beatings from his brutal childhood.
His stomach twisted; his lungs felt crushed beneath an unseen weight.
Then, a sharp tearing sound sliced through the air.
The final image in his mind: a long, scaled figure coiled in the shadows.
A few seconds later, the faint rush of air heralded a new arrival beside Endor's lifeless body.
Oka appeared, crouching beside the corpse.
Next to the fallen man, a beautiful, serpent-like creature coiled, wings fluttering softly as it chirped—seeking praise from its master.
"Good girl, Luna. Nicely done."
Kai Adler reached into his pocket, only to pause.
Wrong coat—Oka's clothes. Of course, no snacks in these.
Instead, he knelt, gently stroking Luna's elegant neck. "I'll get you something special when we get back, alright?"
"Chirp!"
Luna ruffled her wings indignantly—this lady does not work for free.
Kai chuckled, unfazed. "Will you go find Hermione now?"
"Chirp!"
In a flash of violet light, Luna vanished into the darkness—chasing the promise of food.
Kai straightened, turning his sharp gaze back to the corpse.
"So predictable," he muttered under his breath.
When he'd sensed a nearby Stand User, of course, he hadn't waited passively. And thankfully, Luna—a four-star magical beast—had been napping on his wrist the entire time.
The rest had played out exactly as planned.
Wake Luna with magic. Send her scouting through the shadows. Pay her in snacks to locate the Stand User's main body.
Luna, intelligent beyond her species, had executed flawlessly.
After all, no ordinary person—regardless of abilities—could withstand a direct strike from a creature like Luna.
Kai flicked his wand, rolling the body onto its back.
His eyebrow arched in recognition.
The blind man Hermione had accidentally bumped into earlier at the hotel entrance.
Coincidence? Or planned from the start?
No matter. He would know soon enough.
He had Apparated here for a reason.
The human brain lingers in activity for several moments after death—and within those fleeting seconds, the soul remains tethered to the flesh.
Plenty of time for Legilimency.
And the Stand User lying before him had certainly never been subjected to a Soul-Locking Curse.
Wand raised, Kai cast the spell.
Memories—fragmented and raw—spilled into his mind.
After a moment, Kai exhaled slowly.
Expected… yet troubling.
Jotaro and his group were closing in, tracking this circle of Stand Users.
But it was their leader—Dio—who unsettled him most.
Time Stop.
Kai's eyes narrowed, mind already calculating the battles ahead.