The world had turned gray.
Time stood still.
But—
Logan and Star Platinum's fists kept moving.
"What?!"
Dio shouted in disbelief.
Never, not once, had he imagined that anyone could move in a world where time itself had stopped.
Even more shocking was that this person—a Ripple and Stand user—could do so.
The fists of Star Platinum and The World collided midair, sending violent gusts spiraling outward. The wind whipped through Logan's hair, revealing a pair of unwavering, resolute eyes.
Dio and Logan locked gazes.
The gray-and-white world, once frozen in silence, now thrummed with raw tension. All Dio could see was a fist drawing ever closer, the force of destiny written behind it in bold letters—
"DIE!"
Boom!
Logan's punch landed squarely on Dio's face.
Dio was sent flying, crashing through a nearby building. Bricks and stone crumbled under the impact, debris raining down around him. And yet—suspended in midair—he remained frozen under the effects of the time-stop.
One moment. One punch.
That was all Logan had before his movement within Dio's frozen world came to an end.
The grayscale world remained unmoved. Time had yet to resume, and everything hung in cold, deathly silence.
But then—
"Ohhh—"
A laugh broke through the stillness.
A faint wisp of white vapor curled in the air, unnatural amidst the oppressive heat of Cairo.
Boom!
Dio burst out from under the rubble, standing tall once more.
A thick layer of ice coated his forehead—frost that had materialized from nothing, acting as a shield to absorb Logan's Ripple-infused attack.
"Vaporization Freezing Technique."
Dio's chilling signature move. A century ago, he had used it to battle Jonathan Joestar, the brilliant Ripple user.
"Pitiful! Pitiful!"
The ice over Dio's face cracked and shattered, flakes falling like snow. He glanced toward Logan's gradually freezing arm and sneered.
"So this is it. The Ripple user… eliminated, like a forgotten relic! Idiot!"
He crossed his arms and wagged a finger mockingly.
"I don't know how you're moving during The World's time stop, but it doesn't matter.
You're still weak. Still human.
You're just like that student who didn't study for the test—only writes his name on the exam sheet, throws out one weak answer, and then sits helplessly until the bell rings.
You had your moment. You moved. You punched.
Now…"
He grinned, baring his fangs.
"…You die!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The World's golden fists slammed into Logan's chest, three heavy blows in succession.
And just like that—
Time resumed.
Logan, struck by the full force of Dio's assault, flew backward like a cannonball.
Dio didn't give him a chance to recover. He leapt into the air, controlling The World as it brought down another thunderous punch.
But Star Platinum wasn't far behind.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
"Big tree! Big tree! Big tree!"
The two powerful humanoid Stands, similar in shape and size, collided with unrelenting fury. Blow met blow—each strike canceled out by the other.
Boom!
BOOM!
A shockwave erupted as their fists clashed again, muscles bulging, arms trembling from the force of their deadly arm-wrestling.
Then—a brighter, sharper impact erupted beside them, drawing both The World and Star Platinum's attention.
Two Stand users, moving in tight quarters, weaved around one another. Ripples and frost clashed in midair, exploding in radiant bursts under the Cairo streetlights.
"Boxers! Ripple boxers!"
Dio laughed wildly. "You're still using Ripple? Primitive! Weak! You look like a monkey playing with rocks!
You think a monkey like you can defeat me—a being who has surpassed humanity?"
Logan's body was coated in ice. His arms and torso stiffened. The Ripple's flow inside him stuttered and slowed.
Dio's technique was, without question, a masterpiece. He had engineered vaporization freezing specifically to counter Ripple users—cutting off the energy flow by freezing the very limbs it moved through.
But—
Logan cracked the frost on his arm with a shrug.
"Hmm?"
Dio's grin faltered. A frown tugged at his mouth.
Logan's movements... were becoming smoother.
Chunks of shattered ice tumbled to the ground. Logan ripped off his frozen sleeves, revealing bare arms.
Dio's eyes widened.
What... what was this?
Logan's skin was changing.
First, it thickened into reptilian scales—adapted to cold, like those of a lizard or snake.
But he wasn't finished.
The scales morphed again, transforming into thick golden fur—resembling the dense coat of a Siberian tiger.
Still not enough.
Finally, his body settled on pure white fur. Fluffy. Insulated. And efficient.
But it wasn't just his skin. Logan's internal structure had changed too. Muscles flexed with newfound density, his frame more powerful than ever.
He raised his arm, now rippling with cold-resistant strength, and launched another punch.
Dio's mind froze.
This... this wasn't a human.
This was a polar bear.
A monstrous beast perfectly adapted to the coldest extremes.
Dio instinctively triggered his freezing technique again, sending chilling vapor toward Logan's arm.
But—
Nothing.
The frost couldn't penetrate the white fur.
It stopped at the surface.
"What the hell is this Pava?!"
Dio reeled.
Who was this creature?
He had worn the Stone Mask. He had transcended humanity.
But so had Logan.
"Time, stop!"
Dio spread his arms wide, calling on The World once more.
But Logan didn't slow down.
His fist descended again.
CRACK.
The ice barrier shattered. The ripples didn't flow through—but the raw force of the blow couldn't be stopped.
Dio vomited blood and spiraled backward.
If he didn't have The World… if he hadn't stopped time…
He would be dead.
He staggered upright.
"The stronger your body, the more powerful I become once I drain your blood," Dio growled.
He wiped the blood from his lips. A deep crater had formed in his chest from Logan's punch.
It was a mortal wound to anyone else—but Dio didn't even blink.
"I'll kill you. Drain you. And once I do, I'll evolve again.
I can feel your power. It's not Ripple. It's something else. Something beyond!"
He reached behind him and drew a dozen daggers.
With a flick of his hand, he launched them at Logan from every angle.
Even Star Platinum couldn't deflect them all in a single moment after time resumed.
"Not enough... NOT ENOUGH!"
Dio's eyes glowed crimson.
"DRINK!"
Two blood-red beams shot from his eyes.
"Heaven-Piercing Crimson Rays!"
One bolt streaked toward Logan's heart.
The other flew for his throat.
Dio breathed deeply. His damaged eyes healed instantly.
He straightened, arms crossed, elegant once more. He waited calmly for Logan to fall.
"Time resumes."
Star Platinum burst forth.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
The Stand knocked away most of the daggers in a blur of motion. But Dio was right—he couldn't stop them all.
Chi!
The crimson beams struck true—one into Logan's throat, the other into his heart.
Logan gasped.
Blood spilled from his lips.
A hundred years ago, Dio had used this very move to kill Jonathan.
Now, a century later, he used it again.
"This is human fragility!" Dio snarled.
He rushed forward, reaching for Logan's carotid artery.
"Logan! Die—and become my sustenance!"
Logan stood still.
Motionless.
It looked as if the injuries had taken full effect. His eyes dulled. His breathing stopped.
Click.
Dio's fingers reached his target—
And melted.
Like snowflakes touching molten iron, Dio's hand evaporated on contact with Logan's neck.
The wounds on Logan's throat and chest healed rapidly, faster than any vampire regeneration Dio had ever seen.
Logan raised his hand and seized Dio by the neck.
"SMASH. WARU—"
Before Dio could trigger another time-stop, Logan's fist came down—
CRACK.
Øóffer going on for diamond tier
pàtreøn (Gk31)