Just as the terrifying laser, condensed with the energy of the aja stone, was about to engulf Higashikata Josuke, and as the President's clone was about to die with satisfaction, an unexpected event occurred.
"Hmph."
A cold snort rang out; Jotaro opened his eyes. What entered his eyes was not poisonous rain, but pure water. This was a ploy to draw the President out.
"Atmospheric Lens: Deflection!"
Just inches in front of the laser's path, the atmospheric density underwent a massive change under Weather Forecast's precise control. The air instantly transformed into a circle of mirrors, and after a series of reflections, it directly twisted the laser away.
Ultimately, the scorching laser struck the ground, failing to cause any casualties to Jotaro and his companions. Instead, it exposed the President's location.
Despite being a Stand with E-rank precision, in Jotaro's hands, its precision seemed to be A-rank.
"What?!" The President's clone, who had launched the attack, showed an expression of disbelief. His vampire physique could no longer withstand the poison; this was the only attack he could muster.
Under the rain, his flesh and blood were scraped away as if by countless tiny knives, revealing the rot deep beneath. Both his bones and his genitals were dissolving, but what pained him more was his heart—his death was worthless.
"Dora-ra-ra-ra..."
Looking at this enemy, Josuke, enduring the intense pain of his entire body being corroded by the poisonous rain, activated the power of time stop. He crossed the short distance and furiously smashed his fist into the clone's body, as if to vent the endless pain in his own body.
This time, Josuke's attack wasn't focused on the clone itself, but on the ground behind him. He directly hammered the President's clone, along with the corroded ground, repeatedly, ensuring the poison could penetrate every corner.
Time resumed its flow.
The clone had already vanished, dissolved into the poisonous rain, completely turning into a puddle of thick liquid.
The commotion and screams from underground also completely ceased at this moment. The pervasive penetration of the poisonous rain had clearly severely injured or even annihilated the main bodies of the enemies hiding by relying on the terrain.
Those elite Stand Users were skilled in combat and fighting, but they had never experienced a poisonous downpour. Such an unforeseen disaster, outside their training, was something they found difficult to resist.
"That's enough, Josuke."
Jotaro's voice carried a hint of imperceptible fatigue. He controlled Weather Forecast, slowly stopping the poisonous rain.
The dark clouds in the sky dispersed, revealing the turbid, polluted air and a shocking landscape scarred by strong acid.
An entire layer of the former land had been melted away and flowed into the sea. The iron tower that once launched rockets stood black like a decaying giant, poised to fall at any moment into the ocean that would be its grave.
What was once a cave was now more like a corroded, enlarged depression; everything was a mess.
Okuyasu and Koichi collapsed to the ground, almost completely drained, their bodies covered in horrific burns and corrosion marks, like two corpses.
Josuke gritted his teeth, the light of Crazy Diamond shining at full power, prioritizing the repair of his companions' most severe injuries. Because he had gone to eliminate the enemies in the tunnels last, Jotaro and the other two had suffered severe corrosion.
Jotaro's condition was the most serious. He had shielded his two companions from much of the poisonous rain with his broad back, and his spine was directly exposed, the bones corroded with holes, threatening to break at any moment.
Internal organs were visible through the gaps in his pockmarked bones and flesh.
"Is it... over?"
Okuyasu asked in a hoarse voice, each breath bringing a burning pain. He vaguely felt there was still poison in his lungs.
Jotaro did not answer immediately. He closed his eyes, carefully sensing his surroundings through Weather Forecast.
That unsettling aura had vanished, and the threat from underground was no longer felt.
But... "They ran... taking Pucci's body."
Jotaro slowly opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the distance. With the enemies' departure, several enemy corpses had surfaced from the cracks in the ground. They were the bodies of three guards, all so corroded that their faces were unrecognizable.
But the leader and Pucci were not among them; they must have escaped. This segment of their journey should have been a victory, yet they hadn't eliminated their opponent, barely passing the trial of defeating evil.
"Yare yare daze..."
Jotaro looked at his exhausted and scarred companions, especially Josuke, whose face was pale and who could barely stand. "We have completed step 2. Next is a further step, and then the final trial, Josuke. Can you do it now?"
"Ah... No problem, Mr. Jotaro!"
Josuke forced a smile, wiped the cold sweat constantly seeping from his forehead, and smoothed his pompadour with a comb he pulled from who-knows-where. His voice was a bit weak.
"I'm just a little... tired. I've used too much energy... A little rest will do."
Koichi, however, suddenly lowered his head, clenching his hands tightly, unsure if it was due to physical pain or internal struggle. He knew he was about to make his final decision.
Okuyasu struggled to stand up but nearly fell. He grimaced in pain but was full of excitement. "Big Brother Jotaro, does that mean there's only one last step left? Will my father recover soon?"
Jotaro nodded.
All preparations were almost complete. Based on the contents of Dio's diary in his memory and what Pucci had done, he had basically determined what he needed to do next.
Completing this step would bring Josuke to a similar state as Pucci. Then, at the right time and place, as long as the metamorphosis was completed, and the destined evil opponent was thoroughly eliminated, his Stand would achieve complete evolution.
Reaching the ultimate pinnacle of human spiritual realm, completing Stand evolution, and arriving at Heaven!
Thinking of this, even he couldn't help but show a slight smile. He thought of his young daughter and his worried wife, his constantly bickering mother, and his father who was always busy with work and rarely came home. They should still be waiting for him at the foundation.
He also thought of his deceased grandfather and his grandmother, who wept bitterly upon hearing the news.
Just two days ago, she had been furious and argued with Joseph because the news of that philanderer Joseph's affair had been exposed, yet now she was crying like that over his death.
"Yes, he'll recover soon, very soon."
Jotaro could only manage a faint smile in the end, but this smile made everyone feel uneasy.
"Mr. Jotaro, what's... wrong?"
Josuke looked at Jotaro's smile, and a bad premonition secretly rose in his heart.
"Josuke, Okuyasu, Koichi, from now on, you'll have to rely on yourselves. I cannot take you with me for this last step."
Jotaro's words were calm. He turned and walked towards the pile of enemy corpses, beside which were the mixed remains left after Pucci merged with the ground, not yet completely corroded by the poisonous rain.
"Why, Mr. Jotaro, what are you saying?!"
"Yeah, Big Brother Jotaro, wasn't everything going smoothly? Why are you leaving us?!"
"What exactly happened to Mr. Jotaro?"
Listening to the three's questions and worries, Jotaro merely smiled. "Do you see Pucci? He was born from the fusion of Dio's remains, which became the Green Baby. This is an indispensable step to reach Heaven.
Josuke, don't worry. You will carry my will through this step. When everything is completed, I will return. Don't worry, don't be afraid, believe in yourself. You are a gentle person, but your inner strength is equally powerful. As long as you carry confidence and will, you will absolutely not fail!"
Jotaro, who was usually silent and preferred to keep his emotions to himself rather than express them, couldn't help but say a few more words at this final moment.
Looking at Josuke and the other two, who were shedding tears in shock, he shook his head. Finally, he walked over to the pile of corpses and slowly lay down.
He was different from Dio. Dio needed to use his remains to absorb the souls of 36 great evildoers to grow and produce a new being—the Green Baby. He didn't need that; he only needed to eradicate evil and allow his own spirit to grow to complete this step.
Because he possessed a Golden Spirit, it was his own growth.
But even so, he too had to undergo this transformative step. This was a metamorphosis for the soul to adapt to Heaven. Without this step, one could not ascend to Heaven.
Or rather, the highest realm of the spirit.
Heaven was merely a descriptive term, describing the ultimate culmination of the human spirit. For Dio, it was Heaven; for the Joestar family, it was the true Golden Spirit.
Jotaro began his metamorphosis.