Stroheim shattered into pieces instantly. But from within his wrecked body emerged another tall, muscular figure—the Pillar Man Santana.
However, exposed entirely to the blazing sun, Santana didn't burn or crumble to dust like a vampire would. Instead, his body petrified at a frightening pace. Given just a few more moments, he'd turn completely into stone.
Realizing this, Santana lunged silently at Speedwagon, aiming to repeat Stroheim's trick.
"Santana! Don't even think about it!" Joseph sprang forward, blocking Santana's path. Ignoring the fresh surge of agony tearing through his wounds, Joseph poured every last drop of Hamon he had into Santana's chest. At the same instant, Santana's fist slammed mercilessly into Joseph's forehead.
Both figures flew backward from the impact, but at that exact moment, another silhouette darted behind Santana at blinding speed and punched straight through his torso.
"So, this is all a Pillar Man amounts to," Ray Chu remarked coldly from behind Santana.
"My kind… will avenge me!" Santana managed to gasp before shattering into a pile of stone fragments.
"Whew! Finally over!" Joseph collapsed weakly onto the ground, clutching his injuries with a pained groan. "Damn it, I'll need at least a week to recover from this."
Relieved at Santana's demise, Speedwagon chuckled lightly, "Given how severely you're injured, Joseph, you're lucky to even be alive. Count your blessings!"
He paused, then continued softly, "Thank you, JoJo."
Joseph waved his hand dismissively, sprawling lazily in the sand. "Uncle Speedwagon, seeing you safe and sound is reward enough for me. Besides, if you're going to thank anyone, it should be my friend here—Ray."
"Of course," Speedwagon nodded toward Ray Chu appreciatively, "but before anything else, my friend, could you contact my people in Washington? Our top priority is getting these critical pieces of evidence back home."
...
Several hours later, a cargo plane dispatched from Washington landed at the Nazi base in Mexico, picking up the trio along with Santana's stone fragments.
As Ray Chu stepped onto the aircraft, he hesitated briefly, eyes narrowing as he glanced at a distant sand dune. Only after that brief pause did he enter the cabin.
Soon after the plane took off, the sand atop the distant dune stirred. A spy in camouflage burst out of his hiding spot, sweating heavily. His binoculars trembled slightly in his grip. "Did he spot me? Impossible! That distance, plus this is our latest stealth gear. It must've been a coincidence!"
He quickly hurried to the ruined base, capturing every detail with a recording device implanted in his right eye. "Vampires, Pillar Men, Hamon users… This intel is crucial—I must relay everything immediately…"
...
Three days later.
Washington D.C., the Speedwagon Foundation.
During the Age of Exploration, Speedwagon had struck it rich with oil, founding Standard Oil Company and amassing a colossal fortune. Later, he devoted that immense wealth to the betterment of humanity, establishing the Speedwagon Foundation to promote advancements in medicine and archaeology.
But his true goal had always been investigating the secrets of the Stone Mask, responsible decades earlier for the death of the first-generation JoJo.
Inside an expensive, sealed laboratory, Santana's petrified remains were bathed continuously in dozens of ultraviolet lamps, watched over by a team of elite scientists flown in urgently from around the globe.
As tests proceeded, the scientists stood utterly astonished by their findings.
"Amazing! Clearly stone, yet with the properties of living organisms—it's still alive!"
"These ancient lifeforms surpass humans evolutionarily. If we unlock their biological secrets, humanity could hold the key to the next stage of evolution…"
The deeper the analysis went, the more unsettled they became. Aside from their vulnerability to sunlight, these creatures were near-perfect lifeforms.
According to historical texts, the Pillar Men underwent hibernation every two thousand years as a phase of evolution. The older the Pillar Man, theoretically, the higher their evolutionary state—and the stronger their resistance to sunlight.
"Now let's just hope the Pillar Men discovered by the Germans haven't evolved too far…" Speedwagon murmured uneasily, though he knew that hope was slim. If Santana were the oldest and most powerful, there wouldn't have been just a small Nazi contingent at the Mexican base.
The Nazi-discovered ruins in Europe likely concealed horrors powerful enough to wipe out all humanity!
"According to Stroheim's final words, we must head immediately to Rome to stop this disaster," Speedwagon said, determination hardening his voice.
At that very moment, the butler hurriedly rushed in. "Sir, a call from the President!"
Speedwagon took the call, listening briefly before his face turned grim. He turned urgently to Ray Chu and Joseph. "Something's happened! We need to go to the White House immediately!"
The White House—official residence and office of the American President. Whether in this life or his past one, this was Ray Chu's first visit.
...
In the President's office, they met the current occupant—Franklin D. Roosevelt.
When the three entered, Roosevelt was engaged in an intense discussion with uniformed generals over a strategic map.
"Mr. President, Mr. Speedwagon has arrived," the secretary whispered.
Roosevelt set aside his cane and approached swiftly, voice deep and resonant. "My friend, I couldn't discuss this clearly over the phone—I apologize for the sudden summons."
As founder of the Speedwagon Foundation and a Washington oil magnate, Speedwagon was no stranger to meeting presidents. He'd personally forwarded intelligence to the Oval Office regarding Nazis possibly excavating Pillar Men, making Roosevelt's urgent request unsurprising.
"Mr. President, what you said earlier on the phone…" Speedwagon began tensely.
"Indeed!" Roosevelt cut him off with a decisive wave, eyes fixed intently on Speedwagon. "Just half an hour ago, we received new intelligence: German forces have completed their blitzkrieg invasion of Poland. The war ended in Germany's favor—and from its very start, numerous high-ranking Polish officers were assassinated. Every single one was found drained of blood."
"Vampires!" Speedwagon's heart sank. This was far beyond human means. "The Stone Mask… The Nazis must have found a way to mass-produce vampires!"
"Worse than that," Roosevelt shook his head gravely. "Our high-ranking spy inside Nazi Germany recently sent alarming news. Leading their vampire battalion are three beings who possess immortal bodies and immense, unfathomable powers. They're called—the Pillar Men."
---
bonus chaps
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200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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