[Light Curtain Comments]
The vast majority of the audience was dumbfounded by the scene before them.
Weren't they promised a beautiful girl with golden hair and blue eyes? How did it turn into a man?
Although Dio's appearance did possess a certain androgynous yet firm beauty, with skin as fair as a woman's—the epithet 'Cleopatra' wasn't born from nothing, after all.
However, not every viewer could accept this image. While his body proportions were nothing short of perfect... the audience could clearly see it.
For the man named Dio, there was a significant and obvious disharmony between his head and body, with his neck as the dividing line, as if his head had been crudely attached to another's torso.
Combined with his earlier monologue, the audience gradually pieced together the reason for this incongruity.
Jonathan Joestar, the man Dio hailed as the greatest rival of his life, had his body stolen by Dio after his defeat.
[Elysia: "Somehow... I'm starting to find the person featured this time a little disagreeable." ]
In the Honkai world, Elysia, the protagonist of the previous viewing, frowned. With her as a precedent, she had assumed the light curtain's next protagonist would be another beautiful girl as brilliant as a blooming flower.
But now, it seemed that wasn't the case. Dio's malice was practically seeping through the screen. While one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, Elysia simply couldn't muster any positive feelings for the man before her.
[Conan Edogawa: "From the light curtain's previous introduction, he should be a good person, so why do I feel this inexplicable sense of dread?"]
At the Mouri Detective Agency, Conan, a great detective who had solved over a thousand cases, had an innate sense for evil. With Dio, this sixth sense was screaming at him, warning him to stay far away from that man.
[Yukino Yukinoshita: "Perhaps it's just prejudice. Or maybe he's like that Hero King—he looks like a complete jerk, but is actually a good person. The Chaotic Good type." ]
In the Oregairu world, Yukino Yukinoshita frowned. Her upbringing had taught her not to judge by appearances, but Dio's undisguised wickedness was making her waver. If Dio were standing in front of her right now, she would turn and run without a moment's hesitation.
[Jean Pierre Polnareff: "Di... DIO!!! Ma... MASAKA! How could that bastard be on the broadcast!"]
[Noriaki Kakyoin: "The... The Supreme God! Why would it choose this man!"]
In the timeline of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, Kakyoin and Polnareff were in utter shock. They had faced Dio in person; once you've witnessed that evil aura, you can never forget it.
Beside them, Avdol, Joseph Joestar, and Jotaro Kujo all wore grim expressions. To be chosen by the light curtain as the protagonist for the second viewing... the implications were self-evident.
Could it be that Dio... was truly a child of destiny? Was the generations-long fate of the Joestar family destined to end with Dio's victory?
---o---
[Light Curtain]
After confirming that his body no longer reacted to the Joestar bloodline, Dio understood. He had indeed arrived in a completely different world.
"Fate has brought me, Dio, here for a reason," he declared, pausing for a moment of simple thought.
He then mused aloud, "First... I'll find a living person to gather some intelligence."
Choosing a direction, Dio began to walk. Even in another world, Dio would never be lost.
No matter which world he was in, he, Dio, was its eternal emperor. This conviction was etched into the very core of his being...
He sped through the jungle, his body like that of a superman, moving with a velocity greater than a cheetah's and ignoring the obstruction of the dense foliage.
This powerful physique was countless times superior to that of a magus from the Type-Moon world. While he was still far from the level of a Servant like Elysia or Saber, it was a speed no ordinary human could ever possess.
"There's the scent of a 'person' up ahead. But besides the human scent, there seems to be some other strange life form."
Dio's nose twitched as he darted through the dense forest. His five senses were far superior to a normal person's. Even in a place thick with trees and a medley of different smells, he could accurately pinpoint the scent of a human.
As Dio finished speaking, the camera panned forward. Several hundred meters ahead of him stood a villa in the suburbs.
At least, one could call it that. In the middle of an otherwise empty forest stood a rather luxurious-looking two-story house.
Why build a house here, surrounded by woods? How were the water and electricity problems solved?
The audience watched with confusion until the camera moved inside the house. Only then did they understand why such a building existed in the middle of nowhere.
The house's interior was constructed like a kaleidoscope, its structure utterly bizarre. The ceiling and tatami mats seemed to be inverted, one above and the other below.
Of course... that wasn't the most important thing. What truly mattered were the sheets of paper, like discarded manuscripts, scattered across the floor, and a powerfully built... 'Demon'!
That's right... a "Demon"!
This being, which would be considered supernatural or a creature of fantasy in most worlds, was standing inside the room. The demon was powerfully built, with six drum-like objects embedded in its body.
The kanji for "Lower Six" was carved into its right eye, along with a cross-shaped scar that completely obscured the characters, as if marking them out with an 'X'.
And before this demon stood a mother and daughter, trembling with fear. The mother held her daughter protectively in her arms, her eyes wide with terror as she stared at the fiend.
"I... I can still become stronger. If I just eat a little more... if I just eat a few more people, I can return to the 'Lower Ranks'."
Muttering these words, the Drum Demon, Kyogai, slowly walked toward the cowering mother and daughter.
Demons were different from humans. As long as they ate enough people, they could grow endlessly stronger. But he... due to his limited talent, could no longer grow stronger. It was for this reason that the Demon King had expelled him from the ranks of the Twelve Kizuki.
However... Kyogai, desperate for recognition, would continue to devour humans even if his talent was exhausted, until he earned the acknowledgment of that great man and once again became Lower Rank Six!
---o---
[Light Curtain Comments]
As the new world's premise was gradually unveiled, the audience understood that this viewing would once again feature a world that was anything but ordinary.
At the very least, based on the description, there existed a being known as the 'Demon King'. While his power level was unknown, the title alone suggested he was a formidable character not to be underestimated.
[Utaha Kasumigaoka: "He wants to get stronger to rejoin the ranks because he was abandoned by his comrades? Heh. Hateful people always have a pitiful story." ]
[Conan Edogawa: "Whatever his motive is, eating people to become stronger... this guy is absolutely unforgivable." ]
[Tanjiro Kamado: "A man-eating demon... they get stronger by eating people... Ma... MASAKA!?"]
In another Demon Slayer timeline, Tanjiro's face was a mask of shock and disbelief. This description was far too similar to his own world. And... that Demon King, wasn't he the one who murdered his entire family?
"No... I can't be sure yet. I've never seen that demon before. It might just be a coincidence..."
Tanjiro shook his head, focusing his gaze more intently on the light curtain. Although he couldn't confirm the information, a benchmark had already been set in his mind.
[Otto Apocalypse: "Man-eating demons? If such fiends exist, then there must be an organization or individuals who exist to counter them..." ]
[Eriri Spencer Sawamura: "Hmm... If I had to guess, the plot will probably have Dio save the mother and daughter to prove he isn't actually a villain." ]
In the Saekano world, despite Dio's villainous aura, Eriri chose to trust the light curtain's judgment in selecting its protagonist. There was no way a broadcast like this would choose an actual villain. Even if he wasn't as flawless as Elysia, he absolutely had to have some redeeming qualities.
---o---
[Light Curtain]
The demon named Kyogai advanced on the poor mother and daughter, his eyes filled with ferocity.
Though they weren't Marechi, the blood contained within this mother and daughter was highly nutritious for an average demon. It would definitely allow him to raise his power another level.
Illuminated by the moonlight, Kyogai's figure looked terrifying. His eyes betrayed a desperate hunger for power.
As he drew closer, the mother tried to throw things at Kyogai's imposing frame, but all that lay scattered around were useless manuscript papers.
How could a 'weapon' that couldn't even harm a normal person have any effect on the demon before her? In fact, the brave mother's resistance only made Kyogai's expression more ferocious, his face seemingly twisting in rage.
He looked as though he was about to swallow the pitiful pair whole in the next second.
And just then, like a whisper from the darkness, an abnormally cold voice reached Kyogai's ears.
"WRYYYYY..."
In an instant, his gaze shot toward the window where the sound had come from. The previously empty window frame was now occupied by an bewitchingly beautiful man with fair skin, golden hair, and blue eyes.
He was bare-chested, his hands clasped behind his back, his chest puffed out, displaying his perfect physique for all to see.
"Who are you!" Kyogai instinctively questioned the newcomer. Setting aside the man's bizarre pose, his cold and terrifying expression instantly caused a cold sweat to bead on Kyogai's brow.
He had never seen such a frightening person. Not even his master, the legendary Demon King himself, had ever displayed such a suffocatingly cold and evil aura.
"Hehe, it seems my timing is off. I've interrupted your meal," Dio said, his voice magnetic and wicked, yet filled with a casual indifference.
He looked at Kyogai with great interest, like a child who had found a fascinating new toy. In contrast, the rather attractive mother and daughter to the side didn't even earn a passing glance from him.
"Answer my question! Who are you? Demon Slayer Corps? Or someone else?" Dio's nonchalant attitude greatly annoyed Kyogai. This condescending demeanor reminded him of the editors who had rejected his manuscripts.
"How rude. When you speak to others, do you only know how to ask questions?" The temperature in Dio's voice seemed to drop several degrees, indicating his displeasure with Kyogai's remark.
Stepping into the room, Dio carefully observed his surroundings while maintaining his distance from Kyogai. Naturally cautious, he would never rashly approach any potential threat.
Even if this zombie's constitution was exceedingly weak, Dio would not underestimate him. Of course... more importantly, Dio couldn't be sure who the vampire was that stood behind this zombie.
The scattered papers and the inverted ceiling and floor had caught his attention from the very beginning. His gaze toward Kyogai already held the certainty of victory.
Placing one foot on a discarded manuscript, Dio spoke slowly, "Pay me no mind, zombie. Continue enjoying your meal."
With his hands behind his back, Dio completely exposed the weak points of his torso to Kyogai. This supremely arrogant posture clearly struck a nerve in Kyogai's fragile psyche.
"You... you dare to look down on me like that!"
Kyogai's voice was laced with fury. He slammed a hand against one of the drums on his body. In an instant, the room turned upside down, the entire world seeming to flip over.
Dio was sent crashing heavily into a wall. Simultaneously, a sharp slash of energy shot towards Dio's body.
Because of the powerful evil and aura emanating from Dio, Kyogai had used one hundred percent of his power from the very start.
His Blood Demon Art could constantly flip and change the room, and he could also unleash destructive, claw-mark-shaped shockwaves. Therefore... as long as one was inside this house, Kyogai was a nigh-invincible existence.
However... as the dust settled, Dio, who should have been lying on the ground in Kyogai's eyes, had vanished.
"WRYYY... What are you doing, zombie..."
The magnetic voice echoed right beside his ear. Dio, who should have been defeated, had suddenly appeared to Kyogai's left. And the distance between them now... was less than two meters!
---o---
Author's Note:
PS: The new volume has just begun. Thank you all for your support.