"Instead of running away, you've decided to approach me?"
"DIO!"
The moment Jotaro Kujo kicked open the door to the rooftop of the skyscraper, he found that infuriating figure waiting for him.
"Hoho... Jotaro. You haven't changed a bit."
"But unfortunately, this time, your opponent isn't exactly me."
DIO stood with his hands on his hips at the very edge of the building, his expression one of cold, detached amusement.
'!'
Sensing something "Irregular," Jotaro and Rohan Kishibe, who was waiting just behind the door, tightened their guard.
As a Servant, DIO should have a Master present somewhere in the vicinity.
And anyone capable of summoning a monster like DIO was certainly not an ordinary human.
Though he loathed to admit it, DIO was the apex of "Evil." Anyone associated with him was bound to be just as depraved.
Hidden behind a water tank, his presence completely erased, Diavolo felt a knot of anxiety tightening in his chest.
'Something is wrong...'
The future he had observed through [Epitaph] was a disaster. He saw himself using [King Crimson] to circle around the man named Jotaro, only to have the situation instantly reverse. The man would somehow bypass the ambush and deliver a localized detonation to Diavolo's chest.
The future shown by [Epitaph] was absolute.
Unless he chose to deviate from that path entirely, the outcome was set in stone.
'I clearly moved behind his back, yet in the next heartbeat, he was behind me...'
'This must be the [Time Stop] DIO mentioned.'
While [Time Erasure] was active, Diavolo was unable to physically harm others.
To deliver a killing blow, he had to deactivate [King Crimson]. While the "Erased Time" would cause a moment of disorientation for his target, a seasoned Stand user who understood the nature of the ability could still react in time.
And against a man like Jotaro Kujo, who possessed his own form of temporal manipulation, a failed ambush would be a death sentence.
Diavolo was like a piece of meat voluntarily offering itself to a lion.
He lacked the fundamental awareness to move within a frozen world.
'And the man hiding behind him... he's the Master. His Servant is still an unknown variable.'
'A direct confrontation would be the height of folly.'
'Furthermore... how the hell did they find us?!'
The questions were endless, but Diavolo had no desire to risk his life in a situation where he held no clear advantage.
Jotaro Kujo was far too dangerous. As long as that man was on the board, a surprise attack was impossible.
"Not coming? Then I'll be the one to bridge the gap."
Jotaro adjusted the brim of his cap, his face hidden in shadow as he began to walk across the rooftop.
'No!'
The image of their mutual destruction flashed in Diavolo's mind again, and he instinctively activated [King Crimson].
"Hm?"
[Star Platinum] flickered into existence, and the world slowed to a crawl as Jotaro prepared for the inevitable clash.
However, he realized that the figure who had been standing before him had vanished in the blink of an eye.
'He disappeared from my sight in a single heartbeat. And it didn't feel like DIO's ability.'
Even within the frozen world, Jotaro sensed the discrepancy.
He waited for a few seconds, but the shadow didn't reappear.
"It doesn't seem to be a [Time Stop] ability."
Rohan Kishibe stepped out from his hiding spot, Amber walking close behind him.
"We used Assassin to simulate a [Time Stop], but it seems they didn't take the bait."
"Perhaps it wasn't DIO who triggered the reset earlier?"
Rohan and Amber exchanged a cautious look, the variables of the situation becoming increasingly muddy.
"They're still nearby. They couldn't have gone far."
"We just need to flush them out."
"He possesses a quick reaction time... did he see a glimpse of a bad ending?"
"Regardless, this [Time Stop] is a significant hurdle."
"Even if I can move within it, my duration is still limited. Once Jotaro and the others corner us..."
DIO watched Diavolo leap from the roof utilizing [King Crimson] to escape into the city below. He understood the man's logic perfectly.
If Diavolo believed he could win a head-on fight, he would have attacked by now.
Ultimately, the burden of the confrontation fell to him once again.
"Your blood... I think I'll make good use of it."
DIO pulled out a small glass vial filled with a vibrant, crimson liquid and drained it in a single gulp.
The blood had been taken from Diavolo earlier.
When the man had been heavily injured by the "Brat's" punch, DIO had taken the opportunity to "Sample" his essence.
He had intended to keep it as a last resort, but the stalemate with Jotaro demanded an immediate solution.
"Hoho... just as I thought."
"Stand users who manipulate time... their blood acts as a catalyst for my evolution."
"Just like the Joestar bloodline!"
DIO felt a surge of ecstatic vitality rushing through his veins. It was a sensation of pure, unadulterated pleasure he hadn't felt in over a decade.
It was as if he were back on that bridge in Cairo, savoring the essence of Joseph Joestar.
This was a different path to ascension.
The only drawback was...
"Unfortunately... the quantity is too small to trigger a permanent qualitative change."
He cast a greedy, predatory glance in the direction Diavolo had fled, but eventually suppressed the urge to hunt his own partner.
The man's ability was still a valuable asset. It was better to wait until he had served his purpose before "Harvesting" him.
DIO leapt into the air, his silhouette outlined against the morning sun as he reappeared within Jotaro's line of sight.
"Come, Jotaro! This time, our conflict ends here!"
His voice boomed across the rooftops.
The stance he took was one that Jotaro remembered with a surge of cold recognition.
It was almost as if...
"Eat this! [Road Roller]!!!"
A massive steamroller materialized in DIO's hands, and he brought the multi-ton weight crashing down with all the force of his vampiric strength.
'!'
The scene was a horrific echo of the past.
"How is he doing that?!"
Rohan watched in disbelief as the massive vehicle appeared out of thin air.
"Master, stay back!"
DIO didn't even glance at Rohan or Amber. His entire focus was locked onto Jotaro as he hammered the steamroller toward him.
"Dammit! DIO!"
"You think a trick like this will work twice?!"
Jotaro called forth [Star Platinum], the Stand's fists already blurred into a haze of motion as they met the descending steel.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!!!"
The familiar impact... the familiar sound...
It was as if he were back on that bridge in Cairo eleven years ago.
But this time, the positions were reversed.
The steamroller was systematically dismantled under the relentless barrage of blows, the metal shrieking as it was torn apart.
"Hmph."
"You fell for it! Jotaro!"
"This was always my true line of attack!"
Jotaro opened his mouth to reply, but DIO's triumphant shout cut him off.
"What?!"
Jotaro realized, too late, that DIO had already launched himself past the steamroller. His target wasn't the man in the trench coat.
'He used the [Road Roller] as a visual screen... his real intention was to attack Rohan!'
No wonder the pressure of the falling vehicle hadn't felt quite as overwhelming as before. [The World] had simply shoved it toward him as a distraction.
DIO had already planned several steps ahead.
'That distance...'
Jotaro had been delayed for a fraction of a second, but it was enough. He couldn't reach Rohan in time.
And DIO unleashed a manic, deranged laugh as he closed the distance.
"I don't care who or what you are... anyone who can move in stopped time is a delicacy beyond compare!"
"Your blood! It belongs to me!"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]