"By the power of my Command Spell!!"
"Saber! Protect me!!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Yoshikage Kira attempted to invoke the absolute authority of the Grail. But to his growing horror, he realized that the command had no effect.
The glowing mark on his hand felt like nothing more than a meaningless ink stain.
"How... how is this possible...?!"
"A Command Spell is absolute..."
The foundations of his reality were crumbling. Kira's mind reeled as he tried to identify the point of failure.
Why was everything happening so suddenly?
And it was only then that he realized the Josuke Higashikata who had been pummeling him moments ago was standing perfectly still, his expression a mask of unnatural silence.
No... the boy wasn't even there anymore.
Genjutsu.
The realization brought with it a wave of cold, crystalline despair.
He understood enough about the mechanics of [Bites the Dust] to know that its activation required him to reach a specific depth of desperation. But if Itachi Uchiha had trapped him within an illusion...
He wouldn't even be able to summon his Stand, let alone manifest his ultimate weapon.
While the shinobi's illusions failed against those with temporal resistance like Rohan Kishibe, Kira was a different story. He knew precisely how terrifying [Saber]'s mental manipulation could be.
The reality created by [Saber] was so comprehensive that even a victim who recognized the deception would find themselves unable to shatter the construct.
And if he were truly trapped within that mental labyrinth, he was finished.
Until this very second, he couldn't fathom why [Saber] would turn on him.
Everything had been perfectly aligned yesterday...
"Ah... aaaargh!!"
The discordant, animalistic cry coming from the middle-aged man left Josuke in a state of confusion.
'Master... he appears to be trapped within a powerful hallucination.'
"What did you say?"
Josuke's original intent to deliver another series of blows faltered. He looked at the salaryman and then at Sakuya, his expression one of bewilderment.
"Wasn't it his own Servant who possessed the power to manipulate the mind?"
"Is there someone else here?"
Through all the intelligence they had gathered, the group had firmly believed that Kira held the leash on the mental manipulator.
"No... the information we had was accurate."
"However, it seems the Servant himself has developed... alternative intentions."
Sakuya manifested beside Josuke, her fingers already weaving a pattern between several silver knives. She directed her gaze upward as the skeletal fragment of a [Susanoo] descended from the sky.
Itachi Uchiha landed before them, his presence a chilling, silent weight.
"That eye of yours... it's one of your primary weapons, isn't it!"
"But now... only one of them is functional."
Thanks to the spiritual defense provided by Rohan's [Heaven's Door], Josuke was free to look the shinobi directly in the eye.
He didn't miss the discrepancy. One eye was a burning, predatory crimson, while the other was a dull and lifeless white.
"That eye... it's what gave you the power to survive an encounter with Jotaro-san, isn't it?"
"I don't know the specifics of your ability yet, but I'm going to make sure I understand everything before this is over!"
'A frontal strike that Jotaro-san perceived but was unable to deflect or avoid...'
'But to utilize such a power, his own eyes must pay the price.'
The message Joseph Joestar had left,'Eyes',was more than just a description of Itachi's appearance.
It was a strategic disclosure. It communicated that the shinobi had expended a significant portion of his power and sacrificed his physical sight just to eliminate Jotaro.
Josuke had deduced this through the combination of the old man's clue and the surgical precision of the damage to Jotaro's body.
'...'
Itachi offered no reply. He simply watched Josuke with a flat, unmoving gaze.
He had indeed been "Ordered" to eliminate Jotaro Kujo this morning.
To secure the kill against such a formidable opponent, he had been forced to activate the ultimate ocular technique: [Izanagi].
By rewriting reality itself, he had secured a moment of "Immortality" that allowed him to bypass Jotaro's defense and deliver the terminal blow. The cost of such a miracle was the permanent loss of sight in one eye.
The irony was that Jotaro had likely failed to realize that for a brief window of time, Itachi was effectively immune to death. If he had known, he might have found another way to survive the encounter.
But even more tragic was the fact that this wasn't Itachi's choice.
The greatest error he had made in this war was allowing the vampire to locate his position the previous night.
'Are you wondering why the illusion in your eyes failed to take hold?'
'Hoho... did you really think I used [Time Stop] just to open a small hole in your shoulder?'
By the time Itachi realized the true nature of DIO's attack, it was already too late.
He hadn't anticipated that the vampire would possess a tool for such a specific purpose.
[Flesh Bud].
A parasitic cluster of cells harvested from DIO's own body. It was designed to burrow into the brain and overwrite the host's personality, transforming them into a mindless puppet.
During the frozen seconds of the morning, DIO had closed the distance and implanted the device directly into Itachi's nervous system.
Since last night, the shinobi had been unable to take a single independent action.
Every move he made, including the attack on Jotaro, was being dictated by the vampire in the shadows.
He was a prisoner in his own body, forced to act as the primary instrument of another man's cruelty. It was a level of irony that Itachi found profoundly bitter.
A punishment for the sins of his past.
Itachi's [Susanoo] reached out and snatched the half-conscious, mutilated form of Yoshikage Kira from the rubble. He immediately began to retreat toward the interior of the hospital.
"Caster! Don't let him escape!"
"Understood."
Josuke shouted the command as he gave chase. Sakuya was already in motion.
WHOOSH!
A blizzard of silver knives blurred through the air, targeting the shinobi's path of retreat. Each blade struck the [Susanoo] barrier with a rhythmic, metallic clatter.
K-CHAK!
"If I can't break your defense with steel, I'll simply anchor you in place."
Sakuya focused on Itachi's trajectory and hurled her pocket watch toward his feet.
Under the influence of her temporal acceleration, the watch reached its destination before the shinobi could compensate.
Within the cavernous lobby of the hospital, Itachi Uchiha was frozen mid-stride.
"As I thought... you possess no inherent resistance to temporal manipulation."
Sakuya began to recall the knives she had thrown, her expression one of cold, professional efficiency.
"Nice work, Caster!"
Josuke arrived moments later, his voice filled with a flicker of relief.
"!"
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!!!
But before he could capitalize on the opening, Sakuya's knives were already in motion again. She deflected a series of unknown projectiles that had been launched from the shadows of the corridor.
"Another one?!"
Josuke immediately shifted into a defensive stance, his eyes scanning the gloom.
"Oh ho... I can't let you eliminate these two just yet."
"They are far too important to my plan."
"As my primary... sacrifices!"
A wave of oppressive, freezing pressure washed over the room. Josuke and Sakuya turned toward the entrance where the shadows were deepest.
A golden-haired man stood silhouetted against the dark interior of the lobby.
"DIO!!"
Josuke recognized the man instantly. The face was an exact match for the photograph Jotaro had shown him.
"The Joestar bloodline always seems to have a few members with exceptional luck..."
DIO's form suddenly flickered and vanished from the spot.
K-CHRSH!
Sakuya and Josuke tracked the movement just in time to avoid a flurry of glass shards that had been accelerated by an unknown force.
"Hmph. Another [Time Stop] user?"
"You people really do love your boring little tricks."
Accelerator stepped out from the interior of the hospital, looking at the vampire who moved like a ghost. His voice was a flat, dismissive rasp.
"Berserker?!"
Josuke gasped. He hadn't expected the white-haired boy to be present.
"And here I thought you were too afraid to leave your Master's bedside."
"This certainly saves me a great deal of trouble."
DIO looked at Accelerator, his expression unreadable.
"Are you referring to the insects lurking in the shadows? The ones who were too afraid of the sun to even enter the building?"
Accelerator let out a dry, mocking laugh.
"Hmm?"
DIO felt his connection to the surrounding Vampire Spawn vanish in an instant. He let out a soft sound of surprise.
It seemed [Berserker] possessed a method of detection that bypassed conventional senses.
"Well... it makes no difference. Taking out all three of you right here... sounds like a magnificent use of my time."
"That was my line, you monster..."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]