BOOM!!
"What's the matter? You were talking such a big game earlier, and now you're just running away?"
The floorboards were torn up and hurled aside as Accelerator forced DIO into a strategic retreat. Josuke and Sakuya watched the secondary exchange with intense focus.
Until now, their understanding of [Berserker]'s ability had been fragmentary at best.
Rohan's assessment was that the boy possessed a near-absolute defense that reflected any incoming vectors of force.
The only one who had ever managed to land a blow on him was Okuyasu, and that was only because [The Hand] erased space itself, technicaly bypassing the concept of a physical vector.
"Hoho... that level of power is certainly impressive."
DIO used [The World] to pulverize a massive block of flying stone, but his expression remained calm as he glanced at the shadows stretching across the ground.
By absorbing the blood of Diavolo earlier, he had already reached a new plateau of strength.
His physical capabilities had improved, and he no longer felt the same level of intimidation when facing other temporal manipulators. However, he realized that he still lacked a direct, "Hard" counter to [Berserker]'s defensive barrier.
Whether it was [The World]'s fists, his throwing knives, or even a steamroller, anything he threw at the boy would simply be reflected back at him.
Theoretically, he possessed no method of breaking through that shield.
'However, that doesn't mean there aren't others on this battlefield who can do the job for me.'
'This is why I say I am favored by Fate.'
'Everything I require to win is systematically being delivered to me.'
DIO shifted his gaze toward Josuke Higashikata, a predator's glimmer in his eyes.
He recalled the events of the timeline that had been erased. [Berserker]'s [Reflection] had been bypassed by a replication of [Crazy Diamond].
And the source of that power was standing right in front of him!
'?'
Seeing DIO abandon his duel with [Berserker] and launch himself with terrifying speed toward Josuke, Accelerator immediately deduced the man's intent.
'He wants to use that high-schooler to deal with me?'
'How pathetic.'
'Does he really think everyone possesses the same monstrous physical capacity as that Saiyan brat?'
Accelerator's cognitive processing was barely able to keep up with the boy's punch speed, but he highly doubted that a normal Stand user like Josuke could achieve anything close to that level of frequency.
Josuke tensed as he saw the vampire charging toward him. Sakuya immediately stepped in front of him, her fingers already weaving between a new set of silver knives.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!!
"MUDA!!"
CLANG CLANG CLANG!!
DIO swatted the projectiles aside with a negligent flick of his wrist.
But in the next heartbeat, Sakuya was in his space.
She swung her right hand in a sharp, horizontal arc, her palm aimed directly at the vampire's temple.
THUD!
DIO raised an arm to block the strike, and he felt a surge of unseasonable, heavy force vibrating through his bones.
Before he could counter, Sakuya retracted her hand and launched a sharp, low-profile kick toward his knee joint.
THUD!
[The World] manifested, its massive golden hand snatching Sakuya's leg out of the air to halt her momentum.
"The reaction time is impressive... but it won't be enough."
Despite the obstruction, Sakuya's expression didn't change. She adjusted her weight and prepared to strike [The World] directly with her palm.
DIO prepared to intercept the blow, but before he could react, his massive frame was sent hurtling backward by an invisible impact.
[The World] had been struck!
And it had happened at a speed that even his predatory senses had failed to capture.
Temporal acceleration.
"Hoho... I see, woman."
"I didn't realize you possessed such refined combat techniques."
DIO looked at the bruised area on his torso, a flicker of genuine surprise in his eyes.
He had assumed the human maid was merely a specialist in projectiles and temporal manipulation. It seemed her close-quarters capabilities were equally polished.
It was a level of physical discipline that he found difficult to attribute to a mere human.
'...'
Sakuya offered no response. She simply reset her stance, her eyes locked on her opponent.
She was a perfectionist in all things, and that included the art of personal defense.
After all, she was the Head Maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion!
She had spent years refining her physical form; without that baseline of strength and coordination, she wouldn't be able to achieve the level of precision required for her knife-throwing.
Usually, her temporal powers eliminated the need for direct physical engagement, but that didn't mean she was incapable of it.
"Very well. You've earned my respect. How would you like to become a companion of DIO?"
"A vampire's invitation?"
"I'm afraid I already serve a mistress. From the beginning until the end, my loyalty belongs to only one person."
"And as far as vampires go... you aren't even in the same league as her."
"Oh? Now that is a fascinating claim."
DIO looked down at her, his curiosity piqued.
He had assumed she was referring to her Master, but her phrasing suggested she had previously served another vampire.
"Hah!"
Josuke circled around from the side, a cold determination on his face.
He didn't care about the conversation. The only thing that mattered was putting DIO in the ground.
'Vampires can't handle the sun... he's only able to move in the open because the clouds are blocking the sky.'
'So... as long as I can pin him down or knock him into a clearing without any cover, he'll be finished once the sun breaks through!'
Having heard the legends of DIO from Jotaro, Josuke had already formulated a terminal strategy.
Using the power of [Crazy Diamond], if he could just touch the monster, he could "Fix" him into the concrete of the hospital grounds, ensuring he enjoyed a very thorough and permanent "Sunbath."
"Heh."
Seeing Josuke approaching, DIO's smile widened.
RUMBLE!
A sudden, violent shockwave of wind pressure exploded from above, forcing all three of them to adjust their positions.
"Why don't the three of you just take hands and head to the afterlife together!"
Accelerator was descending from the building, his expression one of psychotic amusement.
If they were all going to gather in one place, it only made his job of systematic elimination easier.
A localized atmospheric collapse seemed like the perfect solution.
"Impressive. It seems you can manipulate the very air around you as well as reflecting incoming force."
"But in the end... it's a meaningless exercise, [Berserker]."
"You might have found a method to move within a frozen world."
"But the physical environment you manipulate cannot follow you there."
"[The World]!"
Ignoring Josuke's startled expression, DIO launched himself forward and activated his ultimate ability.
The world was submerged in a depthless, monochrome gray. All sound and motion ceased as the rotation of time was ground to a halt.
Even the hurricane-force winds Accelerator had manifested were frozen mid-whirl.
"Furthermore... to maintain your movement within my domain, you must be consuming a staggering amount of magical energy."
"How long can that fragile little girl support you?"
"A minute? Five? Ten?"
"No matter the duration, your threat remains... manageable."
"You certainly talk big for a piece of trash!"
Accelerator's lips curled into a manic, deranged grin as he launched himself toward the vampire like a railgun projectile.
DIO raised a massive, muscular arm to intercept the boy's touch.
WHOOSH!
A strange, unnatural conductivity rippled through the air. In an instant, DIO's arm was twisted into an impossible angle, and blood erupted from his skin as his circulatory system was overwritten.
His entire body began to bleed through his clothes as if he were being struck by ten thousand localized detonations.
"How does that feel? No matter how strong the meat is, it can't survive the systematic disruption of its internal logic."
"You talk too much... moron."
Accelerator sneered as he looked at the mutilated vampire.
'He was... he was only touched for a second... and he ended up like that?'
Josuke was paralyzed with shock as he watched the scene.
[Berserker] had barely grazed DIO's arm, and yet the vampire looked as if he had been through a industrial shredder.
The nature of the attack was completely beyond his comprehension.
Sakuya took advantage of the moment to pull Josuke further back.
If [Rider] were truly killed, the [Time Stop] would end, and the massive wind pressure Accelerator had built up would come crashing down on them without warning.
But in that moment, DIO began to speak, his voice a low, guttural vibration.
"I see... you can even manipulate the flow of blood within an opponent's body."
"It seems you are truly a creature that cannot be tamed."
Despite his internal organs being "Churned" into a visceral slurry, DIO's expression remained untroubled.
By this point in his existence, he was far removed from the biological limitations of a human.
Accelerator's attack might have been lethal to a mortal, but to a vampire of his caliber, it was merely an inconvenience.
A significant injury, yes. But far from terminal.
"It seems you're more than just a wall of muscle after all."
Accelerator flexed his fingers, his expression one of growing delight.
The fact that the vampire had survived the initial contact only made the prospect of his systematic dismantling more appealing.
He had found a new toy.
"Then I suppose I should let you savor the pain for a little longer."
"Hehehe... HAHAHA!!"
The deranged laughter left Josuke with a feeling of cold dread.
At this moment, [Berserker] felt like a far more immediate and terrifying threat than DIO.
But from a tactical perspective, this was a perfect outcome. If the two monsters tore each other apart, his own path to victory would be much clearer.
He and Sakuya just needed to ensure that DIO didn't escape the perimeter.
As long as he didn't draw the boy's ire, he might be able to wait out the confrontation.
"Well... I think I'll have a little taste of this before we continue."
DIO tilted his head, seemingly ignoring the wreckage of his own body as he began to walk toward the motionless form of Itachi Uchiha.
"Huh?"
'!'
'?'
Accelerator, Josuke, and Sakuya all watched him with a mix of suspicion and confusion.
Without warning, DIO plunged a hand into Yoshikage Kira's torso.
"He's... he's feeding!! He's drinking Kira's blood!!"
Josuke shouted the realization, his finger pointing at the vampire.
"As a fellow temporal manipulator... your blood always brings such wonderful, qualitative changes to my existence."
The damage to DIO's body began to reverse at a visible rate. He let out a soft sound of exquisite, concentrated pleasure.
'That expression... it's like he's just tasted some kind of expensive gourmet dessert.'
Josuke could see the immediate results of the feeding on the vampire's face.
"WRYYYYYYYYY!!"
"I can feel it... my mastery over time has reached a new height!"
Ignoring the onlookers, DIO threw his head back and unleashed a jubilant, animalistic howl.
And then, he released the [Time Stop].
'That was... almost twelve seconds. Jotaro-san said his limit was only nine.'
Josuke hadn't missed the duration. The vampire was evolving in real-time.
The massive windstorm DIO had frozen earlier came crashing down, but Sakuya was already moving, shoving Josuke out of the path of the atmospheric collapse.
K-CHAK!
BOOM!
The ground was pulverized and hueld aside as if a massive plow had been driven into the earth. If Accelerator hadn't been concerned with the integrity of the hospital building, he likely would have leveled the entire district.
"!"
Drip...
Sakuya's eyes narrowed as she looked toward the other side of the courtyard. Itachi Uchiha, who had been frozen by her pocket watch earlier, was now moving again.
He didn't hesitate for a second, immediately turning and heading toward the hospital.
'Could it be...'
Josuke felt a surge of unease as he watched the shinobi.
The two of them had been anchored by Sakuya's temporal manipulation, and yet the moment DIO evolved, that constraint had been shattered.
"There's nothing to be surprised about. Temporal abilities have a natural tendency to interfere with and negate one another. You should have known that from the start."
DIO looked over at Josuke, his tone thick with condescension.
"Earlier, my control over the flow of time might have been slightly inferior to your maid's."
"But I am not a man who settles for mediocrity."
"In the end... it will be I who stands at the absolute pinnacle."
His massive frame radiated an oppressive, terrifying energy as he took up his iconic stance.
"Ugh... you talk too much..."
'Tch!'
Accelerator looked as if he were about to launch another assault, but then he seemed to sense something. He immediately shifted his focus and ascended into the air, flying toward a different section of the hospital complex.
"How perceptive."
"You noticed the 'Intrusion' already?"
"Well... I suppose that leaves me to finish you off, Joseph's son."
DIO realized his attempt to "Backdoor" the hospital had been discovered, but he didn't seem particularly concerned.
He turned his focus entirely on Josuke, his voice dropping to a freezing, absolute cold.
The Joestar bloodline was a blight that needed to be systematically excised.
"That's a line I should be using on you. I'm going to send you back to Hell in Jotaro-san's name!"
Josuke stood his ground, unbowed by the vampire's presence. He reached into his pocket and discarded a small piece of paper onto the ground, his other hand hidden behind his back.
"Caster!"
Under the surge of her manifested magical energy, the physical reality of the hospital grounds began to warp and dissolve.
A massive, archaic mansion began to materialize over the hospital, its sprawling architecture far more extensive than anything DIO had ever seen.
"I see. A reality marble... or perhaps a specialized field generation."
"I have to admit... I find This aesthetic to be quite pleasing."
"My estimation of you continues to rise."
DIO looked around at the manifestation of the [Scarlet Devil Mansion] with the appreciative gaze of a connoisseur. Even to his demanding tastes, the design of the residence was impeccable.
"Hmph. Enjoy the view while you can."
Josuke stood beside Sakuya, his expression a mask of cold determination.
"Let's end this!"
Without a trace of fear, DIO began to close the distance.
***
"The sounds of battle are coming from up there..."
"But it doesn't sound like Josuke."
A short time later, Rohan, Koichi, and Okuyasu arrived at the hospital grounds.
"Rohan-sensei! Look!"
Koichi pointed toward a small, conspicuous piece of paper lying on a patch of pulverized concrete in the inner courtyard.
Among the chaos and wreckage, the note stood out with surgical clarity.
Koichi ran over and retrieved the paper, his eyes widening as he read the brief, hurried script.
"I see..."
"Josuke is already engaged with DIO. And it seems [Berserker], [Saber], and Yoshikage Kira are all present as well."
"What?"
Rohan took the note, his eyes tracking the concise text.
The details were sparse, but it was enough to paint a picture of the crisis.
'He actually thought of a way to kill DIO?'
'I hate to admit it... but the kid has a surprisingly sharp tactical mind when he's backed into a corner.'
Based on the few sentences Josuke had left, Rohan could already see the outlines of the boy's plan.
"For now, we can ignore [Saber] and [Berserker]. Our priority is helping Josuke finish off DIO."
"Eh? How are we gonna do that?"
Okuyasu looked at Rohan, his expression one of confusion.
"Assassin... which angle provides the best visibility?"
Rohan didn't answer immediately, choosing instead to consult with Amber.
'Hmm... the rooftops would provide the best vantage point, but we might run into trouble there.'
"Let's go."
"Where to?"
"To the roof!"
***
"The battle's already in full swing up ahead."
"Goku and I are heading in. You guys just catch up when you can."
Flying through the air on the [Kinto'un], the distance to the hospital was covered in seconds.
Kid Goku carried Subaru Natsuki on his back, who shouted down at Homura and Miyu as they followed on the ground below.
"The players are all on the board now..."
"Let's settle this once and for all!"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]