"DURA RA RA RA RA!!"
"MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!!!"
[Crazy Diamond] and [The World] exchanged a violent flurry of blows, their fists colliding with a frequency that blurred the air. Josuke gritted his teeth as he realized the magnitude of the problem.
DIO wasn't just powerful; he appeared to possess an intimate understanding of [Crazy Diamond]'s capabilities. He was systematically parrying every strike to ensure the boy couldn't trigger his restoration effect on the Stand itself.
The precision of the vampire's defensive maneuvers was far beyond what Josuke had anticipated.
"It's a shame. Your power and speed are certainly formidable."
"However... you are still a far cry from the level of Jotaro Kujo."
"Against a lesser opponent, you might have stood a chance. But against me, your efforts are meaningless."
DIO stood with his arms crossed, his posture radiating an insufferable, effortless confidence. He delivered his assessment with the air of a teacher grading a disappointing student.
While his words sounded like the usual hubris, Josuke, now locked in a life-or-death struggle, found it difficult to argue with the objective reality of the situation.
The man was right.
It didn't matter how many times [The World] had been pummeled by [Star Platinum] in the past. That was simply because Jotaro's Stand was a monstrous aberration of physical force.
On paper, [The World] was a powerhouse with 'A' rank stats across the board.
Even [Crazy Diamond], despite sharing the dual 'A' rank in power and speed, was clearly trailing in behind the sheer output of the vampire's Stand.
'And... it's not just my imagination.'
'His Stand has clearly become significantly stronger than it was in the records.'
[Crazy Diamond] raised its arms to intercept a heavy blow from [The World], the force of the impact vibrating through Josuke's own frame and driving him several steps backward.
Josuke ignored the sweat stinging his eyes, casting a quick glance at his bruised, purple forearms.
'!'
Before DIO could capitalize on the opening, he was forced to recoil as a sharp, cold sensation sliced across his throat.
"Temporal manipulation is certainly a convenient tool."
"It seems even my [Time Stop] cannot fully negate your movements."
DIO touched his neck, looking at the thin, precise incision that had appeared there.
Blood began to well from the wound, staining his yellow collar a deep, visceral crimson.
Under the influence of her temporal acceleration, Sakuya's movements were so rapid that they essentially compressed a sequence that should have taken ten seconds into a single, instantaneous "Zero Second" event.
It was an absolute strike with zero startup or recovery time.
Unlike Diavolo's [Time Erasure], Sakuya's ability allowed her to execute a sequence of actions without the opponent ever registering the intervening moments.
If DIO hadn't possessed the phenomenal regenerative capacity of a vampire, he would have been decapitated in that single instant.
"Unfortunately... your offensive output still lacks the definitive force required to kill me!"
"No matter how elegant your control over time may be, you are locked within the inherent ceiling of your humanity."
"The fact that you were unable to finish [Saber] earlier is proof enough."
"It confirms my belief... that as long as you remain a human, you will always encounter a limit that you cannot surpass!"
DIO threw his arms wide, the wound on his neck already closing as he spoke.
'No... this guy isn't completely immortal.'
'Every time he regenerates a significant wound, he has to expend a corresponding amount of life energy.'
'If we can just land enough hits, he'll eventually reach a breaking point.'
Josuke wasn't intimidated by the vampire's grandstanding. He had spent hours studying Jotaro's notes on the monster's past behavior.
No matter how much DIO had evolved as a Heroic Spirit, he couldn't have discarded the fundamental constraints of his vampiric nature.
Even with the new blood in his system, he was still a creature of the night, bound by its rules.
The moment DIO finished speaking, Sakuya appeared directly in his space again, her body leaning forward as she unleashed a relentless chain of strikes.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
The impacts echoed through the mansion grounds like a series of rapid-fire explosions. DIO felt the weight of hundreds of blows landing on his frame in the span of a heartbeat.
"Puny! Puny!!"
"Compared to [Star Platinum]'s fists, your efforts are nothing more than a gentle caress."
DIO sneered, his sunken chest expanding as he laughed off the damage.
Of course, the rhetoric was purely designed to shatter his opponent's morale. In reality, he was acutely aware of the massive discrepancy between Sakuya's current power and her previous performance outside the mansion.
Back on the hospital grounds, her combination of strikes had been annoying but manageable.
But here, within the walls of this manifestation, her fists possessed a weight and impact that felt entirely different.
Within this [Scarlet Devil Mansion], [Caster] appeared to have gained a definitive "Home-Field" advantage.
Every aspect of her ability,her speed, her strength, her temporal control,was being amplified by the environment.
If he had been forced to face her like this at the start of the war, he might have found it difficult to maintain his composure.
"[The World]!"
DIO took the initiative, stopping time and standing with his hands on his hips.
"Josuke Higashikata... let's see what kind of pathetic toys you've brought to this game."
Seeing that the boy who had been standing nearby moments ago had vanished, DIO let out a mocking laugh.
Did they really think he would be so distracted by [Caster]'s aggression that he would lose track of his primary target?
DIO wasn't prone to such amateur mistakes.
He wasn't particularly afraid of [Crazy Diamond]'s physical strikes.
What he feared was the Stand's unique ability to "Fix" things.
While he didn't know the full extent of its power, the fact that it could interact with [Berserker]'s [Reflection] was enough to make him wary.
"Damn... no opening at all. He's being completely meticulous."
Hiding within the corridors of the mansion, Josuke watched the frozen figure of DIO through a window, his expression one of frustration.
Why was the monster being so cautious?
By all logic, this was the first time they had ever met.
But then he looked at the Sakuya standing beside him, her hand firm on his shoulder, and he forced himself to breathe.
"But... you've overlooked one critical detail."
"Caster isn't just a master of time manipulation."
Outside, another Sakuya was already launching a fresh assault on DIO.
SPLASH!
Blood sprayed once again as a silver knife found its mark. Even within the stopped time, DIO found it difficult to prevent her from closing the distance.
But the shallow cuts closed in less than a second.
Her movements were still effectively invisible, but DIO was beginning to adapt. He was tracking the subtle shifts in the air, predicting her next point of contact.
'Yes... that's it.'
"Hmph... HAHAHA!!"
Instead of being frustrated, DIO began to laugh, as if he were enjoying a particularly thrilling game.
"Well then, Josuke Higashikata! Where will your next strike come from?"
Fifteen seconds had passed, yet the monochrome world remained frozen.
The blood he had stolen from Diavolo and Kira had granted him a level of temporal endurance that was truly beyond anything in his previous life.
He could maintain this state for hours if necessary.
'Is she trying to bait out my throwing knives?'
Sakuya's movements were telegraphing a specific intent. DIO watched her, his senses refined to a razor's edge.
He saw her leap into the air, her hand forming a sharp palm-strike aimed directly at his shoulder.
THUD!
CRACK!
The ground beneath him shattered under the weight of the impact, sending shards of stone into the air. The force behind the strike was phenomenal.
But.
"I've got you!"
At that exact moment, [The World] manifested behind Sakuya and locked its massive arms around her, pinning her in place.
"Within the frozen world, you cannot throw your knives. Your primary method of killing,the storm of countless blades,is neutralized."
"I knew you would eventually be forced into a direct physical engagement."
"And now..."
DIO stepped closer to the trapped maid, his voice a low, predatory whisper.
"Once I have you in my grasp, not even your temporal acceleration can save you from the constraints of [The World]."
"I appreciate your ability to study my patterns... but you've celebrated your victory far too early."
Even pinned by the Stand's absolute grip, Sakuya's expression didn't flicker with fear.
"Oh? That level of composure is truly impressive. Are you pinning your hopes on the boy hiding in the shadows?"
"Without your assistance, he can't even get close to me, let alone save you."
"Now... let me sample your blood. I'll plant a [Flesh Bud] in that elegant brain of yours and make you DIO's personal servant!"
Sharp, needle-like fingernails reached toward Sakuya's throat.
'!'
Just as DIO was certain of his victory, he felt a sudden, jarring presence beside him.
"DURA RA RA RA RA!!!"
Before his brain could even process the visual, his body was struck by a relentless barrage of hundreds of punches.
'How is this possible?!'
DIO cast a terrified glance toward the Sakuya standing with Josuke, and then back to the one still trapped by [The World].
Two Casters?!!
"DURA RA RA RA!!"
[Crazy Diamond]'s fists continued to hammer into his frame. To escape the pummeling, DIO was forced to order [The World] to release its grip and prioritize his own defense.
As the Stand lunged to intervene, Josuke was pulled away by the Sakuya standing behind him, the two of them vanishing and reappearing some distance away.
THUD.
DIO collapsed to the ground, his mind spinning.
There was no doubt about it. That had been the power of temporal acceleration.
Had the one he captured been a fake?
No... that Caster had used the exact same abilities. She had been physically present.
Then what...?
"It seems you have a basic understanding of my abilities, but you lack the depth to truly grasp them."
"Control over time isn't as shallow as you seem to believe."
The two Sakuyas stood side-by-side, finishing each other's sentences with haunting synchronization.
To Sakuya, the manipulation of time was a perfected art.
The second Sakuya wasn't a mere illusion or a simple magical clone.
She was a [Time Clone],a version of Sakuya pulled from a different, parallel timeline and manifested in the present world.
She had brought another 'Self' into this reality.
This was the terrifying "Potential" of the Head Maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
The Sakuya who had initially faced DIO was the primary one.
The Sakuya hiding with Josuke was also the primary one, just from a different point in the timeline.
Both were real. Both possessed the absolute power of the maid.
It was only natural that DIO, for all his predatory instincts, had failed to identify the deception.
"Ugh... my body!"
DIO tried to stand, but he found his movements hampered by an unnatural resistance.
His hands and feet felt leaden, as if they were no longer part of his own body.
He looked down and saw that he was pinned to the ground in a spread-eagle position. His limbs were partially submerged in the earth, as if the soil and concrete had been fused with his own flesh.
"I'm sorry. Did you really think Caster's attacks were a waste of effort?"
"Her goal was simple: to destroy your footing. She pulverized the ground beneath you just so that, after I landed my blows, I could 'Fix' the rubble and the soil back into its original state... with you trapped inside it."
Josuke stood over the vampire, brushing the dust from his shoulder as he explained the mechanics of his success.
'!'
DIO recalled the moment Sakuya had leaped into the air to strike his shoulder.
The impact hadn't just been for damage; it had deliberately shattered the foundation he was standing on.
The entire engagement had been a bait.
He might have successfully pinned one Sakuya, but it was a trap she had set for him.
Using herself as a lure.
And with the [Time Clone] ability, he had never stood a chance of identifying the threat.
"I have to say... my compatibility with Caster is excellent. She covers the range limitations of [Crazy Diamond], and in return, I provide the finishing power that her knives sometimes lack."
"DIO! Your only defeat... was the arrogance that led you to believe you could face the two of us alone!"
"You...!!"
Furious and humiliated, DIO's expression was a mask of animalistic rage.
"I know this isn't enough to kill you..."
"So, just to be safe, I've prepared a special gift for you."
"Right, Caster? I think a vampire will be quite 'Delighted' to see this."
Josuke looked at the snarling monster with a cold, mocking grin. Sakuya offered a soft, knowing nod.
"It might be a bit too 'Stimulating' for a creature of the night, I suppose."
She closed her eyes, her lips curving into a smile. She was truly coming to appreciate Josuke Higashikata as a teammate.
"Heh. I think Rohan and the others have finished their part by now."
***
"Rohan-sensei, what's the point of this?"
"I thought [Berserker] and [Saber] were fighting on the fifth floor?"
Koichi looked on in confusion as Rohan ignored the high-level battle between Accelerator and Itachi, instead ordering Okuyasu to use [The Hand] to systematically shave away large sections of the rooftop and the building's architecture.
"It's because they're fighting that we have this opportunity. If I'm right, this is exactly what Josuke's note was trying to communicate."
Rohan stood up as the last of the obstructions was removed.
"I hate to admit it, but the kid thought this through."
"The stage is set for him."
"Don't screw this up, Josuke!"
Rohan looked up as the clouds began to part. A vertical shaft of light, unobstructed by the building's upper floors, lanced down into the hospital's central courtyard.
At that exact moment, Josuke and Sakuya emerged into the courtyard, dragging the pinned, earth-fused form of DIO into the center of the illuminated zone.
The brilliant, blinding radiance of the sun bathed the ground.
"Yo. Look at that. The angle is absolutely perfect. Good job, Rohan."
Josuke looked up at the shaft of light, a look of genuine admiration on his face.
"Even without talking, our teamwork is still pinpoint."
"Honestly... are you and he actually good friends?"
"Don't talk nonsense! I can't stand that guy!"
Josuke and Sakuya shared a brief, lighthearted exchange, seemingly ignoring the fact that DIO was beginning to smoke and burn.
SIZZLE!
"ARGH! AAAAARGH!!!"
His skin was blistering and charred, his body beginning to dissolve into ash as the vampire faced his primal nemesis.
Meanwhile, on the fifth floor of the hospital, Itachi Uchiha ceased his movements. He looked at Accelerator, who had just knocked him to the ground, and spoke with a hollow, mechanical voice.
"The technique is about to activate..."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]