"To think you would stop on your own..."
DIO stood at the intersection, calmly observing the three individuals waiting for him.
Josuke Higashikata.
The Master of [Lancer].
And finally, the young girl who was the Master of [Archer].
He couldn't sense any trace of [Archer]'s presence in the immediate vicinity, a fact that struck him as odd.
The Servants were gone, and yet these three were standing before him with a transparent, uncompromising resolve. What were they planning?
"And how exactly are you able to act within a stopped world, Josuke Higashikata?"
DIO pointed a finger at Josuke, who was already beginning to move. His voice was heavy with a cold, analytical curiosity.
Just a few moments ago, Josuke had been frozen like a statue. Now, he seemed to have broken free of the temporal suspension, moving with a fluidity that shouldn't have been possible.
BOOM!!
The answer came not in words, but in a heavy, focused fist that connected directly with the side of DIO's head.
"DURA RARA RARA RARA!!!"
Crazy Diamond launched into a ferocious, high-speed barrage. The intensity of the assault was enough to momentarily warp DIO's divine features, forcing his head into a distorted, jagged shape.
Driven by a raw, incandescent fury, Josuke's mental energy was peaking, feeding directly into the destructive output of his Stand.
BOOM!!
A final, massive haymaker sent DIO hurtling into a nearby storefront. Josuke stood his ground, his gaze cold and absolute as he watched the wreckage.
Sakuya had sacrificed herself.
She had stayed behind to ensure that he and Subaru could escape, and she had paid the ultimate price.
Josuke recalled the time they had spent together. While it hadn't been long, he had come to view the girl not just as a combat partner, but as a friend,a part of his family.
She had been a maid who didn't let him sleep in, but he had grown accustomed to her presence.
He had summoned her because of Jotaro's guidance, but he also knew that their compatibilities were a natural match.
To see her consumed... if Josuke didn't give DIO the beating of a lifetime, he would never be able to live with himself.
'Jotaro-san... sometimes a young man just has to be aggressive.'
'I know DIO is powerful now. But if I don't have the courage to even swing a fist at him, then I'm not worthy of the Higashikata name.'
Josuke looked toward the building where DIO had landed, recalling the lessons Jotaro had once shared with him.
There was no further need for conversation. Josuke glanced back, seeing Subaru and Miyu already putting distance between themselves and the hospital. Then, he moved.
"Hmm?"
BOOM!!
DIO was just beginning to stir among the rubble when another crushing blow descended on him.
"DURA RARA RARA RARA!!"
'How is he maintaining this temporal acceleration without Caster?!'
DIO was pinned against the foundation, unable to find an opening as Crazy Diamond's fists continued to hammer into his frame.
He finally realized the logic.
Sakuya was gone, which meant the source of the acceleration wasn't internal to Josuke.
His mind flashed to the image of "Miyu." He understood the Truth.
'That girl used her Stand's ability to transfer Sakuya's temporal power to Josuke!'
"ARGH!!"
DIO reached out with one hand to touch his own chest, [Overwriting] the accumulated damage into nonexistence. Simultaneously, he swung his other fist with a speed that defied perception, striking Crazy Diamond directly in the solar plexus.
Ugh!
Josuke was hurled back, landing in a half-kneel as he clutched his abdomen.
It was no use.
The ability to overwrite reality was too much of a cheat.
By skipping the process of recovery, DIO could ignore any amount of physical trauma.
No matter how many punches Josuke delivered, they were all rendered meaningless by a single touch.
"You used Caster's temporal acceleration to land nearly a hundred blows on me..."
"Josuke Higashikata."
DIO stood up, his body completely restored. While the physical wounds were gone, the humiliation of being pinned down by a mere human had left him with a cold, simmering rage.
If it hadn't been for his absolute, reality-altering power, he might have actually been beaten to death by that barrage.
"Heh... I had to give you a few 'Good Memories' before I go."
"No matter. Are those the final words of the last of the Joestars?"
DIO looked down at the boy. Josuke was still kneeling, his breath coming in ragged gasps, but his gaze remained as sharp and defiant as ever.
Even after such a devastating blow, his momentum hadn't wavered.
"DIO... this war is far from over."
"The rest of us... we haven't accepted our fate yet!"
"The one who gets the last laugh... it won't be..."
The sentence went unfinished. In a flicker of white radiance, Josuke Higashikata was absorbed into light and pulled into DIO's frame.
"Hmph. The desperate barking of the dying."
DIO dismissed the boy's words and stepped out of the ruins of the building.
But when he reached the street, he realized that Subaru and Miyu were no longer there.
"I see. That explains why you didn't need to speak to coordinate."
"Rohan Kishibe's meddling."
DIO narrowed his eyes as he pinpointed the locations of the fleeing Masters.
He had felt something was off since his return from the battle with [Lancer].
Aside from the necessary dialogue with him, the Masters had stayed silent, offering no verbal warnings or tactical shifts.
And yet, Josuke had dodged his surprise attack with perfect timing.
Now, the Truth was clear.
Through the power of [Heaven's Door], the Masters had established a form of "Telepathic" communication, allowing them to share thoughts and plans without a single spoken word.
***
Subaru Natsuki waited for a sign of a temporal reset, his heart racing with a mix of anticipation and dread.
'Hey, hey, hey. This is getting out of hand.'
'Amber is gone. She was the only one who could trigger a rewind from a distance.'
'If we don't do it before DIO realizes what's happening, we're finished.'
Subaru exchanged the urgent thoughts with Miyu, cold sweat pouring down his face.
It was a nightmare scenario.
When he had coordinated with Rohan and Josuke, the plan was for Amber to trigger the rewind as a backup. But DIO's sudden return and his immediate assassination of [Assassin] had systematically dismantled their primary safety net.
Now, their only remaining hope was Homura Akemi. She was the only one left who possessed the power to manipulate time on such a scale.
But as Miyu tried to reach out to her, there was nothing but a chilling, utter silence.
'Use your Command Spell to order her or use your own Stand to,'
The thought was cut short as Subaru realized that DIO was already standing in their path.
'!'
"Trace on!"
Miyu didn't hesitate. She immediately initiated a projection.
SWISH SWISH SWISH!!
A storm of projected blades erupted from the air, flying toward the vampire.
"Hmph!"
DIO offered a dismissive sneer. Before Subaru or Miyu could even register the movement, he appeared directly in front of them with a speed that felt like a localized teleportation.
Ugh!
Ah!
The instant the contact was made, Subaru had only one thought left.
'It's over.'
He and Miyu were both dissolved into pinpricks of light and absorbed into the divine frame of the vampire.
***
Haaa...
Standing on the roof of a nearby skyscraper, Homura Akemi watched as the last traces of her allies' energy vanished from the world. Her long black hair drifted in the wind as she turned her head.
"You sought me out directly instead of going after the Master of [Berserker]?"
"That girl's existence is no longer relevant. Her soul can run as far as it likes, but she is already a ghost."
"Is that so...?"
Homura looked at DIO with a calm, analytical expression. She didn't seem surprised by his appearance.
"One final question. If I were to assist you... would you be willing to use that power of yours to grant my wish?"
The question caught DIO off guard. He looked at the girl with a look of genuine intrigue.
"Hoho... are you offering to surrender? You wish to serve me, DIO?"
'...'
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Despite the lack of a verbal answer, DIO threw his head back and laughed.
He could see it in her eyes. The girl was absolutely serious.
He smiled, his expression one of pure, charismatic malice as he offered the temptation.
"Very well! If you submit yourself to me... a few trivial desires are of no consequence!"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]