Chapter 55: Beginning the Speedrun
"The Emperor is I, Diavolo! [King Crimson]!!" Diavolo roared.
Even his previously bewildered and pained expression turned fierce and distorted in an instant.
As for Shirou Emiya's mercy? Hmph, let mercy go to hell!
Although up until now, the only thing Diavolo could be certain of was that his sudden flight across the room was the work of Shirou and his group, he still hadn't figured out the exact mechanics of how he had been hit. However, he assumed it was simply the ability of some Stand. And when it came to Stand abilities...
"Your Stands are trash! Combined with your low-level IQs and boring empathy... you dare to think you can dictate the future of I, Diavolo?
Don't make me laugh! The future of this world will only be held in the hands of my [King Crimson]. You pieces of filth will never defeat me!"
His powerful will allowed Diavolo to remain calm even amidst such agonizing pain. In fact, the very moment time resumed its flow and his consciousness returned, he decisively activated [King Crimson's] strongest ability—
"Time shall begin its inscription once more!"
With those words, Diavolo's body began to detach from the time of this world. This was the invincible Time Erasure. And then...
Diavolo had [King Crimson] drag his crippled legs and began to flee...
That's right. Contrary to the ruthless threats coming out of his mouth, the moment Diavolo successfully erased time, his first thought was how to use this special duration—where only he retained consciousness—to run away. This wasn't a matter of cowardice. It was based on a very realistic reason.
While [King Crimson's] range parameter is technically E, its actual effective range is much greater than the Range-C [Star Platinum], reaching two to three meters. But the problem was that Shirou had already blasted Diavolo away and broken his legs. Having not yet suffered the Stand attack from [Silver Chariot Requiem] (which would have vastly increased his spiritual power in the original story), Diavolo was currently unable to use Time Erasure consecutively in a short burst.
Under these circumstances, Diavolo naturally intended to retreat first.
"Just you wait, I will definitely return!"
Turning back to engrave the faces of Shirou and the others into his memory, Diavolo ignored his injuries and used his hands to pull himself up to the window, peering outside with intensity.
"Good, the thing I left is still there."
Finding that the escape measures he had specially placed around the hotel were still intact, Diavolo finally breathed a small sigh of relief. He planned to have the Power-A [King Crimson] hurl him out the window. With [King Crimson's] precision, he would be thrown accurately onto [Mr. President] and enter the internal room created by its Stand ability.
As for what came next... naturally, he would notify his elite guard to deal with these fools who dared to offend the Emperor's majesty!
"However, these guys have served as a wake-up call. If they could find me through that old hag from back then, what about others?
Because I was alone at the start, there are still quite a few people within the organization who know my true appearance. It seems that after this incident is over, I must purge these 'pasts' of mine."
Having successfully entered the room inside [Mr. President], Diavolo became even more obsessed with the idea of better hiding his true identity. Indeed, human growth is a process of constantly overcoming one's immature past.
Just as Diavolo was thinking this—and as Time Erasure ended, during which he had rapidly completed his escape—he prepared to seamlessly transition into the post-erasure world where he could interact with objects and call his elite guard.
However, a strange hand pressed down on the telephone inside [Mr. President's] room faster than he could.
A voice spoke into his ear: "It seems you've made the worst possible choice, Diavolo."
"Wh... what!?"
Diavolo turned his head in horror. The person who had appeared beside him and entered the room of [Mr. President] along with him was none other than Shirou Emiya!
How could Shirou Emiya be here? During the period of erased time, no one besides himself should have been able to retain autonomous consciousness; they should have simply acted out their initial intentions. How did Shirou know in advance that he would enter [Mr. President's] room?!
Countless questions instantly flooded Diavolo's brain. But soon, he would no longer need to ponder them. Because...
"—[Pseudo-Whitesnake]!!"
The room of [Mr. President], already a narrow space, had unknowingly been filled with white mist. The moment these gases—transformed via [Pseudo-Whitesnake]—touched Diavolo, he lost all ability to resist and was pulled into a dream state by [Pseudo-Whitesnake].
He began to enter a hallucination meticulously woven by Shirou specifically for him: the "original ending" that belonged solely to Diavolo.
"Have a nice dream, Diavolo.
Though it's just an illusion, the chance to experience immortality isn't something everyone gets to enjoy.
Even vampires like DIO, after gaining immortality through the Stone Mask, have to carefully hide from the sun. Compared to your 'immortality' with zero side effects, they are far inferior."
Exiting the interior of [Mr. President], Shirou spoke these words that carried not a hint of a blessing.
The final boss of Part 5, Diavolo... Don't come any closer!!!
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