A side-story set within the Convergence Series, elaborating on backstories for certain characters and what happens in between major events.
Primarily deals with characters from A Certain Magical Index and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in order to build up the upcoming event, Right Hand of the Magic God. Takes place directly before the events of the side-story, A Certain Golden Requiem.
There is a man who once had the chance to become a Magic God, an opportunity that only presented itself every ten thousand years, but missed that opportunity to save a cat.
His name is Ollerus, and absolute power is not something he desires.
There is a man of great ambition who yearned for the power of God in the past, and paid the price for his blasphemy.
His name is Fiamma of the Right, and he seeks redemption for his sins.
There is a woman who had taken the chance to become a Magic God away from Ollerus, a true Majin of great ambition to become even more powerful.
Her name is Othinus, and she will stop at nothing to become the most powerful being in the multiverse.
There is a man of low birth and great ambition, who rejected his humanity to become something greater.
His name is Dio Brando, and he will destroy everything he sees fit in order to attain "Heaven."
There is a legendary weapon of godlike power that will grant its user limitless power over the universe in which the user resides.
It is called Gungnir, and in the wrong hands, it is capable of destroying everything.
There are legendary objects, able to grant its users godlike power if they are worthy enough.
They are called the Arrows, and in the wrong hands, just one can be capable of destroying everything.
And this is the story of their feud that the entire multiverse would soon feel.
"..."
This boy was named Touma Kamijou, and by the will of the supernatural, he had the absolute worst luck around. He carried such misfortune that despite being otherwise not related at all to the Magic Gods, and only knowing of Fiamma of the Right from a few previous encounters in the past (admittedly, starting World War III was a bit more than "a few encounters" but whatever), Touma found himself being wrapped up in the affairs of Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right, recruited into their cause solely because of the power he held in his right hand, the Imagine Breaker, able to dispel any supernatural phenomena it comes into contact with. It was an exceedingly useful power to have against evil magicians, and though perhaps Touma could have easily refused to take part in such misadventures, perhaps it can be said that his altruistic nature that prevented him from saying no was another factor to his misfortune.
With a furrowed brow, Touma leaned against the wall with crossed arms, closing his eyes as if to think very deeply over how he had even found himself roped in this situation in the first place.
To be fair, perhaps this kind of confrontation was inevitable. After his adventures in places such as Baggage City and encounters with the organization known as GREMLIN, headed by Othinus herself, maybe it was only a matter of time before he'd ran into Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right. One time in Baggage City, and again when all he'd wanted to do was celebrate the Ichihanaran Festival. Really, espionage was not on his relaxation agenda, and yet, here he was, standing around in some hick town called Morioh in Japan. But not just any Morioh in Japan. A Morioh in another universe.
After his run-ins with the Fuse Facility and Fiamma of the Right's attempt to merge his home world with another, Touma had become no stranger to the idea of the multiverse, and the prospect of traveling through different worlds (especially after Carissa, a princess he'd encountered before in the past, had appeared before him to deliver cookies baked by the Mikoto Misaka he met during World War III recently), but actually going to another world of his own volition... It was a strange feeling, being so far away from home. And this was coming from a guy who had even gone far enough as to travel into space on one occasion.
What was he doing here anyway? Well, that was another big story.
After being talked into straight up leaving his home world to travel into different universes by Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right to go after Othinus and try to find the all-powerful Gungnir before she could, the two had evidently ascertained the location of GREMLIN's activities, based in some other world where Ollerus could apparently "sense" a great power there, believed to be Gungnir. So, using Fiamma of the Right's power, the residual power of the Right Hand of the Crimson Moon, they traveled there, and here Touma was, waiting around idly in the middle of the street, while Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right had went off to look around by themselves, leaving behind Touma because they believed he would have "slowed them down," whatever the heck that meant.
But he wasn't alone for much longer, for better or for worse.
"Yo, Imagine Breaker," Fiamma of the Right said, suddenly appearing before Touma. The magician didn't mind all that much that, in such an urban Japanese town, the redhead stuck out like a sore thumb, but Touma was downright embarrassed a bit to even be associated with this guy. Still, he looked over to Fiamma when he showed up, listening to what he had to say. "C'mon. Ollerus managed to find a lead on where some of GREMLIN might be located here," he said curtly and to the point, pocketing his hands in his pajama-like clothing, "We should go before it's too late. And do try to keep up, Touma Kamijou."
"... Put a sock in it."
After paying for his crimes at the hands of the "heroes" he fought against during World War III, Fiamma of the Right was recovered by Ollerus in the snow, along with his associate, a certain young woman whom Ollerus wanted to stay home just in case. The man who almost became a Magic God offered Fiamma of the Right at a chance at redemption, and the magician, in his own eyes, had no choice but to accept. His sins were great after all, and as a man of God, how could he refuse?
Perhaps in that regard, he and Touma were alike. They simply couldn't say no and turn their backs on themselves or others.
Not that either of them would admit it.
Gungnir was a weapon wielded by the chief gods of Norse mythology. That meant that such a weapon, on top of being immensely powerful, was also immensely old.
Many a time in the past had it been used to "reset" the world and create a new cycle, similar to how Ragnarok, the end of all things for Asgard, was an apocalypse that also made way for a new beginning. And One-Eyed Othinus, a being many compared to Odin, was intent on continuing that cycle. A Ragnarok for Midgard. For Earth.
However, Ollerus was intent on stopping that cycle.
Having taken Gungnir for himself, Ollerus, unable to completely destroy it as it was practically indestructible for the most part, at least managed to separate the tip and the shaft of the spear, and with his magic that matched that of a Magic God's in some areas, was able to send the two parts of Gungnir into two worlds across the multiverse, hidden away from Othinus.
However, that security of being confident in Othinus not being able to find the two pieces did not last.
While the Magic God had gone dormant shortly afterwards, everything seemed to be at peace. She could not simply travel to another world and use Gungnir located there. She could only use the Gungnir that existed in this cycle, the one that was compatible with someone in the cycle made for her. She could not use Gungnir from another universe, because it was from a parallel cycle, a different cycle, and thus, it would have been useless. But then, a certain phenomenon reignited her drive. One that fed off malevolence and despair in its very existence. One that would be able to bring her to the pieces of Gungnir with their mass reach.
These... Murder Games.
For a long time, ever since Fiamma of the Right's World War III, she had kept an eye on each and every incident, unaware to everyone. And though she had little luck in finding one such "Murder Game" that had drawn her closer to finding one of the pieces of Gungnir, her activities were not lost on Ollerus, who after learning of such Murder Games himself, knew that it was only a matter of time until she'd find the pieces, especially considering the resources she'd gathered through forming her GREMLIN organization and recruiting whoever she might have found useful into her cause. And with the multiverse being what it was... That could have meant anyone.
So when Ollerus saw an opportunity, he moved.
Right now, he had the tip of Gungnir in his possession, having originally been found by an organization called the Multiversal Templars, and very nearly recovered by a man who called himself "Ocelot," claiming to be a member of some... "Coalition." But Ollerus saw through that lie, and could practically smell Othinus's influence on him. So he did away with him, using Fiamma of the Right.
But Gungnir, he soon learned, was not the only artifact to be wary of.
Whoever Othinus had begun working with, it seemed she had also become interested in some sort of artifact known as the "Arrow," located exclusively throughout this bizarre, alternate universe that seemed unassuming at first, but was more than met the eye. Like Gungnir, Ollerus could sense an Arrow's power because of the sheer supernatural energy it emanated throughout, and so could Othinus, so long as they were "relatively" nearby. And if they emanated a similar kind of energy, that could only mean one thing.
Like Gungnir, when in the wrong hands, one could be used to destroy everything.
So here he was now, in another universe, finding an object from another universe to keep away from her.
The board was set. The pieces were in motion.
The house was an unassuming set piece.
No one would have ever expected such diabolical schemes being undertaken in a quiet town like Morioh, let alone a random, abandoned house like this one. Of course, perhaps it was because Touma wasn't used to being in such an urban, quiet place, but he figured he at least had enough common sense to know about stuff like this. According to his comrades, the house once belonged to a man named Yoshihiro Kira, who once held a so-called "Arrow" when he was alive.
Standing outside the rusted gate with Fiamma of the Right and Ollerus, Touma pursed his lips. A part of him was apprehensive to even be on this mission, feeling like just being here disturbed the peace that the town had tried to maintain for so long. Not like the ever busy city that never slept, Academy City. Still, on the other hand, Touma was perhaps the one that had the least flamboyant and extravagant power, between Fiamma of the Right's Holy Strikes that probably could accidentally level the house if he wasn't careful, and Ollerus's mysterious magic that could also just about do the same.
In other words, maybe it was both a good and bad thing that Touma was the only one of the trio that was incapable of destroying an entire building at all. Still, he knew that he couldn't take all of the enemies inside by himself if there were so many of them. A power like Imagine Breaker could only get him so far when the bad guys knew exactly what he was capable of.
"Oya. You're not getting cold feet now, are you, Kamijou?"
"No. Never," Touma shook his head, resisting the urge to bite his lip as he looked forward. There was only one way to go from here. He had no other choice.
"Splendid. Let's begin, shall we?"
"I suggest that we split up," Fiamma of the Right piped up, "We can all take care of ourselves, can't we? We can cover more ground this way, and besides, it shouldn't be too hard to call out in case we need backup."
"Why are you looking at me when you say that?"
"No reason."
"A sound plan. Let's move then!"
Without another word, the three of them moved inside, resolved to do what they needed to do. They were quickly greeted by a gloomy sight, as expected of a haunted house. Dark halls, a result of the closed curtains that only a sliver of light managed to sneak past, a surprising amount of cobwebs, an unhealthy amount of dust built up for God knows how long, the whole nine yards. While Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right hardly reacted to such displays, as though they had some sort of divine protection from dust, Touma on the other hand had to try really hard to resist the urge to sneeze aloud and give away their position. Still, he knew he didn't have time to be distracted by the dust around.
The three of them looked to each other and nodded, silently communicating where they intended to go, before taking off. Ollerus made his way upstairs, creeping silently and carefully with each step, while Fiamma of the Right went to the right, and Touma to the left.
The spiky-haired boy didn't anticipate seeing anything of interest where he had gone, making his way into what was presumably an old dining area, with plenty of dust built up on the table as expected, as well as on the fan above. To his side, Touma spotted another corridor. Being the only thing of notable interest, considering how much he doubted he'd find much rummaging through the dirty and rotting dining area, the teenager quickly sauntered over to the corridor, poking his head out around the corner and cautiously looking around, only to find himself in a small hall connected by the side to the back of the den to the right, and to the left, a new room.
Gingerly, Touma made his way toward the entrance to the room on the left. The floor was an old, rotted wood in the small hall, so Touma felt the need to step even more lightly than before, the previous rooms' floors being made up of carpet and tile. Poking his head from around the corner to see what was in this new room, Touma could feel his heart rapidly beating in the piercing silence of the old house, if only from the anxiety of being in a place reminiscent of a horror movie. However, what he saw made his heart drop, as though he had seen someone or something that had no business being there.
Standing in the room, a room that one could guess used to be some sort of living room, was a tall individual with a slender figure, almost to the point of being androgynous. He wore all white, save for his black gloves and shoes, and though a motorcycle helmet obscured his identity, Touma knew exactly who he was.
Kagun... Kihara?!
A man who should not have been here. A man whose very existence haunted Touma a bit. And yet, he was right there, standing like a statue, unassuming. He was frozen in time, completely unmoving, not even breathing noticeably. He truly was like a robot, or a statue. Upon further examination, it seemed that he was standing in front of some sort of small box. Whatever might have been inside, it must have been something important if they needed someone like him to guard it. But... He shouldn't have been here. It just... didn't make any sense!
Gulping silently to himself, Touma attempted to slowly back away, knowing that by himself, he was no match for the man named Kihara. He'd need to call for Ollerus or Fiamma of--
Creeeeeeeak.
As Touma attempted to back away on the wooden floor, the board he'd stepped on let out a loud creaking sound that was practically deafening amidst the silence. And that was then that "Kihara's" head jerked to the source of the sound like a parrot, catching sight of Touma. The spiky-haired boy's eyes widened in alarm as he was exposed, unable to even move as though he could feel Kihara's icy gaze from behind the helmet. The two of them stared each other silently for a good moment, and the moment Kagun Kihara made a move, stepping in Touma's direction, the boy gulped again.
... Such misfortune.
All a product of his supernatural bad luck.
Kagun Kihara was the "exception."
In Academy City, the Kihara family was known only to a few. And to those who did know about them, they were known as the most brilliant scientist family of Academy City... and the most twisted. There was a reason they operated primarily within the dark side of Academy City; their human experiments were something that one could never dream of thinking, the stuff things on the dark web were made of. They were practically all born with a sadistic streak and a great affinity for science, experimenting on innocent people as they pleased with no regard for anything else.
After all, when they were sanctioned by the superintendent of the city, Aleister Crowley, they practically had diplomatic immunity.
There was Enshuu Kihara, a little girl who was the proof of the twisted personality being inherent in the blood of the family. There was Ransuu Kihara, a man who specialized in chemical warfare and influence of the mind. There was Noukan Kihara, a golden retriever dog implanted with the cranial functions of a human, and the evil of the Kihara family. And there were more. There was Byouri Kihara, a wheelchair bound woman whose fragile exterior betrayed the human experimentation she'd committed in order to unlock the secrets of transformation.
And then, there was Kagun Kihara.
While the rest of the family was unapologetic in their evil and their experiments, one could consider Kagun Kihara to be the defect in the family. The one who rejected his family, and disowned himself from them. The one who rejected the evil in his blood.
The details of his past and his circumstances, as well as how he came to be affiliated with such an organization as GREMLIN, are long-winded and an entirely other story, but while he had managed to get back at one of his other relatives for a wrongdoing committed against him, Kagun Kihara had ultimately met his end in the process during his time in Baggage City, where Touma Kamijou had also been present at the same time. Touma and Kihara had never said a word to each other personally, but they were keenly aware of each other's existence, Kihara having been the one to have left a trail of breadcrumbs for Touma to follow into Baggage City in the first place, knowing of the boy's reputation as a sort of makeshift superhero, and depending on him to help quell the incidents there. And though Touma had quickly learned of Kihara's death well after dealing with the certain incident there, there was one thing that he didn't understand.
Death meant little to a god.
What Touma didn't know was that Kagun Kihara may be dead now, but he was also a walking dead. By the power of Othinus, he had been raised from the other side, and his body continued to operate, moving on her whim, obeying her every move like the Frankenstein Monster to Dr. Pretorius.
The technical term to describe what Kihara had become was "Einherjar," but some might rather refer to him by the Norse translation "Corpse Troop," or for all intents and purposes, a zombie. And he was a mindless one at that, compelled by his master. In essence, a shell of his former self. His identity perverted and corrupted because he had yet to outlive his use. He was completely under the control of his masters, not just Othinus, but also her close associate, Revan, especially with the discovery and destruction of some sort of hidden semiconductor hidden in the back of his neck that likely would have prevented him from doing certain actions.
That was the tragedy of his existence; all he had ever wanted to do was make up for the atrocities he and his family had committed in the name of science, and all that it had gotten him was becoming a puppet of magic.
He could not be granted even peace in death.
"Hmm..."
Crossing her arms as she tinkered with the machines and doo-hickeys in front of her, like some sort of grease monkey (the blue overalls didn't help), Marian Slingeneyer, loyal GREMLIN genius with an intimate relationship with the once alive and well Kagun Kihara, was hard at work. It was fortunate that they were able to easily enough find the Arrow that Othinus was after, but multiversal travel, as exceedingly intelligent as Marian and Kagun (at least, when he was in his prime) were, it was a technology that had yet to be mastered. At least, through science. With magic, it was all exponentially more convenient, so long as it didn't depend on long-winded incantations, because she did not want to know how long a grimoire would have to be to involve such knowledge, if it even existed.
The contraption was both complex and simple, on paper and when applied. A portal-holder there, a mechanism there. The challenge was in activating the right energy and honing in on the desired world to travel to. Navigating through such a vast plane like the multiverse was more delicate and far more difficult than it sounded, even for a genius of her own world. Maybe that was why one in a trillion of a trillion people managed to crack it.
After fiddling with the remote she held in her hand some more, adjusting certain panels that did God knows what, she wondered how much longer this would take. The dwarven girl did not look forward to the wrath she might face from Othinus if she were late. She was already uneasy with that man around.
And then...
Whoosh!
From her remote, a great blue beam of light shot out from the end and went straight for the designated area, creating a portal to the desired world she wanted to go back to. Her makeshift headquarters now that GREMLIN had allied itself with this... Revanchist organization.
With a self-satisfied grin, Marian let out a small laugh to herself, crossing her arms haughtily as she sat crisscrossed before her mechanism. "Aha! There we go~ Back in business! Hopefully, that’ll be the last of our annoying inconveniences! At least for now, anyway."
CRASH!
And then Touma’s body came flying straight through the wall.
Sliding across the ground, the spiky-haired teenager groaned in defeat, all the while Marian practically jumped to her feet in surprise, eyes wide as her curiosity rose along with her surprise as well. Carefully, she peered over Touma's beaten form, tilting her head briefly, thinking nothing of him. If she didn't know any better, she would have assumed that Touma was one of the locals in town just goofing off in a place they shouldn't have been in, but... Well, she did know better.
She did know that Touma Kamijou was the holder of the Imagine Breaker, the mysterious power to negate every supernatural phenomena.
Looking up at the hole in the wall, Kagun Kihara standing on the other side, almost in a triumphant manner if he were capable of such a thing, Marian furrowed her brow. She knew that he was supposed to be an Einherjar, a robotic-like walking corpse for all anyone was concerned, but couldn't he at least have some concept of subtlety? And how did Imagine Breaker find them all here? That was probably the most pressing question that Marian figured she should be worrying more about. So, she did. Hunching down to her knees, she pressed a finger against Touma's cheek, poking him as she leaned in closer.
"Imagine Breaker... Now, where did you come from? It's not nice to intrude in on a place you're not invited to, y'know," she spoke with a soft, playful edge to her tone, "Surely, you didn't fall out of the sky by yourself. You might be able to do a lot with that right hand of yours, but to follow us all here... I bet you woulda needed an awful lot of help to do something like that, huh?"
Touma could only groan softly, unable to produce words before yet another CRASH resonated behind him. This time, it was body of Kihara, smashed through the wall, and in his place, stood a familiar figure.
"A betting woman, you truly are," the voice of Ollerus said coolly as he stood where Kihara once was. Before Marian could even think to react and retaliate against the magician, a peculiar spell launched by Ollerus -- the very same one that knocked Kihara through the wall -- sent Marian flying back, hitting her head against the portal compartment, eliciting a loud thud and a pained groan, knocking her out of commission for a few moments as she was disoriented.
Hliðskjálf. That was the name of the spell Ollerus had conjured. It was a magic beyond the comprehension of normal human magicians, and could not even begin to be described in the words of man. Perfectly fitting for a man who should have become a Magic God.
Smirking to himself in self-satisfaction, he stepped over and stuck out an arm, helping Touma back to his feet, the spiky-haired teen gritting his teeth in mild pain. On one hand, it was amazing to think about all the crap the boy had been through in his life, mentally and physically, that he was able to get up after being thrown through a wall (even if the wall in question was rather thin), but on the other... It was actually a little depressing the more he thought about it. Good thing he wasn't allowed too much time to even think about it then.
“Well. That could have gone better,” Ollerus sighed.
“Shut up,” Touma spat, rubbing his chin briefly, glancing over at the inanimate form of Kagun and the disoriented form of Marian. They didn’t have much time left. Turning to the man who should have become a Magic God, he spoke again, quickly calming down. “Anyway. When Kagun Kihara here was trying to catch me, I managed to get my hands on this old thing,” he added, producing what looked to be some sort of arrowhead from his pocket. There was no doubt about it. It was the Arrow of this world that GREMLIN was looking for. Clutching it with his hand, he casually tossed it and caught it again, furrowing his brow. “Still… I’m confused. What does it even do? You’re not supposed to… like, stab someone with it, are you? Not a weapon?”
“A weapon… Truly, a testament to how limited your mind is, Touma Kamijou,” Fiamma of the Right said with a slight scoff as he entered the scene from the other doorway, tilting his head and wearing a smirk, all in a manner that clearly spelled out “condescending” to the spiky-haired teenager.
“I’ll take that as a no, then…”
“No, it is highly inconvenient to use as a weapon. Looks as though you could hardly penetrate through anyone’s body with a blade that dull,” the magician whistled, leaning forward to get a closer look at the Arrow in Touma’s right hand, “No… No, it must be some sort of a tool. But as to how it’s used, there’s little telling without experimentation.”
“Can I call dibs on not being the guinea pig?”
“Do be quiet.”
“I believe that belongs to me,” an unfamiliar voice spoke from the shadows, booming and powerful. The unfamiliar man’s voice carried the weight of his entire presence, and as he did so, the air in the room instantly became heavier, not just for the relatively impressionable Touma, but even to Fiamma of the Right and Ollerus as well.
Staring from the shadows, the presence made himself be known, sporting a flamboyant yellow color scheme in his clothes as he made himself visible. The aura of his mere presence -- if not his entire get-up to begin with -- appeared so suddenly out of nowhere, it was difficult for Touma to fathom how he didn’t spot him earlier. He surely couldn’t be human. So… What was he?
“You would do well to hand it over.”
“L-Like hell, whoever you are!” Touma exclaimed, trying his best to maintain a straight face, despite how oddly intimidating the figure was.
"Then I, DIO, will just have to make an example out of you. Such you will pay for insolence, to stand against I!" the flamboyant man spoke haughtily, looking down upon Touma in just about every sense of the phrase, "The World!"
Before Touma's eyes, and those of Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right, an imposing, bulking spirit appeared beside the man who called himself DIO, armored in yellow and just as muscular as him. Touma's eyes widened and he instinctively took a step back, wary of just what this man was capable of. He had seen all sorts of magicians and espers with crazy powers, but he'd never seen anything quite like this before. "What... What is that thing?!"
"Hooh? So you can see my Stand as well! Just like last time... but no matter! Just because you can see The World, hardly means you can stop it!" DIO exclaimed, hardly perturbed at the unusual phenomena that a non-Stand user could see a Stand. Even if the three opponents before him might have somehow been able to outmatch him in terms of pure, raw strength (something which he doubted anyway), it was his true ability that came with The World that granted him great confidence.
"Time... will stop! Now!"
Just as his words suggested, DIO expected time to come to a standstill, and from there, he could simply dispatch of the pests that stood in his way from there. However, something quickly went wrong for him.
Time did not, in fact, stop.
There was a distortion in the air. A flash of light engulfed the area for a brief moment, as though time attempted to stop, but... it kept going. Following the failed attempt to stop time, Touma stumbled on his feet, taking another instinctive step back, as though unsure of what had just happened. Confusion also littered the faces of Fiamma of the Right and Ollerus, and even his own ally, the dwarven girl named Marian.
The blonde man's cocky expression shifted into a bewildered scowl as he gritted his teeth in equal parts confusion and anger, angry at his own power as though it were a pet that had otherwise vexed him. "What... How can this...?!"
"Hmmm? What's the matter, mighty DIO? Your ability isn't working?"
"C-Could it be...?!" Touma exclaimed in bafflement, looking down at his right hand, "Imagine Breaker... It can negate the powers of others even from different worlds?!"
"Tch... So you're the cause of this? No matter then," DIO spoke in an eerie, bone-chilling calm, having quickly composed himself as he glared daggers at Touma with enough menace and killer intent in his eyes that the teenager could feel it in his very bones, rendering him unable to even gulp in fear as The World began to loom toward him. "I'll just take care of you, and once I do, that Arrow is mine!"
Whoosh!
"Guaaagh!"
At the speed of light, The World suddenly zipped forward and grabbed Touma by the neck, lifting him up and threatening to choke him out. The boy's legs helplessly dangled in the air as it took him a few good seconds to even register he was being choked now, considering how fast the Stand moved, and he ended up dropping the Arrow on the floor. By sheer instinct, his two hands clutched the massive hand crushing his throat, and the second his right hand -- the Imagine Breaker that negated all supernatural activity -- touched his hand...
A shrieking sound pierced through the air. The sound that always rang out whenever the Imagine Breaker came into contact with something remotely corporeal.
And then suddenly, The World was gone.
It was for a fleeting few seconds, but for a brief amount of time, The World had disappeared from existence, long enough for Touma to drop down to the ground on his feet again and let out a large gasp for air, while DIO reared back, baffled at what had just happened. He remembered the last time someone had tried to disable his Stand, the manifestation of his very soul and spirit, during the Witch's Game. That someone whom he had killed just for thinking he could defy DIO like that, Izayoi Sakamaki. But this boy... He had actually done it, even if just for a second.
The effect was in no way lasting, as DIO was still immediately able to materialize The World once again as soon as he processed what had just happened. However, instead of trying to go after Touma again, DIO opted for a different course of action, knowing full well now what this boy and his right hand could exactly do. As he summoned The World once again, his Stand lunged for the Arrow on the ground, swiping it from underneath Touma, before just as quickly coming back around toward DIO's side and dropping the Arrow into his own hand.
"S-Shoot!"
"Fufu... Fool! Now that I have this Arrow in my grasp, I can unlock the power I've been seeking!" DIO exclaimed with restrained anticipation. Before Touma or his two allies could make a move, the Stand user wasted no time and plunged the Arrow into his chest, stabbing just a few inches of the blade into his skin in order to create little more than a flesh wound, and then...!
... Nothing happened.
It was clear from that course of action, even to those unfamiliar with the power of the Arrow, that DIO expected something to happen, and yet, just as when he attempted to stop time, nothing happened. He felt no great surge of power as he was expecting, even after he withdrew the Arrow from his body. Looking at it in disgust and disappointment, he clutched the handle tightly, threatening to shatter it from his pure strength alone.
"What... Again and again, my plans are brought to a halt!"
"It didn't work! Whatever he was expecting to happen..." Touma exclaimed in great relief, before looking at his right hand again, "Is this the work of Imagine Breaker too?!"
"No... I don't think so this time," Fiamma of the Right answered, shaking his head as he remained behind Touma like a spectator to the exchange between him and DIO, "If it was supposed to have supernatural qualities to it, then the minute you touched it with your right hand, it should have dissipated in its entirety. There must be some other force at work here!"
"Whatever the case, you're outgunned and outnumbered... DIO, was it?" Ollerus said as it seemed that DIO's reasons for remaining here seemed to crumble bit by bit. "Surrender now!"
"...!"
DIO glowered with great malice in his expression at the group, notably at Ollerus, as he continued gripping the Arrow tightly, even if it was practically useless to him for some reason he couldn't yet fathom. Indeed, there was no longer any reason to remain in this world if the Arrow did not work, especially when there are enemies here that seemed to be able to counter his abilities, and yet... He refused to let things end as they were!
"How dare you... You dare make demands of I, DIO?! Filthy cockroach, who do you think you are to address me in such an insolent manner?!"
Ollerus let out a soft chuckle, as though having overcome his initial apprehension toward DIO's imposing mien. "Oh... No one special, really. I'm just someone who came tragically close to becoming a Magic God. But I guess you're in better company; you get to ally yourself with the true Magic God."
"Yo! Hate to cut in while things look like they're about to get hotter than ever, but...!" The voice of Marian called out from behind DIO, held up by the body of Kagun Kihara as they stood before the portal compartment that continued to remain active, "If there's nothing to be find here, o great DIO, then we really should split! We don't have time to play with your new friends!" She exclaimed as the two of them began to move toward the active portal.
"Tch! If you retreat now, then I'll destroy you before you even get the chance to feel safe!"
"Please don't. I don't think it'd end any better for you than that would for us; Othinus would probably blow you up right on the spot," Marian shot back, before looking right at her three adversaries one last time, giving a slight wink.
"Guess you win this round. Enjoy it while it lasts, Imagine Breaker, Fiamma of the Right, Not-Magic God. Toodles!~" She exclaimed, and with that, she hopped into the portal, disappearing into it alongside Kihara, leaving just DIO there by himself.
"Feh! Bothersome wench... If not for that one-eyed witch presiding over her, I'd have snuffed her out long ago," DIO clicked his tongue as The World continued to float beside him like a watchful shadow, before dramatically pointing his finger at his enemies, "Fortunately for you, you will live to die another day. If -- or when -- I see you again interfering in my plans, you will not be so lucky next time, vexatious bugs!"
"Count on it."
And with that, he made a beeline for the portal as well, also disappearing into it, before the portal immediately dissipated and the console beside it shut down, all before Touma, Fiamma, or Ollerus could even think to follow them through.
Even if he was undermined at every turn, just his hatred and malice alone was strong enough to temporarily paralyze Touma, and as the blonde man left, it felt like the air suddenly became lighter, but it did little to assuage the heavy weight that the boy felt on his shoulders.
"Tch. Just when we had 'em in our grasp..."
"Truth be told, I'm... not so sure that we aren't the lucky ones that they left before long," Touma breathed tensely, "Besides, if GREMLIN is looking for any sort of an Arrow, then I guess now, it's more like they're looking for a specific Arrow. One that'll grant this DIO whatever he wants out of it."
"Well, it doesn't change that we at least know a little more about our enemy. So that's the man who Othinus decided to ally herself with... How interesting indeed," Ollerus breathed, pocketing his hands, "But we've no time to waste. Just as they're on their merry way somewhere else, we too need to keep moving."
"F-Fine, but... Where exactly? We can't just keep moving to the world next door like this. If a given universe like this one alone is as big as it is, then we'll be traveling for ages!"
"Oh, I don't think that'll be a problem," Fiamma of the Right smirked as his right hand began to glow a familiar shade of bright red again. An indication that the residual power of the Right Hand of the Crimson Moon that continued to remain within him was at work once again, "While you were having your little scuffle with that brute, it looks as though my right hand managed to pin down the next world that we'll be traveling to. If we're lucky, I think we'll... be able to run into whatever he's looking for before he can get to it. Especially considering how leisurely they must be moving if Marian's intelligence is the height of their traveling capabilities."
"After all, if just any Arrow wouldn't do... Then obviously, a "special" one would have to do. And I'm sensing quite a bit of activity coming from this next world over. Quite exciting, isn't it?"
"Not really, but let's just go if a break's out of the question."
"That's the spirit."
The clock for the race against time had reset.
Fate had laid out the journey to them, toward an unknown destination. Little did they know at that time, they would be guided by a golden wind... riding on a path of stardust.
In many regards, it was here that their journey had truly begun.
And once it was over, nothing would ever be the same again.
Primarily deals with characters from A Certain Magical Index and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in order to build up the upcoming event, Right Hand of the Magic God. Takes place directly before the events of the side-story, A Certain Golden Requiem.
There is a man who once had the chance to become a Magic God, an opportunity that only presented itself every ten thousand years, but missed that opportunity to save a cat.
His name is Ollerus, and absolute power is not something he desires.
There is a man of great ambition who yearned for the power of God in the past, and paid the price for his blasphemy.
His name is Fiamma of the Right, and he seeks redemption for his sins.
There is a woman who had taken the chance to become a Magic God away from Ollerus, a true Majin of great ambition to become even more powerful.
Her name is Othinus, and she will stop at nothing to become the most powerful being in the multiverse.
There is a man of low birth and great ambition, who rejected his humanity to become something greater.
His name is Dio Brando, and he will destroy everything he sees fit in order to attain "Heaven."
There is a legendary weapon of godlike power that will grant its user limitless power over the universe in which the user resides.
It is called Gungnir, and in the wrong hands, it is capable of destroying everything.
There are legendary objects, able to grant its users godlike power if they are worthy enough.
They are called the Arrows, and in the wrong hands, just one can be capable of destroying everything.
And this is the story of their feud that the entire multiverse would soon feel.
"..."
This boy was named Touma Kamijou, and by the will of the supernatural, he had the absolute worst luck around. He carried such misfortune that despite being otherwise not related at all to the Magic Gods, and only knowing of Fiamma of the Right from a few previous encounters in the past (admittedly, starting World War III was a bit more than "a few encounters" but whatever), Touma found himself being wrapped up in the affairs of Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right, recruited into their cause solely because of the power he held in his right hand, the Imagine Breaker, able to dispel any supernatural phenomena it comes into contact with. It was an exceedingly useful power to have against evil magicians, and though perhaps Touma could have easily refused to take part in such misadventures, perhaps it can be said that his altruistic nature that prevented him from saying no was another factor to his misfortune.
With a furrowed brow, Touma leaned against the wall with crossed arms, closing his eyes as if to think very deeply over how he had even found himself roped in this situation in the first place.
To be fair, perhaps this kind of confrontation was inevitable. After his adventures in places such as Baggage City and encounters with the organization known as GREMLIN, headed by Othinus herself, maybe it was only a matter of time before he'd ran into Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right. One time in Baggage City, and again when all he'd wanted to do was celebrate the Ichihanaran Festival. Really, espionage was not on his relaxation agenda, and yet, here he was, standing around in some hick town called Morioh in Japan. But not just any Morioh in Japan. A Morioh in another universe.
After his run-ins with the Fuse Facility and Fiamma of the Right's attempt to merge his home world with another, Touma had become no stranger to the idea of the multiverse, and the prospect of traveling through different worlds (especially after Carissa, a princess he'd encountered before in the past, had appeared before him to deliver cookies baked by the Mikoto Misaka he met during World War III recently), but actually going to another world of his own volition... It was a strange feeling, being so far away from home. And this was coming from a guy who had even gone far enough as to travel into space on one occasion.
What was he doing here anyway? Well, that was another big story.
After being talked into straight up leaving his home world to travel into different universes by Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right to go after Othinus and try to find the all-powerful Gungnir before she could, the two had evidently ascertained the location of GREMLIN's activities, based in some other world where Ollerus could apparently "sense" a great power there, believed to be Gungnir. So, using Fiamma of the Right's power, the residual power of the Right Hand of the Crimson Moon, they traveled there, and here Touma was, waiting around idly in the middle of the street, while Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right had went off to look around by themselves, leaving behind Touma because they believed he would have "slowed them down," whatever the heck that meant.
But he wasn't alone for much longer, for better or for worse.
"Yo, Imagine Breaker," Fiamma of the Right said, suddenly appearing before Touma. The magician didn't mind all that much that, in such an urban Japanese town, the redhead stuck out like a sore thumb, but Touma was downright embarrassed a bit to even be associated with this guy. Still, he looked over to Fiamma when he showed up, listening to what he had to say. "C'mon. Ollerus managed to find a lead on where some of GREMLIN might be located here," he said curtly and to the point, pocketing his hands in his pajama-like clothing, "We should go before it's too late. And do try to keep up, Touma Kamijou."
"... Put a sock in it."
After paying for his crimes at the hands of the "heroes" he fought against during World War III, Fiamma of the Right was recovered by Ollerus in the snow, along with his associate, a certain young woman whom Ollerus wanted to stay home just in case. The man who almost became a Magic God offered Fiamma of the Right at a chance at redemption, and the magician, in his own eyes, had no choice but to accept. His sins were great after all, and as a man of God, how could he refuse?
Perhaps in that regard, he and Touma were alike. They simply couldn't say no and turn their backs on themselves or others.
Not that either of them would admit it.
Gungnir was a weapon wielded by the chief gods of Norse mythology. That meant that such a weapon, on top of being immensely powerful, was also immensely old.
Many a time in the past had it been used to "reset" the world and create a new cycle, similar to how Ragnarok, the end of all things for Asgard, was an apocalypse that also made way for a new beginning. And One-Eyed Othinus, a being many compared to Odin, was intent on continuing that cycle. A Ragnarok for Midgard. For Earth.
However, Ollerus was intent on stopping that cycle.
Having taken Gungnir for himself, Ollerus, unable to completely destroy it as it was practically indestructible for the most part, at least managed to separate the tip and the shaft of the spear, and with his magic that matched that of a Magic God's in some areas, was able to send the two parts of Gungnir into two worlds across the multiverse, hidden away from Othinus.
However, that security of being confident in Othinus not being able to find the two pieces did not last.
While the Magic God had gone dormant shortly afterwards, everything seemed to be at peace. She could not simply travel to another world and use Gungnir located there. She could only use the Gungnir that existed in this cycle, the one that was compatible with someone in the cycle made for her. She could not use Gungnir from another universe, because it was from a parallel cycle, a different cycle, and thus, it would have been useless. But then, a certain phenomenon reignited her drive. One that fed off malevolence and despair in its very existence. One that would be able to bring her to the pieces of Gungnir with their mass reach.
These... Murder Games.
For a long time, ever since Fiamma of the Right's World War III, she had kept an eye on each and every incident, unaware to everyone. And though she had little luck in finding one such "Murder Game" that had drawn her closer to finding one of the pieces of Gungnir, her activities were not lost on Ollerus, who after learning of such Murder Games himself, knew that it was only a matter of time until she'd find the pieces, especially considering the resources she'd gathered through forming her GREMLIN organization and recruiting whoever she might have found useful into her cause. And with the multiverse being what it was... That could have meant anyone.
So when Ollerus saw an opportunity, he moved.
Right now, he had the tip of Gungnir in his possession, having originally been found by an organization called the Multiversal Templars, and very nearly recovered by a man who called himself "Ocelot," claiming to be a member of some... "Coalition." But Ollerus saw through that lie, and could practically smell Othinus's influence on him. So he did away with him, using Fiamma of the Right.
But Gungnir, he soon learned, was not the only artifact to be wary of.
Whoever Othinus had begun working with, it seemed she had also become interested in some sort of artifact known as the "Arrow," located exclusively throughout this bizarre, alternate universe that seemed unassuming at first, but was more than met the eye. Like Gungnir, Ollerus could sense an Arrow's power because of the sheer supernatural energy it emanated throughout, and so could Othinus, so long as they were "relatively" nearby. And if they emanated a similar kind of energy, that could only mean one thing.
Like Gungnir, when in the wrong hands, one could be used to destroy everything.
So here he was now, in another universe, finding an object from another universe to keep away from her.
The board was set. The pieces were in motion.
The house was an unassuming set piece.
No one would have ever expected such diabolical schemes being undertaken in a quiet town like Morioh, let alone a random, abandoned house like this one. Of course, perhaps it was because Touma wasn't used to being in such an urban, quiet place, but he figured he at least had enough common sense to know about stuff like this. According to his comrades, the house once belonged to a man named Yoshihiro Kira, who once held a so-called "Arrow" when he was alive.
Standing outside the rusted gate with Fiamma of the Right and Ollerus, Touma pursed his lips. A part of him was apprehensive to even be on this mission, feeling like just being here disturbed the peace that the town had tried to maintain for so long. Not like the ever busy city that never slept, Academy City. Still, on the other hand, Touma was perhaps the one that had the least flamboyant and extravagant power, between Fiamma of the Right's Holy Strikes that probably could accidentally level the house if he wasn't careful, and Ollerus's mysterious magic that could also just about do the same.
In other words, maybe it was both a good and bad thing that Touma was the only one of the trio that was incapable of destroying an entire building at all. Still, he knew that he couldn't take all of the enemies inside by himself if there were so many of them. A power like Imagine Breaker could only get him so far when the bad guys knew exactly what he was capable of.
"Oya. You're not getting cold feet now, are you, Kamijou?"
"No. Never," Touma shook his head, resisting the urge to bite his lip as he looked forward. There was only one way to go from here. He had no other choice.
"Splendid. Let's begin, shall we?"
"I suggest that we split up," Fiamma of the Right piped up, "We can all take care of ourselves, can't we? We can cover more ground this way, and besides, it shouldn't be too hard to call out in case we need backup."
"Why are you looking at me when you say that?"
"No reason."
"A sound plan. Let's move then!"
Without another word, the three of them moved inside, resolved to do what they needed to do. They were quickly greeted by a gloomy sight, as expected of a haunted house. Dark halls, a result of the closed curtains that only a sliver of light managed to sneak past, a surprising amount of cobwebs, an unhealthy amount of dust built up for God knows how long, the whole nine yards. While Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right hardly reacted to such displays, as though they had some sort of divine protection from dust, Touma on the other hand had to try really hard to resist the urge to sneeze aloud and give away their position. Still, he knew he didn't have time to be distracted by the dust around.
The three of them looked to each other and nodded, silently communicating where they intended to go, before taking off. Ollerus made his way upstairs, creeping silently and carefully with each step, while Fiamma of the Right went to the right, and Touma to the left.
The spiky-haired boy didn't anticipate seeing anything of interest where he had gone, making his way into what was presumably an old dining area, with plenty of dust built up on the table as expected, as well as on the fan above. To his side, Touma spotted another corridor. Being the only thing of notable interest, considering how much he doubted he'd find much rummaging through the dirty and rotting dining area, the teenager quickly sauntered over to the corridor, poking his head out around the corner and cautiously looking around, only to find himself in a small hall connected by the side to the back of the den to the right, and to the left, a new room.
Gingerly, Touma made his way toward the entrance to the room on the left. The floor was an old, rotted wood in the small hall, so Touma felt the need to step even more lightly than before, the previous rooms' floors being made up of carpet and tile. Poking his head from around the corner to see what was in this new room, Touma could feel his heart rapidly beating in the piercing silence of the old house, if only from the anxiety of being in a place reminiscent of a horror movie. However, what he saw made his heart drop, as though he had seen someone or something that had no business being there.
Standing in the room, a room that one could guess used to be some sort of living room, was a tall individual with a slender figure, almost to the point of being androgynous. He wore all white, save for his black gloves and shoes, and though a motorcycle helmet obscured his identity, Touma knew exactly who he was.
Kagun... Kihara?!
A man who should not have been here. A man whose very existence haunted Touma a bit. And yet, he was right there, standing like a statue, unassuming. He was frozen in time, completely unmoving, not even breathing noticeably. He truly was like a robot, or a statue. Upon further examination, it seemed that he was standing in front of some sort of small box. Whatever might have been inside, it must have been something important if they needed someone like him to guard it. But... He shouldn't have been here. It just... didn't make any sense!
Gulping silently to himself, Touma attempted to slowly back away, knowing that by himself, he was no match for the man named Kihara. He'd need to call for Ollerus or Fiamma of--
Creeeeeeeak.
As Touma attempted to back away on the wooden floor, the board he'd stepped on let out a loud creaking sound that was practically deafening amidst the silence. And that was then that "Kihara's" head jerked to the source of the sound like a parrot, catching sight of Touma. The spiky-haired boy's eyes widened in alarm as he was exposed, unable to even move as though he could feel Kihara's icy gaze from behind the helmet. The two of them stared each other silently for a good moment, and the moment Kagun Kihara made a move, stepping in Touma's direction, the boy gulped again.
... Such misfortune.
All a product of his supernatural bad luck.
Kagun Kihara was the "exception."
In Academy City, the Kihara family was known only to a few. And to those who did know about them, they were known as the most brilliant scientist family of Academy City... and the most twisted. There was a reason they operated primarily within the dark side of Academy City; their human experiments were something that one could never dream of thinking, the stuff things on the dark web were made of. They were practically all born with a sadistic streak and a great affinity for science, experimenting on innocent people as they pleased with no regard for anything else.
After all, when they were sanctioned by the superintendent of the city, Aleister Crowley, they practically had diplomatic immunity.
There was Enshuu Kihara, a little girl who was the proof of the twisted personality being inherent in the blood of the family. There was Ransuu Kihara, a man who specialized in chemical warfare and influence of the mind. There was Noukan Kihara, a golden retriever dog implanted with the cranial functions of a human, and the evil of the Kihara family. And there were more. There was Byouri Kihara, a wheelchair bound woman whose fragile exterior betrayed the human experimentation she'd committed in order to unlock the secrets of transformation.
And then, there was Kagun Kihara.
While the rest of the family was unapologetic in their evil and their experiments, one could consider Kagun Kihara to be the defect in the family. The one who rejected his family, and disowned himself from them. The one who rejected the evil in his blood.
The details of his past and his circumstances, as well as how he came to be affiliated with such an organization as GREMLIN, are long-winded and an entirely other story, but while he had managed to get back at one of his other relatives for a wrongdoing committed against him, Kagun Kihara had ultimately met his end in the process during his time in Baggage City, where Touma Kamijou had also been present at the same time. Touma and Kihara had never said a word to each other personally, but they were keenly aware of each other's existence, Kihara having been the one to have left a trail of breadcrumbs for Touma to follow into Baggage City in the first place, knowing of the boy's reputation as a sort of makeshift superhero, and depending on him to help quell the incidents there. And though Touma had quickly learned of Kihara's death well after dealing with the certain incident there, there was one thing that he didn't understand.
Death meant little to a god.
What Touma didn't know was that Kagun Kihara may be dead now, but he was also a walking dead. By the power of Othinus, he had been raised from the other side, and his body continued to operate, moving on her whim, obeying her every move like the Frankenstein Monster to Dr. Pretorius.
The technical term to describe what Kihara had become was "Einherjar," but some might rather refer to him by the Norse translation "Corpse Troop," or for all intents and purposes, a zombie. And he was a mindless one at that, compelled by his master. In essence, a shell of his former self. His identity perverted and corrupted because he had yet to outlive his use. He was completely under the control of his masters, not just Othinus, but also her close associate, Revan, especially with the discovery and destruction of some sort of hidden semiconductor hidden in the back of his neck that likely would have prevented him from doing certain actions.
That was the tragedy of his existence; all he had ever wanted to do was make up for the atrocities he and his family had committed in the name of science, and all that it had gotten him was becoming a puppet of magic.
He could not be granted even peace in death.
"Hmm..."
Crossing her arms as she tinkered with the machines and doo-hickeys in front of her, like some sort of grease monkey (the blue overalls didn't help), Marian Slingeneyer, loyal GREMLIN genius with an intimate relationship with the once alive and well Kagun Kihara, was hard at work. It was fortunate that they were able to easily enough find the Arrow that Othinus was after, but multiversal travel, as exceedingly intelligent as Marian and Kagun (at least, when he was in his prime) were, it was a technology that had yet to be mastered. At least, through science. With magic, it was all exponentially more convenient, so long as it didn't depend on long-winded incantations, because she did not want to know how long a grimoire would have to be to involve such knowledge, if it even existed.
The contraption was both complex and simple, on paper and when applied. A portal-holder there, a mechanism there. The challenge was in activating the right energy and honing in on the desired world to travel to. Navigating through such a vast plane like the multiverse was more delicate and far more difficult than it sounded, even for a genius of her own world. Maybe that was why one in a trillion of a trillion people managed to crack it.
After fiddling with the remote she held in her hand some more, adjusting certain panels that did God knows what, she wondered how much longer this would take. The dwarven girl did not look forward to the wrath she might face from Othinus if she were late. She was already uneasy with that man around.
And then...
Whoosh!
From her remote, a great blue beam of light shot out from the end and went straight for the designated area, creating a portal to the desired world she wanted to go back to. Her makeshift headquarters now that GREMLIN had allied itself with this... Revanchist organization.
With a self-satisfied grin, Marian let out a small laugh to herself, crossing her arms haughtily as she sat crisscrossed before her mechanism. "Aha! There we go~ Back in business! Hopefully, that’ll be the last of our annoying inconveniences! At least for now, anyway."
CRASH!
And then Touma’s body came flying straight through the wall.
Sliding across the ground, the spiky-haired teenager groaned in defeat, all the while Marian practically jumped to her feet in surprise, eyes wide as her curiosity rose along with her surprise as well. Carefully, she peered over Touma's beaten form, tilting her head briefly, thinking nothing of him. If she didn't know any better, she would have assumed that Touma was one of the locals in town just goofing off in a place they shouldn't have been in, but... Well, she did know better.
She did know that Touma Kamijou was the holder of the Imagine Breaker, the mysterious power to negate every supernatural phenomena.
Looking up at the hole in the wall, Kagun Kihara standing on the other side, almost in a triumphant manner if he were capable of such a thing, Marian furrowed her brow. She knew that he was supposed to be an Einherjar, a robotic-like walking corpse for all anyone was concerned, but couldn't he at least have some concept of subtlety? And how did Imagine Breaker find them all here? That was probably the most pressing question that Marian figured she should be worrying more about. So, she did. Hunching down to her knees, she pressed a finger against Touma's cheek, poking him as she leaned in closer.
"Imagine Breaker... Now, where did you come from? It's not nice to intrude in on a place you're not invited to, y'know," she spoke with a soft, playful edge to her tone, "Surely, you didn't fall out of the sky by yourself. You might be able to do a lot with that right hand of yours, but to follow us all here... I bet you woulda needed an awful lot of help to do something like that, huh?"
Touma could only groan softly, unable to produce words before yet another CRASH resonated behind him. This time, it was body of Kihara, smashed through the wall, and in his place, stood a familiar figure.
"A betting woman, you truly are," the voice of Ollerus said coolly as he stood where Kihara once was. Before Marian could even think to react and retaliate against the magician, a peculiar spell launched by Ollerus -- the very same one that knocked Kihara through the wall -- sent Marian flying back, hitting her head against the portal compartment, eliciting a loud thud and a pained groan, knocking her out of commission for a few moments as she was disoriented.
Hliðskjálf. That was the name of the spell Ollerus had conjured. It was a magic beyond the comprehension of normal human magicians, and could not even begin to be described in the words of man. Perfectly fitting for a man who should have become a Magic God.
Smirking to himself in self-satisfaction, he stepped over and stuck out an arm, helping Touma back to his feet, the spiky-haired teen gritting his teeth in mild pain. On one hand, it was amazing to think about all the crap the boy had been through in his life, mentally and physically, that he was able to get up after being thrown through a wall (even if the wall in question was rather thin), but on the other... It was actually a little depressing the more he thought about it. Good thing he wasn't allowed too much time to even think about it then.
“Well. That could have gone better,” Ollerus sighed.
“Shut up,” Touma spat, rubbing his chin briefly, glancing over at the inanimate form of Kagun and the disoriented form of Marian. They didn’t have much time left. Turning to the man who should have become a Magic God, he spoke again, quickly calming down. “Anyway. When Kagun Kihara here was trying to catch me, I managed to get my hands on this old thing,” he added, producing what looked to be some sort of arrowhead from his pocket. There was no doubt about it. It was the Arrow of this world that GREMLIN was looking for. Clutching it with his hand, he casually tossed it and caught it again, furrowing his brow. “Still… I’m confused. What does it even do? You’re not supposed to… like, stab someone with it, are you? Not a weapon?”
“A weapon… Truly, a testament to how limited your mind is, Touma Kamijou,” Fiamma of the Right said with a slight scoff as he entered the scene from the other doorway, tilting his head and wearing a smirk, all in a manner that clearly spelled out “condescending” to the spiky-haired teenager.
“I’ll take that as a no, then…”
“No, it is highly inconvenient to use as a weapon. Looks as though you could hardly penetrate through anyone’s body with a blade that dull,” the magician whistled, leaning forward to get a closer look at the Arrow in Touma’s right hand, “No… No, it must be some sort of a tool. But as to how it’s used, there’s little telling without experimentation.”
“Can I call dibs on not being the guinea pig?”
“Do be quiet.”
“I believe that belongs to me,” an unfamiliar voice spoke from the shadows, booming and powerful. The unfamiliar man’s voice carried the weight of his entire presence, and as he did so, the air in the room instantly became heavier, not just for the relatively impressionable Touma, but even to Fiamma of the Right and Ollerus as well.
Staring from the shadows, the presence made himself be known, sporting a flamboyant yellow color scheme in his clothes as he made himself visible. The aura of his mere presence -- if not his entire get-up to begin with -- appeared so suddenly out of nowhere, it was difficult for Touma to fathom how he didn’t spot him earlier. He surely couldn’t be human. So… What was he?
“You would do well to hand it over.”
“L-Like hell, whoever you are!” Touma exclaimed, trying his best to maintain a straight face, despite how oddly intimidating the figure was.
"Then I, DIO, will just have to make an example out of you. Such you will pay for insolence, to stand against I!" the flamboyant man spoke haughtily, looking down upon Touma in just about every sense of the phrase, "The World!"
Before Touma's eyes, and those of Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right, an imposing, bulking spirit appeared beside the man who called himself DIO, armored in yellow and just as muscular as him. Touma's eyes widened and he instinctively took a step back, wary of just what this man was capable of. He had seen all sorts of magicians and espers with crazy powers, but he'd never seen anything quite like this before. "What... What is that thing?!"
"Hooh? So you can see my Stand as well! Just like last time... but no matter! Just because you can see The World, hardly means you can stop it!" DIO exclaimed, hardly perturbed at the unusual phenomena that a non-Stand user could see a Stand. Even if the three opponents before him might have somehow been able to outmatch him in terms of pure, raw strength (something which he doubted anyway), it was his true ability that came with The World that granted him great confidence.
"Time... will stop! Now!"
Just as his words suggested, DIO expected time to come to a standstill, and from there, he could simply dispatch of the pests that stood in his way from there. However, something quickly went wrong for him.
Time did not, in fact, stop.
There was a distortion in the air. A flash of light engulfed the area for a brief moment, as though time attempted to stop, but... it kept going. Following the failed attempt to stop time, Touma stumbled on his feet, taking another instinctive step back, as though unsure of what had just happened. Confusion also littered the faces of Fiamma of the Right and Ollerus, and even his own ally, the dwarven girl named Marian.
The blonde man's cocky expression shifted into a bewildered scowl as he gritted his teeth in equal parts confusion and anger, angry at his own power as though it were a pet that had otherwise vexed him. "What... How can this...?!"
"Hmmm? What's the matter, mighty DIO? Your ability isn't working?"
"C-Could it be...?!" Touma exclaimed in bafflement, looking down at his right hand, "Imagine Breaker... It can negate the powers of others even from different worlds?!"
"Tch... So you're the cause of this? No matter then," DIO spoke in an eerie, bone-chilling calm, having quickly composed himself as he glared daggers at Touma with enough menace and killer intent in his eyes that the teenager could feel it in his very bones, rendering him unable to even gulp in fear as The World began to loom toward him. "I'll just take care of you, and once I do, that Arrow is mine!"
Whoosh!
"Guaaagh!"
At the speed of light, The World suddenly zipped forward and grabbed Touma by the neck, lifting him up and threatening to choke him out. The boy's legs helplessly dangled in the air as it took him a few good seconds to even register he was being choked now, considering how fast the Stand moved, and he ended up dropping the Arrow on the floor. By sheer instinct, his two hands clutched the massive hand crushing his throat, and the second his right hand -- the Imagine Breaker that negated all supernatural activity -- touched his hand...
A shrieking sound pierced through the air. The sound that always rang out whenever the Imagine Breaker came into contact with something remotely corporeal.
And then suddenly, The World was gone.
It was for a fleeting few seconds, but for a brief amount of time, The World had disappeared from existence, long enough for Touma to drop down to the ground on his feet again and let out a large gasp for air, while DIO reared back, baffled at what had just happened. He remembered the last time someone had tried to disable his Stand, the manifestation of his very soul and spirit, during the Witch's Game. That someone whom he had killed just for thinking he could defy DIO like that, Izayoi Sakamaki. But this boy... He had actually done it, even if just for a second.
The effect was in no way lasting, as DIO was still immediately able to materialize The World once again as soon as he processed what had just happened. However, instead of trying to go after Touma again, DIO opted for a different course of action, knowing full well now what this boy and his right hand could exactly do. As he summoned The World once again, his Stand lunged for the Arrow on the ground, swiping it from underneath Touma, before just as quickly coming back around toward DIO's side and dropping the Arrow into his own hand.
"S-Shoot!"
"Fufu... Fool! Now that I have this Arrow in my grasp, I can unlock the power I've been seeking!" DIO exclaimed with restrained anticipation. Before Touma or his two allies could make a move, the Stand user wasted no time and plunged the Arrow into his chest, stabbing just a few inches of the blade into his skin in order to create little more than a flesh wound, and then...!
... Nothing happened.
It was clear from that course of action, even to those unfamiliar with the power of the Arrow, that DIO expected something to happen, and yet, just as when he attempted to stop time, nothing happened. He felt no great surge of power as he was expecting, even after he withdrew the Arrow from his body. Looking at it in disgust and disappointment, he clutched the handle tightly, threatening to shatter it from his pure strength alone.
"What... Again and again, my plans are brought to a halt!"
"It didn't work! Whatever he was expecting to happen..." Touma exclaimed in great relief, before looking at his right hand again, "Is this the work of Imagine Breaker too?!"
"No... I don't think so this time," Fiamma of the Right answered, shaking his head as he remained behind Touma like a spectator to the exchange between him and DIO, "If it was supposed to have supernatural qualities to it, then the minute you touched it with your right hand, it should have dissipated in its entirety. There must be some other force at work here!"
"Whatever the case, you're outgunned and outnumbered... DIO, was it?" Ollerus said as it seemed that DIO's reasons for remaining here seemed to crumble bit by bit. "Surrender now!"
"...!"
DIO glowered with great malice in his expression at the group, notably at Ollerus, as he continued gripping the Arrow tightly, even if it was practically useless to him for some reason he couldn't yet fathom. Indeed, there was no longer any reason to remain in this world if the Arrow did not work, especially when there are enemies here that seemed to be able to counter his abilities, and yet... He refused to let things end as they were!
"How dare you... You dare make demands of I, DIO?! Filthy cockroach, who do you think you are to address me in such an insolent manner?!"
Ollerus let out a soft chuckle, as though having overcome his initial apprehension toward DIO's imposing mien. "Oh... No one special, really. I'm just someone who came tragically close to becoming a Magic God. But I guess you're in better company; you get to ally yourself with the true Magic God."
"Yo! Hate to cut in while things look like they're about to get hotter than ever, but...!" The voice of Marian called out from behind DIO, held up by the body of Kagun Kihara as they stood before the portal compartment that continued to remain active, "If there's nothing to be find here, o great DIO, then we really should split! We don't have time to play with your new friends!" She exclaimed as the two of them began to move toward the active portal.
"Tch! If you retreat now, then I'll destroy you before you even get the chance to feel safe!"
"Please don't. I don't think it'd end any better for you than that would for us; Othinus would probably blow you up right on the spot," Marian shot back, before looking right at her three adversaries one last time, giving a slight wink.
"Guess you win this round. Enjoy it while it lasts, Imagine Breaker, Fiamma of the Right, Not-Magic God. Toodles!~" She exclaimed, and with that, she hopped into the portal, disappearing into it alongside Kihara, leaving just DIO there by himself.
"Feh! Bothersome wench... If not for that one-eyed witch presiding over her, I'd have snuffed her out long ago," DIO clicked his tongue as The World continued to float beside him like a watchful shadow, before dramatically pointing his finger at his enemies, "Fortunately for you, you will live to die another day. If -- or when -- I see you again interfering in my plans, you will not be so lucky next time, vexatious bugs!"
"Count on it."
And with that, he made a beeline for the portal as well, also disappearing into it, before the portal immediately dissipated and the console beside it shut down, all before Touma, Fiamma, or Ollerus could even think to follow them through.
Even if he was undermined at every turn, just his hatred and malice alone was strong enough to temporarily paralyze Touma, and as the blonde man left, it felt like the air suddenly became lighter, but it did little to assuage the heavy weight that the boy felt on his shoulders.
"Tch. Just when we had 'em in our grasp..."
"Truth be told, I'm... not so sure that we aren't the lucky ones that they left before long," Touma breathed tensely, "Besides, if GREMLIN is looking for any sort of an Arrow, then I guess now, it's more like they're looking for a specific Arrow. One that'll grant this DIO whatever he wants out of it."
"Well, it doesn't change that we at least know a little more about our enemy. So that's the man who Othinus decided to ally herself with... How interesting indeed," Ollerus breathed, pocketing his hands, "But we've no time to waste. Just as they're on their merry way somewhere else, we too need to keep moving."
"F-Fine, but... Where exactly? We can't just keep moving to the world next door like this. If a given universe like this one alone is as big as it is, then we'll be traveling for ages!"
"Oh, I don't think that'll be a problem," Fiamma of the Right smirked as his right hand began to glow a familiar shade of bright red again. An indication that the residual power of the Right Hand of the Crimson Moon that continued to remain within him was at work once again, "While you were having your little scuffle with that brute, it looks as though my right hand managed to pin down the next world that we'll be traveling to. If we're lucky, I think we'll... be able to run into whatever he's looking for before he can get to it. Especially considering how leisurely they must be moving if Marian's intelligence is the height of their traveling capabilities."
"After all, if just any Arrow wouldn't do... Then obviously, a "special" one would have to do. And I'm sensing quite a bit of activity coming from this next world over. Quite exciting, isn't it?"
"Not really, but let's just go if a break's out of the question."
"That's the spirit."
The clock for the race against time had reset.
Fate had laid out the journey to them, toward an unknown destination. Little did they know at that time, they would be guided by a golden wind... riding on a path of stardust.
In many regards, it was here that their journey had truly begun.
And once it was over, nothing would ever be the same again.
Last edited: