"Who are YOU calling a red-haired she-devil, you blue-haired psycho?! Gawds! FYI, I haven't seen my mother ANYWHERE, so either you can see ghosts or you're trying to make me as crazy as you are! Believe me, if Mother was here, I'd be with her, and not some lying little halfling like you!"
Severa seemed to have totally forgotten the importance of this mission, and the guy they were up against. Oh dear.
Phil sighed and decided that he was going to make sure the two woman didn't kill each other. " I know that you are really mad at Macy for something that she made an honest mistake about and she probably should have responded kinder, but we have bigger problems to focus, you know like the priest behind us who probably doesn't have the best intentions. You two can argue when we are in a safe and neutral spot and not say when we are in danger," he said, not knowing how the hell he was being a level headed person for once. He was more impulsive, but maybe it was that he had learned from in fighting and not focusing on the bigger picture caused problems.
As soon as she spoke, Macy felt the anger in Severa's heart wash over her. The pain and the grief of a lost loved one was not an emotion she had felt herself, but had felt through the hearts of those around her. However, Mason held his emotions down, while the redhead before her was more than open with her emotion. The fiery anger Severa held echoed in Macy's heart and fueled her reply, ignoring Ollerus's advice. Her body appeared to glow with a fiery blue aura.
View attachment 3228 "I wasn't making any jokes! How is your mother dead when I saw her a few minutes ago? Maybe your mother died in your world, but there's a Cordelia somewhere around here that is alive and well. Maybe you can appreciate that instead of yelling at a girl who made an honest mistake, red-haired she-devil!"
Then the priest appeared. More emotions piled onto Macy's heart as Pucci's query created a mixture of anger and sadness for most amongst the downstairs group. Only one of them remained upbeat so far, leaving the darker emotions to overpower her. Severa's snappy response to Pucci fueled another snap from Macy.
View attachment 3228 "Sorry, sir, but I think your view of heaven is dead wrong. Where I'm from, everyone goes to Hades in the end. Even Elysium is only a nicer spot in Hell than the rest."
Macy closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She released the breath in a big huff, though the sound was closer to a machine releasing steam than a person releasing air. Her aura dimmed slightly, and she regained a small amount of control against the flurry of feelings in the room.
"Who are YOU calling a red-haired she-devil, you blue-haired psycho?! Gawds! FYI, I haven't seen my mother ANYWHERE, so either you can see ghosts or you're trying to make me as crazy as you are! Believe me, if Mother was here, I'd be with her, and not some lying little halfling like you!"
Severa seemed to have totally forgotten the importance of this mission, and the guy they were up against. Oh dear.
Phil sighed and decided that he was going to make sure the two woman didn't kill each other. " I know that you are really mad at Macy for something that she made an honest mistake about and she probably should have responded kinder, but we have bigger problems to focus, you know like the priest behind us who probably doesn't have the best intentions. You two can argue when we are in a safe and neutral spot and not say when we are in danger," he said, not knowing how the hell he was being a level headed person for once. He was more impulsive, but maybe it was that he had learned from in fighting and not focusing on the bigger picture caused problems.
"You two, you're causing a ruckus," Grandpa Max adds, "I understand you've got a mystery in your mind to solve, but right now, we've got a bigger mystery ahead of us that could decide more than just our fates."
"How dull. How droll. I was hoping for something more succulent than empty threats, but if that is all you feeble-minded monkeys can ever think to utter in the face of I, DIO, then tragically enough, it would appear that you are not even worth enslaving," DIO spoke, leaning forward, his hair and the darkness finally parting as if to reveal his hypnotic, steely eyes.
"No, perhaps "monkey" is the wrong word. Perhaps dog is more fitting. After all, just like dogs, all you children can do is bark and bark, and just like dogs, the only place you belong is beneath my foot," the monster of a man spoke with utter disdain for those around him, feeling very little concern as though none of them particularly threatened him.
Still, he did not even move to stand. Instead, he only casually lifted his hand to interact with the chessboard in front of him, moving a Queen piece diagonal to the opposite King piece, which was otherwise surrounded by Rooks and Bishops. Eyeing the group excitedly, a sadistic smirk stretching his lips apart, he spoke again.
"After all, the result is the same as before. This is checkmate. At least, it will be if you opt to tempt fate, to try for a game of twisted luck."
"Know you even who you are dealing with? What trifles you dare to interfere in? No, you only run to where people tell you to go because that is what is commanded of you. Like bees following the whim of their queen. Like dogs, even. You are bound, limited to what you call comfortable because you are all weak. That is why you will never surpass me. Your humanity is what chains you, tethers you to this miserable existence you call your life."
"Come then. Come at me if you dare. Revel in that rage you feel, or that sense of justice you believe yourself to valiantly follow. Your villain awaits."
"I can assure you, my will is my own. Whether I worked for this faction or not, I would not hesitate to stop something as twisted and monstrous as you!" His piece spoken, Libra clasped his hands together and began to pray, hoping to bless or at the very least purify the room they were in.
Wanda frowned slightly when the realization hit her; Billy was here.
"I guess can't avoid him forever,hmmh?"
"Never underestimate the size length of some men's egos. It's most likely just an attempt "compensation". I learned that years ago. "
Walking up the stairs, Wanda was wash over with feeling and emotions as she saw Billy. Smiling at him, Wanda lowered her head, a deep breath taken in. "Hello, Billy. We'll talk later?"
Taking control of the room and the situation, Wanda gazed in the door. The former Avenger's chairwomen seemed soothed as she looked at the group.
"I'm going to go in first, Billy is second., then the rest of you. It doesn't matter who or what is in there, as long as we work as a team, and listen to each other, I know we'll be find."
" I have to agree with the older man on this. Anxiety makes you do stupid things, some of which you may regret. I don't believe I got to meet you. The name is Phil Connors," he said, looking at the others, hoping his nerves weren't going to get the better of him, though he was visibly not going. He looked over at the new blue hair girl and knowing better than to flirt and be dead. " You must be Macy, I know your brother, Mason," he said, hoping to be distracting.
" Mason is right, we have to be careful about we do next. Whatever this darkness is seems to be stronger than what was coming from downstairs. We should be on guard," she said, looking over at the woman. " That's a good idea, working on a team is what helped me during my incident. It proved to work better than stabbing people in the back, though a fair share of heartbreak did happen."
"Or the literal door!" Ben says as he prepares to kick it, then halts.
"So, what's the plan?"
After Wanda suggested hers, Ben says, "I'll go in third, via alternative route of course."
Ben shifts between holograms and smacks his Omnitrix down to trigger his transformation. His skull was turned upside down, his skeletal structure contorted in various ways, but all was hidden under a secondary layer of skin and some chains. This all happened within a split-second, the entire process veiled by a great green light.
"Ghostfreak," the being that took Ben's place spoke its own name in a raspy voice, "I'll know when you're ready, go for it guys."
With that, the spectre-like extraterrestrial phased into the floor while turning invisible. It seemed pretty obvious what alternative route meant by now.
"Oh, you all have no sense of adventure at all, do you?" Fiamma of the Right, who accompanied the group upstairs, said with his usual patronizing tone, walking in front of everyone. "If you ever want to get ahead in life, sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith!" He said, extending both of his arms out and carelessly shoving the great doors at the end of the stairs open before any so-called plan of subverting or springing any potential trap could be played.
Behind the doors, a massive room, barely lit with two lone candles, awaited them all. A wisp of cold, stale air practically hit everyone in the face, as if stored in the room for an unknown amount of time. The malevolent feeling that everyone felt back in the center area of the mansion was stronger here than ever before; needless to say, they were already in the belly of the beast.
The room reeked of age and dread. A coffin in the center atop an expensive looking rug here, elegant paintings there, it did little to deter the sinister winds. And to the side where the source of the evil air was coming from, through the piercing dark, a small table would be visible, adorned with a chessboard. And sitting on the far side of the table was a man.
No, not a man. A monster.
Adorned in garish yellow clothing that stabbed through the darkness, almost even more blindingly than the candles in the other corner, or perhaps that was just the sheer power of his mere aura. With a glass of dark red liquid in his hands, he took a small sip, his eyes obscured by blonde bangs, before he finally spoke with a deep, imposing voice.
"My, my. So you've finally come," he said, calmly laying the glass down to the table's edge, "That witch of a so-called god told me that you would be coming here soon, but I'd only hoped that you would have gotten here sooner. Playing this dreary game is no fun when you don't have an opponent to crush beneath your foot, after all."
Hardly moving from his position, as though speaking to old friends, the man let out a soft laugh. "But to so brazenly storm this mansion... Not even I, DIO, could fathom the foolishness of such faux bravado. But then, perhaps that is precisely why you would all make good... subjects to feast upon."
The man who revealed himself as DIO curled his lips into a knowing smirk, before speaking again. "It appears that age has done you well... Jotaro," he said, recognizing the towering man in white opposite to him, before eyeing the rest of the group, "How kind of you to bring my poor, lost son to me. And his dear friends too. A social occasion like this calls for more wine though... How thoughtless of you," he said with a malicious chuckle.
Libra felt the evil aura surrounding them all, and the sense of danger in this mission made itself known the same time as DIO did. He didn't draw his axe yet, feeling his staff would be of better use here.
"You won't be feasting on anyone anymore," he said, glaring the monster down. "Gods as our witness, we will see an end to you this day."
The memories flooded the two Joestars' heads, each one vastly different but equaling in it's torment and pain at the hands of this man. The towering man in white shoved past everyone in his group, flat out ignoring Wanda's position and letting himself move with his own, seething purpose. Of course, he didn't look angry at all - his expression was that of tranquil fury.
"Good grief. . .I didn't want to believe it until now, but it's true. . ."
Star Platinum suddenly emerged in a flash of purple light, looming near Jotaro and staring down it's eternal enemy with utter hatred.
"DIO!"
"I've gotten older, but I haven't gotten any worse at kicking your ass."
As Jotaro did so. . .the boy of blonde-hair stepped even further forward, patting his back pocket to make sure the Arrow was there.
"Hello. . .father."
"You haven't changed at all since I last saw you. This will be the last time, I'm afraid."
If there was absolutely anything to say to that backstory, it was incredibly beyond Billy's ability. He blinked at Jotaro and Giorno, regretting he had asked for a number of reasons. "... Geez," he eventually uttered. "There's not many supervillains who could live up to all that."
He turned his head with some surprise at seeing Mason. It took Billy a moment, but he recognized him from the Baker household. "Oh... hey," he said, feeling a bit awkward. It was only really weird, considering who else was around. "Dying is just a flesh wound, I guess." A few of the others added their own words of encouragement but, strangely, Billy only felt worse.
"... Your incident?" he said to Rita, unable to keep the edge out of his voice. "What even does that mean? No, before you say anything, I know what you literally mean. You don't become a part of all this without being forced into it, not usually. What I'm really asking is, how is it yours? Why are you talking like we all have incidents we learned something from, as if some of us did not go through some horrible trauma--"
Billy didn't know if he would go on or not, but the sudden appearance of the Scarlet Witch stopped him short regardless. She quickly decided that she was in charge, which only felt incredibly off-putting, all things considered. "... Wanda, it might not be best to put either of us in front."
It didn't seem to matter in the end, with everyone sort of crowding around and Fiamma of the Right taking the initiative. As Billy rushed into the room alongside the others, he found himself staring at the man before them. He started into a monologue, as most villains did, but this man seemed like he could pull it off. Or at least, felt as if he had the power to make it so he could pull it off.
Billy felt it would be best to wait and see what exactly was about to happen before he jumped in.
Sorey nodded. "I understand. I told Mikleo he had to stay behind. After his close call in the ruins, I couldn't risk losing him." Sorey followed closely behind Schala, keeping an eye out much like she was.
To the others joining them, Sorey offered a determined nod. "I'm Sorey. I'm a Shepherd... the only one now." He looked downcast, ready to say more, but found himself quieted by Ollerus. It was only until they were standing before the priest that Sorey spoke again.
"Er... no, sorry, I'm not actually sure what you're talking about."
Wil stepped forwards,The Heart flashing deep within her soul, sending magic signals to her spirit that this man was NOT to be underestimated. The Keeper narrowed her eyes as she walked up to stand besides Jotaro in support. Whatever issues these two men had, it would end once and for all in this old room.
It had to. Will herself would move Heaven and Earth themselves to see it done.
"My soul is reeling from how evil you are. But no more. Your evil dreams will end here. How fitting, a man's lifetime of sin and waste turns out to be the perfect grave...."
Rita hadn't ever considered the fact that she might have been insulting when using her phrasing. She hadn't expected to get someone so defensive. " I just generally use my incident since it would be weird to say that the traumatic event I experienced. But I guess in a way that is wrong, since I wasn't the only one to experience, there were others that. Some nice like Shantae and Starlow, some downright horrible like Tony and Talon and others that I never got to interact with. It was weird, death games, knowledge I still haven't fathomed how I knew. Of course, I did witness the suicide of Ph-my boss just before. Shot in himself before I wound up there with the others," she said, answering Billy before they entered the room. She stared at the man, uncertain what he was going to do, though knowing he was an enemy.
Phil Connors
Phil just stared blankly at the man in front of him. He would respond, but he didn't want to honestly answer. Instead he just watched the person for a second before he decided it might be better to answer. " I don't know what I believe in anymore, so I can't make peace if I'm not sure what to believe in." @Ver@Atomic Knight@York@Crow@Crow@dark@Yun Lee@Alex Azure@Downstairs
"How dull. How droll. I was hoping for something more succulent than empty threats, but if that is all you feeble-minded monkeys can ever think to utter in the face of I, DIO, then tragically enough, it would appear that you are not even worth enslaving," DIO spoke, leaning forward, his hair and the darkness finally parting as if to reveal his hypnotic, steely eyes.
"No, perhaps "monkey" is the wrong word. Perhaps dog is more fitting. After all, just like dogs, all you children can do is bark and bark, and just like dogs, the only place you belong is beneath my foot," the monster of a man spoke with utter disdain for those around him, feeling very little concern as though none of them particularly threatened him.
Still, he did not even move to stand. Instead, he only casually lifted his hand to interact with the chessboard in front of him, moving a Queen piece diagonal to the opposite King piece, which was otherwise surrounded by Rooks and Bishops. Eyeing the group excitedly, a sadistic smirk stretching his lips apart, he spoke again.
"After all, the result is the same as before. This is checkmate. At least, it will be if you opt to tempt fate, to try for a game of twisted luck."
"Know you even who you are dealing with? What trifles you dare to interfere in? No, you only run to where people tell you to go because that is what is commanded of you. Like bees following the whim of their queen. Like dogs, even. You are bound, limited to what you call comfortable because you are all weak. That is why you will never surpass me. Your humanity is what chains you, tethers you to this miserable existence you call your life."
"Come then. Come at me if you dare. Revel in that rage you feel, or that sense of justice you believe yourself to valiantly follow. Your villain awaits."
While everyone else seemed to stand around talking, Mason decided to so something. Using his aura, Mason created a pistol in his hands. He stood behind Jotaro, dwarfed by the size of the marine biologist and his stand. He peeked out to the side to get a look at DIO. As their enemy sat perfectly still and ramble endlessly, he took aim and fired six bullets of energy towards DIO.
View attachment 3230 "I'm definitely one to have a big heroic pose moment, but is now really the time to just let a super powerful villain monologue without getting a few hits in?"
After firing, Mason ducked back behind Jotaro let his pistol "reload" with aura.
❝ Be ready for what is to come NEXT. ❞ Dlanor spoke in an emotionless voice, seeing the extra chatter as unnecessary for their current situation. Willard remained silent on that matter, ready to take out his sword if the need for it came around.
"Is that so? That is certainly unfortunate, my child, but it is never too late to accept the Lord, for he is ever open," the man said to Phil, tutting briefly like a teacher or a homely father, before calmly turning to Max, one arm folded behind his back, "Ah, but where are my manners indeed? I am Father Pucci, at your service," he simply said.
As the others began responding to his words from before, he went on again. "We are all ever in need of salvation, dear child," he began to respond to Schala next, "Haven't you ever felt guilty for any wrongdoing? Is there not a constantly biting feeling of guilt weighing down upon your shoulders? That is the weight of the original sin that follows us all, no matter what we do. The sins of our forefathers that make us who we are today. It is to that end that you owe it to yourself, along with humanity as a people, to do everything in their power to reach the purest form of Heaven."
"Such is the case when a fair maiden is so quick to such vulgar language, such anger and fear. The touch of the devil's evil is indeed within you, child, and you would do well to let it go," Pucci then proceeded to say to Severa like an armchair psychiatrist, before shaking his head, turning his gaze to Leivinia and Macy.
"But indeed, child. I am here because I have been waiting. Waiting precisely for you all. I know of your intent to take from me, to do me harm, and I will simply ask, what compels you to do such a thing?" He asked, beginning to walk around the entire group, as if intending to circle around them for no particular reason, "My... associates and I are simply working to achieve Heaven, not just for myself, but for you as well. Why would you wish to stop such a phenomena?"
"How dull. How droll. I was hoping for something more succulent than empty threats, but if that is all you feeble-minded monkeys can ever think to utter in the face of I, DIO, then tragically enough, it would appear that you are not even worth enslaving," DIO spoke, leaning forward, his hair and the darkness finally parting as if to reveal his hypnotic, steely eyes.
"No, perhaps "monkey" is the wrong word. Perhaps dog is more fitting. After all, just like dogs, all you children can do is bark and bark, and just like dogs, the only place you belong is beneath my foot," the monster of a man spoke with utter disdain for those around him, feeling very little concern as though none of them particularly threatened him.
Still, he did not even move to stand. Instead, he only casually lifted his hand to interact with the chessboard in front of him, moving a Queen piece diagonal to the opposite King piece, which was otherwise surrounded by Rooks and Bishops. Eyeing the group excitedly, a sadistic smirk stretching his lips apart, he spoke again.
"After all, the result is the same as before. This is checkmate. At least, it will be if you opt to tempt fate, to try for a game of twisted luck."
"Know you even who you are dealing with? What trifles you dare to interfere in? No, you only run to where people tell you to go because that is what is commanded of you. Like bees following the whim of their queen. Like dogs, even. You are bound, limited to what you call comfortable because you are all weak. That is why you will never surpass me. Your humanity is what chains you, tethers you to this miserable existence you call your life."
"Come then. Come at me if you dare. Revel in that rage you feel, or that sense of justice you believe yourself to valiantly follow. Your villain awaits."
"I can assure you, my will is my own. Whether I worked for this faction or not, I would not hesitate to stop something as twisted and monstrous as you!" His piece spoken, Libra clasped his hands together and began to pray, hoping to bless or at the very least purify the room they were in.
While everyone else seemed to stand around talking, Mason decided to so something. Using his aura, Mason created a pistol in his hands. He stood behind Jotaro, dwarfed by the size of the marine biologist and his stand. He peeked out to the side to get a look at DIO. As their enemy sat perfectly still and ramble endlessly, he took aim and fired six bullets of energy towards DIO.
View attachment 3230 "I'm definitely one to have a big heroic pose moment, but is now really the time to just let a super powerful villain monologue without getting a few hits in?"
After firing, Mason ducked back behind Jotaro let his pistol "reload" with aura.
A giant, tailless tiger-like creature breaks out of the walls of the room - as if it was embedded there all this time. It seemed to remind some of a certain commercial about a certain drink.
"RATH!"
The felinoid creature aggresively shouts as he charges towards DIO, preparing to perform wrestling moves upon him.
"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING DIO BRANDO, YOU JUST ASKED FOR A PIECE OF RATH, AND YOU'RE GONNA GET A PIECE, BUT I THINK THIS SHARE'S JUST TOO BIG FOR EVEN YOUR BIG FAT MOUTH! PREPARE TO GET SEEEEERVED! RAAAAAAAAA!"
He starts with a few punches.
"RATH DOESN'T CARE IF YOUR ARCHENEMY IS RIGHT THERE WAITING TO KICK YOUR BUTT, BECAUSE RATH CALLS DIBS ON ALL BUTTS! No discrimination! Rath will kick them all. Starting with yours."
"Is that so? That is certainly unfortunate, my child, but it is never too late to accept the Lord, for he is ever open," the man said to Phil, tutting briefly like a teacher or a homely father, before calmly turning to Max, one arm folded behind his back, "Ah, but where are my manners indeed? I am Father Pucci, at your service," he simply said.
As the others began responding to his words from before, he went on again. "We are all ever in need of salvation, dear child," he began to respond to Schala next, "Haven't you ever felt guilty for any wrongdoing? Is there not a constantly biting feeling of guilt weighing down upon your shoulders? That is the weight of the original sin that follows us all, no matter what we do. The sins of our forefathers that make us who we are today. It is to that end that you owe it to yourself, along with humanity as a people, to do everything in their power to reach the purest form of Heaven."
"Such is the case when a fair maiden is so quick to such vulgar language, such anger and fear. The touch of the devil's evil is indeed within you, child, and you would do well to let it go," Pucci then proceeded to say to Severa like an armchair psychiatrist, before shaking his head, turning his gaze to Leivinia and Macy.
"But indeed, child. I am here because I have been waiting. Waiting precisely for you all. I know of your intent to take from me, to do me harm, and I will simply ask, what compels you to do such a thing?" He asked, beginning to walk around the entire group, as if intending to circle around them for no particular reason, "My... associates and I are simply working to achieve Heaven, not just for myself, but for you as well. Why would you wish to stop such a phenomena?"
"Father Pucci, if I may ask," Max continues a polite front while sporting a still-displeased face, "what exactly does achieving heaven comprise of? Is it really worth the millions- billions- trillions of lives that will be gone from the Earth- or- Earths?"
"How dull. How droll. I was hoping for something more succulent than empty threats, but if that is all you feeble-minded monkeys can ever think to utter in the face of I, DIO, then tragically enough, it would appear that you are not even worth enslaving," DIO spoke, leaning forward, his hair and the darkness finally parting as if to reveal his hypnotic, steely eyes.
"No, perhaps "monkey" is the wrong word. Perhaps dog is more fitting. After all, just like dogs, all you children can do is bark and bark, and just like dogs, the only place you belong is beneath my foot," the monster of a man spoke with utter disdain for those around him, feeling very little concern as though none of them particularly threatened him.
Still, he did not even move to stand. Instead, he only casually lifted his hand to interact with the chessboard in front of him, moving a Queen piece diagonal to the opposite King piece, which was otherwise surrounded by Rooks and Bishops. Eyeing the group excitedly, a sadistic smirk stretching his lips apart, he spoke again.
"After all, the result is the same as before. This is checkmate. At least, it will be if you opt to tempt fate, to try for a game of twisted luck."
"Know you even who you are dealing with? What trifles you dare to interfere in? No, you only run to where people tell you to go because that is what is commanded of you. Like bees following the whim of their queen. Like dogs, even. You are bound, limited to what you call comfortable because you are all weak. That is why you will never surpass me. Your humanity is what chains you, tethers you to this miserable existence you call your life."
"Come then. Come at me if you dare. Revel in that rage you feel, or that sense of justice you believe yourself to valiantly follow. Your villain awaits."
"There is no fate left for me to tempt. You're the fool to think that you can escape this reality with that bravado still in tact. To think that all you've taken is going to make any difference of what our resolve will accomplish now is useless."
"There is no outcome to this battle that has you successful. . .it is of no 'truth' for you to succeed. Because as long as I exist, I will stand above you. . .and bury you with the rest of my past, with the very ambition and strength I have inherited from you."
"You will never reach 'reality'."
Giornos steely eyes met DIO's own hypnotic gaze, as the son took a few steps forward into the darkness. Unlike the rest of those who had followed him into this place of despair and darkness, Giorno Giovanna didn't feel an ounce of fear or reprehension in his steps. There was only the 'truth' that he must make clear - that he is better than this man.
"Good grief. . .do you two ever shut up?"
Jotaro suddenly chimed in, clutching his cap with one hand and pointing at DIO.
"I've had just about enough of this. . .this time, I'll have to pummel your ashes to be sure." Jotaro taunted, reminding the vampire of his defeat many years ago. As he said himself, however, the time for bravado was quickly coming to an end. Star Platinum loomed forward through it's user, throwing up its platinum fists.
". . .Giorno, now!"
"GOLD EXPERIENCE!"
SHWOOOOM!
The ground beneath the two Stand Users suddenly quaked as a shimmering, golden figure suddenly materialized from Giorno's body and spun around, slamming it's fists against the floor beneath both him and Jotaro. Not even a moment later, the two descendants suddenly rocketed forward from the ground with blinding speed. DIO might have perceived it as some sort of time trick, but it was nothing of the sort; just the two of them speeding towards their common enemy through the air.
They were, in fact, being propelled by a winding, natural bridge of bramble and wood that Gold Experience continued to spawn until it brought their Stands in optimal range of the vampire.
Star Platinum and Gold Experience launched themselves forward from their respective users, taking position surrounding DIO and cocking back their blazing fists. . .
"Bite me." That was Severa's comeback to Pucci's comments on her language, but she wasn't done. "Your associates are total nutjobs! And you're just as nutty as they are, if you're gonna go around pushing for this stupid Heaven of theirs! Really, do you honestly think they won't turn on you the second they can? Some annoying Bible-thumper like you can't possibly be of any use to them. I know I'd dump you in a heartbeat if I were DIO or Othinus!"
The thought rolled through Diego's mind as he prepared even further from behind one of the many ordinate pillars within the upstairs room. From the sound of things, it seemed as though Giorno and that taller relative of the Joestars were charging right in for the offensive against his gaudy fake, affording the 'Dio' of the Main World to observe to see how the vampiric copy may react. And- of course- to counter right away if what his alternative son's reports on that monster's powers were true.
Just TOUCH him, son. Or get him to touch you, or one of the raptors affected by your Gold Experience, and the day is ours!
That voice rang through Giorno's mind thanks to the connection he shared via the docile Scary Monsters Virus currently working through him. It was an implementation of the Stand that gave all of the benefits with none of the negative aspects of becoming a feral slave to Diego.
A gift he would only afford to one he truly trusted.
But that being the case, the true Brando himself felt his fangs and fingertips sharpening to a point, a powerful tail ready to completely launch him forward. And with another towards one of the nearby pillars to his own, the blonde twitched from the anticipation. After all, he needed to secure the kill. He needed begin the Brando lineage proper.
"Holy shit..." Jolyne replied mouth agape in amazement at Jiren. "It's one of those fucking things from that one FBI show! The grays! It's an alien, Ermes! Hey Mister Alien, you're not going to abduct us are you?"
"Whoa, shit! Don't probe us or anything!" Ermes had a double take before she leaned closer to Jolyne totally ignoring anything that Jiren had said. "Psst! Jolyne! Aren't aliens supposed to be tiny and like naked? This guy's jacked!"
Jolyne had no answer to her friend and just shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe he works out? I dunno, I'm not an alien expert!" She calmed down a bit given Jiren another look over before replying back to Ermes. "Guess we got to expect more shit like this in a dimensional gathering or whatever."
"Still though..."Ermes replied covering with her palm as she pointed with her free hand at Jiren and replied in a hush tone. "It's a gray!"
A short growl bubbled from the depths of Jiren's throat. The two had gotten so lost on their analysis of him that they must have missed the sight of every muscle in his body tensing under the strain of agitation.
'Jacked alien'... now that was a new one
"Hush" Jiren spoke with force "I'm no more alien to you than you are to me. You won't get probed or abducted... not be me at least. Once we step through that portal you're on your own. Don't expect a babysitter. Keep your heads on and mouths shut"
"Earth cuisine? You mean there's alien cuisine here?" Ben asks Toppo. "Just try the food here, Toppo, great stuff. Sausages, Beef Lasagne. No smoothies, but the fruit punch here's great too!"
"Of course there's alien food; though it troubles me how terra-centric the multiverse has become, non-humans still need sustenance too" Toppo leaned across the table, his flowing mustache narrowly avoiding the ocean of platters and dips that played across it. The bounty of dishes that laid before him was nothing short of spectacular; he was no stranger to food, but the food of Eath always seemed to be... different to that of the rest of the galaxy. It seemed to have been developed with far more care and attention, its chiefs becoming artists rather than tradesmen. He painted the table with hungry eyes "This 'Fruit Punch'... sounds more like an attack than a beverage... and a meal worthy of a Hero of Justice!" Grabbing a soup spoon and dragging the bowl until it sat beneath his chin, Toppo tucked in, shoveling spoons after spoon of juice into his mouth.
View attachment 3221 \"Yes, there's plenty of Earth original food. Lasagna is layers of meat, cheese, and pasta. I'd say it's pretty good. Go ahead and try it, Toppo. Jiren, maybe you need something sweet to eat. Your attitude is looking a bit sour. So is everyone's."
"No" Jiren snapped, ignoring or being completely ignorant to the subtext of Mason's words. Human sarcasm was hardly his strongest suit "I'm not hungry. My attitude is none of your concern"
As Jiren asks, he replies, "it's more of an outfit than a significant uniform. Granted, I do change it - three iterations, maybe more. I always say that it's the person that makes the hero, not the gadget, or the outfit, for that matter. I like to show heroism through action.
"I see..." Jiren trailed off "So you're not a licensed hero then? More of an... unaffiliated freelancer? Interesting..." "I agree, Mr.Hero-of-Lots-of-Stuff. As important as suits and symbols are, they're nothing if the creature beneath does not live up to its reputation... still, I like my action to come with.....heroic flair. I like to think my suit assists with that"
"There were 10 of us, last time I checked" Toppo placed his spoon back in his bowl "Or at least, there were 10 in my generation. Jiren never speaks of the first wave of Pride Warriors..." Jiren failed to interject. Toppo hushed his tone "But rumor has it they were more like an army than a team. Membership in the hundreds was what I was told as a boy..."
"Good Greetings, Max, Grandfather to the Hero of Lots-Of-Stuff" Toppo rose to his feet and dipped his head in a sign of respect. Yet again, Jiren failed to move. "My name is Toppo, Hero Of Freedom, and this-" Jiren remained a statue, having completely withdrawn himself from the conversation, disheartened, he continued. "This is Jiren the Gray. You are well met"
"Ooooh," Ben replies as he activates his Omnitrix and smacks it down. In a flash of green light, a small little being, remniscent of gremlins of folklore, stood where he once stood.
"Jury Rigg! Ahahahaha!" the little gremlin laughs as his grubby hands played with the newly-recieved weapons. "Break break break! Break break! Fix fix fix! Fix fix fix fix! Ahahahahaha!"
After he was done, the weapons seemed to look the same. Just what was done to them?
Jiren opened a single eye and aimed it towards Jury Rigg. A boy with the power to transform into a beast... now something like that had peaked his attention... "Interesting..." He hummed to himself "With a tap of the wrist your Ki had completely transformed... who are you really, Ben?"
Chapter One "
One notable route was to take the upstairs route. There was a certain chill, a cold wind that ran around as anyone would even so much as look in that direction. A dark aura that seemed to be the cause of the entire mansion's eerie air. Something that one could almost describe as... menacing.
The other route one could take was downstairs. Certainly, while the other area had more menacing intent behind it, this route seemed more... mystical. One could say that the other area held a malicious air of pure evil intent, while this one held a bizarre, raw mien of pure power. Either way, you were likely bound to find something whichever you chose.
"Do you sense it too, Jiren?" "Yes... A menacing energy. Something... evil" "And where there is smoke, there tends to be fire..." "No" "No?" "I'm sensing a greater power growing below. Something stronger" "If we are to find that great evil and destroy it, we must--" "You go find your 'Great Evil', Mr.Hero Of Freedom. I have my own agenda. Find your own path. Stop following me like a child"
With that, Jiren went downstairs and Toppo went Up [/QUOTE]
"How dull. How droll. I was hoping for something more succulent than empty threats, but if that is all you feeble-minded monkeys can ever think to utter in the face of I, DIO, then tragically enough, it would appear that you are not even worth enslaving," DIO spoke, leaning forward, his hair and the darkness finally parting as if to reveal his hypnotic, steely eyes.
"No, perhaps "monkey" is the wrong word. Perhaps dog is more fitting. After all, just like dogs, all you children can do is bark and bark, and just like dogs, the only place you belong is beneath my foot," the monster of a man spoke with utter disdain for those around him, feeling very little concern as though none of them particularly threatened him.
Still, he did not even move to stand. Instead, he only casually lifted his hand to interact with the chessboard in front of him, moving a Queen piece diagonal to the opposite King piece, which was otherwise surrounded by Rooks and Bishops. Eyeing the group excitedly, a sadistic smirk stretching his lips apart, he spoke again.
"After all, the result is the same as before. This is checkmate. At least, it will be if you opt to tempt fate, to try for a game of twisted luck."
"Know you even who you are dealing with? What trifles you dare to interfere in? No, you only run to where people tell you to go because that is what is commanded of you. Like bees following the whim of their queen. Like dogs, even. You are bound, limited to what you call comfortable because you are all weak. That is why you will never surpass me. Your humanity is what chains you, tethers you to this miserable existence you call your life."
"Come then. Come at me if you dare. Revel in that rage you feel, or that sense of justice you believe yourself to valiantly follow. Your villain awaits."
A giant, tailless tiger-like creature breaks out of the walls of the room - as if it was embedded there all this time. It seemed to remind some of a certain commercial about a certain drink.
"RATH!"
The felinoid creature aggresively shouts as he charges towards DIO, preparing to perform wrestling moves upon him.
"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING DIO BRANDO, YOU JUST ASKED FOR A PIECE OF RATH, AND YOU'RE GONNA GET A PIECE, BUT I THINK THIS SHARE'S JUST TOO BIG FOR EVEN YOUR BIG FAT MOUTH! PREPARE TO GET SEEEEERVED! RAAAAAAAAA!"
He starts with a few punches.
"RATH DOESN'T CARE IF YOUR ARCHENEMY IS RIGHT THERE WAITING TO KICK YOUR BUTT, BECAUSE RATH CALLS DIBS ON ALL BUTTS! No discrimination! Rath will kick them all. Starting with yours."
"There is no fate left for me to tempt. You're the fool to think that you can escape this reality with that bravado still in tact. To think that all you've taken is going to make any difference of what our resolve will accomplish now is useless."
"There is no outcome to this battle that has you successful. . .it is of no 'truth' for you to succeed. Because as long as I exist, I will stand above you. . .and bury you with the rest of my past, with the very ambition and strength I have inherited from you."
"You will never reach 'reality'."
Giornos steely eyes met DIO's own hypnotic gaze, as the son took a few steps forward into the darkness. Unlike the rest of those who had followed him into this place of despair and darkness, Giorno Giovanna didn't feel an ounce of fear or reprehension in his steps. There was only the 'truth' that he must make clear - that he is better than this man.
"Good grief. . .do you two ever shut up?"
Jotaro suddenly chimed in, clutching his cap with one hand and pointing at DIO.
"I've had just about enough of this. . .this time, I'll have to pummel your ashes to be sure." Jotaro taunted, reminding the vampire of his defeat many years ago. As he said himself, however, the time for bravado was quickly coming to an end. Star Platinum loomed forward through it's user, throwing up its platinum fists.
". . .Giorno, now!"
"GOLD EXPERIENCE!"
SHWOOOOM!
The ground beneath the two Stand Users suddenly quaked as a shimmering, golden figure suddenly materialized from Giorno's body and spun around, slamming it's fists against the floor beneath both him and Jotaro. Not even a moment later, the two descendants suddenly rocketed forward from the ground with blinding speed. DIO might have perceived it as some sort of time trick, but it was nothing of the sort; just the two of them speeding towards their common enemy through the air.
They were, in fact, being propelled by a winding, natural bridge of bramble and wood that Gold Experience continued to spawn until it brought their Stands in optimal range of the vampire.
Star Platinum and Gold Experience launched themselves forward from their respective users, taking position surrounding DIO and cocking back their blazing fists. . .
"Prepare yourself, DIO!" Toppo cried, flipping forward into the heart of the of the battle, his body swarming with ribbons of red ki. "Hero-Tennison! Beware of our foe! I doubt he is all he appears to be! Try to coordinate with those strange monsters fighting beside Giorno! I will assist from afar!"
"Is that so? That is certainly unfortunate, my child, but it is never too late to accept the Lord, for he is ever open," the man said to Phil, tutting briefly like a teacher or a homely father, before calmly turning to Max, one arm folded behind his back, "Ah, but where are my manners indeed? I am Father Pucci, at your service," he simply said.
As the others began responding to his words from before, he went on again. "We are all ever in need of salvation, dear child," he began to respond to Schala next, "Haven't you ever felt guilty for any wrongdoing?"
"No" Whispered to himself, finding a new spot on a new wall to lean up against. He couldn't hide his disappointment; he had been expecting some giant beast or even a powerful mortal. Instead, he was face to face with a troublesome priest.
"The sins of our forefathers that make us who we are today. It is to that end that you owe it to yourself, along with humanity as a people, to do everything in their power to reach the purest form of Heaven."
"Such is the case when a fair maiden is so quick to such vulgar language, such anger and fear. The touch of the devil's evil is indeed within you, child, and you would do well to let it go," Pucci then proceeded to say to Severa like an armchair psychiatrist, before shaking his head, turning his gaze to Leivinia and Macy.
"But indeed, child. I am here because I have been waiting. Waiting precisely for you all. I know of your intent to take from me, to do me harm, and I will simply ask, what compels you to do such a thing?"
"Oh puh-leaze. As if a creep like you actually cares about our religious beliefs!" Severa pushed one his out, hand planted on it as she rolled her eyes, clearly not intimidated by Pucci in the slightest. "The only person who should be worrying about Heaven and God is YOU, since you'll be seeing both in, like, five minutes."
"Of course I believe in the Phase of Heaven. But please, do tell me what we need to ask for forgiveness for."
Leivinia appeared with the group downstairs. Casually holding her wooden wand, she glared at the strange man with a wide smile. Perhaps it was due to her research on "leaders." She knew nothing about him, but he undoubtedly held some sort of power. He seemed strange at first glance, but there was probably something to dissect here.
She spread her arms wide and spoke again.
"You've been waiting here for a reason, right? Or perhaps this is just your home? But then, I don't see why such an aura would come from this place. Tell me, what're you here for?"
As soon as she spoke, Macy felt the anger in Severa's heart wash over her. The pain and the grief of a lost loved one was not an emotion she had felt herself, but had felt through the hearts of those around her. However, Mason held his emotions down, while the redhead before her was more than open with her emotion. The fiery anger Severa held echoed in Macy's heart and fueled her reply, ignoring Ollerus's advice. Her body appeared to glow with a fiery blue aura.
View attachment 3228 "I wasn't making any jokes! How is your mother dead when I saw her a few minutes ago? Maybe your mother died in your world, but there's a Cordelia somewhere around here that is alive and well. Maybe you can appreciate that instead of yelling at a girl who made an honest mistake, red-haired she-devil!"
Then the priest appeared. More emotions piled onto Macy's heart as Pucci's query created a mixture of anger and sadness for most amongst the downstairs group. Only one of them remained upbeat so far, leaving the darker emotions to overpower her. Severa's snappy response to Pucci fueled another snap from Macy.
View attachment 3228 "Sorry, sir, but I think your view of heaven is dead wrong. Where I'm from, everyone goes to Hades in the end. Even Elysium is only a nicer spot in Hell than the rest."
Macy closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She released the breath in a big huff, though the sound was closer to a machine releasing steam than a person releasing air. Her aura dimmed slightly, and she regained a small amount of control against the flurry of feelings in the room.
"Who are YOU calling a red-haired she-devil, you blue-haired psycho?! Gawds! FYI, I haven't seen my mother ANYWHERE, so either you can see ghosts or you're trying to make me as crazy as you are! Believe me, if Mother was here, I'd be with her, and not some lying little halfling like you!"
Severa seemed to have totally forgotten the importance of this mission, and the guy they were up against. Oh dear.
Phil sighed and decided that he was going to make sure the two woman didn't kill each other. " I know that you are really mad at Macy for something that she made an honest mistake about and she probably should have responded kinder, but we have bigger problems to focus, you know like the priest behind us who probably doesn't have the best intentions. You two can argue when we are in a safe and neutral spot and not say when we are in danger," he said, not knowing how the hell he was being a level headed person for once. He was more impulsive, but maybe it was that he had learned from in fighting and not focusing on the bigger picture caused problems.
"You two, you're causing a ruckus," Grandpa Max adds, "I understand you've got a mystery in your mind to solve, but right now, we've got a bigger mystery ahead of us that could decide more than just our fates."
❝ Be ready for what is to come NEXT. ❞ Dlanor spoke in an emotionless voice, seeing the extra chatter as unnecessary for their current situation. Willard remained silent on that matter, ready to take out his sword if the need for it came around.
"Is that so? That is certainly unfortunate, my child, but it is never too late to accept the Lord, for he is ever open," the man said to Phil, tutting briefly like a teacher or a homely father, before calmly turning to Max, one arm folded behind his back, "Ah, but where are my manners indeed? I am Father Pucci, at your service," he simply said.
As the others began responding to his words from before, he went on again. "We are all ever in need of salvation, dear child," he began to respond to Schala next, "Haven't you ever felt guilty for any wrongdoing? Is there not a constantly biting feeling of guilt weighing down upon your shoulders? That is the weight of the original sin that follows us all, no matter what we do. The sins of our forefathers that make us who we are today. It is to that end that you owe it to yourself, along with humanity as a people, to do everything in their power to reach the purest form of Heaven."
"Such is the case when a fair maiden is so quick to such vulgar language, such anger and fear. The touch of the devil's evil is indeed within you, child, and you would do well to let it go," Pucci then proceeded to say to Severa like an armchair psychiatrist, before shaking his head, turning his gaze to Leivinia and Macy.
"But indeed, child. I am here because I have been waiting. Waiting precisely for you all. I know of your intent to take from me, to do me harm, and I will simply ask, what compels you to do such a thing?" He asked, beginning to walk around the entire group, as if intending to circle around them for no particular reason, "My... associates and I are simply working to achieve Heaven, not just for myself, but for you as well. Why would you wish to stop such a phenomena?"
A giant, tailless tiger-like creature breaks out of the walls of the room - as if it was embedded there all this time. It seemed to remind some of a certain commercial about a certain drink.
"RATH!"
The felinoid creature aggresively shouts as he charges towards DIO, preparing to perform wrestling moves upon him.
"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING DIO BRANDO, YOU JUST ASKED FOR A PIECE OF RATH, AND YOU'RE GONNA GET A PIECE, BUT I THINK THIS SHARE'S JUST TOO BIG FOR EVEN YOUR BIG FAT MOUTH! PREPARE TO GET SEEEEERVED! RAAAAAAAAA!"
He starts with a few punches.
"RATH DOESN'T CARE IF YOUR ARCHENEMY IS RIGHT THERE WAITING TO KICK YOUR BUTT, BECAUSE RATH CALLS DIBS ON ALL BUTTS! No discrimination! Rath will kick them all. Starting with yours."
"Father Pucci, if I may ask," Max continues a polite front while sporting a still-displeased face, "what exactly does achieving heaven comprise of? Is it really worth the millions- billions- trillions of lives that will be gone from the Earth?"
"Bite me." That was Severa's comeback to Pucci's comments on her language, but she wasn't done. "Your associates are total nutjobs! And you're just as nutty as they are, if you're gonna go around pushing for this stupid Heaven of theirs! Really, do you honestly think they won't turn on you the second they can? Some annoying Bible-thumper like you can't possibly be of any use to them. I know I'd dump you in a heartbeat if I were DIO or Othinus!"
A short growl bubbled from the depths of Jiren's throat. The two had gotten so lost on their analysis of him that they must have missed the sight of every muscle in his body tensing under the strain of agitation.
'Jacked alien'... now that was a new one
"Hush" Jiren spoke with force "I'm no more alien to you than you are to me. You won't get probed or abducted... not be me at least. Once we step through that portal you're on your own. Don't expect a babysitter. Keep your heads on and mouths shut"
"Of course there's alien food; though it troubles me how terra-centric the multiverse has become, non-humans still need sustenance too" Toppo leaned across the table, his flowing mustache narrowly avoiding the ocean of platters and dips that played across it. The bounty of dishes that laid before him was nothing short of spectacular; he was no stranger to food, but the food of Eath always seemed to be... different to that of the rest of the galaxy. It seemed to have been developed with far more care and attention, its chiefs becoming artists rather than tradesmen. He painted the table with hungry eyes "This 'Fruit Punch'... sounds more like an attack than a beverage... and a meal worthy of a Hero of Justice!" Grabbing a soup spoon and dragging the bowl until it sat beneath his chin, Toppo tucked in, shoveling spoons after spoon of juice into his mouth.
"No" Jiren snapped, ignoring or being completely ignorant to the subtext of Mason's words. Human sarcasm was hardly his strongest suit "I'm not hungry. My attitude is none of your concern"
"I see..." Jiren trailed off "So you're not a licensed hero then? More of an... unaffiliated freelancer? Interesting..." "I agree, Mr.Hero-of-Lots-of-Stuff. As important as suits and symbols are, they're nothing if the creature beneath does not live up to its reputation... still, I like my action to come with.....heroic flair. I like to think my suit assists with that"
"There were 10 of us, last time I checked" Toppo placed his spoon back in his bowl "Or at least, there were 10 in my generation. Jiren never speaks of the first wave of Pride Warriors..." Jiren failed to interject. Toppo hushed his tone "But rumor has it they were more like an army than a team. Membership in the hundreds was what I was told as a boy..."
"Good Greetings, Max, Grandfather to the Hero of Lots-Of-Stuff" Toppo rose to his feet and dipped his head in a sign of respect. Yet again, Jiren failed to move. "My name is Toppo, Hero Of Freedom, and this-" Jiren remained a statue, having completely withdrawn himself from the conversation, disheartened, he continued. "This is Jiren the Gray. You are well met"
Jiren opened a single eye and aimed it towards Jury Rigg. A boy with the power to transform into a beast... now something like that had peaked his attention... "Interesting..." He hummed to himself "With a tap of the wrist your Ki had completely transformed... who are you really, Ben?"
"Do you sense it too, Jiren?" "Yes... A menacing energy. Something... evil" "And where there is smoke, there tends to be fire..." "No" "No?" "I'm sensing a greater power growing below. Something stronger" "If we are to find that great evil and destroy it, we must--" "You go find your 'Great Evil', Mr.Hero Of Freedom. I have my own agenda. Find your own path. Stop following me like a child"
With that, Jiren went downstairs and Toppo went Up
"Halt, evildoer! You goad the innocent with talk of dogs and death? Then prepare to face the wrath of JUSTICE!!"
"Prepare yourself, DIO!" Toppo cried, flipping forward into the heart of the of the battle, his body swarming with ribbons of red ki. "Hero-Tennison! Beware of our foe! I doubt he is all he appears to be! Try to coordinate with those strange monsters fighting beside Giorno! I will assist from afar!"
"No" Whispered to himself, finding a new spot on a new wall to lean up against. He couldn't hide his disappointment; he had been expecting some giant beast or even a powerful mortal. Instead, he was face to face with a troublesome priest.
Schala frowned... It was true; she felt guitly... It was a weight on her shoulders that refused to lift, even after she was freed from his grasp, and by extension, her mother's. She felt responsible for the atrocities her mother committed, largely due to her inability to think for herself at the time... But, at the same time... Even if Pucci's idea of "Heaven" did free her from her burdens of the past, there was no way she could her heart could handle the amount of sacrifices made just for that.
Especially considering how something similar nearly happened... In part thanks to a wish she made in the depths of despair.
"It's true... I am guilty... My lack of strength to oppose my mother cost me my kingdom... And very nearly, my mind..." She said quietly.
Then, her voice, and in turn, Schala herself seemed to find strength in the certainty she felt in what she was about to say next.
"But... I will not throw away everything that is... And will be... For the so called Heaven you desire. I refuse to allow such a disaster to befall the Multiverse...!" She shouted, her hands reaching for her blades.
Of course, she didn't intend to strike the first blow, but... Schala had a feeling that Pucci wouldn't take so kindly to the group's objections to his plans overall. They were here to prevent the destruction of the Multiverse after all, and she wasn't about to relinquish that goal for her own desires. The kind of price they would all have to pay was just not worth it...
With a flick of his finger, DIO deflected one of Mason's energy bullets with lightning fast reflexes, ignoring whether or not it abode by the natural laws of physics as one might have understood them. As for the other bullets, they too were all deflected, not by DIO himself however, but by the golden shadow that rose from within his body, the same one that rose from within Jotaro and Giorno as well.
His very own Stand.
「The World」
An imposing golden titan of pure power punched at the air faster than the human eye could possibly comprehend, the bullets being snuffed out with each punch.
"To interrupt the monologues of I, DIO... You must truly be a feckless cretin," he spat distastefully toward Mason, before Jotaro and Giorno leapt forward, eliciting a sadistic grin from the man's chiseled features. DIO wasted no time in meeting the two Stand users who came after him, The World floating in front of him to meet Star Platinum and Gold Experience, fists poised and ready.
The vampire's battle cries matched his old rival's and his son's in intensity and passion, amazingly able to keep up with the barrage launched by the two Stand users on two separate fronts. However, all good things came to an end.
Perhaps too soon, the punch rush abruptly stopped, cut unfortunately (from one point of view) short as suddenly, faster than anyone could imagine, Jotaro and Giorno suddenly found themselves punching at empty air, just as Toppo's Justice Flash hit nothing and Ben, in his Rath form, suddenly found himself leaping at such empty air (assuming he didn't exactly end up jumping right into Jotaro's and Giorno's punch rush instead by accident).
With a furrowed brow, put on guard for once, Fiamma of the Right tensed up. "Where did he go?! He was just right there...!" He exclaimed, before looking down at his glowing right hand, "The power... I can sense it from--!"
"From over here, no?"
DIO's voice was suddenly heard from behind the entire group as the large man himself stood at the doorway, as though warding himself away from Libra's prayer, not that the vampire ever ventured to find out if such "purification" would truly affect him.
"When did you--?!"
"How sad... to be so blissfully unaware of the power of The World," DIO tutted, "You'll all have to do better than that. As they would say... catch me if you can, no? Fuahahaha!" He exclaimed, taunting everyone as though deliberately egging them on to come at him again.
A mysterious individual named Ollerus approaches the Coalition, along with select representatives from the United Universes and ODMA, with a lead on the shadowy Revanchist organization, namely three of its members that he personally knows; the Magic God known as Othinus, and two certainly ambitious men named Dio Brando and Enrico Pucci, the former of whom seeks to complete an artifact called Gungnir, which Ollerus has one part of before loaning it to the Coalition, and the latter who seeks a specific version of the Arrow that only Giorno Giovanna, one of Ollerus's associates, has in his possession.
Accompanied by the likes of Giorno, Fiamma of the Right, and Touma Kamijou, among others recruited from their own and Giorno's own world, Fiamma of the Right holds a rough ability to track down Othinus's whereabouts, hoping to enlist the help of the multiversal organizations gathered at the emergency summit called in order to defeat Othinus.
While Fiamma of the Right begins using his power to search for Othinus's whereabouts, the representatives of the organizations are left to convene with each other, process the information, and arm themselves accordingly. During this period, it is settled that the Coalition will hold on to the Gungnir part given by Ollerus while Giorno holds on to the Arrow, believing this will split apart the enemy's attention should they catch wind of their activities.
"Everyone, I have an important announcement to make. Fiamma of the Right has finally pinpointed what he believes to the position of Othinus in the multiverse. Please report back to the Briefing Room immediately."
The booming voice of Kyoko Kirigiri in the intercom would get everyone's attention on Knowhere, wherever they might have been or whatever they were doing at that moment in time. It seemed that the mission was finally good to go, and there was no time to waste if they intended on carrying it out now.
As you all gather back into the Briefing Room, Fiamma of the Right takes the center stage this time instead of Ollerus, clearing his throat as he took his turn at speaking.
"Well, then. I hope you've all prepared accordingly for this certain adventure. Failure to prove your worth for this venture may have... dire consequences, to say the least," the man in red said with a wry expression, which probably did little to ease any tension in the air. Still, he went on after a brief pause, raising his right hand to reveal a red glow.
"I shan't bore you with the details of how it works, but as Ollerus said before, I alone hold the power to track Othinus's whereabouts -- at least, based on the sheer power she exudes, and more than that, I am able to transport myself and all of you to her general vicinity. Of course, there's little telling for accuracy, considering I've tried to isolate every reading of great power within the multiverse, but I'm sure that we'll at least be on her trail once I create a portal to her position. Are you all ready?"
"They don't look very ready."
"A crying shame they're the best we've got then."
"Guys, come on."
"With all that said, while you all act as the field team, Mr. Kunikida and I will be keeping in contact with you from here, monitoring your progress to make sure everything goes according to plan, but be prepared for anything. Use these to keep in contact with us, and these if you ever might need," Kyoko said, seeming to ignore the casual wisecracks from the magicians as she gestured briefly toward Doppo next to her, who began handing out ear pieces to everyone for easy communication to Knowhere once they were out in the field, before also giving out return panels as well.
"We don't know just what kind of force we're dealing with here, or what the rest of the Revanchist, let alone Othinus, might have planned or be capable of."
With an acknowledging nod to the lavender-haired young woman, Fiamma of the Right's hand began glowing more vibrantly crimson, before swiping his arm across, creating a decently sized portal in the air.
WHOOSH!
"Let us be on our way then, shall we? Follow me."
With that, Fiamma stepped into the portal, followed by Touma and Ollerus, beckoning everyone else to follow suit. As you would all do so, officially stepping into the darkness of uncertainty, you would all find yourselves in a completely different locale.
Stepping out of the portal, which promptly disappeared as soon as everyone had stepped through, the new location they found themselves in was... perhaps unexpected to some. A stark shift from a futuristic space station at all may have been jarring, but to this place was certainly less than up to par. In fact, if there was a phrase to describe the place they were in, one could call it like an old, rotting mansion, with a large hole in the wall that let in the evening sunlight, obscured some by the clouds. Cobwebs and dust littered the place as though no one had stepped in this place for years, which wasn't helped by the old, musty smell of decay.
On one hand, it was perhaps not something one would expect someone who fancied herself a god to be around, and yet on the other, there certainly was an aura to this place that oozed pure evil to its core. Even with the imposing sunlight outside, there was an undeniable aura of malevolent intent through the air, like the spirits of long forgotten time were watching their every move. There was no doubt about that. This place was evil, and such evil was still here to this day.
Jotaro, if no one else, would have certainly been able to remember this place well.
"This was the closest I could hone in on Othinus's location. If she's not here, then surely something is. Something just as evil and powerful as she is. I can't even tell you which one to hope for," Fiamma spoke, looking around the place as though mildly impressed with the interior design of the mansion. Such a shame that something so intricately designed had to be reduced to this state.
Fsssssh.
"Report. Can you hear me?"
After a brief static sound in your ear pieces, Kyoko's voice could be heard coming from them, confirming that they were indeed in operating condition.
"Oh, that's loud," Touma commented with a furrowed brow, "Yeah, looks like this thing works alright."
"That's good to hear. As I said back at base, Doppo and I will be keeping an eye on your activities. We'll be here to guide you if we can help it, but we may have to maintain radio silence for the most part just in case the enemy might have something that can be able to trace this source," she communicated back.
"Understood. Hopefully, we'll be able to make do," Fiamma of the Right said, copying out with that, before pocketing his hands, looking around with a pursed lip.
"Now then. Seeing as how there's little telling how big this estate might be, it may be in our best interests to split up. After all, if you're all supposed to be the peak of the multiversal organizations' abilities, then splitting up won't be such a daunting task now, would it?" He asked, almost as though mildly mocking the group.
Indeed, there did seem to be two notable routes to go down for the group to split apart to.
One notable route was to take the upstairs route. There was a certain chill, a cold wind that ran around as anyone would even so much as look in that direction. A dark aura that seemed to be the cause of the entire mansion's eerie air. Something that one could almost describe as... menacing.
The other route one could take was downstairs. Certainly, while the other area had more menacing intent behind it, this route seemed more... mystical. One could say that the other area held a malicious air of pure evil intent, while this one held a bizarre, raw mien of pure power. Either way, you were likely bound to find something whichever you chose.
"If it's anything like the Revanites, we'll be more than ready." Jordshan commented to Kyoko. She fought the Revanites, she even faced Revan. Though with help of many powerful individuals, including none other than the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order herself; Satele Shan.
Once through the portal, Jordshan decided to go upstairs. Followed by M1-4X.
Jotaro nodded, looking out at Cairo's skyline. "This is where my allies and I found DIO many years ago when we traveled to Egypt. He's a crafty bastard - pulled all kinds of tricks and minions up his sleeve just to stop us from initiating a fight with him before the sun went down."
"We even. . .lost a few when we were here." The man said, lowering his head in thought as visions of Avdol and Iggy intruded on his mind. Turning back around to face Giorno and the rest of the Coalition's team. "Be prepared for anything. We'll be lucky if he doesn't get the drop on us right away." Jotaro said with a grimace, adjusting his coat and treading off towards the stairway.
"Let's go, Jolyne. Ermes, Giorno, you too. Let's see if he's home."
". . ." Giorno could feel a bubbling in his veins once more. Just being told that his father could be this close to him was enough to throw the boy into a resolve-fueled warpath. The boy looked up to Diego. "I can sense him from those stairs. . .his presence has been around here. He won't hide for long." he said with a determined mien, taking point next to Jotaro, Jolyne and Ermes. He didn't explicitly motion for his father to follow, but the call of parenthood drew Jotaro to his daughter. . .who is to say that the Englishman was any exception?
Jotaro and Giorno looked to each other and nodded, talking their steps upstairs.
Jotaro side-eyed Billy, the towering man's usual level of aloofness and contempt being replaced with simple, stoic silence. Giorno, realizing that his older counterpart isn't the best at explaining this without seeming abrasive, took the liberty himself. "As I mentioned back at the meeting, the man working with Othinus - Dio Brando - is my father, as well as a--"
"A plague on the Joestar family." Jotaro interrupted, his eyes staring into the darkness as he spoke.
". . .and I plague on my heritage."
"DIO killed my ancestor, Jonathan Joestar, and stole his body to attain immortality. He slumbered in the depths of the ocean for 100 years, and then he used that body to impregnate, murder and consume countless women to regain his strength."
"That is. . .how I came to be." Giorno stoically added, his voice dripping with the disgust of his birthright.
"Then, once he obtained the power of The World, he almost killed my mother. Had to travel to Egypt to stop him."
"He left me to a childhood of pain and abuse at the hands of the woman he impregnated. Never came back."
"Then, he killed three of my allies - my friends. Killed my grandfather too, for a little bit, but I fixed that problem."
"When I finally met him years later, he did not recognize who I was. He threatened to murder a number of people, and beat me when I stopped him."
"The Arrows he left behind fell into the wrong hands, and led back to a small town in Japan called Morioh. Led to a Stand User serial killer that murdered dozens of young women."
"Those Arrows led to the rise of Stand Users in organized crime in Italy, leading to the rise of the old Passione mob, of which I lost a number of allies trying to overthrowit."
"And above all else, he pissed me off."
"And with his death, I'll wipe away the past and be free."
The two descendants continued up the stairs in silence afterwards.
"Let's not think irrationally, we should have a plan before we go in." Simon started in a calm tone. Markus nodded in agreeance before adding.
'
"Simon's right, we don't want to lose anyone if we don't have to; and from the sounds of things this guy is stronger than any of us could imagine."
Behind the doors, a massive room, barely lit with two lone candles, awaited them all. A wisp of cold, stale air practically hit everyone in the face, as if stored in the room for an unknown amount of time. The malevolent feeling that everyone felt back in the center area of the mansion was stronger here than ever before; needless to say, they were already in the belly of the beast.
The room reeked of age and dread. A coffin in the center atop an expensive looking rug here, elegant paintings there, it did little to deter the sinister winds. And to the side where the source of the evil air was coming from, through the piercing dark, a small table would be visible, adorned with a chessboard. And sitting on the far side of the table was a man.
No, not a man. A monster.
Adorned in garish yellow clothing that stabbed through the darkness, almost even more blindingly than the candles in the other corner, or perhaps that was just the sheer power of his mere aura. With a glass of dark red liquid in his hands, he took a small sip, his eyes obscured by blonde bangs, before he finally spoke with a deep, imposing voice.
"My, my. So you've finally come," he said, calmly laying the glass down to the table's edge, "That witch of a so-called god told me that you would be coming here soon, but I'd only hoped that you would have gotten here sooner. Playing this dreary game is no fun when you don't have an opponent to crush beneath your foot, after all."
Hardly moving from his position, as though speaking to old friends, the man let out a soft laugh. "But to so brazenly storm this mansion... Not even I, DIO, could fathom the foolishness of such faux bravado. But then, perhaps that is precisely why you would all make good... subjects to feast upon."
The man who revealed himself as DIO curled his lips into a knowing smirk, before speaking again. "It appears that age has done you well... Jotaro," he said, recognizing the towering man in white opposite to him, before eyeing the rest of the group, "How kind of you to bring my poor, lost son to me. And his dear friends too. A social occasion like this calls for more wine though... How thoughtless of you," he said with a malicious chuckle.
"How dull. How droll. I was hoping for something more succulent than empty threats, but if that is all you feeble-minded monkeys can ever think to utter in the face of I, DIO, then tragically enough, it would appear that you are not even worth enslaving," DIO spoke, leaning forward, his hair and the darkness finally parting as if to reveal his hypnotic, steely eyes.
"No, perhaps "monkey" is the wrong word. Perhaps dog is more fitting. After all, just like dogs, all you children can do is bark and bark, and just like dogs, the only place you belong is beneath my foot," the monster of a man spoke with utter disdain for those around him, feeling very little concern as though none of them particularly threatened him.
Still, he did not even move to stand. Instead, he only casually lifted his hand to interact with the chessboard in front of him, moving a Queen piece diagonal to the opposite King piece, which was otherwise surrounded by Rooks and Bishops. Eyeing the group excitedly, a sadistic smirk stretching his lips apart, he spoke again.
"After all, the result is the same as before. This is checkmate. At least, it will be if you opt to tempt fate, to try for a game of twisted luck."
"Know you even who you are dealing with? What trifles you dare to interfere in? No, you only run to where people tell you to go because that is what is commanded of you. Like bees following the whim of their queen. Like dogs, even. You are bound, limited to what you call comfortable because you are all weak. That is why you will never surpass me. Your humanity is what chains you, tethers you to this miserable existence you call your life."
"Come then. Come at me if you dare. Revel in that rage you feel, or that sense of justice you believe yourself to valiantly follow. Your villain awaits."
"There is no fate left for me to tempt. You're the fool to think that you can escape this reality with that bravado still in tact. To think that all you've taken is going to make any difference of what our resolve will accomplish now is useless."
"There is no outcome to this battle that has you successful. . .it is of no 'truth' for you to succeed. Because as long as I exist, I will stand above you. . .and bury you with the rest of my past, with the very ambition and strength I have inherited from you."
"You will never reach 'reality'."
Giornos steely eyes met DIO's own hypnotic gaze, as the son took a few steps forward into the darkness. Unlike the rest of those who had followed him into this place of despair and darkness, Giorno Giovanna didn't feel an ounce of fear or reprehension in his steps. There was only the 'truth' that he must make clear - that he is better than this man.
"Good grief. . .do you two ever shut up?"
Jotaro suddenly chimed in, clutching his cap with one hand and pointing at DIO.
"I've had just about enough of this. . .this time, I'll have to pummel your ashes to be sure." Jotaro taunted, reminding the vampire of his defeat many years ago. As he said himself, however, the time for bravado was quickly coming to an end. Star Platinum loomed forward through it's user, throwing up its platinum fists.
". . .Giorno, now!"
"GOLD EXPERIENCE!"
SHWOOOOM!
The ground beneath the two Stand Users suddenly quaked as a shimmering, golden figure suddenly materialized from Giorno's body and spun around, slamming it's fists against the floor beneath both him and Jotaro. Not even a moment later, the two descendants suddenly rocketed forward from the ground with blinding speed. DIO might have perceived it as some sort of time trick, but it was nothing of the sort; just the two of them speeding towards their common enemy through the air.
They were, in fact, being propelled by a winding, natural bridge of bramble and wood that Gold Experience continued to spawn until it brought their Stands in optimal range of the vampire.
Star Platinum and Gold Experience launched themselves forward from their respective users, taking position surrounding DIO and cocking back their blazing fists. . .
With a flick of his finger, DIO deflected one of Mason's energy bullets with lightning fast reflexes, ignoring whether or not it abode by the natural laws of physics as one might have understood them. As for the other bullets, they too were all deflected, not by DIO himself however, but by the golden shadow that rose from within his body, the same one that rose from within Jotaro and Giorno as well.
His very own Stand.
「The World」
An imposing golden titan of pure power punched at the air faster than the human eye could possibly comprehend, the bullets being snuffed out with each punch.
"To interrupt the monologues of I, DIO... You must truly be a feckless cretin," he spat distastefully toward Mason, before Jotaro and Giorno leapt forward, eliciting a sadistic grin from the man's chiseled features. DIO wasted no time in meeting the two Stand users who came after him, The World floating in front of him to meet Star Platinum and Gold Experience, fists poised and ready.
The vampire's battle cries matched his old rival's and his son's in intensity and passion, amazingly able to keep up with the barrage launched by the two Stand users on two separate fronts. However, all good things came to an end.
Perhaps too soon, the punch rush abruptly stopped, cut unfortunately (from one point of view) short as suddenly, faster than anyone could imagine, Jotaro and Giorno suddenly found themselves punching at empty air, just as Toppo's Justice Flash hit nothing and Ben, in his Rath form, suddenly found himself leaping at such empty air (assuming he didn't exactly end up jumping right into Jotaro's and Giorno's punch rush instead by accident).
With a furrowed brow, put on guard for once, Fiamma of the Right tensed up. "Where did he go?! He was just right there...!" He exclaimed, before looking down at his glowing right hand, "The power... I can sense it from--!"
"From over here, no?"
DIO's voice was suddenly heard from behind the entire group as the large man himself stood at the doorway, as though warding himself away from Libra's prayer, not that the vampire ever ventured to find out if such "purification" would truly affect him.
"When did you--?!"
"How sad... to be so blissfully unaware of the power of The World," DIO tutted, "You'll all have to do better than that. As they would say... catch me if you can, no? Fuahahaha!" He exclaimed, taunting everyone as though deliberately egging them on to come at him again.
Jordshan took absolutely no time to let him even talk. She turned around and aimed an AP rocket at Dio. M1-4X turned around as well and opened fire once again at Dio. The pair didn't seem to want to give him any time to talk.
"There is no fate left for me to tempt. You're the fool to think that you can escape this reality with that bravado still in tact. To think that all you've taken is going to make any difference of what our resolve will accomplish now is useless."
"There is no outcome to this battle that has you successful. . .it is of no 'truth' for you to succeed. Because as long as I exist, I will stand above you. . .and bury you with the rest of my past, with the very ambition and strength I have inherited from you."
"You will never reach 'reality'."
Giornos steely eyes met DIO's own hypnotic gaze, as the son took a few steps forward into the darkness. Unlike the rest of those who had followed him into this place of despair and darkness, Giorno Giovanna didn't feel an ounce of fear or reprehension in his steps. There was only the 'truth' that he must make clear - that he is better than this man.
"Good grief. . .do you two ever shut up?"
Jotaro suddenly chimed in, clutching his cap with one hand and pointing at DIO.
"I've had just about enough of this. . .this time, I'll have to pummel your ashes to be sure." Jotaro taunted, reminding the vampire of his defeat many years ago. As he said himself, however, the time for bravado was quickly coming to an end. Star Platinum loomed forward through it's user, throwing up its platinum fists.
". . .Giorno, now!"
"GOLD EXPERIENCE!"
SHWOOOOM!
The ground beneath the two Stand Users suddenly quaked as a shimmering, golden figure suddenly materialized from Giorno's body and spun around, slamming it's fists against the floor beneath both him and Jotaro. Not even a moment later, the two descendants suddenly rocketed forward from the ground with blinding speed. DIO might have perceived it as some sort of time trick, but it was nothing of the sort; just the two of them speeding towards their common enemy through the air.
They were, in fact, being propelled by a winding, natural bridge of bramble and wood that Gold Experience continued to spawn until it brought their Stands in optimal range of the vampire.
Star Platinum and Gold Experience launched themselves forward from their respective users, taking position surrounding DIO and cocking back their blazing fists. . .
The thought rolled through Diego's mind as he prepared even further from behind one of the many ordinate pillars within the upstairs room. From the sound of things, it seemed as though Giorno and that taller relative of the Joestars were charging right in for the offensive against his gaudy fake, affording the 'Dio' of the Main World to observe to see how the vampiric copy may react. And- of course- to counter right away if what his alternative son's reports on that monster's powers were true.
Just TOUCH him, son. Or get him to touch you, or one of the raptors affected by your Gold Experience, and the day is ours!
That voice rang through Giorno's mind thanks to the connection he shared via the docile Scary Monsters Virus currently working through him. It was an implementation of the Stand that gave all of the benefits with none of the negative aspects of becoming a feral slave to Diego.
A gift he would only afford to one he truly trusted.
But that being the case, the true Brando himself felt his fangs and fingertips sharpening to a point, a powerful tail ready to completely launch him forward. And with another towards one of the nearby pillars to his own, the blonde twitched from the anticipation. After all, he needed to secure the kill. He needed begin the Brando lineage proper.
A short growl bubbled from the depths of Jiren's throat. The two had gotten so lost on their analysis of him that they must have missed the sight of every muscle in his body tensing under the strain of agitation.
'Jacked alien'... now that was a new one
"Hush" Jiren spoke with force "I'm no more alien to you than you are to me. You won't get probed or abducted... not be me at least. Once we step through that portal you're on your own. Don't expect a babysitter. Keep your heads on and mouths shut"
"Of course there's alien food; though it troubles me how terra-centric the multiverse has become, non-humans still need sustenance too" Toppo leaned across the table, his flowing mustache narrowly avoiding the ocean of platters and dips that played across it. The bounty of dishes that laid before him was nothing short of spectacular; he was no stranger to food, but the food of Eath always seemed to be... different to that of the rest of the galaxy. It seemed to have been developed with far more care and attention, its chiefs becoming artists rather than tradesmen. He painted the table with hungry eyes "This 'Fruit Punch'... sounds more like an attack than a beverage... and a meal worthy of a Hero of Justice!" Grabbing a soup spoon and dragging the bowl until it sat beneath his chin, Toppo tucked in, shoveling spoons after spoon of juice into his mouth.
"No" Jiren snapped, ignoring or being completely ignorant to the subtext of Mason's words. Human sarcasm was hardly his strongest suit "I'm not hungry. My attitude is none of your concern"
"I see..." Jiren trailed off "So you're not a licensed hero then? More of an... unaffiliated freelancer? Interesting..." "I agree, Mr.Hero-of-Lots-of-Stuff. As important as suits and symbols are, they're nothing if the creature beneath does not live up to its reputation... still, I like my action to come with.....heroic flair. I like to think my suit assists with that"
"There were 10 of us, last time I checked" Toppo placed his spoon back in his bowl "Or at least, there were 10 in my generation. Jiren never speaks of the first wave of Pride Warriors..." Jiren failed to interject. Toppo hushed his tone "But rumor has it they were more like an army than a team. Membership in the hundreds was what I was told as a boy..."
"Good Greetings, Max, Grandfather to the Hero of Lots-Of-Stuff" Toppo rose to his feet and dipped his head in a sign of respect. Yet again, Jiren failed to move. "My name is Toppo, Hero Of Freedom, and this-" Jiren remained a statue, having completely withdrawn himself from the conversation, disheartened, he continued. "This is Jiren the Gray. You are well met"
Jiren opened a single eye and aimed it towards Jury Rigg. A boy with the power to transform into a beast... now something like that had peaked his attention... "Interesting..." He hummed to himself "With a tap of the wrist your Ki had completely transformed... who are you really, Ben?"
"Do you sense it too, Jiren?" "Yes... A menacing energy. Something... evil" "And where there is smoke, there tends to be fire..." "No" "No?" "I'm sensing a greater power growing below. Something stronger" "If we are to find that great evil and destroy it, we must--" "You go find your 'Great Evil', Mr.Hero Of Freedom. I have my own agenda. Find your own path. Stop following me like a child"
With that, Jiren went downstairs and Toppo went Up
"Halt, evildoer! You goad the innocent with talk of dogs and death? Then prepare to face the wrath of JUSTICE!!"
"Prepare yourself, DIO!" Toppo cried, flipping forward into the heart of the of the battle, his body swarming with ribbons of red ki. "Hero-Tennison! Beware of our foe! I doubt he is all he appears to be! Try to coordinate with those strange monsters fighting beside Giorno! I will assist from afar!"
With a flick of his finger, DIO deflected one of Mason's energy bullets with lightning fast reflexes, ignoring whether or not it abode by the natural laws of physics as one might have understood them. As for the other bullets, they too were all deflected, not by DIO himself however, but by the golden shadow that rose from within his body, the same one that rose from within Jotaro and Giorno as well.
His very own Stand.
「The World」
An imposing golden titan of pure power punched at the air faster than the human eye could possibly comprehend, the bullets being snuffed out with each punch.
"To interrupt the monologues of I, DIO... You must truly be a feckless cretin," he spat distastefully toward Mason, before Jotaro and Giorno leapt forward, eliciting a sadistic grin from the man's chiseled features. DIO wasted no time in meeting the two Stand users who came after him, The World floating in front of him to meet Star Platinum and Gold Experience, fists poised and ready.
The vampire's battle cries matched his old rival's and his son's in intensity and passion, amazingly able to keep up with the barrage launched by the two Stand users on two separate fronts. However, all good things came to an end.
Perhaps too soon, the punch rush abruptly stopped, cut unfortunately (from one point of view) short as suddenly, faster than anyone could imagine, Jotaro and Giorno suddenly found themselves punching at empty air, just as Toppo's Justice Flash hit nothing and Ben, in his Rath form, suddenly found himself leaping at such empty air (assuming he didn't exactly end up jumping right into Jotaro's and Giorno's punch rush instead by accident).
With a furrowed brow, put on guard for once, Fiamma of the Right tensed up. "Where did he go?! He was just right there...!" He exclaimed, before looking down at his glowing right hand, "The power... I can sense it from--!"
"From over here, no?"
DIO's voice was suddenly heard from behind the entire group as the large man himself stood at the doorway, as though warding himself away from Libra's prayer, not that the vampire ever ventured to find out if such "purification" would truly affect him.
"When did you--?!"
"How sad... to be so blissfully unaware of the power of The World," DIO tutted, "You'll all have to do better than that. As they would say... catch me if you can, no? Fuahahaha!" He exclaimed, taunting everyone as though deliberately egging them on to come at him again.
"If it's anything like the Revanites, we'll be more than ready." Jordshan commented to Kyoko. She fought the Revanites, she even faced Revan. Though with help of many powerful individuals, including none other than the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order herself; Satele Shan.
Once through the portal, Jordshan decided to go upstairs. Followed by M1-4X.
"I suppose that's bad?" Jordshan asked
"This time, you have military support. It shouldn't be harder."
"No one wants to lose someone. But there are risks, though I have faith that we can do this with as few casualties as possible."
Jorkshan looked at Dio with a neutral, but hardened expression.
As the fight began, Jordshan drew her assault cannon while M1-4X prepared his own. The two began to open fire on Dio.
Jordshan took absolutely no time to let him even talk. She turned around and aimed an AP rocket at Dio. M1-4X turned around as well and opened fire once again at Dio. The pair didn't seem to want to give him any time to talk.
"Wait wha- OOOOH! I see how it is. Well, LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, DIO BRANDO! NO ONE PULLS SOME TIMEY WIMEY STUNT ON RATH WITHOUT GETTING A GOOD WALLOPING!"
Rath turns to Toppo with a nod.
"Oh, I'll coordinate alright, Toppo, Hero of Justice," Rath grins as he decides to use his weapons - dual wields consisting of DIO's throne & coffin.
It was time to bring the house down.
"Hey! DIO Brando! I'm not done yet!" Rath, fighting alongside the newly-appeared Velociraptor army, exclaims as he swings about his brand new dual wields. "I promised you a piece of Rath, and I hate breaking promises."
Swinging the coffin & throne like the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi performing his legendary Nitoryu technique, Rath was ready to strike DIO again.
"Whatever, dad." Jolyne loathed the fact that her father forced himself along with the upstairs group, but there really wasn't any point in arguing. Trailing slightly behind because she didn't want to be that close to Jotaro, they found themselves upstairs...and face to face with the vampire himself, DIO Brando.
Jotaro had never spoken about the incident so she was quite unaware of what they were facing. "Holy shit you love to hear yourself talk," Jolyne said with an exasperated sigh. Before anything else could be said though the battle was on but both Jolyne and Ermes were on stand by trying to see what DIO was planning.
"Tch, this was the guy that gave you trouble, dad?" Jolyne asked her father. "Seems like a bit of a push over."
Ermes meanwhile gulped at the imposing figure of DIO and was looking around the room to try and see if there was anything useful as the others attacked him.
Libra had never seen anything of this caliber. To avoid attacks that strong, deflect all others, and not have a single scratch... No wonder this was classified as an emergency situation.
Turning to Jotaro, Libra asked, "How did you defeat him last time? Perhaps we can recreate those results..."
"I am willing to do whatever it takes to achieve Heaven for all, sir. Sacrifices have always been necessary for the greater good. Look to our God, after all. He, who casts plagues upon his dissidents and conjures a flood to destroy the world of the wicked beneath him. He, who acts in his infinite wisdom to create the world anew. And if we, as humans, are created in his image, then surely, we must follow his example if we wish to become closer to him," Pucci said to Max and Jiren, continuing to circle the group casually.
"The fate of destruction is also the joy of rebirth. Destiny! True happiness! When I attain Heaven for all, all in the multiverse will know true freedom, of their earthly desires and fears, and become truly one people. That is Heaven."
However, for all his calm (if not passionately resolved) demeanor and words, Pucci's expression tightened as Severa spoke, mocking DIO and Othinus, as well as him by extension, contorting into visible anger.
"You dare speak ill of DIO? Bite your tongue, heathen. He is the only one who understands -- who could fathom the scope of the wish we all hold as a collective. As a people who wish, deep down, to return to nothingness and begin anew. You know not of what you speak, so just this once, I shall forgive you for your transgressions," he said to the girl, his arm visibly twitching before the priest grabbed it with his other as though to restrain it.
"However, tempt your fate again, and everyone you associate yourself with will suffer for it," Pucci threatened with a deathly serious tone in his voice, before forcing himself to calm down as he shook his head and cleared his throat.
"But none of us would wish for that. In the long run, that is what I want to attain; an existence without suffering. Beyond jealousy and betrayal, beyond hate and desire, beyond pain and death, beyond loss and sin. To return, to become one, not with those who stand with you today, but those whom you've lost along the way. Think about it. Is there not anyone you've lost whom you would wish to return with? I can reunite them with you, if you only hand yourself to me," he spoke, outstretching his arm as if offering someone to reach out to him.
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