Deep in a forest that towered into the clouds stood a palace of extravagant splendor. Inside, a godlike figure sat on the throne, resting his chin in his hand as he dozed.
An unnatural breeze brushed across his face. Kars furrowed his brow, as if he were dreaming of something terrible.
A moment later, Kars opened his eyes, astonishment still lingering in them.
Just now, he, the Ultimate Lifeform, had actually dreamed.
It had been an absurd dream of the world's destruction.
Kars felt uneasy. He glanced at the attendant beside him and ordered him to fetch a fortune-teller.
The attendant hurried away, dashing from the palace as fast as he could. Before long, he returned with a Stand User.
The Stand User trembled as he knelt on the ground, not daring to look up at Kars.
"I hear your Stand can predict fate?"
Kars regarded the Stand User lazily, his voice heavy with pressure.
The Stand User shuddered, swallowed, and quickly replied, "Yes, sir. I'm Spirico, and my Stand is called Rolling Stone. It can predict the fate of those who are about to die."
"Try it."
Kars put away his oppressive aura, picked up a vase, and ran his hand over it as he gave Spirico the order.
"Y-yes."
Spirico got to his feet and focused, successfully summoning his Stand.
A stone covered in uneven pits appeared. With a few subtle adjustments, Rolling Stone's shape gradually changed.
"What is this..."
Kars's eyes slowly widened, and his hand stilled. A bad feeling stirred within him.
Spirico stepped forward to examine it closely. Shocked, he stumbled backward and fell to the ground, feeling as if his head were about to explode.
Rolling Stone was gradually carving out regions of various sizes, a vividly rendered ocean, and... Kars's face.
"The world I love."
Bang!!!
The throne beneath him shattered into pieces. Kars appeared before Rolling Stone in an instant, his eyes brimming with boundless fury.
He hadn't lost his temper in many years, but now he felt his anger slowly swallowing his reason.
At Night City's plaza, Joestar was bound to a cross, battered and bruised. A crowd of vampires had gathered, shouting in a frenzy.
"Put on the Stone Mask!"
A vampire shouted. The executioner took the Stone Mask from a box and quickly placed it on Joestar's face.
Then he cut Joestar's arm and smeared his blood across the Stone Mask.
"Damn vampires!"
Joestar ground his teeth, but he couldn't stop the Stone Mask from transforming him. As its spikes pierced him, Joestar's appearance changed beyond recognition.
The Ripple energy inside him ran wild, violently clashing with his vampire body. White steam began to rise from him.
In the end, Joestar had no choice but to stop using the Ripple breathing technique, only then avoiding certain death.
Vampire Joestar was born.
"One hour until sunrise, Joestar. You'll die in the sunlight as a vampire."
A well-dressed man stepped forward, a warm smile on his face.
"Roman Hewitt. Every time I see that face of yours, it makes me sick."
Joestar glared at Hewitt, grinding his teeth in hatred.
"I'd like to apologize for our previous battle. We belong to the same species, but our ideals differ, so naturally, we walk different paths."
The man bowed slightly, displaying impeccable gentlemanly manners. He offered an apologetic smile, then turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Suddenly, Hewitt stopped. He stared in a certain direction within the crowd, the corner of his mouth curling upward.
"Two? No, three. The limited paths of life are always so fascinating. I recognize one of their presences very well. He's on his last legs."
Hewitt took a folding cane from his sleeve and flicked it open. A pale aura appeared around his immaculate suit.
"Children, didn't you notice the snack that just walked right up to you?"
Hewitt raised his cane. Ripple energy flowed through it, and he casually tapped the chest of a vampire in his way. The vampire screamed as he crumbled into ash.
His actions quieted the lively plaza. The vampires followed his gaze, but no one paid any attention to their dead comrade.
"Damn, what's this guy doing here?"
Dio frowned and turned to Dawn and Dabi. "This man's name is Hewitt. His Stand is unusual; he can steal lifespans. Looks like he's spotted us."
At that, Dabi flashed away, quickly blending into the crowd of vampires until he vanished from sight.
"Starting on hell difficulty, huh? I don't even have Ripple. I can't handle this many vampires."
Dawn sighed and simply stopped pretending, tearing off his inconvenient disguise and standing openly in the plaza.
"Humans?!"
"He smells delicious!"
The vampires boiled over like a pot of water. Fresh human blood was their favorite, a rare and precious treat.
Dawn calmly lit a cigarette. Beside him, Dio had already begun slaughtering vampires. A sweep of Ripple energy cleared them out like weeds.
"The World!"
Dio bellowed, and Stand: The World stopped time. He took three quick strides, unwilling to waste a second, stomped through the floor, and picked up a large chunk of rubble. With one blow, he smashed Hewitt's skull.
Time resumed.
Hewitt flew backward like a torn rag, his arms and legs twitching violently in midair. He crashed to the ground and lay still.
Dio blew imaginary dust from his hand, a savage grin spreading across his face.
"No sleeping here. Not even for a gentleman."
Dawn glanced at Dio in surprise. The guy had stolen his line.
Still, this Hewitt who'd dropped like a rock was a little too arrogant. He knew how strong Dio was and had still picked a fight with him.
Hewitt didn't disappoint Dawn. His shattered skull quickly healed, and he rose to his feet, giving an elegant bow.
"Thank you for your efforts, Lord Dio. That punch just cost me three years of my life. In the past, I'd have had to go to great lengths to steal that much~"
Hewitt tapped his cane against the ground, glancing at the crowd of vampires as he smiled brightly.
"But with these cheap, perpetual-motion machines around, I'll play along."
Hewitt clapped his hands. A humanoid hourglass appeared in midair, its short, thick limbs bulging with muscle.
At the center of the Stand, three grains of golden sand slowly fell through the hourglass, representing three years of life.
Dio glanced at the upper half of the hourglass Stand. It was packed with golden sand, and his expression darkened.
"What a nuisance. Immortal vampires and a little thief who steals lifespans—put them together and they're about as disgusting as frog piss."
A large group of vampires surrounded the two of them. Without turning around, Dio asked, "Dawn, can you handle them?"
Dawn exhaled a cloud of smoke and raised a hand to beckon toward the sky.
The drifting Cloud Dragon exhaled a vast cloud of mist, twisting its enormous body as it descended like Mount Tai crashing down.
"It's too hot down here. My stomach's cooler."
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