"Vampire Assassination Squad?"
Dawn looked at Prosciutto as he approached, his tone tinged with confusion.
"No, let me correct you. We're a strike team. The power of immortality gives us formidable combat abilities."
Prosciutto smiled faintly, revealing four sharp fangs. His eyes glinted with amusement.
"Four enemies, and two of them are vampires. As great immortals, you've actually stooped to consorting with humans. How disappointing."
Prosciutto summoned his Stand with a thought.
"Heroic Sacrifice."
As soon as Heroic Sacrifice appeared, a dense green mist began to spread through the surrounding air, carried swiftly by the breeze.
Signs of aging began to appear on Dawn and Hewitt.
Hewitt sensed something was wrong. He clapped his hands together and shouted.
"Deadly Speed!"
The hourglass Stand slapped Joestar, casually siphoning several hundred years of his lifespan.
Hewitt's aging began to reverse.
"Hewitt, you bastard! I'm not a power bank!"
Joestar kicked the hourglass Stand away and glared at Hewitt.
Hewitt raised a hand to his chest and bowed apologetically before turning his attention to Dawn.
"Father, please leave this place first. The enemy seems to have a special advantage against human lifespans. If you stay here, you'll age to death."
Dawn waved a hand and glanced up at the sky.
High above, Cloud Dragon understood. It let out a low growl and urged the ice crystals within it to their limits, bringing down a localized hailstorm.
The hailstones clattered down, and the oppressive heat around them quickly vanished, completely nullifying Heroic Sacrifice's ability.
Prosciutto's expression darkened. He glanced at Dawn's neck, then clapped his hands. The squad members hiding nearby immediately launched their attack.
"Hewitt, you traitor!"
Illuso appeared in the mirror, his expression furious. He raised a hand and made a throat-slitting gesture.
"You're a human, yet you dare to command vampires. Today is the day you die."
At that, Hewitt smiled politely, discreetly siphoned some more years from Joestar, and took the initiative to attack.
The two soon vanished from the real world. They wouldn't know the outcome until one of them won.
Little Feet and Baby Face, both capable of shrinking people, leaped out and launched a surprise attack on Joestar.
The three fought as they moved farther and farther away, disappearing from sight before long.
"Joestar, can't handle these two losers on your own? Need me to help?"
Dio remained calm as he summoned The World and prepared to charge in, but Ghiaccio in White Album blocked his way.
Ghiaccio ran his tongue over his lips as ice armor rapidly formed over his body. He eyed Dio with smug composure.
"You old fossil. You turned yourself into a vampire to escape dea—"
Before Ghiaccio could finish, Dio strode forward and punched him, sending him flying.
"Quiet."
Dio walked toward Ghiaccio, his eyes gleaming with savage menace.
Dawn glanced back at the others. Just then, Diavolo's warning came through in his mind.
"Dawn, don't get distracted. Pesci's Stand, Beach Boys, is actually very powerful. Be careful."
Dawn nodded and, with a thought, activated [Stand: Beyond Imagination - Upgrade].
Target: King Crimson.
Diavolo cried out in astonishment. The tremendous power welling up from the depths of his soul sent him into a frenzy.
"King Crimson!"
King Crimson landed on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Its muscles bulged explosively, and it stood nearly three meters tall. A light stomp sent web-like cracks spidering across the ground.
"Time Erasure!"
Diavolo roared in excitement. Space shattered, and all things began to move according to cause and effect.
King Crimson flashed behind Pesci and Prosciutto, its towering figure blocking out the sun and casting a vast shadow.
"Time, resume."
Time Erasure ended. The two were talking, still unsure what had happened, when a wave of pain struck them.
King Crimson's enormous hands pressed down on their heads. With a sudden burst of force, it crushed them, and their headless bodies toppled unsteadily to the ground.
Even without their heads, their bodies still reacted instinctively, lashing out wildly.
The vampires' powerful healing abilities were still at work.
Diavolo was unimpressed. Their struggle was futile. Against absolute power, healing only meant experiencing the pain all over again.
King Crimson lifted its foot and crushed their limbs.
"Vampires can't heal as well as Kars. They'll die without their heads. If you're still worried, toss them into the sunlight."
Dawn spoke up to stop him. Diavolo was ruthless. He might do nothing for a while, but when he struck, he left no room for recovery.
King Crimson nodded and kicked the two into the sunlight.
Under the sun, their bodies rapidly dissolved and crumbled. In the blink of an eye, only their empty clothes remained.
King Crimson stood where it was, clenched its fists, and felt an overwhelming surge of excitement.
Time Erasure had increased by at least thirty seconds, and it had gained even greater boosts to strength and speed.
In this state, it was confident it could take on Bucciarati's team all by itself.
"Dawn, this power doesn't belong to me."
Diavolo was perfectly clear-headed. In its normal state, King Crimson would have needed to put in considerable effort to take down the vampire duo.
The most straightforward way would have been to expose them to sunlight, not destroy them physically as it had just done.
Dawn calmly lit a cigarette, understanding what Diavolo was thinking. He was still hung up on the Insect Arrow.
Dawn had always been wary of Diavolo. Once this was over, he'd have Dabi extract Diavolo's soul.
He'd also have Rohan Kishibe rewrite Diavolo's memories and thoughts, turning him into Dawn's employee for good.
Everyone dealt with their opponents and returned one after another.
Dio came back dragging the lifeless Ghiaccio in White Album. He casually tossed him onto the ground and spat.
"Just a nobody."
Hewitt emerged from the mirror and elegantly used a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his hands.
"Foolish. Don't you know I fight with my real body?"
The others waited and waited, but Joestar still hadn't returned.
"What's going on? What's Joestar doing?"
Dio was the first to lose patience. He hurried off to look for Joestar.
Before long, Dio returned with a shrunken Joestar in his hands.
"Old man, I've told you ages ago that your Stand is the most useless."
Joestar stomped furiously on Dio's palm, jumping up and down in a rage.
"What do you expect when it's two against one!? Little Feet was already hard enough to deal with. My cleverness was enough to take care of him, but then there was Baby Face too. He kept hacking at me while calling me Daddy. It was infuriating!"
Joestar was so frustrated that he sat in Dio's palm and sulked.
"All right, everyone. Our top priority is to leave this place and figure out how to find Mista."
Dawn looked at the wreckage around them, feeling a headache coming on.
Everyone nodded. Ignoring Joestar's protests, Dio tucked him into his pocket, and the group set off in a sparsely populated direction.
Before you continue