The True Emperor

An abandoned house in a remote, uninhabited area.

Everyone lit a campfire and sat together eating dinner.

Joestar used Purple Hermit again, but the result was no different this time; Mista's red dot was still flickering erratically.

Dawn took a sip of water and accepted the roasted meat Hewitt handed him, but his mind was preoccupied with a question.

Mista had said that everyone would bear his karma, and based on the assault team's encounters, it was clearly a series of pursuits.

If this karma were to be completely severed, would Mista's interference effect become invalid?

After all, Mista didn't fuse with the Insect Arrow twenty-four hours a day; the only time he activated his ability was in the previous cycle.

Dawn believed it should be feasible. While Silver Chariot Requiem's ability was powerful, it wasn't without weaknesses.

Even a powerful Stand like Silver Chariot Requiem, capable of reversing billions of years of evolution for Earth's lifeforms, had a fatal flaw.

Of course, when facing a Stand with its own consciousness like Golden Experience Requiem, finding a weakness was truly difficult.

Mista's death rewind was extremely buggy; perhaps it didn't need a target and could be activated at will.

However, inflicting karma definitely required a target. The window of opportunity between resolving the karma and Mista re-activating Requiem would give Dawn and the others a chance to find him.

"In that case, Diavolo of this world, and Risotto, who has yet to appear, must be eliminated."

Dawn muttered to himself and took a bite of the roasted meat.

He immediately shared his deductions with everyone, their eyes lighting up. Dio, after putting down the drained wild deer, nodded, indicating it was worth a try.

"The sun is about to set. We'll make our move tonight. Purple Hermit will be responsible for locating Diavolo's hiding place, and I'll go kill him."

Dio grinned ferociously, his strong muscles and sharp fangs making him look nothing like someone who would willingly drink animal blood.

He looked more like a pure-blooded vampire who fed on humans.

After discussing the strategy, everyone continued to rest.

In the blink of an eye, the sun set.

The moment the sun completely disappeared, Dawn suddenly felt a chill, as if he were being targeted by a cruel beast, and a shiver ran down his spine.

In his mind, Diavolo's voice echoed.

"Very close."

"A familiar feeling, from myself in another world."

Diavolo said in a low voice, "I can feel his curiosity towards me, and at the same time, his disgust."

Dawn glanced at everyone, gave Hewitt a look, and quietly got up to leave the cabin.

Hewitt understood and also got up to follow.

"King Crimson!"

Diavolo activated Time Erasure and quickly spotted a figure in the bushes dozens of meters away.

Scarlet hair dotted with black spots, sharp fangs, a sturdy build, wearing a black sleeveless fishnet shirt on his upper body.

This familiar attire made Dawn recognize the identity of the newcomer at first glance.

"Vampire Diavolo."

"Time, resume operation."

Diavolo was also observing his parallel world counterpart. After a moment, disdain flickered in his eyes.

"You have lost the dignity of a king, living beneath others, acting like a clown."

Vampire Diavolo realized he had been exposed and slowly stood up, his gaze equally contemptuous.

"You imposter, some kind of imitable Stand ability? Regardless, you have offended the dignity of a king."

Vampire Diavolo spread his arms and looked at Dawn calmly.

Dawn was a bit troubled. According to the rules of the JOJO world, parallel world counterparts would annihilate each other upon contact.

Then he thought, this so-called parallel world was a hypothetical universe created by [Stand: Beyond Imagination: If].

Once the original body left, the hypothetical universe would automatically return to nothingness. Would the rule of counterpart annihilation still apply then?

Dawn believed annihilation was unlikely; the hypothetical universe created by his ability was fundamentally different from a parallel universe.

"Diavolo, let's go meet him."

Dawn decided to see the actual effect.

"I couldn't ask for more."

Diavolo grinned, and King Crimson, nearly three meters tall, appeared, exuding immense pressure.

Vampire Diavolo's pupils dilated slightly, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Tch~ pathetic imitator, you can't even get King Crimson's height right. Watch closely, this is the real deal."

Vampire Diavolo summoned his Stand, and a 2.2-meter King Crimson appeared, raising its chin and looking at Dawn calmly.

Comparing the heights, Vampire Diavolo's Stand was immediately outmatched, losing in natural presence.

"I'm curious, why are you alone? Where did Tobio go?"

Diavolo said indifferently, "How can the Emperor of Darkness be alone? Even if I've fallen this far and lost my physical body, I still have Dawn as my other self."

Vampire Diavolo heard this and burst into laughter on the spot, his demeanor slightly unhinged.

Vampire Diavolo wiped the tears from his eyes, mocking, "I am not an Emperor of Darkness like a rat. I was born a loyal follower of Lord Kars.

Lord Kars bestowed upon me the name of Emperor. As for the Tobio you speak of? He never existed, from beginning to end."

Diavolo let out a cold snort, quite displeased.

"Time Erasure."

Diavolo didn't want to waste any more words and immediately erased time, controlling King Crimson to approach Vampire Diavolo.

Vampire Diavolo was still laughing maniacally, completely unaware of the impending doom.

King Crimson raised his fist and stood before Vampire Diavolo, pouring all his strength into a simple yet ferocious punch.

"Time, resume."

Diavolo chanted in his heart. As time returned to normal, the terrifying wind from the punch made Vampire Diavolo's cheeks sting.

A sharp sonic boom pierced his eardrums, stinging Vampire Diavolo's nerves.

Vampire Diavolo's pupils dilated, his hair stood on end, and at the last second, he activated Time Erasure.

BANG!!!

The terrifying fist still landed on his face. Vampire Diavolo let out a scream and was sent flying backward, his jaw shattered and his skull covered in cracks.

THUD!!!

Vampire Diavolo slid upon landing, his arms twisting unnaturally during the process, only stopping after crashing through a large tree.

"Why... I clearly..."

Vampire Diavolo crawled on the ground, looking at Dawn with shock and confusion.

Diavolo began to mock.

"Ignorant insect, using Time Erasure yourself, yet you didn't consider if I could still attack you. Who gave you the courage?"

Diavolo controlled King Crimson to advance. After Dawn's upgrade, its range had greatly increased.

King Crimson grabbed Vampire Diavolo's head and lifted him up, slowly tightening its fingers.

Vampire Diavolo immediately used Epitaph but saw a scene that filled him with despair.

"The dual-faced Emperor is the true Emperor. You made three fatal mistakes."

Diavolo spoke indifferently.

"First, you were too arrogant and lacked the composure of an Emperor."

"Second, the experiences of these past few days made me realize that the dual-faced Emperor is the true Emperor, and you are not."

"Third..."

Diavolo was about to say "you've angered me," but Dawn's face suddenly appeared in his mind, and he quickly changed his words.

"Third... you've angered us."

King Crimson's palm tightened violently, and the object in its grip instantly exploded, splattering filth all over its hand.