Ultraviolet Light Stick

"Is that Whirlwind Knight Town?" Link gazed at the ancient town in the distance.

"I had someone gather information and confirmed what that Easterner knew about the town!" Speedwagon said. "Uncle Zeppeli was right. Dio is alive, and he's hiding in Whirlwind Knight Town!"

Jonathan declared with high spirits, "Mm! I'm ready for battle!"

Having tested his skills against the Easterner earlier and confirmed the destructive power of the Ripple Hermit Style, Jonathan was brimming with confidence.

Speedwagon clenched his fists as well, his blood starting to boil. "Me too! I can't just stand by anymore! If I ignored this, I wouldn't be human! And it wouldn't suit my character!"

Link, meanwhile, recalled the plot. Baron Zeppeli had lost an arm to Dio in a single exchange because he hadn't expected him to be able to counter his breathing technique. Link immediately warned him:

"Baron Zeppeli, you let the Easterner go in order to learn where Dio was, but that also let him learn of the Ripple Breathing Method. He may very well come up with a way to counter it, so we need to be mentally prepared."

In response to Link's warning, Baron Zeppeli seemed somewhat unconcerned. Saying, "Don't worry," he took out a bottle of red wine from a wooden crate beside him and asked the scar-faced Speedwagon, "Hey, brother, got a corkscrew?"

Clearly, judging from Baron Zeppeli's reaction, he didn't believe Dio could decipher his Ripple Breathing Method so quickly. But Link couldn't exactly say that he knew the plot. Thinking that Baron Zeppeli was practically raising a flag, he could only stay alert and adapt to the situation.

Seeing Baron Zeppeli's attitude, everyone else relaxed as well. Speedwagon took a corkscrew from his pocket and handed it to Baron Zeppeli.

Driven by the coachman, the carriage slowly entered a tunnel. Once they passed through it, they would reach Whirlwind Knight Town. Not long after entering the tunnel, a sudden sound came from outside, and the speeding carriage immediately came to a stop.

The instant the unexpected change occurred, Link's expression hardened. He immediately adjusted his rhythm according to the breathing technique, circulating the power of the Ripple Hermit Style throughout his body. At the same time, he took off the backpack on his back, preparing to put on the equipment inside.

Knowing he would be coming to fight vampires, Link had made preparations before entering this world. Aside from the custom-made combat suit he wore, crafted with modern technology and outwardly resembling ordinary clothing, he had also brought several weapons that might prove effective against vampires.

Other than Link, who knew the plot, no one else had noticed anything wrong. Jonathan asked the coachman outside, "What's wrong? Why have you stopped the carriage here?"

Speedwagon was impatient by nature. Seeing that no one answered, he reached out to pull open the carriage curtain, only for Link to stop him with one hand.

Seeing Link's reaction, Jonathan also realized there was a problem and warned, "Careful! The sun can't reach this place!!"

Speedwagon had no choice but to stop, though he still couldn't help shouting, "Hey, coachman, what are you doing? Answer me already!"

Having put on his equipment and gained a little confidence, Link said, "Waiting like this will leave us at a disadvantage. I'll go out and take a look."

As he spoke, Link carefully lifted the carriage curtain and peered outside through a gap, preparing to leave the carriage.

"I'll go with you!" Jonathan wasn't the sort to watch Link take risks alone. He got out of the carriage with Link, but the moment he emerged, the sight before him gave him a fright.

Sitting on the driver's seat was a monster with a horse's head and a human body, its entire body pierced by knives and drenched in blood. Combined with the darkness of the tunnel, it looked exceedingly terrifying and bizarre. Even Link, who had been mentally prepared, couldn't help but feel his heartbeat quicken.

Before long, the crudely attached horse head detached from the human body, revealing the coachman's head to Link. At the same time, all four horses pulling the carriage had been beheaded.

The scene before them was extremely bloody, and it also made Link wary of Ripper Jack's strength. In the plot, Ripper Jack had been the first of Dio's subordinates to die.

To pierce the coachman's entire body with strange blades without letting him cry out, then swiftly decapitate all four horses—Ripper Jack's strength could not be underestimated.

However, Link's attention was quickly drawn elsewhere. He gave a sharp shout, and the short knife at his waist was already out of its sheath, slashing directly at the body of a horse beside him.

Knowing from the plot that Ripper Jack was surely hiding inside a horse corpse and planning an ambush, Link had kept a close eye on the horses. Once he confirmed that one of them was suspicious, he acted decisively.

Just as Link's blade swung out, a cruel, crazed face emerged from the horse's neck. Seeing that his ambush had failed, he immediately switched to a direct assault. Laughing maniacally, he split the horse carcass in two with a splat, sending a great spray of blood raining down over Link and Jonathan.

Link frowned, kicked off the ground, and swiftly escaped the blood. Jonathan's reaction was no slower, and he leaped in another direction at the same time.

As the blood splattered across the ground, Ripper Jack did not target Link, who had discovered him first. Instead, he charged at Jonathan with crazed laughter. As Dio's loyal subordinate, he might have been mad, but he carried out Dio's orders without compromise. Thus, he had made Jonathan his first target.

As Ripper Jack began his attack, waves of chaotic footsteps also rose from all around. Within the pitch-black tunnel, a large group of people roared as they surged toward the carriage.

These people were not vampires like Ripper Jack, mutated after Dio bestowed them with his essence. They were controlled Corpseborn. In the darkness of the tunnel, countless Corpseborn gathered around them, creating immense pressure.

Having fought vampires many times, Baron Zeppeli shielded Speedwagon behind him as he explained the traits of these Corpseborn. They felt no pain and possessed no intelligence. Although their bodies had decayed, they could still move. They sustained their existence by devouring humans, but could only be manipulated like puppets by the Stone Mask.

Though the tunnel was extremely dim, there was still enough faint light to make out the outlines of the surrounding scenery. Link's vision was far sharper than that of an ordinary person, allowing him to clearly see the situation around them.

Watching the large group of approaching Corpseborn, Link took out a specially made Lighting Rod and twisted its switch. As it began to glow, he immediately threw it toward the nearby cluster of Corpseborn.

As the light shone upon the Corpseborn, those around the Lighting Rod began screaming, and the areas touched by its rays started melting away.

The Ultraviolet Light Stick has some effect, but it still can't compare to actual sunlight. It can't quickly kill even ordinary Corpseborn, and I don't know how effective it will be against vampires. Link watched as the Corpseborn's bodies melted and dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye. It looked fast, but it was still far inferior to direct sunlight, which would rapidly reduce them to ashes.

Although the plot showed that silver and garlic seemed useless against the vampires in JOJO, there's no harm in trying. Link gripped the short knife in his hand, considering which Corpseborn to test it on.