"Let's go. We're closing up for the night."
"Why, Old Wu? Didn't you bring an umbrella?"
"The organization issued a kill order. See that dark red flag on the Bell Tower?"
"Holy shit! Tonight's bad news. Let's pack up before we get caught in the crossfire."
"Couldn't agree more. Let's close!"
Almost everyone saw the dark red flag hanging from the Bell Tower. It was Passione's kill order, and it meant the night would be anything but peaceful. Passione genuinely treated people well and didn't bully civilians, but it was also a violent organization. Sometimes it did ugly things.
"Why is everyone closing their shops?" Tong Bei had summoned his Egret Martial Soul at the first sign of trouble. He felt danger closing in, as though it were about to crush him.
"Hey! Driver! Where the hell are you taking this carriage?" The streets around them kept getting narrower, and Tong Bei grew uneasy. He lifted the curtain and looked out, only to see someone in a dark red robe driving. Where was the driver? Where had he gone?
"Heh. You offended our boss, Tong Bei. Did you think you could run?" Ma Hongjun looked back with a cold smile.
"You're just a Soul Grandmaster, and you dare put on an act? Die!"
Tong Bei's fear quickly turned to anger. He threw a fierce punch, but the Soul Grandmaster's second Spirit Ring suddenly lit up, and Ma Hongjun vanished in an instant. Only Wildfire remained on the driver's seat. Impossible! He was so fast!
With no one holding the reins, the carriage began to slow. Tong Bei knew that was bad. He promptly slapped a horse's flank, forcing the poor beast to keep running. He refused to believe any agility-type Soul Master could catch a carriage! Jodio Joestar was only a Soul Elder. If he came after him, he would die!
A faint hissing came and went beneath the rain. Tong Bei spotted a Flower Snake coiled in the road. The moment the carriage reached it, the snake struck without hesitation. The horse panicked, and the whole carriage overturned. The world spun around Tong Bei. This is bad!
Something tore through the air toward him from the distance. Tong Bei activated his fourth Spirit Skill and shot into the sky. Extreme Soaring let him reach two hundred percent of his normal speed for a short time. It had saved him from danger countless times before. Surviving was what he did best.
A heavy blow knocked him off course. Tong Bei stared wide-eyed at his shoulder and finally saw what had hit him: a fist—or rather, a fist attached to a thread!
"Hmph! Trying to escape?"
Jodio flew upward, pulled along by the fist. He had not retracted his left fist after striking; it had clamped firmly onto Tong Bei's shoulder. His right hand was already drawn back, ready to land another crushing punch!
"Tch! Jodio! You're just a Soul Elder! Don't get so cocky!"
Tong Bei activated his third Spirit Skill, sending several featherlike blades toward Jodio. A Blue Humanoid suddenly appeared behind him and swatted the Flying Blades away with a flurry of punches from its right fist alone. Its momentum carried Jodio straight toward Tong Bei. Deep cuts covered Jodio's right hand, but he had closed the distance!
The Blue Humanoid withdrew. Tong Bei immediately saw blue light gather around Jodio's left hand as his third Spirit Ring lit up. His third Spirit Skill! I have to dodge!
"You're a difficult opponent, Jodio. But I'm a Soul Ancestor! There's no way a mere Soul Elder can beat me!"
Tong Bei's conviction burned brighter than ever. As a level forty-three agility-type Soul Ancestor, he might not hit particularly hard, but overpowering a mere Soul Elder should be easy!
"You don't think being a Soul Ancestor guarantees you'll beat a Soul Elder, do you?" Jodio asked with a sneer as he began to fall.
"Arrogant fools like you are the easiest to handle. All you know is how to look down on others. You don't know that arrogance has to be earned! If you can't dominate everyone around you, what right do you have to be arrogant?"
"Fang One!"
Four sharp bursts split the air in succession. Tong Bei moved to dodge the blue streaks almost by instinct, only to see Jodio recall the little pink blob beside him and summon a golden humanoid instead. It was about to strike!
"Hmph!" Tong Bei activated his second Spirit Skill, Eagle Charge, and dove toward the ground to evade the blue projectiles. He was using an attack that carried him toward a target purely for its movement, but he didn't know Jodio had fought too many battles to fall for a trick like that!
"You offended me and still think you can run? You really are arrogance itself!"
The golden humanoid shot out from behind Jodio. As Jodio fell, it caught up with Tong Bei. Faced with such a relentless attack, Tong Bei could only raise both arms to guard himself and brace for the blow!
"Muda muda muda muda muda muda muda! Muda!"
Gold Experience hammered Tong Bei's forearms with a rapid barrage from above, then drove one final blow into them with all its strength. Tong Bei was surprised to find that this golden humanoid seemed weaker than the blue one. So he really was running out of strength!
"Jodio, you let your guard down! I'll tear you to pieces! I'll leave you looking like meat an alligator chewed up and rolled around with! Like a girl passed around by ten fat old rich men! Like Hakimi after Hakiwang's wild whirlwind!"
As soon as Tong Bei landed, he spread his wings and let out a triumphant shriek. He prepared to combine his third Spirit Skill with another use of his second, attacking Jodio from both near and far to finish him off. Sure enough, Jodio showed no reaction after landing. He clearly couldn't keep up with Tong Bei's speed anymore. Got you! I win!
Tong Bei's claws passed through Jodio's body, nearly making him stumble. He looked back in shock and saw Jodio walking toward... another Tong Bei!
The other him stood there in a daze, showing no reaction at all. Terror seized Tong Bei. His breathing slowed, and he felt as though he were going mad!
"Don't tell me! How is that possible? How can a power this unbeatable exist? If he has an ability like that, who could ever stop him?" Tong Bei shouted as he ran toward his other self, snot and drool streaming down his face.
Stone Free appeared behind Jodio. What would happen next was no mystery.
"Ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora!"
"Ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora!"
"O-ra!"
The barrage of heavy punches battered Tong Bei's body out of shape. The final blow punched through his chest and knocked his soul back into his body. But Tong Bei had no chance to turn the fight around. Jodio had stripped away every advantage his ignorance had given him. Never in his wildest dreams had Tong Bei imagined a Spirit Skill so strange.
"After the rain stops, you will die." Jodio folded his arms and spoke calmly. He glanced up at the rain, now falling in scattered drops, then lowered his gaze to Tong Bei's body.
← To Be Continued
Information currently available: Gao Weis—JoJo! (A coin drops.) (Part Five JoJo transition music.) Martial Soul: Phoenix Legend / Evil Phoenix (level 22) Holder: Ma Hongjun Spirit Rings: Yellow, yellow (six-hundred-year-old Flame Demon Wolf) Destructive power: B; speed: C+; range: D; stamina: D; precision: E; growth potential: B Martial Soul ability: Summons roaring flames and the phantom of a phoenix to envelop the user, increasing attack power and speed. This Martial Soul cannot be sustained for long, however, and is better suited to hit-and-run combat. Flame Scorching Guard halves the impact the user receives and increases the range of the flames. The second Spirit Skill, Flame Burst Charge, doubles the user's speed for a short time and leaves a trail of fire that lingers. Used together, the two Spirit Skills can even provide a measure of crowd control, making this a remarkably versatile Martial Soul.
That's all for now. The group should probably be up within the next day or two. Its number is 653497690. I actually created it ages ago; I just never invited anyone.
Before you continue