Sorry

The cockroach was crushed into a pulp by Li Qing's foot.

The damage suffered by the Stand was proportionally transmitted back to the user. Willy, who was originally oblivious to everything and trying to pounce on Giorno to suck his blood, immediately deflated as if he had been hit on the head by a steamroller and punched countless times.

He collapsed heavily to the ground, his bones shattered, his skin torn, and blood gushing out.

An indescribable pain enveloped his entire body, his fragile will was on the verge of collapse, and the powerful strength he had gained from being transformed into a vampire was rendered useless.

Willy was utterly defeated.

Li Qing immediately used his Golden Bell Shield to rush over, preventing Willy from getting close to the seriously injured Giorno.

"Huff!" Li Qing, still shaken, rubbed his feet on the ground with such force that he wanted to wear down the sole of his shoe, which was stained with cockroach fluid, in one go.

Then, his complexion improved slightly, and he gently helped Giorno up from the ground.

Despite the intense pain of nerve reshaping, Giorno hurriedly had Gold Experience dissect his body, creating replacement organs and bones in several key areas.

After surviving and regaining his mobility, he immediately rushed to the side of his fellow dying companions, using emergency methods to help Fugo, whose lower body had been severed at the waist, and Bucciarati, whose bones had been broken by a severe blow.

Although there wasn't time to fully heal their injuries— Fugo injuries were the most severe, still had a makeshift "flesh ball" attached to his lower body—it at least temporarily saved their lives.

"It was a success?"

Bucciarati regained consciousness amidst excruciating pain, his mind still somewhat hazy.

He had just seen his father standing at the gates of heaven, smiling and waving at him.

"Yes." Giorno healed Bucciarati's legs first and then helped him up, trembling.

"Cough cough cough cough." Bucciarati coughed up a mouthful of blood with difficulty, and smiled with some relief, "To be honest, even though we fought to the very last moment, I myself found it hard to believe that we could win."

"Yes, cough cough. That man is really terrifying."

Narancia staggered, leaning against the wall, and looked at Giorno with very complicated eyes—eyes that had only recently "seen" his deceased mother.

"Hey Giorno, why didn't you say you had a father like this sooner?"

"Just call your dad for help, and he should be able to easily take down even the organization and the boss, right?"

The atmosphere gradually relaxed, and everyone had the energy to crack jokes.

"Seeking help?" Giorno sighed helplessly. "I have no recollection of this old man, but judging from my mother's attitude, he must have been dead for quite some time."

"Is he dead?" Everyone fell silent.

After barely managing to defeat a counterfeit by exploiting Willy's weakness, they simply couldn't imagine what in the world could defeat the real Dio.

"Oh, right."

After a brief moment of reflection, Bucciarati finally remembered the culprit. "Where's Willy?"

"He's not dead yet."

Li Qing had been crouching in the shadows, casually handling the heavily injured Willy as if examining some exotic creature, spoke up:

"Vampires can also transform into familiars. No matter how you try to kill them using conventional methods, they won't die."

"Hey, hey. This world even has vampires, so there probably aren't any magic, qigong, monks, or paladins either, right?"

Li Qing, who knew nothing about JoJo, suddenly felt that something was wrong with this worldview.

"I've never heard of any of this nonsense."

"However, before today, I didn't believe that vampires really existed in the world."

Bucciarati sighed with some emotion.

Supporting his body, which was not yet fully healed, he walked step by step toward Willy, who should have died long ago but had not.

Bucciarati glanced at Willy, and Willy returned the Bucciarati with his panicked, fearful, and pained eyes.

"Bucciarati."

Willy, his entire body crushed and later manipulated by Li Qing like a frog on a dissection table, pleaded pitifully:

"Please have mercy on me."

"I just acted impulsively, I... I don't want to die."

His throat was hoarse, and his eyes were lifeless, like a mouse about to be locked in a cage and drowned.

Bucciarati remained silent, looking at the blood flowing everywhere in the alley.

Some of the blood belonged to him and his companions, while some came from the thugs who had already been devoured.

So, almost without hesitation, Bucciarati said to Li Qing in such a cold tone:

"Throw him out into the sun and end him."

"This bloodthirsty and evil monster should not be allowed to exist in the world."

"Good."

Li Qing did not hesitate for a moment.

At first, he fantasized about acquiring vampire blood, finding a place in this mysterious world to learn some unknown form of qigong, and striving to create some kind of invincible fusion skill like in the novels, unlocking his genetic lock and becoming One-Punch Man.

However, after witnessing firsthand the enormous weakness of "dying in the light" and Willie's continued utter Willy even after becoming a vampire, Li Qing had lost all interest in this legendary bloodline.

He grabbed the only two vampires they knew and pulled them off the ground, then ruthlessly threw them into the unshaded sunlight.

Hissing sounds.

First came a soft sizzling sound, like meat being roasted, and then Willy's skin, flesh, and bones began to peel away inch by inch under the blazing sunlight.

"Aaaaaaah!!"

Enduring this hellish pain, his pitiful gaze instantly transformed into an indescribable venom. "Damn it, Bucciarati! It's your fault, you've ruined me! I clearly possess such immense power, yet you underestimated me, belittled me, and refused to give me a chance to change my fate!"

"This is all your fault!!"

"."

Bucciarati remained silent, offering no response.

Amidst the ashes of flesh and blood, Willy used his last strength to curse Bucciarati with venomous hatred.

Bucciarati remained silent, simply watching Willy die.

Finally

Just as his brain was about to be scorched by the sunlight and his consciousness was fading completely, Willy, his face contorted with rage, finally caught a glimpse of Bucciarati's silent gaze:

What kind of look was that?

Anger, disgust, but clearly tinged with regret, pity, and an indescribable tenderness.

Why is he looking at me like that?

I almost killed them all, yet Bucciarati is still feeling sorry for me?

Why?

And that look in his eyes... it feels so familiar.

In his final moments, Willy recalled memories he had once forgotten:

That was his mother.

His mother had always been very caring towards him, and was the only safe haven in his tragic life.

But after Willy repeatedly dumped all his pent-up negative emotions onto his mother, she finally became completely disappointed in this child who was cowardly and incompetent in public but irritable and easily angered in private.

The moment she steeled herself and kicked Willy out of the house, her eyes held a complex expression, much like Bucciarati's now:

Anger, disgust, yet tinged with an irresistible tenderness.

Ah.

So, it was my mother.

Did I, a useless person who only gets angry at those close to me, unknowingly take the gentle Bucciarati for a mother who could constantly tolerate me?

Damn it

He appears to be a good-for-nothing who lives off others, yet he deliberately shows his worst, most unreasonable, and most domineering side to his family.

I've always been such a damned guy.

Under the blazing sunlight, a single, glistening tear suddenly slid down Willy's cheek.

The teardrop slid slowly down her cheek, shimmering in the sunlight.

Soon, the monster that shed the tear had turned into ashes scattered by the wind, with only the tear slowly falling among the dissipating ash.

Tears fell to the ground, turning to ashes.

Bucciarati vaguely heard a voice say, "I'm sorry."