"No! I don't want to die! Lord Kars, save me!" Beck, reduced to little more than a head and one intact arm, desperately crawled toward the shadows below.
A boot slammed down on his skull, pinning him. Joseph grabbed him by the hair and lifted him up. "We've got one left alive. Perfect—lead us straight to those three Pillar Men."
Beck glared viciously. "Just wait, humans! Lord Kars will slaughter you all!"
Joseph responded with a slight jolt of Hamon, and Beck instantly shrieked in agony. "Shut your mouth, you worthless sack. Show us the way if you don't want more pain."
Beck had never been a creature of strong will; it took only a mild threat before he obediently guided Ray Chu and his companions deeper into the lair.
Moments later, they stood before a large, ornate door.
"The three masters are inside." Beck, barely conscious after repeated Hamon jolts, whimpered weakly.
The trio exchanged tense glances. At that very moment, the doors swung open from within.
"Greetings, Hamon warriors." Three imposing figures emerged, striking bizarre poses. The speaker at their forefront was none other than their leader, Kars.
Rather than appearing as some stereotypical demon lord, Kars radiated a refined, scholarly aura—a fitting trait for the genius Pillar Man who invented the Stone Mask.
"Kars! Wamuu! Esidisi!" The three Hamon warriors tensed visibly at their powerful foes.
Perfectly matching their photographs, the Pillar Men towered imposingly, flawless and muscular—ancient warriors stepping straight from stone carvings. In person, their predatory aura was overwhelmingly evident.
"Ah! Lord Kars, save me! My eternal loyalty belongs only to you!" Beck writhed desperately toward Kars' feet, his single remaining arm reaching out.
Squelch!
Instead of mercy, Beck received only Kars' cold contempt. His foot crushed Beck's skull into a gruesome pulp.
"Why... Lord Kars...?" Beck's voice lingered, sustained only by a vampire's unnatural resilience, even as his form dissolved into bloody sludge.
"Worthless trash who betrays his master doesn't even deserve to serve as food," Kars sneered coldly. Beck's remains swiftly turned ashen and disintegrated.
Kars' casual brutality exposed his true nature. No matter how cleverly they disguised it, the Pillar Men remained fundamentally inhuman monsters.
"Your minions are all wiped out. Now it's your turn!" Joseph declared dramatically, one finger pointing forward, the other resting proudly on his hip.
Negotiation was impossible. Only one side would leave here alive.
"Though they were merely disposable creations, I must admit—that was an impressive tactic." Kars offered faint praise, yet his indifferent tone sent chills down Joseph's spine.
Suddenly, Caesar—silent until now—erupted into uncontrollable rage. Tears streamed down his face. "Bastards! Because of you, countless innocents are dead! Families have been shattered beyond repair! Your existence can never be forgiven!"
Caesar's emotional outburst stunned both Ray Chu and Joseph. Clearly, he carried deeper wounds than they'd realized.
"Foolish," Wamuu, who had remained cross-armed and silent, opened his eyes abruptly and scoffed. "The weak have no right to exist. Those who mourn them are merely weaklings themselves!"
"No!" Joseph instantly stepped forward in defense of Caesar. "Wamuu! Born into a powerful race, how could you ever understand human greatness? Caesar's compassion and self-sacrifice are precisely what makes him my most treasured comrade!"
"Comrade." That word resonated deeply, even with Wamuu, whose heart had weathered millennia. Despite his ruthless devotion to strength, even he respected the bond of companionship.
A hand landed firmly on Wamuu's shoulder. "Wamuu, even I must admit—there's some truth to his words," Kars spoke with a faint, unsettling smile. "But don't be misled by his twisted logic. Human children casually drown anthills for amusement and slaughter animals for food without guilt. Likewise, as superior beings, we Pillar Men shouldn't hesitate to feast on lesser species. By birthright, we stand atop this planet's food chain."
Kars' words laid bare a harsh truth: survival of the fittest governed the world—whether between individuals, nations, or entire species. Two intelligent races could not coexist indefinitely; extinction awaited one or the other.
Just as Homo sapiens exterminated Neanderthals and other hominids, humanity itself was a lineage of terrifyingly successful upright apes born from ruthless competition. Facing these evolved Pillar Men, humans might very well meet the same fate as their ancient rivals.
Yet suddenly, Ray Chu burst into laughter—wild, uncontrollable laughter. Using the skill of Meditate, he leaned backwards at a perfect ninety-degree angle, laughing so hard he could barely catch his breath.
"What are you laughing at?" Kars asked darkly, enraged by Ray Chu's mocking attitude—something no being had ever dared before.
"I'm laughing because you fossils have spent so long buried underground, you've forgotten what it means to truly live. You're hopelessly trapped in the past," Ray Chu mocked fearlessly, his words cutting deeply. "Born inherently strong, you've lost the drive to grow. Even after tens of thousands of years, you've achieved nothing new. Meanwhile, humans—far weaker historically—have evolved at lightning speed."
Ray Chu's tone sharpened further. "Admit it, Kars. Upon awakening this time, you felt genuine terror. In the two thousand years you slumbered, humanity progressed astonishingly. Another two thousand years and your kind would become nothing more than endangered creatures, caged exhibits for human amusement!"
His voice dripped with scorn. "That's the real reason you chose to cooperate with the Nazis, isn't it? Deep down, you decided humanity must be exterminated before it could surpass you completely. You know the truth: humans are the rightful masters of this planet."
Ray Chu's provocative speech shifted perspectives completely, recasting the formidable Pillar Men as pitifully insecure, future zoo attractions desperate to maintain dominance.
That felt incredibly satisfying—but Joseph knew the grim reality. We're still the weaker side here! Nonetheless, as a "loyal comrade," he wouldn't miss a chance to needle the enemy further. Raising his voice boldly, Joseph chimed in, "Exactly! After I beat you, I'll lock you all up in a specialized lab for scientists to carefully dissect and study ancient lifeforms!"
When it came to provoking enemies into apoplectic rage, Joseph Joestar was second to none!