[Light Curtain]
"One, two, three... twenty-seven."
On Wisteria Flower Mountain, Jotaro was currently counting the number of demons. Kneeling before him were a full twenty-seven of them.
Although most of the demons on the mountain were low-level creatures without much intelligence, they were still transformed humans. There were bound to be a few who retained the ability to think. They still possessed human-like minds and a fear of death.
At the same time, besides Tanjiro, many other swordsmen participating in the Final Selection stood nearby.
Fear filled the eyes of most; some of it was fear of the demons, but most of it was fear of Jotaro.
The majority of them lacked the resolve of Tanjiro or other elite Demon Slayers. Not all of them had joined the Corps for revenge; some were even there just to give it a try.
This resulted in some swordsmen having a mentality and skill level that was simply abysmal. Faced with man-eating demons, very few could remain calm, especially after witnessing their comrades being devoured.
The shock of that experience still lingered in their minds and would likely become a shadow that haunted them for the rest of their lives.
"Twenty-seven in total. If you want a quick death, you'd better tell me your origins truthfully."
Jotaro's voice rang out. All the swordsmen, aside from Tanjiro, and all the demons stared in terror at the tall man before them.
In less than half an hour, he had slain dozens and captured over twenty demons. Not even the legendary Hashira could accomplish such a feat.
Of course, that wasn't the real reason they feared Jotaro. What was most unsettling was that Jotaro had done nothing at all. He had just stood there, and the demons had collapsed one by one as if hit by some immense impact.
An evil spirit!
All the swordsmen believed this. More terrifying than a demon was the evil spirit that lingered behind Jotaro. Demons could at least be seen with the naked eye, but an attack from an evil spirit... you wouldn't even know how you died.
And Jotaro, being possessed by this evil spirit, had to be the same kind of existence as a demon—cruel and merciless. His treatment of the demons was proof enough.
Every demon killed by the spirit had died a gruesome death, yet Jotaro's expression remained unchanged, his eyes hidden under the brim of his hat so no one could see his gaze.
This was why, even though Jotaro had saved their lives, they were still terrified of him.
"Please, don't make things difficult for us anymore! We really don't know who Dio is! The ones here are all the lowest-level demons. We're just struggling to survive; we have no contact with beings of that level!" a demon with a bruised and swollen face cried out, looking utterly comical. True, the scent of Jotaro's flesh was extremely tempting to them, but... you had to be alive to enjoy it.
It was only because they could barely suppress their demonic instincts that they were still alive. Otherwise... they would have likely ended up like the other demons on the ground whose bodies had not yet fully disintegrated.
Even so, Jotaro had still ORA'd them all once, forcing them to kneel on the ground as prisoners to be interrogated.
But these creatures had no idea what Jotaro was talking about.
From the beginning, Jotaro had been spouting incomprehensible nonsense that the demons couldn't understand. Dio, Joestar, Stand attack.
Had they been trapped here for so long that the outside world had completely changed? Or was it some other reason?
In any case, there was only one thing the demons were sure of: this man was not to be trifled with.
Any creature would feel pity or hesitation when seeing another life on the brink of death, but Jotaro had no such compassion.
Although they couldn't see the eyes beneath the brim of his hat, the demons were convinced that they were the eyes of a devil.
Jotaro, at this moment, didn't care what the demons thought. Their repeated denials only deepened his confusion. For a fledgling of a vampire to not know about Stands was understandable, but to not know Dio was strange.
In reality, everything Jotaro Kujo knew about vampires came from his maternal grandfather, Joseph Joestar.
The old man was getting on in years and occasionally liked to brag about his past exploits. Jotaro wasn't interested in things like the Pillar Men or the Ultimate Lifeform—they were extinct, after all. But vampires were different.
To save his mother, Jotaro had to be fully prepared to face Dio. Therefore... he had to completely master every detail about a vampire's weaknesses and characteristics.
So, Jotaro was naturally aware that vampires could create more of their kind.
And it was common knowledge that there was only one vampire in the world today: Dio, who was far away in Egypt.
But now, it was clear that these creatures, similar to a vampire's fledgling zombies, had no connection to Dio.
One might be an exception, but now a whole group of them didn't know who Dio was, or were even unaware of his existence. This series of answers led Jotaro to a single, astonishing conclusion.
"Yare yare daze... It's hard to believe, but if I were to describe this using a scene from a Shonen Jump manga, I'd say I've been transported to another world."
With a sigh, Jotaro glanced at the surrounding demons and humans. Their strange attire was clearly not modern clothing. It looked more like what people wore in Japan during the Taisho period, before foreign ideas had fully permeated the culture.
Jotaro's history grades were passable, so he could pick up some clues from the attire of the Demon Slayer candidates.
This was trouble. Although Star Platinum had extraordinary potential, even it couldn't cross worlds... right?
Star Platinum's stats were among the best of all Stands. Combined with its A-rank potential for growth, Jotaro had no idea what abilities it might awaken in the future. But even a Stand as powerful as Star Platinum, in Jotaro's opinion, had no way of traversing worlds...
As he thought this, Jotaro's mood grew exceptionally foul. Just an hour ago, he had been chatting with Polnareff and Kakyoin, and now he had been inexplicably transmigrated.
Perhaps sensing Jotaro's inner turmoil, Tanjiro walked up to him and said with concern:
"Mr. Jotaro, from the looks of it, you're not from around here, are you? You said you came here inexplicably, but Wisteria Flower Mountain is completely closed off to outsiders. As for the 'Dio' you mentioned, as far as I know, no one in our area would have a name like that..."
In their previous exchange, although Jotaro had been mostly dismissive, Tanjiro had managed to learn a little about him, enough to know his name now.
As for this mysterious man, if it weren't for his incredibly mysterious powers, Tanjiro would probably have thought he was a fool.
Not a fool in a derogatory sense, but the kind who had suffered some trauma that led to a mental illness. In Tanjiro's eyes, such people were worthy of sympathy.
Jotaro's gaze fell on Tanjiro. He touched the brim of his hat. As the first person he had seen upon arriving in this world, and given his gentle nature, Jotaro had a somewhat favorable impression of him.
But now was not the time for that. The top priority was to find a way back. Honestly, though, the moment he confirmed he had been transmigrated, Jotaro had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to return until he had accomplished something specific.
He sighed helplessly. Panicking wasn't his style. Complaining about his fate wouldn't get him home, nor would it save his mother.
Rather than doing nothing, he should think about what kind of task required him to solve it.
Just as he was pondering, a burning sensation came from his left shoulder blade.
"!" Jotaro snapped out of his thoughts, his hand instinctively going to the star-shaped mark on his shoulder.
The sudden burning sensation caught Jotaro off guard and confused Tanjiro and the other swordsmen, who didn't understand the reason for his action.
But the moment the star-shaped mark on Jotaro's shoulder began to burn, the gears of fate had already begun to turn.
Through the faint, yet unbreakable link that spanned generations of the Joestar family, Jotaro and Dio had both sensed each other's presence!
This was fate. The destiny of the Joestar family and Dio had been tightly intertwined for a hundred years.
Jotaro Kujo—he was the god of war bestowed upon the Joestar family by fate, his very existence meant to bring an end to the century-long feud between the Joestars and Dio!
---o---
[Light Curtain Comments]
When the fated connection between Jotaro and Dio was revealed, the audience instantly perked up.
[Jonathan Joestar: "The century-long feud between our family and Dio... has the final confrontation finally arrived?"]
Outside the light curtain, Jonathan had mixed feelings seeing his descendant. On one hand, Jotaro himself was far from being a 'gentleman'. On the other hand, he himself had failed to deal with Dio in the end, leaving the task to his descendants. Dio's incredible luck had saved his life time and time again. Whenever he thought Dio was finished, he would always survive against all odds.
[Conan Edogawa: "A fated connection... Jotaro is the god of war bestowed upon the Joestar family by fate. This is all a bit too metaphysical." ]
[Elysia: "The Joestar family... are they also under the control of something called fate?"]
[Time-Stopping Maid: "So neither side can escape their destiny? Then the final outcome will depend on who is superior, I suppose." ]
---o---
[Light Curtain]
As Jotaro's shocked expression was shown, bloodline and fate intertwined. The light curtain then shifted its focus to Dio.
In the darkness, Dio's expression was hidden. He clutched the star-shaped mark on Jonathan's body.
Silence... The empty hall was so quiet that even a breath could be heard.
Kyogai and Fujiwara watched their master in silence, their eyes filled with reverence and adoration, but also with confusion at Dio's silence.
After a long while, Dio finally spoke. His voice was still magnetic, but this time, the tone was completely different.
"Joestar..."
Just one word, yet it contained an indescribable mix of emotions—melancholy, joy, sorrow. Positive, negative—it seemed as if all emotions were fused into this single name.
For Dio, what a complex, yet simple, name it was.
"Do you know, Kyogai, Fujiwara," Dio said, turning his back to them, his form shrouded in darkness as he addressed his kneeling subordinates.
"When I arrived in this world, and that faint sense of fated connection with the Joestar family disappeared, my heart was filled with joy, with the excitement of final victory."
"But," Dio's tone shifted, "that feeling of melancholy was also there. It's a complex feeling that you cannot understand."
"A hundred years ago, I fought several battles with my fated rival, Jonathan Joestar. He once pushed me to the brink of desperation, but in the end, it was I, Dio, who achieved the final victory."
"Now, a new fate has arrived. The Joestars are always like this, one after another, refusing to admit defeat until the very end."
At this point, Dio looked up at the ceiling as if gathering his thoughts. His voice rose slightly.
"This is a trial! It is a trial given to me, Dio, by fate."
"If I want to become the Emperor of the World, the Joestar family is an obstacle that cannot be avoided. Only by truly overcoming the Joestars can I, Dio, truly become the emperor who reigns supreme over the world!"
His resolute voice rang out, his determination reaching an unprecedented peak.
Even in a completely different world, his fate with the Joestar family could not be severed.
Since it had come to this, all he, Dio, could do was face this destiny.
He had defeated Jonathan a hundred years ago. A hundred years later, he could defeat Jonathan's descendant as well. Fate would ultimately be on his side.
Kyogai and Fujiwara simply gazed up at Dio's form. The man before them was once again radiating his unique, irresistible charm.
"Lord Dio, no matter what happens, we will be eternally loyal to you."
Reaffirming their loyalty to Dio once more, the two exchanged a look and said:
"Lord Dio, this is the food we offer you today. May you soon recover your perfect state and defeat this so-called fated rival!"
From the darkness, several zombies brought in an unconscious woman. Today's meal was somewhat special.
Although she was not a Marechi, she was extremely significant.
And when the woman's face appeared before the Demon Slayer Corps viewers, they... were completely enraged.