DIO didn't move. Not an inch.
He stood rigid before the wall, eyes fixed on the Arrow hanging from it, thoughts churning quietly beneath the surface.
And alongside those thoughts — a persistent, gnawing irritation.
It had been there for some time now, coiled in the back of his mind, refusing to fade. Ever since his revival, things had not gone entirely according to plan.
Jonathan's descendants, for instance — that pack of upstarts had actually set out from Japan to challenge him. Laughable. Truly, genuinely laughable, like a swarm of mosquitoes convinced they could draw blood from a god.
His Stand — The World — was the most powerful Stand in existence. Those fools posed no real threat. And yet, knowing that didn't make their buzzing any less irritating.
But that wasn't the true source of his unease. No — there was something else. Something that sat far deeper.
Jonathan Joestar.
His one and only rival. The only name that had ever deserved that distinction, in DIO's estimation.
And yet — that man should have died. Should have died countless years ago on that burning ship, should have been erased from the world entirely. That was how it was supposed to end.
But lately, every time DIO sank into sleep, he heard it. A sound that didn't belong to dreams — a ragged, hoarse roar, as though dredged up from the depths of hell itself, exactly like the voice he'd heard that night. It resonated from inside his own body, like a soul-stealing demon clawing its way out from within.
And then, it had taken his lower half and walked away.
It had jolted him awake more than once — ripped him clean from unconsciousness, as it had tonight, plunging him into long, sleepless stretches that stretched on until dawn.
The dull, lingering ache at his waist never let him forget: everything he had dreamed was real. A constant reminder that forced itself on him whether he wanted it or not.
He — Jonathan Joestar — is not dead. And he is still coming for you.
"Persistent to the very end…" DIO muttered, his brow drawn tight. "Even after all this time, you still manage to be this insufferable."
But quickly — almost forcibly — he pulled himself back together. Rallied his own conviction from the inside.
It's fine. It doesn't matter. Jonathan was an unknown variable, yes — but DIO had obtained the power of The World. He was invincible. Truly, completely invincible.
Even if that man somehow returned — what of it? I am destined for heaven. Nothing can change that.
"...Crack. Crack."
The sound came without warning — faint, wet, the unmistakable noise of flesh proliferating at speed.
DIO blinked.
"Who's there?!"
On pure reflex, he spun around — and his pupils slammed to pinpoints.
Behind him, in what had been only a single heartbeat, a fragment of flesh — separated from Jonathan's body — had begun to multiply. Wildly. Under the influence of the Ampoule, it was expanding at a rate that defied reason, swelling far beyond the volume of any ordinary human body, and still growing, still proliferating, showing no signs of stopping.
What in the—?!
In an instant, the towering golden silhouette erupted into being behind DIO. The World had manifested — looming at his back, eyes trained on the grotesque mass of flesh before them, every sense on high alert.
A wild Stand User…? Could that be what this is?
The thought had barely formed when DIO heard it again. Another sound — faint, almost imperceptible.
But this time, it didn't come from the mass of flesh in front of him.
It came from behind.
Again? Behind me — again?
A flicker of irritation crossed his mind. And then, a beat too late — like a gear clicking into place — the thought finally arrived.
Wait. Behind me. What is there behind me that could possibly make a sound?
In that instant, DIO's pupils contracted to nothing.
The gears meshed. The conclusion snapped together.
"ZA WARUDO!"
But before the words had fully left his throat — behind DIO, Anthony smiled.
He looked down at the Arrow now sitting in his hand, retrieved through [Soul Attachment], and let out a quiet whistle. Then he checked its description.
[Arrow]
[Origin World: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]
[Type: Item]
[Effect: When it pierces a being deemed worthy, it will awaken within them the power of a Stand.]
[Recycle Value: 10,657 Points]
Without a single moment of hesitation, Anthony pressed the Recycle button — and in the same motion, his right hand came down on another button he had already prepared.
In that same instant, The World's time stop descended in full, and Anthony's thoughts ground to a halt.
Five seconds of stopped time. Begun.
But Anthony already knew: it was over.
Whatever you want to say, go tell it to my chat group's Recycle function.
Time stop? You think you can stop me from recycling my way to financial freedom? Go ask the chat group whether it agrees first.
It had taken only a single instant — the very moment DIO activated his time stop, he watched the Arrow in front of him vanish at incomprehensible speed. The World hadn't even come close to touching it. The Arrow was simply... gone. Erased. As if it had never been there at all.
What—?!
Could it be…
"Jonathan Joestar?!"
The moment that name passed his lips — the name that had haunted his nightmares for days — DIO felt his pupils contract. A chill ran through him, bone-deep, originating not from his flesh but from somewhere far beneath it. Something that felt like his very soul had gone cold.
And then — as if the weight of that soul had suddenly been lifted — he felt lighter.
No. Something's wrong. There's something wrong here — the flesh ball! Whatever this is, that thing is the problem. It has to be!
"The World — destroy it!"
DIO's voice cracked into a roar — but as the command left him, the mass of flesh began to change. To shift. In ways that should have been impossible.
Inside stopped time.
____
👻🔥Here: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Group chat of the Dead
✅ Gain early access to 40 chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive content and special announcements.
We have set new community milestones:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for all readers
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 additional chapters for all series!
👻 P - Walnut-chan