Mana drew her sword and killed them both on the spot.
No one could call their abilities weak. But both were types built for ambushes, and I Am a Rock in particular was an auto-tracking nightmare even nastier than Born This Way. Even using raw destructive power to smash its projectiles was useless.
Imagine if Inori hadn't lost her Stand memories. Suppose those flower pots came flying and she pulverized them with a high-speed barrage—only to end up with a mouthful of soil mixed with fertilizer.
Its fatal weakness, however, was that limited range. Against Everlasting Crown, which also operated within roughly ten meters but could project ranged sword energy, the answer was brutally simple: ignore the projectiles and strike the user directly.
Straightforward, yes—but impossible for a close-combat Stand with A-rank power and speed but a maximum reach of five meters. E-rank meant two meters; C-rank, five. Star Platinum and King Crimson, however, could both use time manipulation to close that gap with an unexpected strike.
All told, these two were outclassed. Mana dispatching them in seconds was the only logical outcome.
...
...
Tamaki Damo poured water over Rohan Kishibe's head.
The agony nearly ripped Rohan's consciousness apart. The poor old man blacked out instantly.
"Bastard!"
Jotaro's fury was volcanic, but all he could manage was crouching on the floor and spitting curses. His fists right now probably packed less of a punch than a splash of water.
"Hm? Jotaro, it seems you still don't understand the situation."
Damo left Rohan and walked toward Jotaro.
"I hear you're part of the Joestar real estate dynasty. Kidnapping you should fetch quite the ransom, no?"
His smile was malicious to its core. Just hearing his voice made Jotaro want to vomit up his breakfast.
"And let me remind you—if you're stalling for that time-deleting girl to come rescue you, I'd suggest giving up now."
"..."
Jotaro's expression didn't change. He only closed his eyes with a quiet, weary breath.
Simply crouching was taking everything he had. If this dragged on much longer, his entire body would flatten into a membrane stuck to the floor, unable to move at all.
He'd already suspected the enemy had set a double trap, ambushing both him and Inori simultaneously. But having it confirmed still left a bitter taste. He wasn't afraid of dying. He was worried about Inori. That girl was the conspicuous type to begin with, and now she had a first-rate Stand user like Yoshikage Kira targeting her.
"Where's Yoshikage Kira? What did he offer you? Why are you working for him?"
"Ha ha, Kira? Seems you haven't heard."
Damo laughed, one cold bark after another.
"We already killed that guy!"
"Wh... at?"
Jotaro's pupils contracted sharply.
—Kira is dead? Then why are they here?
"That idiot didn't seem to understand what kind of people my associates and I are. Gave us Stands and then expected us to do his bidding? I have no idea what goes on in that man's head."
"Two hours before you arrived—he was already dead."
"Mm, and we've got the Arrow too. The one that creates Stand users. What a fool! Thought he could buy us off with this run-down house. I nearly died laughing."
"..."
Jotaro had no interest in their internal squabbles. He was focused on one question.
—Is Kira really dead? Or is this man deliberately trying to muddy the waters?
"Now the Stand Arrow is ours. Once we've killed you lot, we can use it to keep producing powerful subordinates and take over the entire Japanese underworld!"
Damo's ambitions were simple: eliminate every Stand user who'd been investigating Kira, erase all traces of their own existence, then use the Arrow to amass more power and climb higher.
"...You won't get your way."
Jotaro's voice was ice.
"Looks like you need to learn a lesson."
Damo's talk of ransoming the Joestars was nothing more than a passing fancy. What he enjoyed far more than killing was watching proud men like Jotaro scream and beg for mercy. A personal hobby.
Damo walked over to the crouching Jotaro, pulled a crisp thousand-yen bill from his wallet, folded it neatly, and slid it straight into Jotaro's neck.
"Nngh...!"
A slip of paper—piercing flesh and muscle as easily as a knife. Jotaro clenched his jaw and let out a muffled groan. The pain was worse than DIO's thrown knives had ever been, because his body was so fragile now that paper and steel made no difference.
Blood soaked the bill and seeped outward. Jotaro's teeth were bared in agony, but he couldn't even clench his fists to express his rage.
—Endure it. Hold on long enough and an opening will come.
"Mr. Jotaro! Rohan! Where are you guys?!"
Josuke's voice rang out from somewhere beyond the room.
—Why is he back? Where's Inori? Is she with him?
Jotaro couldn't help but shift. He wanted to shout—warn Josuke not to enter this room—but Damo caught the movement instantly. He snarled and jammed a second bill into Jotaro's throat.
Vocal cords damaged, Jotaro could no longer produce any sound. Only a low, meaningless rasp.
The crushing pain finally sapped the last of his strength. His body went limp and he collapsed to the floor. But he was still conscious. He understood that he couldn't let himself pass out—because these young people still needed his strength.
"Oh my, seems something went wrong on their end."
Damo stood and crept to the door, stealing a glance outside before grinning with satisfaction.
"He's alone. Looks like that troublesome girl's been taken care of."
He returned to the room, mulling over how to handle Josuke. According to his intel, the kid was an extremely sharp Stand user who excelled at tactical thinking. If Josuke rushed in and used his healing ability on Jotaro, that would be a serious problem.
—Safest play. Once Josuke steps within range, release the Stand and soften him before he can react.
"Jotaro... sir."
Rohan's eyes had opened.
The pain had only knocked him out briefly. His subconscious had screamed at him not to stay down. He saw Jotaro on the floor, two blood-soaked bills jutting from his neck, still bleeding.
—Move. Can't just sit here and die...
Rohan dragged himself forward through sheer force of will. But Damo was still here, and he wouldn't pass up any chance to torment his captives.
"Rohan Kishibe. Listen. Josuke Higashikata is about to walk right in."
Damo strode over, seized a fistful of Rohan's slack, membrane-like face, and flung him like a rag to the center of the room—directly facing the door.
"I want you to lure him inside. Get him to come heal you. If you say anything out of line, I'll kill you on the spot."
Damo crouched behind him, hissing the threat into his ear.
"What's going on in this room?! It looks like someone's hiding in there!"
Josuke's frantic voice carried from just outside.
He was standing at the door.