"... Such… an infuriating… thing! HOW?! I should've felt this abnormality sooner! I can literally feel my daughter's presence growing and I didn't notice that until now? UNACCEPTABLE!"
"Dude really? They were making out in that room? Hehehehehe… You're useless Stand does come in handy sometimes, you know that?"
"Fuck you Illuso. Why don't you take a look with your fucking Stand then? And do you know how awkward it was seeing those two doing that? You know what? Fuck you and everybody in this room"
"Aw come on Formaggio~ You know how my Stand is a bad match to Gelato's. If I used my Stand to spy on them, he would've figured it out with a high probability!"
"What's so worrying about them knowing that you peeped on them then?"
"We both know how crazily strong Sorbet's Stand could get. I would gladly not take the risk of facing him next to our leader"
"*gulp* True that"
"That small moment! That worthless past caused by my ignorant self has caught up to me! How can I let such a thing happen?!"
The Emperor roared as his computer crumbled into bits of plastic due to the immense pressure he applied onto his hands. Thankfully, his so called daughter were in good hands of people he could trust. But… it was a matter of time before somebody used his daughter to find him and he couldn't allow anybody to execute his daughter. He had to do it himself to be 100% sure he erased his past! No well trusted executive or an assassin can do this job! Only he, Diavolo can do this! But, he cannot let anybody lay their hands on his daughter! He cannot let that happen! At what cost whatsoever, he cannot possibly allow that to happen!
"..."
"..."
"Well… at least we wouldn't be paying the air-conditioner fees hehehe… … Shit"
"... T…"
"Did you say something Ghiaccio? Speak up"
"FUCK THIS SHIT! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! WHY DO I NEED MY STAND TO COOL YOU GUYS DOWN EVERY SINGLE FUCKING SUMMER?! AM I SOME KIND OF FREE ICEBOX THAT YOU USE TO COOL DOWN?"
"... Technically you are"
"MOTHERFU—"
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes… That would do, that would do. That way would bring Trish safely to me… No executives, no assassins shall… Assassins…?"
Diavolo remembered an incident. An important incident where it had to do with one of the traitors he had to get rid of. There were many that challenged his throne, but they all fell like flies, Stand users or not. But those two… they came dangerously close. That was why he had to send out… his… most reluctant executors to get rid of them. What were their names again…?
…
…
…S…
Sorbet and Gelato… Sorbet and Gelato…
"F-frà? I-i-is this alright to d—"
BANG
"E-eep!"
"Pesci… you are trembling after seeing blood. Why stutter when I grant somebody death. Why did your voice rose sharply when I pulled the trigger? Why would you do that?"
"E-eh? B-bro that's because… because… umm"
"PESCI! YOU MAMMONE!"
"E-EH! I'm sorry bro!"
"An ordinary civilian would definitely cringe at the sight of blood and also even faint by the sight of it. Others may go to hysteria when they witness murder or when they commit it. It is natural to do so for they instinctively fear and detest it. BUT! We are no civilians Pesci! We are no normal people! We are gang-stars! We are the Mafia! We are assassins whose job is to KILL people! That is why I called you a mammone Pesci! That is why you are a mammone Pesci!"
"Au… Ahhhh… I-I'm sorry bro…"
"*sigh* Listen Pesci, listen carefully to your senior. Pesci, although there are still some members in our team that has not accepted you as our true member, I have accepted you to be our family, to be like us. If you are truly like us and if you chose this path you will act like one! Fix your instinctive fear of blood and death Pesci! And don't hesitate to harm somebody! In our world it is either kill or be killed. You are family Pesci, and I do not appreciate my family being killed by some worthless lowlife. Fix yourself Pesci and glory shall come"
"Y-YES FRÀ! I WILL CHANGE!"
"Risotto Nero and his team… They are dangerous. I don't know most of their Stand abilities because they are an assassination team and they certainly do have a grudge against me according to my spy organization… Although there are literally nobody who trusts them or associates with them, they will hear the rumors soon enough! There… there is a high chance they would go after for Trish… They never liked their position anyways and two of their members have been executed… Although I have warned them it is highly likely they would revolt against me again! I SHALL NOT LET THAT HAPPEN, EVEN IF THEY WERE NOT PLANNING TO REVOLT AGAINST ME! No one… no one must know who I am and I would gladly do anything for that to happen…"
So, Diavolo plotted thinking of sending anybody to finish them off.
"Not Carne… he is too value to be used for something so trifle like this. Squalo and Tiziano… no… They might fail and anger them more… I need a person who can completely wipe the team out… I need… I need…"
"Buongiorno amore"
"Heh… good morning Gelato. Aw fuck, my ass…"
"Heh… Was that an invitation or was I too rough last night?"
"Fuck you. *smooch* Argg! Don't kiss me *chu* while I'm trying to be angry with y—*rero* Gelato!"
"Oh ho ho… Sorbet, it seems like little Sorbet has woken up? What shall we do?"
"Arggg Gelato! Stop teasing m— AH! G-Gelato! Your mouth! It's s-so warm!"
Outside the room Risotto Nero facepalmed while recording his team's income. Next time, he was going to get enough money to buy some soundproof wallpaper.
"Ah! Perfect… These pawns should do… They certainly would do…"
Somewhat relaxed Diavolo began to type his orders to his Capos. One to Polpo and Pericolo about his direct matter with Trish, and one to Fretta to deal with the vermins that would soon cause him trouble.
Apparently, there was a nice Stand that was able to deal with all of them, at the same time. He just hoped that they wouldn't fail and add fuel to the hitman team's anger.
That would be very problematic for his identity.
"By the way Formaggio, why do you have so much money?"
"Yeah… Coming to think of it, you have more money than the rest of us have. How did you do it? You are definitely not the type of guy who would save his money…"
"... food costs"
"What?"
"What did you say Formaggio?"
"I said I don't need to pay much for food alright!"
"?"
"Ah shit this is depressing… When I eat alone, I usually shrink myself and eat food. So even a few crumbs of bread, a drop of beer, a small miniscule piece of steak is a valley of food for me. After I eat, I stay in that state until the digestion is complete. That's why I have more money than you guys. The money I spend on food is equivalent to zero"
"... This is depressing"
"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCKING HELL! WHY ARE WE SO POOR?!"
"Go Fretta. You're Stand 『The Doors』 will surely wipe them out. I don't care where your ability sends them to. If it is certain that your ability sends your victims somewhere that does not exist in this world, I am fine with that. Use everything you've got, to eliminate them!"
CREAK
"Kehehe…*slurp*"
"M-Melone. Seriously you're freaking us now"
"Can you blame me when she shows off her gorgeous body to everybody? Her hips were plump, bountiful and at the right size, her teeth were in good health, her stride was firm and beautiful. Di molto great! Eheheh…"
"Don't worry too much Pesci… This guy does this all the time. Just get used to it"
"Ahahaha, I'm so sorry signore. I didn't see you in th—"
『King Crimson』, TIME HAS BEEN ERASED
"—mancan le parole~ Sì lo so che non c'è luc— Eh? What am I doing?"
The cleaner looked around the interior of hotel room 404 only to see… nothing. What was he here for?
"Ah, that's right. I was going to clean this place! Better get back to work…"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"... All of you… Forget all about Sorbet and Gelato"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"... If I could, I would avenge the two of you. If I could, I would hunt and kill the boss with no hesitation. But… but… … Understand what we're doing here Sorbet, Gelato. I cannot… I cannot risk any more members of my team… Forgive me Sorbet, Gelato, but your sacrifice, your hardship must go to naught for the sake of the living… Forgive me, for having such a… incompetent leader"
If Risotto Nero could cry he would, but after the age of fourteen, after when his cousin died by that idiotic truck driver he vowed never to cry again. But inside his heart, Risotto Nero was crying. Crying loud and full of anguish that it rang in his eardrums and his brain. But Risotto Nero would not let anybody else die. That was the least he could do for his teammates, his family… His remaining family.
Chapter 1: 『The Doors』 Everything That Stands... The End
"We have to do this Risotto! Can't you see we now have a lead on where to find the boss? We can avenge Sorbet and Gelato, oi!"
Risotto Nero massaged his temple, his mind going a mile a second. It is true that the rumors of the boss' daughter were spreading like wildfire among the members of the 'Passione', but was it worth it? Was it worth to use the girl to track down the boss and take control of the drugs?
"Ghiaccio, I understand your feelings, but I need more time to think about our little 'rebellion'. Going against an enemy we don't know is a dangerous feat, and especially if the enemies our boss…"
"Now we can know where he really is! Now we can know his identity Risotto! Why can't you understand?!"
"I agree with Ghiaccio with this one leader" Prosciutto claimed stepping in. "Don't you feel that we have to do something when a chance of ascension and glory is out there? A one life chance to find out the identity of the boss, a one life chance to avenge our two teammates. Don't you think we have to give it a go Risotto?"
"I do understand what you guys are implying. However, if we take this path, the stakes, the risks are something I must consider also. That is why I am contemplating about it"
"We DON'T HAVE TIME RISOTTO!" Screamed the angry blue haired assassin as he clutched his laptop so hard it began to crack. "IT IS NOW OR NEVER!"
"Stand down Ghiaccio. You're close of crossing the dangerous line"
"Fuck you Melone! Don't act as if you don't want this to happen!"
"Ummm—"
Risotto sighed as the whole room went into mayhem as everybody screamed at each other. Was it really worth it? Some of his crew will die for sure if they chose this path, but glory and wealth were waiting for them if they succeeded. And like Prosciutto had said, opportunities like these don't come oftenly and his whole team had a huge grudge with boss. They were skillful, they were resourceful, they deserved more for cleaning up the trash that poses a threat to the gang, but all they received was the income of a wealthy businessman. He and his team deserved more. Then, Risotto took a look around his crew, viewing their faces and especially their eyes to confirm their determination and their resolve.
Formaggio's eyes were burning in rage and passion. The weakest member of the Squarda Esecuzioni was ready to take on anything that was going to come in his path.
Illuso who usually had his signature smirk of confidence was not smiling at all. Instead his mouth was twisted into a scowl and his eyes told Risotto that he was perfectly determined to rebel against boss.
Prosciutto looked angrily at him with his eyes ready to kill anybody who would stand in their way.
Pesci had a look of uncertainty, but determination nonetheless burning in his eyes. And… there was something else, but Risotto knew he would agree to this insane decision.
Melone, although talking hotly with Ghiaccio looked as if he wanted to fight against the boss. The frustration of this situation was clear on his masked face.
Ghiaccio was… well… No words are needed to describe what was going in his eyes and his face. The blue swirly haired temper-problemed man was already ready to betray the organization and hunt the boss. He was planning to do that if only he hadn't taken Risotto's cold logical decision into account.
Seeing that all of his members were this determined, seeing that they were all spiritually prepared to announce a decision that would change their destiny once and for all.
"W-wait! Fratelli!" Screeched Pesci suddenly as he stood up abruptly shaking all over his finger pointing towards the door.
"What is it Pesci?" Asked Prosciutto as the argument among the hitman stopped abruptly. Risotto also stopped, confused why Pesci would suddenly step up. Risotto knew Pesci was mentally the weakest among them and he rarely spoke out his voice that was why Risotto asked Prosciutto to take care of Pesci, but if the timid, weak-spirited, person who lacked confidence, even in front of Formaggio spoke out like that, there was something wrong with the situation. And the rest of his members weren't dumb enough to figure that out.
"T-t-there, there is somebody at the door! My 『Beach Boy』 can feel somebody behind that door!"
"!!!!!"
"『Man In The Mirror』!" Roared Illuso as he disappeared into the reflection of a mirror along with Melone with his Stand 『Baby Face』. Since Melone's Stand wasn't suitable to fight Illuso brought his friend with him to the mirror world and Melone went with him willingly. Melone knew the extent to his powers and even when his 『Baby Face』 was a terrifying Stand, it was useless if he didn't have a healthy girl he could use, which the Squarda Esecuzioni didn't have at disposal. The current situation was something that could happen in a minute and Melone and Illuso were not going to take any chances.
The others also pulled out their Stands too, but unlike Illuso, they did not activate their ability, yet. Any rash action may get them killed and this is when the purpose of having a leader comes out. The leader gives out the orders with his cold logic and quick reasonable decision, the others comply and follow them the best they could. They were waiting for their leader to make the decision for their next course of action.
"Pesci! Don't lose your concentration on that man beyond that door! Don't you dare lose it!" Roared Prosciutto ordering Pesci as Pesci gritted his teeth as his Stand 『Beach Boy』 came into full form. Risotto also called out his Stand to feel the man behind the door. His ability was to control metal, but at the same time, he could locate anybody by feeling their metal. While he did that, his mind started to accelerate faster and faster.
'S-shit. Did boss predict all of this? Or is this revenge for somebody we killed? No… this cannot possibly be revenge. Our teammates were all silent in our ways of assassination and nobody could possibly know it was our doing… Gelato and I made sure of that! Then this is the orders from the boss! Boss somehow knew we were going to betray him the moment the rumors of the daughter came out! Damnit, damnit, DAMNIT!'
That was when Risotto discovered something odd.
"Pesci, you said that you are certain that there is somebody behind that door did you?"
"Y-yeah leader! I definitely felt it, and I still feel it now! There is somebody over there!"
"Pesci, I find that hard to believe… 『Metallica』 isn't sensing anyone outside of this room"
At that one statement everybody whipped their heads towards Pesci, including Illuso and Melone inside the mirror world who had left each one of their ears in the real world to hear what was going on.
"N-no! I swear it fratelli! I swear that there is somebody outside the at this moment! Their presence suddenly flared up to a level that even when I didn't pull out my 『Beach Boy』. Somebody is there, and they used their Stand that required so much energy that 『Beach Boy』 literally felt it!"
His voice was genuine, his eyes were telling the truth and Risotto had to admit that there was something sinister, something bizarre that was happening to them. But there was no one behind that door and that was something Risotto could guarantee. Does this mean that the Stand user was far away and the Stand that just emitted its energy is a long-ranged Stand? That was the only possible conclusion Risotto could come up with. Moreover, nobody could just enter their lair that easily unless it was a long ranged stand. He couldn't wait any longer, they needed to get rid of this Stand and its Stand user or all of his teammates may die for nothing.
This was bad and he needed to act quickly before the enemy attacked. Who knows if their attack was already progressing?
"Then it is highly possible that we are under attack of a long-ranged Stand! Pesci! Use your 『Beach Boy』 and take out the enemy Stand!"
"E-eh?"
"DO IT NOW!"
Pesci, knowing that the leader seldom raised his voice except for urgent situations did exactly what he was told. He threw the sinker and the hook into through the door then his face became contorted with confusion as he felt the line with his fingers, sweat pouring down from his round brow. As the deafening seconds passed Pesci's face became more and more confused his 『Beach Boy』's line going back and forth, back and forth.
"H-hey… frà, if I open this door, there should be a corridor right?"
"What are you talking about Pesci! Get on with your 『Beach Boy』 and take out the enemy! Your comrades are in danger!" Ordered Prosciutto
"N-NO! There's something wrong! There's something wrong with the 'room' across from here!"
Silence was what came after Pesci's statement.
"... Room? Pesci, across that door is a corridor, not a room" Said Formaggio sweating nervously. "Pesci focus again, what. Is. Behind. That. Door?"
"I'm telling yah Formaggio! That's what 『Beach Boy』 is telling me! It's telling me that-that there is no corridor beyond the doors! THERE IS LITERALLY NOTHING!"
"It was the perfect choice to take you with me, Vladimir Kocaqi. Your Stand 『Rainy Day Dream Away』 does make a great combination with my Stand… Tell me, what are they feeling right now?"
"Confused ma'am" Answered Vladimir locking on the thought of 'curiousness' into the mind of two people of the Squardra Esecuzioni. "And curious to see what is beyond 『The Doors』"
"Ufu… ufufufu…" Chortled the woman as she sat down gracefully onto the dirt that was dug. Although it took quite a long time to dig a hole to reach the assassin's headquarters to activate her Stand, which had a B range, it should be worth it, if her Stand activated successfully that is. "No wonder there are rumors of the boss not wanting to cross you… Have you thought of anything to overthrow the boss? Hmmm?"
"No ma'am, I did not" Replied the man, probably a bit too fastly.
"Good. It would be a shame to kill such a talented member of the 'Passione'... hmmm… Are they still curious?"
"Yes ma'am, they still are"
"Good, keep it that way will you? We have only a hundred and twenty eight seconds left before my Stand deactivates. If that happens… it would be… problematic for them to get away after my Stand ability fades away wouldn't it? Come on Vladimir, do it! Do it!"
"I'm trying ma'am! I will guarantee you that in a few seconds, somebody is going to open the door. Now there are four… no five people's emotions that I have locked onto… But… ma'am, I have one thing to confess"
"Go ahead Vladimir"
"Did… did any one of those members have a Stand that could immediately teleport? I have definitely felt seven people below us, but now the emotions that I am feeling are… five. P-please ma'am, I'm being truthful as possible. I was sure that there were all the members of the hitman team were all in their stronghold, but now I can only f-feel five"
Vladimir internally cursed himself for stuttering in front of the capo. He was supposed to be reserved and strong in front of others, especially in front of a presence of a capo!
"... No… They did not teleport Vladimir. That much I am sure of. First of all I thank you for being honest with me. That is a good value to have for the organization for my trust on you have increased. Second, do not fret or become worried. I have gave my word that anything that happens out of order, I will personally take responsibility for it"
Vladimir gulped his spit that unconsciously salivated out of nervousness. As his capo's trust in him rose, his respect for the capo rose as well. This woman knew what she was doing, and she was determined to execute the boss' orders.
"Those two may have Stands that can avoid your 『Rainy Day Dream Away』's radar, but is highly unlikely. The more probable theory is that one has a Stand that is able to somehow go under your radar, concealing their emotions or doing something out of the box to avoid your Stand from reaching them. If one of the members had a teleporting Stand, the outcome would've been immediate. There would be nobody in their base, as simple as that. Although I didn't expect that there would be a Stand that could detect 『The Doors』 when it activated its powers, it matters not. I am sure that nobody has escaped that room yet nor has anybody opened 『The Doors』. Your Stands tells you that much doesn't it?"
"Yes ma'am"
"Good. Make sure they think of wondering what they wonder beyond 『The Doors』 and do whatever you need to do to let them open them. If we don't, our mission will be a failure and boss, along with the organization may go to crisis"
Fretta nervously bit her tongue. Even when her 『The Doors』 were invincible when successfully activated, they were only invincible in given situations. If the Squadra Esecuzioni decided to break down the wall, or stagnate for a hundred seconds more, all her efforts along with Vladimir's would be for nothing. She cannot afford to fail this mission. She has one job, and she will never fuck it up.
'What the… fuck'
'What the… shit'
Those were the two nearly identical thoughts that proceeded through the heads of the men inside the mirror world. Thanks to their ears and the shards of mirrors that Illuso carried around for emergency, they could analyze the situation pretty well. And it was bad.
What was bad? Their leader was acting not like what Risotto Nero would normally act.
"Open the door Pesci. Use your 『Beach Boy』 to open the door"
Okay. Pause.
…
Risotto fucking Nero, what the fuck are you doing? Melone and Illuso knew that the situation was dire and desperate. In any second now, the enemy may be upon them, but what Risotto did… No… it was not what their leader had done. It was his tone of voice that made their brains spin with confusion.
Their leader spoke with curiosity. Now being curious was okay, and doing dumb things because you were just curious was understandable. But when your whole team's life is on the line that's a big no-no. Right now, the two assassins inside the mirror world were positive that Risotto was ordering Pesci to open the door just because of his curiosity. Something… something was strange. Was this somehow another Stand attacking them? Forcing their minds to open the door or something… That meant that there were two Stands attacking them right now. At this point, Melone and Illuso had to do whatever they needed to do to stop Pesci from opening the door and plead Risotto to regain his sanity that he somehow lost.
This was a work of an enemy Stand that was for sure.
"Melone! I'm going to use 『Man In The Mirror』 to shove you out of the mirror world! Do whatever you can to prevent anyone from opening the door and try to find the enemy Stand!"
"Go Illuso! Send me back!"
"『Man In The Mirror』!"
Illuso's Stand followed its master's orders as it grabbed Melone along with his Stand and dragged him towards the shard of glass Illuso was holding out. With the sound of glass Melone crumbled away as Illuso began to try his best to locate the enemy Stand with his shard of a mirror.
If Illuso could, he would gladly bring every single one of his teammates into this world so everybody could be safe, but 『Man In The Mirror』 was a Stand that required a lot of energy to transport people and Stands across different worlds. Bringing them all in along with their Stands? That was… too much for Illuso and his Stand. In the worst case, Illuso may die for his 『Man In The Mirror』 could fade away due to immense exhaustion.
The best course of action Illuso could take in this situation was to focus on his ears inside and outside of the mirror world, and search for the God damn Stand that was messing everyone's head up.
"Eighty four…"
"Goddammit Risotto! Come to your senses leader! Hey! Prosciutto, Ghiaccio! Say something will you?! You all know the way you are acting is all wrong!"
"Wrong? Melone, we are just so curious of what lies beyond that door! If we don't see it… no… I have to see it for myself!"
Melone was having the hardest time of his life. Sweat was pouring down from his brow, anxiety was getting to his nerves. This wasn't affecting just Risotto, this was affecting everybody! Nobody was thinking straight at this point and Melone as a fellow member of the hitman team had to do something. When somebody is in a trance, beat the shit out of them.
Summoning his Stand 『Baby Face』 computer mode, Melone lifted it up and smashed it down onto Risotto's head hoping to accomplish something. Saldy, it did nothing, but making Risotto annoyed. Not angry, but annoyed. That did it. This was not normal.
"NOOO!" Screeched Melone as he tried to grab the attention of everybody. He couldn't do anything, ANYTHING! "WAKE UP! WAKE UP GODDAMMIT!"
"Shut up Melone!" Growled Formaggio as he came up to the masked man, grabbing his collar, which he somehow managed to do. "We need to know what is beyond that door! If we don't… if we don't… arggg… MELONE! Aren't you even curious what could be behind that door?!"
"Curious…? Of course I am curious! I want to know what is beyond that door! Of course I want to know! But we CAN'T OPEN IT YET!"
"WHY?!"
"Because… because…" Suddenly as if it were magic, all thoughts that were occupying Melone's brain slowly slipped away as only one desire within his head started to stabilize and take place. Melone was aware of his bizarreness of his change of thoughts, he was aware that this was all because of a work of an enemy Stand. But, he could not help but think the only one thought that his brain could only generate.
'I… I want to open the doors…'
"Fifty seven… Fifty six…"
He had to find it, he sure as hell did need to find it. Find the presence of another Stand, find it already! This kind of bullshit power Stand had to be a Stand that affected them in a very short distance! So where was it?! According to his ear outside of the mirror world it seemed like Melone was trying to overcome the brainwashing from the Stand that was affecting his thoughts, but time was running out. Sooner or later, Melone was going to succumb to the Stand's power and he Illuso must needed to find out the Stand right away and bring it into the mirror world. He had to do it! Or else this one life chance would go up into dust!
This was a dangerous Stand, a Stand that can 'lock one's emotions and thoughts'... This was a Stand that was pressuring the Squadra Esecuzioni to 'think' of opening the door, and to 'feel' curiosity of what is behind that door. No wonder Melone fell so quickly to the Stand. It is literally, almost impossible to not think and wonder what lies beyond the doors.
Knowing that listening to what was going on in the real world was useless, Illuso brought his ear back into the mirror world and started to calm down, as the sound of rushing blood slowly came to a stop. Now… all he needs to do was focus. All he needed to do was to find the difference between this world's room and the real world's room and find the Stand. And so, Illuso concentrated as if life depended on it.
He listened for a second and it felt like eternity for the multi-pigtailed Stand user. Then… he heard it. A splash of water sounded from the tile behind him. Illuso immediately pounced on where the sound came from only to find nothing.
'Nothing? Weird… everything that is not alive and isn't in close contact with living organisms should appear here, and liquid definitely exists in the mirror world… Then…! Could it be that the enemy's Stand is made out of liquid?!'
Illuso quickly flicked his glass to see the reflection of the real world only to see water coming o— wait… that… made… no… sense. Illuso was confident enough to know that right in front of him there was another sound of water dripping. He touched the surface of the floor of the mirror world once again and stared into the reflection of the real world. Where was this water coming from? This water was an outcome of a Stand no doubt, so where in the heck was this Stand? The reflection showed no signs of the Stand, but water kept on dripping from… nowhere… This was impossible! This made absolutely no sense unless… Unless…
…
Oh shit.
The water droplets weren't the cause of a Stand. They were literally the Stand Illuso was searching for.
As another drop of water dropped Illuso saw it through the reflection. The ghastly face imprinted on the surface of the drop of water was vivid in Illuso's eyes. The Stand's facial expression seemed as if the Stand was howling in an anguish scream like Risotto Nero's 『Metallica』 it was disturbing, and with no doubt, powerful. Illuso finally found out what he needed to do.
"『Man In The Mirror』! Get that Stand into this world this instance!"
The glassed Stand immediately acted upon its master's orders as it hurtled itself towards the droplets of the Stand to pull it inside the mirror world. At the same time Illuso called out to his Stand for his second order.
"BUT AS YOU PULL IT IN… SEND ME OUT OF HERE AT THAT VERY INSTANCE! I SHALLN'T ALLOW THE STAND TO AFFECT ME AND OPEN THE DOORS, EVEN IN THE MIRROR WORLD!"
"He's going to open it with his Stand! Vladimir! Get ready to pull back your Stand at my orders!"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Twelve… Eleven…"
"O-open it Pesci… you can do it Pesci…"
"PULL IT INSIDEEEE! 『Man In The Mirror』! HURRY!"
The next torrent of events happened like a flash as multiples of events simultaneously happened. First of all, Illuso's Stand 『Man In The Mirror』 successfully pulled in the Stand 『Rainy Day Dream Away』 into the mirror world while dragging its user into the real world. Thus, the effect that 『Rainy Day Dream Away』 had on every individual vanished. But as soon as it was trapped inside the mirror world, it vanished for its Stand user called it back in.
As everybody was allowed to think about anything and not limited to one thought they found their situation to be in… deep shit. Because the door clicked…
…
…
And it opened.
"『The Doors』" Exclaimed Fretta feeling her Stand's energy being activated. She placed her delicate hands on her cheek and another covering her eyes as she put up a bizarre pose as she spoke her lines as her Stand was pulled back into her. "Of everything that Stands… The End".
Then she turned away slightly feeling light-headed for using such tremendous energy. Her Stand 『The Doors』 is a Stand that could only manifest upon doors, windows or anything that is capable of 'opening' or 'closing', but this 'opening' and 'closing' must be done to an object that is capable of entering or leaving an enclosed space. Sometimes, Fretta would cast her Stand upon a car and the second her victim opens her door before her three minute limit passes, the victim is no more. Fretta doesn't know exactly where they go, but her Stand tells her enough that they go to somewhere where they cannot return to this world. The moment one of the traitors opened 『The Doors』, signaled everybody's elimination as every single living creature inside the enclosed space disappeared, never to return and pose a threat to her boss. But first…
"*yawn*... I need… sleep… Good work Vladimir… your service… to Passione will… be recorded…"
"Thank you ma'am"
"Let's go… Vladimir… I feel… tired… Now… The hitman team… is no more… Heh… Mission accomplished boss"
"..."
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"..."
"...?"
"...!"
"...?!"
"...?!"
What…? The…? Fuck…?
What the fuck.
…
WHAT THE FUCK!
"W-what?"
The black eyed assassin was the first one to open his mouth in utter horror. He… no… Not him. Him and his teammates were suddenly out in the open field of green grass. Judging by the lack of civilization, the lack of buildings and the lights of Italy, Risotto could easily guess that they were in a clearing of a forest.
…
THEY WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE FOREST. THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE IN THEIR ROOM. WHAT. HAD. HAPPENED?
"Pesci! The enemy Stand's attack may still be ongoing! Take out your 『Beach Boy』 and try and find the enemy, or anyone!"
"Wh-what kind of Stand attack is this?" Growled Prosciutto as he looked around for the enemy Stand, or the enemy himself. "What is this?!"
"Two Stands…" Gasped Illuso feeling dizzy. "There were two Stands… one Stand that could 'lock one's emotions and thoughts'... That-that made all of you to only think about opening the door, which led to the second Stand that was beyond the doors"
"What are you talking about…? Are you saying… Are you saying that… we lost before we even fought back?" Screeched Ghiaccio his fist clenched so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms. "WHAT IS TH—"
"SHUT UP GHIACCIO!" Roared the leader of the hitman team sweating visibly. This… had never happened before and they had still no idea what the enemy Stand's ability was. Was this… an illusion?
"It's not an illusion…" Mused Melone as he touched the grass and the dirt. "If it is, it is a illusion that is capable of making physical illusions. The grass, the dirt, and its structure… Even the twigs on the ground and…"
The masked assassin brought up a pebble to his tongue and tasted it.
"*rero* Pah! This is real gravel!" Said Melone shocked.
"Is this… really an illusion?" Formaggio asked to nobody particular. He then squinted his eyes and stared into the horizon. Most of time being small, Formaggio's sight was much improved than most people's eyesight for he had to see objects or targets at such a long distance when he was small. "If illusions are the Stand's ability it's effective range is really wide… Wider… wider than Prosciutto's…"
"No… I do not believe that this is an illusion. That Stand behind the doors… did something else to us…" Risotto said his voice, which was always cool and resolved, shook like a leaf in a storm. "We were transported… into… somewhere"
"I see… That indeed should be much plausible. The opening of the doors probably triggered an instant teleportation for anybody that was inside the room. Tch! What is the enemy thinking?! Do they honestly believe they can stall us by teleporting all of us to a different location?" The necklace of Prosciutto swung left and right as he angrily kicked a pebble out of his way. "Ridiculous… When we go back I'll be sure to pay them a visit"
"Wait Prosciutto… there is something wrong with that assumption" Spoke Risotto his black eyes flashing.
"What do you mean by that leader?"
"... I… … First of all, I suspect that the attack we have just faced was from a gang member trying to eliminate us by the orders of the boss"
"!!!"
"Yeah… that… would make sense"
"W-why so frà? There's no way they could've known so early!"
"Shut up Pesci and use your goddamn head! We are assassins kept on a short leash and ready to bite back at any moment when the chances are given. Even if we kept quiet and even if we never planned of overthrowing the boss, the boss would've suspected us nonetheless for our incident with Gelato and Sorbet!"
"Exactly Prosciutto. Then isn't there something weird with what you have just said before?"
"Eh? What do you mean leader?"
"Why would the boss send a Stand user that can only teleport us to a certain location if he was suspicious of us? Wouldn't he have rather have us sent into the bottom of the ocean or into the depths of a volcano? Why would he let us have a chance to live and come back to him?"
A sudden pregnant pause brought a moment of silence to the whole group as trickles of sweat rolled down from their brows.
"No… This is no simple transportation from point A to point B. This is something else. There is something more than us being moved to a different locat—"
"F-frà! M-my 『Beach Boy』 caught something!"
Every member suddenly turned their focus onto the green haired assassin as he seemed to have struggles of wielding his Stand.
"B-but something is not right! T-this person I hooked easily outweighs the weight of two men! I-I-I can't reel him in!"
"『Man In The Mirror』!"/"『The Grateful Dead』!"
The two Stands jumped into action as they grabbed onto the fishing line and started to pull along with Pesci. With the two Stands pulling 『Beach Boy』 and Pesci furiously spun the reel, the somebody who was attached to the hook came reeling in quite quickly. Risotto, seeing that his teammates were reeling in a person pulled out his own Stand just in case to be prepared.
Attaching fine particles of iron to his body he silently disappeared into nothing and waited for the prey to be reeled in.
It was highly possible for the one who bit the hook to be wearing some sort of heavy armor around them judging from Pesci's words. But the weight of more than two men? Did Pesci manage to hook up a large human with heavy weight, or did he manage to hook up a human with machinery on him?
Turns out that it was neither.
"WH-WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" Screamed Ghiaccio half disgusted at the sight he was seeing.
A monster. They were witnessing a scream and a growl from a monster as it desperately waved its arms around trying to get the Stand off him. However, a Stand can only be attacked by another Stand and even when Pesci's Stand was strong enough for normal people(or monsters) to visibly see it they can never break the line, under any 'normal' circumstances.
It was a monster. His fat belly hanging out and fully naked showing his disgusting organs to the world to see. His dark green skin was thick even without having to cut it to find out. His red eyes similar to Risotto shown with anger and pure rage threatening to kill anyone.
By the sudden appearance of the monster the three assassins who were holding onto 『Beach Boy』 suddenly got yanked by the monster as he pulled the line by losing their concentration they had. A single mistake had cost this misfortune and it was not over for the three unfortunate assassins yet.
Although Illuso and Pesci went flying away from the monster, Prosciutto happened to hurtle straight towards the monster as he roared and tried to slash the incoming blond assassin who widened his eyes in horror. Thankfully, everybody saw this and charged in to help. However, they were too far away to help.
"『Man In The Mirror』! Send Prosciutto to the mirror world n—!"
Illuso's pupil's shrunk with horror as he realized that he had no entrance to bring Prosciutto into the mirror world. No! His friend is going to be crushed by that monster's arm! Not again! He would not lose a comrade again. Not this pathetically! HE WO—
"FRATELLOOOOOO!" Screeched Pesci. His sweaty palms nearly made him let go of his Stand, but at that moment, at the moment when Prosciutto was going to be cracked open like a watermelon, the moment the person who assisted him, helped him, and took care of him as if he were family was in immediate danger, Pesci's mind resolved in an instant and acted with the mixture of desperation, Dark Determination, and resolve.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The line of the 『Beach Boy』 made a loop around the monster's incoming arm as Pesci threw in more of the line. The monster's fist made contact with the line and was centimeters from reaching Prosciutto's face, but it stopped from going any further. However, Prosciutto crashed into the fist of the monster, but thanks to his A durability of his 『The Grateful Dead』 he managed not to have a concussion or even a serious head injury.
"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HIM!" Screamed Pesci as the hook of his 『Beach Boy』 started to travel at an alarming rate towards the monster's brain. The monster may have resisted if he wanted to, but due to the reflective damage he inflicted upon himself via 『Beach Boy』's line he was stunned and vulnerable to the hook reaching up to his brain.
SPLAT
The monster was not able to stop the hook from entering its brain. With a quick pull, Pesci managed to pull out ¾ of the monster's brain as gore splattered and drenched the green grass.
"... pah… Pah… pAh… F-frà!" Yelled the pineapple headed man as he hurried over to his groaning senior as he massaged his head. "Are you alright? Are you alr—"
Pesci stopped abruptly as Prosciutto raised his hand to motion the signal to stop.
"It's too soon to check on me Pesci! *cough* There are more coming!"
"He's right" Said Melone taking out his Stand as Illuso desperately tried to find a shard of glass. "Look at the monster's penis. It has bodily fluids on it that does not belong to his. You have reeled him in while he was having sex with something"
"Something" Emphasized Ghiaccio. "It had sex with something we don't even know about… We don't know if it had some of its friends too…"
"They are coming… The metal on the ground are trembling by the footsteps made by something… Judging by how they tremble… We should expect more of these monsters and they are closing in fast"
"What do we do leader? I'm open to any plan"
"..." Risotto silently called out 『Metallica』 to scan the deceased monster. "... The monster has blood. The blood has iron. I'll take care of this, just watch my back all of you"
Risotto Nero stepped forward, his hands wrapped around the back of his neck as his posture became straight and noble(and sexy) as he took a step forward.
"... Keep looking at the corpse. You never know when it could be revived again"
With those words the monsters from the forest burst out screaming out their war cries with their clubs waving about with Risotto Nero fully prepared to take them on. 『Metallica』 was boiling in his bloodstream screaming to fight, screaming for blood and the carnage started.
"『Metallica』"
The inhumane screams were reaped across the calm forest and a flock of ravens took the sky, flying away from the demon with red-black eyes as the part of his soul killed, killed, and killed the monsters that would dare harm his family.
…
Until nothing but a field of crimson wet roses bloomed everywhere.
"...!!!"
"..."
"...?"
All across the lands of Eostia, several people with high intuitions than most people felt it. The people withholding centuries worth of wisdom felt it. The ancient beasts, giants of Eostia felt it. The foreign power. The sense of something… off. They didn't know what it was and what it could be and several others dismissed it, believing it to be an outcome of a disagreement with their stomach, or simply the consequences of being too tired and lightheaded. Other wise beings who specifically knew went back to their slumber, knowing that they would not pose a threat to their existence and treasure.
But a few beings, such as the High Elf, the Goddess incarnate: Celestine Lucross, the Shrine Maiden: Kaguya, the Queen of Dark Elves: Olga Discordia and a few more that didn't take this as just a simple incident. They knew something was happening, but they did not know what.
The stars showed the same path for all; the winged beasts chirped happily; the river flowed as it would always would. Nothing had changed on the continent of Eostia, but an addition was made to the system of Eostia.
Stands. A mystical force that represents one's fighting spirit has been added to the system of Eostia. The equal strength between the High Elf and the Dark Elf are now at a teetering edge as everything would depend on these new forces, these new players in Eostia.
A new concept of power has been introduced into this world and many have felt the alien power under their radar. Instinctively they knew, they were coming. The outsiders were coming and nobody will know what they would bring along with them.
This is the story of Squadra Esecuzioni, a team of hitmen, a team who died meaningless in the original, standard dimension; a team that could've done so much more even had potential of overthrowing the boss; a team that has absolute trust and resolve for each other… This is their story. Their ascension to…
Heaven
←To Be Continued
Stand Name: 『The Doors』
Host: Fretta
Destructive Power: E
Speed: A
Effectiveness Range: ?
Durability: A
Precision: C
Developmental Potential: E
Ability: 『The Doors』 has no physical form that one can witness and it is invisible to even Stand users including Fretta herself. However she can feel her Stand as it latches itself onto the surface of physical objects. The size 『The Doors』 on he surface of a physical object may differ on the area of the surface. It's maximum area that 『The Doors』 can cover, according to Fretta herself, is the internal area of a bus, but she does not know how exactly her Stand can cover up. If the area of a surface is too big, it would slither on the walls, floor, ceiling whatever physical object there is, and move at a very high speed. Because it can only exist in a physical object, the Stand cannot be destroyed by any normal means. It can also detect a 'room' and detect several 'exits' to get out of the room. For instance, it can sense doors, windows, air vents, and any route that can allow the person inside the room to leave. If the owner of the Stand wishes, 『The Doors』 can latch themselves onto one of the 'exits' and emit their energy controlling the 'exit'. If the person inside the room, or outside the room decides to open the exit by any means, the Stand's ability will activate. However, if somebody comes or goes through a different route than through where 『The Doors』 has manifested, the Stand's ability would not be activated. Also this ability could only happen inside a 'room' or an enclosed space that has a clear 'exit'. Moreover, since it takes immense amount of energy to continuously activate the ability, the Stand user has the limit of three minutes(180 seconds) of manifesting their Stand on a 'exit'. When she does it one more time, the time she can manifest her Stand on a 'exit' decreases by a minute.
However, if 『The Doors』 is activated by the people inside or the people outside, every single living organism inside the 'room' are instantly transported into another world, a completely different world, a different universe, a different space. Even Fretta doesn't know where 『The Doors』 transports people away, but she instinctively knows that they are indeed gone for good, forever, unless they figure a way to return to their own world.
This is a replacement for my recently deleted story. I'm sorry for others who are waiting for my stories to update, but I'm the author. I write what I wanna write and that's that. I wanted to write a Kuroinu fic so bad. That's why I wrote it.
Also, for the hitman and their Stands... which version should I use? Manga? Anime? Both are drastically different starting from Melone's hair color to Illuso's Stand's color, but Gelato and Sorbet being gay is something that I did based on the anime. I believe that everything that is not covered in the manga, but presented in the anime would most likely to be true. One of these cases is Cioccolata and Secco executing Gelato and Sorbet(I know they didn't make a full appearance, but come on~ You guys can't be that dense to claim that they aren't Cioccolata and Secco right?). Due to the fact that these two maniacs themselves executed the two gay couple made me wonder just how strong both of them were.
The two of them were probably a great threat to the boss and came close to uncover the identity of their boss. They were certainly a huge threat to Diavolo for him to send his most reluctant executors to deal with the traitors. Judging by how Gelato did nothing and stare at his lover being chopped off, I came to a conclusion that Gelato's Stand was more of a Stand that had some certain limits of having their abilities used per day, or perhaps his Stand wasn't suited for fighting face to face with Secco around, but suited for assassination. And by looking of how Cioccolata killed Sorbet first, it would be resonable to think that Sorbet had a more dangerous Stand than his lover Gelato. That is why I placed the dialogues like that: the members of the hitman team being visibly scared of Sorbet's Stand ability while they were careful when it came to Gelato's Stand ability.
As for Risotto Nero and how he feels about his team... Well... due to the fact that he stayed the whole time during Gelato and Sorbet's funeral while the other assassins went up and went, I believe him to be the leader who really cares for his team members and treats them as if they were his own family members. I mean... the dude killed a truck driver who road-killed his cousin. Family means that much to him so I placed a scene of where he contemplates of whether to take the risk and finish what Gelato and Sorbet had started or to quit. If it weren't for Fretta and her Stand and Diavolo's logic, he himself and his team would've faced a sticky end with no achievements, dying useless... which is what happens in Vento Aureo. At least Risotto did substantial damage to Diavolo, delaying his time to eradicate GioGio and his crew. At least the man died with dignity and his noble character not wavering even at the steps of death.
Fretta in Italian means 'Fast' and the reason why I chose this name is because the opponent needs to open the door fast in order for her Stand to activate. And her Stand name 『The Doors』 came from the band name 'The Doors' and her catchphrase 'Everything That Stands... The End' is the song from 'The End' by 'The Doors', which is also used at the intro of 'Apocalypse Now', one of the greatest movies out there.
That's all I need to say in the author's note. Chao and review if you have more questions! And Fav and Follow too!