The Phantom Thieves resolve to continue fighting DIO as Jotaro tries to end things once and for all.


"By himself?" Ann asked in shock.

"For real? Why'd you guys let him do that?" Ryuji said angrily.

"We know it's dangerous," an incredibly stressed Speedwagon Foundation member said. "You know how Kujo-san is, though. He just...does what he wants."

"Couldn't you have told us, at least?" Makoto scolded.

With a sigh, the man shook his head. "He specifically said we weren't supposed to. And, well, he kind of scares us."

"How did he even get to Mementos, though?" Futaba asked them, taking the opportunity to poke around at some of their (by her standards) laughably outdated computers.

"I'm not entirely sure. He said he was going to buy a cellphone like people have here, and around a day after that little icon appeared. We tried to study it, but we didn't really know how."

"Typical," she said.

"Has he been back since then?" Haru asked, concern evident in her voice.

"If he has, he didn't come back here. It's been two days since he left."

"Then we gotta go find him!" Ryuji shouted. "You can't just hang out in Mementos forever like that! You can't, right?"

"Probably not," Morgana agreed. "Even if the Shadows aren't a problem, imagine the toll on his mind. Especially if he's alone."

"Then we need to go help him!" Ann said.

"It's not even the Shadows that are the greatest threat," Yusuke reminded them. "He obviously went there searching for DIO. And if he found him..."

"Let's not just rush in without thinking this time, though." The group nodded, agreeing with Makoto's caution. "Morgana, you mentioned you kept some of our old supplies, right?"

"Yeah, in Leblanc. I figured when we came back here, it might be helpful if the Phantom Thieves ever had to reform."

"Good thinking," Ann said, giving him a pat on the head.

"We can't waste any time," Ren said, giving the signal to head for the cafe.

Leblanc had just reopened after a working week of being closed. While this would normally be bad news for anyone, Sojiro was far too happy to be worried. Futaba had made it through her injuries and was even cleared to go home in record time thanks to an "almost supernatural" recovery from surgery. The extra business he'd gotten in the last few months thanks to a rumor that his shop used to be used by the Phantom Thieves didn't hurt his savings, either.

Speak of the devil, there went the kids now. "You kids in a hurry?" he asked. "It's that new movie, right? I heard it's getting good reviews."

"Not today," Makoto said. "We need to find some supplies in the attic."

This left him confused. "We might know where DIO went," Ann added.

"Now we have the chance to finish this once and for all," Yusuke said, nodding as Morgana and Ren came down the stairs with a small backpack full of items.

"Wait, huh?" Sojiro shook his head. "Are you...are you serious? What are you saying?" He walked out from behind the counter and placed himself in front of the door. "Absolutely not!"

"But Sojiro-"

"No! Futaba, you just came back from the hospital! How are you already putting yourself in danger again?"

"But I'm fine! The doctor said so! You were there!"

"No!" he said. "Why can't you all just...just let this go? Just let other people handle this!"

"Like who?" Ryuji asked. "Boss, you're not makin any sense!"

"Like Jotaro! If he can't protect you kids, the least he can do is solve this mess by himself."

"That wasn't his fault!" Futaba yelled. "We knew the risks when we started! Why can't you trust us? We've already saved the world once!"

"Because I can't lose you, too!" As the room went silent, Sojiro realize how unreasonable it probably sounded for a man with no special abilities to be lecturing a group of people with superpowers. "I can't. None of you. You keep putting yourselves in danger, and even though it's worked out before...it just takes one mistake."

"He's right," Ann said. "We have to do what we have to do, but I never realized how much you must be worrying about us."

"It's true," Haru agreed.

"Sorry, Boss," Makoto said.

"No, you guys are right." He sighed. "Without you, the world would have been taken over by that god. It's just...no matter how old you kids get, you're always going to be kids to me."

Futaba ran up and hugged him as tight as she could. "We'll be safe, okay? So you don't have to worry about us. We're going to be okay."

"You'd better," he said, hugging her back. "That goes for all of you. Because let me tell you, I will not be the one to tell people you died. Just explaining how is going to be a nightmare."

"We'll keep each other safe," Haru told him.

"Then again, my art likely would increase in value if I met an unfortunate end," Yusuke said jokingly.

"Hold on," Sojiro said, walking back to his brewing coffee and taking a thermos from under the counter. He filled it full of liquid and screwed on the lid, tossing it to Ren. "It's not much, but the least I can do is make sure you don't have to be thirsty."

Catching it deftly, he nodded. "We'll make it back safe," he said confidently.

"And when we do, you're taking us out for sushi!" Futaba said.

"I can't afford that right now!"

"Fine, but you'd better have some curry for us. Using a Persona makes you really hungry."

"That's more doable," he said with a laugh. "Now get out of here before I change my mind. I'm already regretting this."

Star Platinum took out another Shadow in a single punch, not even allowing it the chance to assume its true form. Chugging down the rest of a water bottle, Jotaro tossed it aside onto the tunnel floor. He hadn't left Mementos since he first arrived, feeling DIO's presence the moment he stepped inside due to the link between himself and his great grandfather's stolen body.

He'd at least had the foresight to pack plenty of food and water as well as other supplies, including some disgusting pouches full of what looked like rancid gravy. The smell alone was enough to drive a man to drink, let alone the taste, but the kids swore up and down it helped restore their strength. Despite initial apprehension, he quickly learned that wasn't just a joke they were playing on him.

The Shadows themselves were hardly even worth bothering with. The few that didn't run only had any confidence to attack when they were in groups, all of which he quickly annihilated. One or two seemed to be immune to punches directly, but that was more of an annoyance than anything else which he quickly remedied by simply throwing them as hard as he could into a wall. Apparently, that counted as something besides a striking attack.

After another few minutes of walking and trying to decide whether he'd actually been to a particular place before, he happened upon what he thought was called a "distortion" in the Metaverse. He'd actually entered two others earlier on, beating specific people's Shadows into submission until they decided to not be assholes anymore. For whatever reason, he'd gotten a child's flashlight and a matchbook from some bar out of them once they disappeared.

Entering this one, he found something wholly different. It looked like some kind of temple, shimmering brightly among the otherwise gloomy surroundings. How it got here was anyone's guess, but the owner seemed obvious.

Inside, DIO could already feel Jotaro's arrival, viewing it on his crystal ball through Hermit Purple. "He's found us," Akechi said, cursing himself for what he assumed to be his own error.

"That's perfectly fine," DIO said. "I've been feeling a bit restless."

"Master, you're not fully healed yet. Wouldn't it be better to retreat and find somewhere else to hide for now?"

DIO merely chuckled, holding Akechi's chin between his fingers and saying, "It will be fine. We're far stronger than Jotaro even now. If he wishes to come see us, I see no reason not to oblige."

Akechi nodded, though he was still afraid this might backfire. He knew just how much hubris could work to undo even the most solid plans. Still, he trusted his master's judgment fully and went to fetch their enemy.

Despite initial distrust and a refusal to listen, Akechi was able to stay far enough out of Jotaro's range to lead him to DIO anyway. Fleeing upstairs, he eventually able to make it to what could only be described as a throne room, his master sat atop a glistening white marble seat in the center.

"Jotaro," he greet with a smirk, burns still visible on his skin. "You found us quite quickly. I'm a bit surprised your allies haven't come to join you this time, though. Was the death of one of their own too much to bear?"

"Forget about them," he said. "Your fight's with me. Always has been."

DIO cackled at this. "Precisely. As such, I'll give you the courtesy of a one-on-one battle. Akechi-kun will merely watch as I tear your body to pieces and drink your blood."

"You sure about that?" he said. "You look pretty beat up. I'd feel kind of bad kicking your ass if it's not a fair fight. Like I'm beating up some senile old man who can barely walk."

"I'm quite sure," he said, standing from his chair and, after allowing his eagerness to show through in a demented grin, launched himself forward with his characteristic, "Wry!"

"Suit yourself," Jotaro said coolly, reaching into his bag to produce a UV lamp, shining it directly in DIO's face. The vampire screeched, falling to the ground in a heap and trying desperately to escape the light. "What's wrong, DIO? I thought you were going to tear me to pieces and drink my blood."

No matter how much he tried to jump into the shadows, the beam of light still chased him down thanks to Star Platinum's excellent reflexes. "If you're wondering, I had the Speedwagon Foundation give me a couple secret weapons before I came here. Apparently, this is what the old man used back when he was dealing with vampires. I didn't think it would work, but with the way you're screaming, it's not so bad."

The only thing keeping DIO alive at this point was The World. Though the light still harmed his Stand due to its master's nature as a vampire, it was far more resilient in the face of solar energy, being able to place itself in front of the beam for limited amounts of time as he hid behind a pillar.

"My master wanted a fair fight!" Akechi shouted, summoning Loki to his side. "You're not going to-"

As he said this, Jotaro stopped time. Five seconds would be more than enough to deal with DIO's helper. Though he did feel some regret in killing someone so young, he couldn't really bring himself to be all that guilty after his attempted murder of Futaba.

Jotaro walked forward calmly, Star Platinum keeping the light trained on the pillar to ensure the beam was wide enough to catch DIO no matter which side or direction he tried to escape from. With its free hand, it wound back a punch directed at Akechi's chest. If he did it right, he'd shatter his rib cage and stop his heart in a way that killed him instantly, sparing him any pain once time resumed.

DIO wouldn't allow this, though. Charging through the pillar itself, he used a chunk of it as cover to intercept the punch, having no choice but to take the blow himself.

In shock, Jotaro allowed time to move again, Akechi knocked backwards as DIO forced his way between the two. Star Platinum's fist was lodged squarely in The World and DIO's chests, gripping the vampire's heart like a baseball.

"Master..." Akechi said, too stunned to even think. "N-no… No!"

Looking over his shoulder, DIO smiled with what could only be described as the closest thing to sincerity he'd ever expressed. "Sorry, Akechi-kun. You'll have to continue the rest...on your own."

Jotaro couldn't believe DIO would simply sacrifice himself for the well being of another. That was impossible no matter what universe they were in. Just then, something caught his eye on The World's body. It was a single word: Angel.

He moved to the opposite shoulder, reading "Rhinoceros Beetle". Across its chest was "Via Dolorosa". He realized far too late what this meant. In the exact moment he heard Akechi cry out in anguish and saw DIO's smile change to one of triumph, he knew exactly what was about to happen.

DIO had attained Heaven.

"I am thou, thou art I…

Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath,

Thy bond shall become the chains of captivity

and fortify the yoke of thy heart,

Thou hast awakened the ultimate secret

of the World, granting thee infinite power..."


Things are really heating up. Literally. It's really hot in this room while I'm writing this, but I don't want to turn off the heater since it's the dead of winter and it would get freezing.

Sojiro's kind of being like Chi Chi here; you only realize how reasonable they actually are once you're an adult and/or have kids of your own. No, of course he's not going to be happy his children keeping throwing themselves at evil monsters trying to destroy the world, but he's got to relent eventually.

Jotaro came prepared this time. I always kind of wondered why Joseph didn't mention, "Oh, by the way, the Speedwagon Foundation has all these handy, portable UV lamps we could use on DIO. Might want to stop by the Cairo branch and go grab a couple."

Too bad he picked one up at the last possible second. DIO's surpassed the sun now and gone all Eyes of Heaven on us. Now we know why he was so interested in Akechi.

Things are looking shady for the Aqua Teens. Wonder how they're going to make it out of this one.

Thanks for reading. Share with a friend if you're enjoying. Always remember to take out the minions first before they can max their Confidant ranking.