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The following is a fan-based
FICTION
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Chapter 10: Seventh Mantra! A Devious Laughter across the night!
It was late in the evening when a tired Stand User received a call. Still drained and unwilling to part so easily from his bed, Jotaro was ultimately convinced by Joseph to pass by the temporary headquarters of the SWF.
"So, these two wants to make an alliance or something like that?"
The researcher was hardly someone that cared about this kind of stuff. Tracing back to the journey to reach Cairo, it was always either his grandfather or Avdol that took care of the sensitive topics like this one.
Not that he was shy to talk to some unexpected punks, but Jotaro knew it wasn't his strongest point. He did improve in the last few years with his social skills, but it was mostly because his wife wanted him to socialize a little more with his colleagues.
'You will never be able to get everything done if you try to do all the work yourself. You need help from time to time.'
As much as that mere sentence got him annoyed the first time he heard about it, there was just a stupidly easy logic in it that was undeniable even if it was frustrating.
And the Marine Biologist wasn't one that wished to drown in the often unbearable paperwork that waited by his desk from the first hours of every morning.
Still, it wasn't surreal for a Master and their Servant to seek strength in numbers, but it was odd that this was happening so 'late' from the beginning of the Holy Grail War.
And the bright smile the red-haired giant that was Rider was offering around as if it was Christmas did little to soothe the possibility of this being a trap of sorts.
The little punk, the big guy's Master, that was trying and failing to fend off the smug 'attacks' of the brat Joseph had decided to take care of. He was nervous, unhappy with how outnumbered they were, and he had plenty of reasons to be worried if they were somehow lying.
It wouldn't be the first time someone approached them with seemingly good intentions, only to trick them in an ambush or something even worse.
His instincts were still sharp enough to pick up reasons to be distrustful of this kind of situation, but this was somehow mellowed by a simple comment coming from his own Servant.
"They feel genuine."
The affirmation opened a broad selection of confusing thoughts to handle. Sure, the Marine Biologist had been thinking of the possibility that Caster was capable of perceiving emotions and discern their truthfulness, but for the pink-eyed woman to be this certain of this very predicament was… slightly jarring.
Not that he didn't trust her, quite the contrary. But the subsequent question was: how much could she see out of him?
How much did the chirpy Servant through his usual neutral facade?
It was infuriating for a moment, but… there wasn't much to do about it. She was still an ally, and one that couldn't exactly backstab them for no reason.
A sigh escaped his lips as he continued to calmly ignore the diplomatic exchange between the old Joestar and the young Master of Rider, deciding to keep his attention on the only individual that somehow didn't offer him much trouble.
Sakura yawned briefly and quietly, adjusting herself on his lap as they both sat by the only single couch that was present in that 'living room'.
The warehouse was hardly structured like a proper house, but Joseph had the decency to create a few sections dedicated to house-related functions.
Silently listening to the unfolding conversation, the young plum-haired child seemed partially interested by the strange combination created by Rider and his Master.
It was just plain odd to see these two acting together, with their physical and psychological differences surprisingly working well with one another.
For a child of her age, it was just the dynamic that was endearing, but for Jotaro the fascination lied elsewhere.
Despite Masters being the leading figures of the competition, it would seem erroneous to believe that this mindset was as absolute as he thought of it earlier on.
Archer and Rider were examples of the opposite from what he could see from recent events.
But while the blond prick was just unruly and his Master a pushover, the burly redhead was far from that. In fact, this Servant was rather determined to get his Master to grow a backbone as quickly as possible.
A bizarre sight for sure considering their size-related difference, but Rider's jovial nature wasn't lost to Jotaro.
Despite how much he tried to push back the memories, it reminded him of how Polnareff would behave from time to time.
The Frenchman was the one that wanted to get both him and Kakyoin to spend time around to have fun instead of focusing only on their main mission.
Sometimes that worked on them, but with how frequently these activities would be ambushed by enemy Stand Users, the interest to try new things out slowly disappeared into nothingness.
"Why are you annoyed?" A quiet whisper reached his ears
Just as he had expected, his mood did eventually get noticed by the young child that was now staring at him. Sakura was receptive, but not very vocal about her discoveries as much as many other children her age were.
It was a blessing most of the time, but just like this rare case, there were also moments he was quite surprised by the girl's curiosity.
"This whole meeting seems sudden. I don't know if these two are trustworthy."
The child merely nodded at first, looking back at the distracted duo. Silence resumed for a little less than a minute… and then the former Matou spoke up again.
"The tall one is… desperate."
Tall one? Was she referring to Rider?
"How can you tell?"
Sakura hummed. "He is… moving his hands a lot."
"Gesticulating?" The man suggested and she nodded.
"Yes."
"And how does that make him look… desperate?"
"He is leaning near to his friend. And he looks at the door sometimes."
Which would hint that he was making an escape plan if things go south anytime soon. But that didn't exactly paint a pleasant picture for Jotaro to be calm about. In fact, it did the exact opposite.
"Do you think they still mean it?"
…
"Maybe?"
He held back a sigh. For him to trust this much to a young girl… maybe he really was missing some sleeping hours and-
"The tall one is rubbing his leg close to the short one."
…?
Now that the researcher looked closer to the scene, he could see the Servant keeping rather attached to his Master despite how ample the sofa they were using was.
And it all seemed like… he was trying to coax the boy to be a little less reluctant with his own interventions.
A curious behavior, but one that hinted to the fact they were putting a noticeable effort with these talks.
And for this to be a trap, it sure looked like the duo was acting foolish about making it legitimately suspicious.
Maybe he was giving it too much weight? He sure was feeling tired and maybe his mind was thinking too much about the treacherous trip he had to go through when he was younger.
Despite this lack of interest to give his own input on the matter, Jotaro soon took notice of something strange happening with the two Servants in the large room.
Caster was the first one to tense and look up, her pink eyes wide open in a mix of nervousness and annoyance.
A shadow loomed briefly over Jotaro and Sakura, and then Rider looked up at this development to see what caught the monk's attention first.
The figure was swift, and it rushed away from the skylight right above their heads, with only a tiny object fluttering down towards the Master and the young girl.
Sakura almost jumped in immediate surprise as the small envelope quietly settled on her skirt, allowing for the researcher to reach for it and see what it was all about.
"What was that, Jotaro?" Joseph asked, the old man dividing his attention between the spot previously occupied by the mysterious shadow and his grandson.
"Assassin," Caster muttered without hesitation. "I barely sensed it."
"I didn't expect for that sneaky Servant to be still alive. I guess this is truly a cumbersome war as I thought it to be from the beginning."
But Jotaro ignored all the commotion as he focused on reading the content of the unexpected letter.
The message was written in a clean calligraphy, and he quickly realized who sent it from the fact it was written up above.
Kotomine had contacted him and… the news relayed through the paper were less than optimal, if not atrocious considering the implications forwarded by the fellow Master about the recent development.
"What- What is wrong, Jotaro?"
The Marine Biologist sighed, lowering the paper down as he turned his attention to his grandfather.
"Someone attacked the local graveyard and… there has been a summoning,"
Rider frowned at the news, while the boy beside him looked shocked.
"A-A summoning? I thought all Servants had been summoned already."
"And that's the case," Caster calmly assured, looking at her Master. "But I suppose this isn't the worst news."
Jotaro didn't know how the woman knew that, but he blamed the whole 'feeling detector' ability she had displayed just a couple of minutes earlier.
"The graveyard itself… it was emptied of the corpses buried in there," The Stand User revealed with a tense voice. "And from the way the coffins were found open, it would seem it wasn't from outside of those."
"T-That's ridiculous-" Rider's Master blurted in shock, squirming as quickly as he noticed all the stares were now on him. "I-I mean, this is bad but… resurrecting the dead shouldn't be doable through Magecraft. There are limits about it and-"
"What if it was the work of the newest Servant, kid?"
"It would still leave out what kind of Heroic Spirit would manage to accomplish such a feat," Joseph pointed out with a grim look. "The chances of this being a dangerous new opponent are concerning. We will have to be cautious nonetheless this discussion ends with an alliance or not."
Jotaro huffed before standing up, picking Sakura up with his left hand while his right hand continued to hold the piece of paper.
"We will give it a proper look tomorrow morning. The one that sent me the message has… expressed interest to discuss the matter."
"Isn't that… suspicious?" Caster asked, for the first time ever since the beginning of the war looking concerned.
"Not really. The anomalous summoning was seen by the Supervisor as an illegal aggression and the breaking of numerous rules," The researcher pointed out. "The War might be put on a pause until the rule-breakers are dealt with. Which means that for now there is a truce with all Masters and Servants."
"R-Really?" Master's Rider looked relieved by the news, and the nod coming from Jotaro completed the process of relaxation. "Then that's… good."
"Yes. But that also means that this new Servant is worrying enough to put the entire competition to an halt," Rider said, breaking the illusion that this was just a positive news.
"And if that was the case then… it's best we all keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary… or even worse," Joseph muttered quietly, dreading the chances of this whole event becoming even deadlier than expected.
But for Jotaro, something about this development felt… familiar.
The 'why' and the 'how' were not there in his mind, but he could sense it.
Something bad was coming their way.
Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, Head of the El-Melloi Faction, Lord of the Mineralogy Department, and Euryphis Lecturer in the department of Spiritual Evocation.
All those titles were all entitled to him mostly because of his undeniably excellent pedigree as a Magus. He was the best among those that had been blessed with this kind of life, and he was smart enough to understand that luck was to thank over his origins.
The rest? It was all taken through feats and displays of power. His magical talent was one of the greatest in the Magus Association, and that made him both an influential teacher of thaumaturgy and an important political player within Clocktower's ambitious battlegrounds.
Attention, planning, and dedication to what was for him the most righteous of understanding of how magecraft was given to those within the Moonlit World.
The need of preservation, of prosperity- of bringing improvement to his family with every available means possible.
It was all so easy, and yet so… distastefully complicated.
When he first arrived in Fuyuki, the man had expected for the Holy Grail War to be akin to the petty duels and competitions that were common sight in London.
Nothing beyond the safety of magically-preserved settings, nothing that was under the possible scrutiny of any non-Magus.
The idea was simple, it made sense to him as it prevented things to be so disgustingly difficult to accomplish.
Then again, it was obvious that an event like the Holy Grail War would've needed a setting way greater than anything available in this foreign city. And that would've easily attracted unwanted attention on the handling of the challenge.
No, no. This situation was way more troublesome that he had hoped and wanted out of this trip.
Sure, the malicious rebuttals from his fiance were something of an expected source of frustration, but the fact he had lost the chance of fielding a Servant as strong as Iskandar was… the beginning of many headaches for the Lord El-Melloi.
The treachery of his student cemented the need of removing the brat out of the competition. The War offered him the chance of eliminating the upstart from making any other issues for him to clean up without having to deal with any unneeded foul comments from the Association.
The idea was simple, but the planning and execution were both far from being completed. Not only they couldn't find where the infuriating student had been hiding, but now they were supposed to handle individuals like the Magus Killer and Tokiomi Tohsaka.
The competitors were nothing to scoff at, even though Kiritsugu Emiya lacked tremendously in his magical potential. The man was still a killer, one that preferred to destroy his targets from afar rather than engage in personal confrontations.
And that kind of tactic was as dishonorable as problematic to handle considering how strong the fool's Servant was.
Saber managed to hold a proper fight against his Lancer, but there were doubts in his mind that Diarmuid was ready to take on the blond swordsman without failing to match up with the fellow 'knightly individual'.
The concept of dueling had long changed over the past centuries, and it was clear to him that relying on fairness on a 1v1 battle would only damage his group in the long term.
Which is why, against the wishes of his fiance, that he decided against going for an attack.
He couldn't see a reason to expose himself to the harm when they hardly knew the full potential of their opponents, the extent of their respective reach around the city, and their capacity to strike them the moment they left their safe hideout.
Paranoia was another worry, but one that hardly matched the sense of being careful with how this deadly competition was set to unfold.
There had to be a reason why many failed to win it, and why the Third Holy Grail War was deemed one of the greatest tragedies in modern Thaumaturgical History. And Kayneth wasn't planning to discover it by becoming a victim of his vicious new enemies.
He needed to play smart… or at least he needed to put an effort to appear so.
Ever since they reached Fuyuki, Kayneth's own perception of being prepared for the worst had slowly faltered into a state of uneasiness at how novel some of his recent discoveries were.
Sure, he had thought of the chances of some surprises to appear before his eyes, but to imagine that a mere non-Magus had somehow been able to enter the War made him doubt the integrity of the conflict.
The competition was made by Magi for Magi, so why was a barbarian allowed to take part in that conflict despite the numerous rules that were solely created to restrain Magi from trying and ruining the secrecy of their work all for the sake of getting a wish out of the Grail.
It was truly a sad day to be reminded that the Association was filled with so many unworthy individuals that would risk everything all for the sake of power and immortality.
And yet, despite the frustrations keeping on piling up, nothing had him prepared for what happened in that dark night.
The first hint that something was indeed wrong was when a large set of explosions made the entire building shake as the electrical grid was disconnected from most of the hotel's rooms.
Panic swelled for a brief moment before the Lord El-Melloi took initiative in personally hunting down the only Master that would try to attack in such a disgusting manner.
Lancer was quick to stand beside him, and the blond decided against bringing his own fiance to the dangerous battle that waited for them to happen.
The plan was simple and the morale was high. But then something odd happened before their eyes.
The room's temperature started to drop the moment the Magus reached for the door's handle, forcing him to pause as he took notice of the instantaneous development.
Confusion appeared on his face as he turned the handle to unlock the device, but as soon as he let go of it… the world around him warped before his eyes.
A blink and… he found himself sitting on the couch he had been sitting on right before the sudden blackout.
Lancer was back on his original spot near Sola-Ui, the woman looked confused as much as the man and the Servant were about the absurd phenomenon.
What had happened, and why he felt like… he had faced death for a moment?
His confusion was finally quenched when he turned back to stare at the doors that were now open wide to reveal who was just outside the room.
Cold mist reached from the corners of the new opening, turning the whole room quiet and chilling as the only figure there silently waited for their attention to turn to him.
The dark yellow that made most of his clothes entered in clear contrast with the inner dark shirt and the green details. The sight was confusing, if not increasing the suspension of reality itself as the figure finally spoke.
"Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, I wish to recruit you to help me create a better world."
The proclamation took the trio by utter shock. The voice of this mysterious stranger was incredibly alluring despite the fact they couldn't see his face properly. There was a beauty in his frame that was unexplainable, as if the individual wasn't human… but divine.
Despite the early hesitation to handle this intruder, the silence was disrupted by Sola-Ui herself.
"W-What?"
"Your role right now is demeaning for an individual of your state and rank. You've been turned into cattle whose main purpose is to breed for the sake of an arranged union," The stranger spoke once again. "Yet I know that despite what your brother might have tried to accomplish by lessening the blow to your pride, you still believe that there has to be something more- something better to strive for."
"W-Who are you- how dare you to-"
"Be quiet."
The tremendous fright that came while listening to such a stern change of voice paralyzed Kayneth to his seat. Gone was the fury and the irritation at such a visit, his bravado vanishing in a mere instant as he was left pulled down by a sense of outrageous fear over this enemy.
It had to be an enemy, a dangerous one with how easily he was controlling the room with his mere appearance only.
A Servant? He was sure that none matched with the flamboyant disposition of this absurd character.
So who were they facing? And why did Lord El-Melloi feel a sliver of dread at being subjected to this kind of… abuse?
Something about it just spelled doom, and at the same time a promise of a long and prolonged punishment.
The paradoxical twist at this insane encounter driving more fright within his mind.
"As I was saying, I understand that you mistrust those that offer you something as precious as freedom of will. A reward offered only with the completion of a work that you might find troubling, if not filled with deadly hardships that would require your utmost commitment to the cause, to my cause," The blond continued with his calm but seductive voice. "I wish to bring peace in this world by rallying behind me those that wish to not be subjected to any imposition, to be ready to accept my world, DIO's World, as the only solution to their plights."
"I… but… I'm not-"
"Your worth isn't one dictated by what kind of abilities you have, or by your position within your family. I, DIO, value a person from the way they handle the adversities and adapt in harsh situations," The mysterious figure interrupted with a suave and tempting tone. "You gained my interest because of your stubbornness and dream of freedom."
Malicious thoughts started to storm Kayneth's mind as he found himself subjected to the flagrant attempt of stealing his fiance from him. He knew that the woman didn't like him, that there hadn't been enough time to form at least a formal bond between each other to prevent someone like him from coming around and try to turn her against the Lord El-Melloi.
Gritting his teeth, the Magus could see a single viable option to end the mostly successful attempt of this intruder to kidnap Sola-Ui.
And he wasn't going to allow his name to be tarnished by some deplorable no-name nobody like the one standing by the door.
"L-Lancer, by my Command Seal-!"
Kayneth paused in shock as he found his challenging stare matched by two unholy golden orbs. This 'DIO', this scum- he was staring back at him.
He wasn't attacking, nor had he moved much with that brief outburst of his, and yet the Magus stopped from giving the order to his Servant to strike.
Something about these eyes… they were daring him to go ahead with this action. But why? And why did it feel like he was missing something important about this very situation.
…
He couldn't stop anymore. Not when he was being emasculated in front of his fiance.
"Lancer, by my Command Seal- ATTACK THE INTRUDER WITHOUT ANY RESTRAINTS!"
With the Seal enchanting Lancer to assault the figure, the Servant didn't waste any time to jump in action and… activate his Noble Phantasms.
Gae Buidhe, a spear that could leave injuries that couldn't be healed.
Gae Dearg, a spear that ignored magical defenses by piercing through mana.
In their individual forms, both weapons were powerful- but Diarmuid used both at the same time, creating a devastating combo that no Servant could easily ignore. Not even Saber.
A green blur that glowed blue and red for a brief moment… and then he wasn't no more.
That should technically mean that his attack was successful, but Kayneth wasn't gloating. No, his face was twisted in full panic as his only means to handle the war was easily dispatched off before his own eyes.
Diarmuid stopped a couple steps behind his target, the Servant coughing blood as he slowly realized the extent of his wounds.
Both his spears had been plunged deep in his upper chest, pushed deep through his skin as they were active. The worst part of the scene… was that his now detached arms were still tightly holding onto both blades, swiftly limping as reality struck the entire sight.
The Servant crumbled forward in a horrible scene of lifelessness, shattering any hopes of this battle to result in his victory.
Kayneth's resolve wavered even more, and his perception of his reality collapsed as abruptly as his Servant had.
What was going on? Why was he losing this badly? Who was DIO?
This last question reminded him that the monstrous being had killed an individual his fiance had been fond of. Surely that should've been more than enough to dissuade her from abandoning him.
Yes, that had to be it. There was no other way for things to turn well for him.
Yet Sola-Ui's glare wasn't directed at the intruder. No, it was aimed at the fellow Magus.
But why? His mind couldn't comprehend that confusing scenario. He couldn't grasp over the fact that the woman was capable enough to recognize how Kayneth had sent Lancer to his death all because he didn't want to make a stand for himself. For them.
For Kayneth El-Melloi was a man that believed in pedigree and privileges since birth. And he was born in the right family.
...Right now that entitlement didn't matter. His ultimate weapon wasn't near for him to recover without being slayed on the spot, nor was his mind ready to face a battle as dangerous as the one waiting for him to happen.
He gulped nervously, shivering as he tried to formulate a plan and… failing as DIO was now staring at him.
Gone was the calm that had given a sense of mercy, now replaced by a bitter sternness that completely deprived the former Master of the proper capacities to make thoughts about the situation.
His mind was blank, unable to go ahead with the next needed step. With his brain failing to do something, it was the turn of instincts to try something.
And that something was to rush at the trouble while using the best spells in his arsenal.
He barely stood up from his chair that he was pushed back onto it, this time the cause of this refusal being beyond his control.
Numerous knives were now pressing deep on the left side of his body, from his foot up to head. His left eye stopped working, and his lungs felt drained of all air that was once available to him. The blankness faded away to reveal a collection of memories.
Memories of all the harsh retributions that he had suffered as a child. The need to sharpen his body and mind before the integrity of the family, to make a good heir out of the snot-nosed brat he once was.
But while that remembrance distracted him from the surreal aspect of the situation, soon the reason behind this immediate recollection made itself present in his mind.
The world… burned. The searing sensation of numerous sharp objects turning in his flesh broke through any past pain he had suffered about.
A shrill yell echoed, yet it wasn't his lips that were releasing it. No… it was the woman on the ground floor that had spotted his head, now detached from his body and then forced to fall down out of the room's window.
The tale of Kayneth El-Melloi came to an end in that precise realization, with the last ounce of life now gone and his soul leaving the butchered remains that DIO saw fit to dispose in such a cruel manner.
But the scene back in that room was far from over.
"Do you regret having taken a stand for yourself, Sola-Ui?"
The question drew the redhead out of that horror-induced look aimed at the broken window. The young woman offered an uncertain glance at the blond.
"N-No."
The vampire smiled. "That's good to hear. And I wish to offer you a particularly simple job now that you're deprived of any limitations condemning your stay here."
…
"A job?"
"Right now here in Fuyuki, there is a man that I consider particularly dangerous. The prime threat that could jeopardize my chances of saving those that, just like you, have been condemned by society and cast away as worthless cheap tools," DIO explained with a calm nod. "I want you to spy on him, and report personally to me about what you can learn from his attitude and pattern."
It sounded incredibly easy. An exchange that extremely favored the woman in the long term. So she asked, curious to learn who she was supposed to look for.
"His name is particularly known as of recently, mostly because of his mundane work," The vampire answered with a surprisingly serious tone. Far more serious than any word she could've imagined leaving his mouth. "I want you to keep an eye on Jotaro Kujo. And I want you to deliver him a message when I tell you to."
And with that plan established, DIO hid a smile at how easy things were even though he was now limited by his Servant Status. His Stand wasn't as effective as it had been before… but his vampiric abilities would do just enough to deal with the pests snooping for him.
This time, he had the element of surprise as his prime advantage. And he planned to use this element as a means to get the revenge he dutifully craved for.
Jotaro, I shall put an end to the Joestar Dynasty and all those you care for.
AN
So… people actually adding DIO was a cliché.
…Well, I guess there is no longer any tact in modern generations.
Also, I started to play JJBA the Seventh Crusader. Cool game, I ended up having Miracles as my Stand and… I might have something planned about some characters in a future JJBA story. But I can't tell much about it just yet.
Lastly, DIO's STATS!
True Name: Dio Brando/DIO
Class: Avenger
Master: Francesca Prelati
Noble Phantasm: ｢The World｣ (5 Seconds)
Stats
Strength: A
Endurance: B+
Agility: B
Magic: D
Luck: C+
Class Skills
Avenger: A+
Oblivion Correction: B
Self-Replenishment (NP) : B+
Personal Skills
Charisma: A+
Vampirism: A-
Villain Creation: A+