The night was overcast, on the verge of a storm. It was as though the sky itself was heralding the tragedy below, and the fateful impact it would have on the entire world. At the bottom of a rocky valley, there lay an upturned carriage. The driver impaled upon rocks. A child's cry broke through the air, and up above two figures looked down.
"There are survivors, Mister Brando!" a woman said to the man next to her. He sneered with contempt and stroked his chin, then jumped down, skipping off the rocks with surprising dexterity, making an efficient route to his destination.
He examined the man on the road first, putting his fingers to the man's throat to check for a pulse. As he did so, the man's eyes flickered open, and he seized Mister Brando's arm.
"You... saved me from the wreckage, didn't you?" the man on the road said. Ah. "His Majesty will reward you for saving - "
"Yes," Mister Brando interrupted, lifting the man's head and slamming it back, hard, into a nearby rock. "I will be greatly rewarded for this."
There. Now there was no pulse. Mister Brando rose from his knees, dusted off the dirt with a handkerchief and turned his attention to the carriage. By now, his companion had made it down as well.
"It looks like this woman's dead," she observed. Joining her in examining the carriage, he agreed with her assessment. "It looks like she died protecting her... wait, it can't be! Isn't this –"
"It is," Mister Brando said, wiping dirty from the side of the carriage to reveal the Royal Insignia. "It seems as though the Empress is dead... but her children live on."
Two pairs of terrified eyes peered out at them, tears wetting their cheeks. He reached inside, pushing the mother's bloodied corpse aside, and gently, oh so gently led them out.
"Shush now," he said. "Your highness, it is unseemly for Royalty to shed such tears in front of commoners. Even in light of such an accident - "
"This was no accident!" one of the boys interrupted. He embraced his brother. "Charles and I, we saw what happened." Ah. If that was Charles, then this must be Victor.
"W-We were run off the r-road by assassins!" Charles said. "M-Mother covered us with her body and - And –"
And now the two were soaked in her blood. Yes. It seemed as though those scoundrels had performed their duties admirably. He'd have to make sure they got their just payment later: A swift and painless death, to help cover up his tracks.
He bowed, in part to hide his expression. "My name is Dio Brando," he said. "My condolences, to both of you." But mostly, it was to seal the true intention he had for this night.
To ascend to still higher heights within society. For nobody - not even an Emperor or a God - could be allowed to stand above him.
"If you would allow me, I Dio would very much like you to be my... friends."
Chapter 85: I, Dio
====Lelouch====
A leader should lead, or else how is he to be followed? Lelouch was sitting on a bench in the middle of Paris, watching the activity with rapt attention, feeling quite out of place. The city had been attacked, yet again, and here he was guiding traffic, organising a search for injured. How amusing, in spite of his Stand's ability he was once again the centre of attention.
Though to his mind, there was someone nearby who was much more deserving.
"It's alright, let me take a look." Nunnally was standing over a crying child with what looked like a broken leg. She took several deep breaths, placed her hands on the boy's knee and sang. "Pain, pain, go away. Let this poor boy run and play. There! All better."
Entrancing. She was walking around doing that for everyone she could help. If someone was trapped under a piece of debris, she would use her Ripple abilities to give helpers a burst of strength. If someone was injured, she would use it to heal them. He'd seen her catch a pickpocket, and use her Geass to make him help with the effort instead of causing more pain.
"You two, check that building," Lelouch instructed, though he was barely thinking about that at a time like this. "There should be a first aid kit under the counter at the front entrance." Nunnally has grown so much. Did she need him anymore? He opened his mouth again to issue more commands, but found that all the helpers were still busy with their previous orders. He collapsed back onto the bench, and felt the weight of his phone press into him. The attack had ceased. Looking up, he could see that Suzaku and Kallen's battles against the Knights of the Round had finished as well.
In which case...
"Suzaku. Kallen. Can you pick us up? I believe it is time for us to take the battle inside that monstrosity."
"You sure about that?" Kallen asked. "It's stopped firing for now, but..."
"I think they're having a few too many problems inside to worry about us right now," Suzaku said. "Although... Lelouch, I was wondering. What do you plan to do after this is dealt with?"
What should he do? He hadn't been thinking about that - No, more accurately he hadn't been actively thinking about it. Of late he had been caught up in the schemes of others, pulled along because their plans stood counter to his desires and ambitions. After this, something else might come up that he would have to deal with, but for the time being...? Let us assume that nothing did happen. What did he want to do next?
The answer was easy. "The Geass Directorate," Lelouch said. "The Emperor's announcement has seized my interest. How long has the Empire been studying Geass? To what end have they been studying it?"
"I see," Suzaku said. "You're planning to fight the system? But Lelouch, you can't do this alone. The United Federation of Nations would like the same thing, but they don't trust you. I can help you fight Dio, but if you try to move against His Majesty..."
"Then use Euphie to investigate from inside the system," Lelouch said. Of course, they wouldn't get anywhere. "Turn Schneizel's attention towards them." But they would make fine distractions while he -
How strange. Kallen hadn't said anything in response to this suggestion. He had anticipated an objection of some sort from her, an assurance that she could get the UNF involved in the investigation... Something, anything from her. Yet she stayed silent.
Furthermore, the Guren was moving towards the Siege Perilous at an alarming pace.
"Kallen?" he asked. "What are you doing?"
"It's almost time," Kallen said. The Guren fired its slash harken, hooking around a fixture on the outside of the Siege Perilous. "Almost... Nearly there!"
That tone of voice sounded wrong. It was sleepy, lethargic, the same tone she used when she was pretending to be a sickly noble girl at Ashford Academy. Before Lelouch's eyes, the Siege Perilous grew ominous black wings made of energy that reminded him starkly of the Guren S.E.I.T.E.N.
"Kallen! Detach from the Siege Perilous! Now!"
He didn't know why, but something was making Kallen act against her will, and it was unsettling him.
"Huh? What am I -"
There was a sound of rushing wind, a rumble like an earthquake - and the Siege Perilous vanished, bringing the Guren and Kallen alongside it. What had he been thinking before? That he'd been dragged along into the schemes of others against his will?
====Dio====
"Enjoying yourself?"
The childlike voice appeared from behind Dio without warning, but he did not react. He did not allow any trace of surprise or shock to cross his features. Instead, his view settled on those in front of him. Two men, with their hands wrapped around each other's throats. Unable to let go, though anyone could tell by looking them in the eyes that they so very dearly wished to do so.
"Spies working for the Emperor," Dio said by way of explanation. His right eye was glowing with a sinister power. The two men released each other as he turned it off, and they collapsed into a heap, taking deep sucking breaths. "A fine opportunity to test this power you have granted me before they are tortured for information."
"We'll talk!" one of them rasped while rubbing his throat. "Please, no more!"
"How boring," V.V. said. "It didn't take much to break them, did it?"
He said that, but the boy immortal was unaware of what Dio had been doing before the mutual choking. Oh, he'd made a day of it. Woke up this morning, performed his morning ritual, forced them to make him breakfast, then had one of them pull out a box of pins and - well, the memory of it brought a smile to Dio's face. At first he'd let them scream, but then a question crossed his mind:
Why do people scream when they are in pain? To alert others? Or does it, in some way, help to dull the pain a little? A psychological crutch, or perhaps a physiological one? Such a thought fascinated him enough that he decided to experiment.
"It seems that your father is becoming suspicious," Dio said. "While you are supposed to be dead, you must be careful in your movements. Just because you are immortal does not mean you cannot be dealt with."
V.V. stalked forward and - to Dio's amusement - used one of the spies as a seat. He even crossed his legs to add a little bit of extra pressure to the man's spine as he gasped and wheezed from being throttled.
"That adopted brother of yours is poking his nose where it doesn't belong," V.V. said. "It is quite one thing that the Emperor knows about the Thought Elevators –"
"For all that he is using them," Dio interrupted. He shook his head in such disappointment. "You can tell, he is scared of their potential. A man scared of power should not be Emperor."
"Then it's strange to think that my little brother is on track to inherit the throne," V.V. said. "You remember how he used to be? He was always so timid back then, but now... You know, I think I've seen him with a new floozy every night?"
Frustration. Envy. Of whom, Dio pondered? Of those 'floozies' for taking his brother's attention, or for that brother having the chance to grow up? Oh, what sweet novel torture it must be. To be eternally trapped on the verge of puberty - and then seeing how your own twin brother grows up to become quite the ladies man.
"Have no fear for my adopted brother," Dio said. "I have allowed Jonathan free range for long enough. His silly bizarre adventures have proved amusing for a time - but now I shall put an end to them once and for all."
"Oh? You mean you'll do so personally?" V.V. asked. "You're not going to send another assassin after him? Or pay off a gang of thugs?"
Dio shook his head, amused by the immortal's lack of understanding.
"A means to keep myself in his thoughts, nothing more," Dio said. "I know full well that only I, Dio, am capable of truly defeating Jonathan Joestar. Much as he is the only one capable of defeating me."
"How rare," V.V. whistled. "You acknowledge the possibility of defeat? You must respect the heck out of him." Dio didn't deny this. It was true. The one enemy that he respected, even a little. That fire in him was admirable, if its fuel was faulty. "Very well. I'll be sure to keep C.C. busy while you head off halfway around the planet. If she notices you're heading off to kill an old acquaintance of hers –"
"She won't care. Don't waste your energy."
"What? Really?" V.V. gasped in fake shock. "She doesn't strike me as that sort - oh. I get it. You struck out on her, didn't you?"
Dio strolled by the immortal child, and then the boy's head popped like a zit. Moments later, it regrew. He should be grateful that Dio's Geass was nowhere near ready enough to take his immortality, otherwise he might have stolen it there and then. Though... he had the feeling that V.V. would be staying well away from him when that time came.
This was fine. His other new power offered him a different kind of immortality.
"Take these prisoners for interrogation," Dio said. "I have broken their minds, bodies and also their spirits. All that is left in them is the truth, which you may extract at your leisure."
"Of course," V.V. said, standing up and snapping his fingers. A few of his 'scientists' grabbed the prisoners by their arms to drag them away. "You do realise that once you've extracted the truth from a person, all that's left is an empty void."
"Nature abhors a vacuum," Dio grinned. "Dispose of them to satisfy nature."
It was fascinating to behold how cruel and twisted this boy became without Dio so much as lifting a finger. He'd only been intending to use him, but of his own choice, his own volition, he had developed a genuinely childlike evil, sprouting before Dio's own eyes.
It affirmed for him something he had always believed. That in spite of the stories, good does not prevail within reality. Only evil can flourish in this world. For this world encourages corruption. This world encourages vice. This world discourages kindness and piety.
This world... Would best be ruled by one such as Dio Brando alone.
====Shirley====
For most of her life when Shirley Fenette became angry, it was almost like watching a puppy yip at a ball. It was cute, energetic, attention grabbing but nobody was in any real danger. She was a little clumsy, well meaning, the sort of person who tried to see the good in anyone.
There was no trace of that here. Though her mask hid them from the world, there were tears staining her eyes. Tears of sadness, regret, anger, all mixed up as they streamed down her cheeks. Schizoid Man was pushing back hard against the enemy's freaky looking Stand, rearing back its head to headbutt it hard on the face -
But before it could land, the Stand disappeared and Dio leaped back.
"Hrm... Perhaps it would be a shame to end it so quickly?" Dio said. "If I do not test the physical limitations of our Stands, without using their unique abilities, I shall forever wonder how yours measured up."
He was treating this like a game. As if they were sitting around a dinner table rolling dice and moving pieces around a board. As if they were drawing cards from a deck and laying them out. As if Rivalz was nothing more than a captured piece. As if his life didn't matter. As if - As if - As if!
"As if I can accept that! Ora ora ora ora ora!"
"Useless useless useless useless useless!"
Their firsts flew out alternating between blows meant to strike and blows meant to deflect. The speed they were going was incredible, the power behind them so brutal it might cause a gale to form on either side, the precision of their blows inhuman. Yet Shirley cared not one whit for any of it. Only one thought burned in her mind.
This man killed her friend. This man kidnapped another friend. This man was the enemy of her family. There was only one way to express the emotions she was feeling in attacking him at this moment.
"Ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora!"
"Useless useless useless useless useless useless useless!"
A sharp pain lanced through her shoulder and sent her stumbling back. Voodoo Kingdom had landed a glancing blow on Schizoid Man's shoulder, but it had been enough to settle the matter.
"A smaller difference than I like," Dio sneered. "Yet victory is still victory." Schizoid Man reared back and sent out a punch aimed squarely for Voodoo Kingdom's stupid, dumb, rotting sneering face. It made no moves to defend itself, if anything it leaned into the attack. "This game is over."
Hot pain in her hand, like a grenade had gone off in it. Shirley screamed and cradled it. Nothing broken, but - it felt like she'd punched a solid wall with her own hand with all her strength. The instant Schizoid Man's fist connected with Voodoo Kingdom's face, that pain had hit.
"Th-This isn't a game," she spat out to mask the pain. "People aren't pieces you can throw in the trash when you don't need them anymore!"
"Did you ever tell that to my grandson?" Dio asked. "A shame, I had been quite amused at the idea that my grandson and the latest Joestar descendant might one day reproduce. How long do you think you'll last without him here to guide you? You were lucky my Stand is as sturdy as it is, or you would have taken more damage than you did. That luck is all the Joestars have left in them, by now."
Schizoid Man was blowing on its fist, so Shirley made it summon a sword in its other hand. While Dio laughed maniacally, a maddening malevolent mocking laugh Schizoid Man lunged forward and plunged that sword deep into that lunatic's chest.
The sword snapped in two. Actually, snapped might not be the best way to describe it. More like a cut suddenly appeared in it, and then it fell out of Dio's body without leaving a scratch on him.
"I have seen the limits of your Stand's ability!" Dio yelled. "Joestar descendant! Your end has –"
He stopped in his tracks. He had been right. The fight had already begun, but she was all out of ideas. If he'd continued his attack she would have been finished, confused and baffled by what was happening. Furious at herself for letting Rivalz die, then for that death to mean nothing.
"Don't... touch him..." a voice, exhausted and breathless, called from the stairs up above. Rolo! "Run away, don't get near either of us." The boy looked like he'd been up for two nights straight.
"I can't run away," Shirley said. Her eyes flickered back towards Rivalz. Schizoid Man pulled out a javelin and threw it right for Dio's head with all of its strength. "He can't get away with that. He won't get away with that."
The javelin soared through the air towards the unmoving man, striking him in the forehead like a perfect bullseye. A swinging wrecking ball couldn't have had more impact from all the oomph her Stand put into it. That sort of impact should rip his head off, and if it didn't do that then the tip of the javelin should pierce -
Dio was frozen in place. He couldn't move. He had no awareness of his surroundings. He should be defenseless, unable to even twitch a finger in his defense. Despite that, the very instant that the javelin struck Dio's skin something inexplicable happened. Now, think of the things that Shirley had seen up until now. Think of all the completely ludicrous, nonsensical events that have fallen before her eyes.
Once the tip of the javelin struck, it cracked as though striking something much harder than human flesh and bone. The rest of the javelin then followed, and each new portion that hit had the same thing happen to it. Imagine watching someone feed a javelin into a wood chipper, and you get a good idea of what the experience was like. Except in this case the wood chipper wasn't connected to a power source. It shouldn't be working, yet there it was. Broken shards of a javelin.
Her shock vanished when Rolo fell down the stairs. However angry she might be, however vengeful Shirley's thoughts were, she was still a compassionate girl who couldn't stand to see someone she knew in pain. She rushed towards him, catching him with Schizoid Man before he could hurt himself on the stairs - but that meant behind her, Dio was on the move again.
"You run away instead of approaching?" Dio asked. "Hrm? You can hardly 'kick my ass' from all the way over there, girl!"
This guy! Schizoid Man dropped a smoke bomb, and the two of them hurried away, rushing deeper into the mansion. On the one hand it felt like her pride had been injured, making that kind of bold claim and then running away. On the other... what kind of power did he have?!
"Hey Rolo, you've been fighting this guy longer than I have," Shirley whispered. "He can't actually be invincible. There has to be something that can stop him, right?"
"Hahh... You're talking to a professional assassin," Rolo said. The boy pulled himself up to his full height (which was a little bit shorter than her, so it wasn't quite as cool looking as he probably intended) "I have a plan - but we need a bit of setup first."
====Dio====
"And so the court should plainly be able to see, this woman cannot be guilty of the crime she is accused of."
Behold, the Britannian justice system. More a ceremony, typically, than an honest trial on many occasions. More often than not, it came down to who you were friends with, who you were enemies with and the same for those accusing you.
Rare indeed were the trials that reached this stage where the concept of fairness and equity existed. Such precious gems were they that even Dio could appreciate their taste. The facts of the case actually mattered! How novel.
Today, he was defending a rather beautiful young woman... Or so she seemed. Dio addressed the court for his closing statement, relishing the moment to show off for the crowd.
"Though it is true that the victim mysteriously perished in her presence, she had no weapon on her person," Dio announced. "She had no means to dispose of a weapon. No means to hide it. Further, the prosecution has failed to provide convincing evidence that a murder has even occured! They claim this death could be nothing else but murder, yet their own explanation is full of holes! They say that nobody but her could have killed him, yet have failed to demonstrate how she supposedly did so!" He shook his head for effect, then slammed his hand on the desk. "The court must look elsewhere for an answer, in this General's untimely death. They will not find it here."
Nor would the court believe the answer. He sat down next to his client, who bristled at his closeness, and brushed aside her stunning green hair.
"Quite the performance," she whispered, sounding quite distant. That, he had learned, was her natural state of being. Detached. Aloof. Well, yes, that made sense to him: In her condition it must be impossible to make connections with anyone. "Of course, you know what really happened."
"Ripple is an amazing power," Dio whispered back to her. He reached for her face and she pushed his hand away. Hrmph. "The ability to understand the law of the land is far more potent."
It was true enough. With Ripple you could eventually influence multiple people. With the power of the law, you could move whole nations. Often without them even knowing you were doing so, which rather robbed some of the fun out of it.
"You know a little too much about me for my own comfort," the witch said.
"I keep track of my wayward brother's activities," Dio admitted. "His friends, his acquaintances, his enemies. You, though - you intrigue me. Not because of your beauty, nor your apparent immortality. Your history, your personality..."
"Spare me. I've met your type. I'm bored of your type. There's nothing you can offer me –"
"You're not the only code bearer I know."
How wonderful. That little flicker of emotion across her face. The timing couldn't have been better either, as the Not Guilty verdict came down.
"Don't think you've done me some big favour," C.C. said as they left. "I would have escaped eventually."
"Perhaps once," Dio said. "You would have been burned or drowned, and then slipped away when you recovered. In this age they would strap you to a table and study your body." Not that he could especially blame them. "To work out how your ability works. You would be vivisected alive. Subjected to all manner of experiments. As you must be aware, there are fates worse than death."
"I'm very much aware, thank you," C.C. said. Ah, she raised her hand and gently filled it with Ripple, then tried to push him away - only for his Stand to catch her wrist at the last moment. "Oh. You're one of those."
"Such disdain in your voice, coming from a witch," Dio said. "Or would you rather I tell them how you used this Ripple to slay a General who had recently become a vampire? Much like your good friend Lisa Lisa...?"
Oh, now, such a steely gaze. Something like interest at last, was it? Now for the killing blow.
"By the way, who do you think found out that General was a vampire?" Dio asked. "That was an anonymous tip you received, wasn't it? Such a thing could have come from anyone..."
Realisation dawned, at last. Of course he'd done it. Of course he had manipulated her into that little assassination. His vampirism aside, that General was proving... difficult in his interference in Dio's operations. Trying to distance him from the young Charles, while also pushing for the older brother Alfred's position in the court. Quite obviously attempting to install a vampiric presence in the Empire's court, with poor Alfred becoming little more than a puppet.
"What are you after?" C.C. said.
"To satisfy my wounded soul," Dio lied. "After hearing that Jonathan became a vampire himself - why, it crushed my spirit to see such a noble person reduced to such depths. I never truly believed he had tried to poison father, and hoped we could one day reconcile."
The mask had been a mistake on his part. He hadn't known that it would cause vampirism until after the fact. Still, seeing Jonathan reduced to such a state was quite... pleasing. Given the chance to do it again, he'd take it. So, perhaps it had not been a mistake after all!
"Also, we would appreciate your assistance with an ongoing project of ours," Dio continued. He grabbed her arm and led her away. "Charles can explain the idea better than I," Largely because he was more passionate about the project. While Dio himself intended to use it as a means to an end.
"Charles? As in Prince –"
Dio shushed her, and nodded. Now he really had her attention. Even though she didn't have even a tenth of the full picture yet, he'd dangled enough bait to keep her fascinated. Better still, an immortal like her likely knew he was manipulating her - but at this point she'd go along with it anyway. If for no other reason but to stave off the boredom.
"Father! Hello father!"
Ah. And here came another element to his plan now. A slip of a lass, no more than ten (or perhaps she was eleven...?) rushed towards him beaming widely ear to ear. A beautiful smile. Second only to his own, and the difference was closer than even that might imply.
"C.C. this is Marianne. My daughter," Dio said. "Did you see father in court today?"
"I did, father!" Marianne smartly said. "A very convincing argument. A perfect case as always."
"I see," Dio said. "Did you have that 'play date' this morning as we discussed?"
'Play date', in this context, meant 'murdering Prince Alfred in his bed.' Little Marianne was already proving useful. She picked up things quickly, much quicker than other children her age.
"I certainly did father," Marianne said, bright eyed and still smiling innocently. "It went exactly as planned. Hi, Miss Client! You're really pretty! Can we be friends?"
Already working her charms on the immortal as well, was she? That was fine. This was part of Marianne's role as well. To use that charm to sway others to his cause. Nothing else mattered in the end. She was the only one of his many children that Dio had decided to pay any attention to.
Then again, once his plans were concluded he might want to change that attitude. After all, did God not view all of mankind as his children...?
====Dio====
Oh, how lamentable it was that the Joestar family would be reduced to this. A clown. A grieving housewife. Two little girls, one of whom was an airhead playing at being a hero. Still. He would be a fool to disregard them so easily. His first impression of Jonathan had been that of a spoiled rotten high class twit with an old fashioned sense of morality, and look at the trouble he caused.
"You wish to play hide and seek?" Dio called out into the mansion. "Tsk, tsk! It seems that all you and your friends can do is run away and hide. When will you learn? When will you accept? There is no running. There is no hiding. You are all insects, and I shall tread on you one by one, the same as I did that boy."
No response. No howl of righteous fury. No petite figure screaming out of a corridor with her muscular Stand rushing headlong into doom. How surprising. Yet, when you get to be at Dio's age and with his level of power, a surprise like this is a welcome thing.
"You seem content to play," Dio sneered. "Very well then. Though I am loath to play the same game twice so quickly. So instead, we shall put on the same stage show once again!"
Out of a nearby room, both Milly and Euphemia shambled out. He could make them walk out with their heads held high. Dignified, as though marching to doom with pride. Where was the fun in such body language? He did not enjoy any execution where the condemned walked to the gallows with nobility in his stride. No! Show him fear! Show him the realisation that you were at the end! Show him that powerlessness, that inferior aspect, let him taste it and revel in it as you lay broken, a truly dead man walking!
Voodoo Kingdom led them to Dio's back. To think, they came all this way to rescue these two, and circumstance had led them to be his prisoners once again. He handed the Princess a pistol.
"Hello Shirley! I'm afraid Lord Dio has me under his power!" Milly said.
"Me as well," Euphemia added. "We were both too stupid to cover our eyes."
"Not that it would have mattered!" Dio turned, and ran his fingers underneath their chins. "So, Joestar descendant? You have seen one friend die today, and it set you into a moment of grief stricken rage before you succumbed to base cowardice. What would hurt you more, I wonder?"
Euphemia held the gun to Milly's head. Her arm hung down in the middle as if she were a puppet on string. He could make her straighten it, but the aesthetic appealed to him. It put her in her rightful place.
"Perhaps I should kill another friend?"
Milly took the gun from Euphemia, and pointed it at the Princess's head.
"Or perhaps I should turn that friend into a killer?"
Through Voodoo Kingdom he could see the panic in their eyes. Delicious. Absolutely delicious. Mixed in with a sprinkle of hatred from the delectable Miss Ashford, contrast it with the more innocent naivete of the Princess, and even Dio was struggling to make the choice. Naughty or nice? Which should he kill? Which should he leave alive? He was tempted to make them beg for it, granting the winner a greater prize than merely their own wretched lives; A single night with him, before he killed them as well.
"Is this how Britannia is meant to show its strength?" Shirley - Or perhaps for his own amusement he should say Zero - said while striding out at last, clearly unable to bear it any longer. "By using it to crush those who cannot fight back?"
"Foolish girl, you really do not understand anything," Dio said. He'd made his decision. The gun lay in Euphemia's hand, aimed squarely at Milly's head at point blank range. "Britannia shows its strength by winning by any means necessary! Now, Joestar! Let us add yet another body to the pile!"
"Very well!" Zero said, pointing her index finger at him. "But the body will be yours!"
"Useless!" Dio yelled and pointed down to the floor. "Bow before me, Joestar! Then I shall spare them both! Offer your life in exchange for theirs! Acknowledge my superiority and let me put an end to your accursed bloodline once and for all!"
Instead of bowing, the foolish girl stepped forward with her hand still outstretched, pointing right at Dio. Very well! He made Euphemia pull the trigger, enjoying the fear and despair welling up in her eyes. Were those tears streaming down her pretty cheeks? How delicious, he should take the moment to savour them!
Zero continued to walk and opened her outstretched hand. Six bullets fell out and bounced to the floor. The gun in Euphemia's hand clicked uselessly as she pulled the trigger over and over again, her body wracked with sobs.
"Catching bullets was one of the first things my Stand learned how to do," Zero said. Schizoid Man appeared behind her, and waved a coy wave. Like a five year old that had learned an impressive trick and was embarrassed by the attention. "You will have to do better than that to intimidate me."
"As you wish!" Dio cackled, though he didn't find this especially funny. He could have them attack each other, or even themselves, but for that little stunt Dio was too angry to enjoy something that he liked. Humiliate him like that, would she?! "This is the first thing my Stand learned! Voodoo Kingdom! Tear their heads off! Wrrrryyy!"
"Oy, oy, oy! If you're going to play hide and seek..." a familiar voice said, and without warning thorns wrapped around Dio's head and throat, blocking his vision and constricting around his throat. "Then you've got to close your eyes first!"
"Uncle!" Ze - no, this was the behaviour of Shirley now. "His Stand is still free! I'll get him!"
By 'getting him' she apparently meant throwing a blanket over Voodoo Kingdom and trying to hold it still. Insolent whelp! Dio raised his fist as if to strike the vines around his head. He had no illusions. His bare fists would not be able to harm this Stand.
Which is why he lowered his fist, hard, striking himself in the stomach with all of his strength. For a normal person, an attack like this would have some hesitation, the blow would be pulled at the last possible moment. Not so for one with the will to win that Dio Brando possessed! His fist connected hard with his own stomach, a blow that would normally knock all the wind out of a man's sails.
"Fuuuuuh!" Joseph gasped. Dio raised his fist and struck himself again - this time in the kidneys - transferring the damage such a blow would inflict directly back into Hermit Purple, hence into the fool himself. Then again. And again! And again! "If you think... I'm going to let go that easily, you - No, you want me to hold onto you!" Joseph paused and took several deep sucking breaths. "My breathing has been feeling funny for a little while now. You were punching yourself to distract me from that!"
"So you finally noticed, Joseph Joestar!" Dio said, easily pulling Hermit Purple off his face. The buffoon was leaning against a wall trying desperately to draw breath. "All this time you were throttling me, I was transferring the effects of asphyxiation into your Hermit Purple!"
"Transfer this!"
His attention returned to the girl, and in the very next instant he took a custard pie to the face. Ah. How interesting. He'd never been quite this angry before. It was refreshing. Invigorating. He couldn't even yell, he was so blinded with utter white hot fury.
"Milly, Euphemia, take my Uncle and get out of here!" Shirley yelled.
"Sh-Shirley, you can't fight him alone!" Joseph protested.
Dio took a deep breath, and Voodoo Kingdom flexed its muscles, throwing off Schizoid Man with ease. "Wrrrrrryyyyyyy!" he yelled. "You can't fight me alone! You can't fight me together! You can't fight me at all! To fight me is to interfere with my Kingdom, which is something my mighty Stand will never permit!"
Schizoid Man lunged for him, grappling with Dio's shoulders, turning him away from the others while the girl stood with her back to her own Stand, watching for Voodoo Kingdom's approach. Dio continued to scream in anger, sending a flurry of blows that forced the girl back, back, back!
"Come along Mister Joestar, we're getting out of this for real this time," Euphemia said. "We're only getting in the way at this point."
"Don't worry guys, I've got this," Shirley lied. "Run, get away! I'll take care of this creep."
Dio stopped for a moment to compose himself. If he lost his cool right now then this girl would be able to lead him on. Her only hope in survival was making him lose his temper. Then he would be cold. Ice cold! He would clinically, methodically, calmly dismantle her every hope right in front of her eyes! He would recall that nothing she could do could hurt him, but he could do plenty to hurt her.
Seeing an opportunity, Voodoo Kingdom leaped in for a strike right for Shirley's head, but found itself staring down the barrel of a gun. It fired at the last possible moment, releasing a Gleipnir charged bullet right into the Stand's fist. The image was disrupted. The girl was saved but it would be a short reprieve. Dio reared back his head and dove in with a headbutt that would crack the mask Schizoid Man was using to protect itself.
The Stand disengaged. Shirley rolled away, knowing full well she couldn't tackle him in a straight fight. The perfect chance to dismiss Voodoo Kingdom, and resummon it at its full image. Ah, but now she had a machine gun ready. How adorable! How quaint! Most Stand users would put their Stand in front of them to defend from bullets like these, but as they were likely Gleipnir rounds as well -
"Useless!" Dio shrieked, and ran forward himself with Voodoo Kingdom trailing behind. The bullets tore into his flesh, but were soon left behind in the floor beneath him. "Useless! Useless! Useless!" Did she not understand yet? He was invincible! Voodoo Kingdom protected him from everything, for his body was his Kingdom and he was a mighty tyrant! "Useless useless useless useless useless!"
Voodoo Kingdom struck her hard in the shoulder, sending her flying back down the corridor. She rolled until hitting the wall on the other side. How satisfying. Watching her sprawled like that fit her well!
"Guuhh..." Shirley sputtered. She pushed herself up, but collapsed almost right away. "Ugh! D-Damn, that hurt!"
"Is that all you can take?" Dio jeered. "Other Joestars would have taken more than this."
Shirley turned to look at him, and then began to stagger away. She stumbled, crawled a few steps, picked herself back up and continued to flee.
"This world is above you," Dio continued, following her at a leisurely pace. "You thought that you could fight me alone, when you can barely take a single hit? How low your family has fallen."
Still she continued to crawl away, crawl like the worm that she was. She threw various items at him. A dagger. A bowling ball. An anchor, a bola. The last was the most problematic of the lot as he had to spend a moment slicing it to ribbons before it could tie up his ankles.
"Weak! Pathetic!" Dio continued. "That is why you continue to suffer! You indulge in acts of so called nobility, while moving to protect the unworthy from the worthy! Does it not bother you, to see people you supposedly care for throw their lives away? You motivate them! Inspire them! Into the grave for the sake of your fairytale ideals!"
Shirley crawled into a room at the end of the corridor. The fool had entered the master bedroom. He grinned as he stalked after her, finding her backing away all the way inside. There was no escape here. This room was once his own bedroom at the Joestar manor, and while he was fully confident in his Stand's ability to protect him, Dio was not foolish enough to give anyone the chance to kill him in his sleep. The walls, ceiling and floor were all reinforced steel, several inches thick. If she thought she could run and hide in there, then she was deeply mistaken.
"A mountain of bodies lie at the feet of the Joestar name," Dio said while stepping into the room. "Time for you to join them."
"You first," Shirley said. Then she vanished. Replaced by burning cloth sitting in the middle of the floor.
"What's this?" Dio asked. He looked around. The door was closed behind him. Not merely closed. Locked from the outside. Something heavy was holding it in place. He slammed his weight against it to no avail. "You think you'll kill me with fire?" he asked. "Think again!"
Voodoo Kingdom slammed its fist into the door - and its fist promptly disappeared without leaving a scratch on the surface.
"Gleipnir energy?" Dio yelled. Then he began to cough. The fire had spread, and spread quickly. "I see... it's not the fire you intend to use, it's the smoke!" He tried the wall next. Then the floor. Both were charged with Gleipnir energy. He was trapped! With nothing he could transfer the effects of asphyxiation into! The air vents in the ceiling were blocked with plastic, throwing pieces of furniture against the walls did nothing to dent them, this was a well considered trap set for him by...
"No, not by the girl!" Dio fumed, beginning to cough quite severely. "The assassin! This is the work of a professional killer!"
If he were the type to be self reflective then he might have considered what he had been taunting Shirley about as he pursued her into this blatant trap. He had mocked her, jeered at her and her ilk for inspiring others to be greater than they are. Now, here he was, all because an assassin had been inspired to stand up to his invincible evil rather than run away.
But... Dio was the sort of person who would not reflect on such useless thoughts. His only thoughts, the only kind of thoughts he ever allowed himself to have, were thoughts related to the one thing that mattered in this world.
Victory.
=====Dio====
"The Emperor is dead! All hail, Charles zi Britannia! 98th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire!"
A joyous cry went up throughout the room, from assembled nobility and Royalty. Scurrying rodents looking to suckle on a free teat. No doubt, they saw this new Emperor as fresh blood. A new chance to milk some power, influence,wealth from the Empire. Within the crowd, Dio tucked his head low and grinned wickedly to himself.
To think that cowering boy would grow into this. Though, like all other men, he was inferior to Dio, the difference was less so than it was for others.
The ceremony concluded. Their Empire had a new leader. Alas, it was not Dio himself for he would have led them to a truly glorious eternal age, with them as his devoted slaves. In due time. He had long since mastered the art of the false smile, and so he approached the Emperor.
Of course, he was not the only one to do so. It seemed that everyone in the room wanted to speak to their new Emperor. All the better to curry favour, no? He could hear it plainly already. Suggestions of political alliances, new policies that - by sheer coincidence - would greatly benefit the friends/families/personage of the one making the suggestion.
"Congratulations, your Majesty!" Dio loudly said, cowing the nobility with his brazen approach. "A truly splendid ceremony! I see nothing but a shining future for all of our Empire!"
Charles looked at him as though he had tossed him a life preserver. But of course. This Emperor had not ascended to this position out of a sense of responsibility, nor of a desire for the power it offered. This was to another end. An aspect of this man that Dio could fully empathise with.
"Lord Brando, I recall the arrangement you brought forth the other day," the new Emperor said. "A moment's privacy. Bismarck, ensure we are not disturbed."
The nobility was, of course, disappointed but dared not show it. So instead they turned to lavish their attention on the Emperor's children. He had quite the brood already, even before he became Emperor. Odysseus, Schneizel, Guinevere, Cornelia, Clovis and probably others that Dio hadn't bothered to learn about yet. Whatever faults he might see in this man, his libido was not among them.
How fortuitous it was that he had a beautiful, charming, intelligent daughter. The perfect means to control a man is often through a woman.
"So, your Majesty? How do you take to being Emperor?"
"I dislike it already," Charles replied. "I feel ever more surrounded by their lies. But! Now we have access. At last, we have full access to the World of C. Our research may continue unimpeded. If I must endure their simpering craven spoiled attitudes to obtain that goal, then so be it."
"Of course, your Majesty," Dio bowed slightly, but only slightly. It was as deep as he would allow himself anymore. "The power of Kings will suit us well. With the support of our two immortal friends..."
He left it hanging, to let the man in front of him come to his own conclusions. That they would destroy the world of lies that Charles hated so much, and the God that allowed it to exist. Dio's actual thoughts were more along the lines of '... I shall continue on my ascension to Godhood.'
"There is one other matter," Dio said. "Although you are Emperor, I must assume the role of doting father."
Role, because it was a performance.
"The fair Marianne?" Charles replied. "She fascinates me. I saw her out there today, among the rest of the Knights of the Round. She commands the room by merely standing in it. If the sun went out, it feels as though she would radiate light. I should be so fortunate that any of my daughters would be half the woman that she is."
Such a thing is only natural. His genetics, his upbringing as a parent. The ultimate, perfect soldier capable of using charm, wit, strength to overcome any opponent that stepped in her way. This was his plan - his method to entice and control an Emperor from the shadows. Through a powerful wife with the will to do so!
He'd selected the mother to breed such a daughter carefully. Chosen for her natural beauty. No plastic surgery, no falsities need apply, it had to be bred into the bone. That mother had been intelligent. Healthy. Strong willed.
She was none of those things by the time Dio was done with her.
"She is the apple of my eye," Dio lied. Smoothly. Naturally. Better than any of the fools out there. "I can think of worse things for a woman, than to draw the attention of a new Emperor. I know she speaks fondly of you, as well."
"She was an instrumental role in the overthrow of my father, the previous Emperor," Charles said. "Hrmph! Lord Brando, I believe that a Chancellorship has recently opened up."
"It would be an honour," Dio said. Yes, he looked forward to this. The day when he could, at last, step upon this man's back and reach for the heavens. Let him finish his research. Let him work tirelessly to slave God. It would do him no good.
Because in place of that God was where he, Dio, would soon be found.
====Rolo====
He couldn't remember the first person he'd killed. Not their face, not their name, not their gender, not even the way that he'd done the deed. Probably shooting them. Poison wasn't his style, he wouldn't have been strong enough to bludgeon or choke, at his height a stabbing would not be instantly fatal, meaning there would have been a chance the target could have survived.
Had he shot in the head? The heart? With what kind of gun? He didn't know. He didn't remember. He didn't much care either. He'd killed so many people over his life that such a mundane thing was beyond his ability to recall.
That's not to say he'd forgotten all of his kills. No, a few stood out. Like the time he'd tricked a vampire into following him into a house of mirrors, and switched on a UV light. Or the time he'd drowned a supposed Master of Ripple by freezing his personal time and chaining him to his sink. There were a few like that who stood out due to the unusual nature of the kills. For most he could simply freeze their time and deal a killing blow with something already to hand - but a select few missions required a touch more sophistication.
For the first time in his life, Rolo was taking pleasure in the kill. For an assassin, such a thing is quite unprofessional. Don't savour the moment, get in and get out. The reason for that was quite simple.
Where most people could never forget their first killing, they cannot remember the moment of their birth. In a sense, Rolo was the opposite. For most of his life he had not been a living being. He had been a machine trained for one specific job. To end the lives of others. Which meant he could remember the moment he was 'born' quite clearly.
"Hey, you're the new guy right? I'm Rivalz Cardemonde, secretary for the student council."
"Rolo? Are you alright?" the girl next to him asked. For good reason. Rolo was leaning against the wall, taking deep sucking breaths. Anyone could tell that he was barely able to stay on his own two feet.
"I'm fine," he lied. "It's been a busy day." That part, at least, was the truth. He'd been overusing his Geass so far today. Normally he'd only have to do such a thing when facing numerous enemies. Today, he was facing only one. With help. It was a good thing she couldn't see his eyes, due to the sunglasses she had given him to keep him safe from Dio's Geass. If she could, she'd be even more needlessly worried. "So long as those generators are running, the target is as good as dead."
That's right, the generators. Gleipnir energy generators, set up outside the room and charging up the walls. Shirley's Stand had summoned the right tools, the perfect equipment, and from there they had set up a trap that even Dio shouldn't be able to escape. He could hardly transfer the effects of asphyxiation into anyone else while he was in there, right?
But he had forgotten the first rule of assassination missions. The mission is never over until the target is verified dead.
A small part of the door started to fizzle up, as if it was melting very quickly. Far quicker than metal should melt, especially that thick. Except, it wasn't only the speed that was strange. The metal was charring and flaking away like ash. Metal doesn't burn that way.
Though he knew from experience that flesh did.
The door creaked, or maybe it was the sound of Rolo's own heart when he saw the metal being pulled aside by a pair of flaming fingertips. Smoke escaped through the forming hole, which grew larger and larger as time went on. Both he and Shirley backed away, horrified at what they were seeing.
"Rolo, you are a superb assassin," Dio said, pushing his way out of the increasingly fragile door. His entire body was ablaze. "Only a soul drenched in evil could think of such a way to kill me."
This level of fortitude left even Rolo completely stunned. Dio had transferred the damage his body was taking from being on fire into the door - but even knowing that didn't make it any less unnerving seeing him there, whole body alight, not even batting an eye. Had he avoided the pain by shifting the damage? Was he simply enduring it? Either answer made him more terrifying, no matter how Rolo considered it.
Shirley backed off to create some distance between them, but Dio suddenly lashed out a punch. Even though they were several feet apart, she buckled over as if struck, as if somehow Dio's arm had invisibly reached out that entire distance.
"H-How?" Shirley gasped, seeming more shocked from the inexplicable blow than hurt.
The reason hit Rolo every bit as hard: The heat! That was the only answer! Dio had transferred the heat from the flames into the air around him. However, as Dio was the one that was on fire that meant the heat would linger, allowing him to transfer more heat. If he concentrated and focused all that heat into a single point, transferring it quickly enough, then he could send it out exactly like a long range punch!
Although, there was one problem with that hypothesis. If that is what Dio had done, then the heat should have burned Shirley on impact. Unless... He had done it imperfectly?
"As a courtesy to your skill," Dio said. He drew back his fist yet again. "Assassin! Watch as I perform a truly glorious kill! Die, you useless girl!"
That first attempt was a test run to see if he could make the attack work! Rolo's right eye flared up without him even thinking about it, holding Dio in place.
"What am I doing?" Rolo asked. He stumbled down the corridor, holding the wall to keep himself upright. "At this rate..." What was this feeling? Was he standing up against Dio out of professional pride? No, that didn't feel right. His professional pride would tell him to back out, pick another spot, find out what could kill this man and employ that strategy. Not go all in on fighting him when escape was still on the cards!
He thought of Rivalz yet again. That boy had given his life to stop this man. No, not even that. To slow him down. All he was doing was making sure that death didn't - that it wasn't meaningless.
A little voice in the back of his head tried to tell him that Rivalz would not want him to waste his life either.
Rolo collapsed, and grabbed Shirley's arm dragging her to the floor. His Geass deactivated, and a streak of heat flew over their backs, striking the wall further down the corridor like a runaway train. The wall was scorched pretty badly too. Shirley beat him to his feet and stood in front of him, where all he could do was sit tight.
"Is something wrong, assassin?" Dio mocked. "Using your Geass too much, are we? Hmph. You see, girl? Would it not be kinder for me to wipe out your wretched family, before you 'inspire' yet others to die in your noble cause?" The two of them backed away from him. Seeing a man stand so cooly while his body was ablaze - it was a chilling sight.
"You really don't have any trace of nobility in your soul, do you?" Shirley asked, as they continued to back away. Dio threw out another punch, this one seeming to miss deliberately. Toying with them. Playing with them. Now Rolo's professional pride was flaring up for sure: Never play with your kill, not even when they're dead! How dare he!
"This world does not need nobility. Humankind cannot survive off supposed goodness. Power is all that matters. The power to survive. The power to thrive. Your vaunted nobility stands opposed to human nature itself, and you try to ask if I have any nobility?"
"Human... nature?" Rolo asked. He pulled himself up, and pushed Shirley back. He raised his gun, aiming it with shaky fingers. "You want to talk to me about human nature?"
The gun fired and struck its target - the light fixtures up above, showering Dio with glass. Little more than an inconvenience for him, but it bought them a little time. A little more distance.
"I've killed more people than I could care to guess at," Rolo continued. "You're probably the same, right? We're both remorseless killers. Not one time did I ever feel regret when I ended someone's life."
Rolo grabbed a painting from the wall and threw it into Dio's face, though an invisible force easily ripped it apart without a moment's thought
"But even so, when I look at you? I recognise one thing is true right away."
Next, Rolo kicked a vase towards him. It shattered - and water flew out of it, much as it had left a trail along the floor. Rolo dropped to his knees and thrust a taser into the trail of water closest to him, watched the electricity sparkle along towards Dio - and have absolutely no effect on him.
"I'm still a thousand times more human than you will ever be."
Dio laughed. At first, a small chuckle, but before long it became a shoulder jackhammering condescending superior guffaw. As if Rolo had told a multilayered joke, and he'd only found the second funnier layer after a moment's thought.
"Then there is no saving you!" Dio said. "You have been doomed by that family's curse from the moment you decided to say something so ridiculous!" He lifted his fists, and aimed them towards Rolo, this time with his killing intent fully flared. "Go ahead! Use your Geass! Wear down your heart even more!"
"You know what really wears things down?" Shirley asked. She snapped her fingers and a stream of water flooded past Rolo, striking Dio hard in the chest. Extinguishing his fire too, thank goodness. "Water wears down mountains, carves paths in land, so let's see if it can wear through your Voodoo Kingdom!"
To Rolo's mild disbelief, there was a high pressure water hose hanging in mid-air, the other end of it trailing further off down the corridor to who knows where. He'd heard that there were workshops that did not use traditional cutting instruments, but instead preferred to make use of high pressure water jets to slice through metal cleanly, precisely and quickly.
This wasn't as neat as that, but it should work! That sort of attack should push Dio off the floor, and he wouldn't be able to push damage into water.
Except - and this was turning out to be a repeating pattern at this point - it wasn't having any effect at all.
"Wrrrryyyy! You don't have to worry, girl! I can handle the pressure perfectly well!"
The water was hitting Dio square in the chest. It should have pushed him back, but instead it was more like the water was being pushed back instead. Was he transferring the pressure back into the water? That was insane!
"You should have learned by now," Dio jeered. This person, this monster was stalking down on them with the inevitability of the rising sun. "There's nothing on this Earth that can harm me!"
Was that true? Was he invincible? That didn't seem possible. What they had to do was regroup. Back off. Think of something else. Either contain him, imprison him, whatever it took! There was nothing else for it. He would have to use his Geass, yet again, to give Shirley a chance to get away -
But at the very moment he thought that, the girl rushed forward and aimed a sloppy punch for Dio's chest. Her fist was easily caught by the larger man.
"Sh-Shirley?" Rolo gasped. "What are you –"
"You... were going to use your Geass again," Shirley said. She was driven to her knees, the sheer size difference alone would have been enough. "Even though you could barely stay up, you were going to use it again weren't you?"
"I was! But now, I can't –"
He couldn't pull her away now that Dio had his hands on her. Of all the stupid things she could do! Worse, if he attacked him at all like this he'd transfer the effect into her instead!
"Rolo, I have a mission for you," Shirley said. Dio raised his hand to strike her, and then a handcuff appeared on it, attached to a light fixture on the wall. "You're an assassin right? Then there's someone I want you to kill."
"Foolish girl, what nonsense are you babbling now?" Dio asked. He lifted his knee to strike her, but a giant plush toy appeared in between, cushioning the impact.
"I want you to kill... Your own... past self!" Shirley yelled. "Find the part of you that felt nothing when he killed, and kill that Rolo!"
Dio twisted her arm as if to break it, but Shirley continued regardless, somersaulting to relieve the pressure.
"There's only one way to kill this target," she said, her voice sounding strained. "Run away. Let me deal with Dio." A crowbar appeared in mid-air and prised into Dio's hand. "If you live, thinking of Rivalz, then that part of you will die. You will accomplish your finest mission as an assassin."
"Why?" he asked. Strange. He couldn't move. "Why would you say that at a time like this?"
"The foolish nobility of the Joestars!" Dio mocked.
"No, you're wrong," Shirley counted, wrenching her hand free at last. "This is a selfish wish. I don't want to see it again. I don't want to see two of my friends die today!"
"Foolish girl! In the other world, he killed you!" Dio yelled. "You should resent him! Fear him!"
"No he didn't!" Shirley yelled back. "That wasn't me! That wasn't him! Even if it was... Even if he did kill me in that other world, that doesn't mean he's not my friend!"
A sound escaped Rolo's throat that he couldn't identify. Whatever it was, it hurt, but it felt like it would have hurt worse to keep it in. It was strange. It was new. Worse was the feeling in his chest. It wasn't heart palpitations caused by Geass overuse, but something else, entirely different to anything he'd felt before. A new experience. Like... As if there was ice in his heart that was slowly melting.
If that was the case, then that melted ice was escaping down his cheeks. Hot tears, dripping off him down to the floor below. A friend...? She still considered him a friend knowing what kind of person he was?
"Ora ora ora! Rolo! You'd better run or I'll kick your ass until you do!"
"Useless useless useless! Even if he runs, I'll kill him for opposing me!"
This was no time for these new feelings. In front of his eyes, his... his friend was fighting very hard to keep him safe. If he used his Geass, then he'd be able to save her, pull her away from danger, but... But then another friend would die in front of her. That would make her sad.
"I accept your mission Shirley Fenette," he bowed. How amusing. An enemy he could only kill by fleeing. "I expect your payment once you have dealt with him." He closed his eyes. In front of him, he could see them there quite clearly. Milly. Kallen. Suzaku. Shirley. Rivalz. In the student council office. Goofing around, barely getting any work done, and that which they did manage was more or less done by accident - or at the last possible moment.
"But if you let him kill you?" Rolo said, backing off. "Then I'll go to C's World, and find a way to kill you again. Got it?"
"Hrm, that's what an assassin should do if they're stiffed on a payment, right?" Shirley asked. She held aloft a smoke grenade and slammed it into the ground, while the crowbar finally wrenched her hand free. "Don't worry, Rolo. If an ultimate weapon exists that will kill this man, Schizoid Man will summon it to my hands!"
====Dio====
Others his age seemed to obsess over the young. It was quite tiresome - though not in the same way those ignorant buffons would mean it. They would lament over the foolishness of the young. They would obsess over the perceived mistakes, complain and moan - then in the very next breath they would seek to spoil their own grandchildren, seeing no connection whatsoever between the two.
"Mate in four," said the young boy with golden hair. Opposite him, the younger boy with dark hair scowled at the board, then after a moment nodded and tipped his King.
"Why did you do that?" Dio asked.
"Because he's right," Lelouch said. "On his next turn, he'll bring his Knight around there, and no matter what I do next his Rook will take my Bishop. From there, my King can't escape."
"No, not you," Dio said. "Schneizel. Why did you tell Lelouch you were on the verge of victory?"
"I wanted to see how he would react," Schneizel said. "Knowing that he was about to lose –"
"You could have learned a lot more without telling him," Dio interrupted. "Once you had the game won, you could do whatever you wanted. You could make an unusual move to see how he would respond. You could let him work it out on his own, to assess his ability to read the situation. There are so many things you could have learned, without giving him the chance to surrender."
"Forgive me Chancellor. That's why I didn't tell him three turns ago," Schneizel said.
Very good. Too good, in fact. Controlling Schneizel would be a difficult thing. Perhaps he should dispose of the boy...? Ah, no. The better move would be to keep him close. Aim him at enemies of the Empire. They would either eliminate him - or he would eliminate them. Either played to his advantage, and would allow him to further assess this youth on Dio's own terms..
Ah, but then a bundle of tiny energy bolted into the room, clutching flowers in her hands. Beaming from ear to ear, the tiny form of his grand-daughter. She rushed in, and handed a flower to each of them in turn. First Lelouch. Then Schneizel. And finally, the best for last, Dio himself.
"Here you go grandfather!" Nunnally said, beaming from ear to ear. Hrmph. What a useless gift from a useless girl. Lelouch and Schneizel, they were where the future lay. Their brains were like sponges, picking up from their lessons on tactics and strategy with casual ease, as though they were born to it. They would be useful, invaluable pawns in his ascension to godhood. This girl...?
Her only use was in controlling her brother.
That would be enough for a little feigned kindness. "Thank you Nunnally," he said, taking the flower and copying an action he'd seen others perform with their grandchildren. He touched the top of her head and gently rubbed her scalp, as though she were a dog doing a good trick. Internally, he pondered the best timing and method to break this girl to motivate her brother sufficiently. "Please wait a little while longer. Your brother is still in his lessons."
"Okay, grandfather!" Nunnally happily skipped away, towards her brother. Then leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. Disgusting. "Bye bye, see you later!"
"Another game!" Dio commanded, slamming his cane into the floor. The two of them eagerly set their pieces back into place. Little realising, like so many others, that Dio was the one setting them into their place on the board.
Even a God must have archangels, to perform the petty tasks they have little interest in.
====Shirley====
"Schizoid Man will summon it to my hands!," Shirley said to herself in a sarcastic, sing-song voice. "Good going, girl! Like you had some grand scheme!"
All she could do was put a distance between herself and that monster. It was like he said. He was functionally invincible. You hit him with something, all that gets hurt is the weapon itself. Swords, knives, grand pianos, a safe full of gold bricks, nothing phases him and barely anything slows him down. He was a horror villain come to life.
Which put her in the same position as many leading ladies in horror movies, come to think: Fleeing from the monster while throwing every obstacle you can in his path. Rolo had gone down. So she went up. And she made damned sure that Dio was going up as well.
"Hey, Dio! Maybe work on your cardio a little?" Shirley jeered from the next floor up. "I can stay ahead of you all day if I have to. Come on, try and catch me!"
"Have no fear, girl!" Dio jeered. "I will delight in finally putting your family out of my misery!"
"Misery, huh? Is that why you waited until Jonathan was gone before making your move?" Shirley asked. "For all that power, you were still quaking in your boots at the thought of him, weren't you?"
Oh my goodness that was a lot of killing intent, it was time to be elsewhere for a little bit. Benefits of being a naturally gifted athlete who - and this cannot be stressed enough - had really upped her training regimen over the last year. Now. if only she could think of a way to actually hurt this guy, everything would be gravy.
So she thought about it as she ran. Tried to draw from past experience. Maybe wrap him up in a mattress? No, he'd be able to bite his own tongue and get out that way. A sedative? No, he could probably push poison out of his body as well. She was out of options. What would Lelouch do? What would he suggest if he was here? Oh. Wait. Her phone! Duh! She pulled it out and set it to dial - But before she could do that, it rang instead.
"Hello? Who is this?" Shirley asked. She hadn't recognised the number. If it was a cold call at a time like this...
"Hello again, Miss Fenette." This voice stopped her cold in her tracks. "You've been putting up a valiant effort against the Chancellor. I never would have imagined he'd have this kind of ability."
Schneizel. She looked around. There were a few security cameras, carefully concealed to maintain the aesthetic of an old country mansion. But they were there. He'd wormed his way into the security, had he?
"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying the show," she spat. "Any ideas on what could kill him?"
"As a matter of fact, that is why I am calling," Schneizel said. "We attempted launching a F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead a few minutes ago. It was neutralised by something on board. I'm afraid it really is down to you. You are the only person on the planet that can kill him."
"No pressure or anything."
Then, she looked at the room she'd arrived in and gaped. This utterly wrecked the aesthetic of an old country mansion. I mean, none of those would have any reason to have something like this. A control room. With a throne in the middle reminiscent of the one Voodoo Kingdom sat in, surrounded by monitors and controls. She rushed in, mindful of a hole inexplicably in the middle of the floor, and Schizoid Man began to tap at the controls.
"Do you know what the one thing those with power tend to fear ?" Schneizel asked. "Lelouch understands this quite well, I think. He's used this understanding against foes as dangerous as Dio before. What do you think it is?"
"Losing power," Shirley absently answered. The controls weren't responding. Damn. "Those with great power will do anything to hold onto it."
"While the Sword of Damocles hovers overhead," Schneizel continued. "Dio is not the kind of foe you can beat with a strong force, Miss Fenette. Take that to heart."
The line cut out. Shirley bit her lip. He can't be beaten with a strong force. That much was evident. You hit him with something hard, it'll get transferred elsewhere. In which case the solution was...
"Was that Schneizel I heard?" Dio asked. "It seems that he, too, must be taught his rightful place in the world."
There he was, in the doorway. Leaning cooly against the wall, observing her with disdain. Then again, it didn't feel like his eyes had anything else in them.
"Foolish girl!" Dio declared, the triumph in his voice reaching new heights still. He stood there, unflinching, hands on hips, leaving himself wide open as though inviting an attack. "It matters not what you plan and plot! All you have learned is how helpless you are! Nothing can hurt me, Dio Brando! Now, on your knees and bow your head! Then, I shall show mercy and only kill you, and not your friends!"
There was precious little in this world that Shirley would love to do more than punch that smug smirk right off the Chancellor's face. Yet, through Zero's mask she eyed that Stand warily. Punching him was absolutely the worst possible idea! Still... She did have one idea. If nothing could hurt him, then -
Dio chuckled demonically. "You were thinking something like 'nothing can hurt him,' were you not? That is to say, the only thing that can hurt me is... the vast nothing of space!" Shirley's breath caught in her throat. Yes, actually. That was exactly the thought process she'd been heading towards. Dio tapped his forehead. "Tsk, tsk! Let me give you this lesson, little girl. In order to understand the paths to victory, one must first close off the paths to defeat!"
"Close off... the paths to defeat?" Shirley repeated, wondering what he meant by that.
"Tell me girl, have you ever seen a movie with a bank heist?" Dio asked. Shirley didn't give him the satisfaction of a response. He was trying to confuse her. Distract her. Schizoid Man kept on trying to work the controls. "Any method from one of them will surely fail. Do you know why that is? It is because if a lowly writer can think of it, then so can a security expert with a bank's backing! They will develop counters to such obvious weaknesses!"
It was true. She'd been hammering at these controls with Schizoid Man for a little while now, and nothing was happening. Whatever security measure it was using wasn't an obvious one, but it was probably something only Dio could do.
Voodoo Kingdom suddenly flew forward, forcing her to intercept it with Schizoid Man. It threw out a flurry of punches, and all she could do was block. No counterpunch, no jabs, simply deflect the fists without attacking back. Dio's aim was obvious. Since he knew she wouldn't attack, he was looking for an opening to damage her mask, and make her fall under his Geass!
Shirley stumbled backwards, away from the throne. Dio stalked towards her, him and his Stand blocking off her escape. If she went left, he'd pounce in that direction. The same if she went right. A feint perhaps? He seemed like the type to see through that sort of thing.
"Help... us..." A weak voice came from under the throne - and then an arm shot out to grab Dio by the ankles. "Please, don't leave me down here..."
"Foolish wretch!" Dio yelled. "Take your hand off your betters!"
"Betters?" Shirley asked. Schizoid Man pounded the throne into mulch. Three people. There were three people in there, who looked to be on the verge of death. "What makes you better than them?"
"Hmph, if you need to ask then you do not understand!" Dio said. "I am the pinnacle of humanity! Intelligent! Ruthless! Cunning! Physically appealing to the opposite sex! All of the traits that a human could desire, I possess in excess! I am the pinnacle of mankind!"
"The human experience is more than that!" Shirley yelled. Schizoid Man grabbed the three wretches from their pit, and treated them with some basic first aid as she spoke. It wouldn't help them much in the long term, but it was better treatment than they'd been getting until now. "When we live, we make decisions. When we make decisions, they result in consequences. They change the course of our life, for better and for worse. But you! You reject all consequences you don't like."
Images flashed through her mind, one after the other. She saw... She saw Mao and Kewell writhing on the ground in pain. She saw Rivalz being impaled on the statue. She saw Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. self destruct. She saw Rivalz impaled on the statue. She saw herself, sitting with Nina, discussing physics in a classroom. Over and over again in her head. Those images those same images. Why those? Why them?
"You rejected your humanity, when you started to reject those consequences!" Shirley yelled. "You have stayed static while claiming to yearn for the future."
"And it is because you believe that," Dio smirked. "That you are inferior."
Voodoo Kingdom threw a piece of debris directly at one of the prisoners. Without thinking, Shirley sent Schizoid Man to deflect it. However, this was exactly the opening Dio had been waiting for. Because a Stand as fast and precise as Voodoo Kingdom was perfectly capable of throwing two pieces of debris in quick succession, with a great deal of strength.
Her instincts as an athlete were the only thing that saved her life. Shirley turned, just a little, at the right time. It struck her left shoulder, rendering that arm completely... Ugh... pain was indescribable.
"The best way to defeat a powerful enemy is..."
"Guuuuh!" she moaned, dragging herself to her feet. Dio was rushing her again. Damn him! There had to be a way to -
Rivalz, impaled on the statue.
Schizoid Man dumped oil on the floor, causing Dio to briefly lose his footing. It wasn't much, but it was enough. She rolled away, and got back onto her feet while clutching her arm - and watched as Dio used his Stand to butcher those poor -
More lives on the mountain of bodies. More lives that Dio had to pay for. But how? How do you even start to fight someone like this?
Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. held its radiant wave surger aloft. Lamorak casts a shadow over it from above, and the radiant wave energy floods its body.
There was no way to win. Piloting this vessel into space would have worked. A F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead would have worked. Between his Stand, his Geass and the Siege Perilous, Dio had covered every possible weakness he could have.
She and Nina, sitting in a classroom, discussing physics.
It wasn't fair. This ability had killed Rivalz, and he'd used his dying breath to warn her of its power... And yet there was nothing she could do. Nothing at all! Launching him into space was the only way that would work. Nothing else could hurt him. He'd reflect the damage back into whatever attacked him, or into something else he was touching. Voodoo Kingdom made Dio truly invincible to all forms of...
"Give up, girl!" Dio yelled, stalking out of the control room towards her. "It is inevitable! I, Dio, am the superior being, you should have learned this by now. Nothing you hit me with can harm me!"
"Dio is not the kind of foe you can beat with a strong force."
Then what should she hit him with? If a strong force wouldn't do it, then - What would Lelouch do?
Rivalz impaled on the statue. Wait. Wait! It felt like the room spun around her as she could feel an epiphany about to strike. Shirley looked around, at the central stairwell of the mansion. She searched frantically, but for what she didn't know until - Suddenly, it clicked. Like a bolt from the blue she understood. He was [i]impaled[/i] on the statue. There it was. Right there. He'd shown her then, without meaning to. With his last act, Rivalz had saved her from his Geass. With his second last act, unintentional though it was, he'd saved her from his Stand.
"Hah..." Shirley laughed. Not a laugh of amusement. A laugh from a whole other part of the soul. "Hahaha!" No mirth here, no enjoyment. Schizoid Man pulled out a gun and opened fire on Dio. As expected, the bullets and their holes instantly transferred into the floor. Jackpot.
"Are you quite done?" Dio asked.
"No, not even a little," Shirley said. "Do you know what else makes you inhuman? You don't have friends. You have slaves. My friends... My friends have saved me."
Schizoid Man pulled out a grapple gun and aimed it straight up, towards the roof of the mansion.
"They have shown me the Ultimate Weapon that can defeat you!" Shirley continued while ascending to the roof. "You'd better come and stop me, Dio! Or I'll use it to kill you!"
====Zero====
Of course. It only made sense. Naturally, the roof of the mansion would have to be the roof of the Siege Perilous itself. Up here, she could plainly see Pendragon, so she stared at the capital city, regretting not wearing her cape because it would have looked cool flapping in the wind. This was quite exciting. Shirley had never been to Pendragon before - and obviously, neither had Zero. Maybe... maybe Shirley should ask to see the Ares Villa?
That would be later. For now, she waited for her enemy with deep anticipation. The enemy of her family. A vile, despicable creature who thought only for the sake of satisfying his own lust for power. Any form of power he could take. So long as he could dominate others, he would do it. Arrogance incarnate. True evil, in a world full of shades of grey. It was almost fitting that she would destroy such a man in the shadow of the Empire's capital.
"So let us see this ultimate weapon of yours," Dio jeered. "Haven't you learned yet? It is useless, useless, useless to attack me! No matter what, no weapon on earth can –"
"You're wrong!" Zero interrupted. Dio's eyes flared in fury at her insolence. "Very soon, I shall summon it here. A weapon that can kill you in a single blow!"
"... If you mean your friend's F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead, that plan is doomed," Dio observed. "Although even I must admit, it would very probably be able to kill me were I caught in the blast range of one. Heh. You see, I have thought of that as well! The Siege Perilous is equipped with - "
"I did not mean the F.L.E.I.J.A.," Zero interrupted again. This time, Dio's fists clenched hard enough to turn white at the repeated temerity. "I told you, I would summon a weapon that could kill you in one blow. I do not know where F.L.E.I.J.A. is held, and I expect they have activation codes that I don't know either." She tapped the top of her mask as though tipping a hat. "But I know where this weapon is held. I know exactly where it is right now, and it will kill you without a doubt."
"Oh? Then let us see this weapon!" Dio sneered. "I call your bluff, descendant of Joestar! Prove to me you're worth something without my grandson around! And try to do so before I kill you."
He stepped forward menacingly, Voodoo Kingdom in front of him. Shirley had very little time. Schizoid Man rushed forward, and pulled out... A rocket launcher! She fired it directly into Dio's chest, where it immediately exploded with a bright orange burst.
"Useless!" Dio yelled through the smoke, still upright, arms folded arrogantly in front of himself. "Is that all you have?"
"I'm just getting warmed up," Zero said. 'Don't use a strong force' Schneizel had warned. The implication was clear, if you read between the lines. "Dio. It seems you've not quite grasped -"
If you're not using a strong force?
"- The gravity of the situation."
"Of course, gravity is still quite a bit mysterious. We know it's the weakest of the four fundamental forces, but are not sure why."
Then how about a weak one? The roof gave away, and they were both sent tumbling down. Down into the mansion, down into its massive central stairwell. They were both freefalling, much like poor Rivalz had fallen onto the statue before.
"Did you not know? It is not the fall that is fatal, it is the landing! I, Dio, shall transfer the damage of the landing directly into the ground itself at the moment of impact, and walk away unscathed! While you will die! Completely useless!"
Yes, it was true that Zero was also falling. While Dio was upright, she was upside down, in a diving position as though there were a pool of water directly beneath her. Schizoid Man was hovering nearby. Dio quirked an eyebrow. The two of them were just barely in range enough for their Stands to reach one another, and Voodoo Kingdom drifted forward as though in challenge.
In response, Schizoid Man pulled out a machine gun.
"Oh? Is that all you have?" Dio asked. "You intend to shoot me in mid-air?"
He'd seen through the threat the machine gun posed. She couldn't hold it with a bad arm, but if Schizoid Man was using it then it couldn't charge the bullets with Gleipnir energy. Which meant his Stand could block it perfectly fine. She opened fire anyway, confident in her victory. Bullets ripped through the air in between them, and Voodoo Kingdom responded to the hailfire of metal with a mighty cry of "Muda Muda Muda!" in concert with Dio's "Useless useless useless!" as the terrifying Stand's fists flew out every bit as fast as Schizoid Man, easily deflecting all of the bullets.
Yet Zero persisted. She continued firing, and then just as the clip was about to empty...
"The best way to beat a strong power is..."
"Ora."
She summoned the 'Ultimate Weapon'.
====Dio====
What an amusing little fight this was, but alas it was over now. Dio had won, of course. As he knew he would. Voodoo Kingdom was not quite an invincible Stand, but it was as close as any Stand could possibly come. It made his body his kingdom, answering to his rules and no one else's. Some dim witted descendants of the Joestar family would never be able to defeat him, no matter what power they used!
To think that girl thought she could summon a weapon that could hurt him. How foolish! He was prepared for all contingencies. Even firing bullets while he was falling had been considered, practised, and the counter long since mastered. Voodoo Kingdom's block was perfect. Without equal!
"If you thought that would distract me," Dio said, staring down at the Stand's fist piercing his chest. "To allow your Stand to strike me while Voodoo Kingdom was blocking your pitiful bullets... Did you really and truly believe that I would not be able to move this damage away from my glorious form?!"
The girl didn't respond. Instead Schizoid Man handed her a parachute, which she put on her back. Schizoid Man? Hold on! That wasn't right. How could her Stand be in two places at -
A trickle of blood leaked out the side of Dio's mouth. Realisation dawned. He took it all in, his surroundings, his position... And knew that he was already dead.
"Impossible," he cried, powerless to do anything but watch as the girl escaped her falling fate with ease. "You mean to say, the gun was not the weapon?! You were using the bullets to make Voodoo Kingdom block so you could - "
He replayed the last moments of the fight in his mind. Voodoo Kingdom was blocking the bullets, punching them out of the air. Child's play. Then what must have happened was, during that confusion she had used her Stand to reach out and grab her "weapon," putting it in Voodoo Kingdom's path while the Stand was blocking bullets. A "weapon" that was close. A "weapon" that was mighty. A "weapon" that was without equal in this world!
"I... Thought that the weapon she meant was the machine gun!" Dio yelled in frustration. He couldn't transfer the damage anymore! Not like this! "I thought it might be 'gravity' that she was using against me, but no! Those were not her 'Ultimate Weapon'!
"It was I, Dio, all along!"
For that was the ultimate fate of Dio Brando! He shared his damage with his Stand. Therefore, as it was the only thing he was in contact with that he could move the damage caused by his Stand punching him in the chest, he would simply cause himself to be damaged once again. The hole in his chest grew wider, wider as his own power tried desperately to shift the damage into the one and only thing he was in contact with that could take it. Causing more damage to the Stand, feeding it back into himself.
"This is impossible! Impossible! I, Dio cannot lose! My Voodoo Kingdom makes me invincible! Invincible!"
By the time Dio struck the floor, there was nothing left of him but a screaming furious voice, an incoherent cry that was bemoaning this wicked fate. As it faded into nothingness, all of humankind could breathe ever so slightly easier. An unparalleled wicked presence had been removed from this Earth.
====JOJO====
Ah, there he was now. Sitting on the floor, cradling his knees. Not crying, exactly. More seething. When Jonathan had heard that he was here, that he had arrived, he could barely believe it. He'd rushed along right away to see. Jonathan almost didn't recognise him, but -
"Dio?" he called out. The figure looked up, anger painted across his face. Frustration. Boundless frustration. He looked so much younger than when Jonathan had last seen him. So much younger... In fact, he looked to be the same age as he was when they first met, all that time ago.
"Come to gloat, JOJO?" Dio sneered. He rose to his feet. "Defeated by that girl. Of all people!"
"That girl...?" JOJO said. "That is not how it was told to me. I had been informed you were defeated by 'friendship' and 'cooperation'."
"So you have come to gloat?" Dio asked. Jonathan shook his head, and put his hand on Dio's shoulder before suddenly, even to his own surprise, pulling him into an embrace.
"The gift of life is a rare one," Jonathan said. "At the end of the day, whatever crimes you had committed, whatever evils you have inflicted, you are still my brother. My one and only brother, through all these years. I could never hate you."
"You - You dare try to console me?!" Dio yelled, trying to pull himself out of the hug. "Your foolishness kn-knows no bounds! To try such a thing when I was on the verge of victory! To try such a thing when everything I wanted was within my grasp!"
He was always like this. Nothing made him cry. Nothing. The things that would make an ordinary man shed tears would, at worst, make him angry, vengeful, spiteful. But never tears. Not the deaths of a loved one, nor personal failures, nor grave misfortune. He always pushed such feelings out into others.
In life, his body was his tyrant. And so too were his feelings. He ruled them as a tyrant, allowing no pain nor injury to cross his borders. Even when Dio was confronted with his own death, all he could do was yell and scream and rage against the heavens. Blame JOJO. Blame fate. Blame whatever he could. When the fault was his.
Yet Jonathan could not hate him. That's why...
"You misunderstand your brother's intentions," said a familiar voice. JOJO turned to look. It seemed as though the Emperor had arrived. How unfortunate. While Jonathan was not the kind to gloat, this man... this man surely was. The symbol of Geass flashed in both his eyes for a moment before vanishing. "Dio Brando, take a look behind you."
"Behind me...?" Dio asked, and did so. There, he saw them. Embodied souls. Those who had died by Dio's will. By his actions, by his words, by his deliberate deeds. Staring at the two brothers, but the blonde in particular. Their numbers stretched back, and back, and all the way to the horizon. "Wh-what is - "
"He is not consoling you, Dio Brando," his Majesty said. A large grin split his face. "He is... protecting you. For in the end, two siblings cannot truly hate each other."
"You speak from experience, your Majesty," Jonathan said. He pulled Dio back. Away from the horde. Waiting like wild wolves for their target to show weakness. Now, even Dio was showing fear. He squirmed in fright and kicked away at the ground, desperately struggling to put some distance between him and them.
"But of course," the Emperor replied. "Dio had forgotten. When one rules a Voodoo Kingdom, one rules an Empire of one. As the saying goes, 'hell is other people'."
"St-stay away!" Dio yelled. "All of you! Stay back! None of you are worthy to look at me!"
"Say, Mister Joestar?" asked a tragically familiar, recently departed young boy at the head of the crowd. "I'm not with them, but it sounds like they were wondering how long you were going to hold him like that."
"Until the end of the world," Jonathan said, tightening his grip even more. The Emperor laughed, a deep booming laugh that echoed through the World of C, then spun on his heels and left to attend to his own twisted schemes and plotting. "And if I have to, the end of the next one too."
====Kallen====
"Did anyone get the number of that truck?" Kallen burbled. "I think it stole my lunch. Maybe my breakfast too."
It took a lot to get this girl feeling queasy. Naomi had once quipped that she had a cast iron stomach, while Tamaki used to find it hilarious that she'd pretend to be sickly at school when she'd never been sick a day in her life. Well, she was sure feeling sick now. Having to clean up that rotten egg hadn't done it. The spoiled milk hadn't done it. That rickety roller coaster hadn't done it.
Being dragged half-way around the damned planet at speeds so stupidly high she couldn't even speculate upon, oh yeah, that did it. After that little trip she'd turned so green you'd mistake her for a frog. Her legs were trembling so much she might cause an earthquake if she tried standing up.
But that didn't compare to how she felt when she eventually looked up and properly registered what she was seeing. It was a place she had been to once before in her life, only once, when she was very young, on a trip with her father. The capital city of the Holy Britannian Empire. A city that floated off the ground, as if touching the earth was beneath its contempt.
Pendragon. She swore. What word she used, even she didn't remember. So she swore again. It still didn't take. So she started swearing repeatedly until something did, but it simply didn't come because this was about as bad a situation for her as it could possibly get.
"Kallen? Is that you out there?"
Shirley. Thank goodness she was safe... though how long that would last was anyone's guess.
"Yeah, it's me," Kallen said. "Don't know if you've noticed yet, but we're all the way up shit creek right now."
"I know. I see it," Shirley said. "We're trying to get these controls working, but... I think that Dio was the only one who could pilot it."
"Was, huh?" Kallen noted. "So that guy's dead, is he?"
Shirley fell quiet for a moment there. She didn't know what to make of that. Had something happened...?
"You know, you guys should be fine," Kallen said. "You're Britannian citizens, still. I'm one of the enemy, I'm the only one that's screwed."
"I won't let them hurt you. Lelouch - he won't either!"
That's a laugh. What could either of them do? She was as good as dead. Or a prisoner for life. Either way, she didn't stand a chance here. No matter how good a pilot she was - hell, even with the Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. she'd struggle suddenly getting dumped into the middle of the Holy Britannian Empire. Look, there! Reinforcements already. There must be hundreds of Knightmares heading in their direction. She could take out a decent chunk of them - but there would be plenty more where they came from.
Kallen was good. She was damned good. Better than she used to think she was. She had a pretty strong Stand as well. However, fighting off this many enemies all by herself? No. She wasn't that strong. They'd wear her down, over the course of time, through sheer strength of numbers and then they'd get her.
"Hey Shirley," Kallen said. "When you see Lelouch, tell him it was fun." She put the Guren's radiant wave surger against its own chest. Like hell she was letting them get a hold of this. "Tell him I –"
Wait. Something strange was happening. The Knightmares were... backing off? Creating space? The Guren's sensors came to life, warning of a fast incoming projectile. She was reacting to catch it already, unsure of what it was until it -
"An energy filler?" She stared at it in disbelief. "What's this for?"
"That is for you to use during our duel."
The Knightmares finished parting, and then she could plainly see it. Descending from on high, a Knightmare coloured light purple and black, larger than most other models she had seen. On its back a large metal cross, a sheath that was bigger than the Knightmare itself. As for the voice, it belonged to -
"Bismarck Waldstein! The Knight of One!"
"And you are Kallen Kozuki, Ace Pilot of the Black Knights," Bismarck said. "We wish to show our appreciation, to you and your friends. Dio Brando has been a thorn in our side for longer than you know. His Majesty was especially grateful for removing that troublemaker, and said to me that you have done the Empire a fine service."
"Is... that... so?" Kallen seethed. "What was that about a duel?"
"We can hardly let you go, Kallen Kozuki. You must know that," the Knight of One said. "So, a rare opportunity has presented itself in front of you: A chance to kill the Knight of One."
That was tempting. That was sorely tempting. The Knight of One carried a lot of power. His influence in the Britannian military might well be second to the Emperor himself. Killing him would deal a crucial blow to their morale, and rob them of a soldier. If Lelouch was here, he'd say that trading her for him was like trading a Knight to take the enemy's Queen. A costly play - but one that hurt the enemy worse.
The trouble was, it was so costly for them because of exactly how skilled this enemy was. Even Xingke and Tohdoh were wary of facing this opponent. Her gut instinct was telling her that this might be the strongest enemy she'd ever faced.
On the other hand... if she refused the duel, then she would have to deal with all of them instead. That sort of fight would wear her down even faster than Bismarck, leaving her in no condition for the main event, when he finally, finally appeared...
Huh? When who finally appeared?
Nobody. It's not important. Not yet, at least.
"It's almost time..." Kallen muttered. "You want a duel, Knight of One? What do you get out of this?"
"A chance to face an up and coming Knightmare pilot like yourself, outside of a chaotic battle zone?" Bismarck asked. "How could I turn such a thing down?"
That kind of reason...? So be it. Kalen lifted the Guren into the air while fastening in the new energy filler. He wanted a show? He'd get a show!
While behind her, in the cockpit, an unseen presence floated, watching with seeming dispassion. While in truth, fully aware of the stakes of this fight. What had Dorothea Ernst said? That Kallen would be a hero that would save the world?
She was wrong. Kallen wouldn't save the world. She'd save much more than that, and nobody would see it coming.
[To Be Continued |\|]
