Something's telling me I should have added the last bit of the last chapter to the start of this chapter. Because HOLY SHIT, this chapter is considerably shorter than everything else lately. Oh well. This is why there's the definite version in the future that'll even everything out. In the meantime, I hope the chapter's length doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Especially since we're finally in the endgame of the series. :)

Ch. 40
Holy Diver

JANUARY 16TH, 1989
16:58
CAIRO, EGYPT

Where are they?

The problem with Joaquín's plan of everyone splitting up is that he gave no clear directions for them to go. DIO was supposed to be chasing after Joseph while the others hunt for him. But where they all were, he had no clue. He had been running though the streets in an effort to locate them, but he just couldn't find them. How am I supposed to find them, especially if they're all fleeing?

Turning down one street, he found a burly, suited man slumped against the wall of some store. He was hissing and panting in pain, and one of his arms was completely twisted and broken. "Hey," Joaquín called as he ran up to him. "What happened? Who did this to you? Where did he go?"

The man could barely control his ragged breathing as he groaned, "Some foreigner… yellow outfit… He took… Senator Wilson Phillip's car…" With his good arm, he pointed where the madman ran off to. "That… That way…"

"Was anyone else following him?" He shook his head. "Okay. Give me a second here..." He took the twisted arm and focused his hamon. As his energy poured into him, his bones began to crack and mend themselves back into place. Much to the man's surprise, his arm had untwisted and healed.

"H-hey, it's… it's all better..!" He looked up at him incredulously. "What was that..?"

"Long story," he said shortly. "You have to get out of here. Cairo's about to become a battlefield. Warn whoever you can about who you just met. I'm going after him." He ran off in the direction he was given, leaving the healed man behind. If DIO was actually driving, taking into considering how he was, he would leave at least some destruction in his wake. Especially if he was already engaging with the others.

He soon came upon another street that proved he was on the right track. However, there was no destruction. There was only death. Bodies were strewn all over the sidewalk, bloodied and unmoving. They had been run over. But why? Judging by the congested traffic trying vainly to speed away from the carnage, it was obvious the deranged vampire had forgone waiting and drove through a crowd of innocent citizens.

Sick, he thought. This is just sickening… He doesn't care who's in the way, so long as he gets to Abuelito... He followed the trail, running as fast as he could to find his target. Or, at the very least, his friends. They still needed to be warned about that man's horrifying ability. It was the least he could do, even if he didn't know how to properly counter it.

As the death around him turned into another street, so did he. Further down the road, he could make out two people on motorbikes speeding away. From where he stood, he recognized the trailing, navy blue gakuran on one bike and the bushy brunette tail on the other. "GUYS, WAIT," he shouted, using his Stand to bounce and propel him towards them. The call must have reached them, for they stopped just in time to look behind them and see him jumping their way.

"Jojo," exclaimed Della, just as her boyfriend landed a few feet away and ran up to them. "We're trying to chase DIO and the others! What did you find?"

"The answers to everything," he answered when he finally caught up. "The Stands... They're awakened by some bow and arrow. They're the reason non-Stand users have been able to get one. Somehow, DIO has them. He's been using them to make his minions. And it's how he got The World."

Of the three, Jean Pierre looked the most surprised. This piece of information was the most important to him. He had been searching for what brought about the sudden Stand outbreak in Europe, and now he knew. It all traced back to the man they were hunting. But he knew that for him, there was more to the mystery.

"Wait a minute, what does DIO have to do with what's going on in Europe?"

"We can worry about that later," interrupted Joutarou, turning to his brother. "What about The World's ability? I assume you found out, right?"

He nodded and swallowed, ready to pass on the weight of his knowledge to them. "The World can stop time." And sure enough, they all looked shocked. Even his brother, whose eyes almost widened. "That's how he's been messing with us. That's the power every one of his minions who knew feared."

"Oh my god," whispered Della. "How are we going to fight that…"

"I don't know… Our best bet is to strike before he has a chance to activate his time stop. But, when can we do it? Will we have enough time to get him? We won't know when we'll be attacked until it's too late… I just don't know…"

"We'll figure it out," said Joutarou quietly. "With everything we've gone through, we'll find a way to strike back. Nothing's impossible for any of us."

"No it's not… But… as much as I know you all don't want to, I'd like for you guys to keep your distance… DIO's completely unpredictable and his ability is extremely 's not to say I'm gonna stop you guys from fighting too. If any opportunity arises at all, strike him down. Don't rush in without a plan, and don't do anything rash. I'll join you guys in trying to find him, but once I spot him, I'm going on my own. I'll be careful. I promise."

They all nodded, knowing that they couldn't stop him either. He sat behind his brother and pointed ahead of them to go. The two bikes revved roared down the street, both following what little devastation they could find to track the vampire down. There were mercifully no more dead bodies, but the further they rode, the more signs they found that he had drove past. A light pole had been bent, some signposts were broken apart, and littering the road were silver, broken car pieces.

It looks like there's been a fight here, Joaquín thought. Which means either DIO found them or the other way around… Damnit, Abuelito, I'm sorry… Please be okay…

They eventually came upon a wreckage of sorts between two vehicles. One was a green pick-up truck, crashed right into a building. The other was a fancy silver car, parked nearby and torn up, which explained the pieces strewn about behind them. It looked recent too, given the smoke issuing of the truck. Everyone stopped near the wreckage and dismounted to investigate. Nobody was inside, except for a squat, bloody man in a black suit.

"Who the hell is this," asked Jean Pierre, pulling him out and checking his pulse. "… He's already dead…"

"Judging by the hole in the back window," pointed out Joutarou, "it looks like he was thrown in."

"He's a senator," Joaquín answered. "Wilson Phillips. Some guy told me DIO stole his car. There's no doubting this is him."

"Nobody else is here… Where could they have gone?"

"If I had to guess…" He looked above to the rooftops. If they had to escape quickly, they must have fled above. "I'm gonna go look. Everyone, keep your distance." They all nodded as he summoned Preciosa again and bounded high onto the nearest rooftop, getting as high as he could to scope out the city around him. A small part of him felt foolish for not doing this before. Had he done so, they would have found DIO's mansion earlier.

Better late than never, I guess… Still, we'd all still be going through this, whether we found it days ago or not… After a few seconds, he saw them. On one side of the city, closer than he thought, was Joseph jumping from building to building. On another was Noriaki, standing above a steel spire. Perhaps he was searching for the man hunting them. He didn't see DIO, but he bounded his way through the buildings, getting closer.

Just as he was a few feet away from his friend, he caught a glimpse of gold descending onto one of the other rooftops. It was DIO. He made sure to keep himself as hidden as he could, not taking his sights off him. Of course, as he beheld the man, he saw something bizarre happen. The area right in front of the vampire burst with a barrage of emeralds shooting straight for him. He deflected them all and jumped away from his perch.

And it happened again. This time, he didn't land, and yet he was still shot by the Emerald Splash from behind. All of them were kicked away, sent straight into one of the nearby structures and damaging it. What the hell's happening? I can't see Noriaki's Stand anywhere… Did he hide it or something? How's he able to fire at that bastard from out of nowhere? It's almost like he just tripped some wire and activated-

His thoughts halted as soon as this came to mind. Through Preciosa's eyes, he looked around where DIO was and found his answer. He was surrounded by silvery-green wires, all connected and keeping him from moving anymore without touching them. And the more he saw the wires, the larger he noticed it was. It was a gigantic, inescapable web, all a part of Hierophant Green. He was its spider, and DIO was his fly.

"That's right, DIO," called out the Stand's user, pointing directly at his target. "Whatever touched my Hierophant's barrier gets fired upon! And already, it's twenty meters around you! It can detect yours and The World's movements!"

He couldn't believe how intricate his trap was. In any other situation, it would have been perfect. However, his prey could stop time. There was a chance that he could maneuver through the barrier easily. And yet, there was a chance it could work. Joaquín wouldn't dare interfere lest something horrible happen.

From where DIO now stood, he lowed his foot from one of the nearby wires and chuckled. "Kakyouin," he heard him calmly call out. "Your first name is Noriaki, correct..? How old are you now..?"

"What," asked a confused Noriaki.

"What I'm saying is that you musn't hasten your death…"

For a moment, he hesitated. "... You don't seem to understand the situation you're in, DIO… It doesn't matter what The World's power is, you can't move a single inch from where you stand..!"

"Do you really think so?,"

"Just try it," he threatened.

"Are you still frightened, Kakyouin? Just like you were last year?"

This seemed to offend Noriaki, who nearly screamed, "Ridiculous! While I might have given in to nauseating fear back then, that's no longer the case!"

He couldn't see DIO's face from there, but he guessed he was still amused judging by his tone. There was also that sickeningly sweet endearment in his words when he spoke to him and Jean Pierre earlier. "Kakyouin… you are a prudent and excellent Stand user… So full of youth and a passion for everything that is so hard to replace… To sacrifice your life as that old man Joestar's shield… How can you see any value in that?"

"I'm not fighting just for the Joestars… They may be the ones that gave me a new lease on life… But I'm doing this to reclaim my honor from the indignity I suffered through because of you... I fight for myself!"

The vampire held his hand out to him. "It's not too late for you… Pledge to me once again, my old friend… What do you say..?"

"Here's my answer!" The wires all around them glowed. "Take this, DIO! At a radius of twenty meters! EMERALD SPLAAASH!" The gemstones fired from everywhere straight for their target. But he didn't move. He made no sign that he was going to try to avoid it or counterattack. Joaquín had a feeling as to what he would do now.

"How foolish," DIO taunted. "You must understand… The World's true ability… is exactly that! The ability to control the world itself! THE WORLD!" In a flash, his fearsome Stand was summoned. And in that moment, he activated his time stop. Joaquín didn't sense it or know how long it lasted, but he could see the results of what happened.

The Emerald Splashs gems crashed into one another.

The barrier was torn apart.

DIO had disappeared from that very spot.

And Noriaki was blown away from his perch, flying straight into a water tower. The crashing boom from the impact echoed into the night, and the weight of what happened pierced his heart.

"NOOO," he screamed.

"KAKYOIIIN," screamed Joseph in the distance.

The trap had failed. And he had paid the price with his life. He was killed, he knew he was. But Joaquín, despite wanting to go after DIO, needed to see him. The boy didn't need to die without someone there for him. Foregoing the vampire, he leaped from rooftop to roof top until he finally came to him. Noriaki was bloodied and limp against the now broken and leaking water tank. There was a hole right through his stomach. Seeing him like this brought tears to his eyes.

"Noriaki, no," he whispered, climbing up to meet him.

He didn't look at him, his eyes slowly losing life in them. "What… What happened," he spoke slowly, pained and struggling to speak. "He… damaged me..? I… I can't move… Can barely speak…"

"Noriaki, please don't move… Don't… I'm…" He could barely hold himself together, a sob escaping him. "I'm so sorry..! I shouldn't have split us up..! I should have come sooner..! This is all my fault..!"

The boy smiled weakly. "Don't… beat yourself up… You… didn't know… None of us… would have known… I'm… I'm okay… with this… My life… might have been… short… but… thanks to you all… I can… die… knowing I… didn't give in… to DIO… I might not… have beaten him… but… I lived my life… how I saw it… with no regrets… Tell me… You… figured it out… right..? His power..?"

He nodded. "I did… He stopped time… That's The World's ability…"

Noriaki stood silent. For a moment, he thought he had passed. But the youth slowly raised his head and smiled on. His Hierophant Green's web was slowly disintegrating before their eyes. "I had wondered… My barrier… can detect movements… DIO… tore through it… all at once… without any… lapse in time… Now… Now I know… It all makes sense… I… I fell for it…

"… Hey… Joaquín… It's… 5:15… It's midnight… in Japan… right..?"

"Y-Yes," he answered, his emotional pain as great as his friend's physical one.

"I wonder… if my mother… and father… are asleep now… Heh… I'm sorry they… had to worry… If you see them… tell them… what happened here…" Slowly fading into view was Hierophant Green, his hands cupped and forming water between them.

"N-Noriaki, what're you doing," asked Joaquín, who knew what this would lead to.

"Look… up there…" And he did. His grandfather was cornered by DIO, who he couldn't hear but could tell that he was showing off his neck to him. Whether he still had the scar from attaching himself to Jonathan or not, he didn't know. "I have… to warn… Joestar-san… You might… not reach him… in time…" His Stand faltered, making him cough up blood. He could barely hold his Stand together. But that would not stop him from trying again.

And just as DIO was about to strike, Noriaki succeeded. He fired another stream of gemstones, which crashed straight into one of the faces of the nearby clock tower. It distracted their foe enough to stop him, he and his prey looking between the clock and the Stand who fired it. But Hierophant Green didn't stay out for long. Just like the trap he had set, he slowly dissolved into nothingness, having expended the last of his energy.

"T-That was…. my final… Emerald… Splash," whispered Noriaki, barely able to speak anymore. He was already fading. "I hope… he understands…" His eyes, already losing their light, turned to Joaquín. He offered him one last smile. "Joaquín… Goodbye… Thank you… all of you… for being… my… friends…" And then, his head drooped. What little breathing he did stopped.

Kakyouin Noriaki was dead.

Between the deaths of Mohamed and Iggy, this one hurt him the most. He was all alone most of his life: no friends, nobody who could understand him or his Stand. Not even his family. He had told them all this one day, as if wondering if they understood. But they all did, especially Joutarou, who almost felt the same. They became his friends, and it brought him happiness every day they were near. Being with them on this journey must have been the first time in his life he felt truly happy.

But his happiness, his youth, his future, was short lived. The very man who had taken advantage of his loneliness and dragged him into darkness robbed him of his life. He did not deserve this fate. None of them did. And no matter what anyone said about the circumstances, Joaquín knew it was partly his fault. Had he not split them up, he would have had a chance to survive. The guilt would be something he'd live with for the rest of his life.

He wanted to stay here and grieve, but he knew he couldn't. There was still the matter of the man who killed the boy. At this moment, from what he saw, he was bound by Hermit Purple's thorns. After wiping his eyes, he saluted to his friend and shakily whispered, "Goodbye Noriaki. I'll make sure we bring you back home, too." He then ran and leaped off the building with his Stand, flying through the air and immediately landing beside Joseph.

"Joaquín," he explained. "What're you-"

He ignored and ran past his grandfather, straight towards the trapped DIO. Just as his Preciosa was about to strike him, he broke free of his bonds and instantly summoned his Stand.

"How useless" he laughed as The World's fist connected with the other. The impact of the punches managed to stop Joaquín and shake him to his core. He had never felt such power in a Stand before. "Your Stands are pitiful before the might of my own! What makes you think for one second you have a chance against me?!"

His shock wore off immediately as The World began its attack. Preciosa dodged what he could, meeting his blows with some of his own. "You already know the answer to that, you murderous piece of shit," Joaquín growled. "I'm a Joestar! No matter how strong you are, I won't rest until I defeat you!"

"I love your tenacity… However!" His Stand grabbed the other's fist, nearly crushing it in its hold. "It's not your turn yet, boy. I'll deal with you after I've eliminated your grandfather… Now begone!"

He and Preciosa were flung away like garbage and sent soaring over the city. He didn't fly too far, however, as a large bubble encased and stopped his flight. Right below, Della, All My Love, and the others made their way towards him. "Jojo," she called out. "Hold on, let me get you down!" Her Stand then shot out several bubbles, below him, creating some steps for Joaquín to use before popping the one that held him.

"Thanks, Della," he said as he descended. The moment he came down, he wasted no time in relaying the horrible news. "He killed Noriaki."

"What," exclaimed Jean Pierre in disbelief.

"No," Della whispered, her eyes wide and already filling with tears. "No… Not him… Not Noraki…"

Joutarou said nothing, instead hiding his eyes. His brother knew why. His face barely ever showed it, but his eyes always told exactly how he felt. The youth didn't want him to see the pain his news was causing. There was no need, for he knew how deep a hole was forming in his heart. The others may have lost a friend, but he lost a best friend.

"Niisan," he muttered, trying to keep his composure.

"Yeah," Joaquín asked.

The younger of the Joestars still didn't look at him. "Is there anything left?"

"Yes."

"... We'll gonna bring him back home, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah… Him and Iggy… I promise… Keep your distance… I'm going back for Abuelito again…"

"Give him hell, Joaquín," Jean Pierre encouraged. With a silent nod, he turned away and bounded along the rooftops again, hunting down DIO and Joseph. He found them within a few seconds, the old man swinging past buildings using Hermit Purple as a vine. The vampire gave chase, almost appearing to be flying. Just as he got closer, it happened again. The World had stopped time and made his master vanish. Joseph didn't notice he was gone until he turned around and saw his grandson.

"Joaquín," he called out, just as he landed before him. "Where did he go?"

The answer was right behind him, The World already poised to strike. "On your 6," he shouted. The old man turned as a golden fist flew at him, but it stopped short of connecting. The Stand floated back towards its master, arms crossed and somewhat stone-faced. "What's wrong, DIO? You thought I'd just sit back and wait for you to kill my abuelito?"

"Probably not," sneered Joseph. "You were so hellbent on trying to suck my blood earlier. So why didn't you hit me?"

The vampire tapped his forehead and said, "Hamon has been continuously flowing through your body… You've been on your guard the entire time. Your Hermit Purple, flowing with hamon, is wrapped around your body like a high-voltage wire… You're quite the tactician… you cunning old man…"

Joseph nodded and lowered his collar. His Stand was completely wrapped around his chest, shining with the power to to harm the immortal being. "Same to you… You saw it and were cautious enough not to inadvertently touch me. However.. I've discovered your Stand's trait… Even though you can stop time, it can't be for no more than a few seconds… Only three to four seconds, I take it… If it were any longer, then we'd all be dead back at the mansion… You shouldn't have come chasing us…"

DIO said nothing, but his lips did curl into a humored smile. He and his Stand approached. But the others stood their ground. "So, you discovered The World's secret," he pointed out. "I must praise you…"

"You have me to thank for that," growled Joaquín, Preciosa appearing beside him. "I found it out back at the mansion. That's how Noriaki was able to tell my abuelito. I would have told him myself, but who knew if I'd make it."

His eyebrow arched in curiosity. And when he spoke again, his amusement was replaced with cold suspicion."Back at the mansion… What do you mean by that… How would you have found out… From what I understand, you've spent almost the entire time at Vanilla Ice's mercy and in my presence… There was no way you could have figured it out on your own…"

"I went back and bumped into a friend of yours. And she happened to carry the answer in some shoddy little diary."

"You did what," he yelled.

"Yeah, right next to how you made several Stand users, and how you lived in poverty. Never would have thought that the great Dio Brando was nothing but an English slum dog." DIO's eye twitched, but he did not try to attack. "But that was never an excuse for your actions. From everything I've heard and read, you were born evil. And I will make you pay for everything, you monster. Not just for my friends and my mother… but for Erina…"

"Erina," asked a confused Joseph. "What do you mean?"

"I bumped into her when I went back… This motherfucker revived her as a vampire."

A shocked silence followed, the old man turning to their still-glaring foe. "You mean to tell me," he muttered, slowly raising his voice in time with his mounting anger, "that this monster… the same one who took my grandfather's body… insulted him further by bringing her back to life?!"

DIO did not look at him, but he did address him coldly. "You are correct… But she was treated fairly…"

"Because forcing her to be alive again and using her as a Stand user was fair, Joaquín butted in. "There's nothing you can say to make up for what you did."

"How dare you..?! She was supposed to be resting peacefully in a New York cemetery..! I helped lower her casket..! There was no reason for you to have disturbed her slumber like that, you fucking bastard! I'll kill you!"

The vampire's teeth bared into a sinister smile. "It doesn't matter what you've read or who I've revived...What good can all that do you? How can you possibly expect to defeat me, DIO?!"

"Like this," shouted Joseph. "Hermit Purple and hamon!"

"Abuelito, wait," warned Joaquín. But his words didn't reach him, for Joseph shot out the glowing vines straight at the vampire. They weren't going to work.

"Tedious," shouted DIO. "You fail to understand I can attack you without getting touching by you hamon!" Beforethe vines could even reach it, The World punched away at a chimney jutting from the roof they all stood on. Its debris flew at the two and stuck them off the roof.

"Hang on, Abuelito," Joaquín yelled as grabbed his grandfather and used Preciosa to stick to the wall of the building. He grabbed onto them before they could crash into it and dropped down to the street. Several onlookers at a nearby open cafe gawked in confusion at the men who just landed from out of nowhere. "Abuelito, are you okay?"

He nodded and wiped the bricks off his chest. "I'm fine… Damnit… I wasn't thinking… What he did to her… unforgivable…"

"I know… I'm pissed too… But I took care of it… She's resting in peace again…"

His anger stilled for a moment, letting him offer a grateful smile. "You're a good man, Joaquín… Thank you for going back there… And… You were right before… About using hamon… It's too risky…"

"It's fine. His Stand's power isn't something we can take lightly… But we can beat him… We just have to work together and…" He trailed off when he heard the roar of an engine slow down to an idle puttering. Looking behind him, he saw his brother dismounting his motorbike and making his way towards him. But it was only him. The other were gone. "Joutarou? Hey, where's Della and Jean Pierre?!"

He didn't say anything until he reached them. "Don't worry," he said calmly. "Polnareff went back to the mansion. He didn't say why, though. Della's nearby, bus she's staying out of sight. I'm here to fight with you guys."

"You came right on time." As he said this, DIO descended a few feet from them. The bystanders did not move, his fearful presence rooting them to the spot. But it did not stir any fear in the Joestars. "The show's about to start…"

"Finally," muttered Joseph with a fire of determination in his tone. "We can pay him back for everything… For Granny Erina…"

"For our friends," Joutarou added.

"For Mom," Joaquín added as well. "And the countless lives affected because of him…" He then addressed and pointed straight at him. "You hear that? All of it! One hundred years we've all suffered! Not anymore! Our curse, our feud, it all ends tonight once and for all!"

DIO smiled, and in an instant, the entire cafe erupted into chaos. Its tables and patrons were knocked over. One of the women had a fork through her cheek, another had their nose burning. A few men were eating what looked like the remains of a torn-up cat. And right beside Joaquín came two sickening sounds of blades piercing flesh and grunts of pain. He saw both his brother and grandfather fall, stabbed in neck by dining knives.

"ABUELITO," he screamed. "JOUTAROU!" He couldn't do anything now, the two writhing in pain. They couldn't pull the blades out lest they bleed out worse than before.

"How," groaned Joutarou, gazing off in uncharacteristic disbelief. "How… can he… be that strong…"

His grandfather, whose Hermit Purple was crumbling and flickering like a dying light bulb, reached out for his eldest grandson and pleaded in pain. "Run… Run… for it… Joa… quin… Stay… away…. from him… Keep… your distance… You have… You have to run… We can't… beat… him…" Both he and Joutarou lost consciousness, and the last of his Stand faded away into nothingness.

"That's two down," sneered DIO, pointing at his foe the minute he turned back to glare at him. "Next, Joaquín… is you..!"

Death was hanging in the air. The lights all around them burned like fire. And the immortal man who haunted him nearly every night singled him out to prey upon. Every nightmare he had for the past four years had become a reality, one he couldn't wake up from this time. But his hatred for the monster and the burning desire for justice for the fallen kept him there. He would see this nightmare to its end.

Everyone from the cafe had finally fled, leaving the two staring each other down. "This is how I've always envisioned it… Just you and I… Your friends have been taken care of…But I noticed two others are missing… Polnareff and Della… No doubt they're lurking around somewhere… Not that I care… You are all I care about… Your life is my ultimate obstacle… One I will enjoy taking… And once I end you… my dream… my goal… will be within my reach…"

"What exactly do you have planned," asked Joaquín sharply. "If not world domination, then what? You mentioned heaven in that book. Not God's heaven, but something else. What exactly do you mean?"

His smile faded for a moment, as did all the bloodlust he held for the Joestar. He then spoke to him as he would to a curious child. "I've dreamt of heaven for years, Joaquín... What it is, where it is, how to reach it… My mother, as you already know, has spoken to me about being able to go there… She may have meant God's kingdom, but she may have meant something else entirely… My thoughts lean towards the latter… What she spoke of was something else entirely…

"The future I seek isn't a physical place, but a psychological destination. A future we all could reach… One we could all prepare for... In being prepared, our despair would be snuffed out by peace of mind… I have found a way to reach it… This is my goal… World domination… an army… is useless to me… All that matters now… is achieving heaven…"

Heaven, thought Joaquín. A state of mind..? From what he makes it sound like, its like some utopia on Earth… But getting there… He's killed way too many people to reach it… His goal isn't a righteous one at all… "I don't care what this heaven really is," he said dismissively, walking slowly and purposefully towards him. "All I care about is stopping you from achieving it… I told you… I'm ending this tonight…"

DIO's smile returned, as well as the murderous spark in his eyes. "Oh..? You're approaching me..? Rather than running away, you choose to approach me, DIO..? Your grandfather Joseph warned you to run away, and instead of heading his final words, you choose to ignore him..?

"I know…" Preciosa formed once more beside him, eyes burning as angry as his user. "But I can't beat you up unless I get closer…"

"Ho ho…" The World appeared as well. "Then get as close as you'd like…"

Both men approached one another, slowly closing the distance between them Neither broke eye contact. Neither dismissed their Stands. The pressure they exuded was unbreakable, mounting the closer they got to one another. Only when they were within range of one another that they stopped. Preciosa's fist shot straight towards his foe. But The World beat him to it, kicking his leg. The impact left a small hole in the sidewalk and a tear in the other user's jeans.

"Too slow," DIO teased. "The World is the ultimate Stand… Without stopping time, its speed and power are above that of your Preciosa."

"So it's the same type of Stand as mine, then… I had a feeling… Short range, but it's powerful and precise in movement…"

"Personally, I wanted to test out how much more Stand power The World has over you… Well, it doesn't look like I need to anymore…"

Joaquín scoffed. "You call that a test? Please… That was a love tap. You barely even scratched me." His kick actually hurt. While it broke nothing, the pain it left felt incredible. Of course, he wouldn't tell him that. "But you did just rip a good pair of $40 jeans."

DIO sighed in annoyance. "Why must you Joestars be such sore losers..?" But he retained his smile and scoffed nonetheless. "I guess I'll take you up on your foolish provocation and try a bit more." His Stand began to punch at his prey, who blocked every blow he could. Each one rocked both Stand and user, but they did not budge. When there was an opening, Preciosa delivered several swift kicks. All they did was snap a stop sign in half, the vampire jumping behind them.

"TOMA," shouted Preciosa, blocking his opponent's chop with his elbow. Two more punches aimed straight for his face. The first one missed, but the second nicked his cheek. DIO's sliced open as well. This distraction was all the frog-like Stand needed to unleash a barrage of punches. The World met him with his own, their fists clashing and stopping one another. In terms of strength, he was stronger. But it took more than strength to win this fight.

"What's wrong, Joaquín," mocked DIO. "Is that all the power you have?"

"No," he said with a smirk. "There's plenty more where that came from." His Stand began his assault again, punching as fast and hard as he could.

"Comparing our rushing speed… Very well, then…"

The two Stands flew at one another and wasted no more time. They unleashed their strongest, fastest punches, crashing into each other like two powerful storms. Gold against gold, good against evil. DIO's The World and Joaquín's Preciosa clashed with all their might. Egypt was but an afterthought. All that mattered to them was conquering the opponent standing before them.

"TOMATOMATOMA" roared Preciosa

"MUDAMUDAMUDA," roared The World in return.

The climactic battle between the two fated foes had finally begun.

~KAKYOUIN NORIAKI (1971-1989): RIP~

The OVA has quite a bit of material to add onto the story. Kakyoin's encounter with Dio in that series felt a lot more meaningful than the manga/anime, rather than just a simple "You fell for my trap!" moment. Now, for the ending. It was always gonna be Joaquin against Dio. To have used Jotaro as well would have been overkill. Plus, this is Dio we're talking about. He seems like the kind of guy who would single out a target and get rid of his backup. Anyway, look forward to the next part of the final battle!