Oh, yes! Here we go! The next chapter in the epic battle! We're almost at the end, ladies and gents! Not much else to say, so enjoy, everyone!

Ch. 41
The Chains Are On

JANUARY 16TH, 1989
16:21
CAIRO, EGYPT

Power. There was so much power going into their punches. Joaquín could feel his own fists growing numb from his Stand punching DIO's. Were it not for him matching the other's blows, the bones in his hands would have been crushed. There was no pain, however. No fear, either. Just hatred for the man separated by the fist-locked Stands between him and his determination to kill him.

A continuous roar of "¡TOMATOMATOMA!" and "MUDAMUDAMUDA!" issued from Preciosa and The World, mingling with the endless impact of their fists. They were the only ones who could see and (possibly) hear this. Anyone else who remained to watch would only see two men staring each other down, with nothing but air between them. At most, they would see the distortions in the air made by their blows.

The pressure their exchange was creating was slowly lifting the two foes off the ground. Their Stands didn't separate. In fact, they were both punching faster and harder. Neither were shaken, neither looked away. Once they were several feet above the streets, DIO smirked and growled, "Not even worth it!" One of The World's fists broke from the clash and flew straight for Preciosa's face. He dodge it, but was quickly met with another punch. His user reeled, blood spurting from his mouth.

"Feeble, feeble! Its seems both The World's power and precision is far above yours! Now I know… I'm satisfied… This service time of playing with you is over… Joaquín… I will put an end to you at once!"

"To hell with you, DIO," shouted Joaquín, wiping the blood off his face.

"Thanks to my bond with them a century ago, I have decided not to hold back against the Joestar lineage, but to kill them all at once! Either way, I shall finish you with The World's true power!" He spread his arms like some twisted showman and roared into the night. "THE WORLD! TIME HAS STOPPED!"

Preciosa was already punching towards him. But before he could reach him, the minute DIO stopped speaking, everything stopped. His thoughts, his stand, everything. He couldn't see, he couldn't feel, nor could he breathe. It was like he was floating in the middle of an endless ocean of darkness, asleep and nonexistent to the rest of the world. He was trapped and didn't even realize it.

And then, he was untrapped. For a moment, he could move his fingers. He could see DIO himself right in front of him now, ready to slice into him. He backed away immediately, stunned and disturbed. And faintly, he heard him. "W-What?! Just now… he moved… He… Ridiculous..! He just moved his finger! I-Impossible! Imp-"

"TOMATOMA," Preciosa resumed shouting and punching, stopping when both he and his user realized that time had continued. The vampire was now floating at his side, still a distance away. He did not look pleased. What just happened, Joaquín thought. Time stopped… But… I moved..? Did I actually move..? It was like I interrupted the time stop, and then time resumed immediately… Just for a moment… I entered his world just for a moment…

The two stared at one another for a moment, slowly descending back to the street, before his foe spoke in a cold hiss. "Did you… see me..?" When he didn't answer, DIO snapped at him. "I'm asking you if you saw me, Joaquín!"

"I've got no idea what you're talking about," he lied with just the same amount of anger the other had. But having witnessed that, he needed to give himself some distance to think. He needed a strategy. Preciosa kicked hard beneath him and dove straight back down towards the city. DIO promptly followed, keeping up even as they punched a wall and curved straight down through the street. It was as if they were flying away from the madman.

"Very well," exclaimed DIO. "Regardless! It doesn't matter if you can see within the world I have stopped time in or not! If you can move in the same manner The World can, then show me you can do it!"

"I still have no idea what you're going on about," Joaquín shot back.

"I, DIO, have transcended and broken away from all other living things, from all other Stand users! And now, I can stop time for five seconds, and gradually longer!"

Five seconds… Which means I moved for maybe… A second..? Fuck… That's not enough… If I could actually see in stopped time and know when to move in it… then I could strike him better… How am I gonna do it..? How did I move in the first place..?

"Joaquín!" The World appeared by his side again. "Let's see how your power stands up to mine! THE WORLD! TIME HAS STOPPED!"

It happened again. Time halted for everything except DIO. However, this time, there were minor flickers of him moving towards him. It was like a video reel skipping frames. He was looking curiously at him, as if wondering if he was going to move or if he could see him. It was only for fractions of a second, but he knew in that little time that he needed to move, and quick.

Sure enough, he could finally move. It was just as The World was close and about to slice him in two. Preciosa shot out and punched a hole straight through his stomach. His vampiric user suffered the same damage, shocked that not only had his Stand been damaged, but his prey had once again invaded his world. Surprisingly, time did not resume. He felt himself slow down, his surroundings blurring, his hearing becoming muffled. But his consciousness, his ability to perceive, did not stop.

I did it, he thought incredulously. I moved! I actually moved! It was for a second… But I was able to get a punch in…

"T-This fool," he heard DIO lament, clutching his bleeding stomach. It was like he was talking underwater, or into a can. But he could understand him perfectly. "He actually… moved..! He could move after all..! I thought he was feigning..! I could have sworn… Of all things.. For this Joestar descendant… to invade… my world of stopped time..!"

The next thing he knew, time resumed. Everything cleared up as DIO flew through a china shop window. Joaquín ended up grabbing onto a bookstore sign across the street. A woman's shriek pierced the night among the shattering of glass, undoubtedly that store's clerk. It was incredible. Joaquín had found a way to counter The World. But he was in trouble now. He couldn't get away with that again. DIO would make sure he had enough distance before he killed him from afar.

And judging from where his opponent landed, he knew what he would use.

Knives, he thought. There's bound to be knives in there… I might not be able to avoid or deflect them all… I need something to stop them from piercing me. He immediately dropped down and ran into the shop, looking around for something her could use that wouldn't make it too obvious what he was planning. The clerk at the counter looked between him and the commotion across the street in confusion and fear.

"Er… Can I help you," he asked nervously. "Did you… do that out there..?"

Joaquín nodded as he started shoving magazines into his pants and shirt. Preciosa quickly slathered them so that they would stick to his body. "Yes I did," he answered. "He's trying to kill me. So I'm trying to prevent that. Here." He took out $60 and handed it to him. "I don't know if that's enough, but I'm in a bit of a pinch here. Just take it and keep your head down, please." He then left as if he never entered at all, starting to make his way back towards the wreckage before him.

From within the shop, DIO rose to his feet, back towards him. And then he turned to face him, smiling devilishly and showing that the hole in his stomach was healed up. Most of his clothes had little tears in it, but he was uninjured. His left pant leg was torn, the flesh beneath bloodied but mended. Hanging limp by the fingers digging into her neck was the store's clerk, dead and drained of her blood.

"Had your fill, you dirty vampire," he shouted, stopping right in the middle of the road. "Hope you enjoyed your meal, cause that's the last person whose blood you'll drain!"

He chuckled and hissed "I'll relish it." And he quickly disappeared, his kill dropping like a rag doll. Joaquín didn't have to look around for long before he immediately saw him standing precariously atop a speed limit sign. "So… You're eyes were able to follow me… in the world of stopped time… Clearly, you were able to see the movements I, DIO, made… Not unlike some child learning to ride a bike until they could do it properly…"

"Of course I can," he spat back. "Like I need to tell you how..."

"Your snooping and Lennox's… No… Erina's… willingness to aid you in my defeat…" He was speaking calmly, almost impressed. "And because you have solved the mystery of The World's ability, you were able to… acknowledge… that I could move within stopped time… Which explains how you were able to infiltrate my world…" He disappeared again, this time speaking from atop a building from almost behind him.

"Which brings me, DIO, to wonder… Just how long exactly can you move in my world of stopped time..? Two seconds..? Three..? Or perhaps, like me, you can move for five seconds, but are simply feigning… Heh heh… Am I right..?"

He was wrong. He could only move for one second. If he were given a chance to practice his new-found ability more, he could do it for longer intervals. But this only added to his current worry. He's already cooking something up to stop me from countering him, he thought, not looking away from the vampire. If he finds out about this, I'm even more screwed. Coño... How am I gonna buy myself some time..?

His hopes were shot when he continued to speak. "You probably won't tell me because you believe you think it would help you win… But I believe you can only move for just one second… Now… Because you've entered my world of stopped time… I would be a wise man not to be within your range… despite being at an overwhelming advantage over you…"

"Do you know how many of your men bragged about that and ended up losing horribly" Joaquín asked harshly. "Almost all of them. Brag, brag, brag. And yeah, they had the upper hand at some point, but they never once won. Not even that prick Vanilla Ice. His pride and overconfidence was his downfall! And it will be yours too, now more than ever! It doesn't matter how long I can defy your power, I'll take every moment I get to take you down!"

His response was a mirthless laugh. "And you're right! It doesn't! Because I've come up with a way to execute you no matter how many seconds you can move!" He whirled his hands about him, and like a magician, brandished a multitude of knives from out of thin air. There were too many to count. Even his belt was holding several of them against his waist. For a moment, his shock flitted across his face. He expected them, just not this many.

"You've gone pale," DIO gleefully pointed out. "So you understand… You know I got them from that store, too… Just seeing these knives, you know that you will meet a far more terrible end than that decrepit Joseph…"

This was how dangerous he was. He was prepared for everything; even when one plan fails, he will have thought of another in seconds to make up for it. This was how Jonathan died, and how he may die. No amount of magazines could stop all of those knives. He needed to get further away from him than he thought.

Using Preciosa, he kicked hard off the ground and jumped higher than he had to get away from him. But DIO's excited confidence did not wane. "There's no escape," he called out. "As in a game of chess, I have you in checkmate! THE WORLD!" He was stopped mid-jump, everything blurring around him again. His foe bounded towards him, The World by his side flinging a handful of the knives at him. All of them stopped short of a few inches from him.

"Five seconds left!" He floated several feet, smiling wickedly like the devil he was. The World's gaze remained as stoic and murderous as when he was first revealed. "When time resumes, no matter how much you can prevent it with that pitiful 'Toma-Toma Rush'… I have to wonder just how many of these knives you can deflect… Four seconds left!"

More of them were thrown, these ones aiming for his face. "On the contrary, I think just the sight of them has you afraid. If you don't move or get these knives out of the way, then you'll be in quite some trouble once time resumes, Joaquín! Three seconds now!"

He was right. The sight of all these knives, which would retain their momentum when time started up again, was very worrisome. It was pitiful; a man like him, who had taken on criminals with guns and the most dangerous of Stands, scared of so many sharp blades ready to fly at him. But he had to move, or suffer. With the one second he had to move, Preciosa was summoned and punched away some of the knives before freezing again.

Some. But certainly not all.

"Two seconds remaining," DIO announced, holding two fingers up and sneering. "So that… is all you can move for… You could only move for a moment after all… Which means.. you've proved me right..!"

He took a seat and lowered a finger. "One second remaining!"

Damnit… All I can do now is try to deflect the rest… Come on, Preciosa… Don't fail me… Please help me…

"Zero!" All his fingers were lowered. "Let time resume!"

And as predicted, they all shot straight at their target with the same speed they were tossed at. The Stand roared his usual "¡TOMATOMATOMA!", punching as fast as he could to deflect the flying blades. He didn't stop punching. He couldn't let them break through his defense. But they did, several of them barely piercing his torso and stomach and stabbing into his arms and leg. And each and every one of them hurt horribly.

"It's over…" He took out one last knife and handed it to his Stand."And one more just to make sure!" The World flung it at the now falling Joaquín, Preciosa throwing another punch to try and deflect it. All he did was make it aim for his face now, leaving him little choice but to move his head away. The sharp utensil made its mark and sliced against his cheek.

Well that's gonna leave a scar.

He plummeted back down to the street below, DIO and the buildings moving further and further away from view. And while his Stand protected him from behind, the impact of his back onto the ground still sent pain through his entire body. It was almost blinding, adding to the searing pain in his arms and the slash across his cheek. If that wasn't adding insult to injury, then he didn't know what was.

Son of a bitch, he inwardly cursed, lifting his collar to see the magazines plastered to his chest. He was right in choosing these ones, for they cushioned the blades enough that they barely pierced him. I never thought he'd throw that many… Talk about overkill… But… at least I got lucky with stuffing my clothes… Hell, I got really lucky and just got one in the leg… Can't say the same about my arms… Three fucking knives… Not to mention my cheek's gonna end up scarred… Por dios…

He sighed and dropped is arm, left to his thoughts and searing pain. Now… He thinks he's killed me jut like that… Let's keep it at that… That bastard's gonna check soon… I gotta pretend I'm dead and aim for that one chance to strike him… Risky, but it's the best solution in this situation… Cause if that maldito vampiro were to stop time again and threw more knives… Not sure I could do that again… Just gotta blow his head off… He ain't dying any other way…

Right on cue, DIO descended right nearby with a purposeful stomp. Joaquín stood absolutely still, his chest unmoving as he controlled his breathing. He needed to keep up this act lest he be killed in an instant.

"Perhaps I should be careful," DIO mused. It might have been him, but he could swear he heard worry in his voice. "The Joestar bloodline are a lucky lot… He may be deceiving me by feigning death… I must be completely… certain..!" The way he hissed that word filled him with dread at just how paranoid and insane his opponent was. Did nothing work on this man at all? "He isn't moving… but is he breathing..?"

Barely, but it was no bother. All those days of training his hamon and learning to breathe in and out for a nearly combined hour definitely help. He couldn't even hear himself. Thankfully, it was enough to convince his foe. "Nothing… He's stopped… However…" In his peripheral vision, he could see him slowly approach and kneel a few feet away from Preciosa's range. "What about his heartbeat..?"

Definitely insane. He was covering every base. Joaquín could never had anticipated any of this. But if his opponent was going to do something insane, he might as well improvise. So with a quick prayer for luck, he summoned Preciosa's hand within himself and grabbed a hold of his heart. His heartbeat came to a complete stop, and the pain and sudden lightheadedness that followed was almost unbearable.

This is… Oh… fuck… It hurts… I'm seriously gonna lose consciousness… I… I can't… I can't let it happen… His body was going numb. His breathing was growing slower as well. If I d-die from… stopping my own heart… Fuck… That won't be funny… at all…

After a grueling moment, he finally convinced him. But he daren't let go of his heart just yet. "Not a sound," DIO sighed in relief. He was starting to sound muffled as well. "So he is completely dead… Good… I was afraid he had revived himself from that… But… perhaps I should decapitate him… just for some peace of mind…"

In his blurring vision, he saw him rip a street sign off the ground. Even when he had convinced him he was dead, it still wasn't enough. All it did now was fuel the paranoia and put him in a very vulnerable position. There was no way he could get out of this fast enough to save himself. He was as good as dead.

"Wouldn't you agree..? Joaquín..?"

It's over, he thought pitifully as he saw him raise the sign, ready to kill him for good. I can't get my heart going fast enough… He'll stop time quicker than I can hit him… Everyone… I'm-

"DON'T YOU DARE!"

DIO's attention turned to the sudden scream from up above. Jumping from the rooftops came two blurred figures, one purely pink and the other with large, bushy hair. It was Della and All My Love. She was about to lay her life on the line against the most dangerous Stand user they had ever fought. There was no way he was going to keep his heart still now. He didn't get up, but he did use his Stand to manually pump his heart before he could let it beat on its own.

His vision slowly clearing up, he saw just how determined his girlfriend was. Joaquín knew she was afraid. He could see the trepidation in her stance. But she did not waver The fear she undoubtedly felt was fueling her will to fight. He felt more proud of her than he ever had before.

"And who might you be," DIO asked curiously, suppressing his annoyance at the interruption. "Wait… Don't tell me… You're Della Brown, correct?"

"I am," she replied, her tone filled with a calm fury. "I don't even need to tell you why I'm here, do I?"

"No, of course not… You are Joaquín's significant other… I can see the flame in your eyes burn bright with your love for him… How touching for you to come in his time of need… However, you just might be too late… He is dead… No breathing, no pulse… Completely dead…"

She didn't cry, didn't rush him, didn't scream in denial. Her expression was still one of bold determination. But in her eyes, he could see a quiet fury slowly burning within her. Her voice went low and was filled with the most hatred for someone he had ever heard. "I will make you pay, DIO…"

DIO humphed and crossed his arms. "Your threat is no different than that of your friends… Or of any other man who had dared to stand up to DIO… And do you know where, exactly, their for revenge led them to..? Death… Every last one of them… Your fate shall be no different than theirs…"

"That's not gonna stop me… It's never stopped me once… All of your minions that I fought came to find that out about me… Sure, I'm scared… I'm always scared… Even in my bravest moments… But that sure as hell never held me back. Especially now that I'm facing the biggest, baddest wolf in the woods. I'm not gonna run from you, ever!" She pointed at him, her voice reverberating against the buildings. I'm going to finish what they all started and kill you myself, DIO!"

"Oh..? And what exactly is can your Stand do that can end my life?"

All My Love responded with a shout of "AMORAMORAMOR!" as she rapidly punched in his direction. A flurry of bubbles shot out of her fists with each strike. But the vampire simply laughed and jumped away from them as they crashed into a building.

"Is that really how you plan to kill me," he declared in amusement. "With bubbles?! To think that I, DIO, have lived so long just to be brought down by some flimsy blast of soap! You humor me, Della!" He flipped away from another barrage. "Surely this isn't the best you could do?!"

Her Stand held its fist and began to form a larger bubble, the sight of which made her foe laugh louder now. "Ha ha ha ha! Seriously, girl! Do you think making it bigger and stronger will stop me?! Your ability is useless to me! Useless, useless, useless, USELESS!"

Both Stand and user smiled. And as soon as it was big enough, she detached her fist from the orb and held it in both hands. She then began to press against it, slowly moving her hands and making it spin. Its rounded edges began to sharpen as it spun faster and faster. Eventually, she was holding a bubbly disc in her hands, whirring perfectly. With a flourish and spin, she flung it and shouted "BUBBLE CUTTER!"

He didn't move as he beheld the razor-sharp bubble whizzing through the air, aiming straight for him. He continued to wear that amused and unimptessed smile on his face, as if he wanted to be struck down by such a "weak attack". And just as it was a few short feet from him, she shouted something nobody, not even Joaquín, expected her to hear:

"NOW! BUBBLE CUTTER BURST"

Her cutter popped, and the droplets it made inflated into several, regular-sized spinning bubbles. It was almost like a wall of them, just like the knives he had thrown a minute or so earlier, and all of them moved with the same velocity as their predecessor. DIO did not expect this. He immediately summoned the world and began to punch away at them, popping them all with a loud bang. They barely cut his fists, which popped up on his master's hands in small bursts of blood.

"Now this is quite interesting," he complimented. "A trap that, were it not for The World's blinding speed, would have certainly spelled my doom! Be that as it may, it is still a shoddy little technique! Nothing that could bring down me, DIO!"

Upon saying this, one of the bubbles slipped through the barrage of punches and swiftly cut the vampire's cheek. For a moment, he appeared to be unfazed. Until, of course, the wound sparked with a familiar light and began to burn him. For the first time since the bloody battle had begun, the man let out a pained yell, mingled together with shock, panic, and pure disbelief. His Stand hadn't been wounded, he was.

"W-What did you do to me," he spat out shakily, unable to properly register what just happened. "T-This burn… This burning sensation..! I… I remember this pain..! This is…. This is hamon! You injured me with hamon! How..?! How can you, a lowly woman, know such an accursed power such as that?!"

"Because I'm descended from the very men who passed down that power to the Joestars," she declared. "My great-great grandfather was the man who taught Jonathan Joestar its secrets! He was man known as Zeppeli! I am his descendant! And like him and his sons before me, I've inherited the power to destroy the dead! The power of the sun! Hamon!"

The wounded man held his slowly melting cheek, a roar building within his rising growl. His fury finally reaching its peak, he bellowed out a bone-chilling, "WWWRRRYYY!" It was the same screech Joaquín had heard for four years in each of his nightmares. Hearing it in person. now filled with pure anger echoing into the night, was absolutely terrifying. After the inhuman screech died down, he began to snarl through his enraged panting.

"How dare… How dare you scar my face so..? And with such lowly hamon..?! That man… To think he would continue to be a thorn in my side… by leaving behind some weak, pitiful descendant to challenge me..! Me..! I am the emperor of this world… You.. are but a peasant..!" His eyes slowly began to glow from amber to crimson, shining as fierce as his anger. "How dare you… How dare you..! You… You… YOU WRETCHED BITCH!"

And before Della could react, two thin beams of liquid burst straight from DIO's pupils and pierced straight through her neck. Time seemed to slow for Joaquín, unable to move or scream as he witnessed the love of his life stumble back in shock and pain. She clutched her bleeding throat, eyes wide and coughing up blood. She rested them upon her fallen lover and reached out pleadingly to him.

"J-Joaquín," she choked through the blood. "I… I'm… sorry…"

And then she fell, coughing and choking from her fatal wound. This couldn't be happening. She had fought DIO and fell at his hands, and all he had done was watch as she suffered. He should have stopped faking and fought alongside her, take the blow himself. The guilt and anger he felt mounted. It was far too much for him to take.

With his new foe taken care of, DIO, stomped towards her, back turned to his other fallen opponent. "Joaquín can wait," he spat. "You… You made me feel the pain of hamon for the first time in a century… For that… I will make you suffer tenfold what you have inflicted upon me..! You bitch… You filthy bitch..!" He kneeled and lifted Della by her neck, his nails digging into her. She could barely pry his hands off her.

"S-Stop… Please..! Sto-" She was silenced by a fist across her face. And another. And another. It was Vanilla Ice and Iggy all over again, the vampire losing taking out his insanity and anger out on someone who hurt him. At this point, Joaquín had finally had enough. He had already gotten up when the maniac spoke, approached him as he lifter her up. And as soon as the fourth punch landed, he reached him and forcefully spun him around to face him and his equally infuriated Stand.

He was frozen for a moment in disbelief, and the minute he snapped out of it, he hurriedly cried out, "STOP TIME NOW! THE WORLD!" But his Stand couldn't activate it's power in time, as Preciosa's fist slammed hard into his head and tore through his skull. Joaquín let out a fierce roar as the punch sent the vampire flying into some nearby stairs. His girlfriend had been let go

"Fuck you, DIO," he growled before going to Della, who had been let go and was now crumpled in a bloody mess on the ground. While still fuming, he calmed down enough to touch her neck and focused his hamon. Like with Jean Pierre, he changed her blood flow so that she would not bleed out. He then tore off part of her shirt sleeve and wrapped it carefully around her neck. The entire time, she had not looked away from him, her eye alight with relief and admiration.

When he finished, she managed to whisper, "Jojo… You're alive…"

"It's gonna take a lot more than knives to kill me," he said with a reassuring smile. It took him all his energy to stay calm, especially for her. "Listen… You've done enough here, Della… I need you to get out of here. Stay close, hide, do whatever… Just leave it to me, okay..?

She nodded and slowly tried standing, shaky and clutching her neck. "I… I will… I'll head… to the mansion… I might run… into Jean Pierre…"

"Do what you need to… I'm proud of you, Della." He wiped the blood off her face and kissed her deeply, not caring about what remained on her lips. "Now go… I'll be okay…"

As he watched her slowly leave, he was reminded of the sharp pain from the knives in him. Joaquín carefully removed each of them, especially the ones in his arm. And the rage felt felt before finally returned. That son of a bitch, he thought bitterly. All these knives… Making me stop my own heart… Fucker got what he deserved with that head shot… But that's not enough… I'm not out of the woods just yet…

His attention returned to DIO, who he could hear struggling to his feet and hissing, "I… will kill you…" He turned just in time to see him him stumble onto his face. Blood was gushing from the hole in his head and stained his blonde locks red. He could only lift himself with his hands, looking confused and panicked as he tried moving his legs. "W-What the hell..?! This is… impossible..! The strength… in my legs… I can't feel it..! I can't stand up..!" He tried again, only to fail.

"I have a headache… I-I feel nauseous..!" His hand could barely cover the massive wound. It was too big for his regeneration to heal up. Or perhaps it was because his brain had been damaged that it wasn't working. "H-How could this be..?! I, DIO… feel s-sick..! He destroyed part of my head..! I can't stand..! I can't stand..!"

"Well, isn't that a shame," coldly jeered Joaquín as he approached him again. The vampire continue to struggle and raise himself onto the stairs to little avail. "I'm surprised you haven't asked how I'm still alive. That'd be the first thing I'd ask if I saw my worst enemy still alive. Well, here's your answer." He lifted his shirt up and let the damaged magazines fall out. "You're not the only one who plans on the fly."

"D-Damn you..!"

"You know, it honestly sucks that I have to kick you while you're down… Well… No… I'd be lying if I say that. Because of you, my friends, family, and countless others have fallen. That's why this battle isn't ending until I either kill you on my own with no hamon or the sun burns you to ash. Preciosa phased into view beside him,cracking his knuckles and ready to deal a proper beating. "Pick your poison. Or I'll do it for you…"

For a moment, DIO only looked up at his fated foe with nothing but contempt. And then, he smiled, slowly chuckling and falling into manic laughing. It grating just hearing how certain he was of himself and his survival. Jut as he was about to lay into him, he ceased laughing and shouted those dreaded two words:

"THE WORLD!"

Time stopped, but Joaquín continued to move. Preciosa tried slamming a punch into his foe, but he simply rolled away from him onto the street. A taxi had been passing the moment he activated his Stand's power. It became clear that he had once again made a backup plan, this time to get away from him. It was awful timing, given that Joaquín froze again. "To that place… As long as I get to that place…" He smiled again and grabbed onto the bumper. "Time… has… resumed…"

The car drove off with its unwanted passenger dragging behind, leaving his foe behind. Smart-ass… He was keeping an ear out for any car. Damn that vampiric hearing of his… But he hasn't gotten the best of me yet..!" He pulled out one more knife he had forgotten and handed it to his Stand, running into the street. With a powerful flick, he tossed the blade towards his target. Within a second, the taxi's tire popped, making it lose control. DIO lost his grip and tumbled all along the road.

He wasn't going to let him get away, though. He could see him crawling away, perhaps to some sewer or something. So with a Stand-powered bound, he flew up to his prey and landed directly on the edge of a sewer lid, striking his foe's chin with a dull metal clang. Joaquín turned to the man clutching his pained chin and growled, "You don't get to run away from this… You've done too much for me to just let you go… So just give up, DIO… It's over…"

He could almost see the gears in his head spinning far too fast. He had nowhere to run. He was crippled from the devastating blow to his head. And he had one very pissed-off Joestar after his blood. He had tried and failed to kill him. Their game had reached its checkmate, but it was no longer in his favor. He had no other moves to play. Joaquín was right. It was indeed over.

But that didn't stop him from brandished two more knives from within his jacket and desperately shouting, "THE WORLD! TIME HAS-"

"TOMA," interrupted Preciosa with a swift punch across the face. Having caught him off guard, he unleashed a powerful barrage of fists all over his opponent's body. Both his and his user's rage poured into each blow, making sure he felt the pain they had endured. They made sure he was a near-bloody pulp before screaming "¡TOMA E'TO!" and slugging him straight down the street. But unlike their other opponents, DIO was laughing as he flew.

"You fell for it, Joaquín," he called out. "This was my escape route! You've lost this battle of wits to me, DIO!" And then he crashed in a cloud of dust. As Joaquín made his way to him, he called out again, more confident than ever. "Tell me, Joaquín! Do you know where you blew me away to?! Or do all streets look the same to tourists like you?!"

Now he had been caught off guard. He took in his surroundings for a moment before he stopped. He recognized it. The bent sign, debris from the rooftops, and the lingering air of chaos. He knew exactly where he was, but he could barely believe it. This is where the fight began, he thought. And the next realization that hit made his blood freeze. Which means… No… NO..!"

"That's right," confirmed DIO as the dust settled. He was completely healed from head to toe. His golden hair stood on end, adding to his already crazed expression. And his fingers dripped with blood, taken straight from the neck of the defenseless old man beneath him. The prone body of Joutarou was left ignored in favor for the other. "Sucking Joseph Joestar's blood…" He ripped off his damaged jacket to show off his muscular physique. "…was my escape route!"

The anger just kept mounting. Everything he did just kept adding up. Joaquín Just didn't know how much more he could take before he would lose his reasoning. "You… bastard," was all he could spit out.

DIO hummed and lowered his collar. The scar was gone, completely healed up. "As I thought, Joseph's blood has adapted to mine! It suits this body perfectly! My power was able to be restored, and greater than ever before!" He dug his fingers into his head and began to scratch straight into it, bleeding unconcernedly as he lost himself to his euphoria and laughed maniacally. "It's adapted! Truly, it's adapted! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!

"This body belonged to Jonathan Joestar one hundred years ago… What I just sucked just now was the blood from his grandson Joseph… And the one that allowed me to escape was his grandson… You! Heh heh heh!" He let go of his head, his deep scratches mending quickly. "I've always thought the Joestar bloodline was always in my way, like dog shit rolling down the streets of my destiny… But in the very end, it seems the Joestars were destined to be used by me!"

"You… will pay..!"

But as he tried getting closer to the still laughing vampire, he stopped. Dust seemed to be billowing around his grandfather, rising into the air. It swirled and grew into a familiar shape, bright against the streetlamps above. It looked exactly like him, back turned to his grandson and a seriously calm expression on his aged face. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was exactly like back in the mansion with Mohamed and Iggy.

Is this… Abuelito's soul..?

"After this," started Joseph quietly, yet louder than DIO's triumphant joy below. "Whatever DIO does to my body below after this… never… lose your calm and fly into a rage… Joaquín… Don't worry about me anymore… I did as much as I possibly could… You solved the mystery of DIO's Stand… and prolonged our lives… Had we all fought DIO together, we would have been annihilated at once…"

"Abuelito," whispered Joaquín, close to tears.

"You can move a little in stopped time… Perhaps for two or three seconds… Use that time carefully… Whatever DIO doe after this, don't get angry… If you attack him while you're angry, you'll only corner yourself into an awful situation…" He stood silent and turned away, as if thinking about what his last words should be.

"Joaquín…" He looked back with a warm smile, tipping his fedora as he began to float away. "I'm so glad to have met you… My lost grandson… This trip… was a lot of fun, wasn't it..? With both you and your brother… So much happened… Indeed… Heh heh… It's really… been fun… these last fifty days…" For a moment, the light of the lamp post blinded Joaquín. And when he looked back, his grandfather's spirit was gone.

Was that… real, he wondered. Did Abuelito really just speak to me..? I felt like he did…

"Hey," barked DIO. "Where are you looking, Joaquín?!"

He looked back at the vampire to see him kneeling before the body Joseph left behind. His fingers jabbed straight into his chest and began to drain his blood, the veins on his arms pulsing horrifically Without his blood, the old man began to shrivel up and lose color. All that remained of the once proud Joestar was an empty husk. He was gone. And when he finished, the madman pulled out his blood-soaked fingers and laughed."Strained to the last drop…"

After everything, all the anger he felt, all the death he had witnessed, all the pain he endured, all thanks to the monster who gloated over his self-assured victory, Joaquín Trejo…

Snapped.

"YOU BASTAAARD," he bellowed, giving in to his unyielding fury and rushing towards his foe. He knew his grandfather didn't want this from him, to lose his temper completely. But in this circumstance, he couldn't help it. How can I not keep my cool after seeing what he fucking did?!

DIO chuckled and rose to his feet. "Then this is the final round… Let's go!"

Both men ran towards one another, intent on finishing them off. No more running away, and no holding back.

Their fated battle was finally reaching its climax.

I think adding Della's confrontation with Dio was a good decision. Of course, I had to change the scene up a bit to make it more in line with the OVA. Honestly liked that moment a bit more given that it's not dragged out like in the series proper. But I digress. It feels right having a Zeppeli take some revenge on him after what he did, even if it was a little.

Stay tuned for the final round of Joaquin and Dio's climactic battle!