Managing to find a back entrance, Ai is currently outside near the bushes and a tree, wondering to herself what kind of place did she end up in. Shaking the thought off, she moves to climb up the iron fence when she hears Sakura's voice calling to her. "Ai-chan? Are you here? Ai-chan?" Not wanting to be seen, Ai ducks in the bush to hide. Crawling underneath, she turns her head to Sakura's direction, silently hoping she didn't find her hiding in the bush. She turns her head forward to escape the mansion undetected...

...Just as Junko enters the view, red eyes, rotting skin and all.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Their screams continue for four seconds, loud enough for Sakura to go to the bush and see them hiding. "Ai-chan! Oh, and Junko-chan too. What are you two doing?"

Seeing they are spotted, Ai and Junko pick themselves up and turn to the fences as they answer Sakura's question simultaneously.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm leaving."

"I'm leaving this place..."

Grabbing the bars, Ai attempts to climb up as she states, "Why should I have to put up with this nonsense?" As she tries to go over the gate, Sakura stops her and puts her down, saying, "No, no, no. You can't. It's dangerous out there."

"You mean like that video he showed us? There's no way that's gonna happen." She claims.

"Me and Kakyoin got shot for real!" Sakura responds, putting her hands to her neck where it got shot.

"That Tae girl frightens me..." Junko timidly said. "I have no idea what she's thinking. And the way she bites..."

"I-I felt the same way, but it's okay once you get used to it!"

As she tried reassuring her, Ai took the opportunity to climb up. Sakura sees this and grabs her again. "Ai-chan, wait! Stop!" She pulls hard to prevent her from escaping.

"Let me go!" She insisted, tightening her grip to the bar.

"No!"

As the two keeps their hold over their contrasting desires, Ai's arms came off, leaving it holding the bar while she and Sakura falls on the ground, the force causing Ai's eyes to come out her sockets and fly up. In front of Junko.

"WAAAAAAHHHH!" She screams over the sight of Ai's eyes staring at her. The eyes fall, bounce and roll away from her...

...into the feet of Gyro. "Hm?"

Looking at the eyes seemingly staring him back, Gyro kneels on the ground and grabs it, watching it roll around his palm. He appears to be amused, cracking a smile at the sight. Nyoho! Wonder if I can use my eye this way? Probably like the time I had the Corpse's eyes when it was on my steel balls!

"Hey! I-I can't see anything! Everything's dark! W-Where are my eyes?!" Ai exclaims in panic, sitting upright and looking around wildly with her empty eye sockets, contributing to make Junko freaking out more.

"Right here." Walking to Ai, Gyro puts the eyes back in her socket which in turn gives her vision back. Blinking repeatedly, Ai realizes it's the same man who she bumped into earlier. "Can you see me now?" He waves his hand over her face to check if she didn't go blind.

"I do, so stop waving your hand." Ai confirms.

"Alright." Turning to the arms still grabbing the iron fence, Gyro asks, "That your arms grabbing the fence?"

"Yes. Can you put it back?" She pleaded as she stood up.

Without saying a word, Gyro grabs Ai's detached arms off the fence and reattaches through her long sleeves. "There. Happy now?"

"I am..." Ai lets out a sigh as she bows before Gyro as thanks. "Thank you, Gyro-san."

"Eh, don't worry about it." He cracks a smile. Now that her issue is solved, Gyro looks at her, Sakura and Junko before he moves in to question their actions tonight. "So, what are three zombie girls doing here this late? You're not planning to try and... leave the mansion, are you?"

While Ai and Junko avert their gaze, Sakura clarifies her intentions to the tall cowboy. "I'm not planning to. I'm trying to stop the two from escaping because of the video Tatsumi-san showed us."

"You mean the ones about zombies getting mauled in his...moving... pictures?" Gyro asked, understandably referring to the video as such.

"Yes. And considering his warning, I'm trying to reason with Ai-chan and Junko-chan because I don't want them getting killed..."

"Like I told you, it's not gonna happen. I just want to leave the mansion and not partake in this insanity." Ai insisted, moving in to climb out once more.

"I agree. I don't want Tae to chase and bite me again..." Junko said. She and Ai were about to go on with their plan against Sakura's wishes when Gyro spoke up.

"If you two do get out, what are you gonna do next?"

"Huh?" The three turns to him. Unlike the jovial self he showed earlier, he's serious and frowning this time as he stares at the two with folded arms.

"If you two did got out, where are you going next?" Gyro continues speaking to lay out the consequences of their actions. "Are you going back to your hometown? Perhaps seek help from someone else? Or maybe find a place to live in?"

Unnerved from this change of attitude, Ai asks what he's on about only to be interrupted.

"Even though you want to escape, remember that we're zombies. And based on what that man showed us, we would be pretty much killed again because the public won't accept zombies roaming around. If you do what I mentioned, I can tell it's not going to be easy thanks to you two being zombies."

His words seem to be getting to their heads, as Junko stutters to say something. "W-Well..."

"As much as this is a shock for us, let's be glad that Kotaro guy is willing to give us a place to stay. As much as his plan sounds crazy even for my standards, he's genuine in reviving us for a second chance in life. Now, I'm not drilling into your respective opinions because I understand that you two felt this way but think of the consequences of your future actions first before you enact it. You're going to regret it sooner or later..." His blunt words directed at Ai and Junko seem effective as they are unable to deny him despite still wanting to escape. It also has an effect on Sakura as well, seeing Gyro has a point even if he has to be direct. She is hoping that the two wouldn't try to set foot outside the mansion after hearing the former executioner out...

"...That said, I'm curious of what the world is like after a century have passed so... I'll go out and take a walk."

"H-Huh?"

Blinking over his sudden turn of attitude, the three watch Gyro effortlessly climb over the fence and lands on the ground outside. Adjusting his hat, he turns to the girls and asks, "You three coming? If not, then go back inside and don't bother getting out. I can handle myself."

"G-G-Gyro-san! W-Wait! What are you thinking!?"

As Sakura attempts to convince Gyro not to leave, Ai and Junko look at each other and to Sakura climbing over the fence once Gyro starts walking. They're made unaware of two pairs of eyes watching them from the back door.


"Come on, Gyro-san. Let's go back. It's dangerous out there."

"Relax Sakura. It's nighttime so I'm sure no one's around this late."

With four zombies out into the public, Sakura is trying to convince Gyro to go back out of fear they'll be seen and exposed. He in turn reassures her, aware of what he's doing but being sure no one's out this late. If there's a chance they're gonna be seen, they make a break for it. As this goes on, Ai and Junko follow the two, baffled over his decision just after putting some sense on them.

Also, why are they following the two in the first place? Are they still thinking of escaping despite what Gyro said to them?

Right now, the four are in the shopping district not far from the mansion. Arriving here, Gyro asks what place this is. "It's a shopping district." Ai answers simply.

"Shopping district huh? Interesting..."

Entering the district, Sakura tells Gyro to turn back, who's enjoying what he's seeing so far. So much so that at this point, he's getting a little annoyed over her pestering him to return.

"For God's sake Sakura, can you stop worrying for a minute? I get what I'm doing will increase our chances of being exposed but I came prepared when the chance presents itself." He subtly hovers his hand to his holster storing his steel balls.

"S-Still! If someone does see us, someone's head is gonna explode!"

"Please don't say that!" Junko pleaded.

"Or someone will punch us to mush!"

"If you're that worried, then go back by yourself," Gyro exclaims with a sigh, passing by three circle-shaped windows that show reflections. He takes a good look on himself with Ai and Junko doing the same. Concerning their bodies' state after death, Ai sees bandages wrapping her entire body and Junko feeling disturbed over her stitched-up skin. Seeing them distressed over the state of their bodies, Gyro lifts his shirt up, revealing a hole where his heart is trailed by three long stitched wounds from his left hand, hips and stomach. Like the two, he appears distressed as he remembers his final battle against Funny Valentine and how many wounds the president inflicted on him causing internal injuries, especially to his heart. As he inspects more, he notices holes on the side of his head. He wonders if Valentine fired rounds on him as he expires to ensure he's really dead. He feels himself growling from the thought and is glad Valentine's not here in this world, because he's gonna pound his face with his steel balls.

"Come on you three... Let's go back." Sakura insisted for another time, getting more worried the more they stayed out.

"Do you seriously think zombies can pull off being idols? Why are you agreeing to all of this easily?"

Ai remarked, gleaming over to Sakura irritatingly. "He's got you dancing to his tune. Are you stupid?"

Taken aback from her blunt statement, she thought over her words before replying as she looked to her reflection, "Maybe I am... Maybe I haven't really thought it through... But, the other day, when we all went on the stage together, I felt really strange." Remembering the "performance" at Geils Live Housing last night, she continues speaking. "Like my heart is buzzing, I was really happy... I don't remember my life before I became a zombie but I get the impression I've felt something like that before. I want to feel that way again. I want to know what it really is. So I want to get on that stage again... That's all." She finishes her reasoning. While Ai and Junko seem astounded over her resolve, Gyro whistles in fascination.

"Hearing you say that makes me look forward to you girls' performance tomorrow. That resolve of yours is guaranteed to make you progress." Gyro commended. Sakura was about to say something in response to his compliment when he says, "Hey, what's that weird-looking vehicle doing there?"

"Huh?"

The girls look to where the Italian cowboy is pointing and see a black car pulled up in the entrance where three guys come out from it in hip hop clothes. They start beatboxing and rapping while dancing towards the four.

Yo, yo, yo!
Check, check, check!

The four huddled up together in a circle, with Gyro first asking, "Why are they singing like that?"

"Because they're rapping." Ai answers.

"Rapping? That a modern genre of singing?"

"W-We must go now! Those guys are kinda scary!" Sakura urges the three to move as the three rappers continue moving to them. All the while, they dish out verses about the three girls they're interested in while ignoring the tall guy.

Mike check, yo!

Yo check it! These chicks are out really late,
Maybe they're like us, cruising for a date?
Yo, screw you man, you make me do the work,
When you push me around, you look like a jerk!
Yo, yo, yo! How about you let me hit them up then?
If you end asking, they'll wanna be "just friends."

"They're coming this way. They're coming this way. They're coming this way!" Junko repeats out of panic.

"What should we do? What should we do?! What should we do?!" Sakura does the same.

"They sing so weird. Am I going to like this rap singing?" Gyro quips.

You girls wanna do some karaoke? A little song and dance?
We know a place open late if you don't got plans!
If you don't have money, it'll be our treat, okay?

As they come across a second path, they see someone holding a bike blocking the way. The four proceed forward only to come up in a dead end. The four purposely face away to prevent anyone from looking at them, especially when there's a lit lamp post. Speaking of which, the rappers close to the four when the man joins the rapping.

You're up late boys, I wanna know why.
Or do you think I'm gonna walk by?

Sakura recognizes the voice with dread, which is noticed by Gyro. "What's wrong Sakura?" He whispers.

"Damn it man. We didn't even do anything." The man with a backward hat stated in dismay.

You wanna pick up girls, is that your game?
'Cuz I can throw your butts in jail, it's all the same!

Remaining calm, Gyro hopes nothing could go wrong as he plans for the four to sneak by while they're distracted, hovering his hand to his holster holding his steel balls. Alright, you three. Don't make any movements so we can-

"Officer, please, help us!" Ai foolishly calls for help, moving towards the light.

"Ai! What the hell?!" Gyro whispers in panic, walking to the light along with Sakura and Junko in response to her action. He realizes too late what they have done. Ah crap. We got seen... He sums up the thought, expecting them to react aggressively to their zombie appearances...

However, what happened instead is pretty anticlimactic.

"Huh? Is that a cowboy outfit you're wearing?" The policeman asks.

"My outfit?" Gyro parrots.

"You sure got guts, going out in public with that on. And that belt! Showing that out in the open... You wanna get arrested?" He threatened, even though he doesn't seem intent on following it and is likely joking.

...

...

...

"AH! WATCH OUT! There's a zombie on the loose!"

"What? WHERE!?"

ガシャンッ

Taking advantage of their distraction, Gyro breaks the light bulb in the lamp post with a steel ball, concealing him, Sakura, Ai and Junko in darkness.

"MOVE IT GIRLS!"

Though surprised by his act, the three didn't hesitate to make haste out of the shopping district and go back to the direction they come from. They're so focused in running that they haven't noticed a moving shadow following them.

Unbeknownst to them, an unknown figure is watching them from behind the stairs. Once they are gone, the figure left the area.


"We... We escaped them." Sakura said between pants, holding her knees in exhaustion while slouched.

The four zombies are on the street leading to the mansion where they take a breather after running for a minute. They're currently near a pole to rest, with Junko and Gyro sitting and leaning against it respectively while Sakura and Ai stand near it.

After catching their breath, Gyro proceeds to berate Ai for her decision back there. "Ai, what the hell were you thinking asking someone for help!? Did you forget we are zombies or what? You almost exposed us as zombies to those men!"

"I-I was trying to ask for help! It's just...never crossed my mind about the consequences. That's all!" She attempts to defend herself, feeling ashamed of her reckless thinking.

"I just gave you and Junko a speech about thinking of your actions, especially when we're zombies," He shakes his head. "Though admittedly, perhaps I shouldn't have pushed my luck too far, huh?" He chuckled with a sheepish smile to Sakura, seeing he should have heeded her words.

"Like I told you so," Sakura sighed. Her exasperated face turns into confusion as she asks, "Why didn't they freak out over us? The light from the lamp post is on so obviously, they would see us as zombies, right?"

"I was wondering about that..." Junko said, standing up and looking at the three. Before she can say anything, she does a double take with surprise. "Huh? Sakura, Ai, Gyro, what's up with your appearance?"

"Our appearance?" The three repeats in unison.

"Yes. Your skin and eyes... They look normal." She pointed out.

"Normal? If we were to look normal, we need to apply makeup to-"

Sakura looks at her hand and stops mid-sentence when she sees her arms and hand aren't gray colored. "Huh? My arms... They look fine!"

"What?" mutters Ai, taking a good look at herself and seeing her skin isn't rotting and her hands devoid of bandages. Surprise takes hold as she says, "Huh? What is this? Why do I look like I didn't become a zombie?"

"Holy moly, you're right! My arms look human again!" Gyro said, checking his skin and seeing no sign of his status as a zombie. He turns to Junko and sees she looks normal again. "Junko! You don't look like a zombie too!"

"R-Really?" She checks her hands and sees it looking lively and colorful. "You're right... I became normal again!"

"How did we become normal? We haven't applied makeup to disguise ourselves." Sakura inquired in disbelief, thinking she was imagining it.

"I believe we didn't. But if we look like normal humans again, then it's a good thing, right?" Ai suggested.

"I suppose. Guess this is the reason why those four men didn't freak out." Junko reasoned.

While the two are somewhat happy, Sakura and Gyro are suspicious.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Don't get your hopes up you two. There's no way we became normal suddenly," Looking around, he's keeping his eyes peeled and see if there's anything suspicious.

"I agree with Gyro-san. It is pretty unusual that we look normal when we haven't applied makeup for disguise." Sakura concurs, moving closer to Gyro. "I don't know why but... I think we need to go home. I-I'm not liking being here now..."

"That's a good idea. C'mon you two. Let's return before Johnny and the others notice our absence."

Following his words, Sakura, Ai and Junko follow Gyro to the mansion, keeping close to him for protection and looking around to see if there's anything suspicious. At this point, Ai and Junko are getting suspicious like Gyro and Sakura and are now wondering why they look human unexpectedly.

The four zombies are near the small park when Junko stops walking after she looks up and sees something. "Huh?"

"Junko-chan? What's wrong?" Sakura asks, noticing her inspecting something far from them.

"I... I thought someone was standing near the slide just now." She pointed to the slide, being sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. "But when I turn to look again, it's gone."

"...Maybe you're seeing things." Ai suggested.

"No. I'm sure I saw someone. It's tall, wears black clothing and... looks creepy." She insisted, looking around the small park carefully.

"C-Creepy...?" Sakura squeaked.

"It certainly looks like it to me..."

As their conversation goes on, Gyro believes Junko is not seeing things, because he did saw someone near the slides just now. He didn't pay attention to it at first because he thought he was imagining it until Junko brought it up. And if he considers what she said about the individual they saw...

ブフゥ

!?

Standing still in shock and dread when he heard a strange sound, Gyro senses someone walking behind him. Their footsteps can be heard, which sounds like they're walking on the surface of water. Sweating anxiously, Gyro dares to turn around and see who's behind him, even if his common sense told him not to or else something bad will happen to him. After doing it slowly, he swiftly whirls around, steel balls at the ready...

...Only to find nothing. "Huh?"

"Gyro-san? What's wrong? Why did you suddenly-" Sakura starts to ask, looking at him worriedly along with Ai.

"AAAAHHHH!"

! !

Hearing Junko's scream, the three turn around only to be shocked by what they're seeing.

Wide, terrified eyes are present on Junko's face as she finds herself grabbed on her shoulder by a large humanoid being designed after a Venetian costume, clad in black Venetian hat and cloak. Its hands and collar are adorned with arrow motifs and a mask completes the Venetian look.

"Wh-What is THAT!?" Ai asks in shock. Sakura and Gyro didn't answer her as they stared at the humanoid holding Junko with its hands.

ドドドドドドドド

As Junko stammered in fear, the Venetian humanoid, in a voice vibrating with echo, declares, "You! You must be the chosen one!"

"W-What? What is it saying!?" Sakura inquired, feeling terrified over its appearance and mannerism.

"I offer you two paths, but you must choose one that will lead to salvation…" The humanoid brandishes an arrow from its mouth, making it clear to everyone and its captor of its intention. "Will you become one of the chosen or do you proceed along the path of death...? For this, you'll receive this arrow!"

"Ah... A-Ahhh..." Junko stammered in fear, realizing she's about to die again.

"JUNKO-CHAN!" Sakura and Ai call out her name.

"Get your hands off her!" Gyro shouted, throwing his steel ball to the humanoid being. "OOOOORA!"

ドーグォォン

An impact is heard when the steel ball strikes its face, causing it to lose grip of Junko and be flung from the force. As soon as she was free, the two grabbed her and moved away from the enemy. The spinning ball returns back to Gyro as the enemy sinks into the ground like water. Taking note of it, the four move away from the park, and in turn away from the mansion.

The three girls hurdle near Gyro, who turns to Junko looking like she has seen her life flashed before her eyes. "Hey! Are you alright?" Gyro asks.

"I-I'm… I'm f-f-fine…" Despite saying that, Junko is freaking out and almost cries from nearly getting pierced by the arrow. "I-I thought I was g-g-gonna die the s-second t-t-t-time..."

"It's okay Junko-chan! We're with you so please stay strong!" Sakura comforts her.

As the redhead soothed the stuttering girl, Ai turned to where the humanoid appeared. Wondering what exactly she saw, Ai asks, "What... What was that?"

"What was what, Ai?" Sakura replied.

"That thing in a black cloak and hat... Who, or what exactly is it?" She clarified, believing her eyes were not fooling her.

"It's a Stand."

"A what?"

"It's a Stand. An enemy Stand, to be precise."

Gyro reveals, charging his steel balls in accordance with the Golden Rectangle. Sakura, Ai and Junko turn to him as he continues explaining what he saw. "Judging from its appearance and the fact it sunk on the ground as if it's made of water, I'm confident we're facing up against an enemy Stand."

"An enemy Stand...?" Sakura said with a concerned look, not expecting she would end up facing an enemy so soon.

"You heard me. There's no doubt about it." He firmly stated.

"A Stand…?" Ai is freaked out that the very first Stand she see is a cloaked masked being with a retractable arrow to stab you with. It certainly leaves an impression on her, and Junko too considering she is almost killed by the enemy.

Then Ai realizes something. "Wait. I... I can see Stand now!?"

"What?" Sakura and Gyro utter in surprise

"R-Really? I think I see it up close, unfortunately..." Junko reveals, surprise overtaking her fear and dread.

"Huh? But...how?"

"I-I don't know! I was...seeing it clearly to me, I'm sure of it!" She takes a step backward, causing a ripple to form around her foot...

ドギャン

"AI! BEHIND YOU!"

"Eh?"

Whirling around to see what made Sakura and Junko panic, Ai sees it's the cloaked Stand that appeared behind her suddenly. She shouted in surprise as the Stand grabs her neck before she can react. Attempting to pry its hands off her neck, she tries kicking the Stand, but her legs simply passed through it without harm. The Stand simply lifts her up in response, rendering her immobile and helpless. Even worse, she's starting to suffocate as the grip tightens, which is odd considering she's a zombie and didn't experience pain when her arms and eyes were removed before they went outside. That is if she didn't become "normal".

"AI-CHAN!" The two girls called out in panic.

"Oh no you don't! ORA!"

Gyro throws a spinning steel ball toward one of its hands. The Stand sees this and catches with its left hand to stop its trajectory. That is a mistake however, as despite the trajectory stopping in its grip, the ball keeps on spinning.

"Hm?"

シュル シュル シュル シュル

Wondering why it keeps spinning, the Stand realized too late that its hand is burning from the friction done by the steel ball. Accordingly, it cried in pain, letting go of the ball and Ai as well. The former Iron Frill leader didn't hesitate to get away from the Stand as she caught her breath as the steel ball returned to Gyro's hand to be charged in his holster. Acting quickly, he threw the second ball onto its face. Like what the first ball did to its hand, it continues to spin in its place, causing damage from the heat and friction caused by the Spin.

"ANOTHER SHOOOOT!"

ガン

Swinging back his arm to amplify the speed and strength, Gyro throws the first ball back to the enemy, this time to its face. The combined might of the spinning steel balls and impact done causes a crack to appear on its mask as it cried in pain. "AAAaaaaAAAAaaggGGGggghhHHHHHHhhhhh!"

The steel balls return to Gyro after doing enough damage. The Stand proceeded to sink back to the ground to recuperate. Taking the time to look after Ai, Gyro turns around and sees Ai acting like she saw a ghost, with Sakura doing her best to comfort her like she did to Junko. "Ai-chan, are you okay?" She asked her

"I-I... I am... Never t-thought I... would be facing...the Stand up close... I-It's...scary..." Her behavior spells doubt to her statement though she thanked Gyro for his quick reaction and help.

"We are scared here but Gyro is strong!" Sakura reminded her and Junko. "I don't know how Gyro caused the balls to continue spinning but he's doing a good job fending the enemy off!"

Chuckling from her compliment, Gyro decides to reveal what he imbued the steel balls with to help calm them down. "If you wanna know how I did it, it's through a technique passed down to the Zeppeli family that I'm glad to learn from my dad. It's called a Spin.

"The Spin? Wait, Kotaro mentioned it when he introduced you to me and Kakyoin." She recalled.

"Did he, now? Well, regardless, if you want to know how I stand a chance against that enemy Stand, the Spin is a technique that involves a perfect or near-perfect state of rotation to imbue an object with a unique form of energy that can be applied for multitude of uses, including offense and defense. While it sounds easy on paper, it takes a lot of time to fully master the Spin, as Johnny can attest to."

"Johnny-san?"

"I taught him five lessons in utilizing a Spin, which helped him grow stronger and gradually regain his use of legs." He explained, spinning his steel balls in his holster. "I can go on explaining more about the Spin and how the Golden Rectangle is related to the technique which can lead to a Golden Spin but we're in a middle of fight here, so let us focus on that, shall we?"

As if reacting to his words, the Stand appears, this time far from the four. Eyeing the Stand, Gyro immediately throws a steel ball when it charged forward, curving along the way to catch the Stand off-guard, which it did when it made contact. The Stand didn't stop however, continuing rushing despite the spinning ball defacing its mask more. Eyes widening in surprise, Gyro throws the second ball, but it missed when the enemy dodged to its side. The first ball returns to Gyro's hands as the enemy are close. Naturally, the three girls freak out over the thought of some of them being grabbed.

"Crap!" Gyro cursed, bolting out of the way and out of reach. The enemy didn't stop however as it continues chasing after Gyro, who quickly picks up the steel ball on the ground and charges it. To his surprise, the Stand is fast, catching up to him in less than two seconds. He throws one ball against it only for the Stand to swat them away. In desperation to get away, he tries to kick its face but the Stand is faster than him, reacting quickly to grab his ankle and stop his attack.

"Uh oh."

He wasn't surprised when he's thrown on the ground on his back. "Agh!" He grunted, feeling the blow on his head and back.

"Gyro-san!" Sakura shouted, worried over Gyro getting cornered. The cloaked Stand looms over him, keeping its grip on his ankle so he wouldn't escape.

Despite the enemy hovering over him threateningly, Gyro remains calm though he's sweating in fear. "Fed up with me pitching balls to your face? Would you like it when I do...this!"

ボクゥーゥゥッ

Putting the spinning ball on his captured leg, the Spin energy imbued on the ball transfers to his leg, causing it to harden before propelling it to kick upwards, hitting the enemy's chin and losing its grip on him. Flipping in the air, Gyro pitches the ball to its torso before getting away from the enemy and quickly scooping up the other steel ball on the ground. The ball returns as the Stand lies on the ground in pain.

Regrouping with the three astonished of his trick to get out of its grip, Gyro checks his right ankle, having felt the Stand's tight grip. He wonders if it wants to break his ankle just to force him unable to walk properly. "Well, that could have gone worse. Good thing I transferred the Spin energy on my legs to kick that prick's face."

"That's... That's incredible!" Sakura exclaims.

"I know, right? Now then, let us see if a couple more throws can-" He didn't finish what he's saying when he noticed the enemy is nowhere to be seen. "Huh? Where did the Stand go? Did it disappear under my nose again?" He inquired, confused as he looked around for any sign of the enemy.

"It was...right there." Junko pointed, also confused like Gyro.

"Did it sink to the ground when we weren't looking?" Ai wonders, feeling nervous of the thought of the Stand hiding in plain sight until it sneaks on any of the four and attacks.

"E-Everyone! Please stay close to each other! The Stand could be-"

バッギョン

Sakura takes a step backward while she's in the middle of proposing a strategy, and in an instant, the Stand appears between her and the three. Taken aback in shock, she didn't act in time before she was grabbed on her neck and forced on the ground, making it so that the enemy looms over her.

"SAKURA!" Ai and Junko shouted in shock.

"Hey! Keep your hands off her! OOOOORA!"

Gyro hurls the two balls to get the enemy off Sakura but, learning from its mistake, the cloaked Stand simply smacks it back to Gyro, who didn't react in time before he got hit by his steel balls. "GAH!"

"Gyro!"

Ai and Junko were about to tend to him when Gyro, lying on his side while grunting in pain, stops them from going to him, telling them, "Don't you worry about me! Worry about Sakura!"

Heeding his words, the two rushed towards Sakura, who is quivering from the sight of the arrow from the Stand's mouth, seeing she's about to be killed by an enemy Stand. "Which path will it be? Life or death? Only through this arrow shall reveal it all!" It declared grandiosely, preparing to stab the poor girl...

...Until green tendrils hold its arms from behind. "Hm?"

Before it can react, another tendril wraps around its neck, causing it to retract the arrow and let go of Sakura to try and remove them. Unfortunately for the Stand, the tendrils lift the Stand up in the air, with the one grabbing its neck tightening to strangle it.

Blinking in surprise, Sakura recognizes the patterns of tendrils, which could only mean one thing... "Hierophant Green?

Looking around, she, Ai, Junko and Gyro see that Kakyoin and Avdol have appeared with Hierophant Green holding the enemy Stand in the air.

ドドンッ!

Making their appearance more dramatic than it needs to be due to their posing, Kakyoin asks, "Are you four alright? The enemy Stand didn't cause you enough trouble, I hope?

"W-Well, it did cause us trouble but everyone's fine, Kakyoin!"

BGM: Noble Pope (Stardust Crusaders [Departure] OST)

Unlike the four where they look human, the two are in their zombie forms, with Kakyoin wearing pajamas while Avdol does not have his robe and accessories. Inversely, the two notice they're disguised like humans even though they know the four haven't put any makeup on. "You four, why do you look human?" Avdol asks in response to this.

"We... We don't know," Sakura answers. "We suddenly look normal some minutes ago, which is when we got attacked by that Stand." She pointed to the Stand still hoisted up in the air. "It managed to catch all of us before you two appeared, with me being the last. If you two hadn't showed up, I would have been stabbed by the arrow..."

"Is that so? Well, I suppose we should go and dispose of the Stand now before it causes more trouble for us." Kakyoin's tone didn't hide his anger against the enemy Stand for endangering the four, especially Sakura. As much as he likes to see it suffer, taking it out quickly is needed to end this fight.

"You four rest up. Let me and Kakyoin finish this fight." Avdol suggested. Moving his arms before bringing them together to make a gesture, he shouted the name of his Stand, commanding it to come out. "MAGICIAN'S RED!"

Shouting the name of his Stand, Avdol summons a humanoid Stand bearing an avian's head, sharp claws, toned upper body and fiery bracelets and legs wearing Arabian shoes. It lets out a great cry, eager to participate in a fight.

"KRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

ドゴーンッ

The four are amazed by the appearance of Magician's Red, feeling the heat from its appearance alone. Whistling in approval, Gyro says, "Wow. that's an impressive Stand. Bet you're gonna incinerate our enemy with its flames?"

"Of course. Why else should I be here for?" He replies with a smile.

"Please do it! Before that Stand has any chance of attacking any of us!" Ai insisted, getting close to Sakura and Junko for comfort.

Abiding her plea, Kakyoin throws the enemy in a position for the two to hit the enemy. Hierophant Green charges its hands with enough energy to shoot out many emeralds as it can. "EMERALD...SPLASH!"

"CROSS FIRE...HURRICANE!" Avdol shouted as Magician's Red shoots out a flaming ankh from its mouth, crying uproariously.

ドカァァァンッ

The two attacks combine to create a sparkling explosion caused by the fire and emeralds attacking the enemy without remorse. This, alongside Gyro doing hefty amount of damage caused by the steel balls and Spin, finally kills the enemy off, who howls in pain as it disappears while smoldered by residual flames. "NGOOOooooOOOOOoooOOOOOooooooggghhhhh..."

Seeing the enemy is defeated, Gyro lets out a sigh of relief, stating, "Phew. It's over..."

"I'm glad none of us are killed..." Sakura sighs too, grateful for Kakyoin and Avdol appearing in time.

ボキボキ ボキボキ ボキボキ

Before anyone could relax, they heard something cracking. It seems to be near them as the sound is loud and clear. "Where is that sound coming from?" Kakyoin asks, his head whipping around

"AAAAAH! E-EVERYONE!" They heard Junko scream in horror.

"Junko-chan? What's-" Sakura stops mid-sentence when she sees Junko's skin cracking. Eyes widening in shock, Sakura asks, "J-Junko-chan! What's wrong with your skin!?"

"I-I don't know! When I heard the cracking sound, I saw it came from me!" She responded, looking at her hands riddled with cracks. She looks up only to be more horrified when she's not the only one whose skin is cracking as Sakura, Ai and Gyro's skin are chipping as well. "S-Sakura! Ai! Gyro! Your skin is cracking too!"

"W-What!? What's going on!?" Ai is freaking out over the sight of her skin fracturing.

"The hell is this!? Don't tell me this is another one of that enemy's ability!" Gyro hopes it is not the case as he tries to keep a cool head despite panicking like Ai and Junko on the inside.

Trembling in fear, Sakura turns to Kakyoin and Avdol, both of which are sharing their panic even if their skins are not cracking apart. "K-Kakyoin! Help us!"

"I-I...! I don't know how!" This is his response. He wanted to say more but with a solution nowhere in sight, he's stressing over this terrifying sight.

ガシャンッ

Just when they thought it couldn't get any worse, their skin shattered like glass accompanied by the appropriate sound. Kakyoin and Avdol are dreading to see what the four will look like when it appears their skins shatter to reveal...

...their zombie forms?

"Huh?" Kakyoin lets out in confusion, shared by Avdol and the four zombies looking at themselves and each other. Of all the things they thought would happen, they didn't expect they would turn back into zombies.

"W-What?" Sakura stuttered, blinking in surprise when she saw they're fine. "What just... happened?"

"We...turned back...to being zombies...somehow." Gyro replied, still processing that they went back to normal, or what can constitute to being normal.

"But...But how? How did this happen?" Junko questioned.

"...I don't know..." Ai answered, unsure too.

While the mystery would hang in the air like a vulture circling the desert to scavenge the corpse of its prey, nothing bad has happened, which is a relief especially when they have defeated their very first enemy Stand lurking in the shadows of Saga. While Kakyoin, Avdol, Gyro and Sakura are glad things went back to normal for the time being, the same couldn't be said for Ai and Junko since this is their first time witnessing an enemy Stand assault them and almost getting killed by one. If this is how enemy Stands will act, the two are dreading for their lives from thinking about the potential Stands that will soon attack them in the future.

With this, they are feeling more unsure they can perform as idols if their lives are threatened by the enemy Stands.

"Ai? Junko? Are you two alright?" Avdol asks after noticing their doleful states.

"Huh? Oh. We are fine. We're just... tired." Ai makes up a lie that is slightly true in regard to them being tired. "Can we go back? We don't want to be out here for long..."

"...I agree. We should heed Sakura's and Gyro's words before we got killed the second time..." Junko implores, reminding everyone that any enemy Stand could attack them at any given moment.

"That's a good idea. Come on everyone. Let's go back."

Following Kakyoin to the mansion, Gyro sees the girls are distressed from the fight they're forced to witness. Wanting to lift the mood, he says, "Say Kakyoin, did you follow us while you're in your pajamas?"

Sheepishly rubbing his head and cursing him from mentioning it under his breath, Kakyoin states, "I... didn't have time to change..."

Everyone is busy taking note of his attire that they didn't notice Kotaro watching them from behind the pole some meters away.

That's one enemy Stand down. Ai and Junko should have stayed inside but I can see why they try to run away. But if they haven't, Black Sabbathwouldn't have tried killing them. It's thanks to the three that Black Sabbath will not lurk in the shadows to terrorize people anymore. What Kotaro thought before he took his leave.

To be continued


Stand Analysis:

Black Sabbath

Destructive Power: E (A - When grabbing someone)
Speed: A
Range: A
Stamina: C
Precision: E
Developmental Potential: E

Black Sabbath is an automatic Stand who lurks in the shadows to seek any living beings and stab them using the arrow hidden in its mouth so its captor can either survive and gain a Stand or die trying, whether they want it or not. As its power draws on shadows, it is quite powerful and fast enough to grab someone before they can act, tough to withstand even the harshest blows when it's moving quickly and has the long range required to grab anyone it first sees.

Magician's Red (User: Muhammad Avdol)

Destructive Power: B
Speed: B
Range: C
Stamina: B
Precision: C
Developmental Potential: D

A close-range Stand with the head of a bird on top of its humanoid body, Magician's Red can generate fire that Avdol manipulates freely, allowing him to shoot it as projectiles, form shapes, control how powerful the fire is, and even detonate them.

Various techniques have been formed related to the Stand's fire-controlling ability. This includes Cross Fire Hurricane, its special variant, Red Bind and Life Detector.


Onomatopoeia:

ブフゥ (Bufuu) - Black Sabbath's voice

ドギャン/バッギョン (Dogyan/Baggyon) - Black Sabbath appearing

ドーグォォン (Dogoon)- Hard hit

シュル (Shuru) - Steel ball spinning

ガン (Gan) - Steel ball hitting someone hard

ボクゥーゥゥッ (Bokuuuu) - Hard kick

ドドンッ/ドゴーンッ (Dodon/Dogoon) - Dramatic entrance

ドカァァァンッ (Dogaaaaan) - Explosion

ボキボキ (Bokiboki) - Cracking ice or glass