Aincrad, Sword Art Online (Lv. 50, Algade) June 5th, 2023
Josuke didn't move from his position, watching the teen in front of him, the walls feeling like they would close them in claustrophobically. The silence was deeply unnerving as Josuke felt chills run down his spine, keeping an eye on Okuyasu for any sign of movement.
"You know, I knew something was fishy about your silence…" Josuke muttered, cornering Okuyasu in the alleyway.
The gruff boy felt his back reach the wall as sweat rolled down his forehead. His stance was on edge, keeping his beady eyes firmly on Josuke.
"Heh. I actually thought you'd find me out sooner." Okuyasu let out a nervous laugh, but without letting his guard down.
"Really, now? Glad you've got that much faith in me." Josuke managed a smile.
"So, you got me. What now? You gonna take me in? Let the boys up in the frontlines judge me?" Okuyasu asked as he stood his ground.
"Your brother's the one who holds the arrow. He's the killer we've been chasing, and we need to put an end to it." Josuke declared as Okuyasu's brow raised in confusion.
"And how exactly are you gonna do that? You already know he's behind this, but how're you gonna find him? I'm not very bright, but my Big Bro's way smarter than anyone I've met!" Okuyasu exclaimed as Josuke cocked his head.
"Your point, then?"
"He's not stupid. He'll hide and cover his tracks. Soon no one'll be able to find him again. Hell, he's probably deleted everyone from his friends list by now. You're wasting your time here." Okuyasu noted, only for Josuke to let out a laugh.
"No, I'm not."
"W-what'd you say?" Okuyasu asked, leading Josuke to direct a glare his way.
"If anyone knows where he is, it's you, Okuyasu. Tell me where Shooter is, this doesn't have to end with anyone else getting hurt." Josuke declared, his stance firm as he stepped closer to Okuyasu, watching his posture falter as his face hardened into something more aggressive.
"You think I'll just rat out my Big Bro? Sorry, but that's not gonna happen. I'm not smart, but not even an idiot like me turns his back on family." The teen declared, an aura of power radiating from his very soul as his Stand made itself manifest.
"Stop! I'm warning you!" Josuke pleaded, his energy gathering in a similar fashion as Crazy Diamond's spiritual body began to faze into existence.
"If you want to get to him, then TALK TO THE HAND!"
Okuyasu yelled as his spiritual energy released into his Stand, bringing forth The Hand's form in an intimidating display. The Stand materialized behind him, threateningly assuming a stance as its open right hand opened and closed methodically.
"Looks like there's no way out!" Josuke thought as he summoned Crazy Diamond fully in front of him, its fists raised in a battle-ready position.
"Let's go! SOUL TO SOUL! STAND TO STAND!" Okuyasu yelled out as his Stand moved on the offensive.
The Hand reeled its hand back as Josuke could watch energy gathering at its bulbed palm. Just looking at it, Josuke could already tell nothing good would come if that attack landed on him. The Hand reached forward in a lunge, fingers outstretched as its open palm rocketed towards Josuke.
Thinking quickly, Josuke reacted as Crazy Diamond threw a quick jab at The Hand, striking the enemy Stand in the chin, causing its head to jerk to the side as it flinched, the attack halting its momentum. Okuyasu reacted identically, mirroring the reaction of his Stand as he staggered a couple of steps back from the impact.
"Your Stand's strong, that much I can feel. However, my Crazy Diamond's speed doesn't slouch either. Give it up, Okuyasu." Josuke remarked with a serious expression as Okuyasu rubbed his knuckles along his lips.
"Wow… that actually hurt… that's something I haven't felt in a long time…" Okuyasu muttered, stroking his chin before returning his gaze to Josuke.
"Yeah, you're fast. I can't lie on that. But y-" Okuyasu muttered as he returned to an upright stance, but not before he felt another sharp impact against his face.
His body jerked back as Josuke's Crazy Diamond threw another punch, stunning Okuyasu with a powerful, but quick slam into his chest, knocking the teen against the wall. He coughed, the air in his lungs leaving his mouth as his back slammed into the brick.
Of course, he felt no pain from the impact itself, but it definitely knocked the wind out of him. Looking back up with an incredulous expression, Okuyasu saw Josuke approaching him with anger written on his face.
"O-oi! What was that for?! You didn't let me finish!" Okuyasu yelled out in confusion.
This was when he felt Josuke's hands grab him by the collar and lift his feet so that they left the ground. Josuke smashed Okuyasu's body against the wall again, causing him to grunt from the force of the impact. Summoning Crazy Diamond beside him, Josuke growled as he directed a furious glare into Okuyasu's eyes.
"This is a waste of time! Okuyasu! I need to find your brother and put a stop to this! People's lives are at stake, and if you won't help me, I'll smash both you and Shooter's faces in!" He roared, furious out of his mind as his throat burned from shouting.
"Let go of me…" Okuyasu muttered under his breath.
"I'll let go when you tell me where Shooter's hiding!" Josuke growled.
"I said… GET YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF OF ME!"
Okuyasu's Stand appeared once more, his fighting spirit shining through as Josuke was forced back.
"Tsk…" Josuke clicked his teeth as he tried to rise to his feet, only to hear something that caused chills to run throughout his body.
"That's enough! I'm tired of all this thinking!" Looking up, Josuke could see Okuyasu running towards him in a breaking sprint, The Hand winding back for another attack.
"You don't know when to listen, do you?! You want me to beat it out of you that badly?! Come at me, then!" Josuke yelled defiantly, Crazy Diamond summoned in front of him to defend against the approaching Okuyasu.
"Take your best shot! Let's see if you've got the guts!" Okuyasu screamed as the Hand moved to attack.
Josuke's Crazy Diamond moved to strike at the incoming hand aimed at his body, its clenched fist rushing forward in an attempt to intercept the strike-
"!"
All of a sudden, Josuke's intuition spiked a chill down his spine as he felt an overwhelming sense of dread and impending danger overcome him. He took one look at the hand swinging down towards him and acted within a fraction of a thought, wrapping Crazy Diamond's hands around The Hand's wrist in a vice grip.
"Something isn't right. Why's he so confident in his right hand? I can't explain why, but I can't let that hand touch me at all!" Josuke thought as his Stand flinched under The Hand's force pushing down.
"Oi! Let go, dammit!" Okuyasu growled, The Hand's knee rocketing up into Crazy Diamond, leading Josuke to grunt from the blunt impact.
"Didn't you hear me?! Let go of my right hand!" Okuyasu yelled.
"So I was right…" Josuke thought to himself, before flinching as The Hand pummeled Crazy Diamond with its free hand, jabbing fists into its torso, face, and restraining arms, as Josuke felt the pain and force of the blows reflect back to him.
Unable to take any more hits, Crazy Diamond's grip loosened, allowing The Hand to spring its right arm free as it repositioned for a decisive attack aimed for the pompadoured teen, energy radiating from the Stand's hand threateningly.
"Shit! I gotta move!" Josuke screamed internally as he rolled to the side, barely missing the Hand's swipe, the sheer strength of the attack causing a draft of wind to graze Josuke's back as the attack dug into the wall, leaving behind a smoking trail.
Moving a considerable distance away, Josuke corrected his balance as Okuyasu turned to face him, a frustrated look written over his complexion.
"You actually dodged The Hand's attack? You really do live up to your reputation, JoJo…" Okuyasu muttered as he rubbed his shoulder, swiveling his arm on the joint to loosen it.
"Some attack that was. You know, I don't think you ever explained your Stand's ability to me… Let me guess, it's got something to do with that right hand of yours?" Josuke asked, eyeing the arm Okuyasu massaged as he tilted his head Josuke's way.
"Wait…"
Josuke's eye drifted to the location in the wall where Okuyasu had struck it, the last of the smoke dispersing into the air as the damage revealed itself to Josuke. Interestingly, the wall showed no visible dent to signify damage as Josuke would have assumed from a strike as forceful as The Hand's earlier.
What caught his eye even more was the aftermath of the strike. The walls in the alleyways of Algade were visibly decrepit and ruined all throughout the labyrinthine city network, akin to the run-down appearance of city slums. As such, the walls all throughout the city bore similar scars of peeling paint and scraps of posters and stickers, some odd graffiti in certain places.
With that in mind, Josuke noticed the wall looked… off. The pattern of exposed brick seemed to cut off at a certain location, immediately giving way to a clean section of wall as if it were digitally cropped and lined back up in a computer program.
"Yeah… I knew it… When you hit that wall, your Stand cut the space out! That's why it looks that way! Am I right?" Josuke asked, leading Okuyasu to bear a slight grin under his lips.
"Hoh… you figured it out already! You're exactly right!" Okuyasu smirked, The Hand appearing beside him once more.
"My Stand, The Hand has the power to make whatever I scrape away with my right hand completely disappear! As for the void left behind… it stitches itself back together as if nothing happened! As for what gets scraped away, I don't have a damn clue where it goes!" Okuyasu grinned, clapping his hands together to emphasize his point.
"So this is The Hand's power… How terrifying…" Josuke pondered as sweat rolled down his forehead as he hugged the wall behind him, trying to keep a considerable distance between the two of them.
"You trying to keep out of my range? Sorry, but I don't think so!" Okuyasu laughed, as Josuke's eyes widened at his remark.
"What did he say?!"
"You see… The Hand scrapes away anything it swipes at. This even includes empty space! So when I do this…" Okuyasu smirked as The Hand winded its hand back for another swipe before bringing its right arm down in a wide vertical arc, forming a transparent trail as the energy cut through the air.
Josuke felt an invisible force tug at him, and all of a sudden, Okuyasu was mere inches away from him.
"!"
"How about that?! You come right to me! It's just like teleporting!" Okuyasu laughed as The Hand delivered a powerful punch to Josuke's jaw, sending him reeling.
Just as Josuke began to regain his senses, he felt the same force tug at him again, pulling him right back where he was before, leading Okuyasu's Stand to wind another punch back and deck him across the face.
"No matter where you run, or how far you are, you're always in my effective range! Even my Big Bro fears this power! Think you can mess with us?! Think again, JoJo!" Okuyasu yelled as The Hand let out a barrage of punches into Josuke, knocking him against the alley walls.
Josuke groaned as he felt the pain from the Stand's blows linger in his muscles, watching his health indicate it neared the yellow. This was bad. If things escalated enough, there was a good chance one of them would die, and Okuyasu's great power was certainly not helping to ease his tension.
Josuke slowly rose to his feet, locking eyes with Okuyasu who tilted his head in confusion as he stared at Josuke regaining his balance with difficulty, glaring at Okuyasu with focused eyes.
"Didn't ya hear me? If you wanna keep coming after me and my Bro, then I'll erase you before even think of chasing after us!" Okuyasu bragged, raising his hand for another sweeping strike, only for his eyebrow to quirk up once he heard something strange coming from Josuke.
"Heh."
"Huh? O-oi! What's so funny?!" Okuyasu yelled, watching with frustration as Josuke's face returned to its cold glare, staring into Okuyasu's quivering eyes.
"Nothing… just that you're right about not being that smart…" Josuke laughed weakly as he coughed under his breath, leading Okuyasu's temper to flare up.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
Okuyasu yelled in a rage as his Stand manifested completely once more, its hand ready to swipe down and pull Josuke towards him once more. The Hand wound its arm back, energy pulsing at its palm as it gathered strength and began to swing.
"You take that back right now!" Okuyasu roared, just as the Hand drew an arc in the air with a downward scrape, erasing the space between him and Josuke as the pompadoured teen reappeared right in front of him.
"Yep. That just proves it." Josuke cooly remarked, leading Okuyasu to break out of his rage for a second.
"W-wha-"
Okuyasu barely had time to react because as soon as he pulled Josuke within his range with The Hand, he also pulled in something else. Josuke's sword flew right in his direction like an arrow, leading his eyes to widen as he raised his hands above his head to protect himself.
*bonk*
"Gkh!"
However, as the blade hit his head, the «Immortal Object» barrier protected him, causing the blade to bounce right off his head, protecting him from any damage, but it served well enough to stun him for a good second. Exactly as Josuke anticipated.
"DORA!"
Taking his opening, Josuke's Crazy Diamond struck him in the face, staggering him within a split-second before he could even manage to blink. The swift strike was delivered with power, the sheer strength of the shattering blow clocking Okuyasu across the head and sending him directly to the floor, sprawling across the ground.
"Your Stand's powerful, that's for sure. But my Crazy Diamond's faster. You weren't dragging me into your range." Josuke noted before he directed a smug grin at the defeated Okuyasu.
"You were just getting yourself within my range!"
Josuke stood triumphantly over Okuyasu, who laid limp on the ground, The Hand disappearing from sight as Okuyasu groaned in a dazed state. Crazy Diamond assumed a dynamic pose before Josuke stepped closer to the nearly unconscious boy.
"So then, where were we?" Josuke asked out loud, tapping his finger against his chin while Okuyasu weakly looked up at him.
He snapped his fingers like a light bulb lit up over his head.
"Oh, right! Tell me where Shooter is. Do it and I'll fix you right up! Come on, Okuyasu!" Josuke exclaimed as he once again grabbed the dazed Okuyasu by the collar of his shirt, pulling him up to his face.
Okuyasu stirred and cringed under Josuke's loud voice, before managing a growl under his frown. Staring up at Josuke, Okuyasu hardened his resolve as he faced the pompadoured teen weakly.
"L-like I said… *cough* I don't r-rat out family…" Okuyasu hacked out, barely managing amidst his pain.
Hearing this, Josuke sighed under his breath as he loosened his grip on Okuyasu, before slamming the gruff-looking teen down onto the floor, smashing his back against the ground and causing him to grunt from the force. Okuyasu then looked up to see Josuke bearing a grim expression on his face, his eyes overshadowed by his hair.
"Have it your way. If that's the case…" Josuke summoned Crazy Diamond once more as the Stand's face contorted into aggression as it raised an armored hand into the air.
"…THEN I HAVE NO CHOICE!"
Josuke yelled as Crazy Diamond roared, bringing its hand down in a powerful swing. Okuyasu could only stare bug-eyed, watching the quickly approaching hand nearing his face as milliseconds passed by. Closing his eyes, Okuyasu braced for the incoming pain, dreading to taste the pain of eating several rushes of Crazy Diamond's powerful fists.
One second passed.
Two.
Three seconds.
Much to his surprise, Okuyasu felt no pain. On the contrary, he felt his pain fading. Opening his eyes, Okuyasu gasped to see Crazy Diamond's armored palm suspended centimeters above his face, radiating golden energy from its form as Okuyasu saw his health bar rapidly fill back up.
Josuke was healing him.
"JoJo!"
Okuyasu looked up to see Kirito and Asuna enter the scene, meeting up with Josuke as he spoke with them. They directed hostile looks towards Okuyasu, but Josuke raised an arm between them, shaking his head.
"What're you doing, JoJo? He might give us a clue to where Shooter's hiding! Let me make him talk!" Asuna protested, but Josuke stopped her.
"Okuyasu's not gonna help us. I tried to reason with him, but he's not gonna sell out his brother. We'll just have to find him on our own. So long as he stays out of it, I'm fine." Josuke reasoned with the duo.
"So you two fought, huh? Damn, I've heard of duels, but I've never heard of two Stand users like you guys duking it out." Kirito muttered, rubbing the back of his head as Josuke laughed nervously.
"Haha, yeah… His Stand's power was pretty intense, not gonna lie. Kinda threw me for a loop." Josuke laughed lightly, gazing back at a confused Okuyasu, who could only remain lying on the ground, stunned at the situation he was in.
"Anyways, time's running short! We need to get going before Shooter gets away!" Asuna exclaimed as she clapped her hands together in resolution, bringing the two boys to attention as they both nodded.
"Yeah. Where do we begin?" Kirito asked, leading Josuke to tap a finger to his chin.
"Well for starters, I think we should start looking around with the other Clearers. If anyone could have a lead, it would probably be the others in the DDA. Hell, maybe Schmitt could give us something to work with." Josuke suggested, both Kirito and Asuna nodding in agreement.
"So, what're we waiting for? Let's get going!" Asuna said, about to turn her heel and leave, Kirito doing the same.
"Wait!"
Before Josuke could follow suit, he heard Okuyasu's voice behind him pipe up. Turning around, he spotted Okuyasu back up on his feet, an arm outstretched towards the trio as confusion was written all over his face.
"W-why'd you heal me, JoJo?" Okuyasu asked, the delinquent's posture unsure as he faced the pompadoured teen.
"Huh?" Josuke tilted his head, confused.
"I said, why'd you heal me when I could've killed you earlier? I was your enemy not too long ago! I'm not very smart, so explain yourself!" Okuyasu asked again, on edge.
Kirito and Asuna both turned to Josuke, who contemplated his answer as he faced the delinquent, sighing under his breath. "It's simple, really. I didn't think anyone else had to die today. That's all that was."
Okuyasu's eyes widened, watching as Josuke rubbed the back of his neck as he said this, saying it so casually it seemed almost unnatural to him.
"But… now that I really think about it, I didn't think someone like you deserved that," Josuke muttered, leading Okuyasu's confusion to return to his face.
"O-oi… what's that supposed to mean?" Okuyasu asked as he took another step forward, only to stop as Josuke fully turned in his direction.
"I think I understand why you never stopped us sooner. You knew what your brother was doing was wrong, but you didn't want to turn your back on him at the same time. I remember what you told me, that you wished this killing would stop already. You didn't lie to me then, did you?" Josuke asked him with a serious expression, leading Okuyasu to gasp in surprise, his breath caught in his throat.
"You've got a good heart, Okuyasu. That's why… stand aside. I'll make sure Shooter answers for those he killed, but you won't have to. That. I promise." Josuke declared, drawing wide expressions from Kirito and Asuna, especially Okuyasu.
"Right now, we need to find him. If you're not gonna help, just don't get in our way." Josuke said cooly, before joining up with Kirito and Asuna, who neared the exit of the alleyway that led out into the street.
Okuyasu pondered Josuke's words, watching the fellow Stand user walk away further from him. Okuyasu then rubbed the spot on his head where he was struck by Crazy Diamond, then allowed the gears in his head to turn.
He thought about his brother, about all he had watched him do in the name of his mission, of the people he had killed that Okuyasu himself was too timid to save from a grim fate. He cursed his weakness, his idiocy for allowing him to comply with such atrocity. Then his mind drifted to the time he spent with Josuke.
He thought of the moments he was able to chat and feast with the stylish teen, the moments when they shared in the pumping heat of the battlefield. He remembered seeing Josuke's virtue and selflessness shine through his soul with his actions and words. Then his mind was made up.
"Idiots…"
"W-what'd you say?" Josuke whipped his head around to face Okuyasu, who now stood completely upright with his hands in his pockets, walking up to the trio.
Josuke prepared for another possible confrontation, only to notice that Okuyasu hadn't summoned his Stand, and to top things off, the punk simply walked past the trio, not attempting any aggressive action.
"You'll never find my Big Bro on your own. Remember what I said, JoJo? He's too smart for that." Okuyasu noted, leading Josuke to raise an eyebrow.
"Does that mean you're in?"
Okuyasu did nothing for a second, then grinned slightly.
Stand Showcase:
Lv. ? Stand: Null Strike, The Hand - It is said that to eliminate a problem is to strike at the root. However, those with the strength simply remove it altogether. Nothing is beyond your reach. No man can stand before your power.
Special: Erase: Scrapes away anything with the right hand, completely erasing anything caught in the attack.
Enhancement: N/A
Damage: 990 (S)
Speed: 300 (B)
Durability: 250 (C)
Range: 2m (D)
Precision: 50% (C)
Rank: Unique (S)
Selling Price: N/A
Owner: Okuyasu
Aincrad, Sword Art Online (Lv. 50, Algade) June 5th, 2023
"You're sure this is the place?"
The assembled group of four along with Silica and Griselda stood in front of a building elsewhere in the massive city. It was true that it would have been ridiculously difficult to track down Shooter within such a massive internal city network. Not only was the city itself huge, but the design of the architecture resembled a maze more than anything.
The buildings were clumped together, leaving little open space in the town of Algade as streets and alleyways seemed to blend amongst one another, making it difficult to tell them apart. To make things more complicated, there was the likelihood that Shooter had already fled the city and moved to the other forty-nine floors below.
However, Okuyasu's guidance was a massive help to the group. Soon, he led them through the city until they came upon a decrepit district of the city, reaching the building they were now standing before.
The building seemed just like any other, a run-down, drab, non-functional residential block. Among the dime-a-dozen apartment blocks and shops of Algade, this one was no different in any way, which only reinforced Shooter's hiddenness.
"Positive. He told me to meet him here once I got away." Okuyasu said, his face bearing a grim expression as he stared forward at the building with narrowed eyes.
"Guys, this is where I draw the line." Okuyasu then said, leading the others to turn to him.
"W-what?" Silica asked, turning to the boy.
Okuyasu trembled in his feet, his eyes cast to the ground as the entire group looked at him. He was sweating with a face that betrayed great conflict within.
"I took you here to repay you for healing me and giving me a chance… but… I'm not sure if I can face my Big Bro. I won't help you guys once you're inside, but I won't come to bail him out, either. What happens next is up to you." Okuyasu bargained, leading Josuke to direct a confused stare his way.
"Well… that's just great, isn't it?" Josuke groaned, only for Griselda to put a hand on his shoulder.
"Leave him be. We need to stay focused here." The woman said to Josuke, leading him to sigh as he relented, turning back to the building.
"Right. No turning back now." Josuke huffed out a breath as he continued onward. The rest of the group pushed forward as Kirito joined Josuke through the door, Griselda following suit as Silica tagged along beside her.
Asuna was about to join them, but not before turning back to the glum Okuyasu, kindness, and sympathy shining through in her eyes. "I'm… sorry, Okuyasu. I can't imagine how you must be feeling right now."
With that, Okuyasu raised an arm instead, cutting her off. "L-look… it's fine. Just… stop my brother from hurting anyone else."
Kirito stepped into the building and immediately took note of the appearance of the building's interior. The place was just as decrepit as the exterior of the complex, worn-down and decaying, absent of any form of maintenance.
Stains of unknown liquid were visible in splotches on the walls and floor, tears in the paint covering the walls in holes exposing the wood. Most notably, the windows of the building were boarded up, planks of wood nailed to the walls, causing shadows to cover the entire interior, broken only by a few slivers of light coming from the spaces between the boarded windows and the wide-open door behind them.
The entire place was dirty and untidy, making Kirito cringe as he studied the appearance of the room they had entered into. Catching up to Josuke, Kirito followed him as they both took careful steps up the darkened staircase.
"You think we can trust Okuyasu? What if he just walked us into a trap?" Kirito asked, skeptical as he made his steps surely, turning behind him to see Asuna, Silica, and Griselda following behind.
"Well, one thing I know for sure, he couldn't lie to save his life," Josuke noted, leading Kirito's eyebrow to rise slightly.
"You sure about that? He wouldn't even tell us anything about Shooter or what he has up his sleeve." Kirito questioned, only for Asuna's voice to interrupt the two.
"Okuyasu thinks with his heart, that much I know to be true. I think we can trust him on this." Asuna answered as the group reached the top of the stairs.
Just as they reached the top, Silica's pet dragon perked up, turning its head around with its ears standing at attention. Pina then started hissing, assuming a defensive stance on Silica's shoulder.
"Eyes open, guys! Pina smells danger!" Silica alerted the team in a whisper, leading Josuke to growl under his breath as Crazy Diamond appeared beside him. Griselda did the same, her own Stand, Appleseed Cast floating beside her at attention.
Kirito and Asuna also assumed a guarded stance, their hands reaching for their respective weapons. However, as long as they were in the city, they were unable to harm anything with their swords. Pressing forward with that fact in mind certainly did not help to ease the tension.
The group moved cautiously, not letting down their guard as they prepared for battle. Josuke was the first to step onto the second floor as he ran his hand along the metal railing, Kirito following closely behind, keeping an eye open as he kept his hand on Elucidator's hilt.
All of a sudden, a faint rustling noise was heard, leading Pina to turn directly above them to the edges of the ceiling, hissing at the disturbance.
"Above us!" Silica alerted the others, who turned in the same direction.
Kirito squinted at the pipes along the tops of the walls, from which he definitely heard the noises come from, but was unable to see anything in the shadows thanks to the boarded-up windows. "It's too dark. Anyone got some torches around?"
Griselda raised an eyebrow, then summoned her Stand, releasing a seed into the air.
"What're you doing?" Asuna asked the woman, who watched as the seed entered the floor.
"Wondering if this'll work."
The seed Griselda sowed blossomed rapidly into a young sapling, barely a decently sized stick growing out of the ground with small protrusions of wood. Plucking the plant from the ground, Griselda hefted it towards Josuke, who tilted his head at her, confused.
"Set my torch alight, will you?"
Josuke's eyes widened in epiphany as he summoned Crazy Diamond and leveled his hand next to the "torch", snapping Crazy Diamond's fingers right next to the wood, the sparks of the friction striking against the wood and setting it ablaze, emitting a bright orange light from their makeshift torch.
"Wow… you're really taking to your Stand's abilities in stride, aren't you, Griselda?" Josuke noted, impressed by her use of her Stand despite only receiving its power not too long ago that same day.
"I'm… getting used to it," Griselda replied, just as she raised the torch to the pipes, revealing a sight that caused the entire group to gasp under their breaths.
A small shadow revealed itself, moving quickly along the pipes before disappearing once more.
"Is that Shooter's Stand?" Asuna asked, but not before something interrupted her.
"So you actually found me. Let me guess, Okuyasu led you here? Damn it all, I knew that he'd be the end of me, one way or another."
Shooter's voice was loud, reverberating off the walls as the entire group turned in panic, trying to pinpoint the origin of the voice as they huddled together, covering all their angles for an attack.
"ABOVE US!" Silica yelled out once more, leading Griselda to point the torch up at the pipes once again, to reveal a sight that made their hair stand on end.
In position atop the pipeline were a great number of what appeared to be identical miniature toy soldiers dressed in green military uniform, all brandishing assault rifles aimed directly at the group below them.
"W-wha-?! There's so many of them!" Silica screamed, taking cover behind Griselda as her Stand revealed itself, preparing to brace for impact.
Griselda raised her hand over her head to protect herself, but she felt the pain kick in immediately. The light noise of gunfire from the miniature Stands rang throughout the room, bright muzzle flashes flaring in series. The bullets hit quickly and deeply, peppering dozens of holes into the woman's arm, causing her to cringe from the pain.
"Griselda!" Josuke yelled out, rushing over to her in order to heal the woman.
The miniature troops then jumped from the pipeline, revealing themselves as parachutes unfurled from each of their backs, slowing their descents to the floor. The group now saw several dozen of these soldiers filling the air, and lined themselves up to defend themselves.
The first gunfire sounded off as the group came under fire. Griselda summoned Appleseed Cast, the Stand's palm opening to release new seeds into the ground around them. Suddenly, a wall of wooden stalks emerged from the floor, erecting a barrier that deflected much of the gunfire.
"Wood won't hold that bullet rain for long. Get them!" Griselda yelled as Kirito, Josuke, and Asuna rushed into action.
Josuke brought out Crazy Diamond, aiming at the soldiers, his Stand's swift and precise strikes nailing several paratroopers out of the air with swift punches.
"DORA! DORA! DORA!"
Kirito and Asuna managed all the same, using their swords to deflect some of the gunfire before batting the troops out of the air, slicing them apart as they fell to the floor.
"Would you look at that… looks like Stands aren't just able to hurt things in the safe zones, they're constantly unsafe, too," Kirito noted, gazing over Elucidator's jet black sheen.
"What does that mean?" Silica asked, confused.
"That means Kirito and I can still take out those Stands." Asuna replied, raising Lambent Light as she noticed the last of the enemy Stands descend to the floor, moving into standard military formation.
"Careful, guys. This Stand's not like anything I've seen before. I took out two or three, but it doesn't look like it did anything to slow Shooter down." Josuke warned them, as Griselda nodded in agreement.
"Their bullets are small, but they pack a punch. We need to be smart about this." Griselda said, looking down at her wounded hand riddled with tiny holes.
The unified infantry of Stands lined up in formation, before they marched together in perfect sync towards the group, as Shooter's voice rang through the room once more.
"Regardless of your intervention and Okuyasu's betrayal, I'll make sure to escape with my life and the arrow. You'd be wise to retreat right now. Lest you face the power of my Stand, Bad Company!"
"So that's your Stand's name?" Josuke muttered, watching as the tiny soldiers marched up towards the group.
Kirito and Asuna raised their swords, Griselda shielding Silica behind her as her Stand made itself corporeal. The soldiers continued to march in formation along the floor, their posture rigid and their movements completely synchronized.
"Eyes open. Be ready for anything!" Kirito called out, just as the soldiers stopped.
"ALL UNITS! HALT!"
The soldier in the front center of the squad yelled out the order in Shooter's voice, Raising a hand, the entire group of Stands stopped marching and stood at attention, their firearms held at the ready.
"READY! AIM!"
The soldiers now all aimed their weapons at the group, all in firing position as their rifles stood ready, about to fire at any moment.
"Shit! Let's go!" Josuke cursed, making a break for the stairs to the next floor as the others followed closely.
"Cover us!" Asuna called out, leading Griselda to nod as the soldiers prepared to shoot.
"FIRE!"
The noise of gunfire filled the area as the soldiers took aim at the group and fired their rifles all at once, unleashing a wave of tiny bullets their way. Griselda gritted her teeth, producing a fresh batch of seeds that she threw to the floor, after which a twisting mass of roots emerged from the floor beneath the soldiers.
The soldiers' formation was broken up by the sudden appearance of the plants from beneath them. The roots grew higher by the second, lifting some of the soldiers above the ground and separating them from each other, causing the soldiers to flail wildly as they continued to shoot, the roots obscuring their line of fire and deflecting many of the shots.
This diversion was more than enough for the group to ascend up the stairs and out of the range of the soldiers, rising to the top floor of the complex, Josuke leading the charge as they came across the door to the next room.
"Shooter! Where are you hiding, dammit?!" Josuke yelled out, as the entire group continued to watch their backs, preparing to face anything that might come out of the shadows to face them.
The group stepped lightly, again trying to listen for movement in the darkness with weapons at the ready. Carefully, Josuke put a hand on the doorknob, turning it as slowly as he could as he looked inside, checking for anything suspicious. Taking his first step inside, that's when he heard it.
His foot hit something.
"JOJO!"
*boom*
All of a sudden, he felt someone tackle him into the room as a loud explosion sounded off behind him, the heat of the blast burning against the skin of his legs as he hit the floor chest-first, dazed.
Getting up on his elbows, Josuke looked up to see Griselda on top of him, getting up herself as she rubbed her forearm over her brow, wiping off a cold sweat.
"What… was that?" Josuke asked, watching the smoke rise into the air.
"A tripwire… looks like Shooter's got this whole place locked down," Griselda muttered as Josuke rose to his feet, trying to balance himself back upright.
"He knew we'd come looking for him," Josuke grumbled, cursing under his breath.
"That's correct."
The two Stand users quickly turned around to face the sudden intervention of a deep voice behind them, watching the tall, intimidating form of Straight Shooter shift against the wall next to the door, obscured by the darkened shadows of the room.
Hearing a new noise enter their ears near Shooter's location, Josuke moved into action, summoning Crazy Diamond as a bright flash exposed the source of the attack, dispelling the shadow of the room for a second, bringing to sight two miniature Apache military helicopters flanking Shooter on both sides firing a storm of bullets directly at them.
"DORARARARA~!"
Crazy Diamond unleashed a powerful flurry of strikes with its fists, trying to fend off the vehicles' attacks, Josuke cringing as some of the bullets peppered holes into his arms and body like swiss cheese.
As she watched Josuke trying to fend off the helicopters, Griselda caught sight of Shooter's face, his stone face twisting into a satisfied smile. This confused her, until more movement drew her gaze, as objects in the shadows moved to reveal themselves slowly. Revealing themselves, Griselda's eyes widened as she moved to intercept them.
"Tanks! Both sides!" She yelled out, the armored vehicles rolling out on the floor and aiming their cannons up at the Stand user pair.
Thinking quickly, the woman summoned her own Stand, the bulbs on both hands cracking as seeds dispersed into the air. One group of particles landed among the tanks, leading a series of plants to burst from the ground and grow at an incredible speed, so much so that barely any of the tanks had time to fire at them before being flung into the air among the branches.
The branches were covered in long thorns. Seemingly brittle, the speed at which they emerged from the ground and continued to grow in size were enough to sink into the vehicles and to hold the tanks in place, incapacitating them. As the tanks attempted to fire, their shots ignited the wood, causing the trees to burn, the tanks along with them as the room assumed a more luminous orange light to clear out the shadows.
"Thanks," Josuke noted, just able to fend off the assault from the choppers, looking behind him to Griselda with a smile of gratitude.
"Pleasure." She replied, sharing his expression.
Turning back in front of them, they now had a better view of Shooter thanks to the fire from Griselda's trees. The general was standing before them, against the wall. His posture was relaxed but his eyes were firm and cold, calculating and attentive as if he were intimately assessing their next move ten steps ahead of them.
Standing in formation in front of him was a massive infantry of hundreds of miniature soldiers and vehicles, their weapons aiming directly at them, awaiting their commander's order diligently.
Taking a look at the trees burning his tanks, Shooter merely hummed curiously. "Thorny acacia trees? An interesting way to counter my strategy to stay in the darkness. I'm impressed, Griselda."
"I'd be flattered if you weren't trying to kill us right now." Griselda chuckled dryly as her Stand flung another seed in Shooter's direction. However as the seed flew through the air, Shooter quickly caught sight of it, his troops immediately aiming up and unloading all their fire onto the seed, destroying it as it neared Shooter's head.
"I believe you sorely underestimate the power of my Bad Company. It's an ironclad defense that won't let any of your attacks touch me in the slightest. An entire army of foot soldiers and assault vehicles, moving in perfect sync and following my command down to the letter." Shooter boasted with a confident grin, his troops standing at ease all at once.
"Look at it. Beautiful, isn't it?" Shooter gestured a hand over his army, as Josuke could only grit his teeth in response.
"Perfectly synchronized. Perfectly symmetrical. Perfectly balanced. It's just so satisfying, having everything fit into its proper place. Although considering you and your friends outside took out several of my soldiers and tanks, I can't help but feel a bit annoyed at the imbalance their absence causes, but I digress." Shooter marveled, before groaning.
"That's a lot of talk out of you when you're one man short of a fair fight, wouldn't you say, general?" Josuke taunted, scoffing at Shooter's boasts.
This only led to an amused chuckle to come from Shooter's lips. "Please. You think I trapped you two in here without a plan? Acting without forethought is the height of stupidity. First, that door's locked up good. Your friends won't be breaking through any time soon with their weapons. That door, like this entire building, is an «Immortal Object».Your Crazy Diamond is powerful within its effective range, but a measly meter or two still leaves much to be desired compared to my artillery."
Josuke gnashed his teeth in frustration, as Shooter turned to Griselda next. "And you, Griselda… I was unaware of your Stand's abilities and parameters beforehand, but as far as I can see, you can't use your power effectively from a distance without those seeds of yours, and to top it off, you lack the ability to damage your targets with your plants."
Then, Shooter smiled once again. "Finally, why do you think I stayed in the city? No attack apart from a Stand can physically harm me, and neither of your Stands can harm me from afar. Try to slay as many of my soldiers as you can, but so long as one soldier remains, I won't be injured or have to fear death. Can you two say the same?"
The two Stand users' eyes widened as Shooter assumed another arrogant grin. "Every way you look at it, I have the advantage! This is what it means to be meticulous! Calculated!"
"Yeah. It's impressive. But…" Shooter looked up to hear Josuke as he returned his grin, his eyes determined with a fiery fighting spirit.
"...let's see if you got the power to back up that big mouth of yours. You want to stop us? Try it! I dare you!" Josuke declared loudly, Crazy Diamond appearing next to him completely, ready for battle as Griselda mustered her strength next to him, Appleseed Cast prepared to join the fight at a moment's notice.
"Oh, I will. In fact, I feel I can perfectly plan out exactly how I will incapacitate you two." Shooter boasted, leading Griselda's eyebrow to rise.
"Really? Mind if you enlighten us?" She asked, only for Shooter's grin to grow.
"Oh, I think I will. Not like it makes a difference. First, I blow your legs out, stopping any chance of you running away. Then, Bad Company will disable your arms, leaving you without any means of defense, leaving your heads wide open to be blown to smithereens at my effortless leisure." Shooter explained as Josuke smirked in response.
"Well, that's quite elaborate. Shame it won't come to pass anytime soon! Let's go, Straight Shooter!" Josuke declared, advancing towards the general alongside Griselda.
"ALL UNITS!" Shooter barked out an order with a commanding tone of voice, his soul flaring with energy, flowing into the entirety of Bad Company as they prepared to attack.
"FIRE AT WILL!"
The room lit up even brighter as the flashes of cannons and gunfire filled the air, a tsunami of bullets and shells rocketing towards the duo of Stand users from the hundreds of troops and vehicles before Shooter.
"DORARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARAAA!"
Crazy Diamond held its own against the storm of fire, its lightning-fast punches holding back the millions of bullets in front of it, defending Josuke from the barrage as he advanced forward.
Griselda hung behind Josuke, using Crazy Diamond's power to cleave a path through the sea of bullets. Her Stand prepared to release more seeds into the air to provide additional cover, placing Appleseed Cast's hands on the ground to erect more walls of growing trees, easily shredded down by both the hail of gunfire and Crazy Diamond's fists as soon as they grew, but just enough for Josuke to advance a bit further.
"Hey, general! Ever hear of the story of Moses parting the Red Sea? I'm gonna recreate that with your army, then I'll pound you in!" Josuke laughed as he edged closer and closer to Shooter.
Strangely enough, Shooter simply began to snicker under his breath. "Is that so? By all means, come closer! Just know, everything's going exactly as I'd planned!"
"What the hell are y-"
*click*
"!"
Josuke stepped on something before his foot pressed down on something to hit the ground. Just as he realized exactly what he had done, an explosion triggered at his foot, throwing him off-balance as he hit the ground, injured.
"JoJo!" Griselda yelled out, but just as Crazy Diamond faded away for a second, Bad Company's fire blasted through Griselda's last hastily grown wall of trees, sending her on her back as her legs were riddled with bullets.
"You see?! Your legs are gone! Now for your arms! APACHES, FIRE MISSILES!" Shooter commanded, the helicopters at his side unloading their missile racks as a rain of rockets flew towards the floored duo.
"JoJo! Incoming!" Griselda yelled out as Josuke growled, summoning Crazy Diamond to defend himself once more.
"DORA!"
The Stand swept its arm in an arc in front of them, swatting aside the missiles as they rebounded to explode harmlessly in the corner of the room. Then all of a sudden, another flash caught Josuke's eye immediately. Two more pairs of missiles rocketing towards Griselda from both sides. She had her Stand faced to defend against one pair, but her back was open.
"Griselda! Look out!"
*boom*
Josuke reached out with Crazy Diamond, the missiles sinking into the arm and exploding, causing Josuke to wince in pain as the damage burst onto his own arm to reflect his Stand's.
"J-JoJo!" Griselda yelled out, only for another set of missiles to shoot off, leading her to deflect against the remaining missile strikes with her plants, growing in all different directions to deflect the missiles coming at her from different directions.
"H-hang on! I got this!" Griselda gritted her teeth, casting seed after seed until she felt a sharp pain in her neck. Looking to her side, she saw a small soldier similar in appearance to the main infantry of Bad Company had repelled down to her shoulder. The small scout was wearing a green beret on its head instead of a helmet and was relentlessly stabbing a combat knife into her neck and shoulder.
"W-when did that get onto me-"
*boom*
In the brief moment, she let her guard down, the missiles went through her defenses and blasted into her arms, bringing her to the ground, too weak to fight on, her arms and legs blown to kingdom come as she huffed hoarse breaths from her throat.
"Your legs, and now your arms blown out of commission! All according to my master plan! Now for the finishing touch! This is the end!" Shooter laughed triumphantly, all his troops moving to surround the Stand user duo, their weapons raised at attention, ready to fire at the word.
"ALL UNITS!"
"READY!"
"AIM!"
Shooter looked ahead of him, curious at the sight. Josuke had calmly assumed a sitting position, encircled by his army as the pompadoured teen took Griselda's body to his side and placed Crazy Diamond's hand on it, healing her wounds as they closed up, all while he made no attempt to advance further, simply staring back at his opponent with a calm gaze.
"What in the world do you think you're doing? Accepting defeat? Pleading for mercy? Please. This kind of death would be embarrassing for someone such as yourself." Shooter spat before he reluctantly sighed.
"I do suppose it would be honorable enough for you to heal your ally first and foremost. You truly live up to your reputation as a selfless hero. With your power in this world, I hoped to delay our battle indefinitely. However, in war, such sentiments shouldn't cloud the path to victory." Shooter hummed, before grinning triumphantly once more.
"ALL UNITS! OPEN FIRE!"
The helicopters, the tanks, every single one of the hundreds of soldiers that composed the united Stand, Bad Company unleashed a massive hurricane of bullets, rockets, and shells. The fire neared the duo until both Stand users grinned under their breaths.
"You thought you had us all figured out…" Josuke muttered.
"...but two can play that game." Griselda weakly grinned amidst her recovering injuries, Appleseed Cast revealing itself, erecting another wall of trees that grew to press against the ceiling, hiding the duo from sight as the fire whittled down the barrier.
"What?!"
A rustling noise entered Shooter's ears for a split-second, but not before a mass of roots and wood burst from the ground directly under his feet, at a speed so quick he didn't have time to move out of the way as the roots restrained him, wrapping around him in a vice grip.
Just enough time for Shooter to turn around to catch the sight of two missiles seemingly reassembling themselves and igniting to rocket towards Shooter himself.
"S-shit! I can't move out of the way!"
*boom*
Shooter was blasted out of his restraints as the rockets blew up in his face, his body hitting the floor as all his soldiers and vehicles of Bad Company disappeared from sight, bullets, rockets, and all. As the noise of gunfire stopped, the wall of trees surrounding Josuke and Griselda withered away and decayed, revealing the two as they stood up in victory.
"Didn't you forget? My Crazy Diamond's ability is to restore things. Repair what's been broken, and revert what is into what it's been. I wasn't just tearing down Griselda's trees. I returned them to seeds, and as I stepped, I kicked them under your feet. All she needed was to tell them to grow. All the time I needed to make sure you couldn't dodge those missiles I fixed." Josuke grinned, gazing over the general's weak state.
"If you're that forgetful, then take some notes. Gotta be meticulous, right?" Josuke declared, striking a triumphant pose as he did.
Stand Showcase:
Lv. ? Stand: Synchronized Artillery, Bad Company - The key to success is in preparation. All things go back to the numbers. Know them, know all, and victory is guaranteed.
Special: Army: Summons an army of miniature soldiers and military vehicles
Enhancement: N/A
Damage: 350 (B)
Speed: 400 (B)
Durability: 350 (B)
Range: 6m (C)
Precision: 50% (C)
Rank: Unique (S)
Selling Price: N/A
Owner: Straight Shooter
Aincrad, Sword Art Online (Lv. 50, Algade) June 5th, 2023
"JoJo!"
Josuke turned to the door, where Okuyasu stood, the Hand out as it appeared he used his Stand to erase the door, allowing Kirito, Asuna, and Silica through into the room.
"Griselda! Are you alright?!" Silica cried, wrapping the female Stand User in a tight grip, leading Griselda to laugh contentedly, patting Silica on the back as she returned the hug.
"I'm fine. JoJo and I both." She assured the girl, as Kirito, Okuyasu, and Asuna walked up to the injured Josuke.
"You look horrible, dude. You gonna be fine?" Kirito asked, concerned as Josuke laughed under his breath.
"I'll manage. That was one hell of a Stand your brother had, Okuyasu." He grinned.
"Yeah. Big Bro said my Stand was terrifying, but he's no slouch either. Still, I'm glad you made it out alive." Okuyasu smiled, leading Asuna to laugh, nodding in agreement.
"Same here. You fought well. Both of you." She congratulated Josuke and Griselda both, before turning to the weak Shooter.
The general was weakly rising to his feet amidst his injuries, grasping his face as he awkwardly supported himself, the Stand Arrow in his hand as he breathed heavily.
"Straight Shooter, it's over. Come quietly. No more harm will come to you." Asuna declared, facing him with an ironclad gaze, leading the man to return the gaze with one of equal intensity despite his crippling injuries.
"I… still have a mission to carry out… I've done too much… to stop now…" He wheezed out, leading Kirito to raise his eyebrow.
"Speaking of which, why did you target those people anyway?"
"What are you saying?..."
Why take out your own men? Were you dissatisfied with their performance? Did they make enemies of you? What reason did you have to kill those people?!" Josuke demanded an answer, leading Shooter to sit back against the wall, scoffing under his breath.
"So simple-minded… You really think I shot those people trying to kill them?" He asked, leading the group to assume confused expressions.
"What do you mean?" Josuke asked him, leading Shooter to turn directly to him.
"You."
Josuke was taken aback by this answer, as the group turned to stare at him with stunned stares. Looking at Shooter, Josuke could see his eyes not hiding anything, not making fun. He was completely serious in that statement.
"W-what?!"
"Perhaps I should start… at the beginning." Shooter muttered, his eyes cast to the ceiling as he turned his head upwards.
"Me and Okuyasu are orphans. Our mother died a long time ago when we were just children, and our father was a piece of garbage who would beat us and make our lives hell for no reason. When he died, I didn't feel a shred of grief for him, but that was when we were on our own. I had to take care of things around the house, and most of all, for Okuyasu. Despite all we'd been through, I'd do anything to keep my only family safe." Shooter explained, Kirito and Asuna perking up at that statement.
"We got the NerveGears when they came out. I remember how much Okuyasu wanted to play it, despite the fact that we could barely afford it. I worked overtime for them, and we got two sets for both of us. You can guess what happened next." Shooter dipped his head, his eyes filled with regret.
"It was a good two months holed away in the Starting Town, trying to survive until this mess blew over. I comforted my brother, assuring him he wouldn't die and quieting him when he had nightmares. I wasn't sure if I was lying to myself more. I feared we would die here, that my brother would die and it would be all my fault. Then… the first Floor Boss was defeated." Shooter said, directing his gaze at Josuke once more as he said this.
"The word on the street was that a hero on the front lines held back the boss single-handedly, using the power of a Stand to win the day and save many lives. This… power, I'd never heard of anything like it. I knew that this would only be the beginning. These Stands held the power to turn the tide of battle in the favor of the user, and this would be the power that would liberate everyone from this accursed death game." Shooter said, leading Josuke's eyes to widen.
"Soon, someone approached me, I couldn't identify them. They wore a hood and their voice was obscured. They gave me the Bow and Arrow, telling me what it was capable of before vanishing. It took some time before it was put to use because I was unsure of its abilities. Therefore, I used it on myself. The result? My Stand, Bad Company. Okuyasu received his Stand soon after, and after I saw the incredible power it held, I knew what I had to do." Shooter explained, before continuing, staring straight at Josuke as he did.
"JoJo, you gave people hope when you won that day. You were a legend, a hero that inspired others to rise up and push through. Seeing Okuyasu's strength, I could tell he rivaled your Stand's power as soon as I saw it action. I realized what I had to do with the power of the Arrow, to create more Stand users, to inspire more hope and bolster the front lines with more heroes, to continue on and finally escape this wretched game!" Shooter declared with resolve, before his face dipped once more, his grip on the arrow tightening.
"But… not everyone I shot held the innate spiritual strength to manifest a Stand of their own. Some managed to survive, but I wet my hands in blood in my mission to create more heroes. I've… killed so many… My own men… Good men… Men who drank and feasted with me… Celebrated victory with me… Oh, gods, I'll never be able to atone for what I've done…" Shooter cried, tears running down his face as he wept, his eyes filled with remorse and guilt.
"Big Bro…" Okuyasu muttered, leading Shooter to look back up to his brother.
"Okuyasu…"
"Please, we need to stop this. Enough is enough. The arrow's caused enough suffering. I don't wanna see you sad like this anymore., so let's put this behind us and keep fighting together!" Okuyasu pleaded to his brother, extending a hand and gripping the arrow with Shooter.
Shooter didn't know how to respond as he sat, speechless as wet trails ran down his cheeks. His eyes quivered with his body as he remained frozen, internally unable to make a new decision as his grip on the arrow caused it to shake in his hand. His eyes then moved down to the arrow, locking onto Okuyasu's hand also on the shaft of the arrow.
"L-let go…"
"Bro…"
"Let go, Okuyasu… I can't stop the mission… when I've killed so many already…" Shooter cried more, desperately gripping the arrow as his voice sank, but not before Okuyasu gripped the arrow tighter.
"You're my brother! You're always here for me, and I don't wanna lose that! Even if nobody forgives you, I will! I'll always love you!" Okuyasu exclaimed loudly, his own tears falling.
"So please... let's go home together. Both of us!"
Shooter's desperate expression faded away slightly, his eyes widening at his brother's words. New tears filled his eyes as the brothers stood in silence.
Josuke stood by as the group watched the two brothers reconcile with one another, only for Silica's voice to interrupt the silence. Her dragon squirmed in position on Silica's shoulder, its ears perked up as Pina turned their head to the window, growling and hissing.
"P-Pina? What's wrong?"
Josuke turned in the same direction and gasped, spotting something that made his heart stop in his chest. The shadow of a human figure, hands pressed against the boarded window.
"H-hey, Shooter, Okuyasu… You guys expecting more visitors?" He asked, on edge as sweat rolled down his forehead.
"An intruder?!" Shooter gasped, just as a bright light filled the room, the flashing energy congregating into the shape of a humanoid figure. A reptilian tail appeared in the air, along with four humanoid limbs and a helmeted head ending in a beaked mouth.
"ANOTHER STAND?!" Kirito yelled, retrieving his sword as the group went into battle mode.
The Stand appeared in an instant and then set its sights on Okuyasu, a mere few inches away from its grasp as it rushed towards the unprepared delinquent. Shooter's eyes widened as his body moved before he could alert his brother.
"OKUYASU! EYES UP!"
Shooter violently shoved Okuyasu away, and just as he did so, he felt a sharp pain pierce through his chest, causing him to scream in pain as a powerful storm of electricity enveloped the both of them. The Stand's fist punched through his back and emerged from his torso, the Stand then taking ahold of the Bow and Arrow.
"I'll be taking this Bow and Arrow off of your hands, Straight Shooter! You remember when you shot me and awakened my Stand with this thing, don't you?!" The Stand cackled, its electric aura zapping away at Shooter.
"I-I do… And I never…should have given you this power! You can't handle the Arrow's power!" Shooter screamed amidst his pain, his face contorting into a fierce growl.
"WHO SAYS I CAN'T?! YOU SEE THIS?! I'VE GROWN SINCE THEN, AS YOU CAN CLEARLY TELL! THE POWER OF MY STAND, RED HOT CHILI PEPPER IS PROOF ENOUGH OF MY AWESOME STRENGTH! NOW THEN, HOW ABOUT I HELP MYSELF TO SOME OF THAT JUICY BATTERY IN YOUR NERVEGEAR?!" The newly named Chili Pepper laughed.
"B-BAD COMPANY! FI-" Shooter tried to summon his Stand to defend himself.
"ENOUGH TALK! Showtime's just getting started! Too bad you won't be alive to see it!" Chili Pepper intensified the electrical power, causing Shooter to scream, his Stand disappearing immediately.
Chili Pepper then flickered a different way, sparks flaring in all directions as Shooter and the Bow and Arrow did the same. Okuyasu could only look on in shock as his brother neared impending doom.
"BIG BRO!" Okuyasu yelled out, rushing over to his brother in a desperate hope to save him, only for Shooter to raise his hand amidst his intense pain.
"NO! STAY BACK, OR YOU'LL GET ELECTRIFIED TOO!" Shooter cried out, before growling. "Dammit! I knew you'd be the death of me one day… Stay alive… OKUYASU!"
With a final scream of pain, Red Hot Chili Pepper disappeared from sight. Shooter's body remained, but not before it fell to the ground, completely limp and devoid of life.
"B-Big Bro…" Okuyasu whimpered as he watched his brother's lifeless face fizzle into the familiar death animation.
Another shift in his avatar and Straight Shooter's body exploded in a collection of floating blue pixels. He was dead.
Okuyasu watched the crystals rise into the air and disappear from sight, falling to his hands and knees as he screamed, venting his grief in wailing cries, tears gushing to the floor.
Stand Showcase:
Lv. ? Stand: Shock and Awe, Red Hot Chili Pepper - Shine brighter than the sun, scream loud enough for the world to hear your name. Make yourself known, for the time has come for your electrifying debut. It's showtime.
Special: Electricity: Manipulation of electricity, ability to turn into electricity. All parameters increase dramatically when absorbing electricity.
Enhancement: N/A
Damage: 500 (A)
Speed: 800 (S)
Durability: 450 (A)
Range: ∞ (Digital) (S)
Precision: 50% (C)
Rank: Unique (S)
Selling Price: N/A
Owner: [UNKNOWN]
Aincrad, Sword Art Online (Lv. 50, Algade) June 6th, 2023
A day had passed as Kirito and Josuke walked down the street, heading to the same location as they passed by several other players going about their daily business.
Josuke turned beside him to his longtime friend, walking beside him as they continued down the street. Now that Josuke thought about it, it had been way too long since they were able to walk together like this, like old times when they were an inseparable duo. Those were days he remembered fondly, days he wished he could have back.
"You know, I really missed this," Josuke muttered lazily as he put his hands behind his back.
"Me too…" Kirito replied, his eyes cast to the sky wistfully.
"Miss my company that much, huh? Didn't realize you were starved a full serving of Josuke!" Josuke laughed, leading Kirito to chuckle under his breath.
"Maybe I spoke too soon. What's the good in pure, stylish Stand muscle if all he's good at is whining at people who insult his hair?" Kirito smugly grinned as they continued to walk.
Josuke snickered as he heard this, his eyebrow rising as he grinned mischievously. "And what good's a piece of socially crippled loner when he doesn't know any color apart from black, black, or really, really dark gray?"
"You know what?" Kirito muttered.
"What's up?" Josuke asked, curious at the sudden turn of the conversation.
"Why don't we find out ourselves?" Kirito asked as he opened his menu, fiddling with it.
"What're you-"
An alert popped up in his notification feed. Opening up his menu, Josuke found a friend request. Turning to his side, he directed a surprised look at the smiling face of his old friend, a face he hadn't seen in months.
"I knew you had it in you, you jackass." Josuke laughed as Kirito did the same.
"I've had plenty of time to think since I was alone. If I'm gonna fulfill my promise to her, I can't do it all by myself." Kirito smiled, his hand clutching his moon necklace, Josuke realizing who he was talking about.
He remembered Sachi and their days with the Moonlit Black Cats. He remembered the crushing weight of guilt crumbling his spirit, his failure haunting his nightmares ever since that fateful day, but for once, Josuke felt the light shine over the horizon as he saw Kirito's bright and beaming smile.
"Let's do it! As a team. For old times' sake?" Josuke laughed, extending a hand to his friend.
Kirito stared at the hand for a second before grinning brightly and laughing, smacking his own palm against Josuke's and shaking. "For old times' sake."
Once they finished walking they walked into a new building. A tavern, barely filled with a few patrons sitting at the various tables that they passed by. Idle chatter filled the room as the noises of drinking and feasting filled the air.
However, the duo instead walked up to the bar table, both of them each taking an individual stool beside two certain patrons. One wore familiar red and white armor as she snacked on a plate of fries, grabbing fritters between her fingers and chewing, occasionally brushing aside her long chestnut-orange hair.
The second was a bigger man, gruff-looking and intimidating in every way. His face was marked with two lines dividing his face, emphasizing his beady eyes as he took a large gulp from his mug of ale, setting it down with a satisfied sigh, then looking beside him to the newcomers.
"JoJo, Kirito! Good to see you again!" Okuyasu smiled, Asuna giggling as the group met up again.
"Hey, Okuyasu. How've you been holding up?" Josuke asked, leading his face to harden slightly.
"I'm… managing. Asuna here's helped me come to grips. It'll just take a while until I feel I can fight again." Okuyasu muttered, leading Asuna to pipe up.
"Yeah. Remember, just give me any of us a call if you need a hand." Asuna noted as Kirito ordered his own drink alongside Josuke.
"Still… crazy to believe your brother looked to me like that…" Josuke muttered as Okuyasu turned his way.
"My bro… really wanted to give people hope. I knew he wanted to do what he thought was the best thing for everyone, and I think he always knew he'd get punished for it one day. That someday his sins would catch up to him." Okuyasu spoke softly, his voice cracking as if he'd been trying to cope with that fact before.
"But… he was still my brother. He cared for me to the end, just like I did for him. I won't let his legacy of blood go on any longer, and that starts with getting the Bow and Arrow back and getting the hell outta this godforsaken death game. Okuyasu declared, gripping his mug tightly with resolve as he gnashed his teeth.
"Okuyasu…" Kirito muttered as Josuke put a hand on his shoulder, patting him.
"We're with you. All of us. Never forget that, yeah?" The pompadoured teen said with a warm smile, spreading to Okuyasu's own face.
"Yeah. Thanks, you guys." Okuyasu smiled, a tear entering his eye.
The group took another drink before Okuyasu made his voice heard once again, placing his mug down onto the bar counter as he directed a firm glance to his three friends.
"One last thing. I'm not aware of everyone my brother shot with the Stand Arrow, or the identities of the people who ended up Stand Users." Okuyasu muttered as the group listened in closer, listening to him continuing.
"But… I know this one thing."
"Red Hot Chilli Pepper's user… is a member of Laughing Coffin."
Up next: The Dynamic Duo are Back!
Wow, this took two weeks to write? For what's essentially two battle scenes mostly based on the battles from the original Diamond is Unbreakable? Yeah. Just looking at the word count, I legitimately cannot believe this chapter got this big. Hope you liked my take on the battles against the Nijimura Brothers. Also, RHCP makes its appearance! I plan to include him more, along with Kira, so sit tight and keep posted for more! Hope I handled the implementation of an original Stand well and that you liked Appleseed Cast and Griselda! Also, Silica actually does something somewhat useful (yay) so that's great(?). Anyways, after this, I'll get right back on track with SAO proper and I hope you all can be patient for more updates! Had a bunch of work to do last week, and hopefully I can get another one up within the week! Thanks for everything, you guys! See you in the next one!
Please review, guys. I probably sound pathetic constantly writing this little segment in every chapter, but every word is true. I adore receiving reviews for my chapters. It's the ultimate payoff, hearing what people like or hate, and it reminds me that people are reading my work. It's such a great feeling that I can't stress it enough. I'd appreciate a few words, just leave a review, please. I'd be immensely grateful.
Aurum79: Yeah, sorry about that! Griselda's such a blank slate, but I hope you appreciate how I used her Stand in the battle, hope it made for some interesting utilization and team combos! Also, yeah that one scene in SAOA is where I got the inspiration for that lmao
NotMrMundy: Thanks for the kind words! Nice to know you're keeping updated! Also, I'm aware of how to come up with the names, it's just an issue of how relevant it is to the ability, or if it's too obscure to use. For example, "Guns and Roses" would be easy, but too easy.