Happy new year, my readers! Here's the 39th chapter and the first chapter of the year 2025, modified and polished detailing the beginning portion of the Anubis and Emperor fight! Some scenes have changed to accommodate Yugiri being the only one doing the fight as the possessed opponent, so no possessed Ai and Lily unlike the previous version.
Please enjoy!
"DIEEEEEEEE! ! !"
! !?
Almost like she's quick on a draw, "Yugiri" drew the sword out of its sheath and swung it at them. The four cautious bodyguards backed away at a last second that, along with Mamezuku covertly putting his wire ropes on their waists and pulling them upon realizing "her" intentions, allowed them to avoid getting their chest slashed.
"W-Whoa!" Johnny shouted in surprise, stumbling next to Peel Planter. Watching him reform his untangled arms and hands back after Gyro and Narancia were safe, he looked at him and asked, "M-Mamezuku. Did you just…?"
"Pull you three to safety? Yes…" Mamezuku replied, turning to "Yugiri" straightening her back and adjusting the scabbard hanging by her side, scowling that "she" missed. With a serious expression, he next adds, "I knew something was 「off」 about her when I saw the sword she was carrying, sensing a foreboding aura coming from it. Then I remembered Kakyoin-kun, Avdol-san and Tatsumi's description of Anubis having the ability to possess anyone who held its 「hilt」. With this in mind… it appears Yugiri became the Stand's 「possessed victim」, in order to eliminate us."
!?
Narancia, Johnny and Gyro widened their eyes or gasped in shock as they turned to the Anubis-possessed Yugiri glaring at them. It did not take long for them to register that with Yugiri under Anubis' control, they must fight her. The thought of hurting one girl Kotaro entrusted them to protect obviously didn't sit well with them.
"No freaking way… Yugiri got possessed before we found her! Dammit!" Narancia expressed displeasure with a stomp, gritting his teeth.
"Well what did you expect? A rescue mission without a fight? Like it or not, it's inevitable we'll get into a fight one way or another," replied Gyro rather casually, but in spite of his casual response, he didn't let up a scowl directed at the enemy Stand. "Of all things I hope we didn't see though is engaging any of my friends in a battle to the death. If only we found her sooner than later…"
ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ
Clenching his teeth in anger and worry, Johnny calls out Slow Dancer's name to lift him up so he sits on the saddle. Pointing his finger, he exclaimed, "Hey you! Release Yugiri from your control right this instant, or else!"
Putting on a smirk, 'Yugiri' spun the sword around in a taunting manner. "Sorry, no can do! If you want this woman to be freed, you have to wrestle me out of her hands! Simple, right?"
"Tch! It's not!" Johnny retorted, fearing the possibility of having to fight her after learning what Anubis is. "We're not in favor of fighting her 'cause she'll get hurt by our hands. But you, on the other hand, are just a Stand 「bound」 to an object, meaning if we purposely targeted you, she won't likely be harmed!"
"Yeah. My thoughts exactly," nodded Mamezuku. "Whether we force Yugiri to unhand you or destroy the sword works for us, as long as we're very careful not to inflict harm on her potentially."
"Keh keh keh, a clever bastard, you are…" Anubis commented in Yugiri's voice that the four find it bizarre to hear a swear word out of her mouth even if it was the enemy who's actually speaking. "Unfortunately for you four, I'll kill you all before you have the chance. Hmm, killing you four for the second time… I'm sure you're aware I was named after the Egyptian god of death, and I'm possessing a female woman who woke up a century and a half after her death… Ironic and quite fitting, wouldn't you say?"
"Yeah whatever! Just shut up, alright!? Let's get on with the fight so you're out of Yugiri's head" Riled up over Anubis' words, Gyro takes action and throws his charged steel balls at the blade. "ORA!"
"An amateurish move!"
カン カン
Sneering confidently, Anubis swatted the steel balls with the sword, sending them hurling off his side. Believing deflecting his only method of attack left him vulnerable, Anubis sprinted towards Gyro with Yugiri's hands gripping the hilt tightly as "she" exclaimed, "USHYAAAAAAA!"
"Gyro, look out!" Johnny shouted, summoning Tusk ACT4 while Narancia did the same with Aerosmith. Johnny is prepared to catch the blade with Tusk ACT4's hands and break it in half, hoping to avoid prolonging the fight as it's barely starting. Shoving Gyro out of the way just as Anubis is close, Johnny moves in to catch the blade…
キィィン
…only to be surprised it moved fast past Tusk's hands, faster than the Stand itself.
"Huh!? A burst of speed!?" Johnny exclaimed.
"HA HA HA HA HA! I'll take your head!" Anubis gloated as he watched the sword about to strike his head and leave it bloody and messy.
ガシィ
"Ungh-!?"
Anubis looked in surprise when a brown rope wrapped Yugiri's wrists. The rope coiled around her wrists tightly, leaving him unable to move her hands. "W-What? Where did these ropes come from!?"
Johnny and Narancia stared at the rope ensnaring "Yugiri's" wrists in mild surprise, then turn at Mamezuku because he's capable of doing that. But he, too, shared their reaction, coupled that he was going to stop her before he was beaten to the punch. "That's… not my work. I didn't even get the chance to act." He clarified.
"Wait, really? Then who did?" Narancia asked.
"Oh? You wanna know?"
That came from Gyro possessing a sly grin directed at Anubis. "Yugiri" became indignant, scowling in response as "she" demanded, "What? You… Did you do something when I wasn't looking!?"
Flashing his engraved teeth, Gyro explains where the rope came from, "Remember the steel balls you swatted aside with your sword? They happened to hit a trunk of a pine tree, where it continued spinning against the 「surface」. With the energy I imbued in it and the 「friction」 of the Spin fueling it, it 「peeled」 the trunk's skin and extended toward your hands behind you."
True to Spin Cowboy's words, the steel balls continue spinning against the tree bark, peeling it to a long, spiraling rope-like appendage directed towards "Yugiri". The peeled rope-like paper continues coiling around her wrists rendering Anubis unable to move her hands and arms at all, leaving them a sitting duck.
Blinking in astonishment over his quick planning and execution, Narancia exclaims, "Wow! I didn't expect the Spin could do that!"
"I'm impressed. Truly I am, sensei." Mamezuku gives Gyro a nod of approval before he uncoils his arms and wraps them around Yugiri's feet when he sees Anubis attempt to escape his predicament with her other free limbs. Like what the rope is doing to her wrists, it coiled around her ankles like a python coiling its prey, tightening it until it fully constricted it.
Smiling at his words and assistance, Gyro turns back to Anubis to have a choice words regarding his earlier mockery of him, "You said that me throwing the steel balls to you is an 'amateurish move'? Sorry to disappoint you, but it's not true. I know what I'm doing when it comes to the Spin 'cause I'm an expert of the technique." I wouldn't have gotten here if I hadn't applied everything my father taught me about the Spin.
"Grrrr…! Damn you!" Anubis cursed him. He would have thrown more insults at him if it weren't for Tusk ACT4 looming over him, with Johnny sending a glare to him.
"Now then… what were you saying about taking my head?" He put his hand on his ear, as if wanting to hear him again to confirm it so he would not listen to him spouting nonsense. "Actually no, don't repeat it to me, 'cause now, it's time to snap you like a twig!"
"Don't underestimate me just because I'm temporarily immobilized! USHAAA!"
Mustering a surprising amount of strength, Anubis snapped the wooded ropes apart to free her hands before quickly swinging the sword horizontally at Tusk ACT4.
"Whoa whoa, shit! Back away, Tusk!"
Both the user, Stand, and horse moved back to avoid Anubis' attack. Mamezuku reacted accordingly by sending forth a second pair of wire ropes but "Yugiri", combining strength and speed, spread her heels apart to elongate the first pair of ropes, freeing her feet before jumping away and evading the second pair without issue.
"What the!? He managed to free himself from my ropes?! I made sure they were tight!" Mamezuku exclaimed.
"Oh no you don't! Get him Aerosmith!" Narancia pointed as the plane Stand fly past him and began shooting towards the sword.
"I ain't done with you yet! ORA!" Gyro retrieved the steel balls, spun them again, and hurled it against the enemy in the midst of gunfire.
"That long-ranged attack again? HAH! Like they'll be a match for I, the god of death, ANUBIS!"
Probably copying from an anime or video game, "Yugiri" spins the sword so fast it becomes a blur, creating a shield deflector that staves off the bullets without a single scratch on her. At one point, "she" deflected the steel balls in a split second it took to briefly stop spinning but at a glance, they wouldn't know. Oh, and these steel balls were thrown back to the guys, causing Gyro to almost frantically catch them and felt their spherical form had taken damage.
"Aw what? My chipped balls! They become ellipse-shaped." He complained.
Even though he stayed true to his target of attacking the sword, Narancia recognizes he's not dealing damage to Anubis. At this point, "Yugiri" stopped spinning it like a rotor blade but instead, "she" began slashing and swinging the blade at superhuman speeds, slicing the bullets apart before they disappeared. Slowly but surely, Anubis moves closer as Aerosmith continues shooting, much to its user's displeasure.
"Narancia! Stop firing! It's not working as you hoped!" Mamezuku told him after guessing what Anubis planned to do, frustrated over being unable to move from a disadvantageous position because Anubis has his eyes on him.
"I can't! If I stop, Anubis is gonna rush at me!" Narancia yelled out, sporting a nervous look as he and Aerosmith started backing up. "I-I don't think I'll get out of the way in time if he keeps up the fast speed!"
"Ah! You're right! This is quite a conundrum…" He recognized what Narancia was coming from and bit his lip.
"Maybe we let Anubis tire out! I don't think not even possession can do much against a person's ability to get tired!" Gyro suggested while keeping his eye on "Yugiri".
"Sorry to disappoint you, but she won't! With every swing I take, I grow faster, stronger, and more resilient! I can feel it… I'm starting to overcome your Stand's gunfire!" Anubis revealed with a smirk. For some reason, "Yugiri" has gripped its hilt with both hands and it's getting better at swinging. Too good in fact, the three realized.
"What?! You're getting faster than my bullets can catch up!?" Narancia exclaimed in disbelief.
"You noticed just now? Ha ha ha, you're trapped, my boy! Be prepared for your Stand and yourself to be sliced apart!" Gloating, Anubis fended off the last bullets, swinging the sword upward once he reached close to Aerosmith. "USHAAAAAAAA!" "Yugiri" shouted before bringing the sword down so fast the plane wouldn't maneuver in time. Narancia recognized the plight he's in.
"AH CRAP!"
"Narancia!" Gyro and Mamezuku rushed in to stop Anubis and save Narancia…
"Oh no you don't! TUSK ACT3!"
"CHUMIMI~IIIIN!"
"Huh!?"
Hearing Nail Jockey's voice from behind, "Yugiri" turned around quickly to see Johnny, his upper body emerging from a swirling black hole on the ground, shooting three spinning bullets at Anubis. Eyes widened in total surprise, having only realized the Joestar oddly went quiet until now. Johnny!? How did he- Gah, forget that! Those bullets…! I got a feeling something bad would happen if they hit me! I must evade!
In yet another display of superhuman speed and impossible acrobatics, "Yugiri" jumped up high in the air, the entire body twirling on its feet and maneuvering mid-air so it's upside down before expertly landing back on the ground without fail. "She" is crouched, stopping the momentum by digging a free hand to the dirt, and once stopping, she rises back up and sees she's about ten meters away from the stupefied four guys. "Heh…" Anubis sneered, taking amusement in showing an impossible display made possible by the bound Stand.
Returning his upper body back after emerging from the initial black hole he created in secret, Johnny called out Slow Dancer again to get a higher look at the evaded enemy, unwilling to believe what he, Gyro, Mamezuku, and Narancia, Johnny blinked twice before narrowing his eyes and pointed again. "Darn it! I was so close! I would have liked it if Anubis took the 「bait」 of deflecting the spinning bullets! That way, the 「holes」 the bullets turn into should destroy or snap the blade in half!"
The three gave him a side-eye, slowly understanding his failed ploy of waiting for Anubis to raise his sword up after overwhelming Aerosmith, thus exposing the blade for him to use Tusk ACT3 and damage it. He just didn't account for the enemy's burst of speed to avoid them.
"Is that why you went behind Anubis' back while the three of us were distracted?" Narancia asked.
"Yeah. Sorry for keeping it quiet. It's to prevent the enemy from knowing." He affirmed.
"But he already committed it to memory. He's gonna see through it next time you attempt it," responded Gyro with a head shake. Stepping off Valkyrie, he treaded one step forward, remaining determined to keep up the fight. "Anyway! If that's all the tricks you have, it's about time we take this fight seriously! You hear me!? Enough playing the defensive game and let us force Yugiri to unhand you!"
ドドドドドドドド
"Yugiri" openly stared back at him and the other three before "she" began chuckling. "Keh keh keh keh keh keh…"
Startled by Anubis' wicked cackle, Johnny, Gyro, Mamezuku and Narancia hardened their glaring, with Narancia asking, "Hey, what's so funny?"
Anubis stopped chuckling, but never let up "Yugiri's" smirk. He replies, "You four… Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Huuuuh? Forgotten?" Gyro imitated Johnny's act of putting his hand on his ear to make him hear properly. "What have we forgotten? That you're our target we must defeat? We got smart members in our group, you know? You got a nerve insinuating that!"
"Oh I never doubted that, admittedly," "she" told them. "Most importantly, you're here today to 「rescue」 this woman, the bandaged girl and the little girl, right? Surely you're curious about the other two's 「whereabouts」. They haven't showed up yet…"
! !
The four silently gasped upon realizing Lily and Ai hadn't shown up. They weren't with Yugiri together when they found her, but since she got possessed by Anubis, they might have ran away to escape Anubis' wrath. From this assumption, a worrying thought occurred regarding their status. If they saw Anubis had possessed Yugiri some minutes ago… What became of them? Did "she"… or he attacked them?
Pushed by this thought, Johnny angrily pointed at Anubis again and demanded, "You bastard! What have you done to them!? Did you… Did you kill them!?"
Much to his confusion and relief, Anubis shook his head. "No, I didn't. Before I confronted you, I was pursuing them for more than ten minutes, pushing them out of hiding spots and trying to slash at them, but they escaped each time."
"Oh really? Too bad you'll never get to do it again 'cause we got you dead to rights!" Narancia exclaimed.
"Tch, couldn't argue that. For all I know, they could be far away, or nearby," the possessed courtesan starts moving forward, swaying from left to right and vice versa while keeping her gaze straight. Noting this, the four brace themselves. "However, hide as many times as they like, I, Anubis, will inevitably have their heads on the platter. Keh keh keh keh… I don't know if they figured out a specific property I have or not but…"
"She" stopped short of four meters close to a tree. "Her" eyes are set on it, a smirk widening across "her" face. "It's no use hiding anymore! Your bodyguards may have arrived to save you but unfortunately… I'LL CARVE YOUR FLESH BEFORE THEY CAN DO SO!"
ドシュゥーッ
Anubis swung the sword across the tree swiftly. Shockingly, it didn't cut the tree in half. No, it remained intact, without visible damage on the trunk. Behind the tree however… a scream erupted.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH! ! !"
! !
The four turned to that tree in alarm, the scream registering in their heads until they recognized who it belonged to, and what it meant.
"WAAAAAAHHHH! ! ! AI-SAAAAAAAN!"
That's their cue to rush behind the specific tree, with Gyro and Narancia being first to see, to their shock and horror, a convulsing Ai lying on the ground with one hand over her stomach. That part is staining quickly with her blood, pointing out she sustained a stomach wound.
"A-Agh… The enemy… The tree, it… 「wasn't sliced in half」…" Ai wheezed, seemingly trying to endure the pain. "A-Aaargh! My b-belly…"
"Nononono! Ai-san! AI-SAN!" Lily cried with eyes full of tears.
"SHIT! Hold on Ai! I'm gonna treat you quick!"
Forgetting Anubis for now, Gyro scooted Lily aside to kneel before Ai and started examining the wound. Meanwhile, angered by the act, Mamezuku charged at Anubis and dragged Yugiri' s body away before he could attack again, quickly unraveling his entire arms to ensnare him.
"FOOL! I already knew what you're planning to do!" Shouted "Yugiri" before mustering a brief burst of speed to get away before "she's" wrapped entirely in wire ropes.
"Argh! Stay still, would you?!" Mamezuku demanded in frustration as he charged at her again.
"Try and make me!" Anubis taunted, sprinting towards him while ready to attack. However, a tackle from Slow Dancer prevented him from advancing, sending Yugiri's body flying. Mamezuku stopped when witnessing Johnny's action, who reins his horse to a stop after seeing Anubis recovering, skidding across the ground backwards. "Yugiri" glared daggers at the American, committing his move to memory so Anubis wouldn't fall for his trick again.
Sorry Yugiri. Have to stop Anubis from gaining the advantage. Johnny apologized internally with a wince. "Mamezuku, keep Anubis occupied while Gyro works to mend Ai's injury!"
"No need to say it!" Peel Planter assured before moving to intercept Anubis when he advanced again.
Back to Gyro, he straightens his back after he's done examining Ai's wound. Right now, he's applying pressure to stem the blood flow, waiting for Narancia to finish rummaging the bag he just so happened to bring along containing medicinal tools on the occasion any of them got injured.
"Okay… The wound isn't too deep, so you'll be fine Ai. Just have to infect it, stitch it up, and apply bandages." Gyro said with a serious but relieved look.
"R-Really? Ai-san… w-will she be fine?" Lily asked, dearly hoping it to be true.
"She will, I assure you," nodded Gyro. "My only concern is to stop the bleeding. We don't wanna make her lose a ton of blood."
"Alright! Here's the 「Zombie Horse」 thread you requested! A-And these medical supplies!" Narancia announced, moving near them to hand Spin Cowboy a thread, a needle, disinfectant, cotton cloth, and lots of bandages he's carrying on his arms. "Is there anything I need to bring more?"
"No, these are enough. Thanks," he responded gratefully, grabbing them to his side. Holding a disinfectant and cotton cloth, he glanced at Ai and say, "I'll unbutton your shirt so your wound is exposed and I can apply disinfectant to it, okay? Afterwards, I'll stitch it up. You'll be fine in half a minute, Ai."
"D-Do… Do what you must… Please…" Ai wheezed, a small grateful smile on her face. Nodding, Gyro gets to work.
Back to the struggling trio, Johnny and Mamezuku keep up the pressure on Anubis, eventually disorienting him after Tusk ACT4 maneuvered around him when "she" tried to slash them and punched her side before "she" could react. Hoping to take advantage of this, Mamezuku moves in to entangle the body, but he misses because Anubis jumps away quickly again, reaching an ample distance so they have to get near to continue the attack. By this point however, he's becoming irritated.
Grr! Guess it's about time I use this!
メギャン
In one swift motion, "Yugiri" summoned a complicated-looking revolver in her other hand and instantly aimed it at Johnny and Mamezuku before they could get near. The two were surprised when they saw it pointed at them.
"Heeeeeere's the Emperor in action!" The sound of gunshots are heard next.
ドキャ ドキャ ドキャ !
"Shit!" Acting quick, Johnny recalled Slow Dancer back before he and Mamezuku retreated, mentally commanding Tusk ACT4 to deflect the three bullets coming their way.
"ORA! ORA! ORA!"
Undeterred by that, "Yugiri" maintains the smirk and starts cackling as she fires the Emperor in every direction, swinging her arm around and even spinning on her feet in a dance-like motion. Most of the bullets hit the branches or trees while the ones aimed at the heroes were deflected by Tusk ACT4 continuously.
Hiding behind his broad-shouldered Stand alongside Mamezuku, Johnny grits his teeth at the display of rapid firing Anubis is doing. This enemy… is firing everywhere recklessly, like someone throwing confetti at a party! The amount of bullets being shot is a little overwhelming! Not that Tusk can't handle it, but still! He must be stopped!"
With that thought motivating him, Johnny turns to Rai and was about to tell him what to do when two pained shouts entered their ears.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
"GAAAAARRRRGH!"
The two recognize whose screams belong to, prompting Mamezuku to yell, "Hey, Gyro! Did someone get hurt!?"
Mamezuku's question is unfortunately correct as on Gyro's side, he holds Lily's lying form after her right heel got hit by a stray bullet. Poor girl is wailing with tears flowing from her closed eyes due to the agonizing wound, cradling onto him for comfort. Narancia got struck by a bullet also, this time on his left shoulder. He's clenching his teeth as he endured the pain while clutching.
"Y-Yeah! Me and Lily got hit by two bullets each!" Narancia confirmed in a raspy tone, shooting a look of sympathy on Lily being tended to next. "Her heel got shot, but Gyro is nursing her next!"
"Aaahhhh! It hurts! It HUUUURTS! !" Lily cried.
"I-It'll be alright Lily! You'll be alright! Just… endure it while I disinfect and bandage it up!" Gyro immediately gets to work, feeling glad internally he's done patching Ai up, so now she's sitting upright, leaning her back against a tree's bark, while looking at Lily worriedly.
Hearing Lily's crying is enough to push Mamezuku and Johnny in action, partially motivated to put a stop to the Emperor's reign in long-ranged attacks and retaliate against Anubis. "Mamezuku!"
"On it!"
Being as fast as he can, Rai swerved around Tusk ACT4 and charged towards "Yugiri" to send long, unravelled ropes at her heels and forcefully entwine them in one with quick reflexes. This act of surprise stops Anubis from firing as "Yugiri" falls backwards. Refusing to let Peel Planter have his way, Anubis catches himself mid-fall by stabbing the ground and has the sword act as leverage to rise back up. "She" next swings the sword at him but Mamezuku saw this, so he sent his right arm to stop it.
"I will not lose twice to your move!"
ドキャ !
"Whoa!"
Surprised by Anubis firing a bullet that grazed his cheek, cutting it open so a bit of blood leaked out, Rai senses a retaliating attack coming so against his better judgment, he quickly recoiled back his hands, almost missing Anubis slicing both his wrists to free "Yugiri's" ankle. Expecting she would lash out next since she's free, he retreated back to his companions in displeasure.
Who would've thought a sword and a gun make for a deadly combination at the hands of a skillful user? What a pain. I must stop the enemy from keeping this up.
Rising up from the ground, "Yugiri" glared at the two persistent men. Holding the sword and Emperor in each hand, "Yugiri" just stands still to observe them. He may have caught a glimpse of some of their abilities so he will not lose twice to it again, but he is not satisfied until he has seen all of their moves.
"USHAAAAAAAAAA!"
With a crazed scream, "Yugiri" jumped up high to deliver an overhead sword attack on Mamezuku and Johnny.
Remembering Johnny's early attempt to halt the blade from hitting him by having Tusk ACT4 stop the blade only for it to bypass its speed again because Anubis might had learned the trick beforehand, Mamezuku realized that he, Gyro and Johnny have already showed its ability to the Stand, meaning he had committed their moves to memory. While he had not seen all of their moves and Narancia's, he's not willing to take the risk of halting the blade by himself using Doggy Style.
"Get back!" He and Johnny see it coming and move back. The blade struck the ground, barely digging under it. "Yugiri" pulled it out before resuming the assault with a shout, alternating between swinging the blade and firing bullets that are capable of being maneuvered mid-air. A fact the two knew based on Kotaro's account.
"Tusk ACT4!"
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
While Johnny is occupied with keeping Anubis back bit by bit, made harder by the enemy's continuous learning and quick bouts of speed, Mamezuku turned at the tree the four are hiding behind and called them out. "Gyro-sensei! Narancia!"
Hearing their names called, Narancia and Gyro stepped out, carrying Lily and Ai respectively through bridal carry or lifting on one arm like a parent would to their baby, being careful they don't aggravate their injuries. "Yeah?" Narancia stared at him.
"Get Ai and Lily to safety! Johnny-san and I will continue fighting the enemy in the meantime! You hear me? Their safety is your top priority right now!"
Understanding him, the two gave him nods of approval. They're a little worried that they might become overwhelmed by the enemy's increasing defiance but they know what they're capable of, so they trust Mamezuku's judgement.
"Yu…Yugirin…" Lily averted her gaze when seeing Anubis locked against Tusk ACT4's arms with a look of someone enjoying the art of fighting too much. She refused to see her older sister figure as anything but a murderous psychopath.
"Alright! Heard you loud and clear! We're taking our leave now!" Gyro gently emboldens his grip on Ai, who's grabbing his shoulders, before running away.
"We'll be back after we make sure these two will be fine! Don't die while we're gone, okay?" Narancia followed Gyro afterwards.
"Be careful you two!" Ai exclaimed.
"Please! Don't hurt Yugirin while you try and save her!" Lily's tearful plea is taken to heart by the two, leveling their glare against the enemy possessing her. Said enemy is already on the move when seeing his soon-to-be victims escaping.
"Hey, STOP! My targets shall not leave my SIGHT!"
Instantly facing her, Mamezuku peels his arms and latches on "Yugiri's" legs, almost making "her" trip. "I don't think so! You're staying here until we're done! DOGGY STYLE! Pull Anubis to the nearest tree!"
Unravelling one leg next, Mamezuku sent the ropes onto the closest tree and pulled himself and the ensnared "Yugiri" towards it. Midway through, his entire body becomes a big bundle of ropes working to surround the possessed enemy.
"Wh-What!? What are you-"
ドリュ リュ リュ リュ
ズシィィン !
"Gnarggh! Uoooorghhhhh! What… is this!?"
Binded on a tall pine tree, Anubis groaned in discomfort as he tried to force Yugiri to move her limbs. However, how can he do it when her entire body is covered in Mamezuku's ropes, held tightly against the tree to ensure no movements can be made or only amounted to some movements in her ankles and wrists. If that's not enough, Mamezuku forced her arms to fall down straight, applying as much rope and tautness as possible. That way, Anubis won't be using the sword and Emperor freely as long as Doggy Style is active.
"Nnnghhhh! Grrrrrr! Too… tight…!" "Yugiri" gnashed her teeth, immediately finding out she's almost paralyzed.
A small lump of ropes manifest by "Yugiri's" side and coalesce together to form a human's upper body, revealingMamezuku. It must have taken a lot of energy because he's breathing heavily but he composed himself as he called out, "Okay! Anubis is entangled in this way! The enemy won't be attacking anytime soon as long as I keep him wrapped up!
"Why you…!" "Yugiri" snarled.
"Good job Mamezuku! That'll give us a break from the enemy's constant barrage of attacks." Johnny smiled in relief after recalling Tusk back and reverting it to its second form.
"Yeah. That's my intention from the start when coming straight to Anubis." Mamezuku nodded.
Grunting in an attempt to be free, "Yugiri" shouted, "Ngarrrrrgh! Untie me this instant!" Immediately, "she" can feel the ropes growing tighter, prompting a pained shout from "her".
"Maybe I will consider it… if you free Yugiri."
"Well too bad! I ain't letting this woman go!"
"Then you'll stay like that until we force you to free her."
Composing himself, Rai called out to Johnny, exclaiming, "I got Yugiri! It's on you now!"
"Right…" They turn to Johnny coming out from a hole he created after shooting himself using Tusk ACT3. Said Stand hovers near its user as he finishes forming himself back after a brief visit to the wormhole through space or a boundary between dimensions.
To be continued
Emperor
Destructive Power: D
Speed: D
Range: B
Stamina: A
Precision: B
Developmental Potential: B
Named after the tarot card symbolizing order and control (and stubbornness and lack of discipline if reversed), Emperor takes the form of a gun that a user can summon into their hand.
Its simple ability is to shoot out controllable bullets that can change trajectory as the user wishes, being able to control them with enough precision to pass any obstacles, make a U-turn in the air, and home towards the targets. This way, they can potentially fire a lot of bullets with impunity to overwhelm their opponent.
The main drawback is it's a close-range type Stand, meaning the bullet's effectiveness will lessen quickly once it reaches the limits of its range and its ability is relatively straightforward that any opponents can see it shooting out bullets, so the user must create a distraction or misdirect them to gain an upper hand.
Onomatopoeia:
カン カン (Kan) - Sword deflecting steel balls
ガシィ/ズシィィン (Gashi/Zushiiiin) - Sound of ropes tightening
ドシュゥーッ (Doshuuu) - Sword phasing through solid object
メギャン (Megyan) - Emperor appearing
ドキャ (Dokya) - Emperor gunshots
ドリュ リュ リュ (Doryu ryu ryu) - Ropes wildly lashing out or wriggling around
Yup, the final two enemy Stands Franchouchou and Rianima must face before the main antagonist will appear are Emperor, the gun Stand that can change the trajectory of its bullets, and Anubis, a Stand taking the form of the Egyptian god of death materialized in a Shamshir-like sword who can control anyone who touches its hilt. With these Part 3 Stands included, that makes each pair of two enemy Stands from Parts 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 equal and totalling twelve past enemy Stands featured here!
Like the fight against Limp Bizkit, I decided to have Anubis be the final enemy Stand the heroes must face, albeit through Yugiri. We already know that the Legendary Courtesan is proficient in wielding a sword as shown in her own two-part episode of Zombie Land Saga's second season (or should I refer to it as Zombie Land Saga Revenge?). Having a Stand bound to a sword to be used by a courtesan with swordfighting skills is a suitable combination to have both the two be this fight's opponent.
As for Emperor, I thought it would be cool to have Yugiri wield both object-based Stands for the fight. I was inspired to do it based on the Wild Dancer fighting style from Like a Dragon Ishin so Yugiri can go, well, wild swinging Anubis and firing out Emperor omnidirectionally while spinning in circles in the next chapter, possibly before the climax of the entire fight. If not, then it can't be helped. At least I get to feature someone from Japan's feudal period using a sword and gun like Sakamoto did in Ishin.
Side note: I was originally going to have Ringo Roadagain as the main opponent, and Johnny, Gyro and Mamezuku would have faced him without Narancia, which I included in the final version because they need someone to track down Yugiri, Ai, and Lily. Ringo would have used Emperor and Mandom in the repeat of the fight between him, Johnny and Gyro. In fact, that is why I named this chapter after his last words to Gyro when he defeated him: "Welcome to the true man's world". I changed one word to reflect that everyone is, obviously, zombies. As you can see, I ultimately didn't include him, so an Anubis-possessed Yugiri took his place.
Well anyway, the next three chapters are all that's left for Living Things' second act. As always, thank you for reading this chapter. Leave a review if you like so I can know what criticism and mistakes I made unknowingly regarding the characters, lore, plot points and other things and do my best to fix them.
Have a good morning/afternoon/evening/night, and please stay safe out there!