Cold air lingered in the living room as the humanoid enemy Stand glared at the six zombies trying to resist the freezing cold.
Twitching, ruby-colored eyes glanced over the six zombies, all of whom became human the moment he broke out from the ice. While the five already knew what will happen next, they're surprised that the enemy attempted to ambush them in their residence. They were found out sooner than they'd like.
But they set that worry aside, as Johnny and Gyro get off the couch to prepare, the latter unbuttoning the holsters to charge his steel balls while the former pointed one finger at the enemy. "Great. Just what we need. An enemy looking to kill us." Johnny bitingly remarked.
"Well, if it's looking to guide us back to our graves, I'm not interested," Gyro, while taking the situation seriously, doesn't dare to not make a casual statement to lighten the tense mood. "That man in a tacky suit will regret trying to kill us when we'll make our refusal known by smashing his face with my balls!"
"HAH!? The hell did you call my Stand, smartass!?" The enemy responds in an angry, offended tone.
"You heard me! Your suit is tacky as hell!" He shouted. "Perhaps you should remove your suit that covers you from head to toe, which means your ears are covered too. I am fine with shouting at you, but we have a kid here who doesn't want to get deaf sooooo… Better remove that while you can."
"How about YOU shut the hell up! I can hear you just fine!" He replied in kind, getting more pissed off. "You thought mocking me would rile me up enough that I would attack you in blind rage, hah!? Too bad! 'Cause that won't happen, cazzone!"
Gyro blinked at the foreign curse. "You said an Italian word. You're Italian?"
"Yeah, so!? What will you do with that knowledge, huh?"
"Eh, nothing useful. But while we are here having a conversation, maybe you should pay more attention, 'cause that will bite you in the ass when I doooooooo…THIS!
In one swift move, Gyro throws a spinning steel ball against him, intending to catch the enemy off-guard. To his disappointment, he managed to catch it with his hands quickly before it hit his head. The enemy glares at him irritatingly, saying, "I see… You were charging up your weapon while talking to me so I wouldn't expect to see it coming until it's too late."
"Yeah, that was the plan. I thought maybe one steel ball is enough to cave your head in even with your suit's protection," he casually told him with a shrug. With the spinning ball in his hand, he knows what will happen next as he adds, "But, catching the steel ball is viable too. You just played right into a trap created by me, Gyro Zeppeli! Nyo-ho!"
"Sorry to disappoint ya, but your Spin would work jack shit to my 「White Album」!"
"Huh?"
ビシ ビシ ビシッ
A freezing sound is heard next. Everyone looks around to find where it's coming from, including Tae, who is being held down by Mamezuku to prevent her from recklessly charging at the enemy.
"Where is it coming from? This freezing sound…" Yugiri asked, holding Lily in her arms who is pretty scared of the enemy's appearance and the possibility she would die so young again.
"It sounds like… it's coming from 「that man」…!" Lily guessed, pointing at the suited man still holding the steel ball with one hand. He doesn't seem to be bothered by the spinning ball, only bearing a grimace directed at Gyro.
! !
"Ah! Gyro!" Johnny realized what, or who, was making the freezing sound and directed everyone's eyes to the enemy. "Your steel ball… It's…!"
"Huh! The hell!?" Gyro could not believe what he was seeing.
"Finally saw it, huh?" Ghiaccio said, sending a sneering smile to Gyro's flabbergasted face. "My Stand, 「White Album」, allows me to 「freeze anything」 I touch. I have used cryogenic temperatures to freeze the 「moisture」 in the air and turn it into a suit of armor to conceal my presence as I entered this mansion covertly until that braided man spotted me. Now, as you are all seeing this, I managed to stop this green ball from spinning continuously just by 「freezing」 it!"
Everyone hasn't made any moves, only looking at him out of curiosity and disbelief as Ghiaccio continues speaking, "I was aware of your capabilities as a Spin User, Gyro… The 「boss」 told me. You thought catching it with my hands will allow the Spin to work its magic and burn my suit through friction? Well, I wondered… What would your steel balls and Spin do when it's up against an ability to freeze anything just by touching it? You wanna know what will happen?"
ガシャンッ !
"THIS will happen!"
Everyone watched in shock when Ghiaccio shattered the steel ball with his hand after it had frozen completely. The shattered pieces fell on the floor near his feet, which he then stomped on until the pieces were reduced to nothing.
Recognizing the threat White Album possesses, Gyro decides to not throw one steel ball, halting the Spin he imbued in it. "Ooookay. Looks like I will be useless in this fight if he can freeze the spinning steel ball and shatter it without hesitation. Gonna rethink my strategy."
"I knew that he has some kind of ability related to ice due to the drop in temperature we felt," Mamezuku speaks up, also recognizing that he will be useless too. Despite this, he remains calm as he assesses their situation as he says more, "But I wouldn't expect him to be proficient in being able to freeze anything, even the air, just by his 「presence」 alone. If he wasn't wearing a suit of armor, landing a hit to his head would be easy before he can act."
Remaining calm like him too even though she fears the enemy's capability of killing them, Yugiri says, "In any case, we must get out of here. I don't think it's safe staying in this freezing room. Ideally, we must lead that enemy outside as him being here is worrying."
"Yugirin's right! Come on, let's get out!" Lily exclaimed as she and Yugiri marched up to the door.
"Like hell I'm letting you escape!" Ghiaccio skated across the frozen floor towards the two idols before taking a leap onto them. Say your prayers, ragazzas! This cold shall be the only comfort you'll have as you die!"
"AAAAHHHHH! HERE HE COMES!" Lily shouted in fear, hugging Yugiri tightly as the older girl moved to open the door quickly.
"ORA!"
ドゴ!
"Nnngh!" Ghiaccio let out in surprise when a fist rammed into his helmet. The culprit is a hulking, pink humanoid being with articulated legs, arms, hands and fingers. Its head is mounted in front of its broad-shouldered chest and from the bottom of its chest hangs to its ankles are a vestment comprising strings of vertical ellipses, the inside of it being hollow.
"Huh?" Yugiri stared at the large humanoid being with wide eyes, shared by Lily, Mamezuku, Gyro and even Tae as the humanoid pushes Ghiaccio back with its fist rammed into his helmet. While most of them are wondering what to make of the humanoid, Gyro immediately recognized the color and familiar look to a Stand he knows.
Eyes unflinchingly staring daggers at Ghiaccio with black flames manifesting in his irises, Johnny never lets up his attack as he shouts, "「TUSK ACT4」!"
"CHUMIMI~IN!" A peculiar cry is heard before a beatdown ensues.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA...! OOOOORAAAAA!"
"AAAAAAGHHHH!"
Tusk ACT4 succeeds in pushing Ghiaccio back, the last punch thrown chucking him back to the corner with enough strength to make him crash against the wood.
As everyone looks at the Stand in wonder, Gyro lets out a whistle, never doubting his friend's Stand. "Nice job Johnny! Never thought I would see your Stand evolve to the point that it's able to get up close and punch the living shit out of anyone who dares cross you."
"I'm glad to hear you say that, but…" Johnny responded without a smile in spite of that. Not because Ghiaccio is about to stand up, but because of the harsh cold he is feeling. "L-L-Looks like going up punching the enemy while his armor is on is a 「bad idea」."
Wondering why he said that, Gyro turns to him only to gasp when he sees Johnny's forearms frozen and covered in ice. Tusk ACT4's arms are also frozen, indicating the effect done on a Stand reflected back to its user.
"Johnny-han! Your hands…!" Yugiri called out of concern for him.
"No time to worry for me!" He quickly brushes off her concern, urgently telling everyone next, "We have to get away from that maniac temporarily! You do not want to be frozen like my hands did, would you?"
"He's right," agreed Mamezuku, pulling Tae by her arms. "We have to move somewhere else. Preferably, one where we have some room to maneuver around."
"You're not thinking of going out in the rain, are you?" Gyro expressed his concern. "Didn't you hear what he said? He can freeze anything just by touching. What's to say he's gonna do that when we get soaked?"
"What choice do we have, Gyro!? It's either this or getting out of the mansion!" Johnny exclaimed, trying to resist the shivering caused by his frozen arms. "And besides, we have to lure the enemy out of the mansion after he has found where we are living!"
"I'm not in favor of the plan, but we must do what he says," conceded Yugiri. "Let's all move out, everyone, before the enemy stands up."
No need to say more, the six zombies get out of the room and run down the stairs, with Gyro carrying Johnny in his arms. Ghiaccio sees them running away when he's able to orient himself and stand up, which angers him so much he proceeds to stomp the floor, effectively having a tantrum.
"AAAAARGHHHH, GODDAMMIT SHIT! Blondie has the NERVE to stop me when I'm close to freezing the woman and her kid!" He yelled. "My 「armor」 protected me from his attacks, but that really frickin' hurt when I was thrown back to a wall! GRRRRR! I hadn't paid attention to him at first but now, I'm going to kill him first!"
After calming down, Ghiaccio cracks his neck with one hand. He's a bit pissed off that the assassination didn't go as planned starting when Mamezuku managed to spot him. He thought the room's constrained space means they will have less room to maneuver, but he was proven wrong. "Tch! Whatever… I just have to kill those fools and be done with it. I just have to 'break a leg', as said by my boss."
A thoughtful look appears on his face as he puts a hand to his cheek and looks up, deciding to go over the idiom he had said. "Breaking a leg, huh? That's an idiom meaning 'good luck'. It is mostly said to a performer before they go on stage, wishing that their performance is perfect or at least decent enough to impress the audience. I get that part. It's a form of goodwill from the one who said it to calm their nerves down before their big performance…"
He next stomped the floor as Ghiaccio became raving mad. "WHYYYYY!? WHY WOULD ANYONE SAY TO BREAK ONE BODY PART WHEN THEY ARE WISHING SOMEONE GOOD LUCK!? DOES BREAKING ONE'S LEG MEANS THEY ARE MOTIVATED TO DO WELL ENOUGH?! NO! WHAT WOULD THEY DO ONCE THEIR LEGS WERE BROKEN!? HUH!? THAT'S AN INSANE CONTRADICTION IF I HEARD ONE! WHOEVER FIRST SAID THAT SHOULD HAVE THEIR LEGS BROKEN SO THEY WILL KNOW IT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING GOOD BY HAVING ONE'S LEG BROKEN! THAT'S THE STUPIDEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD! IT REALLY PISSES ME OOOOOFFFFF!"
As he continues stomping in anger again over taking an idiom at face value, his raging rants go unheard by the splashing rain and the running six zombies fleeing as far as they can away from their home until they're in the middle of a street.
Soaking wet from the rain, Lily threw her short arms around her, whimpering, "Brrrrrrr… I-I'm still… feeling… c-cold…" She is grateful for Yugiri in hugging her firmly and transferring body heat from her, but it's not enough due to subzero temperatures she felt radiating from the enemy.
"Do not worry, Lily-han. I am here to provide you with warmth." Yugiri never stops holding Lily, rubbing her hair gently to soothe her mind and body. The kid smiled in return for her aid.
Off to their side, Johnny grits his teeth over his frozen arms. Compared to Lily, he can endure the harsh cold better than her, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt. In fact, if one looked closer to Johnny, they could see his body rattling weakly. Gyro tries melting his arms by putting his other spinning ball on it. He then let the energy do the rest.
"Well, this is just perfect," he sarcastically said. Everyone's eyes are on him as he continues speaking about his frozen arms. "That maniac's 「armor」 seems to be perpetually conjuring a freezing ability, not just from his hands. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have used ACT4 to attack and push him back," he lets out a sigh, seeing he's at a disadvantage. "Guess I am going to be useless for now unless I find a way to thaw the ice."
"How about I thaw your hands using the Spin?" Gyro proposed, raising a palm and steel ball spinning continuously on it. "Bet it'll work on you unlike that armored guy."
"Oh, good idea. Please do it." Johnny held out both his hands together and Gyro put the spinning ball on top.
Curious by what Johnny meant, Mamezuku opens his mouth. "Johnny, if I have to guess, your Stand, ｢Tusk｣, requires you to use your fingers to shoot some kind of 「bullet」. Is that why you believe you might be useless because you can't use your hands?"
Glancing at him, Johnny thinks there is no harm in telling them about his Stand. He saw them all as decent people (aside from Kotaro) so he might as well tell them to get them to understand.
"You're right that I need to use my hands to attack, Mamezuku. Tusk lets me shoot nails like bullets by spinning them so fast it grants them cutting power that can slice rocks and limbs. I even managed to carve a tree into a human sculpture within seconds just by using my spinning nails for close offense. The Stand you all just saw back there was my final and highest evolution, ｢ACT4｣."
"Hah! I knew the new form you showed before is your final evolution, Johnny," Gyro smiled with pride over having guessed what ACT Tusk has appeared in. "Looks like my final lesson proved successful, huh?"
"It did, and I thank you for giving me the motivation needed to transform my Tusk to its highest evolution." Johnny smiled back with a nod. He is eternally grateful for being his friend and mentor in the ways of the Spin.
"ACT4, you say?" Yugiri repeated, curious about his Stand.
"Are there three more acts about your Stand, Johnny-san?" Lily inquired, wishing to know more.
"Ooooogghhh…?" Tae turns her head around, having faced somewhere else with her back turned to them.
"Yes. Tusk has ｢other forms｣ that allows me to use my nails in creative and impressive ways," he explained. "In other words, my Stand has evolved to achieve new abilities that aren't limited only to just shooting nails."
"So Stands can evolve to become stronger? Interesting." Mamezuku summed up, putting on a thinking face as he listened.
"That's right! What Johnny said!" Gyro chimed in. "If I'm honest, some of Tusk's other abilities surpass even all my experience with the Spin, which helped aid the advancement of two other ACTS. Adding all of that, Tusk changes into different forms depending on what ACT he uses. The large, broad-shouldered Stand you saw back there is ACT4, while the previous ACTs generally assume a small and admittedly cute form that totally contrasts how Johnny wants to behave."
"Gyro, do you have to say that?" Johnny scolded him as his face became reddened from saying more than it needed to.
"Hey, I'm not joking when I said that Johnny," he brushed off his embarrassment, being sincere about what he said about Tusk. "Admit it. Your Stand, specifically ACT1, assumes a cute form that can be held on an open palm. I bet someone who loves cute things will looooove your Stand, if they can see them."
"G-Gyro!" Johnny is ready to shut him up and prevent him from saying more when a familiar, shrill voice is heard.
"Chumimi~in…"
Turning to the Stand floating beside Johnny, everyone except Gyro and Tae stare with curious eyes when they see the little corporeal Stand belonging to Johnny, who for all intents and purposes looks like a cute axolotl with sad, beady eyes, colored entirely in pink. It has a head slightly bigger than its body bearing two long ears, small black eyes under a troubled brow, a large star on its forehead from which in the center links a string to the tip of a cone-shaped nose and eight wavering vestiges arise, two on the top, four from its sides and two more at its chin. Two inarticulate arms and one leg resembling a tail complete the axolotl-like look, while four tendrils with heart-shaped ends hang from the base of the trunk near its leg or tail. Stars are also marked on its arms and posterior, the only features borrowed from Johnny whereas its cute form contrasts his demeanor.
The three looked at Tusk for a while, agreeing with Gyro that this little Stand is pretty cute. The little Stand seems to notice their staring, so it floats up to them, emitting the same cry to them. "Chumimi~in…"
"Awww, it looks so cute!" Forgetting the danger she was thrusted into, Lily tries to hug the little creature with one hand, only she can't because it's corporeal, much to her disappointment.
"My, my, I did not expect Johnny-han's Stand to be this adorable." Yugiri shows her palm for Tusk to sit on (or it seems to look), which it did. She giggled, adding, "And it has a pleasant voice." Johnny hides his blushing face, clearly embarrassed from their words to Gyro's amusement.
"Hm." Mamezuku did not stop a small smile that appeared on his face, whether due to Tusk's appearance or Johnny's embarrassed expression, complete with scratching his head.
"Ooookay everyone, that's enough. Try not to embarrass Johnny any longer," Gyro claps his hands to get their attention and stop them from adoring Tusk. After the Stand bids them farewell and returns back to its user, much to his relief, Gyro goes on to remind them that they are still in a fight. "In case you may have forgotten, White Album could be going after us any minute now. I ain't sure if Johnny, Rai and I will find a weakness pertaining to that guy's suit, but if there is, then we must take advantage of even just one weakness and put that loudmouthed lunatic in his place."
"A weakness, Gyro?" Johnny raised an eyebrow over his words.
"Call it a hunch but I believe luck will be on our side if we find White Album's weakness and exploit it. The suit of armor is quite ｢tough｣, barely enduring Tusk ACT4's rapid punches, so it is crucial to find some ｢weakness｣ on his suit. One where we least expect it to be there that probably supports the Italian maniac."
"My thoughts exactly," Mamezuku agreed with Gyro's notion. "It's risky to get too close to him since he's going to freeze anyone who is near him, but if we are to find his weakness, the three of us must move up close and find one defect and turn it on him."
"If that is what we must do, then I'll handle it," Johnny volunteered for the position. His arms finally thawed out thanks to the Spin-imbued steel ball melting and cracking his arms. He moved his fingers and arms to see if he was free to use them before clenching his hands tight as a determined look was on his face. "My Stand has a third ability that allows me to reposition myself to a favorable position for my nail bullets or land a sneak attack on my opponents. I just have to be careful I don't use up all my nails or I'll have to wait for them to grow back many minutes later, unless I drink a specific tea or eat herbs to make them grow faster."
Catching the steel ball back to his hand, Gyro is worried he could get frozen when he is near White Album. He knows what Tusk ACT3 is and what it's capable of, but one wrong move and Johnny's hands will get frozen again, or worse, they shatter and deprive him of his ability to shoot out nails. Nonetheless, he fully believes he can do this as long as his mind isn't clouded by a one-tracked desire of killing someone without regard to his well-being or anyone else's opinions.
"Well, if you're gonna find his weakness, then I won't object," He told Johnny. "Just be careful, ya hear me? The enemy is short-tempered enough that he could get to you first before Yugiri, Lily and Tae here."
Johnny is undeterred, stating, "I'll be fine. I just have to be quick in killing the enemy once I find it."
"I found you, cagacazzos! Don't think you can get away from me again!"
BGM: Impending Crisis (Stone Ocean OST)
Roaring, furious shout is heard far on the opposite side of the street as a white silhouette of Ghiaccio is seen charging towards the six. He skates across the wet pavement, leaving behind ice trails and frozen raindrops lingering in mid-air as he pursues the zombies with deadly persistence, unwilling to let them get away from him again.
Becoming scared of the enemy again, Lily hides behind Yugiri and exclaims, "H-Here he comes! Johnny-san, do something please!"
"I hear you! I'll get to work stopping that maniac from skating towards us!" Tusk ACT1 appears on his right shoulder as Johnny forms his hands together like a gun, pointing his index finger where its nail is spinning, producing a blue, disk-like effect and a faint buzzing sound similar to a bee or wasp.
シュル シュル シュル シュル
As Yugiri and Lily look at his spinning nail in wonder and amazement, Johnny keeps his eyes to the approaching Ghiaccio, waiting for him to be close enough that he can shoot his nails. Tusk lets me shoot my nails as bullets to an opponent some meters apart from my position. This makes it ideal for me to fire at long-range without ever getting closer, but this doesn't mean Tusk's range is great. It must be approximately 5 meters, which is not bad but could have been more. It's a bummer for sure, but I have utilized Tusk to the best of my ability and evolved it, extending its range for the subsequent ACTs. Having ACT 2 shoot my nails is possible, but I only need Tusk ACT 1 to shoot at his feet and make him trip!
Ghiaccio is already 5 meters away from the group when Johnny sees that he has entered Tusk's range, prompting him to shout, "Alright! Tusk ACT1!"
"CHUMIMI~IN!"
ドゴォォ
Carefully aiming his finger targeting Ghiaccio's feet, Johnny shoots two bullets to his ice skates. The bullets make an impact, damaging his skates and thereby tripping Ghiaccio.
ギャギィッ
"WOAH!" Ghiaccio lets out.
メシャ
"Haha! Hope you're ready to make out with someone! 'Cause here comes miss pavement giving you a blazing hot kiss!" Gyro laughed at Ghiaccio tumbling on the slippery road he created before crashing on a nearby streetlamp.
ドガァーン
Yugiri is impressed by his action, clapping her hands to praise him for making the enemy trip. "That was wonderful, Johnny-han! You really showed what your ability is capable of to that rascal!"
"Don't celebrate yet. I'm going near him! TUSK ACT3!"
A vaguely humanoid with an embedded head, sharp spikes growing from both underside of each triangular feet and small, truncated, disc-shaped hands, and a tall, blade-like protrusion resembling a mohawk appears behind Johnny who is curiously pointing a spinning nail to his temple, acting fast because Ghiaccio is standing up after getting tumbled by him.
ドン
Except for Gyro and Tae, everyone stares with wide eyes when Johnny shoots his head without flinching. Adding more to their surprise is the spinning black hole trailing from his temple to the center of his body before proceeding to suck Johnny in starting from his waist and then his entire body. Tusk ACT3 also disappears, leaving no trace of Johnny left from where he is crouching.
"Johnny-san! What happened to Johnny-san!" Lily asks worriedly, thinking Johnny shot himself in front of her innocent eyes.
"Relax Lily! Johnny is still alive, don't mistake that," Gyro quickly calmed her down. "Johnny used Tusk ACT3 to transfer somewhere else where he can get close to the enemy and see what weakness White Album has. That's just how it works!"
"Are you certain?" Yugiri looked unsure.
"Gyro is right. Look." Mamezuku points to Johnny emerging from a hole that moved near Ghiaccio, just behind him. As if water was getting sucked to a hole done in reverse, Johnny's upper body emerged from the hole, allowing him to see Ghiaccio's suit from the back. Yugiri and Lily let out a sigh of relief upon seeing him still alive while Gyro and Mamezuku acknowledge him with a smile and nod respectively. As for Tae, she is confused as always.
"AAAAGGHHH! I have had ENOUGH of you, blondie! That's it! You'll be the first to DIE!" Ghiaccio shouted angrily, standing up on his feet without creating another pair of ice skates. Turning to the group, his angry face subtly changes to a confused look when he sees Johnny not in the group. "Huh!? Where did that asshole go? Hey, you five! You better tell me where he is so I can completely freeze him and shatter his sorry face to the ground! Ah, who cares? I shouldn't worry about him when I have you five before me. He's gonna deal with me last after I am done with you all."
Ghiaccio put his hands on the ground, freezing the wet pavement and surrounding rain, and directing it to the group. Naturally, they backed away, with Gyro pulling a growling Tae away from the ice as Ghiaccio walked ominously to them, unaffected by the slippery ice he created. Seeing their worried faces, Johnny must work faster if he doesn't want to see them frozen.
Fortunately, he didn't have to observe for long when his eyes caught on to a small hole in Ghiaccio's suit. Is that… a hole in the back of his neck? Could it be…?
Not willing to delay this any longer, Johnny pointed one nail to Ghiaccio's neck as Tusk ACT2 come out from behind, who looks neither an animal nor a machine, possessing a small, sturdy torso and arms, two barrel-shaped objects hanging from its head and a barrel-like unit the size of its head suspended at the base of a short, flat spine. Spinning his nail again according to the Golden Rectangle, Johnny has a determined look to his eyes as he exclaims, "Say your prayers, hothead! TUSK ACT2!"
"CHUMIMI~IN!"
"Huh!?"
バグォォォッ
"GOUUUGGHHH!"
The nail bullet seems to hit Ghiaccio's neck through a small hole found on the back of his neck, causing a squelching sound.
BGM stops
"Alright! Johnny managed to find his ｢weakness｣ and shot at it!" Gyro exclaimed, believing victory was in their hands.
Lily and Yugiri share his enthusiasm with a smile. Number Six says, "I guess that means the bad guy is done messing with us, then!"
ギュイン ギュン ギュン ギュイン !
The four stopped celebrating early when a ringing sound was heard.
The sound gets louder, which confuses and annoys Gyro, prompting him to ask, "What is that noise? My ears are hurting from hearing it!"
Realizing the sound is coming from Ghiaccio, Mamezuku squints his eyes when he notices moisture surrounding his body. His eyes widen, as he says, "This noise… Could it be…?"
If he wasn't surprised enough, then Ghiaccio turned around to look at Johnny despite having his neck hit by the spinning nail so he shouldn't move it.
"Huh!?" Johnny lets out in disbelief over seeing him still alive.
"So, you figured out where my weak spot is and aimed your nails to it, eh blondie?" He began speaking, never letting up his angry expression to him. "In case you may have forgotten, my Stand allows me to bring everything to a halt through subzero temperatures by just touching anything! Gases turn to liquid and liquids turn to solid!"
"Why are you springing this fact on me, huh?! And how come you didn't get hit by my Spin?" Johnny exclaimed, thinking of shooting another bullet to that prick's face.
"Look a little closer with your eyes. See the suspended vapor now?" Ghiaccio is outright smirking because he still doesn't understand what he has done and what will happen next. As for the frozen air around him, there appears to be some kind of light show as each spot lights up briefly before it transfers to another spot.
"Johnny-han! The bullet… The bullet is ricocheting between suspended air and rain!" Yugiri shouted, having realized what the sound was and what would happen next.
"Huh?" Gyro lets out in surprise.
"Ricocheting…?" Lily repeated, trying to make sense of what was happening.
"Hurry! You must get out of the bullet's trajectory!" She warned Johnny too late as the spinning bullet bounces faster and faster until it rebounds back towards an unprepared Johnny.
"What!?"
バグォォーッ
"Gugh-!" Johnny coughed out, feeling the bullet piercing his chest near his heart.
"Say hello to White Album's technique… ｢Gently Weeps｣!" Ghiaccio announced to the stunned audience.
"JOHNNY!" Gyro, Yugiri and Lily call out to him as he is pushed back to the almost uprooted streetlamp.
"I already created a frozen barrier of vapor. Sure it takes a lot of energy to make it work, but it protects me from just about anything, including your damned nail bullets! I'm protected by a barrier of stasis!"
Ignoring the enemy to focus on the hole created after the bullet landed on his chest, Johnny tries to stay calm as he puts his hand near the hole, which starts moving towards where his heart is. With the hand over where the heart is, the hole moved to his hand and Johnny suppressed the desire to scream in pain when the hole tears his hand. "Nnnnnghhhhh…!"
Shit, shit, SHIT! That bastard managed to deflect the spinning nail I fired! I can't believe he has the ability to deflect any projectile by freezing the air! And what's worse. My right hand is damaged, meaning I might be down to using five bullets! Agh! This is NOT going well!
Seeing Johnny is compromised accidentally by his own action, Ghiaccio decides to ignore the five and change attention to the writhing American. He is looking to kill him when he is down, approaching him with full intent of ending his second life. "Since you tried to kill me when my back was facing you, I think it's fair that I do the same to you. Once I'm done with you, your friends are next. Hope you enjoy being frozen at subzero temperatures Johnny, 'cause that's how your bodies will become when you die! WHITE ALBUM!"
BGM: Ghiaccio (Golden Wind OST)
ビシッ
Ghiaccio envelops the pavement with fast-reaching ice sheets toward Johnny by punching it, smirking at the sight of the American becoming encased in ice, shivering and frozen.
Crap! I have to get away!
"Tusk!"
Putting both his undamaged and wounded hands, Johnny spins his nails on the ground, which become like miniature wheels that pivots him backwards away from the approaching ice sheet.
"Thought you could get away!? I'll just have the ice surround you then!"
Carrying on his words, the ice sheet splits apart, going around Johnny and surrounding him without any escape. Even the raindrops are affected, the frozen moisture moving through the air too to increases the chances of cornering him. Johnny has stopped wheeling himself after seeing it, much to his chagrin, letting the ice sheet fill the space he was on, threatening to fully freeze him for sure. Panicking, Johnny instinctively raises his left hand that was nearest to the ice, only to see part of his palm's skin got stuck in the ice.
"Ugh!" He grunted, watching his left hand bleeding from the large wound that had its skin removed painfully. Now he has two agonizing hands he needs to endure, on top of impeding his ability to shoot out nails.
"Hehehe. I have you surrounded. Now be a good boy and stay still," Ghiaccio taunted him with a triumphant grin. "You will be frozen in no time. And don't worry. Your friends are next on my list after you are dealt with."
"As if I'm letting that happen, you smug prick!"
"Hm?"
Ghiaccio turns around in time to see Gyro throw a steel ball to him. Seemingly annoyed he tried the same tactic earlier, he easily caught the spinning ball with his left hand. "You dumbass! Thought throwing your other steel ball will work, huh!? I'll just freeze this steel ball and shatter it, depriving you of your only weapon!"
"You think I'm that dumb?!" Gyro exclaimed, breaking into a full sprint against Yugiri and Lily's protests. He then made a surprising move by grabbing the steel ball and his hand with his right before he continued rotating the steel ball that is now encased between both of their hands. He looks at Ghiaccio's surprised face and says, "I'll just hold the steel ball and let it continue ｢spinning｣! Sure, I will get frozen by your hands, but I have trapped you through my steel ball ｢sticking｣ your hand together through the Spin!"
シュル シュル シュル シュル
A burning sensation coursed through his hand and arm due to the Spin energy emanating from the steel ball. Ghiaccio clenches his teeth before glaring at Gyro and exclaims, "Gahhh! Why you…! You're going to regret doing this to me! White Album, FREEZE HIS ARM!"
ビシィィィーッ
"Hnnnrrrk…! Brrrr! T-T-This is t-too c-c-cold…!" Gyro muttered, watching his right arm encased in ice. He can feel his arm going numb, to the point he thought he couldn't feel his arm if it weren't for the spinning ball. That ball lets him detect Ghiaccio is trying to pull his arm off of his hand, prompting him to move his hand closer, and by extension, their entire bodies. "T-Trying to e-e-escape from my g-grip? Fat chance! You're s-s-stuck with me until t-t-the S-Spin obliterates your b-b-body!"
"Then I'll freeze your entire body! You should have thought first of how capable White Album is before you did this trick!" Ghiaccio retorted before extending the ice engulfing Gyro's arm past his shoulder, threatening to freeze his neck and head.
While he is anxious of his head being frozen and potentially shattering, Gyro's steel expression remains, something Ghiaccio finds odd considering he can perceive his fear of getting frozen. "Hey! What's with that face? I thought you would show me that you are scared you'll be having a literal brain freeze! Or are you that confident that you could overcome White Album with just a measly ball and fancy spinning!?"
A smile appeared. "I am. T-The ice is r-r-really scratching my n-neck. I can't e-even open my r-r-right eye and h-half of m-my lips. B-But, I-I'm confident 'cause you f-fell for my a-and M-Mamez-zuku's trap!"
"Huh? A trap?"
Gyro grunted as he and Ghiaccio turned around so that the enemy's back was facing Mamezuku, who was doing a pose, covered in a cyan aura. Not only that, a mechanical being with a heart-shaped torso, whisk-like arms, six short wires connecting to a gray concave part, a mame kanji written on its shoulders within a circle and an elongated face bearing six small narrowed eyes and beanpod-shaped protrusions from the sides of its head looms behind him.
As Yugiri, Lily and Tae watch from the sidelines, Mamezuku speaks up and says, "Good job Gyro. Now, let me and my Stand take care of the enemy. It's about time I have my spotlight in this fight."
"Do it! B-B-Before I'm f-f-frozen here!"
"What!? What is that man going to do!?" Ghiaccio exclaimed, trying to turn around on his feet but he felt his feet being held by another pair of feet. It was Gyro who did that, having guessed he would try to desperately change positions.
"Guess you will have to wait and see. Or feel, in your case." Gyro said, ignoring the flowing blood from both his hands.
Without saying more, Mamezuku raises his hands and aims it at Ghiaccio's neck hole. He quietly whispers his Stand's name. "「Doggy Style」…"
BGM stops
Seizing this moment to shine, Mamezuku forms both his hands' index and middle fingers into four sharp cones, of which both of the hands appear to have appendages being unraveled from the skin and hangs loosely on it. He then extends the fingers directly to Ghiaccio's neck hole, piercing through his skin.
ドズッ
"OUGH!"
Ghiaccio stops moving when four sharp objects stab his skin. "A-AGGHH! What… What is this!? What's stabbing my neck!? Did… Did that man somehow throw a spike to the hole behind my neck and stab it?" He said in a panic, feeling warm blood dripping down his neck and back. His free arm tries to reach to the back of his neck and remove it, saying. "Dammit! I gotta remove the object that's stabbing me!"
"Don't think you can remove my extended fingers," Mamezuku declared to Ghiaccio. "My Stand, ｢Doggy Style｣, allows me to 'peel' my body like apple, unraveling them into appendages that I refer to as my ｢wire rope｣ I can control and manipulate. The way I can use my unraveled body varies, from peeling my arm into a tight rope or forming my hand into a sharp object to give it stabbing power. In the latter's case, that's what stabbed your neck. Having one finger stabbing you will not suffice, so I added three more to make sure they have enough strength to pierce through your skin. Now that you have been trapped, it's time for you to die!"
Seeing this is an opportunity for him to push Ghiaccio back and force Mamezuku's sharpened fingers deeper, Johnny raises his wounded hands, determination flickering in his eyes as he announces, "I have no idea what your Stand is until now Mamezuku, but thanks to you, I think we have a chance of killing this hothead for good! I only have to shoot my nails to his head and force him back so your fingers dig deeper into his neck. Now, if only Gyro is not in the way…"
"It's okay! I'm removing myself from him, Johnny!" Gyro surprisingly said before his frozen hand managed to get out of Ghiaccio's grip, still holding the spinning steel ball. "Huh!? You managed to unhand me?"
"Yup! All thanks to the power of the Spin! Nyo-ho!" He cockily said.
"Amazing! Gyro-han and Mamezuku-han had this planned from the start!" Yugiri expressed her awe over their strategy. "They are truly competent; they can turn a hopeless fight into a victory, all the while remaining calm even when injured!"
"Yeah! Guess this means the enemy is really going to be defeated by them!" Lily agreed, practically cheering them on for their impending victory.
"Raaaaggghhhh!" Tae seemingly agreed in her own way.
Aiming his fingers to the panicking Ghiaccio, Johnny opted to use ACT1 so he can recharge his nails faster. "Okay! This is it! It's time for you to die!"
ドゴォォ ドゴォォ ドゴォォ
Not giving up, Ghiaccio yells out, "WHITE ALBUUUUUUM! GENTLY WEEEEEPS!"
ギュイン ギュン ギュン ギュイン !
The scene that happened next is a matter of attrition between Johnny and Ghiaccio as nail bullets bounced between suspended vapor that hit both of them. Ghiaccio is forced backwards and Mamezuku's sharpened fingers digs dangerously deep in his neck while Johnny gets hit by the bullets, threatening his life as blood pours out from his old and new wounds.
"UOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!" "UAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!" Both screamed in agony and persistence.
After five seconds, Johnny shoots his last nail, which hits Ghiaccio's forehead and manages to push his neck deep enough that blood spilled from it and his mouth inside his helmet. Gyro sees this as a moment of victory, and so exclaims it. "Alright! You did it Johnny! The enemy is as good as dead! The spike went all the way in!"
"You're… wrong… you fools… Gohough!"
! !
The entire group is surprised to see him still kicking. Even Mamezuku cannot hide his surprise. "What!?" He lets out.
"…How? How is he still alive!?" Lily inquired in disbelief, wondering if she was seeing this differently.
"I admit… You may have determinazione, but I got… even more… Johnny Joestar…" He continues speaking, getting raspy due to the pain and blood in his neck. "I have to say, you and Rai Mamezuku doled out some major damage. Kudos to you two and Gyro, amigo. However, losing all that blood was actually to my advantage."
Yugiri, Lily, Tae and Mamezuku see he is correct, because frozen splashes of blood sticks out from his neck and Mamezuku's fingers, preventing his sharpened fingers from going deeper in his neck. They have varying expressions of awe and disbelief as Ghiaccio continues speaking. "I froze the blood you forced out of me and created my own icy support! It keeps that pesky spike from sinking further into my neck, so I'm good to go! You won't beat me that easily, you understand!? Oh, by the way. You still have a final bullet in play…"
ギュンィィィーッ
The last bullet ricochets off from the frozen air, aiming squarely at Johnny's head as Ghiaccio declares, "That will hit your skull! I WIN!"
"ORA!"
A distinctive cry is heard as the bullet is punched off its course.
"Huh? The bullet… Why did it- UNGH!?"
BGM: Johnny Joestar's theme (Fan-made Steel Ball Run music) (Timestamps: 3:46 – 4:07 and 4:15 – 4:42)
The broad-shouldered silhouette of Tusk ACT4 openly glares its uncanny black eyes to Ghiaccio, reaching in time to protect its master by punching the bullet away. The enemy stares in shock and incredulity while everyone looks in awe and surprise, as Johnny says, "That was close. Good thing I brought out ACT4 during the shootout to punch the last bullet before it could hit me. You're so sure victory is yours when you can't even detect Tusk ACT4 appeared behind me. Me? Having forgotten the last bullet? I already expected that, including you using your blood to freeze it and prevent your neck from getting stabbed further. I should have said that to you, although I suppose that is pointless to you now, considering what will happen next…"
Ghiaccio only yelled this out loud as he put his hand on his head, knowing well he had lost. "WHAT THE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLL!?"
Tusk ACT4 moves close and delivers a savage beating to his head and neck. "ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA! ORAAAAAAA!"
"UGUEHHHHHH!"
The tips of Mamezuku's fingers finally pierced through Ghiaccio's neck, releasing a large amount of blood as he screamed one last time before going quiet and limp. His dead body proceeds to melt away into the water, signifying they have defeated the enemy. Any lingering ice sheets on the ground, frozen raindrops or in Gyro's arm melts away too.
BGM ends
Seeing the enemy is gone for good, Mamezuku retracts his fingers back, trying to ignore the cold sensation that has been in it the whole time. "Finally. The enemy is killed. Good thing we didn't prolong this fight that'll give us more of a hard time with its abilities, especially with this rain around us."
"Indeed. We were lucky that man did not freeze us when he had the chance…" Yugiri agreed, letting out a sigh of relief she has been holding the whole time. "If not for your assistance, we would not have won."
"Uhhrrrgghhhuurrrr." Tae seemingly agreed. Everyone gathered close, with Johnny crawling on the ground due to Gyro nursing his numb right arm. Seeing his wincing face, Lily is concerned for him, so she asks,
"Gyro-san, are you gonna be okay?"
"Hm? Oh, uh… Yeah, yeah. I will be okay," Gyro tries to reassure her even though his face tells her he's not. "Just… gonna need my steel ball to… warm my arm."
"I think that won't be necessary," Johnny says, choosing to stand on his knee. "Sooner or later, we will turn back to zombies, meaning our skin will automatically heal back before the fight begins. I really want my hands back to normal."
"Ah, good point. I suppose we should wait," Gyro nodded in approval. "Aaaaaand go back home. Starting to get sick being out here in the rain."
"Well said. Come on, everyone, let's go back and wait for the others to go home." Mamezuku told everyone, already walking forward.
Without needing to say twice, they follow him, with Tae deciding to carry Johnny by slinging his body on her shoulder, much to his irritation and embarrassment. Then again, no one is qualified to help the semi-paraplegic due to not having enough strength or needing to recuperate, so the mindless zombie is the only one who can carry him.
When they are close to the mansion, they see someone standing in front of the gate. Believing the man is Kotaro, Gyro speaks up. "Hey! You're finally back! Hope you're happy to see us, 'cause we defeated another enemy Stand and protected the girls! It was a hard fight, but we managed to pull through and kill him."
When he speaks up, they realize that the man is not actually Kotaro.
"Is that so? Guess I'm correct in assuming my other teammate is gone. Well, I just have to pick up where Ghiaccio left off and eliminate you all, including this girl…"
Before they could react, lightning flashed before their eyes, briefly lighting up the area before them. What they see in those brief moments causes the three Stand Users to again raise their guards up, summoning their Stands when they see who it is and the woman he had captured.
"Junko-chan!?" Lily calls out her name in shock.
To be continued
Stand Analysis:
Tusk (Stand Master: Johnny Joestar)
(Stats shown are for ACT4)
Destructive Power: A
Speed: B
Range: C
Stamina: A
Precision: B
Developmental Potential: E
Despite having a corporeal form, Tusk ACTs 1 - 3 floats behind Johnny as he uses his Spin technique to spin his nails and fire them like bullets. As an evolving Stand, Tusk's nail shooting abilities also enhance and grow stronger at the cost of longer cooldown for his nails growing back, reflecting Johnny's growth as a person. With ACT1, he can only fire his nails from his fingers and toes, even using the spinning nails for close offense. With ACT2, the nail bullets transform into holes after Johnny fires them according to the Golden Ratio where they move and exist for eight seconds, enough to wound his opponents without them knowing it. With ACT3, the holes now allow Johnny to transport himself to an advantageous position to fire his nail bullets with. And finally, ACT4 allows Johnny to not only utilize the Infinite Rotation for his nails, but also lets the Stand itself pummel his opponents with rapid punches, wherein the affected opponent will spin into nothingness while they are unable to do anything because the Spin forces them to stay without help.
When Johnny is not using the Spin, Tusk ACT4 can be summoned by itself for rapid punching without using the Infinite Rotation.
Doggy Style (Stand Master: Rai Mamezuku)
Destructive Power: D
Speed: C
Range: C
Stamina: B
Precision: B
Developmental Potential: B
Interesting choice of naming aside, Doggy Style appears as a semi-humanoid Stand with only an abstract upper body and a head reminiscent of a dog with a primary ability that allows Rai to peel his own body like an apple, unraveling them as wire ropes or strings that he can control under a rope's limitations. He can use the rope to retrieve something from above or far from him, send the rope fast enough to give it cutting power or strangle someone with it.
Rai can also completely unravel his entire body until his eyes and teeth are all that's left from the bundle of ropes he becomes. Most impressively, he takes advantage of unraveling his body by turning one arm into a makeshift crossbow at one point. If peeling his body allows him to do that, it is possible Rai can do so much about Doggy Style as long as he knows what shape or form he can create under a rope's limit.
White Album (Stand Master: Ghiaccio)
Destructive Power: A
Speed: C
Range: C
Stamina: A
Precision: E
Developmental Potential: E
Manifesting as a suit of armor worn by Ghiaccio, White Album has the ability to freeze anything it touches by lowering the temperatures up to subzero temperatures. It doesn't have to come from his hands, as the entire suit will freeze anything it happens to touch onto.
Ghiaccio's technique, White Album Gently Weeps, allows him to decrease the temperature to reach -210 C or less, at which point the surrounding air itself freezes solid. With this technique, Ghiaccio is able to create floating sheets of invisible frozen air that are able to reflect bullets back to an attacker. However, Gently Weeps costs a lot of energy for Ghiaccio to use while the frozen air moistures do not cover him entirely, leaving his weak spot that is on the back of his neck exposed.
Onomatopoeia:
ビシ ビシ ビシッ (Bishi) - Object freezing
ドシュッ (Doshu) - Skating on an ice
ドゴォォ/ ドン (Dogoo/Don) - Nail bullets firing
ギャギィッ (Gyagi) - Bullets hitting the ice skates
メシャ (Mesha) - Helmeted face faceplanting
ドガァーン (Dogaaaan) - Someone crashing onto a street lamp
バグォォォッ (Bagouuu) - Nail bullets landing its mark
バチッ バチ バチッ/ ギュン ギュイン (Bachi/Gyun gyuin) - Gently Weeps deflecting projectiles, causing a ringing sound
ドズッ - Stabbing