Joseph Joestar!
Who was Joseph? The audience outside the light curtain didn't know.
But they knew what a Joestar was.
Jotaro Kujo was a member of the Joestar family, and DIO's current body belonged to a man named Jonathan Joestar.
Joseph Joestar, with his standard height of 195 centimeters, powerful and well-developed muscles, the star-shaped mark on his shoulder, and that purple phantom that seemed to pop out of nowhere...
He was undoubtedly a member of the Joestar family. However, because the light curtain provided no other introduction, the audience had no idea what kind of person Joseph truly was.
Surely he couldn't be a school delinquent like Jotaro Kujo.
---o---
[Light Curtain Commentary]
[Eren Yeager: "A member of the Joestar family... that means he should be on humanity's side, right? The forces standing against humanity right now are just too strong; there's no way to fight back."]
In the world of Attack on Titan, Eren, from within the Walls, made his comment. In his current state, he despised evil, viewing the demons as beings just like the Titans. Only by driving out all the demons, including DIO and the Pillar Men, could the people of that world achieve true peace.
[Conan Edogawa: "A disparity in strength? At first glance, the power levels between the heroes and villains are completely mismatched. Even if Jotaro Kujo is called a God of War by the light curtain, it's hard to say if he can handle so many enemies. But... the reality is far more complex than that."]
The power imbalance was currently just a surface-level issue. While the heroes' forces were weak, they were united in their goal with little internal division. The villains' forces, on the other hand... were quite diverse.
Muzan Kibutsuji desperately wanted to kill DIO right now. The Pillar Man named Kars looked down on both demons and humans. The only one who remained vigilant against humanity was DIO, but even that was focused solely on Jotaro Kujo.
Therefore, whether it was a matter of defeating them one by one or profiting from their conflict, Jotaro and his allies held the initiative. In Conan's view, the side that truly held the advantage right now was the heroic faction led by Jotaro Kujo and the Demon Slayer Corps.
[Otto Apocalypse: "You're right. The truth is always complex. In a confrontation between motley factions, the side that possesses the most information and intelligence is often the one closer to victory."]
In the Honkai world, Otto saw much further than Conan. True, Muzan, DIO, and the Pillar Men had split the villainous forces into three parts.
But if the Demon Slayer Corps and Jotaro thought they could win based on that alone, it was far from enough. Their information and intelligence were too far behind.
DIO, capitalizing on his early arrival, had seized the advantage, taking control of the largest intelligence network—the Japanese government.
Muzan Kibutsuji was a native. Though he was a bit dim-witted and weak, his thousand years of accumulation and the network of demons scattered across Japan gave him numerous channels for information.
In contrast were Jotaro Kujo and Kars. Kars had appeared too late and hadn't even figured out this world yet. The same was true for Joseph.
Although Jotaro had the help of the Demon Slayer Corps, their ability to gather information and resources was nowhere near comparable to DIO's.
So, if Otto were to judge which side had the highest probability of winning, he would choose DIO without hesitation. Given DIO's cautious nature and his current advantages, his chances of victory were the greatest among them all.
Of course, this wasn't absolute. War was full of surprises. DIO was still unaware of the arrival of the Pillar Men and Joseph. This could very well become the turning point that shifts DIO's fortunes from ascent to decline...
[Yukino Yukinoshita: "So it's not a clash of individuals, but of factions? The level of complexity has deepened yet again."]
---o---
[On Screen]
Asakusa.
DIO, shrouded in darkness, appeared once more before the audience. No matter how many times they saw that noble yet malevolent figure, it still filled them with a boundless sense of dread.
Just as Otto had predicted, DIO currently only viewed Jotaro Kujo and Muzan Kibutsuji as targets he needed to eliminate.
"Lord DIO, the number of demons gathering near Asakusa is increasing. It seems Muzan Kibutsuji can no longer sit still."
Beside him, his lackey advisor, Fujiwara, looked at the map on the wall and spoke to DIO with some excitement.
After all, for a warmonger like him, there was nothing more enticing than war.
DIO, however, remained seated on his throne, one hand supporting his chin, white vapor escaping his lips.
"Is that so," he said. His calm tone sent a chill down the spine of Fujiwara, who had already been turned into a vampire. The excitement in his heart instantly cooled.
"The matter I assigned to you, has there been any progress?"
DIO's voice was filled with a tempting allure, like the whisper of a demon from hell.
Muzan Kibutsuji, to be honest, was someone DIO paid no mind to. All those demons combined would not be able to stand against him for a single exchange. The so-called Twelve Kizuki were merely ants that were slightly more troublesome.
Compared to Muzan, who was preparing to march to his death, DIO was more concerned with the progress of his experiments.
At this, Fujiwara broke out in a cold sweat, his voice trembling. "My apologies, Lord DIO. Regarding the mystery of Stand evolution, as well as the demons and Muzan's blood, there has not been much progress..."
As everyone knew, DIO was a man of insatiable desire. Possessing the power of a vampire was far from enough for him, so he gained a Stand. But even his Stand did little to boost his confidence in the fated battle between himself and the Joestar family.
Thus, he began his research on Stand evolution. Having gained control of nearly the entire Japanese government, DIO had gathered every human genius and expert from various fields he could find in the country, and even from others.
He attempted to rely on their research to unlock the secret of Stand evolution. But asking these people, who only had a half-baked understanding of what a Stand even was, to solve this problem was truly asking too much of these 'geniuses'.
This gave DIO a sense of powerlessness. Although he had an infinite lifespan, relying on generations of research, there was no telling how long it would take to figure out a method for Stand evolution.
"If... if only there were a true genius here, one who is extremely knowledgeable about evolution, can see Stands, and possesses terrifying talent and ability. Perhaps then I could truly unlock the mystery of my Stand."
DIO muttered to himself. He was now feeling a desperate thirst for talent. But even DIO understood that such a genius might not appear even once in several centuries. The number of people with such gifts in all of human history was countable on one hand.
...DIO did not know that the very genius he yearned for had descended upon this world not long ago. With that genius's power, deciphering the mystery of Stand evolution would not be difficult. But whether he would be willing to help DIO... that was another matter entirely.
"Lord DIO." Just as DIO was lost in thought, Kyogai appeared in the hall at some point, kneeling on one knee before him.
"A report from our spy within the Demon Slayer Corps. Jotaro Kujo, the nine Hashira, and numerous other Demon Slayers are currently heading toward Asakusa. It is highly likely they received information about Muzan Kibutsuji."
Hearing Kyogai's report, a wicked smile spread across DIO's face. As expected. That boy Jotaro was still far too naive to play mind games with him.
Due to his vampiric nature, DIO could easily place his spies within the Demon Slayer Corps, whereas it was impossible for Jotaro Kujo to place a spy by his side.
The information gap was laid bare at this moment. DIO immediately gave his order: "Kyogai, Fujiwara, ignore the matters outside the city for now. Let the Demon Slayer Corps and Muzan Kibutsuji fight for a while."
If the Demon Slayer Corps hadn't come, DIO would have left the city to deal with Muzan soon enough. But since they had been so kind as to show up, he would leave that useless Demon King for them to handle.
He, DIO, could simply sit back and watch the tigers fight. The Demon Slayer Corps and the demons were two forces that could never coexist. Jotaro Kujo... how many demons can your Star Platinum handle?
A hundred? Two hundred? Or could you, with Star Platinum alone, eliminate every single demon under Muzan Kibutsuji, who is frantically expanding his army?
You can't, can you? Star Platinum doesn't have area-of-effect attacks. No matter how invincible a Stand user is, they cannot fight continuously for that long. When Jotaro's stamina and spirit waned, his Stand would be at its weakest.
At that time, he, DIO, would only need to step onto the battlefield like the final act of a show. He would, without any effort, crush Jotaro into dust, as easily as squashing a frog.
As for the possibility of Jotaro not intervening? That was even more impossible. He knew the nature of the Demon Slayer Corps. With their hatred for demons, they would absolutely charge in without a care for their own lives. But with the Upper Ranks all gathered, even if the nine Hashira fought with their lives on the line, they would be no match.
Therefore, Jotaro Kujo would have to act. He was a descendant of Jonathan, with the blood of the Joestar family flowing through his veins. That bloodline would not allow him to stand by and watch the Demon Slayer Corps march to their deaths...
"Oh, right," DIO said as if remembering something, turning to Kyogai. "Find a way to pass on Star Platinum's weakness as a close-range Stand to Muzan Kibutsuji."
It was common knowledge that Star Platinum's greatest weakness was its range. Some demons' Blood Demon Arts were suited for long-range combat. That would surely give Jotaro a headache.
In the darkness, DIO smiled, seemingly already picturing his victory...
Of course, a member of the Joestar family could never be underestimated. Even with such a plan in place, he would not appear before Jotaro without absolute certainty of victory.
For no other reason than the fact that the Joestars had scarred him. Until he was completely sure, DIO would not rashly show himself to Jotaro Kujo.
---o---
Insidious, cunning, cautious—what deep scheming!
The audience outside the light curtain couldn't help but gasp in shock upon seeing DIO's ruthless methods.
This was what you called a strategy. His naturally cautious personality made DIO an seemingly flawless villain.
And the most terrifying part was that even with what appeared to be an unbeatable plan, DIO did not let his guard down. Instead, he continued to be as withdrawn and cautious as a turtle.
No, "turtle" was perhaps not the right word. To be precise, he was like a venomous snake. The moment Jotaro Kujo revealed the slightest opening, he would strike without hesitation...
[Utaha Kasumigaoka: "This... How do you even fight this? DIO has perfectly exploited the irreconcilable conflict between the Demon Slayer Corps and the demons, and Jotaro and his allies still don't even know DIO's exact location."]
In the world of Saekano, Utaha felt that if she were in Jotaro's shoes, she would absolutely fall for DIO's scheme. This was practically a checkmate situation; an inescapable trap. The best solution would have been for the Demon Slayer Corps not to come at all.
[Conan Edogawa: "There's no turning back now. If we ignore the external factors of the Pillar Men and Joseph, DIO has already won this battle."]
A simple analysis made it clear. Given the Demon Slayers' hatred for demons, the moment they found Muzan, they would charge in without a second thought.
They wouldn't be able to wait for DIO's planned moment to strike. Moreover, DIO had spies within the Corps. While their numbers and ranks were currently unknown, with just a little incitement, they could easily cause the Demon Slayers' emotions to spiral out of control.
[Jotaro Kujo: "Yare yare... DIO!"]
In the Stardust Crusaders timeline, a chill ran down Jotaro's spine. To be honest, based on the combat power the demons had shown, he wasn't afraid, thanks to Star Platinum.
But now that DIO had leaked Star Platinum's greatest weakness, what should have been an easy fight could become exceptionally dangerous. A prolonged battle would inevitably weaken his Stand, and he would never abandon the members of the Demon Slayer Corps.
This was... a dead end.
[Otto Apocalypse: "Just as I predicted, DIO holds all the advantages. However... the Pillar Men and Joseph should be able to affect his plans in ways he cannot foresee."]
In the Honkai world, Otto commented on the current situation. There was too little information about the Pillar Men and Joseph—the light curtain hadn't even given them a formal text introduction yet—so Otto could only make a simple guess.
[The Dignified Mistress of the Scarlet Devil Mansion: "Excellent, excellent. A fine strategy indeed. It does not disgrace the title of vampire. Although he is a bit weak, he has his merits."]
In Gensokyo, Remilia, from within the Scarlet Devil Mansion, had to admit that the schemes she was seeing were a bit startling. After all, the people of Gensokyo were so kind; who would come up with such陰謀詭計 (cunning plots and sinister tricks)?
But as the true queen of vampires, she had to maintain her dignified facade, and thus she expressed her approval of the vampire whose abilities were so similar to Sakuya's...
---o---
Author's Note:
PS: I saw the comments on the last chapter regarding power levels. The truly overpowered characters are Ultimate Kars and Heaven Ascension DIO, who will appear later. The current Hashira and Upper Ranks are not at a point where they have zero ability to fight back.