On-screen—
The chase between Kars and Joseph continued, but the light curtain's camera now shifted its focus to Kujo Jotaro.
"That old man... does he know Kars will go after him first, so he's luring that monster away by himself?"
Jotaro sprinted through the forest. Compared to Kars flying through the sky and Joseph swinging on Hermit Purple, Star Platinum's mobility was far inferior.
Its A-rank in speed was more a measure of its attack velocity and rapid punches, not its maneuverability.
"The Ultimate Lifeform... possessing the traits of all living things, reigning over all life... Dammit, how in the world can we beat this guy!"
While using Star Platinum to rush forward, Kujo Jotaro's mind raced. He would absolutely not sit back and wait for death. Although in the original world, his grandfather had indeed defeated the seemingly unbeatable Ultimate Lifeform, that was in the original timeline. This environment was completely different. The slightest change could alter the original outcome.
Thinking about the old man's current state, Jotaro had serious doubts about his ability to defeat Kars.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Joseph, but the oppressive aura emanating from Kars was simply too strong. So strong that even Kujo Jotaro himself felt a fear rising from the bottom of his heart.
And just as Jotaro was frantically trying to keep pace, Joseph was already nearing his destination.
With Mount Fuji in sight, Joseph pushed himself to the limit. Hermit Purple and Hamon worked in tandem, boosting his speed even further, to the point where he was now faster than the airplanes of this era.
But Kars merely sneered. He abruptly spread wings that seemed to be formed of pure light and shot forward.
The Ultimate Lifeform, while possessing the strengths and traits of all creatures, could also transcend them.
"Oh! NO!" Joseph's eyes widened in disbelief. So, Kars had just been playing a game of cat and mouse this whole time. If he had wanted to, he could have caught up to Hermit Purple with hardly any effort at all.
Behind Joseph, Kars's ferocious and demonic face appeared. His perfectly sculpted muscles bulged, and he charged at Joseph's back with even greater force.
I can't take this head-on! Hermit Purple and Hamon can't stop this guy! Dammit... why does an ordinary person like me have to deal with such a dangerous creature? Just touching a Pillar Man's body will make you burst like an overinflated balloon!
Giving up on a direct confrontation, Joseph tried to use his mobility to dodge, but Kars's attack was already upon him. He could only take a gamble—a gamble with Hermit Purple.
"Aaaargh!!! I'm counting on you, Hermit Purple! Give me some strength!!"
Hermit Purple on both of Joseph's wrists bloomed with a purplish-gold light, as if responding to his plea. The thorns shot out in an instant, colliding with Kars in mid-air.
BOOM— A tremendous sound echoed, like a planet striking the Earth, as the two forces crashed into each other.
The next moment, Joseph's body fell toward the ground like a kite with its string cut. Hermit Purple was, after all, not an attack or defense-type Stand.
Forcing a support-type Stand to withstand such a massive impact was asking too much. A Stand is equivalent to a person's spirit and soul. If a Stand is defeated and dies, its user dies with it. It could be said that what had just endured Kars's charge was Joseph's very soul.
"Ow... It hurts so bad! I don't have any major injuries, but my whole body feels like it's been torn apart! Am I, Joseph Joestar, going to hell before I even reach the top of Mount Fuji?"
"No way! Even if I die, I should be going to heaven! It's not over until the very last moment! I can't give up! Granny Erina, Grandpa Speedwagon, they're still waiting for me to come back!!"
"I, JOJO, will absolutely not die here! Aaaargh!!!"
Perhaps the flashback power-up worked. Joseph's mind, which had been dazed from the impact, cleared just as he was about to hit the ground.
He tensed every muscle in his body, which began to emit a golden light. The intensity of his Hamon had reached an unprecedented level, and the thorns of Hermit Purple grew even longer.
The Stand with A-rank developmental potential was rapidly evolving thanks to Joseph's indomitable will. As a result, all of Hermit Purple's abilities were enhanced.
Although it still couldn't compare to an overpowered Stand like Star Platinum, for Joseph's plan, it was more than enough...
"Nani!?" Seeing Joseph evolve mid-battle, Kars revealed a look of shock. He clearly hadn't expected Joseph's resolve and will to be so strong!
A Stand is the power of the spirit. The stronger and more brilliant the spirit, the more powerful the Stand.
But soon, Kars's expression reverted to its original cruel and savage state. "Hmph. So what if you've evolved? No matter how much a human evolves, it's impossible to defeat the Ultimate Lifeform."
"JoJo, no matter how strong you become, you will never be a match for I, Kars! I will settle the score for Wamuu and Esidisi!!"
With that, Kars dived once more. This time, he vowed to finish Joseph for good!
However, Joseph did not retreat, nor did he run. Instead, he whipped Hermit Purple out, wrapping it tightly around the high-speed Kars in the air.
"!!" This purple vine... when did its precision become so high?
Kars wondered internally. Could it be that the powerful spiritual energy Joseph had unleashed in his near-death state had caused it to grow stronger again?
Flapping his wings, Kars transformed the feathers into razor-sharp blades, but even so, he could not break free from Hermit Purple's grasp.
"The Ultimate Lifeform isn't invincible! As long as it's a living thing, it has a weakness! Even you! You may be unkillable, you may have terrifying regenerative abilities, but Kars, you still have your own weaknesses!"
Hamon continuously coursed through Hermit Purple, and the purplish-gold light managed to hold Kars firmly in place for a moment.
That's right. If he couldn't be killed, then just keep him in a state of being constantly attacked, constantly wavering between injury and recovery until he was no longer a threat. This was Joseph's idea.
"Never underestimate humanity, Kars! The hymn of humanity is the hymn of courage! The greatness of humanity is the greatness of courage!"
"To fight creatures like you, one must have the resolve to die! Look below you, Kars!!"
At some point, the roiling magma of Mount Fuji was directly beneath him. Because Kars's attention had been entirely focused on killing the man who had murdered Wamuu and Esidisi, he had completely failed to notice that he had flown directly over the molten lava.
"Your arrogance has led to your utter defeat at the hands of the humans you look down on! Fall into hell, Kars!!"
As he finished speaking, Joseph used every ounce of his strength to fling Kars into the magma.
---o---
Light Curtain Barrage—
Seeing Joseph's plan succeed, the audience's excitement was no less than Joseph's own.
That was the Ultimate Lifeform! In its eyes, humans were no different from food. An existence that even modern society would be unable to defeat was, in the Taisho Era of Demon Slayer, a truly invincible being.
And yet, against such an invincible creature, Joseph still found a way to bring it to the brink of death. This was nothing short of a mortal man achieving the feat of defeating a god.
Detective Conan: "Excellent! Kars was so careless he didn't see he was right above a volcano! He's done for now!"
In the Conan world, Conan ignored a suspicious-looking Ran next to him and cheered. He was naturally the most excited that humanity had dodged a bullet!
Yukino Yukinoshita: "Joseph is still as clever as ever. Kars has no way to escape now. There's nothing in the entire biological kingdom that can withstand the temperature of magma."
Putting down a reference book on magma and volcanoes, Yukino Yukinoshita finally breathed a sigh of relief. While feeling happy for the people of that world, she also marveled at Joseph's intellect. To think of using magma to deal with Kars in such a short amount of time—probably only Joseph could have pulled it off.
Marine Admiral Akainu: "Magma? What a coincidence. But it's fitting. For a villain who has committed so many sins, let magma be their judge. Justice will surely incinerate Kars to ashes!!"
At Marine Headquarters, Admiral Akainu, with the word 'Justice' on his back, spoke coldly. Kars's actions were clearly in direct opposition to the human species, a complete violation of 'Justice'.
Sosuke Aizen: "The Ultimate Lifeform, ageless and undying. Plunged into magma, he can neither live nor die, forever trapped between recovery and agony. How tragic. But... will Kars really die so easily? If Joseph succeeds just like that, it seems a bit too easy."
In the Soul Society, Aizen watched the light curtain silently, the look of amusement never leaving his eyes. He would always be interested in other, unknown worlds.
The Overseer of Schicksal: "The idea is excellent, but... the Ultimate Lifeform possesses the traits and advantages of all creatures. If he uses them correctly, then even magma will have a hard time finishing him..."
---o---
On-screen—
"Fall, Kars!"
With Joseph's final shout, Kars was mercilessly dragged into the magma.
However... Joseph's situation was not looking good either. Kars's constant struggling, combined with the magma burning Hermit Purple, was causing Joseph unbearable pain.
"No, I can't let go! If I let go, Kars will get out!"
Even as his hands turned bright red from the heat, to the point where a faint smell of burning flesh filled the air, Joseph held on to Kars without a hint of wavering.
"Aaaargh!!! JOJO!!!"
Kars, now swimming in magma, let out a furious, unwilling roar. The sound pierced the heavens, the venom and hatred in his voice so thick it was almost tangible.
Like a drowning man grasping at the last straw, Kars clung tightly to Hermit Purple, trying to drag Joseph down into the magma with him.
The two were locked in a tug-of-war, entangled for a long time. Finally... Joseph's stamina was ultimately no match for the strength of Kars, the Ultimate Lifeform.
As his spiritual energy faded, Hermit Purple was no longer as strong as it was when it had first grappled with Kars.
Kars seized this opportunity and yanked Joseph hard toward him. It looked as if he was about to fall into the magma just like Kars.
However... at this critical moment, a hand firmly grabbed the side of the nearly exhausted Joseph at the volcano's edge.
"Gramps, retract your Stand. Kars has fallen completely into the magma."
Kujo Jotaro looked at the surface of the churning lava and sighed deeply. The old man... he really was stronger in his youth. To think he had dealt with a dangerous being like Kars so quickly.
"Kars... how is he?"
Snapping back to his senses, Joseph didn't check his own injuries first, but instead asked about Kars's condition.
"He's swimming in magma right now. If you listen closely, you should still be able to hear him screaming."
Kujo Jotaro adjusted the hat that had almost been blown off by his long, high-speed run and replied.
Just then, the volcano began to erupt violently. Inside, Kars was continuously assaulted by the molten rock. His body was constantly being burned and destroyed, his wounds torn open. He tried to heal, but it was completely useless.
At this moment, Kars's will to survive awakened. Before becoming the Ultimate Lifeform, he was a genius with an IQ of 400. A genius of that caliber would naturally have a way out of such a predicament.
"I, Kars, am the one who truly follows the will of heaven! The world destined me to become the Ultimate Lifeform, and it destined humanity to be my eternal food source!"
As Kars thought this, his will to live exploded. His body was gradually enveloped by an earth-colored shell.
The thousand-degree heat of the magma could no longer penetrate Kars's shell. His once-burned body, now shielded from the lava, began to regenerate.
"Not good! The volcano is about to erupt! Gramps, we have to get out of here!"
Seeing the violent volcanic activity, even though Kujo Jotaro had never seen an eruption before, he immediately grabbed Joseph's arm and began to run out of the eruption's range.
Joseph, seeing this, nodded quickly and also ran toward the outskirts of the volcano. The ground behind them cracked and split from the tectonic movement, revealing the intense heat from below.
What neither of them noticed was that Kars's screams had, at some point, disappeared.