"The World!!"
The power of the Stand manifested, and the entire world was drained of color, bleaching into a static grey.
DIO walked toward Yoshikage Kira with a relaxed, predatory pace. He reached out and delivered a sharp, precise strike to the man's elbow joint.
CRACK!
Looking at the twisted, ruined joint, DIO didn't stop there. He began to search Kira's pockets for any useful items.
"Hmph. To make sure you don't grow any legs and run away, I might as well break the real things."
BANG!
[The World] delivered a crushing kick to Kira's knee. Listening to the sickening sound of bone shattering, DIO let out a cold, satisfied chuckle.
"It's a pity. If the process of turning you into a vampire wouldn't rob you of your intellect, I would have enjoyed keeping you as a loyal hound."
He spoke with zero compassion, his voice like cold steel.
"Oh? You were actually carrying it on your person?"
Unlike Homura Akemi's limitations, DIO's mastery over time was absolute. Touching an object within the stilled world didn't grant the target any ability to move.
He pulled a translucent, orange orb with stars from the inner pocket of Kira's suit.
Feeling a surge of triumph, DIO tucked the Dragon Ball into his own vest.
"Hmm..."
"Only seven seconds have passed."
"This is almost too easy."
He kept a careful count of the seconds in his mind, his movements fluid and precise.
In his previous life, nine seconds had been his absolute limit. But those days were behind him now.
In his existence as a Heroic Spirit, his capacity for temporal manipulation had expanded significantly.
He was confident that if he were to face Jotaro Kujo again, without the interference of any historical "Special Advantages," he would be the one standing at the end.
Time began to flow once more.
"AAAAAAAGH!!!"
A bloodcurdling scream tore through the quiet park. The sudden, agonizing weight of his destroyed arm and leg sent Kira collapsing to the grass in a heap of misery.
What happened?
How had this muscular blond man crossed the distance in a fraction of a heartbeat?
And why were his limbs suddenly twisted into impossible angles?
He hadn't seen a single movement, nor had he heard the sound of an attack.
"Jotaro... Kujo..."
He rasped the name through grit teeth. The realization hit him like a physical blow.
Time Stop!
There was no other explanation for the scene before him.
"Hoh? You know Jotaro?"
"That's wonderful. Does that make you his ally? Or his enemy?"
DIO crouched down, looking at Kira's agonized face with a look of genuine curiosity.
Sensing the massive, oppressive aura closing in on him, Kira felt a cold spike of terror.
He had been too careless.
He had focused all of his attention on countering Josuke Higashikata and Rohan Kishibe, never imagining that a much more powerful predator was lurking in the shadows of the town.
He had to call Saber back. Immediately.
[Killer Queen] was still with him, but right now, he felt like a defenseless child facing a monster from a nightmare.
"I still have plenty of questions for you, but it's always better to kill the Master before the Servant returns to cause trouble."
DIO's words made Kira's blood run cold.
"Wait! Rider! The Dragon Ball...!"
"You've already served your purpose."
"STOP!"
Before Diavolo could finish his sentence, DIO commanded [The World] to deliver a final, lethal strike.
"KILLER QUEEN!!"
"MUDA MUDA MUDA!!"
SPLAT!
Even though Kira managed to recall his Stand at the last possible second, it didn't matter. DIO's fist, accelerated by the resumption of time, exploded Kira's head like a ripened melon.
In the heart of Morioh Town, Itachi Uchiha came to a dead stop.
The invisible thread connecting his existence to his Master suddenly frayed and dissolved into nothingness.
He stood in stunned silence, realizing that Yoshikage Kira had been killed before he could even register the threat.
The [Killer Queen] ability that had been superimposed onto his own essence vanished instantly, leaving him feeling cold and hollow.
This was a disaster.
If he didn't find a new source of magical energy immediately, he would fade from this world within a matter of hours.
'I can't give up yet.'
This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The fact that he had been summoned to another world at all proved that miracles were possible.
If the Dragon Balls truly could grant any wish, then he had to stay in the game.
He began to move, his eyes scanning the streets for any nearby Masters.
'Just one.'
'I only need one living person.'
As long as he could encounter a Master who was susceptible to his Sharingan, he could force a contract and ensure his survival.
Aside from exceptional cases like Josuke Higashikata, he was confident he could manipulate almost anyone.
Acting on that desperate hope, he pushed through the shadows until he spotted a group ahead.
Two men, two girls. All of them radiated the distinct energy of Masters and Servants.
He recognized the pair from the earlier struggle in the mansion: Archer and her Master.
The other duo was a mystery to him.
Under normal circumstances, he would have approached with caution, but he didn't have the luxury of time.
'Move.'
Before Subaru Natsuki or Homura Akemi could react, the world around them shifted and warped.
The blue sky vanished, replaced by a hollow void. A massive, blood-red moon hung in the center of the firmament, casting a sickly light over the landscape.
Suddenly, they were all bound to wooden stakes, unable to move even a single muscle.
Genjutsu!
Subaru recognized the sensation immediately, and a wave of pure, unfiltered panic washed over him.
"YOU!"
Itachi ignored the look of horror on the teenage boy's face. He didn't care about their feelings; he only needed a vessel for his contract.
Using the power of his Mangekyou Sharingan, he had pulled everyone into this mental realm where he was God.
Once he isolated and broke the will of the Master, the pact would be sealed.
The illusion was designed to be unbreakable for regular humans and most Heroic Spirits.
"This is bad... this is so incredibly bad! You idiot! Itachi Uchiha, do you have any idea what you've just done?!"
"You've well and truly screwed us all!! You stupid moron!!"
Subaru's frantic, desperate screaming was a testament to his mounting dread.
"!"
Itachi felt a flicker of surprise at hearing his own name, but he didn't let it distract him.
He didn't care how the boy knew his identity; he would extract those secrets later.
"What is wrong with your brain? If you're going to use an illusion, that's one thing!"
"But why did you have to go and manifest a full moon right over our heads?!"
"Do you really think it looks cool? You idiot!!"
Subaru was beyond reason now, his voice cracking with hysteria.
Beside him, Homura and Miyu watched his outburst in confusion. They couldn't understand why he was reacting like this.
He looked as though the world itself was ending.
Thump... thump...
In that moment, a heavy, rhythmic pulsing sound echoed through the silent void.
It sounded like a massive heart drum, and it drew everyone's attention to the small boy with the tail.
Kid Goku was staring at the red moon in the sky, his eyes wide and fixed. A strange, primal aura began to radiate from his small body.
"It's over!"
Realizing that the Noble Phantasm had been triggered, Subaru wanted nothing more than to reach out and throttle the ninja.
How could anyone be this cursed?
Goku possessed the [Great Ape Transformation] Noble Phantasm, but it required a specific catalyst: he had to see a "Full Moon."
Unlike the original world where it required specific lunar waves, in his Heroic Spirit form, any visual representation of a full moon was enough to force the change.
This was the source of Subaru's terror. He wasn't afraid of Itachi; he was terrified of what Goku was about to become.
Itachi Uchiha had tried to look impressive by creating a dramatic backdrop for his mental torture.
By doing so, he had effectively reached across dimensions and pulled the trigger on a weapon of mass destruction.
CRACK-CHUNK!!
Hiss!
On that day, Morioh Town faced the most devastating crisis in its history.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]