"Why is everything always like this..."
The moment he landed beside Kid Goku, Subaru Natsuki felt a wave of profound existential dread.
Seriously.
They had only been separated for a single day, and in that time, DIO had undergone a transformation that defied all logic.
While Subaru hadn't finished the JoJo series, he knew enough from discourse and fragments of information to recognize the "Heaven DIO" form. This was a character whose capabilities existed on a fundamentally broken level.
This was the pinnacle of all DIO's possible "Forms." This was the literal "Final Boss" version.
[The World Over Heaven] possessed the specialized ability to rewrite reality itself. It could essentially [Overwrite] any established truth with its own.
A Noble Phantasm?
Subaru glanced at Kid Goku, but he didn't see any indication of a "Super Saiyan" transformation or a similar power-up.
It didn't seem fair. If DIO could unlock his "Final Form," there was no reason the others should be left in the dust.
Seeing Accelerator systematically eliminated by a "First Encounter Kill," Subaru felt a twinge of regret. If he had only arrived a few minutes earlier to share his insights, things might have been very different.
"Goku... listen carefully. You must absolutely avoid being touched by his hands."
"If he hits you even once... it's all over."
Subaru knelt beside Kid Goku, his expression one of absolute, desperate sincerity as he whispered the warning.
"Oh."
"He certainly looks like he's become much stronger."
While Kid Goku didn't fully comprehend the nuances of Subaru's fear, he nodded solemnly. He could sense the shift in the vampire's energy.
"Don't hold anything back this time. If you can take him down, do it with everything you've got. The man is a complete monster."
"Understood."
Without a second's hesitation, Subaru activated two of his [Command Spells] in rapid succession.
"By the power of my Command Spell..."
"Goku... you must be the one to emerge victorious!"
"Whoa... I can feel the power surging now."
Kid Goku looked at his hands, sensing the qualitative enhancement to his natural strength.
"Hoho. Using your Command Spells without a moment's doubt?"
"You seem to possess a very specific source of information..."
"I wonder... where did you gather such detailed knowledge of my ascension?"
DIO spoke as he hovered just above the ground, his expression one of clinical curiosity as he watched the boy.
"Heh. I've just heard a few rumors here and there..."
"Hmph. It doesn't matter. Now that I've reached this state, there isn't a single creature left who can hope to oppose me."
Subaru's words were dismissed with a wave of the hand.
In the eyes of Heaven DIO, he was now "Invincible."
No matter what tricks or power-ups these people attempted, they were all destined to become fuel for his soul-sacrifice.
BOOM!!
The thought had barely finished forming when a small, high-speed projectile slammed into his face.
Kid Goku's fist, carrying a level of physical force that surpassed even [Star Platinum] at its peak, connected with DIO's cheek.
The impact sent the divine vampire hurtling backward like a discarded doll. He tore through corridors and smashed through reinforced concrete walls, carving a trench several hundred meters long into the hospital grounds.
From a distance, the group could only watch as a towering pillar of dust and debris erupted into the sky.
A massive, jagged furrow was left in the earth.
"What kind of... what kind of power is that?"
Koichi sat on the ground, his throat dry as he watched the aftermath of the strike. The sheer violence of the punch was beyond his ability to articulate.
If a normal person had been struck like that... they wouldn't have just died. They would have ceased to exist as a physical entity.
"Did... did he get him?"
Josuke and Rohan were pulled to their feet by their respective Servants, their expressions grim.
While they knew Kid Goku was powerful, they hadn't expected him to be this dominant. But they also knew that DIO was no longer a conventional opponent.
"That won't be enough to finish him..."
Subaru ran toward the group, his eyes locked on the wreckage.
"Jotaro... where is Jotaro Kujo?"
"We need to get him here right now!"
Before any of them could speak, Subaru blurted out the question, his voice rising in panic.
"?"
'!'
Rohan, Josuke, and Koichi were momentarily stunned by the sudden mention of the man.
"Aren't you his allies?!!"
"Call him! DIO reaching this state... only Jotaro Kujo stands a chance of countering him!"
Subaru struggled to find the words to explain the metaphysical concept to those who hadn't read the script.
Heaven DIO.
He was indeed one of the most powerful antagonists in the JoJo multiverse.
But he wasn't without a flaw.
DIO's destined nemesis was, and would always be, Jotaro Kujo.
Subaru recalled the popular joke among the fans.
'DIO has to meet a dozen complex requirements and travel half-way across the world to reach Heaven.'
'But Jotaro's only requirement to reach Heaven... is for DIO to arrive there first.'
While the logic sounded absurd, in a world where Stands were manifestations of psychic will, such a karmic connection was often the only thing that could tilt the scales of fate.
Subaru knew that no matter how much DIO evolved, Jotaro would always be the "Same Type of Stand" user,the one destined to match his height.
"Wait... I don't understand what you're saying."
"Are you claiming that if Jotaro-san arrives, he can actually defeat that thing?"
"What exactly do you know that we don't?"
Rohan pointed a finger at Subaru, his voice sharp with suspicion.
He couldn't be blamed for his skepticism. Subaru's behavior was erratic and his claims sounded borderline delusional.
Okuyasu and [Berserker] had been eliminated in an instant. Even Amber's timeline manipulation had been negated.
Against an evolved DIO, what could a single man like Jotaro possibly do?
"Ugh... I'll try to keep this brief."
Realizing that he needed to establish some level of credibility, Subaru rubbed his head and prepared to offer an abbreviated explanation.
***
"That was certainly a spirited punch."
"It possessed a weight that even [Star Platinum] failed to achieve."
DIO stood up from the center of the demolished building, his head partially shattered and distorted. But in the next second, he simply touched the wound, and his physical features reset to their original, pristine state.
The fact of being [Injured] had been [Overwritten] by his will.
"But no matter how strong you are... you cannot defeat me."
DIO looked upward, seeing Kid Goku crouching on a nearby rooftop, a look of genuine surprise on the boy's face.
"Are you some kind of monster?!!"
"You just grew your head back..."
It was a first for the young martial artist. He shouted down at the vampire with a mix of curiosity and wariness.
"Hmph."
"Your physical capacity is indeed... anomalous."
"To call you 'Human' would be an insult to the term. But unfortunately for you... it's all meaningless."
DIO commanded [The World Over Heaven] to launch a fresh assault.
He no longer felt the slightest flicker of fear. In his current state, he possessed no weaknesses.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!!
Kid Goku shifted his weight, his body a blur of motion as he dodged the Stand's fists. He reached for the [Power Pole] strapped to his back and swung it in a massive arc, slamming it into the Stand's side with enough force to send it flying.
But in the moment of contact, the white fist of [The World Over Heaven] brushed against the wood.
"Huh?"
Kid Goku stared in shock as his [Power Pole] simply vanished into thin air.
Ugh...
DIO felt the impact in his own side, raising a hand to touch the area and restore it instantly.
The boy was far more dangerous than he looked.
If DIO hadn't ascended,if he didn't possess the ability to stop time or rewrite reality,he likely wouldn't have survived even a dozen seconds against this brat.
"Unfortunately... your strength is a ceiling that I can easily surpass."
DIO clenched his fists and focused his will, [Overwriting] his own existence to enhance his speed and physical output several times over.
"!"
The speed of his next lunge was a qualitative leap beyond his previous performance.
"Your soul... belongs to me now!"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]