Chapter 9: My Stand Is Above Yours
It's hard to say if Shirou Emiya's choice of words held a specific "effectiveness" against a married woman like Holy Kujo, whose husband was away from home for years at a time. Or perhaps it was simply that after Shirou laid everything out so clearly, there was no way Joseph could fail to understand the implications.
Under Joseph's ashen face and piercing gaze, Holy, who had originally wanted to say something more to deflect, could only nod helplessly in the end.
"..."
The look on Joseph's face became even grimmer.
"Therefore, this is the worst-case scenario—Ms. Kujo, you are unable to control your own Stand as we do," Shirou continued, having witnessed her silent admission.
"What kind of severe consequences will this have? Mr. Joestar, I imagine I don't need to say more."
Joseph didn't answer the question. Having confirmed the situation, he now only wanted to leave this detention cell immediately and find a telephone to notify the SPW Foundation's medical personnel to get here as fast as possible.
But while Joseph didn't take the bait, it didn't mean Jotaro Kujo wouldn't.
Even though Jotaro didn't know the full details yet, the change in Joseph's expression was impossible to fake.
"Speak! What exactly are these 'consequences'!?"
Jotaro was never a fool. On the contrary, as a fan of Columbo, he possessed a keen intuition for details.
Previously, he hadn't cared much about the DIO business, because compared to some century-old man, Jotaro felt his own "evil spirit" was the most dangerous threat. To an extent, he wasn't wrong.
So, seeing Joseph remain silent, Jotaro quickly deduced a terrible possibility. He instinctively moved to lunge at Shirou Emiya. Like a reader facing an author who purposely cut the story off at a cliffhanger, he wanted to grab Shirou by the collar and force him to finish his sentence.
However, after projecting Joseph's gemstone...
During the duration of this projection, Shirou—who had also projected Joseph's talent and temporarily mastered this special breathing method—had not only quickly smoothed over the fatigue brought by his continuous use of Projection Magecraft.
Through the correct breathing rhythm—inhaling, exhaling, and drawing in—this entire sequence of "liberating divinity" allowed him to almost merge with nature, awakening all the dormant Magic Circuits in his body.
Naturally, with his physical condition restored, Shirou easily evaded Jotaro's grab. At the same time, he delivered the explanation he had long prepared, the fate that Holy Kujo might face:
"Death.
Dizziness, high fever... every disease you can imagine will manifest in a Stand user whose immunity has plummeted due to a rampaging Stand. They will be tortured to death by that very power."
It was cold. But it was the truth. Without defeating DIO, no one could save Holy Kujo. Even the SPW Foundation's advanced medical teams could only do their best to treat the obvious symptoms as her immunity failed; they could not cure the root cause—this rampaging Stand that was far more severe than simple sleep deprivation.
"You bastard!!"
Even Jotaro Kujo, who could remain calm in most situations, found it impossible to stay composed after hearing this. Or rather, if one could stay calm at such a moment, could they even be considered human?
This intense fury caused the Stand that Jotaro had yet to properly control to manifest involuntarily once more. It lunged straight at Shirou Emiya!
—Before, when I couldn't see Stands, I didn't think much of it.
—But now that I can truly see them, I understand why Jotaro was so afraid and worried about his Stand going out of control.
—This power and speed are truly terrifying~~
—But the current me isn't the me of the past!
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Shirou—who had prepared for Jotaro's emotional outburst the moment he decided to speak—erupted with scorching flames.
"—Trace on!!"
Following his movement, the fist of Jotaro's Stand swung toward Shirou's face in an instant. After all, this was top-tier "Double A" in Power and Speed. Other Stands might have A-rank stats, meaning their destructive power and speed reached that level. But for Jotaro's Stand, "A" was only the limit because the stat sheet didn't go any higher!
Let alone the [Magician's Red] Shirou had projected, which only had B-rank stats; even any other Stand would likely be pulverized by a furious Jotaro.
However...
'He dodged?!'
Like a professional athlete weaving through a local amateur team, Shirou—shrouded in flames—easily evaded the continuous "Ora Ora" barrage. He even bypassed Jotaro's defense with ease. Using the propulsion of the flames in his palms, he drove his elbow into Jotaro, senting him flying back.
'Man, what can I say!'
BANG!
"Have you calmed down a bit, Jotaro? My old man once said a man should be calm in all things; boiling water only evaporates early."
Shirou dissipated the flames on his body along with the projection of [Magician's Red]. He reminded Jotaro, who was now embedded in the wall:
"Stands are linked to the spirit. Allowing anger to rule your reason will only increase the mental stress on Ms. Kujo, who is already worried about you."
While Shirou's act of beating Jotaro up right in front of Holy wasn't exactly stress-free for her either, it worked. Protected by his Stand, Jotaro hadn't sustained even a minor injury, but he had indeed fallen silent.
"..."
He was now willing to listen to Shirou speak.
"Let me introduce myself once more. My name is Shirou Emiya.
So, Jotaro, can you stop worrying about your Stand going out of control and come out with us now?"