Because it was a prison, the castle as a whole did not appear particularly tall, so it was not long before Yang Yun arrived at the door of the final room.
Before even getting close to the room, a thick smell of blood came rushing over him. The devilish aura radiating from within was like the gaping maw of an abyss, waiting merely for prey to take the bait.
Stepping forward swiftly, he kicked out, sending the heavy wooden door crashing against the wall with a thunderous roar.
"Dio, stop running! The score between us must be settled today!"
Yang Yun said in a ringing voice, striding into the room amidst a billow of dust and smoke like a hero straight out of a storybook.
Yet, as far as the eye could see, the floor was strewn with corpses, all wearing expressions of terror and despair. However, Dio did not seem to be in this room at all; not a trace of his presence was to be seen.
Yang Yun swept his gaze swiftly around the surroundings, and with Star Platinum's extremely high precision, he spotted Dio's location at a single glance.
Only, much to his surprise, Dio's ability seemed to be getting more and more outrageous by the minute. At that moment, Dio was pressed against the ceiling of the room, staring down at Yang Yun with a cold, gloomy, and piercing gaze. His fingers and toes clung tightly to the bricks like a spider, his body's coloration matching the surrounding environment to a remarkably high degree. Coupled with the dim lighting, he was practically invisible; had it not been for Star Platinum's microscopic level of observation, Yang Yun really would not have been able to spot him.
Space Ripper Stingy Eyes, Freezing Technique, armor... and now he had added the ability to alter his own coloration and blend into the environment. And did he really have to time it so conveniently? Every single time he got close to Dio, or was about to kill him, some special ability would manifest!
Thinking of this, Yang Yun rolled his eyes speechlessly, while Star Platinum sprang into action without delay.
Following a sudden dash and a flurry of blows, the moonlight streamed through the shattered hole in the ceiling and shone down upon Dio, like a sacred light guiding him to ascension!
"You've finally come out!"
With those words, Yang Yun prepared to launch another attack. The Ripple Power within him had now been raised to its absolute peak, as if transforming into a tangible spiritual serpent and dragon, wrapping around and attaching itself to Star Platinum!
Seeing that the situation was extremely unfavorable to him, Dio began to panic. His destiny should not be like this! He had clearly transcended humanity, clearly ascended to reign above all living creatures as the immortal emperor of evil. Yet, in the end, he was being driven to such a state by a human he regarded merely as food—and the person he loathed the most!
"Wait! Yang Yun, there isn't actually any deep grudge between the two of us, and there's even less need to push me this hard!"
"You're an adopted son, and I'm an adopted son. Isn't our ultimate goal simply the inheritance of the Joestar family?"
"But I don't need those things anymore now. The Joestar family is no longer important to me!"
"If you people hadn't tracked me down, why would I, Dio, have ever made things difficult for you and JoJo?"
Seeing that Yang Yun remained silent and offered no response, a flash of contempt flickered deep within Dio's eyes amidst his agitated expression.
"And think about it carefully: you possess all this power yet have no one to inherit it, and to top it all off, you'll die a hundred years from now."
At this point, Dio turned around so his back was to Yang Yun, a flicker of tension crossing his brow. But he quickly concealed it. It was only after turning to pick up the Stone Mask lying on a nearby table that he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Ever since they first met all those years ago, he had known that Yang Yun was a smart man, and many things did not need to be spelled out explicitly. Therefore, he had been gambling all along—gambling that Yang Yun would not harm him.
Events proved that his gamble had paid off!
As expected, no one in this world could resist the temptation of eternal life!
"So come on! Just like me, put on the Stone Mask, become an immortal emperor, and together we'll rule this world!"
"With your strength and my intellect, we will surely conquer everything in this world!"
Dio said, spreading his arms wide as the Stone Mask lay quietly in his palm. Yet, whether due to the moonlight or not, the Stone Mask, which had originally appeared grim and terrifying, was now suffused with a colorful and alluring aura!
"Accept it, Yang Yun!"
"Beings like you and me were born precisely to rule this world!"
Dio continued his enticement, taking a slow step forward. But his other hand crept behind his back, where Space Ripper Stingy Eyes and the Freezing Technique were gradually condensing in his palm, primed and ready for action.
"But I refuse!"
"Nani?!"
The instant he heard Yang Yun's voice, Dio realized something was wrong. Yet the roaring wind of the fist and the crushing pressure bearing down upon him made it utterly impossible for him to dodge even a fraction of an inch.
However, in the next moment, instead of retreating, Dio suddenly lunged forward. A stream of light flashed brilliantly within his eyes, and a surge of power gathered instantly.
In a split second, two dark red streams of liquid, compressed under extreme pressure, transformed into beams of light as hard as steel, hurtling directly toward Yang Yun's head and throat through the air!
"Yang Yun, you surely didn't expect this!"
"This is an ability I, Dio, just researched and developed, and I have named it Space Ripper Stingy Eyes!"
Due to his prior dash, Dio was already less than a meter away from Yang Yun—an extremely short distance. At such close range, Yang Yun had no chance to dodge, not even enough time to blink, before the attack was already grazing his skin.
"It's impossible for me, Dio, to lose!"
Dio declared frantically, but in the next instant, he discovered that not only had his attack vanished, but the distance between him and Yang Yun had once again expanded to four or five meters.
"I wonder when you'll finally understand one thing: my abilities far exceed your imagination!"
Yang Yun smiled with confidence, adjusted his collar with both hands, and Star Platinum roared to life behind him!
"This time really is the last!"
As his words fell, amidst a storm of impacts and continuous strikes infused with the Ripple, every single punch from Star Platinum possessed the majestic power of a primordial Titan god!
After countless punches, Dio's body, including his head, suddenly collapsed into a fragmented mess. Every single wound was marked by fist prints and melting traces!
Finally, caught in the momentum, Dio's remaining shattered flesh tumbled down the cliff, perishing on the spot!
With Dio's death, Zeppeli, Jonathan, and Robert E.O. Speedwagon finally rushed into the room, arriving just in time to witness that very scene.
"Did I really finish him off?"
Seeing Jonathan and the others still standing there in a daze, Yang Yun paid them no mind, instead leaning forward to look down the cliff.
Dio's most terrifying aspect was not his various abilities, but his immortality—his cockroach-like tenacity for survival! In the original story, even when the guy's body was nearly melting and he cut off his own head, he could still survive.
Still, turning the thought over, his head had been blasted to pieces and his body pulverized under Yang Yun's hands, so he ought to be thoroughly dead!
"Whatever, why think so much about it? If he's not dead, I'll just beat him again!"
With that thought, Yang Yun turned his head to glance at Zeppeli.
Things had indeed gone just as he expected: once he left, the events of the original timeline were bound to unfold. Fortunately, with the help of his Stand ability, Zeppeli was not only still alive, but his lower back had been saved, and even his Ripple Power was one or two times stronger than before.
As everything came to a close, no one had any desire to linger, and they left Windknight's Lot under the cover of night.
However, at that moment, none of them knew that down on the grassy slope below the cliff, a pile of tattered intestines and internal organs was suddenly writhing.
Shortly after, something shaped like a human brain crawled out slowly from the stomach area, accompanied by a pair of eyeballs.
Those two eyeballs stared straight up at the castle above the cliff, the anger within them seeming fit to turn into a physical substance.
Just a few seconds later, a short, wretched-looking Eastern man with rat-like whiskers crept stealthily out from the side.
The man was not only alone, but he was also dragging the corpse of a dead woman in his hand.
"Lord Dio!"
The man threw the woman right in front of the brain and eyeballs, speaking respectfully as he sliced open the woman's artery.
As fresh blood gradually flowed out and soaked into the brain and eyeballs, tender, newborn flesh slowly began to sprout from them.
Before long, the brain and eyeballs had vanished completely, replaced by a male face so pale it was somewhat terrifying.
"JoJo! Yang Yun!"