Terror

When Zuke appeared, Dio's body instinctively flinched.

This reaction humiliated Dio; once, he had been the one others feared. How could he ever be afraid of anyone else?

"I can see your brain is recovering, but it's just too slow."

Zuke glanced at Dio's head. It seemed his control over his strength had worked; while Dio's skull was shattered and his brain injured, it hadn't reached a lethal point.

Dio's vampiric constitution allowed his head to keep regenerating, but his recovery speed… to be blunt, it was slow enough for Zuke to stomp him to death dozens of times over.

He was holding back for now, waiting for Dio to release his Stand, The World. Once Blackbird could grab The World and absorb its power, Dio would have outlived his usefulness. "Though my power isn't on par with yours, if I add my Stand's power…"

Dio's pride surged when he saw the disdainful look on Zuke's face.

Growing up in the lowest ranks of society, Dio had long vowed to rise above everyone else, to make a name for himself. Becoming a vampire later had only inflated his ego further, causing him to view humans as insignificant.

And now, with his Stand, he felt unstoppable, as if the world should bow at his feet.

That was how it should have been...

No, it was how it should be!

Dio's face twisted, and a golden glow flashed behind him, like the sunlight that could kill vampires outright.

But it wasn't sunlight. It was a muscular figure clad entirely in gold, with a head shaped like a faceted prism and sharp eyes staring intently at Zuke.

This was Dio's Stand, The World!

It could leave Dio's body within a range of about 10 meters, possessing immense power, speed, and the ability to stop time across the entire world for a few seconds!

"It's here."

Seeing the powerful Stand materialize, a glint of anticipation flashed in Zuke's eyes—this was what he had been waiting for.

But he couldn't act just yet. This Stand could stop time for about five seconds, and though Zuke was confident in his speed, Dio could freeze time at any moment.

Once time was stopped, Zuke's speed meant nothing.

The best approach, then, was to wait for Dio to stop time once. Afterward, Dio would need a few breaths to recover before he could stop time again.

That brief interval would be Zuke's window to attack—a few breaths might seem short, but for Zuke, it was more than enough.

"Here's where you meet your end! The World! Stop time!!!"

Feeling that his brain was mostly healed, Dio grinned maliciously, then let out a loud shout and activated his Stand's power.

An invisible wave spread from The World as its center, freezing everything in an instant.

The clock stopped swinging, dust hung in the air, and even Terence T. D'Arby, who had rushed into the hall sensing the commotion, froze mid-step.

Most importantly…

Zuke stood motionless, hands in his pockets, without a single movement.

"It's over. With my Stand's power, I'll finish you! No matter how durable your body is, it's nothing against The World!"

Even though he had suffered some setbacks, Dio still believed that his Stand, The World, was unbeatable.

With time frozen, Dio attached The World to himself and unleashed a furious barrage of punches on Zuke's body.

"Useless, useless, useless, useless, useless!!!"

Though Zuke lacked the Joestar bloodline, his sheer resilience infuriated Dio, who lost his composure and began to strike in a frenzied state.

But then, Dio stopped. His pupils quivered, his fists fell, and he looked in horror at Zuke, who was completely unfazed.

"This… how can this be!?"

Zuke was indeed injured. Under Dio's relentless onslaught, his skin had developed a faint bruise.

The World's punches packed power, and though it wasn't quite as potent as a rocket launcher, the impact accumulated; if unleashed on a building, it could destroy half of it.

Even with Zuke's durability, it left him slightly bruised… but that was it.

By comparison, Dio's own hands were drenched in blood, and The World's fists had completely shattered. Zuke remained unmoved, yet Dio's barrage had rendered his hands useless.

"Impossible… This can't be."

Terror flooded Dio's heart. At this moment, he finally realized that Zuke wasn't someone who relied on a Stand for battle. His body alone was a weapon that could crush any Stand power!

This sight was beyond Dio's comprehension, just like how, when he first became a vampire and slaughtered a human warrior, the man's look of incredulous horror was an emotion Dio never thought he would feel himself.

It was the fear a weakling felt upon encountering an insurmountable wall.

"I have to escape! Time will resume any moment; I have to get out of here immediately!"

For the first time, as time's flow neared restoration, Dio felt a chilling dread instead of the thrill of his enemy's impending doom.

Without hesitation, he turned and fled, discarding any thoughts of being a king in the darkness or a superior being destined to rule humanity.

His old survival instincts from his days on the streets resurfaced, driving him to flee from Zuke at the fastest speed he could muster.

But…

"Time's resumed, Dio. 0.1 seconds."

Though Dio had dashed out of his mansion and was racing down the street, Zuke's voice appeared behind him almost instantly.

It was no joke—Zuke could teleport. No matter how far Dio ran, as long as he was within Zuke's Ki senses, Zuke could appear beside him instantly.

Boom!

Zuke gripped Dio's head and smashed it into the ground, creating a massive crater in the once-pristine street, sending debris flying that struck nearby pedestrians.

"I'll be taking The World."

As Zuke commanded, the figure of Blackbird slowly emerged, reaching out and grabbing The World by the throat, lifting it in the air.

"Devour it, Blackbird!"

To be continued…

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Bocchi is bullied?!

Ai Hayasaka appears and piques Shin's interest?!

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