[56] Ripple User DIO
"DIO! Take this! Ripple Dash—!!" JOJO shouted, his hand burning with golden light.
"It's useless, JOJO. If you can't hit me, it's pointless," DIO said, effortlessly dodging backward. At the same time, a belt appeared in his hand and wrapped around JOJO's arm.
"Look, JOJO, this is my Ripple!"
Crackle...
Thud...
Ripple on the belt, along with its power, tilted JOJO forward, and DIO delivered an elbow strike to JOJO's stomach.
Watching JOJO and DIO battling not far away, Baron Zeppeli ate his sandwich.
Although it had been less than a month since they started training, JOJO and DIO showed extraordinary talent in Ripple.
JOJO, in particular, excelled in both the quantity and adaptability of Ripple, especially when combined with his bursts of energy, which played a crucial role in combat.
On the other hand, DIO was a genius in combat, not in the traditional sense of fighting prowess, but in his innovative use of Ripple. While his Ripple quantity was lower than JOJO's, their battles remained evenly matched.
DIO constantly came up with unconventional applications of Ripple, developing this Ripple system further. Some of these applications were things even he had never thought of.
However, what puzzled him was that the vampire had been inactive up to this point. He didn't know where it was lurking or what it was doing, which surprised him greatly.
'Ripple!' DIO, who was fighting JOJO, was also excited. 'I never thought that Ripple, this extraordinary ability, existed in this world. It's fantastic, truly amazing. And according to the man named Baron Zeppeli, the weaknesses of the Stone Mask-created vampire, like fear of the sun and Ripple, don't apply to me now. With my mastery of Ripple and the defeat of that vampire named Jerry, I'll be invincible! Plus, with Joestar's legacy... it's amazing—life in the future is truly amazing!'
The sky gradually darkened.
"All right, let's stop here for today," Baron Zeppeli said to the others. "We don't know when the vampire will make a move. But once we get word of him, we must act immediately, or there may be many casualties."
"Yes, I understand, Master Zeppeli!" JOJO nodded. His father, Sir George Joestar, had also agreed to this. According to him, the Stone Mask was trouble caused by the Joestar family, and they had to understand it firsthand.
"Hmm... which one is it? Stop! JOJO! DIO!"
Baron Zeppeli's forehead broke into a cold sweat as he looked at the person standing by the roadside. "I never thought a vampire like you would dare to stand in front of us like this."
"N-No!" JOJO became cautious, looking at Kazuya in front of them. "This guy is the vampire, Jerry! But... Master Zeppeli, you shouldn't have met him. How did you recognize him?"
"It's his aura... this guy exudes the aura of a vampire from head to toe! Be careful, JOJO, DIO this aren't training like before; one small mistake could be fatal."
"Look's like you've finished talking."
Under the cover of night, Kazuya smiled, revealing his vampire fangs. "It was indeed the right decision to spare you earlier. It's only been a little over a month, but you've both become quite strong. It seems you've already learned Ripple?"
"Huh? This guy—do you know Ripple?" Baron Zeppeli asked incredulously as he looked at Kazuya.
"Hmph, of course. Before, I was a Ripple user too."
"What—"
"Well, enough talking. Let me see your current strength!"
Ripple Cutter—
Baron Zeppeli held out his hand, and a few drops of wine splattered, each carrying Ripple as they spun towards JOJO and DIO—
Swish, swish, swish...
"Huh? Dodged?"
"Of course—your speed is too slow to catch me!"
"JOJO! Master Zeppeli—what's that over there?" DIO suddenly pointed to the side, where it looked like a black substance on the road, a color reminiscent of thirsty blood.
"Hmm... huh?!" Baron Zeppeli rushed over to take a look, his expression changing. "Hmm—yes! Danny! Speedwagon! And Master Tonpetty!"
"Master?" DIO's face changed upon hearing that word.
"Yes... I sent a distress signal to my former masters, informing them of what's happening here, but—"
"Yes, they're dead. I took care of them earlier. Now it's your turn!"
Suddenly, Baron Zeppeli's pupils slightly contracted. Indeed, the others were dead, but his master, Master Tonpetty, was still alive!
Well, it wasn't accurate to say he was alive... he had gathered all his life energy into his body using the secret technique of Ripple. Wasn't that... the ultimate technique of Ripple?
"Hmm?"
Kazuya's face suddenly changed—
He jumped up.
"JOJO— I understand!"
DIO had taken advantage of the moment when Baron Zeppeli and Kazuya were distracted to launch an attack—
Ripple formed several lines on the ground, quietly extending from DIO's feet towards the feet of Kazuya—
The transmission of Ripple through simple soil was weak.
However, there were various creatures in the soil, similar to earthworms, and DIO relied on these to judge that the distance was just enough for his Ripple to conduct.
Sure enough—
When Kazuya jumped up, his feet had already started to smoke, and Ripple had indeed attacked him!
"MUDA MUDA!————" Kazuya looked at the JOJO charging towards him with ripples burning on his arms and shouted.
"JOJO—quickly stop!" Baron Zeppeli, checking the bodies of the others, noticed something was wrong and shouted hastily.
But—it was already too late!
One of Kazuya's hands collided with JOJO's arm—
The next moment, ice began to spread from the point of contact throughout JOJO's body—
"It's... freezing!"
"JOJO————!!!"
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