Vento Imperiale, Gold and Purple (Fate/JoJo Part 5 Xover) [COMPLETE]

[JBukharin]

Chapter 22: Road to the Serenissima, Part 3

"Are you upset, Bucciarati?"

Fugo's question shook the chief in charge from his musing, the man looking at the blond while the man paused from 'teaching' Narancia. The truck was mostly silent up to this point, with the former uni student now appearing fairly… annoyed by something. Bruno was no mind-reader, but he knew what was really pissing off Fugo was the fact they were aiming to remove the boss.

The blond was grateful for what Diavolo gave him as a chance to live beyond his own mistakes, he didn't worship him, but he was a staunch supporter of his. And while their cause was just, that didn't mean it was an easy pill to digest. Just as it wasn't easy for Bruno to just accept the notion of betraying the hand that fed them.

Yet, the reasoning was unquestionably fair behind this radical choice. Diavolo was a man that brutally unified Italy's worst criminals into 'behaving', but he too wasn't a moral guardian. Not when drugs were being used to destroy the newer generations. Still, a question had been asked, and a response he provided.

"The circumstances are fairly distressing. I would prefer not place any of the team in peril," Bucciarati answered to Fugo's query. "Still, it's necessary. We need the heat off from us and it's already working from the looks of it."

That last bit drew an annoyed look from a certain silver-haired girl as they had just learned by radio that the other vehicle had been destroyed and the smaller convoy had been attacked.

"That's one way to put it," Leone remarked dryly, Caren sitting beside him as they had just finished discussing her father and his occupation in an effort to distract her from the troubling development happening with the others. After all, there were many questions to ask if a child at her age was already instructed into combat. "And I know for a thing these two by the wheel could make a mess."

Pesci and Prosciutto were driving the truck, accepting the role on the basis that they were faces not many recognized and weren't looking for. They were the furthest thing from the best Stand Users in Passione, but Abbacchio was being a bit too harsh about their general qualities. Pesci was naive, but he was quick on his feet- while Prosciutto was a veteran of the old-style Mafia. He was greedy and corrupt in his own desires, but these flaws didn't come close to rupture the sheer loyalty he had for Risotto. They had been around the most, they had been there to see Passione be born. They had molded it with Diavolo, shaped it into what it represents and… Bruno knew that they could trust them. Prosciutto at least. Pesci was a follower and it was clear he was doing things without asking 'why' some actions were taken.

"They will not," Bruno ultimately remarked, but his words were met with a scoff. "What now?"

"How come we arrived at this point, Bruno?" Fugo asked, an exasperated tone filtering through his throat. "Allying ourselves with traitors, tangling with some mystical groups and- and then having to plan the Boss' death."

"Diavolo has overstepped for a while," Bucciarati replied readily. "You know as much as I do, Fugo, that the organization has been crumbling under its weight for the last two years now."

The young man slammed his fist onto the side of the vehicle. "I-It's just not fair. Why do we have to do all of this? Why does it have to be us?"

"If it isn't us, then it will not happen," Leone pointed out. "The group just needed that push, and we are that. We have a reason. We have Trish, and she was the clue we needed to understand what kind of monster is in charge of our organization."

The pinkette remained quiet, the girl was sitting right at the opposite section in front of the entrance of the cargo section of the truth, closer to Arcueid than to the others. It was an odd sight considering how the situation had been up to this point and… yet it fit just nicely. For some unusual reason, the blonde was bonding just fine with Trish on the basis they loved 'cute food' for different reasons. The fashion-lover favored the appearance, while the 'Crimson Princess' was more of a gluttonous individual. Still, the girl nodded numbly at the topic, still upset with the overall situation but not letting it ruin her mood.

"He took us in! What if he is just… I don't know, being controlled or something?"

"If he was, then the higher-ups would have noticed," Bruno shot back, killing the theory on the spot. "Diavolo's behavior has been the same as usual, and I would even dare to say he got more tame in his ruthlessness."

"It's still stupid. I- He took us in!"

"Why?" Narancia muttered quietly and, despite how low his voice was, he was heard by Fugo.

"Why what?"

"Why did he take us all in?"

"Because he saw our potential-" Fugo attempted to answer, but that wasn't the point of the conversation.

"In being his puppets," The boy pointed out, interrupting his friend. "Fugo, do you think I am dumb enough to not know when someone is lying so horribly to us."

At first glance, Fugo looked ready to go with 'yes', but then he paused. The regret was brief, and the upset was still there but now shifting elsewhere. "I'm- I'm not going to just listen to some crap if-"

"I asked Polpo a year ago," Narancia interjected again. "I… I asked him why someone like me, someone so dumb as you always say, and he told me I had a Stand."

"And-"

"And that's all!" The boy snapped. "I thought there was more to it. That you were wrong, that you were all wrong and… I am dumb. I'm worthy of being there because of ｢Aerosmith｣."

Fugo felt… shaken by this. He had noticed his friend had grown quite upset the more he called him stupid or dumb, but he had chalked this different reaction as his growing up and maturing. The way he found the insult this frustrating could be seen as him being less respectful of older people and more about him wanting some basic respect. But that wasn't all as someone else spoke up on the matter.

"You are not dumb, Narancia. You are ignorant, naive of knowledge, but not stupid in handling snap-decisions," Arcueid quipped, surprisingly enough growing intrigued by the topic. "In fact, from all I'm hearing, this Diavolo is nothing more than just a man that offered the basic rights of a living being to you all and then demanded your soul in return. Like the… Devil."

"He gave us a chance-" Fugo tried to justify, ignoring for the moment the dark humor in that ironic comparison.

"To be normal people. But that should be the basis of being a good samaritan," The blonde vampire hummed in delight. "Yet, from what you are telling to explain your subservience to this man is that he pulled you from the floor, gave you a chance at being alive, and now your soul is his to decide what to do to it. Do you think this is the mindset of a good man?"

As much as the blond wanted to answer that with a 'yes', his brain refused to accept this. At this point his argument was driven by sheer emotional upset, with Fugo just wanting to be right. He was angry, he could feel ｢Purple Haze｣ was moments away from manifesting and… then he wasn't. Narancia's hug felt unnecessary at first, unwarranted even, but something deep down forced him to accept it.

How long has it been since he allowed an embrace like this one to come through? He couldn't remember. And, at this point, he just shut his mouth. He was 'tired'. Not in the sense of needing to sleep, but to keep quiet, to rest his mind by letting the silence preserve him from any potential migraines.

Life is unfair, he admitted, but perhaps… Diavolo's departure from this world wasn't even within their own control at this point.

-------d-d-d-d-------

Arlecchino was a man with many thoughts troubling his mind.

And his Servant was panicking a fair bit as the two remained behind covers as bullets slammed into the car. The attackers may have been dressed as priests, but they were armed with military-grade equipment. A surprise, but it was an armed group budgeted by the Burial Agency.

It didn't seem like a surprise to the Princess of Colchis because of the knowledge she had from the 'Grail' she was connected to. It was still difficult to grasp what acted as a 'Holy Grail' considering the only potential one had been destroyed years ago.

Still, while Medea had nothing to worry about since her body was meant to endure with ease that sort of issue, that didn't make the loud barrage any less frightening due to the noise. Plus, her Master was still killable by lead despite his current powers.

"S-Shouldn't we do something?" The magician inquired, knowing that they had to do something as they weren't the only ones facing this sort of trouble.

But the man remained quiet as he seemed to be waiting for something to happen. Something he knew was going to happen. "They will manage it."

The Caster-class Servant was perplexed by this, but decided to see where this was going as her gaze turned to the trio currently trying to sort this out.

"Giorno, do you have any means to provide me cover?" Mista muttered, reloading his revolver while turning his head to the blond. "I need a distraction."

"I can try," The young man replied, reaching for some small rocks on the side and turning them into snakes to direct them to some of the attackers.

A few seconds later, the firefight faltered as the aggressors shifted their guns to the critters, unaware of the Damage Reflection effect Giorno's creations had. Three priests fell with holes rippling through their chests and heads, the others shifting away from the snakes at the sight, and resuming their attacks on the pinned down group. Except… It was already too late.

Mista had relocated to a cracked section of the road to use as a closer cover, ｢Sex Pistols｣ having a greater view of the situation and providing as much support as possible. Soon the enemies were dying one by one at the precise shots of the gunslinger. Everything was going great… until a couple of them sneaked around and managed to use Black Keys. Mista was hit out of the blue, a blade stabbing onto his arm, right into his muscle and forcing him to drop on his knees and let go of his revolver due to the pain. Another tried to hit Sakura, but ｢One Vision｣ reacted to the attempt and deflected the blade.

They were getting closer and closer, their numbers becoming a problem when, before they two that got to Mista could finish the job, a car speeded into the highway and slammed onto them. Bones were broken, necks were snapped due to the impact, and an old priest emerged from the vehicle, fixing his sunglasses while doing so.

"I think this frustrating rebellion is over," He muttered, his tone serious and… was he a good guy? It was difficult to say on the spot, but Sakura's gut feelings told her that he was trustworthy only for having issues with their current attackers.

"Oh? And what do you intend to do, old man?" One of the foes inquired, sneering at the 'traitor' that had just mowed down two of their allies with the car. "They will never reach Venice, no matter how many wrinkly old fools will try to stop us."

It was getting intense, and while the old priest looked mean, they could all see how he was in no condition to turn the tides in their favor. Yet, Medea caught her Master snorting in amusement, a reaction which easily gained her confusion.

"S-Something wrong, Master?"

A nod. "They made a mistake. A grave one that will kill them."

The Caster was confused. A mistake? She couldn't see anything that would have warranted that comment. Yet, as she was looking around, she spotted something running fast from the same way the old priest's car had come from. It was moving fast and… it was humanoid in shape. Soon a voice ripped into the brief silence, gaining the attention of many as they all looked to see that the approaching thing was actually someone… wearing a full-body armor?

"It's! Not! VENICE!" A loud voice exclaimed as an armored individual came through, smacking one away, punching the blade of the other and slamming a fist right into his guts. "IT'S CALLED VENEZIA, YOU UNCULTURED SWINES!"

The ensuing beating was vicious and quite gruesome. Sakura stared at it with wide eyes together with Giorno, while Mista groaned and muttered about 'perfectionist turd'.

The figure stopped and took a moment to catch onto his breathing. His eyes were wide open in anger but… he was soon calming down. The armor reverted, revealing a short man with light blue hair clinging to his head in a low number of large spirals. He was wearing a pair of thick-rimmed glasses with round hinges marked with a "W". He was donning a blouse buttoned at the side of the chest and a band patterned pants. This was… Ghiaccio. At least, that's what Sakura could understand from the depiction they got when Giorno and her asked about his appearance from Mista. And the response had been a tad bit too colorful in some instances, but overall correct in most parts.

"I'm finally there and- I can see Mista. I suppose you had trouble, you shooter," The bespectacled man said, gaining a scoff from the hat-wearing gunslinger. "So, I suppose we can go and… what about the old guy over there?"

The sunglasses-wearing man tensed up, but Giorno spoke up in this regard. "He is an ally."

Sudden, confusing, even Sakura frowned at this move, but no one spoke against it.

"Y-Yes, the group that attacked you all was a rogue team of rebels bribed into this matter. The church didn't sanction this attack."

The new arrival snorted. "As if. Still, I suppose you are all those that I was meant to escort to base and… well, I think the rest of the cavalry will be arriving soon."

Confusion flashed on the others' faces as soon two trucks came through. Thugs and goons left around and started to clean up and secure the area. Two walked up to Ghiaccio as he relayed orders. As Giorno rushed to help Mista and patch his wounds, the man soon approached the member of La Squadra with a perplexed look.

"I thought we didn't have that sort of support."

Ghiaccio hummed, looking quite calm out of the blue. "Well, we didn't ourselves. Risotto had started to check how many are willing to jump boats and join this faction. Turns out many have a bone to pick with Diavolo and are looking forward to a more progressive leadership."

At this Mista frowned as his mind quickly looked into the matter. If this rebellion was growing this broader, then the chances of surprising Diavolo were going to grow slimmer. He inquired about the steps taken on covering for that sudden increase of manpower, but Ghaccio was quick to dismiss this worry by mentioning some precautions having already been taken.

Still, he decided to focus on contacting Bucciarati through a spare radio while Sakura and Giorno, aided by Arlecchino, checked the mysterious priest that had just decided to join their current operations.

Things sure were getting a bit out of hand but… for now they were all good news. For now.

----------d-d-d-d-----------

AN

The Rebellion grows but, as the old quote goes, an animal is the most vicious when it is put in a corner. But a Monster like Diavolo, will just be even worse than anything imaginable. After all, he is a Mafioso and he knows how to deal with large rebellions.

P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c

 

[JBukharin]

Chapter 23: Road to the Serenissima, Part 4

After decades of ruling over Italy, Diavolo knew a thing or two when it came to rebellious thugs to put down.

But where previous revolts against his rule had been limited and scarce, this one was definitely getting out of hand too fast. As much as he despised the situation, his mind had to delve into the intricate mess to see what caused it and how he was supposed to crush it without expending too many resources. The first issue, the most glaring of them all, was allowing La Squadra to survive their first slight against him. He shouldn't have punished just two of them- they all should have been killed. At the time, the pink-haired mob boss thought the group was still useful. Still loyal through fear. A mistaken view as it was slowly becoming apparent due to this rebellion.

Then there was his daughter- the news of his potential heir being a young girl with no connection with the mafia made her an excellent tool to establish a new criminal dynasty. And to do that Diavolo had to be removed. Could he blame Trish? No. He didn't blame her or her mother- Donatella had been an experiment from back many years ago, one that yielded the unexpected result that was Trish. And, due to how dangerous his daughter was through indirect power projection, he knew he would have to kill her once she came here. That was the only chance he had to crush the momentum and erase any traitorous intent within Passione.

With his disguise as Doppio still working and the youthful self of his proving to be as loyal as he could get, there was no reason for him to expect any issues in making a quick escape once Trish was dead. The sewers were ideal and easy to access through his current hideout. That was the best option he had at that.

Or that would have been the case if he hadn't met an issue. An unknown factor which he couldn't handle on his own and that Doppio was forcefully pushed back on the rear of his mind because of. Growling and gritting his teeth at the mysterious robed figure which had nullified ｢King Crimson｣'s powers and was mocking him by merely standing. Gray eyes glowed chillingly under the shadow created by the hooded cloak, the man owning such stare mocking him with a snort.

"Apologies, oh King of the Passion, but this is not the time to bicker. In fact, I come here to grant you the one wish you carry to your heart. The deepest desire that enables your most heinous machinations," The figure proclaimed with enough smugness that made Diavolo hate the man more, but also more intrigued as he could perceive an odd accent. It… reminded him of people he met in his youth, yet not. "The chance to be free, the chance to no longer be assailed by those that seek to remove the bloodied crown from your head. You seek your Passion to be eternal, against those that plan to extinguish it."

Despite the irritating way he introduced himself, despite being exposed, despite being so close to actually panicking at the power suppressing his own… Diavolo took this chance with a scowl.

"How?"

He could see the entity grin and then, within a single blink of an eye, three new robed figures appeared in front of him, two on the left and one by the right side of the ringleader. None held distinguishable details beyond the different heights.

"They will take care of your visitors. They are more difficult to 'please' compared to how you think this will end. And you… will go back to Rome at once."

Diavolo narrowed his eyes at that imperative tone. "And then?"

"Then you will wait for my next command, Diavolo."

The mafia boss held back a snarl at that attitude, but he could tell he was currently outmatched. Without ｢King Crimson｣, his chances of survival were abysmal. He thus left, Doppio soon taking over for him as their newest objective was to get to Rome 'because the boss forgot something important and his most loyal minion had to do this task'.

...

"Do you think he will follow through with your order?" One of the shorter figures inquired about the leader.

"He will. He hates it, but he knows better than to disrespect power. He is an animal, and thus he will listen to those that are superior to him," The man remarked calmly. "And I think it's time I leave you three to handle this business as I had planned."

"We will take care of them, boss," One of them remarked giddily, while the tallest of the trio sighed, gaining the curious look of their mysterious leader.

"Something's upsetting you?"

"...No."

A liar, but a loyal one at that. He decided to let this one slight go just for now. After all, there was a big chance they were going to fail him anyway.

"Good. Then I shall go. Make sure Trish Una is killed. Same for Giorno Giovanna."

The average-sized figure chuckled jovially. "We wouldn't want to forget about family, sir~."

The unknown ringleader smiled before leaving, giving one last glance at his minions and sensing their inner stars glowing with such a sinful glow and desire. Oh yes, not even the intruder was going to matter much against this trio. Not when this was a matter of family.

A meeting he wasn't invited to as he will soon realize.

---------d-d-d-d--------

"M-Master?"

Arlecchino sighed, glancing at Medea as the Caster looked around in panic while a thin layer of violet appeared to form a barrier with them inside. What really made this entire matter worse was that this wasn't a magecraft-made barrier- It was a pure magical one as Medea quickly realized. It's been just a few hours now since they had reunited and the large army of criminals was ready to wage a siege of Venice if it meant destroying Diavolo for good. Risotto couldn't be there because he was taking care of some last-minute issues in Sardinia, but he promised to be there to finalize the take-over. While that sounded reasonable with what he knew of this peculiar dimension, the masked guard knew that there was something wrong with the overall situation.

Especially when, as the barrier completed its materialization, a horde of skeletons formed around the Basilica's external perimeter. Magecraft was being used- a Magus was moving to take care of Diavolo. At first Arlecchino thought it was Atrum, but the man was no expert in this sort of magecraft. No, it had to have been a new issue. Which was never good news as he had learned many times in the past.

"We will need to take care of that."

Some of the thugs were worried about this development, but their chiefs didn't seem to care about it. Arlecchino thought that this could be problematic in the long run due to the implications of exposing so many normal men and women to this matter, but then his attention went back to the barrier. It was somewhat stopping the Root's deterioration within the area. Anything that happened here which would normally speed up the decline of Magic was severely dampened and wasn't going to impact the decline as it should have normally.

Orders were given, guns and weapons were prepared and soon the mass of gangsters slammed onto the lines of skeletal foes. Meanwhile the members of La Squadra and Bucciarati's group advanced forward. Trish was left behind with Arcueid and Narancia much to the annoyance of the trio as they wanted to take part in this whole mess. Still, Arlecchino spoke up, aiming a comment to Bruno.

"Medea and I will take care of the cause of this supernatural issue."

A nod, Bucciarati focusing more on ending this whole mess for good rather than being embroiled in some magical problems like this one. Their combined group blitzed through and eventually stormed the basilica while the rest of the grunts took care of the monsters.

Before going, there was someone else to ask help from. "Mr. Dawn. I think we will need your assistance in disrupting this defense."

The bespectacled man groaned at the potential tedious job, but nodded as he knew that it was within his duty to handle this sort of business. The trio shifted through the lines of foes, rushing to the upper sections of the building so they could check the rooftop and secure any potential issue in that section between archers, mana-users and the source of the skeletons itself. The battle to end Old Passione had started and things were already showing to be quite unpleasant and unpredictable. Sadly for the rebels, the 'king' was no longer in that castle.

Instead, three heirs were there waiting patiently to find and match their worth against their 'missing' brother.

-----------d-d-d-d-----------

Giorno felt his shoulder burn as soon as he entered the building, the same attitude taken by Sakura as the girl instinctively reached for the spot where her birthmark was.

A bad omen for sure, and one that both were ready to see what it was all about. It was him, Sakura and Fugo assigned to check the right side of the basilica, while Mista, Pesci and Ghiaccio looked the left side; finally, Bucciarati, Abbacchio, Caren and Prosciutto looked into the central spot which was the most exposed of them all and would require utmost attention from all. The battle plan looked good, and yet the unease growing within Giorno didn't diminish with that hopefulness.

For the first time in years he felt this challenge was not going to be easy and… it wasn't the boss. No, this one wasn't Diavolo, he could tell this much the more steps they took in the right direction. Someone was waiting for them, someone that they should know about. Someone that Giorno felt a connection to and yet couldn't think who it could be. Soon an answer came in the form of a closure to that odd feeling as his blue-eyed gaze was matched by a same-shaded look. The young man looked to be of his same age, his blond hair kept short. He had long sideburns which pointed toward his mouth and blunt bangs that covered his entire forehead.

The youth was wearing a choker necklace that has a spiral pattern in the center, while also sporting a deep V-neck long-sleeved shirt matching with some unique-styled pants. The front and sides of his shirt and pants had an excessive amount of thick loops and his shoulder straps went through three front loops on his shirt, as well as two more straps from his belt which traveled downward through the front loops on his pants.

It wasn't just their appearance- something else bound them within fate's own might. It was the same burning star branded in their soul, except his one glowed with malicious intent. An evil being… Was he?

"I couldn't believe it when I was told that fate would have all reunited us. The children of a man that is no longer here but aspired to be greater than the [World] itself," The young man muttered, a cordial smile on his face. "It's a pity that we are facing each other in this battle, but destiny so demanded, Giorno."

"Who are you?" The blond asked back, a nod being granted as a prelude to an opening.

"My name, brother, is Donatello Versus. You and I may have been conceived by two different mothers, but our father is one and the same."

"Why are you here and… do you work for Diavolo?" Sakura pressed, and yet something odd happened as Donatello glared with incredible hatred at the girl.

"You think you have any right to question me, Joestar?"

"Sakura is family," Giorno rebuked.

"Joestars are not our family."

"We all are Joestars. We have the birthmarks-"

"But Dio is the mind behind our conception, you fool. Blood or not, Dio is in us more than what that feeble fool that was once Jonathan Joestar could have used to make us," The man rebuked. "Which is why now I shall deal with you three and make sure that my savior is given just reward for helping me out of my spiral of dread."

Just as he said that, a pillar of red light emerged from him, causing the rest of the room's occupants to take a guarded stance. A Stand User? No, that wasn't the case. As the light faltered and dispelled, Donatello stood with a new outfit. An armored setup which was silvery in its main theme, but with red details that culminated in the notion of a hellish knight with horns sprouting by the side of his helmet. In his grip was the hilt of a sword that crackled with energy.

"I hope you are ready, Giorno. Your rebellion against our father's wishes is now… over."

The ferocious knight rushed in to begin the fight and while Giorno knew that this was his foe, something was resonating from within his heart and it urged him to seek… Donatello? No, it was something else. Something struggled and gnawed within his foe. Something that didn't want to obey to him, to allow a rebellion to falter and die- someone, Giorno accepted, that perhaps understood him.

For it was a mistake of Donatello to pit a rebellious son against another.

----------d-d-d-d----------

AN

The main villain makes an appearance. If Donatello is here, then the two other sons of Dio have to be here and… has he been honest? Is this Dio's will to have his heirs clash for something like this. So many secrets, so many truths… and so many lies. Too many lies…

P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c

 

[JBukharin]

Chapter 24: Brawl o' Brothers, Part 1

Bucciarati could tell their current foe was not Diavolo when the first thing they faced was a large monstrosity made of blue rocks and metal pieces patched together.

The entity grumbled angrily as it rushed to attack them. And despite its menacing appearance… It was actually simple to dispatch. The beast was clumsy, quick to trip down and then destroy through ｢Sticky Fingers｣'s ability to detach parts of a body by zipping them away.

Their current foe was not fighting directly and Bucciarati knew this was not Diavolo's power. The man wouldn't have handled things with this sort of ability, and he knew for a fact this attack was enduring an ambush of sorts. The way this monster attacked them right as they split- there was a high chance the others were facing something similar to that. Maybe worse.

The real issue started to fully manifest when a new development came through: the Golem they just killed? It was one of many. The familiar grumbling came back in numbers as several of these monsters rushed from the various halls connected to the large room they were in. The group moved fast to dodge the extremely clumsy attacks, however their numbers didn't seem keen to lessen. The plan was to overwhelm them and… Bruno wasn't planning to let this happen. They needed someone to scour the area fast and find the origin of these attackers.

"Caren, look for someone in the area. Kill him if necessary."

Abbacchio didn't look pleased, an expression that was reflected differently on the girl's face as the teen rushed around at high speed with a grin on her face. Despite what the former police officer could have said about this, Bucciarati could only ask her since she was the most nimble of the group and could easily outpace any golem. Had it been someone else, the chances of being caught mid-search would have been higher.

Plus, Caren was capable enough to handle herself and, if their current enemy is hiding behind so many powerful monsters, then it meant the guy couldn't handle direct combat. And, as they would all see, the assumption proved to be correct. Just as the strenuous task of keeping the golems at bay started to get incredibly rough on them, a yelp signaled the end of the fighting as the mindless behemoths all stopped at once before instantly collapsing.

"He is here!" Caren's voice called, the whimpering further confirming she got the cause of that ambush in a tight spot.

And that was the case as the shivering mess that was the bizarre gold-masked man they had just captured. His entire outfit was flamboyant in nature and reminded Bucciarati of a fairly 'insane' version of what a renaissance man would wear. The blue outfit with golden lines matched the armored pieces on the man's face, arms and legs- the thing that caught their attention the most was the unusual 'knives-like' stilts the foe had been standing on. How did someone just manage that sort of balance was beyond anyone's capacity of understanding.

Still, this 'armored form' faltered as soon as Bucciarati told him to reveal himself. Blinking away in a flash of light, the outfit the teen they had fought against vanished and was replaced by an entirely different appearance. He was soon staring at a young, decently built man with a long face. He had dark-purplish hair which was styled into several dreadlocks. He now wore a sleeveless and hooded bodysuit patterned after the hide of a stereotypical cow with an opening on his chest. He also donned an assortment of arm warmers with the same cow hide pattern.

He introduced himself as Rikiel and… he spilled the beans faster than anyone could have imagined. A quick look at Prosciutto and Caren confirmed that both would have preferred to interrogate him rather than having to endure a fully-compliant informant. Rikiel let out a whimper, begging for mercy as he stood on his knees while Bucciarati studied the peculiar item which he had been given. It looked simple and common...

"A card?"

It was clear that this was the result of 'Magecraft', but how did that work and why it provided this Rikiel with an ability like that? To summon Golem so easily and then use them against him. There was definitely going to be a lengthy conversation with this idiot. And Prosciutto and Caren looked quite happy to deal with this, possibly to catch up with the lost chance for interrogations.

Still, what was quickly addressed was nothing short of concerning. Rikiel's boss had allowed Diavolo to escape, and had set up two other 'brothers' to end their attempt. Sadly for them, with one down and the two others possibly struggling, there wasn't much for them to do.

"O-Our boss- he also told us that this is where we would all be reunited. The children of the greatest monster."

"Monster?" Abbachio inquired with confusion dripping from his voice, and Rikiel offered a shaky grin.

"G-Giorno Giovanna. He is our half-brother! The heirs of DIO are all here today!"

Oh my, isn't it the most unsavory way to meet the extended family?

--------d-d-d-d-------

Donatello Versus felt invincible.

And why shouldn't he? The power bestowed to him by the Servant Card his savior had given him just offered the kind of might he had always looked for. The strength, the absolute control over the battlefield and the circumstance which allowed him to persist and overcome the current foes he was facing.

Fugo Pannacotta? He was familiar with his Stand's power and his cleverness. While he tried to set up traps by carefully using his Stand to weaken him, the knight-like figure just shifted too fast for the poison to reach him.

Sakura Matou? Her power was most troublesome, and despite her determination, she was still a child and one that had little experience in combat. Years of reinforced battle-related experience surging from the magical card allowed him to masterfully out-balance her before she could rely on her strongest skill.

But the one that gave him the most trouble was perhaps the one he had wanted to beat the most out of the trio. Giorno Giovanna was holding flawlessly against his enhanced body. Which made no sense. Clarent burned red between Mana Burst and actually heating up due to the numerous clashing between the sword and the furious fists owned by ｢Gold Experience｣. What really frustrated Donatello wasn't much the fact Giorno was faring this well. He was their brother, of course he would stand beside them in terms of power due to their destiny- no, the issue was the battle cry of his Stand which drilled senselessly on his skull something that he thought impossible.

"MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA!"

It was the same Battle Cry once belonging to ｢The World｣. Their father's Stand- it lived through ｢Gold Experience｣ for some unknown reason. And his voice, his determination and his pride- it just made Donatello snap in a frenzy during that close fight. Giorno was ruthless himself despite how 'innocent' he appeared. There was something that made him the worst pair-up possible as he was keeping up with Mordred.

Not only that, part of the anger rising from within wasn't his. It was the Heroic Spirit's, and she was displeased with Donatello, not Giorno. Why? The answer came through almost instantly. Mordred felt she was fighting someone that was more compatible with her. Donatello was indeed trying to break from the mold his father meant to have him and his brothers tie to, but he didn't have him. His father had nothing to do with the many injustices he faced in the last few years. He was told that.

And that just pissed Mordred even more. There was something in Giorno's open rebellion against their father that clicked nicely with the Knight of Treachery, and soon that manifested in the form of his strength waning. Mordred's support was forfeited as the Servant easily took over his actions. His steps were slower and his reaction time non-existent as he finally got hit by Sakura's ｢One Vision｣ and its unusual power which stopped him for a few seconds. He barely got away from ｢Purple Haze｣'s poison and… got right in position to get hit by a strong punch from ｢Gold Experience｣ which landed straight on his face.

He tried to muster Clarent for its ultimate ability and crash the party for good, but as he tried to channel the needed energy, he saw his sword shattering before his own eyes.

My sword.

Mordred's voice was now more prominently heard in his head, showing no more compromising to their bargain and finalizing what he refused to accept. The armor broke before his eyes as all pieces reformed in a single tiny card that soared and landed onto Giorno's open palm.

"Th-This is not fair!" Donatello exclaimed, but he knew he couldn't do much as Giorno clutched the card tightly and away from his reach.

He was beaten, and, worst of all, he had been rejected by the power that had been granted to him. It was supposed to be his- his chance to be great and-

"Why you!? What makes you better than us?! Why did you get a Stand this early and- be able to get so close to what HE was?"

"...I didn't ask for this power, nor I seek to relinquish it despite how it came to be," Giorno replied flatly. "My father- No, our father was a monster. No matter what this 'savior' of yours told me. I too had one, he too was quite horrible in his own ways, but he was a man of honor, of respect and he believed his own action could have fixed the world. I refuse to accept his sacrifice to go in vain not for some hero-worship, but because he showed me a path that is worthy of following my own rules."

"Y-You-"

"My name is Giorno Giovanna, and my dream is to become a Gang-Star," The blond replied strongly. "I refuse Dio Brando, and I refuse any of his acolytes and believers. I am my own person, and I shall pierce the heavens only to help the people, not to control them!"

That was the last thing Donatello could remember before Fugo slammed a fist on the back of his head and forced him to fall unconscious. With a silent thud, the villain was ultimately defeated and the others could now try to reconnect with the others. There was no way that this attack was just aimed at them, not when Donatello mentioned something about 'brothers'. And as the group resumed their goal, the young blond felt something tapping at the back of his head as he pocketed the card he just retrieved.

Gang-Star?

He blinked in surprise at the feminine voice that he knew came through the card. Giorno could hear her grin.

That sounds cool!

A smile landed on his face, a determined look which was befitting for a beloved son crashing the part caused by those that sought to fight for a monster, their father. Giorno may have not personally met Dio Brando in person, but he could only hate him as they all advanced to face the next half-brother along the way.

Unknown to them, the group led by Mista was facing a different kind of issue as the remaining sibling, despite his young age, held a mind that only a few could understand. That cruelty, that malicious glance-

Giorno was soon to find out the full extent of Dio's darkness through the actions of the boy that inherited his madness the most.

------------d-d-d-d-------------

AN

Man, I happened to erase 300 words while writing and had to rewrite an entire scene for that. I guess that's on me for being this earnest to relocate paragraphs left and right…

Still, this clash of siblings will be the prelude for the final fight. Also, Rikiel was wrong about something: Not all heirs of Dio are here.

After all, one of them is currently in Tokyo, training to unleash Dio's plan and… conquer the heavens in the name of a different cause by Dio's own will and Pucci's own support.

But more on that note by the third and last installment of this trilogy.

P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c

 

[JBukharin]

Chapter 25: Brawl o' Brothers, Part 2

Life can be miserable.

Such a phrase a young man had muttered many times. Under his breath, in his mind, within his soul and even in furious exclamation. Yes, the dreadful nature of existence had always plagued the soul bearing the name 'Ungalo', and none and nothing came close to bringing him joy in his 'being alive'.

Ungalo had an average build and height, possessing an unusually flat face which gained him derision and disgusted faces, small but piercing eyes with "U"-shaped mark under the left eye that warranted jabs and insults, and big visible sharp teeth that, easily, horrified anyone that was bestowed with a smile of his. The twisted youth wore a shirt with multiple randomly placed dots connected with each other by lines, and a knit cap.

Or, that was the case until he was given a book. A most unusual book, and yet one that gave him worth. It gave him power, it gave him means- it made him valuable to himself and others. When Ungalo was given a chance, he didn't believe much in it, but the book- this wonderful book in his possession… it made the offer so worthy of the price. A loyal servant, but a free one within his own playground.

The small room he had been assigned to with the plan to ambush the worthless maggots trying to ruin their boss' plan would work just fine with his current powers. In fact, just as the trio entered the room, he felt a crazy grin form on his deformed features while his new 'power' triggered. The world was no longer confined within the walls of this room and the host of fools that intruded in his 'domain' were quick to realize it.

No longer in a building in Venice, but an endless forest that left nothing but nameless people in it. Yet, much to his surprise… none seemed affected by the effects of this unusual location. It was easy to see through the camera-birds he created through the book's assistance and… it left him perplexed. He thought it would have been much easier, and yet they outlasted this effect of the setting. Curious and somewhat frustrating, but nothing that made him stop going through the rest of his plan.

The forest was just a cage after all, and the monster it held was something none of these idiots were prepared to face. A most infamous creature was soon fully recreated from the mind and perversions of childish fantasy, an entity previously meant to be a tool of narrative meant to frighten the child before grand threats to one's life and that now was being used to not only terrorize, but maul and kill those that were his foes.

Ungalo grinned as he got a full sight of a red giant that resembled a powerful golem with rock-like wings. Yellow-gold lines formed a grid over its chest, arms and even his face, giving it eyes and a silent mouth. It was… perfect. And the main contender of this battle!

The only thing he needed to set up as the beast rushed to claim first blood was the 'helpers' for this entity. The Jabberwocky was powerful, yes, but it wasn't within its own limitations. Flaws which could be easily fixed by enlisting the help of other fantasy creatures, all twisted and driven by the same maliciousness which made him feel alive.

Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, the three fairies from the Sleeping Beauty, the living furniture from the Beauty and the Beast- yes, all small 'helpers' from these stories turned into the worst kind of threat for this group. And once all was done, Ungalo sat back and watched the ensuing massacre.

Two of the foes had guns, while the third one wore something like an armor which allowed him to handle some hits from the Jabberwocky before forcing him to retreat. The gunners tried to shoot at the beast, but they quickly realized it was resilient to bullets. Their shock was delicious and yet it wasn't as filling as he had wanted. Not when they didn't lingered for long enough to allow the monster the chance to claw at them.

Yes, bullets didn't work on it in terms of landing damage, but Ungalo growled when he realized the one shooting the most, the hat-wearing bastard, was actually doing something by hitting precise spots of the beast. It was there that the deadly young man noticed that the Jabberwocky's legs weren't as protected as his head, torso and arms. Its feet were thinner and its tendons were not as reinforced as he thought those to be. The beast roared as rocks were chipping away, limiting its capacity to move.

And while this was happening, the faeries were struggling to damage the pests themselves. Some were getting through, burning one of the men's shoes, shredding onto the shirt of another, but ultimately getting squashed by the armored jerk. All was going to crap quite quickly, and thus Ungalo created more monsters. The Beast without its Beauty, the Big Bad Wolf from Red Riding Hood!

"It's not right."

A scowl shifted through his grin, leaving him unamused about what he just heard from the silly book.

"Life isn't fucking right, Alice. That doesn't mean I have to play nice about this shit. These are our foes, and we have to fucking win."

As childishly as the previous time, the book rebuked with the same words, "It is still not right."

While the opposition was fairly meek, something about its resolute tone just instigated Ungalo to snap at it. It was the way it was delivered, the derisive expression it held- Something that Ungalo had heard so many times- the scorn, the hate. He wouldn't be accepting turning the cheek at this kind of shit ever again.

"Well, you don't have a choice, don't you? You are mine! Your power is mine!" He said, grasping tightly at the book and pulling one of the pages' edge from it. The response was immediate as 'Alice' yelped in true pain, making his bloodthirst tingle with pleasure. Ah yes, the first innocent blood spilled before these fools would experience true pain.

The battle went on for a while, and it was becoming clear that no tricks could get through his defense. Well, most weren't as Ungalo was soon ducking when he spotted something sharp coming his way. He crouched, a hook passing over his head and yanking at the tree's trunk behind him. Shock filled him, same for anger.

"How?!"

One of those idiots' powers. He had to be more careful about this, but now he knew they were desperate if they threw this weapon at him without even knowing where he was. A grin squeezed into his face as he knew they were slowly losing, and that their demise was soon to happen before his eager attention. But just as he waited, the entire forest shook, this time not for the Jabberwocky's might. No, it was something else entirely.

Something cut into it, a red energy sword which cleaved a section of it and caused reality to bleed inside. Ungalo's eyes were filled with shock and horror, but also fury and irritation.

"W-Who- WHO IS INVADING MY WORLD!?"

His eyes narrowed a familiar figure with blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a set of armor- it wasn't Donatello. He finally growled with renewed anger and challenge, quickly deploying monsters to assault the invaders. His brothers had seemingly failed. It was expected, but it made his life somewhat more tedious.

And that, Ungalo knew, was unacceptable.

-----------d-d-d-d-------

"They are coming in numbers!" Fugo announced, ｢Purple Haze｣ groaning in mindless irritation as he was deployed partially by its user. "Giorno, I hope that card will help us."

The unease was not without merit. The sheer number of fantasy-born entities coming at them was nothing short of jarring. An army, and one that he doubted they would have been able to normally survive its assault. Normally… not when he was being assisted by someone else in this brawl.

They will be easy to mince, Giorno!

The jovial female exclaimed from within his mind, the existence which introduced herself as Mordred delighted by the chance of a 'real fight'. Giorno saw no point in opposing this view, slightly euphoric due to the might displayed by this 'Heroic Spirit' and how her power had aided them

Then lend me your strength, Mordred.

Of course!

"I'll handle the most. You take care of our main enemy."

"Got it!" Sakura confirmed while Fugo nodded, rushing in advance as the girl followed shortly behind him.

Readying his sword, the 'Red Saber' steadied its stance before pushing forward. Clarent burned with energy, a mixture of mana and what ｢Gold Experience｣ was boosting through its own energy. Somehow, the power of life fueled Clarent to a new height of intensity, providing it with exceptional improvements.

It wasn't a blade born from revenge at first. I guess it's just finding a means to expand its own capacity through its old concept.

I thought it was just a ceremonial blade-

A ceremonial blade to provide 'new life' to those that warranted it. From mere soldiers, to knights.

Giorno nodded, his focus fully aimed at the foes as he struck against the first rows of fantastical monsters. Small and big, animals and supernatural entities, nothing was spared as Clarent cleaved through them with ease. It felt like he was holding a hot knife, and his foes were made of butter. Truly devastating, and yet quite frustrating as this horde was slowing him down.

Sakura and Fugo had gotten close enough to start attacking the cause of this bizarre circumstance, but their combined efforts yielded no success with how quickly the grinning bastard was moving and how many new monsters he was creating. A quick glance on the situation provided him some insight on where its powers lay, which was the curious fairy tale book he was holding. Roughly two minutes into the melee and Giorno had cleaned up the mess of monsters, finally moving on to see how Sakura and Fugo were doing.

The latter was crouching down, an arrow stabbing into his leg while another had pierced his shoulder. He was bleeding a lot and he looked unable to stand up and properly fight. Sakura was faring better, but he was slightly bruised as he finished off a lion.

Giorno advanced, and his approach was noticed by the man behind this whole mess.

"You will not succeed, brother. This is my world, Ungalo's world! Not yours, you will never succeed! Jabberwocky, end him!"

The proclamation stunned Giorno, but he didn't hesitate to advance despite the mention of this 'Jabberwocky'. He knew it was a monster from Alice in Wonderland, but he couldn't see it. Just as he got close enough to strike Ungalo down, his posture froze when he noticed a fairly large shadow expanding upon him. Glancing up, he saw a monstrous behemoth descending from the sky and roaring against him.

The blond jumped back, allowing for the beast to land without injuring him. The creature roared in challenge, claws burning with mana as he started to swipe those at him. Giorno backed away as much as he could, Clarent matching but just barely with the consecutive hits, and his chance to strike lessened due to how intense the offensive of this monster was.

Yet, despite how hideous this circumstance was turning, that didn't mean Giorno was without tricks under his sleeves. Reinforcing clarent with more of his inner strength, the blade managed to smack one of the approaching claws away and offered him an opening into the beast's chest.

The blade cut into its resilient skin, yet, despite the intensity of power within the sword, the wound looked superficial and it was healing up. It could regenerate and his current attacks weren't doing enough to kill it off.

It seems like this big guy is quite strong. I don't think you can do it, nor that I can beat it myself.

So?

Giorno inquired back, keeping an inner calm at this manner as he heard Mordred speak to him.

Perhaps we can try something different. I am no Magic expert, but I noticed how Clarent is reacting to our combo.

And?

And maybe we can do something about it! You know, its full power- maybe we can boost it to a greater output if we hit the bastard 'right'.

Just as she said that, the monster, perhaps annoyed or driven by Ungalo's growing irritation at its lack of success, tried to slam its muscular fists down to try and catch Giorno in a deadly move. This was where Giorno saw an opportunity to strike once more, swiftly stabbing Clarent into the behemoth's neck and piercing its throat. It wasn't a killing hit, but the wound it caused managed to stun it before it could strike at him.

The Jabberwocky recoiled, but showed no hesitation in resuming its onslaught. Yet, as it approached Giorno, its steps faltered as he perceived the large focus of magical energy within the sword. Clarent activated, its characteristic red flame, known through Mordred's own wrath being unleashed, was burning brightly through its blade. But where the incantation would muster on the anger of one, this time it attained a new meaning through a second detail within the revenge it represented.

"Clarent Blood- ARTHUR/DIO!"

The red flame flickered as a golden hue echoed in it, doubling its size as the might of the Noble Phantasm resonated with twice the power of revenge. The ensuing beam enveloped the Jabberwocky, the beast roaring as its skin failed to hold the blast back as it got consumed by it. Together with it, a large portion of the forest behind it was scorched into ashes and cinders due to the intensity of the attack.

The destruction of the Jabberwocky led to a peculiar event. The ensuing explosion shocked Ungalo as the push coming from that blast had him trip on the ground, with his book flying off his arms and forward. Giorno saw this, and using Mordred's speed rushed to catch the tome. Yet, as he managed to take hold of the item, he paused as he felt he wasn't holding the shaped object, but something more… human.

"Are you a prince?" A child asked with a dreamy voice.

Giorno looked down and he was met with a pair of dark-pink eyes and a mane of white hair with pink edges. The child was wearing a goth-lolita outfit with a black-themed dress and hat with dark-pink details such as the legwear which extended under her black boots,

This was quite the awkward reaction for a foe to be captured but-

She doesn't seem to be into this mess. She was definitely forced.

Giorno nodded at that assessment, yet their battle was far from over.

Ungalo stood, glaring at him as he looked ready to escape but…. Sakura pushed forth, Ungalo's widening eyes confirming her suspicions- he had no defenses without the book.

Or that was what she thought before she spotted him yanking a pocket knife from his pants, looking ready to strike her with it. ｢One Vision｣ sprung in action, a punch drilling into his stomach and causing him to spit some blood… a small respite before a most vicious barrage.

"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!"

The beating left Ungalo heavily bruised and wounded, yet not beaten for the time being.

"I-I guess I didn't stand a chance. Y-You lied to me, you lied to- to us, you fucking shit!" The crumbling foe muttered angrily, yet too weakly to loudly proclaim so as he fell on his knees. "I will hate you forever…

Solomon."

-------------d-d-d-d------------

"I should have known it was you from the very beginning. But I guess I was blinded too much by the absurdity of your presence in this specific timeline," Arlecchino muttered as he stared right at the source of all this trouble.

Medea shredded the skeleton opponents while Mr. Dawn assisted by purifying the bones and thus preventing those from resuming their previous roles as minions of the mastermind behind this mess. Here it stood, grinning viciously as he battled against Arlecchino.

The masked man didn't relent against the powerful magic at hand, his own abilities pushing away with ease the mana rushing at him. Yet it would be a lie to say he was succeeding in stopping the smiling demon in front of him, something preventing him from using his Stand against him.

"I suppose you can say I just found it through the very thing you are trying to save. Such a shame that you will not succeed in this goal."

"Tough words from someone that is on the verge of defeat."

Goetia smiled at his most troublesome opponent, a portal opening behind him as he retreated with a serene look on his face. "Worry not, I will claim my prize regardless of my win or loss here, you absolute fool."

The last threat was now revealed, a battle beyond the normal bizarre had just begun.

----------d-d-d-d--------------

AN

The ultimate foe has been revealed, an entity that saw a chance to return by using Atrum's ambitions and Dio's children to achieve the power yielded by two Holy Grails at once.

 

[JBukharin]

Chapter 26: Brawl o' Brothers, Part 3

Was it a victory or a loss?

This was the question that currently perplexed the large group of rebels from Passione as they waited for their leader to finally arrive. Venice and most of Northern Italy and the Islands have been taken over by them, and the battle for the Serenissima had successfully removed Diavolo's influence from the area. Yet, the ruthless mob leader had run away and left them to handle the broken pieces left behind by the intense skirmish.

Some called it a 'fair win', others saw it as a potential mistake since Diavolo was known to be a 'difficult monster to put down'. Memories- no, tales from the older members which remarked how the mobster had decimated the old mafia groups in the span of a couple of years resonated deep in them as they waited for a proper response to this matter.

Sakura could understand why they would feel so upset about this entire ordeal, but, at the same time, she herself was struggling to understand the details of what had happened in the 'background'. And she wasn't the only one having many questions on the man that had allowed Diavolo to escape but... was also behind the arrival of Giorno's half-brothers.

The blond was still recoiling by this matter, shocked that Dio had actually created other children beyond him and... the results were nothing short of jarring. They were all secured and guarded, with their 'Cards/Servants' having been split: the Golem-Maker's card was to be sheltered away from anyone's reach due to its unusual might, while the two others were currently 'owned' by Giorno.

The plum-haired girl sighed heavily at the sight of her cousin struggling to keep both 'Alice' and Mordred from bickering and... it was indeed a sight. Alice was what one would expect from a gothic-dressed young girl with pale-white hair and violet eyes. She was all in black with her petite dress and hat, clinging on Giorno as an overbearing sister would.

In a way, it reminded Sakura of Illya when it came to Shirou. Mordred was an entirely different individual. Some may not have seen it, but she was quite similar to Giorno in some core aspects. Both were blonde, both had blue eyes, but, what really stood out the most through their personalities was how they were wired into a rebellious but righteous mindset. Wearing a white sleeveless shirt and a pair of mini-jeans, Mordred didn't seem to care enough for Trish's disapproving comments over her 'poor fashion choices'. What really got a reaction out of her was when Giorno lamented how 'clunky' her armor was.

"I-It's not that clunky!" She defended, confirming that her priority wasn't the same as many girls had.

Something that Sakura respected considering she too didn't care much about having an overly-feminine style. Still, she was quite sure she would have been cast aside with Narancia, Trish, Caren and Arcueid by the time Risotto arrived at their current base, but Sakura was surprised when she was asked to be there by Risotto's own orders.

At first, she thought it was because she could provide some insight, yet the truth was that she had to be around her guard since he was meant to tell them what he knew of the situation. After all, he had faced the cause of this whole mess and... it wasn't anything to smile at from the way he put it down in his narration.

Risotto carried himself with incredible politeness and calm, yet he looked fairly uneasy when it was mentioned the name Goetia and Mr. Dawn muttered some not-so comforting words in that regard. Sakura had never heard this name before... but she felt like she did. It was an odd feeling, like a tug coming from within her chest as that name was uttered. It was an odd sensation, but nothing that really stunned her as she felt this wasn't the first time she had this sort of reaction. And it became a bit clearer to her why this information was known to her. Or rather, the relation it carried through with it.

"So, this Goetia- what's his final goal?" Risotto finally inquired, quite absorbed in the explanation but focusing on the big issue at hand: Why was this happening? And from there, how do we stop this?

"Humanity's destruction as imperfection on a perfect world," Arlecchino explained flatly, dropping such a truth bomb without a genuine hint of concern. "Goetia's purpose was initially to guard the 72 Pillar Demons. Ever since King Solomon left this world, his last creation turned on his original purpose, gaining interest in erasing humanity because of the taint they represented on Earth."

"That's a fairly strong view on humanity as a whole," Prosciutto commented dryly, while Risotto merely nodded in agreement.

"How does he seek to achieve this? How would Diavolo fit within this equation?"

"Diavolo's Stand- right now its power allows him to alter small sections of reality to his whim, shifting through it as a defensive mechanism and relocating to advantageous positions," Arlecchino answered. "Just that was powerful, yet what Goetia may be after is the Requiem Arrow."

"The... Requiem Arrow?" Bruno inquired with a hint of confusion. "Is this like a normal Stand Arrow or-"

"The Requiem Arrow, to my own understanding, is unique to this world. While other Arrows exist with the purpose of generally creating Stands, this one allows Stand User to unleash an even stronger Stand whose abilities would be greater than their original selves. If Diavolo gets his hands on it, then his Evolved Stand could potentially get the power to alter reality as he wishes."

"...It's not the only thing you can tell us, right? This isn't the end goal for Goetia."

"It's one of the last steps. The moment Diavolo obtains this power, he can use this to allow Atrum Galliasta to gain my ward and use her unique wishcraft innate potential together with a pseudo-Holy Grail to enable an absolute reality-bending control over this dimension... and beyond."

"T-This is absurd," One of the lesser subordinates argued. "Boss, this- this is plain insanity. Reality-bending? Multiple dimensions? This sounds like-"

"Possible within the reality of things," Risotto confirmed dryly, eyeing the naysayer with a dull look, causing the man to go quiet. "I was familiar with some unique arrows, I had heard of rumors of someone that had stolen it from Passione years ago. I am not familiar with its whereabouts, but this thief is still around, so we have to get to him. At once."

Many nodded, while Arlecchino stunned all of them with a single response.

"That will not be necessary," He remarked calmly as he turned to the only door within the meeting room. "Because I've been in contact with the 'thief' and I had safely led him to Venice before we reached this revelation."

"You-" Bruno started to say, yet his voice failed to finish that sentence as someone knocked at the door.

"Yes?" Risotto asked, one of the guards outside opening the door with an awkward look.

"Sir, there's someone that says he had been invited to this meeting but-"

"Let him in."

The guard nodded, letting the new arrival inside the room. And that's where Sakura felt her eyes widened in recognition since she had seen this face before.

The man had long white hair that was shaped to stand up vertically, a blue eye, his left one, staring around with wariness while the other, ruined, now hidden by a transparent eyepatch. He was wearing a blue sleeveless shirt with golden covers around his shoulders and... Sakura felt her face paling as she saw how his lower body was fully bandaged with his legs now replaced by crude metal-made prosthetics.

"This man is an old friend of mine. He went missing a while ago, but I know he is still alive and doing well. I know he was sent to Italy to investigate some disturbances but... since he has been quiet for a while, I guess he is just wasting a few years having fun," Jotaro had said back when he was describing her the 'Stardust Crusaders', tapping at the picture of the same man she was looking at, but faring better than now. "Good grief-"

"...Polnareff?"

The man that her father had been so worried about, someone that had been as close to a brother to him and that now was... well, heavily hurt by what seemed to have been the worst fight possible. Sure, her father did mention that some fights can be rough, she had seen him getting heavily injured a couple of times already, but not... to this level. Not this horribly.

Dad- dad isn't going to be happy about this...

Sakura's surprised gasp was not missed by anyone, but the aforementioned Jean Pierre Polnareff looked surprised at being addressed with his name so suddenly. He turned his attention to the girl and... his only working eye widened. "You- So he was right, the guy on the phone said..."

He wheeled closer to Sakura stopping right in front of where she was sitting and... smiled. "Kujo Sakura, daughter of Jotaro. How's your father?"

"G-Good," The girl gulped nervously. "W-What happened to you?"

His smile grew a bit sadder. "Diavolo. But... I am alive, and that's all that matters."

"Polnareff, that's your name," Risotto commented. "Apologies for interrupting this reunion, but I think there's an urgent matter to discuss before we can rest."

The Frenchman nodded in agreement. "Yes. It's... I am sorry for the little emotional moment. I believe you all are interested in this."

A small rectangular box was dropped on the small table within the room. The item inside, once revealed, gained the shock of everyone inside. All in there were Stand Users, and they could all feel it, a powerful energy hidden within the seemingly 'known' Arrow tool used to unlock Stands. It was different, they could all tell at first glance.

"I am afraid to say that despite its inner power, the Arrow will not work with everyone," Polnareff admitted. "I tried to use it, but it seems that anyone using it when they are not 'worthy' will just lose control of their Stands."

"So, what you are saying is that only those that have reached a specific unknown requirement can use it?"

He nodded and Risotto grimaced at his own assumption.


"Well, there's only one thing left to do then," The boss of the Nuova Passione commented, looking at the rest of his loyal subordinates. "We shall march south and kill Diavolo once and for all. Rome shall be his grave and there shall not be any intervention from these 'magical' evildoers. I suppose you can take care of it...Sakura Kujo."

Sakura's eyes widened at that. "W-What?"

"T-That sounds too much, sir," Prosciutto argued. "Sakura is strong, yes, but she is not-"

"I consider her part of my group, and a valiant member of it," Bruno interjected, nodding at Risotto. "But I believe you also wish for her to not be the only one fighting."

"I am a firm believer of those with value, but I will not send her alone, no. She will assemble a team and take care of this 'Goetia' issue before he can help Diavolo escape again. It's imperative this man is killed or any result of this last skirmish may see the collapse of something more than just Italy. Destiny is calling us to make a choice, and I choose to put my trust in Sakura Kujo in handling this mess."

...

"Why?" Sakura asked, still confused by this decision. "And why do you sound like you know about me?"

"That's because I do, signorina," Risotto remarked calmly, offering a smile before thinking of the past. "A few years ago, I met this individual which helped me find my way despite the evilness of this organization. Someone that held wisdom beyond our time and that spoke fondly of you."

That didn't help much with her guessing game, but something about the mention of wisdom and 'helping others find their ways' clicked with a single individual. Someone that was known to have made trips all over the world in an effort to find her inner peace once more and gain more insight on the modern world.

"I believe her name is... Sanzang."

-------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d-------------

Atrum growled as the pain was not subsiding.

He had gone over and over how this process was ruining him to a degree as expressed by the shivers and disgust of some of the women attracted to his natural beauty... now gone. It wasn't his fault he had to sacrifice something for power, but he could at least say he was going to match the mongrel that had beaten him a while back. The circuits he implanted over his nerves were burning onto his skin, sizzling even, but providing him with enough input to match up with an individual like that stiff and upsetting Lorelei


Ugly scars ran around his arms, legs and parts of his face. He looked older, wrinkler, with his air having lost its golden shade now taking a more platinum touch which made him appear a dying old man. Yet he wasn't. He was still young, handsome and- ambitious. Yes, his ambitions were the strongest at the moment.

He was strong, mightily so and he had the means to now secure his claimed target. Goetia promised he was going to get it, but the inclusion of a non-magus as the primary winner of this alliance sat horribly on his lap. He was rightfully meant to do this sort of thing, to be the main and leading force behind the acquisition of Matou Heiress and of this 'Requiem Arrow', not some thuggish mutt.

Yes, he was going to show them for good and then- then he was going to rule over the world! The ensuing cackling further stirred dread in the hearts of those women staring at their master's descent into insanity, well-aware that he had forsaken his sanity to ensure his plans succeeded. Supposedly so.

Meanwhile, staring at this scene from his 'office' through a special mirror connected to Atrum's workshop, Goetia smiled over the amusing display of arrogance and envy displayed by one of his pawns. Once again proving how humans were unfit for this world and how their taint had to be removed from existence to preserve reality itself. Once the Requiem Arrow was in their hands, and Sakura was used as the filter needed to access other dimensions, then his capacity to overcome Solomon's curses was going to be assured and his plan to erase humanity in all timelines and worlds would be complete.

This time, his creator was not going to be there to ruin his plans as this world- this unique and bizarre dimension, was fertile ground to show him off for daring to limit his powers as he did centuries ago.

This time, Goetia knew, he was going to succeed. Interdimensional intruder or not.

--------d-d-d-d----------

AN

Two Arcs are left, 'Esecuzione' and 'Requiem'. After that... the end of this trilogy, the last piece of the puzzle to complete the bizarre tale of Sakura and her true enemy all along. Stay tuned because the next four-five chapters will be quite... shocking to say the least.

 

[Darkscythe Drake]

So 6-8 chapters until the end? Then Shiro's story?
#JusticeForPolnareff

 

[JBukharin]

Chapter 27: Esecuzione, Part 1

"So, you really don't want to use my powers?"

Giorno wasn't sure why it felt so odd for Nursery Rhyme to understand this point. It had come to his attention how she had been exploited for her peculiar skills by one of his brothers, and how this was something she didn't appreciate. It felt rightful for him to let her be in that regard as he saw no point in relying on her beyond some supportive regards.

"In this battle, I see no point in endangering you," The young man replied. "From my understanding, your powers don't allow you to be on a prolonged offensive, hence why I see no point in putting you in danger's way."

The Caster Servant nodded slowly at this, sitting beside Giorno as the car they were boarding silently drove through the path that would lead them south, straight to Rome where Diavolo was expected to go. Any other plans of the former boss of Passione were thwarted in advance through the deployment of numerous government-led blocks in the south and general naval 'exercises' in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The Boss was finally caged in a single location and they were going to put an end to him and this 'Goetia'. This name felt familiar since his mother had given him a bible to read once and it had references to the Ars Goetia. Still, to imagine that this entity was a real thing and not the fruit of some religious monks felt like an unpleasant awakening to a world bigger and more tedious than he expected to deal with.

There's never a time to stop and learn how messed up this world really is.

Despite his best efforts to keep his attention on the main goal of this little offensive to destroy Diavolo, there were a couple of issues stemming from his current situation. Specifically how Nursery Rhyme was behaving at being told by Giorno that he wasn't planning to order her around for some warring. The girl was quiet, and yet her silence felt burdening through the connection they had established. Something that the other individuals in the rear seats of the car noticed and called out.

"You sure are odd," Arcueid remarked flatly. "What sort of minion would lament being spared from the trouble of warfare?"

"S-Servants are expected to take part in conflicts," Medea quipped from the awkward position of sitting on Arlecchino's lap due to how there was no seat left for her. "Nursery Rhyme is perhaps expecting to have a role in this situation despite how limited her capacity is in this situation."

"Is that so?" Trish inquired. "I mean, I am not entirely aware of this Servant's situation but... is it really fine for a little girl to be sent to fight?"

"We are technically little girls too, Trish," Caren reminded the pinkette. "Also, Nursery Rhymes' real appearance is not one of a little girl. She possibly took it from a figure in her book. Maybe Alice in the Wonderland?"

"Something like that," The tiny white-haired Caster admitted.

"Giorno," Sakura muttered, the blond turning to look at his cousin. "Servants seek to have purpose out of the notion that they are individuals that are brought back to the real world for a reason. Since Nursery Rhyme never appeared there before, maybe she just seeks to merely exist within purpose. A purpose you have to give her."

He frowned. "It's... what kind of purpose should I give her? Her powers would leave her in the open for any attackers and-"

"Then give her a purpose beyond the battle, Mr. Giovanna," Arlecchino lamented flatly. "If you seek to not endanger her in this battle, then provide her with the hope that, once this debacle is solved, she will be able to have a role in the world you wish to change."

These words struck Giorno harsher than anything he had to listen up to this point. Not because of the tone used, but of the cruel truth behind it- he had used the right words to collapse his excuse to not bother with the topic. It wasn't like he didn't care for it, but he didn't know what to think of it.

Nursery Rhyme was a child- or looked like one, but it didn't make Giorno any less upset with the notion that he would have to employ someone that was, by all means, close to be considered a child, in mind and body. Despite that, the cogs in his head had started to act up, with a few legitimate suggestions prompting him to be less upset by the topic and more intrigued by what he could do to help others while also providing Nursery with a purpose she could appreciate.

"What if she assists me in helping the children of Italy? Those affected by the drugs?" The blond thought out loud, causing many eyes to be aimed

"I-I can do it! Helping children- this is something I can and will do!"

Ohi, you know that he smells like ya?

Smell?

Giorno was confused by what Mordred had just mentioned. Smell? In what sense would smell be a feasible option for her to perceive in her limited form? But before he could ask more about it, a blinding light came and suddenly shone through the car before shifting him out of the vehicle. He felt his body turning and twisting, with Nursery Rhyme instantly latching onto him as the world around them 'collapsed' and then reformed.

He would have screamed in surprise, but Giorno's mind was too busy feeling the abnormality 'accepting' him as Mordred's card manifested and coated his body in her knightly armor. As he 'landed' on the ground, the tiny Caster Servant let out a tiny 'eep'. It was just them standing on the roof of a small building.

They soon started to look around in the effort of seeing where the others were, but ultimately realizing that they were alone now, and in Rome. But... it wasn't normal Rome. a mixture of old and new, of Roman and Modern- the entire city was fragmenting before their eyes.

"What?" Giorno's mind failed to comprehend what was going on, with Mordred unable to provide an answer herself as her shock came through their current connection.

"It's-" Nursery Rhyme muttered, eyes wide open in surprise. "It's like a Holy Grail War. But... worse."

...What?!

--------d-d-d-d--------

A Few Minutes Earlier...

"Sir, there are some issues," One of the grunts in his car muttered, offering him his phone. "Rome- the city is currently undergoing a lock-down from the government."

"What?" Prosciutto asked with a perplexed look, while Pesci looked surprised at the news.

A frown adorned Risotto's face as he picked the phone and verified the situation himself. His eyes widened considerably by the time she was done with that distressed call, with men in the area reporting issues related to the landscape. Things were changing- people and buildings and animals. It was a massive disaster and the government had just gone nuts and evacuated the city to rush to Florence and then Milan.

At first Risotto couldn't believe it, but then as he tried to get more details, something odd happened. The world twisted around them, fracturing as they were all forcefully pulled away from their car, he shielded his face as shards of metal were flung at him, tearing into his sleeves and pants but dealing no major damage.

It was a brief 'flight', but one that landed them in a place Risotto was familiar with. The head of La Squadra grimaced as he could tell that Goetia had gotten enough time to set things up for a trap against them. This was the Quirinale, the current Presidential palace that once served to host the Royal Family. Its original flags were now replaced with Passione's symbols, dark and violet as a new 'king' took over. How ironic, and yet this didn't leave an amused hint in his face. Not when his squad was quite injured because of that violent warp.

"Prosciutto," He muttered and the man stood up, holding his injured arm while Pesci helped him patch it up, with the younger thug's wounds being abysmal at best. Ghiaccio was gritting his teeth, the annoyed bespectacled man having manifested his Stand a second too late as his leg was partly shredded by this whole mess. "Ghiaccio. You will stay here and stand guard."

"B-Boss?" Pesci blurted in shock, but Prosciutto held him from speaking further.

"It sha-shall be done, boss," The older gangster remarked, with Ghiaccio merely nodding, too frustrated in his current agony to genuinely muster a proper response to that order.

Without hesitation, the future boss of Passione wandered through the cold halls of the 'castle', knowing he was soon going to be met with the last hurdle before salvation. The culprit of this madness was 'calling' for him, he could feel it in his bones. And soon he was there, watching as he witnessed the boss in his true appearance sitting in what resembled a decadent throne made of chairs and bones and other chilling materials.

Diavolo had long pink hair, leopard-patterned with various spots, parted in a zig-zagging manner. The bangs of that are propped and parted slightly to the side. The rest of his hair is cut straight across at his shoulders. His shirt was made of complex mesh-wiring: it covered his shoulders and torso but down his back and abdomen are linked circles that are tucked under his belt.

The room itself, grand and majestic in its sizes, offered plenty of space to placate Risotto's inherent mobility and make this fight feasible for him to win in a 1v1 contest. And Risotto planned to exploit this opportunity to put an end to this madness before the deplorable plans of Diavolo and Goetia came to fruition.

"Risotto Nero," Diavolo muttered, sitting on his 'throne' and glaring down with his inhuman green eyes at him. "How does it feel to be alone before your king?"

"Flattering I suppose," The professional assassin remarked. "In fact, I believe this is a fitting place for a delusional fool to meet his demise."

Diavolo snorted with an unamused tone, and yet said nothing as someone else entered the room. If before Risotto felt a bit intimidated, now he felt outright scared. It was immediate, almost commanding in its arrival, and yet his red eyes peered with horror as the armored behemoth walked forth. Her armor was sharp, sturdy, made of dark-violet alloy, and her helmet looked like one owned by a dragon with a gray mane. Vicious, unforgiving, she strolled towards Risotto, her dark and white lance with rubies-like sharp barbs manifested and displayed energy.

"Your words matter not, Risotto. This isn't going to be a battle, this is going to be your execution as I was given the chance to put you, the greatest of traitors, down for good," The pink-haired threat remarked. "And now, King Arthur, end this mongrel for good."

The King- no, this was a Tyrant- she merely nodded, uttering no words as she steadied her weapon and rushed forth. Risotto gritted his teeth, backing away and allowing his Stand to disappear from sight.

A battle between an Executioner and its king has started. Revolution or Reaction, that was the strife of a true Passion.

-------d-d-d-d-------

"M-Master, this- this energy-"

The Servant shrieked as both her and her Master were suddenly torn from their previous seat and forced to arch in a manner that allowed them to land without any damage to worry about.

"What just happened?!" Mr. Dawn demanded, sounding frustrated by this sudden development as he facelanded beside them.

"Goetia is trying to do something bad," Arlecchino muttered, holding tight on Medea as they both landed near a mostly-rebuilt Coliseum. He had perceived the shift just mere moments before it happened "A Singularity- he is using his 'batteries' already."

"A-A Singularity?" The Caster repeated in shock. "This- I'm sorry, but I don't know what this means-"

"Goetia is using Miyu and her mother as pseudo-Holy Grails. He can't achieve an immediate shift in reality, but he is coming close to collapsing everything around, with Rome and most of central Italy already consumed by this whole mess," The masked figure muttered. "Track down the source of the massive energy output. We need to stop this mess."

"Dear Lord," The bespectacled priest muttered.

"W-What about the others?" Medea inquired, but complied with the order.

"They will have to manage," He gloomly admitted. "As much as it pains me to admit, we will have to disregard their survival. Reality is on the brink of a full-fledged erasure if we don't get this done quickly."

The Princess of Colchis nodded nervously, her full focus now aimed on the task at hand. It took her a while, but she found a source of energy that could aid a potential Holy Grail War. The trio rushed forth, avoiding any potential confrontations against potential controlled legionnaires, skeletons, and other monstrosities littering the Italian Capital. Their destination proved to be in the Vatican. The Basilica of Saint Peter had been taken over by a large number of monsters, forcing the small group to start fighting their way into the large building.

Medea blasted some of the enemies with magical blasts, while also keeping an eye on healing any wounds on Mr. Dawn as he assisted as much as he could. In the meantime, Arlecchino ruthlessly mowed down opponents without a care or holding back. Anyone watching could see a figure faintly aiding his assault, punching left and right and doubling the brutality shown by the masked figure. The tedious advance eventually ended as there were no foes inside the basilica itself. No, what was inside was a pile of women's bodies.

"Someone killed them, they were with Atrum," Medea commented, holding her staff tightly. "Master, I think-"

"YOU ARE FINALLY HERE!" A monstrous entity roared, blond hair forming a hideous monster that hardly looked human as he descended from the ceiling. A tendril erupted from its left hand, with numerous bulbous red eyes appearing on it as they tried to stab Arlecchino's head. The masked figure backed away, but some damage was done... to his mask. Part of its upper section was torn off, revealing blond hair and a single orange eye through that opening to his face. Arlecchino gritted his teeth, frustrated by the development and taking this little attack personally.

"Atrum. I suppose you really lost your marbles for this occasion," He coldly greeted. "A shame, I would have preferred to kill you a Magus rather than a monster."

"Monster?! I AM STILL HANDSOME!"

His horrible form was filled with an insane amount of prana. But since his circuits couldn't handle this for long, his life was numbered... in mere hours. Minutes if they were lucky.

"N-Not really!" Medea rebuked nervously and frightened, unable to stare at the abomination that once summoned her. "You're repugnant!"

"SHUT UP! YOU STUPID LITTLE- GAH!"

Numerous black keys stabbed onto the beast's back, forcing it to back away and snarl at the one he had ignored. Mr. Dawn merely scoffed.

"A Magus going overboard with his ambitions? Not a novelty."

"I WILL END YOU. I WILL END YOU ALL!"

Arlecchino snorted, grasping his mask and removing it for good, seeing no point in holding back his identity. Mr. Dawn's jaw hit the floor as he got a full view of the bizarre man's face, recognition flashing on his face as he was shocked by the discovery. Before a most foolish and monstrous Atrum, a tall figure stood with piercing orange eyes and well-combed blond hair. A spotless face, and a single amused smile flashing delight at having nothing holding him back.

"No, Atrum," The CEO of Made in Heaven Inc, Lord Dio Joestar, muttered with a smile. "I will end you."

----------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d--------------

AN

REVELATION! But yes, the same protagonist of Absolute Divinity is indeed one of the three 'heroes' which will fix this mess. There are three goals for each group to deal with. We saw Diavolo and Artoria Alter Lancer, we saw Atrum, but next time will open up to what happened to the rest of the group as the main protagonists will face the biggest threat at the moment.

Sakura's fate is at stake and her future will be dictated by her fortitude and by her friends. May the heavens guide the newest addition to the Joestar family into pure salvation.

Lastly, if this isn't clear at the moment, this Dio will not steal the scene. He is a man with a side mission in this plot and one that will be soon accomplished. No asspulls, no extended assistance, the rest is up to the other characters to solve. I am aware of how risky a move this one is, but trust me when I say I have a clear plan in mind and it will give all a chance to find this a good plot.

P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c

 

[JBukharin]

Chapter 28: Esecuzione, Part 2

The world was still spinning when Sakura stood up from the ground.

It unfolded so suddenly- to be yanked out from the car, that her body was still recoiling at the sudden development. Teeth gritting intensely, her blue eyes narrowed at the few creatures forming around and blocking their path to... the coliseum? There was a pillar of light coming through it and, if things were as stupidly easy as she expected these to be, then their current goal was to get there and beat up the cause of this issue.

Around her were Arcueid, Narancia, Caren and Trish. It was just the four of them... where were the others?

"It would seem like we are alone for now," Arcueid muttered, with Caren nodding.

They couldn't see anyone else, and a grim thought entered Sakura's mind. They have been split, purposely so- the entity behind such a reality shift- the chaos that was troubling existence itself around them, was the same individual they were currently hunting down. Goetia.

"We need to get going then. We... Have a job to do."

At this point, the drill was clear to everyone. With Narancia's ｢Aerosmith｣ taking off and providing assistance against the few aerial foes in front of them, while Arcueid and Sakura acted against the main front. Caren protected Trish as the pinkette used ｢Spice Girl｣ to throw back any projectile attack thrown at them. Fast, they had to get this warpath going without ever faltering.

But as they started to advance and tore through the army of small Imps, skeleton knights and even a few low-tier demons, the situation started to get more complicated. Something was happening to everyone but Arcueid. Caren perceived this first, feeling a degree of nausea as they advanced. It was something in the air, like a form of pollution which was influencing their breathing- no, their minds.

"S-Something is tainting the air against normal humans," Caren muttered. "We need- We have to stop this before we all fall to this."

Sakura nodded nervously, knowing that something more was unfolding inside her. If for the others it was nausea and a sense of weakness, within the plum-haired girl a strange and raw rage was slowly unraveling and taking over her violent assault over the foes in front of them. She felt the need to smile, to laugh, to enjoy the carnage and to make it her 'mark' on the world. No one saw it, not even Arcueid as the vampire was busy shredding into the other monsters and couldn't pay attention to Sakura's own plight.

Sakura held out, she knew she had it in her as ｢One Vision｣ never once lost focus of their current task. Trish was the first to 'fall'. The girl stumbled, losing consciousness as Narancia rushed to get her and carry her in his back as they got closer to their destination. Caren looked tired too and while he was trying to hide it, even Narancia was growing more sluggish in his pace.

Eventually they made it, entering the large monument through one of the open entrances and closing it behind them with ｢Aerosmith｣ shooting down some pieces of the ceiling onto the entrance. They paused for a moment, with Narancia falling on his knees and allowing Caren to get Trish off his back before he collapsed, with the pinkette still unconscious.

"We can't... go on," Caren mumbled, sitting down and cradling Trish close. "Sakura... I am sorry."

"D-Don't be," Sakura replied, nodding. "We will stop him. Just... hold on tight."

Caren offered a tiny smile as Arcueid and Sakura left... and then growled when she stared at the blood coming from the wounds on her legs and arms which had been hidden by her robes. Her cursed nature allowed the pollution to hurt her the most and... she was going to make it.

I believe in Sakura and she will... save me.

Meanwhile Sakura was feeling uneasy. This whole situation was getting out of hand really fast as they tried to reach the main arena. The pollution hadn't stopped, and she was on a losing battle as she could feel her own consciousness faltering. She held strong, but she knew she wasn't going to last for long. Their path ultimately led them to the source of all trouble.

Goetia stood in front of the pillar of light, various artifacts on display behind such a phenomenon as he was waiting for something- no, someone. He turned around, the 'old priest king' appearance twisted in a demonic fashion. With his eyes now a bloody red with dark sclera, his mouth extending beyond his lips' limits and his body twitching in clear inhuman fashion- Goetia stood out from his creature due to its unusual existence. And he soon stared at them approaching.

"Matou Sakura- no, Kujo Sakura and Arcueid Brunestud. Many would say that your existence is flawed, Sakura, but I define you for what you truly are- an anomaly," Goetia muttered. "A mere child you may seem to be, yet your mere circumstance is indeed unexpected for the Will of the Planet. Your fated damnation, your tainting- even though your destiny was prevented in 1994, now you shall be part of something greater. The Holy Grail, you shall be a piece of this glorious plan to erase humanity as a whole."

Sakura scowled, starting to walk towards him despite how grim the situation was, with Arcueid following her example. The action wasn't lost to Goetia, which hummed and then mused.

"Oh? So you seek to approach me. Despite how miserable your chances are, you still seek to fight me and bring my defeat upon this world."

"I can't beat you up if I am not close enough," She admitted stiffly, unwilling to give up just because the bad guy asked.

"Not everyone can be some disgusting monster that can't handle a real fight," Arcueid added dryly, causing Goetia to frown at them.

"Truly? You both think you will succeed? Quite a pathetic feeling, and I suppose this is indeed humanity's finest flaw. Let's see what you two have to offer then."

At first, the two girls thought it would have been a tough but feasible fight. Goetia was still killable in that stage and they did deal a lot of damage to him early on as they tore into his efforts to stop them. But the more time passed, the more the situation shifted against them. The first issue was when Goetia's attempt to summon some of the Demon Pillars turned out to be successful, with three massive pillars with eyes manifested and forced Arcueid to shift her focus on them while Sakura kept on assaulting Goetia.

The more demonic power surged and the more reality twisted, the easier it was for Goetia to ultimately unleash his true form. From a somewhat killable Demon on par with a Magus of the Age of God, the greatest creation of Solomon mustered a form befitting of the king of demons, his figure now towering over Sakura with his massive frame and muscular shape. Atop his head, ethereal golden horns emerged like antlers with gold leaves sprouting from its many tips. A twisted regal entity.

And Sakura was also losing her focus. The pollution had effectively deprived her of much of her control over her actions and most of her fighting was done by pure instinct alone. Without a plan or good reactions to some attack, the girl felt pressured into a corner before being eventually slammed onto one of the walls, his great right hand wrapped tightly around her neck.

"You shall concede to me, child. For I am the one that holds this whole dimension hostage. There is no winning, there is no losing- there is just you following my orders and, perhaps, you will find peace through death."

"I-I refuse," Sakura growled furiously. "I will- I will not surrender. Not to someone like you."

Goetia was frowning hard on her, disappointed in this stubbornness, yet quickly picking up that her unyielding morale was not the only thing rising up to the challenge. Something else within her was, and it was growing over the rage, feasting on it and using it as fuel to extend its influence over Sakura's body. She felt it burn through what was left of her self-control and her eyes glowed in pure hatred, stunning Goetia for a moment too long for him to see how things were soon going to change for him.

"｢One Vision｣:" She proclaimed angrily. "Absolute!"

Anger fueled a transformation that tainted the original purpose of her Stand. From mere copycat, ｢One Vision｣ shuddered as its coat turned from white into pitch black, its blue elements turning red. It wasn't the only thing that changed as Sakura's hair turned white with its edges a dark-blood red. Her eyes were a deep violet which felt like a never-ending abyss. The corruption got to her, but not in the way that Goetia would have expected. As Sakura shifted up, standing from the floor, Goetia unconsciously backed away. It was sudden, unexpected and... something about this genuinely frightened him.

"W-What are you?"

No, he knew already. Something about her power- her vicious smile - it all made sense to him. Too much sense, in fact. The pillars surrounding the large arena shuddered, a sense of familiarity striking them as Sakura glared deviously at Goetia. No, this was no longer Sakura. This was more, so much more. It took him a moment, then it all clicked as he felt his Divine form faltering before hers. Something hit him and it was strong enough to overrun his own magical might. It was absolute, it was intense... it felt like his Nega-Summon skill.

It could only mean one thing.

"You became a Beast... that's why I wasn't stopped before, it was expected- your rise was... expected!" He called out, horror dawning upon his fake face as Sakura's grin turned predatorial.

"Yep~."

It was the only warning Goetia got as Sakura blurred forward and, with a single punch, tore his left arm off. It was sudden, it was intense and he felt something malicious starting to stab into his wounds and 'closing them'. It wasn't a proper healing, no, it was something more horrible. His body was getting devoured from the inside by such an entity and...

HE COULDN'T ACCEPT THIS DISAPPOINTING DEFEAT!

He jumped away, rushing to his brothers and draining on their essence to fix the damage. It worked, if only just barely as he felt his new limb was still hurting from what Sakura did. Snarling at the injury, he could only glare defiantly at the smiling demoness he had created. The taint on reality itself through her was much worse than anything he had ever perceived.

This was a novelty he would have enjoyed to study more through, but said novelty was the key to his success and said key was putting on a fight way more intense than anything he would have predicted. He was frustrated, quite so, but Goetia was not going to let this development stop him and his goals.

He was too damn close for this, and he wasn't going to be stopped by a foolish little child-turned-Beast!

---------d-d-d-d---------

Bruno hummed dryly, the car they just hijacked was working just fine, but the city was a mess.

Rome had indeed fallen, and it was clear that their current targets, Diavolo and Goetia, were behind this. Their group has been severely weakened as Narancia and the girls plus Arlecchino, Medea and the priest were no longer within reach. Luckily for them, Polnareff was with them and he was fine. He still held the Requiem Arrow's box with him, the item having been left untouched.

Still, they had to move and get to deal with one of those dangerous threats at once. The Coliseum was the easiest destination to see, but it was also the furthest from where they were. Hence why Mista was not driving them there, but rather taking a detour to reach the Quirinale Palace. When inquired on why this was the place for them to go, Bucciarati admitted hearing the boss mention that such a place would have been fitting for the leader of Passione. With Diavolo's mind declining as of recently, it wouldn't be too absurd to believe he had gone out and conquered the place for himself.

And he was given confirmation of this when they could find some corpses of former thugs working for Passione and then catching up with Pesci and Prosciutto as they were fending off some skeletons on their own. Prosciutto had some bandages on him but he was fine enough to join the fights from a distance. Once the area was cleared, the group tagged along and they made their way to reach where Risotto had left for. It's been awhile since the two had seen the new Boss, but they were hopeful he would be fine even now while killing Diavolo.

What anyone couldn't have expected was the sight that they found in the 'throne room'. It was clear that a big fight had ensued. Most of the place was broken, with the floor cracked, the chandeliers on the ground destroyed, the few tables shattered and...

Giorno stood between the bloodied form of Risotto and a now-standing Diavolo, the man glaring at the blond as the knighted form he showed was now standing before him - his Servant - and taking a stance towards a dark-armored knight that was using a twisted lance. The child, Nursery Rhyme, was trying to heal Risotto, but the damage he suffered was extensive and was going to take more than some limited magical power to fix that. The situation was indeed grim, but he could see that Risotto was still alive.

The standoff persisted even as they moved forward, with Abbacchio crouching to assist Nursery Rhyme and Bruno walking up to stand between Giorno and the armored Servant. Diavolo turned his green-eyed gaze to him.

"Bruno Bucciarati. Of all loyal members of this group, I was the most shocked to hear about your betrayal. Why did you seek to break from the very group that saved you from being tossed in jail?"

"The very reason that drove me to join this group was to help people to not experience the same experiences I had as a child," He flatly replied. "You think this is a betrayal, Diavolo. You chose to continue with these deplorable activities that harmed kids. There is no justification that can be employed, you grew rotten and greedy."

"Fuh, if this is what you have to say for yourself, then I believe you are truly gone and beyond saving," The former boss remarked. "Lancer, let us cease this rebellion for good."

The tall 'black knight' nodded, while the other one tightened the hold over her sword.

"Come forth then, father. So I shall show you how horrible you truly have become!"

Bruno wasn't completely sure what they were dealing with but-

"We will deal with them," Giorno muttered, confusing his chief for a few moments. "We got this."

"Giorno-"

"Trust... him..." Risotto muttered weakly, catching Bucciarati's attention.

"And bring him to safety, he needs to be taken care of by an expert."

Bruno didn't want to go. This was a risky situation and quantity may be the key to success, but Risotto's confidence was absolute and the man showed no hints of backing away from such order. There was little for them to do, but someone decided to leave something behind. Giorno looked surprised when he was offered a very familiar box, but Polnareff merely patted his back.

"You may have a shitty father, but you are worthy of this. Good kid you are, I hope to see you succeed today."

"P-Polnareff!" Diavolo angrily greeted. "I thought you perished!"

"You failed, Diavolo," The crippled Stardust Crusader muttered mirthfully. "To kill me and to end this world. Face the price of your actions, for this shall be a day of judgment for you."

Giorno didn't say a word, his focus aimed at the box as he retrieved the Arrow inside.

As they were leaving with a barely-alive Risotto, Bruno felt three energies erupting together with the bright lights behind them. He didn't turn to see, ordering the other men to follow through with their plan and bring the future Boss to safety so he could be healed properly. He wanted to stay, he wanted to help but... the more he thought about it, the more he realized that something convinced Risotto into believing in Giorno.

If a realist such as the leader of La Squadra was willing to concede the right to face Diavolo to an idealist such as Giorno, then Risotto saw something that made the blond worthy of such honor.

And Bucciarati knew, just like the rest of those that had been close to Giorno for a while, that this- this was perhaps the turning tide they had been waiting for. The end of an Era of Blood for the sake of an Era of Peace.

---------d-d-d-d------------

AN

Next time we will go through a bit of a 'flashback' on what happened during that fight between Risotto, Artoria Alter Lancer and Diavolo, how Giorno arrived and got Risotto's trust and... we will see how Dio is faring.

Also, I have to explain a few things for those that are not familiar with Beasts. Sakura is not a complete Beast, but she is 'fitting' certain requirements which would allow her to become one if she allowed the transformation to fully happen. Right now she is one shoe in to become what I would classify as 'Beast III/S', or the 'Beast of Disbelief'. The Sin in question is her mind forfeiting any form of belief within existence which may or may not be true. Without belief, there's only absolute despair. And right now, Sakura seeks to bring this to Goetia by shredding any chances he has to hurt those she cares for. And that's where the 'half-Beast' bit comes through: Sakura has not fully embraced the Sin she is supposed to represent.

Hence why, despite her current advantage over Goetia... She isn't much stronger than him. She is advantaged by the Sin her form embodies, with Goetia's purpose born from personal belief over others. Without belief, Goetia's purpose falls apart and thus his power, his will of fighting, perishes with it.

P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c

 

[JBukharin]

Chapter 29: Esecuzione, Part 3

Fast.

Risotto growled as his pace was being disrupted by the intense attitude taken by the armored Servant. He knew that he was fighting a powerful entity, but his Stand was nothing to scoff at when it came to aggressive assassinations. ｢Metallica｣ was quick to coat his whole frame in iron particles, reflecting the light and blending his appearance into the location, thus depriving his current opponent of the chance to strike him down when she could.

The armored knight was quick to understand it was invisibility, but her approach to it was cautious and slow, a mistaken take on how to handle his Stand's ability. ｢Metallica｣'s capacity to manipulate Iron came handy into understanding the scale of the danger he was facing. The knight's armor had some iron, but the particles couldn't be influenced for some reason. Magic, maybe, or something within the alloy that wasn't recognized by his Stand as Iron. So, rather than try to squish her to a quick death, Risotto shifted his focus on weakening her.

The knight's slow-paced resolve was quickly put to test when she suddenly was forced to lift her helmet to spat some paper clips that had formed in her throat. That should have put everyone to a pause, but she swiftly expelled the iron-made items, and jumped away from Risotto's proximity. That was not a reaction he wanted his target to have. Not when his maximum reach was ten meters and she was well away from that.

Approaching was also unfeasible with Diavolo acting as some sort of eagle over the field, keeping an eye on noises and using his power to predict his pattern. A tricky situation, but not one he couldn't shift to his opportunity. Diavolo was bound to that throne, arrogantly thinking he was safe from any issue, but looking quite surprised when the iron his Servant ejected was turned into daggers that soared towards him.

｢King Crimson｣ manifested and dealt with the attack, creating a mistaken location to where he was and gaining the Lancer's attention. The woman struck the ground near her pool of blood, thinking that disrupting the blood would spare any other troubles. She didn't know how wrong she was.

Right as she dispersed the liquid, her body froze as she was forced to eject more of it from her mouth, this time it was stapler pins. But rather than fully deal with it, the Servant struggled and found the chances to force the pins out of her throat much more difficult than it had been with the clips. And this was his chance to strike. The closer he was, the more control he had over iron. And with just a few steps towards the Servants, Risotto had all he needed to secure himself a win.

"He's behind you, two meters!"

Too little, too late. No amount of tattling would assist the Servant as, while the woman shifted to hit him with her lance, her body froze as ｢Metallica｣ took over and shredded bones in her limbs. It was not enough to break them, but it paralyzed her with pain. It gave him the edge to rush and shatter her skull with it and... that didn't happen.

The lance suddenly activated, a powerful pulse of energy came and formed a barrier that slammed onto Risotto and pushed him onto some broken chairs' pieces. The wood stabbed into his body, but only his left leg and arm were maimed the worst. The wounds aren't healing fast enough to make a difference, and, while Diavolo looked hardly in good shape, he was still alive and well on the path of recovery.

Which was quite negative for his planning. Coughing a bit more blood, but shifting the iron around the spilled red to get back in his body and temporarily seal his damaged self, Risotto wasn't ready to give up just yet. It wasn't a permanent fix, but it was enough to give him a chance to kill them for good.

Or it would have been a good way to secure a chance if not for a situation he didn't expect. The armored knight stood straight just as he did, and it felt odd how her body was just... moving flawlessly. There was no sign of limping or of hunching with her steps. It was like she had completely healed from that much damage. Which would have been terrifying had this been a normal human being- but this was a Servant. And one that instantly shattered his hopes when another pulse, this one stronger than the previous one, broke him up once more, rupturing his makeshift fix for his injury and leaving Risotto in a close-to-death situation.

He was reaching a critical situation and the Lancer was slowly approaching when something smashed through the rooftop and landed right near Diavolo. It took a moment for the dust to clear out, but soon the sight of a familiar blond was now clear.

"Giorno Giovanna," Diavolo greeted. "Your presence here is... most unnecessary. Even so, I have to say... I was surprised when I found out that your father was the very man that bought most of the Arrows for himself."

"I am not DIO, Diavolo," His knightly form dematerializing as another individual manifested. One that was quickly staring angrily at the fellow knight.

"Father!"

"Mordred."

Father and son, heh?

"How dare you summon my Father in such hideous form! I will not forgive you, pink bastard!"

Diavolo scoffed at the insult, but he seemed more interested in Giorno.

"I could give you so much if you allowed these mongrels to die. You are young, so is Narancia and Fugo- you three can survive given that lapses of youth are something I am quite familiar with."

"This rebellion- no, this revolution, Diavolo, is not one that you can stop with bribes," Giorno rebuffed his chance, something many his age would have taken. "The stakes are too high, and I refuse to let more children be hurt by the drugs you bring here in this country. This ends now!"

Risotto coughed weakly, trying to keep up and provide assistance, but he was struggling to even listen as a tiny figure in the form of Nursery Rhyme rushed forth to help him. He could see it in the child's eyes- there was no hope for her to heal him. He was too far gone. He wanted to be angry at this- the chances of his conquest of Passion dashed away by a situation well beyond any planning. He wanted to be frustrated- he wanted to scream at fate for its unfairness but... he couldn't

Risotto just stood there, weakly dying as he knew that, even as Bucciarati came to his rescue, his odds of survival were grim at best. Yet, he trusted Giorno. Something about his resolve and his chances made him believe- plus, something about this fit right into what he had hoped to see.

The old broken by the new, a new generation of criminals that followed the patriotic view of some of the early brigands. To protect their land and people rather than for the riches and the control of everything. And Giorno was going to lead it- him and those of the same mindset. And it all reminded Risotto of something he once heard from Xuanzang back when he first met her.

His skepticism was ruptured by a wisdom that went beyond her youthful appearance and that brought into him a sense of newfound doubt and self-thought. He always defined himself unworthy of the crown, willing to take it because there was no choice. But when he rejected the notion of doing it because he was a hero, especially since he regretted none of the deeds he was responsible for which deprived lives, old and young, the monk didn't seem upset by this genuine self-evaluation.

Her ensuing words were what now gave him one last wish to pray on.

You know, that's what Sun Wukong told me. "How can I be a hero even after what I did to so many people? I don't regret it, you know?" You know what I told him, Risotto? I started with "It's quite simple. If you can't be a hero, then help one become it."

If Risotto couldn't take that crown, then someone with a brighter future would. The bloody legacy of Diavolo was not one a man that lived and served him for so long could really entertain. Not without being corrupted by it. Giorno was young, yes, but Bruno was going to stand beside him. And while Bucciarati was no king, he could easily become a king-maker through his advice and guidance.

Yes, Risotto knew it. A new age was in front of them and his passing, together with Diavolo was going to give it the might it needed to happen. Gone were the old monsters, for new heroes were now here to cleave the taint out of the Italian territory...

------------d-d-d-d--------

AN

So, today I was quite busy being outside for RL stuff. I am literally cooked because the heat is atrocious here and the UV Index is quite worrying. I had initially planned to just delay the writing of the full chapter to after lunch, but even as I got myself a power-nap, my body just refused to put itself into the production of a proper one.

Heck, writing this small one took a few hours of planning, battling tiredness and drinking a questionable amount of cold tea and... it gives me an opportunity to expand the last few chapters without delving too much in the flashback. What I can say right now is that next time will have a proper chapter. And since this one was not planned, let's add an extra chapter to the finale's count.

P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c

 

[JBukharin]

Chapter 30: Requiem, Part 1

Sakura was in pain. And yet she couldn't help but smile.

It was an odd feeling- to be subjected to agony and yet pull through despite it. It was not something unusual, not when her life was so unusual. Bizarre and yet, in the past, horrible. Despair was no novelty to her, and this form of self-burning just rekindled in her a sense of vengeance that transcended what she had felt as a child.

She remembered it all. Zouken, the worms- it was all crawling within her together with sins that she became bearer of. Sakura's anger was eternal, and matching Goetia's lust for power. Two wrathful entity, one driven by construction and one shaped by pain and then cast by familial kindness.

A puppet against a puppet. A monster against a monster.

But while that should equate to matching powers, Sakura's advantage was not absolute as her current stand. The way ｢One Vision: Absolute｣ worked was weakened by the inner transformation that was turning her into the truest Calamity, akin to Goetia himself. Yet, the Stand prevented her full transformation by protecting the inner core of her emotions. The purest form of her soul was not surrendering to the Beast growing from within.

Her amusement skyrocketed just as she was slammed once more by one of the walls of the Roman arena, her teeth and lips stained in her own blood as she roused from her own seemingly frail position and regained momentum against her current Enemy. Between the two, Goetia was the one that had a short-term advantage. He was the strongest of the two, yet he was also the least prepared for fighting.

Sakura was experienced, albeit just barely more than the Solomon-built entity. She knew how to fight, and her current limited power, her Curse of Disbelief, was slowly eroding Goetia's own capacity to rely with his own power. Without his Beliefs, Goetia would be unable to rely on his inner strenght. There would be no Morale, there would be no drive. Only sorrow within his newfound incapacity to understand his current madness.

YOU ARE WEAK!​

But the more Sakura fought, the more she felt her body faltering and her spirit fleeting as the malicious intent bubbling within her mind was taking over her weakened self. It was a like a massive worm swallowing her whole. Her despair souring, her smile losing personality as it was replaced by the input of something else and then, right as she managed to punch Goetia's ribs once again and compress his chest until he was unable to do much for a while, her eyes blinked closed as something else took over her.

MINE MINE MINE​

She tried to fight off, to reclaim something that was hers to have, but that feeling was lost to her. She was drowned into the depths of her own unease and nervousness, the shock driving her deeper with no visible chance of remerging from that familiar dark mud that took her individual self from the equation.

REST, FOR THIS IS MY TIME TO SHINE!​

The need to sleep increased, Sakura's mind persisting but close to falter entirely to the demand. She had failed to see the issue until it was too late... or maybe not. A moment, then, as reality continued to fracture, she felt her lulled body taken to something that wasn't familiar to her. She felt carelessly dropped onto a cold ground... yet her head rested on something soft.

Legs?

"Good grief, Sakura."

She would have gone rigid at that as she recognized that voice.

Dad...

She wanted to tell him she was sorry. How this all came to explode into something she wasn't prepared for. That, even at her best, she was struggling and that her best wasn't enough. She felt embarrassed as her father told her how being too bold would risk her so much. Sakura felt chided by life in a way that she should have already learned. The beating, the pain, the sorrow- it was all like when she was a little girl. How frail she was, how she had to be taken away by those that were old enough to be strong and face the monster that was hurting her.

Sakura grew up, and yet her admiration for her father never stopped- it grew into something of an obsession: she wanted to be as strong as he was- in mind, in soul, and in body. She trained, she read, she tried to pull the same stoic faces as he would do, but, even with that, she was not strong enough. She failed and it was the whole world paying for it. Sakura felt tears forming faster as the familiar large palm owned by Jotaro caressed her face, pulling away a few locks resting on her forehead as his thumb calmly rubbed there in comfort.

"You didn't fail."

She did. She let the monster take over, she allowed her pain to lead her into her own damnation and-

"Yet you still survive," Jotaro muttered within that dream. "You are alive."

She was but... why?

"Why not? Why are you giving up?"

I failed-

"Did you? Are you going to accept defeat even now that you live? Don't you remember what I told you many times? You may not be related to blood to me, but you are my daughter," Jotaro remarked. "You are someone I took in my family wanting nothing more but one thing. For you to survive, endure, and be better than anyone. Even me."

Dad, I-

"You have failed no one. You didn't fail me, your mother, your sister- not even those others in our family and those friends of ours and yours. You live, Sakura, and right now you need to make a choice. Will you make that step you know you need to take- to grow up from that shadow of mine you cast over yourself, or will you give up because you can't grow up?"

Her sobbing didn't stop, she felt completely upset by this- she felt deprived, rightfully so, of the choice. It wasn't fair... but life was never fair. And she stumbled on this mess in the first place. Had she been more careful- had she remained out of this mess... maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe. Yet she still walked this path because it was... right. It was bad how things unfolded, but she wasn't done yet.

Kujo Sakura was still alive and strong, and unwilling to give up to Goetia and, worse, her own darkness. It was still taunting her, calling her weak and frail. Yet, the more she wondered about her current strength, she felt something tapping her out of despair itself: hope. Hope to make things right- hope to not become the monster that Zouken wanted her to turn into- hope to give the world another chance at all costs.

It felt like a surge of energy, the darkness vanishing and Jotaro no longer here. No, he was never here. It was a shadow that lurked by her side, reminding to her how it was time to make that big step. And how this was going to change everything. As much as it pained her to do this, she was ready. She felt ready and thus... she emerged from her own darkness.

It all happened so suddenly. The malicious influence trying to fight her off, but Sakura showing no hesitation in tearing everything down with the help of the very thing that stuck to her to the very end. The manifestation of her fighting spirit, her Stand, her ｢One Vision: Absolute｣- With its mighty 'ORAs', the humanoid shredded into the attempts to keep her down.

No more she would let her own fear and anger dictate her decisions. The world of darkness collapsed as she soon found herself in a different situation. Drained, yet her body was still working just as Goetia's. The King of Demons was faltering, yet he seemed to slowly recover as the Beast of Disbelief abandoned the field and left behind a very driven Kujo Sakura.

"You fool! You allowed that power to leave you and now I shall-"

He didn't get to finish that sentence. A villain so dramatic and dangerous didn't deserve as much. He didn't notice how immediate her Stand could move, nor that he was already struck with a fist. The punch slammed, but Goetia didn't recoil because he felt his world fixed within reality itself as a single point. Confusion emerged and then, as if his soul vanished, his body started to falter in dark mist. Confusion, panic, he tried to hold onto the knowledge that the rest of the Demon-Pillars survived, but all those around him perished. An immediate erasure of concept, Sakura had wanted them to disappear and for Reality to slowly repair.

Goetia realized only as the process was underway- Sakura's plan was to use the Demon-Pillars as batteries for Gaia and Alaya to work on fixing the damage. They have been found, they have been marked and their capacity to outpace the Will of the Planet and of Mankind was no longer there to protect them. The King of Demons tried to throw one last insult, but he knew that his existence was now over as his world collapsed around him. Goetia roared, but it was a feeble noise against a quiet reckoning within Sakura's heart.

She smiled, the cracks patching themselves as the world started to fix itself for good as the damage caused by Goetia was properly mending itself back to an original status quo. Her relief was brief, the girl noticing two elements within the vast capacity of her euphoric Stand which shook her to the core. First was Giorno, he was winning with a golden shine that went beyond her expectation and then... she felt him. And he noticed her back.

Sudden and yet he was now out of her sight right as the input reached back to her. Recognition, familiariaty and... confusion.

...Dio is here?

---------d-d-d-d------

Giorno wasn't sure how the Arrow was meant to work, but he didn't hesitate to use it on his Stand. He craved not the power it offered, but rather wanted to have everything that was within reach that could break Diavolo for good.

He was tired- too tired to accept the madness of the former boss of Passione as forgivable with a 'dull' punishment. Death was too kind, not because he felt enticed to be an executioner, but because Diavolo's greatest crime was now causing the potential end of the world. And there was nothing more horrid than imagining innocents being dragged into this shift of power. The way he clung to the insanity that was the rupture of reality as a whole... Giorno had no choice, Diavolo had to die.

And when he felt ｢Gold Experience｣ shift from its previous form and into something new. He spared it a glance, and he felt it- His Stand maturing into the perfect representation of hiw will upon the world itself. Diavolo noticed, and moved to a speed Giorno was sure ｢Gold Experience｣ would have not matched in its normal state of self. This version of his Stand, easily smacked the approaching punches away and drove a fist right onto ｢King Crimson｣'s stomach.

Diavolo felt the painful hit slam into his belly, forcing him to bend slightly forward.



｢Gold Experience Requiem｣ had many similar features like the original stand, including the ladybugs on its hands and the oblong grooves across its body. Its head now extended into pointed tips with the back of the head hollow, giving it the appearance of a crown or a flower that's grown up and bloomed. Its eyes were peculiar as its 'eyeballs' were embedded in cross-like structure within slanted sockets, showing a degree of autonomous thinking superior to its original self. It also had an extended ridge collar on the back of its neck and several indentations and various other patterns covering its body.

And his Stand wasn't the only thing that 'evolved' through that interaction with the Arrow.

Mordred had experienced changes too as her armor was now thicker, and her Clarent had turned into a spiral lance akin to the one used by her father, the energy coming from it purer and clearer. The Goddess-Tyrant grunted as her enemy suddenly showed a degree of power that either matched or overwhelmed her current capacity, frustrated by the sight yet showing hints of pride at the sight of her child now bearing the truest appearance of a king.

"Father, it's time for you to go back to the Throne of Heroes."

"I will not yield so easily, Mordred," Artoria promised, shifting her lance and rushing forward, expecting to be met with a clash.

What she found was, however, more one-sided than she expected. Especially when a sphere of pink mana slammed onto her armor and shattered part of the piece around her free hand. She paused, confusion roused by the unexpected attack, yet her eyes narrowing at the cause of it all.

Nursery Rhyme had 'grown', with her appearance mostly unchanged, but now no longer a child as she stood close in height to Giorno and her expression no longer holding innocence towards her current foe, but anger.

"A King, you are not. Alice can see how frantic you are right now, how fragile your ego is. But alas, the reason why I have to disappoint the fair King Mordred is not because of disrespect," The Caster hummed politely, noticing Mordred's irritated look at having her interrupt. "Children are going to die if she is not defeated. That, as my duty as shielder of the childhood, can't be set aside. Apologies, Mordred, but I will take part to this war of yours in the name of goodness and truth."

Disappointing for Mordred, but bearable within the reasoning she was given. Artoria was shocked by this, and while part of her wanted to protest, she didn't have a chance to. Mordred blurred with her pace, zeroing the distance between their distance, cleanly slamming her Rhongomyniad onto her shoulder and successfully detaching the arm connected to her weapon.

Sudden and so powerful, but not as powerful as the barrage of magic that further devoured at her armor. It was brutal and none of this felt like a duel. And why would it? The thought was motivated by the reality she was trying to protect, the twisted desire not even in her worst day she could have imagined. As dreadful this conduct was from her own span, Artoria recognized the need to make it less of a duel and more of a war. And one that Mordred was winning with ease.

That's when she saw him, her Master, moving through the curious power of his in an effort to try and save her by attacking Mordred. Futile as she was already too weak to make a stand, but he could see his point. His previous opponent was to strong to engage and Diavolo was trying to thin the numbers of his current disadvantage by sneaking a quick attack on the strongest beside their Master.

But, to their surprise, that didn't happen. Not when Mordred moved through the fragment of time being manipulated by Diavolo, with her lance effortlessly cutting Diavolo in two, severing his lower body from the upper one. The pink-haired criminal looked shocked, the pain having yet to reach his brain but... it was already too late.

Giorno as right behind him and in a nigh-impossible to see high-paced assault led by hundreds if not thousands of Mudas, sent Diavolo's bruised and battered body onto the wall to perish at once. And as she saw her Master's defeat, Artoria felt death upon her through the magic that poured through her helmet and earnestly destroyed what it was trying to protect. Headless, the Tyrant fell and her body vanished into golden mist.

Giorno stared at the scene with muted relief, expecting for something else to happen but perceiving that reality was mending through an external force. Another Stand- Sakura? He hoped so, but as he tried to ease down his uneasy posture, something else reached his perception as something was bending Reality to a degree.

He turned to stare at a direction in particular as they perceived the same thing through the bond they had with him, his eyes narrowing as he could tell someone was opening small and stable holes through the fabric of reality. Saying nothing to his Servants, Giorno jumped up to the closest window with the help of his Stand and rushed to see who was causing this new mess, Saber and Caster trailing shortly behind him as the victorious rush was soon to be completed.

And as the world was saved for good, a single individual was finishing his real job and bracing for the final revelation over this lengthy adventure.

---------d-d-d-d--------

AN

The finale is around the corner and then... an Epilogue!

P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c

 

[Darkscythe Drake]

And thus the Requiem begins, the Introitus, if you will.

 

[JBukharin]

Chapter 31: Requiem, Part 2

- Dio's POV -

"I suppose you are Hiyoko and the little girl is Miyu."

If Atrum was expecting a prolonged fight to delay my plans, he had things wrong. Sure, he was a monstrous mana-beast, but his capacity to fight was through sheer power limited by the confines of reality. It wasn't exactly meant to go beyond said limits... differently from my own set of skills.

A fight like this would have been troublesome had I been 14. That would have been a troublesome delay. But when Time can be stopped and warped to my likings, that sort of affair was just a quick piece of work. Easy as cake. And it sure felt glorious to see the abomination squeal in pain as I decimated it.

So many dead women, all for nothing. A shame, really, there was never a moment I couldn't find it disgusting how some people would fall so low for power. A reminder of why I had to pick an uphill road to get where I was, with power I got through dedication and hard work. And the result was visible just as I finished Atrum.

Sadly, I wasn't alone.

Medea merely nodded at the sight, pleased that nothing concerning developed from that fight, while Mr. Dawn looked positively confused. I couldn't exactly tell him everything without having him go insane because of it, but I mentioned one thing that made the overall situation clear to him.

"I was asked by the man that holds the Kaleidoscope to retrieve those Atrum is currently hiding the most," I remember humming, the bespectacled man listening raptly as I wasn't done just yet. "Their retrieval is way more important than anything that is unfolding here right now."

"How 'more important'? And you are-"

"Dio Joestar. Do not mistake me with that foul monster that was DIO," I interjected, seeing some unease. "I understand that you have good reasons to worry, yet I am not the same person. I am far from that. In fact, this very quest should be proof of it."

"Why? Who are you- we rescuing?"

"Two innocent people. I am sure you or people from your Agency had heard of the Children of God."

The old priest frowned. "The Sakatsuki Clan?"

I nodded. "While it would be correct to assume that their standard methods to achieve their magical goal is incorrect, people know how to harness that power. A Lesser Grail without requiring sacrifices and that could be used for superior wishcraft combinations," I further elaborated on the point. "There is a group, not from this dimension, which has been behind the revival of Goetia. Right now, as we speak, they expected to create a situation which would create chaos and, in the middle of it, snatch these two from Atrum's clutches."

"A group? Is it Magi?"

"A family of them, yes. However, it's not one that you would recognize since it perished a long time ago in this dimension. Their only luck in survival was a mishap from the Age of God which... changed the fate of their patriarch," I answered. "And this man's plan- it's best to remove his chances to claim the remnant of the Sakatsuki Clan."

A subdued nod, the man was pleased with the response, but clearly unsure that what I told him was true. Fair point, but I didn't mind. Not with this last step being quite crucial and requiring an immediate action. Finding Miyu and her mother was easy, the two had been treated as prisoners, but fed and taken care of for a while now. Their clothes were tattered robes, but they lacked any grime or dirt on their skin.

Breaking their chains, I helped Hiyoko on her feet, the mother unsure of what was going on but recognizing we were a rescue party. She was soon hugging her daughter, the little girl nuzzling her face against her mother's shoulder.

"Y-Yes. Are- Are you here to save us?"

"I was sent by the Wizard Marshal to bring you to a safe place where no one shall try to use or hurt you or your daughter. Sadly, it's another dimension, but I promise you will be given the chance to live a happy and full life as a family."

The woman bowed her head. "I- We will take it."

I smiled at that, knowing that the lone parent was exhausted and couldn't exactly listen to much. I slowly used my Stand to warp a hole through the fabric of space and time, the Absolute form allowing me to do so without any stress on my body and allowing the two Sakatsuki females to step through to be welcomed by my wife on the other side. Hannah was going to take care of them while I cleaned up the last thing.

"What now, Joestar?" Mr. Dawn inquired and I spared him a smile.

"Now... we go outside so I can say some parting words before Medea and I leave for good."

"I see," He hummed. "You truly are not planning anything nefarious?"

"No."

It was a bit irking, but after dealing with this bias for years, I kind of learned to let it go. It wasn't their fault, and the infamy I held due to my original counterpart was enough to still keep me irked at times. Nonetheless, we started to leave the building and we were soon standing in front of an interesting cast that had rallied outside.

Sakura was there, her Stand manifested in most of its full potential from the looks of it- a product of facing Goetia. Meanwhile Giorno had seemingly used the Requiem Arrow to unleash his Stand's evolution from the way his Servants had 'evolved' too because of it. Reality had started to fix itself and... everything was in the clear for the time being.

"D-Dio?" Sakura muttered, eyes wide open as she looked one step away from reacting at my appearance.

"That's... father?" Giorno inquired, surprised as his Servants kept a fighting stance in the possible fight that was soon to unfold.

"Yes and no," I replied curtly. "Let's just say that Zelretch had a lot to explain, but I am sure the Blood Princess shall obtain what she needs if she asks him nicely."

"Why are you here?" Sakura pressed, taking a step forward and... I smiled.

"Once again, Zelretch's stuff. I would love to take time to provide an explanation, but my presence here can't last for long before Gaia and Alaya throw a fit."

"H-Hold up," Giorno muttered. "You are really Dio? Dio Brando..."

"My name is Dio Joestar. I am afraid that I am not your father as I don't share the same genes as Jonathan Joestar," I replied quietly. "Yet, I believe congratulations are in order for both of you. You overcome your fears and your limits, for that I believe praises and compliments are in order."

"But how?"

"Different dimensions," I curtly rebuked Sakura's effort to keep the conversation going. "Alas, I can only share a warning before we leave: Kujo Sakura, this is a victory for yourself- consider it as such. You grew and you got stronger, but the future holds more trouble for you. My role here is to prevent a catastrophic mistake from unfolding, but it will not solve the problems ahead of you. One of which, I am afraid to say, shares blood to you and they will not hold back despite that."

That stunned the plum-haired girl, but she numbly nodded at this. Meanwhile, I turned for one last exchange.

"Giorno."

He perked at that.

"Father or not, I am proud of what you are doing. Keep up with the good job, Gang-Star."

He cracked a tiny smile and I smiled back. It wasn't much- I would have loved to hug him, to say more and to be the dad I was to his counterpart but...

We have to leave.

Medea nodded thoughtlessly, and turned to stare at the portal I opened just now. She stepped through without hesitation and I followed shortly after, waving as I departed and leaving those native to this dimension to take care of the rest.

I had already risked enough with this intervention and I will have to guard Hiyoko and Miyu for a long time before I could really set them free. They will not be constrained, but protection had to be applied to avoid making this whole trip a futile gamble. Times were about to get rough, but I knew that there was a new Jojo in town to keep things clean.

This may have been Giorno's tale of hardships, but Sakura's own growth shall be tested with the threat that will soon loom over this dimension...

-------d-d-d-d--------------

AN

Dio leaves, but troubles remain. Sakura is finally free to relax for now, but Giorno will now have to face the new responsibilities falling upon his head with Risotto incapacitated. Passione shall be... reborn. Next time... an epilogue.

Also, I released the Pokemon Team Rocket Edition SI in QQ and the Hilichurl Story in both QQ and FFN. Have fun with that knowledge.

P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c

 

[JBukharin]

Epilogue A: Una Nuova Passione

Two months later, Roma.

It was a normal morning for most of the thugs that garrisoned the headquarters, but normality had been a difference compared to the previous years under Diavolo's control.

While many in the rebellious ranks of Passione had thought that Risotto would have taken over as the new leader, the damage Diavolo caused him in the last battle for Passione's and Italy's survival had left him crippled and unwilling to pursue an active role within the important administration of the organization. Instead, the leader of the Squadra was keen to put his weight behind Giorno Giovanna and his current hard work.

A fifteen years-old being left in charge may be seen as the beginning of real issues, but it would be a lie to say that these two months hadn't been something of a rebirth for their business. Expansion on the drug-related works had been curbed entirely and funds had been relocated for classic casino-related plans. Companies were subsidized, the government's hold was lessened as per recent agreements and Passione was pretty much taking a more public approach in its privacy.

Giorno was known as the boss, but no one would really believe among law enforcers that he was the real leader, and they wouldn't be entirely wrong. Despite his cleverness and understanding of the general issues of Passione, Giorno was not experienced when it came to specific specialists and their needs- not as much as Bucciarati. From a small squad that had slowly seen a rise through their last job, to the ones that determined Passione's orders.

And while that may sound frustrating from a low-tier grunt's point of view, the pay was good and it didn't feel as horrible to be a criminal. In fact, it was surprisingly better than it had been years ago. While it was true that their business model had reverted to the mafia's traditional roots, investments were made to allow multiple companies to be born. Dirty Money recycled for Legit cash, thus fueling not only the mafia's treasury, but the Italian one too.

New schools were established and old ones restored. Alice la Bella(1) was behind that sort of move, focusing on 'fostering childhood into a safe environment', while the security over the entire organization was captained by her partner, Medra la Bruta(2), as intense drilling was forced upon the enforcers to guarantee efficiency in the system but also quality in their many tasks.

In the span of two months, Passione was reorganized into a state-of-art crime organization which rivaled many all around the world. Giorno had made it, his dream to become a Gang-Star realized before the eyes of many as the rest of his team was quick to capitalize on this matter and provide new ideas.

But as Giorno led for the most part, Bruno Bucciarati was the 'Regent' of Passione, the man that was teaching Giorno about Passione's secrets together with Risotto. The blond was bound to be shaped by their clashing ideals, but the current strong-mind of his made him a good idealist who knew how to apply his ideas within realistic boundaries.

Without even putting much effort, Giorno found himself revered by the entire Passione. Even those that had enjoyed Diavolo's rule the most were quite loyal to his administration as it still favored their businesses in most part. Any loyalist to the old regime was taken into account and dealt with swiftly.

Two months, and the world had changed immensely. Questions regarding the events tied to these changes were instantly shot down without hesitation. Not literally, but no one wanted to ask as the known story was that 'Diavolo did something, and Risotto and Giorno solved it'. Nothing else was mentioned. Nothing about the sight of monsters, the potential end of the world, or the fact that something akin to magical madness had unfolded through that matter.

Only confusion and curiosity, as it was expected by those that brokered that sort of background. Giorno was, of course, unsure if this was good, but his cousin had promptly told him that it was for the best to keep the world blissfully unaware of the mess itself. Especially when the Church had made it clear any 'surprise revelation' may end poorly for him and the entire planet as a whole.

A very unpleasant ultimatum, but one the young man agreed to not go against. There was just so much bad that would come by being stupidly dominant in that regard, and it was best to keep this as a big secret. After all, the truth would feel more like a massive lie than a genuine case of honesty.

With Italy turning away from the years of sorrow that had unfolded after the Years of Lead, Giorno could tell that the misadventures of his cousin and her tiny entourage were far from over.

----------d-d-d-d------------

AN

First Epilogue, two more down the list. With the next one being about Sakura and the last one... a secret.

Glossary:
1- Alice la Bella/Nursery Rhyme: Alice from her Fate Extra's Master, Alice, and 'La Bella' means 'the Beautiful';
2- Medra la Bruta/Mordred: Medra from Medraut which is another name to Mordred's legend, and 'La Bruta' is the feminine version of 'The Brute', to not confuse with 'la Brutta' or 'the Ugly'. She will stab you if you do.

P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c
Also Patreon: P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin

 

[JBukharin]

Epilogue B: Nightmares of an Uncertain Future

Spoiler: Discord + Patreon

P.S. I now have a discord server! discord.gg/ceBMM2Zz6c
Also Patreon: patreon.com/socialistbukharin

"Are you sure you don't want to tag along with me for this job?"

Jotaro hardly asked this sort of stuff to anyone of his family, but he could tell something had troubled his oldest child to a perplexing degree. He was tempted to say that it was related to her trip to Italy, but Sakura admitted that wasn't the case. It was something recent and... it didn't help soothe his worries. It's been two years now since Sakura made that trip, and he could tell that she wasn't lying about it not being related to her current mood.

Something had happened and, as a father, he felt compelled to interrogate her about it. Hence why he came up with the excuse of bringing her to work so he could have the chance to speak to her in private.

Sitting down by the table, enjoying breakfast with the rest of his family, the marine biologist wasn't sure what had got his daughter this uneasy, but it had to have been something massive for her to be this 'depressed'. She was still smiling, she was still eager to go outdoors at times and yet she was quite upset by the notion of going out of Los Angeles for any trip, even by a nearby city.

School teachers saw nothing that would suggest it was something related to school, and her friends there were as clueless as Jotaro was. This was not a pleasant position to be as a father, but Jotaro was good in keeping his unease hidden as he tried to make things work out. His wife had already given him a talk on moderation, which he was willing to comply with due to how delicate the situation was.

"No," The plum-haired girl replied, eyes distracted by a small book about dolphins that she was reading to Jolyne. "I am just... not in the right mindset."

"Why?" He inquired and his wife's glance told him he may have been too blunt about it but... this was getting ridiculous.

It was the first time he asked her that, and despite some reluctance, he got a most troubling answer.

"Nightmares."

Tension roused at the table, but Jolyne didn't seem surprised. Did the little girl know something and willingly kept her mouth shut about it? Maybe. It was no secret that Jolyne adored her big sister, so, if she was told by her to keep silent about something, she surely would do it.

"Anything we can help about, sweetie?" Her mother asked, a worried look on her face as she tried her best to be helpful about it but... Jotaro knew it was not a normal bunch of bad dreams from the glance she aimed at him.

"Did Dio have a diary?"

...How?

It was an immediate reaction, yet lessened by his normal composure as his stoic mask showed a hint of surprise. Sakura picked it up and frowned.

"He did, didn't he?"

Eyes were aimed at Jotaro, with his wife looking extremely concerned as she had been made aware of his secondary businesses years ago and... she knew what 'Dio' was. So, it was easy for her to know a 'diary' from him may be dangerous.

A fleeting memory appearing to him, right before they left Cairo. While Joseph was speaking with the Speedwagon Foundation's medics and workers to have Polnareff patched up, Jotaro had gone to see if there wasn't anything left by Dio that could be troublesome. The tale his grandfather told him of how Dio tricked everyone by faking his death the first time around had been enough of a reason to check if there weren't any surprises about it.

What he found in that manor was not Dio's suriviving self, but his lingering legacy imprinted on paper through ink and insane ranting. The words were long forgotten, but Jotaro remembered one thing: Dio wanted to go beyond the world, and acquire the heaven. What Heaven was couldn't be discerned as Dio had willingly kept his mind shut over this in the diary, but he reasoned that 'someone else' would have known about the plans since he spoke of 'someone that was not him'. He wanted a friend, a close confidant to share his real plans. Not paper and ink, like he did with this diary.

Jotaro burned it. It wouldn't put the whole thing to rest, but he was certain he had destroyed the key for this malicious last ally of the vampire to allow this plan to fruition. How did Sakura know about it through her nightmares?

"He did. But it's no longer around."

"It is," Sakura replied, and Jotaro froze at the sureness in her voice. "I saw it, someone was holding it. A girl... just a few years older than me. I think it was- maybe it is like with Giorno and his half-brothers, a daughter to Dio?"
"The Speedwagon Foundation has been looking for any potential other children, but they confirmed that there was no other child beyond those you faced in Italy," Jotaro assured. "But this diary, how did it look like."

"The cover was black with silver details. I couldn't see much what was written inside but I saw something that felt... familiar. It's title, it said... 'A New Heaven's Feel'.

...Did I hear this from somewhere? Jotaro took a moment to think about it and... frowned. Maybe he will have to speak with a few people he hadn't met in a while and maybe he could make it a little holiday trip for his family if he worded it right.

"I will look into this," He assured, nodding truthfully at his older daughter. "Yet, this reminds me that I have yet to ask if you are up to make the trip to Fuyuki to spend summer with the Emiya family."
"I will go. Illya miss us so much, and I think Jolyne misses Shirou even more."

The little girl squeaked. "I do not like him like that. I just think he is a cool hero guy like Papa."

That didn't exactly help Jotaro to feel 'fine' with this reminder.

"I will have a talk with Shirou and Kiritsugu about it."

"Papa, if you hurt him I will hurt you by ruining your reports!" Jolyne fired back angrily, causing the marine biologist to back down with a tired sigh.

Why couldn't his daughters just be nuns until they were old enough to know they could pick a decent man?

Still, this whole 'Heaven's Feel' notion. It felt like he heard of this right in Fuyuki. A visit to Father Risei may be of good help to stop any chances that this mess is somewhat tied to Fuyuki. He could just tell it wasn't going to be pleasant news anyway.

But the fact Sakura had nightmares about it, that she was somewhat tied to this... it was concerning. Quite so.

---------d-d-d-d-----------------

AN

Second Epilogue Get! Next time, there will be the 'Secret One' that will shape the first bit of the sequel's plot.

Also, since Sakura is old enough to be around her FSN age, here is a reference to 'Sakura Kujo' (Minus Hat):

Spoiler

 

[JBukharin]

Epilogue C: Heaven Invoke

P.S. I now have a discord server! discord.gg/ceBMM2Zz6c
Also Patreon: patreon.com/socialistbukharin

"Your plan succeeded. Zelretch showed his capacity to use the Kaleidoscope to draw in elements that are not within the realm of this multiverse."

The familiar voice filled her with smug, but the girl that received the news was more intrigued by her own journal, focusing on concluding the last aspects of the ritual that she had achieved.

It was night, her study room was filled with books about thaumaturgy, theoretical multiverse science, and religious text of unknown origins in most part. Whiteboards and blackboards, complicated or outright insane notes all written on those. But a single part within that room manifested a full understanding of their surroundings.

Spoiler

Rin Tohsaka smiled at the source of this flattering comment, turning and staring at Dio's closest friend. Father Enrico Pucci didn't look outright pleased, but a tiny smirk had made his way to his usually stoic visage.

"Which means that my other theories were proved right. The Kaleidoscope has the means to transcend the limits of the Akasha Records, reach out to other potential dimensional travelers and make use of their service to assist him and his subordinate in times of need," Rin replied, retrieving the right journal where this theory was left unexplored. "What else can you tell me?"

"Giorno Giovanna has taken over Passione. Diavolo is no more and Dio's son is in control of two Servants that are loyal to him."

Pucci's choice of words was not missed to Rin. The use of Dio's son to depict Giorno was meant to establish two things she damn well knew already about: 1) She was not Dio's child by blood; 2) The other children were unfit to be deemed by someone like Pucci as the right heirs to his legacy.

Giorno's rise in power may be felt as a step in the good direction, but only on an ambitious level than a genuine power-grab. He didn't have the heart to be Dio's truest heir. Which is why he would just be demeed as 'the son' and not the 'successor'. That was a role that was still open for her to claim, and Pucci knew that.

"Interesting, but not relevant to our plans. Italy is a closed case- But I guess the church is going through some investigation on the matter."

Pucci nodded. "The Holy See has been pressured to launch a serious review over its management of the situation and how some of its members had tried to 'circle around orders' and got caught in the middle of this disappointing behavior. Reports from various agents aiding the rebellious force of Passione also confirmed some 'accepting nods' from the Higher-Ups. The Burial Agency will be put under heavy scrutiny for this."

"Which means they will be paralyzed to send much against us once the plan will be ready to start," The dark-haired girl reckoned, with the priest nodding. "Anything else?"

"The Princess of the Crimson Moon has turned to Zelretch. I believe she will be happy to 'stretch her legs' even if it means go around and destroy Zelretch's foes."

That was nothing to really be concerned about. The moment Zelretch was made aware of her plan, he wouldn't have the means to truly intervene quickly enough to stop her and-

"Kujo Sakura also came close to become a Beast-Class entity."

This actually drew a surprised look from Rin. "Sakura? She... how? It makes no sense."

"Perhaps it doesn't from what we were aware about her up to this point," Pucci admitted, yet providing her papers for her to take from him. Rin did so and started to read, but Pucci wasn't done. "The Holy See is scrambling to be transparent around others that have the means to access its archives, and I managed to get a few copies of her profile. It seems like your sister still holds a connection to the Grail. Her body has an unusual presence of... corrupted taint in her circuits."

"Perhaps when she fought Angra Mainyu. But still... A Beast?"

"It wouldn't be unusual depending on the concepts, I am sure we can agree on that."

"Yes," She snapped in irritation, always frustrated by this stoic-faced teasing. "But that wouldn't explain a fast process. Something happened- Goetia! I suppose the presence of a full-formed Beast caused the quickening of the process but... how did she avoid getting full-turned?"

"From reports I found, she was... able to turn some of that energy in a new mutation for her Stand. ｢One Vision: Absolute｣, it seems to be able to use the full potential of her Stand with no lasting consequences."

This time, Rin's blue eyes were aimed at the two blood vials Pucci was holding to her. "I will... look more into this. If this is indeed replicable, then ｢The World｣'s full potential-"

"Will be fully unleashed."

Rin smiled, knowing that this would bypass any previous requirements Dio had planned to go through for the unlock of a Stand beyond ｢The World｣.

There was still much to do, but soon the plan to acquire True Heaven will be accomplished!

--------d-d-d-d----------

AN

And with this, Vento Imperiale is now over! Next time, the third and last installment of this Xover Trilogy, Fate: Heaven Invoke, will happen and it will be Nasuverse-centered!