“Yeah, that sounds exactly like that pathetic piece of shit’s style—a miserable bastard as vile and repulsive as frog piss.”
Having listened to Kakyoin’s harrowing ordeal, Horne offered his sharp, biting review.
“Kakyoin, do you want to possess the true courage to face Dio head-on?”
Horne looked him dead in the eye and asked.
“I do!”
Horne extended his broad right hand.
“Good!
Today, I, Horne, will share the unbroken courage of humanity with you!”
Their palms locked, and the sacred transfer of Ripple energy commenced once more.
“This…!
I see now!
So this was the power that healed me earlier…
it’s so breathtakingly warm.”
This divine sensation solidified Kakyoin’s absolute trust in Horne; if Dio was an icy, suffocating parasite crawling out of the deepest abyss, Horne was a blazing sun whose radiant heat breathed life into everyone around him.
“Your innate talent is quite solid, but you’ll need dedicated practice.
Consistent Ripple cultivation extends your lifespan and halts the aging process.
Furthermore, channeling the Ripple through Hierophant Green will drastically expand its versatility and supercharge the destructive output of your Emerald Splash.”
Horne offered some valuable tactical guidance.
“Understood.”
That evening, the Kujo residence was exceptionally lively, with another seat added to the dinner table.
“Tonight, I’m treating you all to five thousand years of exquisite culinary heritage from the East!!”
Horne commandeered the spacious kitchen alone, manifesting his Stand units to prep, slice, and cook simultaneously.
In under an hour, the long dining table groaned under an immense feast of authentic home-cooked delicacies—humble in appearance, yet perfectly tailored for a warm, bustling family gathering.
Don’t mistake home-cooked dishes for casual cooking; the heart and technique Horne poured into these platters far surpassed the pretentious offerings of five-star establishments.
“Whoa!!
The food!
The food is actually glowing!!!”
The group stared slack-jawed at the table of delicacies shimmering with faint, golden ribbons of light, their mouths watering uncontrollably at the sight.
Gentle, intoxicating aromas tickled their senses, filling their chests with a comforting, soul-soothing warmth before taking a single bite.
“This is my original creation: Ripple Cuisine!
From washing and chopping the ingredients to the final plating, every single step was infused with pure Ripple energy!!
Eat up while it’s piping hot, everyone!
Ripple energy lingers in the dishes for a while, but it will eventually dissipate over time.”
Spurred by his words, everyone eagerly picked up their chopsticks and dug into their favorites.
“Oh?!”
“This is unbelievable!!”
“A single bite explodes across the tongue like a flavor bomb!!!”
“The savory richness of this broth rolls through the throat like a never-ending river!!”
Exclamations of pure delight filled the room; such was the culinary sorcery unlocked through the Ripple.
Using Ripple energy to lock in and enhance the cellular freshness of the ingredients, perfectly sealing their flavors, moisture, texture, and natural aromas.
Upon entering the mouth, the locked-in flavors burst forth in an exhilarating, harmonious cascade.
The monumental spread was cleared down to the last grain of rice, leaving blissful smiles plastered across every face.
Horne’s decision to prepare this feast was driven by the grim trial looming on the horizon.
He glanced toward Holly and Josuke; the deadline for their Stand awakenings was fast approaching.
The residual Ripple energy absorbed from the meal would linger within their biological systems; while he couldn’t guarantee it would neutralize the curse entirely, it was infinitely better than doing nothing.
The night passed, and when dawn broke, the inescapable tragedy struck right on schedule.
“Horne!
Both Holly and Josuke have collapsed with raging fevers from their awakening Stands!!”
Joseph barged into the Kujo library, where Horne had spent the night resting while having his Stand units devour texts on science and warfare.
“Destiny’s gravity remains absolute; what must fall will inevitably fall.
Yet the path of its descent and the point of its impact can always be rewritten by human will.”
Horne closed his book and sighed softly.
“How are their vitals?”
“Burning with fevers, but their conditions are remarkably stable.”
“It seems the Ripple energy is doing its job.
Backed by the medical resources of the Speedwagon Foundation, their lives won’t be in immediate danger for the time being.
Joseph, how are the preparations on your end coming along?”
“Our vintage ultraviolet gear was completely decayed; our labs are currently manufacturing upgraded prototypes around the clock.
As for the Red Stone of Super Aja, I’ve already reached out to Lisa Lisa.
If you can pass her personal trial, she will gladly entrust the stone to your care.”
“And my Yamaha TW200?”
“Don’t worry, securing a simple motorcycle is effortless—it’s already waiting outside.
Though why the hell do you need a bike?
You planning on riding it all the way to Cairo?”
“A proper knight always needs a dependable steed.
Besides, an off-road bike offers tactical flexibility that cars can’t match, and its high agility is invaluable in a firefight.”
“Fair point.
But how do you plan on hauling it around?”
“Relax.
I’ve got my own methods.”
Out in the living room, Jotaro and the rest of the crew had assembled; standing at the fore, Horne addressed them like a seasoned commander.
“Gentlemen!
The curse of Dio has manifested within Aunt Holly and little Josuke.
Our time is running out.
Before this parasitic curse claims their lives, we must track down and slaughter Dio in Egypt!!
This expedition is fraught with lethal peril; even with my advance intelligence, any of you could be maimed or slain in the coming battles.
I will not force anyone to take this path.
Your life is your most precious treasure; only by surviving do you earn tomorrow, and there is no shame in preserving your own skin.
Make your choice.”
Horne’s grim warning failed to shake a single man present.
Jotaro and Joseph were a given, of course.
Even Avdol, along with Kakyoin who had zero personal stake in the Joestar family’s fate, refused to back down an inch.
Horne scanned their unwavering, resolute eyes.
“Good.
It seems every one of you has embraced true resolve.”
With a casual flick of his wrist, Horne pulled a thick stack of classified dossiers from seemingly thin air—retrieved from his personal 2-cubic-meter system storage space, capable of storing any non-living matter while suspending time within its pocket dimension until retrieved.
The storage capacity could be expanded over time by burning daily system energy points.
“These are detailed dossiers I drafted, outlining every enemy Stand user we are likely to cross paths with along our route.
Commit every detail to memory, and burn the papers the moment you finish.
Stand battles are fundamentally information warfare; with this, we hold absolute tactical supremacy over Dio’s forces.”
With the arrival of the Speedwagon Foundation’s elite medical team, the warriors embarked upon their crusade to hunt down Dio.
Jotaro Kujo.
[Stand: Star Platinum]—Pure, unadulterated physical supremacy.
Devastating kinetic damage in his left hand, apocalyptic violence in his right.
Joseph Joestar.
[Stand: Hermit Purple]—Information gathering and tactical divinations.
Muhammad Avdol.
[Stand: Magician’s Red]—Pyrokinesis and thermal devastation.
Noriaki Kakyoin.
[Stand: Hierophant Green]—Long-range manipulation and the Emerald Splash.
Horne.
[Stand: One-Man Army]—Colony-type multi-unit Stand and the [Army into One] armored bio-fusion.
Five towering men, each standing around six-foot-five, lined up in front of the grand Kujo estate, stepping forward in unison to begin their perilous journey.
The JoJo Universe.
Cairo, Egypt.
Within a dimly lit chamber, a grotesque old hag with two right hands offered sickening praise to her immortal master.
“There exists an emotion known as ‘fear’—a natural biological response common to all beasts.
But how is fear truly born?
Fear takes two forms: primal instinct, and rational dread born from intellect.
Whenever a creature confronts an entity it cannot comprehend or overcome, fear blossoms within its heart.
In the face of fear, mortals exhibit predictable behaviors: struggling, resisting, fleeing, or surrendering to despair.
Yet when standing before Lord Dio, an entirely new impulse surges from within…
Pure, ecstatic bliss!!!”
Indeed!
The master this foul witch worshiped was none other than Dio Brando himself!!
Within the velvet shadows, the vampire lord was casually draining the crimson lifeblood from the neck of a voluptuous maiden!!
“Having tasted the intoxicating pleasure born from primal terror, how do you expect humans to act?”
Dio asked with amused, predatory detachment.
“That assassin is already aboard the very airliner the Joestars have boarded.
They will never reach their destination alive!!”