Stardust Crusaders: Around The World

Dio's World, Part 3

As Dio was about to catch the pellets, in an instant, it appeared as though everything had stopped moving. His first immediate thought was that it was an illusion. Whether you're a trained boxer during a fight, or someone faced with a harrowing situation, you will experience each moment during that time as if it were several seconds; that's what Dio assumed the case was.

However, his Stand, The World, was still able to maneuver around the suspended bullets, allowing him to easily avoid it. Not only that, The World was even able to grab the bullets, making Dio realize that this was no illusion.

"Lord Dio! I am certain you will master this ability to control time! You must truly believe in your ability to stop time! It must come as naturally as breathing. Or as simply as snapping a pencil in half with your fingers. You must reach the point where it becomes completely natural. Recognizing this fact is important! This power of yours must become completely natural to you! You are the true emperor of this world, after all!"

Dio remembered those words Enyaba had told him that day. Then suddenly one day, he felt the wheels of time and The World engage one another. He felt as though a beautiful light had finally pierced the darkness. He never had experienced such a magnificent feeling.

"I, the mighty Dio, had truly surpassed every Stand and life form that ever existed! Although I can only stop time for a mere five seconds, my power will continue to grow stronger!" Dio bragged, continuing to chase Jotaro. "Jotaro! Show me how powerful you truly are! THE WORLD!! "

Time froze once again. Instead of attacking the Joestar, Dio carefully approached and observed him to see how long the delinquent could move within stopped time. As he got close, Jotaro's hand twitched again. He let out a sigh and reached his hand out to him, seeing Jotaro's hand twitch again.

He then started laughing when he realized the high-schooler's trick. Looking under his golden bracelet, he found a small black magnet. He moved the magnet close to Jotaro and it attached to another magnet that was on the sleeve of the student's jacket.

"You must've done this while we were testing out our powers earlier." Dio said, "They must have come from a wallet or a pocket planner."

He scoffed, "You managed to deceive me..." He slowly ascended in the air. "I can't take my eyes off you for a second. However!" He made a big U-Turn in the air and began rushing straight towards Jotaro.

"Having to rely on such simple tricks proves to me that you are incapable of moving while time is stopped!" Dio shouted, "All you have done is add mere seconds to what is left of your pathetic short existence! This ends now! Die, Jotaro!"

The World manifested to kill the young Joestar but at that exact moment, Jotaro's hand moved within the time stop much to the vampire's shock. The purple warrior-like Stand, Star Platinum, manifested and punched through The World's gut. The wound also appeared on Dio.

"WHAT?!" Dio screeched.

Jotaro froze again after inflicting the injury on Dio.

"H-He... really... can move! Only for an instant, but he can!" Dio groaned. "The magnets weren't to trick me into thinking he could move... It was to trick me into thinking that he couldn't so he could lure me closer! Of all things... This descendant of the Joestars has invaded my world of stopped time!"

Time resumed and Star Platinum knocked Dio straight to the ground and crashed into the window of a store. The broken glass chopped the vampire's leg off below the knee.

The cashier let out a terrifying scream from the horror she witnessed.

Jotaro grabbed onto a bookstore sign, panting and starting to sweat. "I was able to move but only for a moment there... Just a moment" He panted. "But... gimme a damn break... I was only enough to get one punch in."