The Ludicrous Escapade Pt.3

Flames of Resolve

"Hurry up and go under water!" Cried out Emporio, fearing Jolyne would die if she didn't.

"No, Emporio." The Cujoh refused. "I'm not going to dive. Give me a lighter. I know you have one! A ghost lighter!"

The kid was hesitant, but knew things could potentially get a whole lot worse if he didn't listen.

Catching the ghost lighter, she brought it up to a strand of her string, lighting it like a fuse. This allowed the rest of her body to be engulfed in flames. Burning her Stand was the same as burning herself.

Despite the flames licking at her skin, Jolyne made no sound to suggest she was in pain. "If this all I have to do to get to the priest... compared to everything else I've gone through... this is absolutely nothing!"

Rikiel had not expected that approach. "Th-This bitch! My spirit is stronger than hers! I can feel myself evolving! What's important is my own development! My development will be praised!" He was sure he was better than the Cujoh. Now he just needed to hurry up and figure out a way to defeat her as she charged at him despite her twisted ankle.

"Ora!" Jolyne knocked him into his bike. This caused some of his clothes to rip, more clearly revealing his birthmark.

"You won!" Proclaimed Hermès. "Now he won't be able to steal your body heat!"

With Rikiel's focus thrown off for a second, you regained your movement enough to pin him to the ground. "All right, Jolyne! Let him have it!" If he wasn't going to listen then you were all for beating information out of him. Then you paused as something splashed onto you. "Wait..." Both you and Rikiel were now coated in gasoline from the motorbike.

When Jolyne inched closer, it set the trail ablaze, leading you and Dio's son to be engulfed in fire.

You grit your teeth as your flesh was practically burning away at the same pace you could regenerate it. "Rikiel... Did you do that on purpose?!"

"What the hell?! What the fuck is he doing?!" Hermès was similarly confused.

"He's gone insane!" Cried out Emporio. "He must've doused himself with gasoline because he panicked!"

"My heart is like the Apollo 11. I'm going to overcome you, Jolyne. It's true that the rods won't know how to steal your body heat when you've set yourself on fire... but if I could just be in the same situation you are..." Rikiel struggled underneath you, trying to get you off of him. He hadn't planned on you pinning him down. "If I could just put myself in your place, and set myself on fire... then I can find out where to attack you, by experiencing what you're experiencing! I'll be able to figure out what your weaknesses are by feeling what you're feeling!"

"Not that it will do you any good if I let you burn alive..." But it's wasn't like you were planning on doing so. You still wanted to see if he had any useful information.

"Should I still beat him up?" Asked Jolyne. She figured if you just kept him there like that, this battle was essentially over.

"I don't know if that's necessary..." You gripped the front of Rikiel's cow patterned bodysuit. "Help me out here, Narancia."

"Uh... okay." The Ghirga was aware that the mixture of ghost and real fire would set himself aflame as well, perhaps even doubling the pain you were feeling. He helped you restrain Rikiel as you moved him.

"(Y/N), what are you-?" Hermès watched as you dragged Rikiel into the shallow water, extinguishing his flames as well as yours.

"Jolyne, you can stop yourself from burning now, too. And you..." You turned to Dio's son who mostly seemed confused. "Stop controlling those rods of yours."