Jorge Joestar (Light Novel)

Chapter 16: Beyond II

Through my eyelids I could tell the blinding light that had enveloped us was dying down. I opened my eyes to see the night sky, with the moon and stars shining down on us. The giant Antonio Torres hanging from the sky let out a long sigh, and as if that was the signal, Dio spoke.

"I've been waiting for this night for a hundred years,"

he said. He'd been standing bolt upright on the deck of Das Boot, grinning confidently, as if thirty-six times through the birth and death of the universe was nothing to him. (Next to him, Funny Valentine had closed his eyes, covered them with his hand, and turned his back to avoid the blinding light, much like we had.)

"Cars! The wait had been unbearable. Not to eat you, I already know what you taste like. No, I'm just so excited to finally stand at the pinnacle of the world, of the universe, of all history, recorded or otherwise! I am in sight of that goal at last! All that's left is to step up and claim my place! Cars! Bwa ha ha ha! My very soul is quivering, so certain is my victory!"

Cars, too, had paid no mind to the compressed light of 36 universe's history washing over him. He put his hands on his hips, looking down at Dio with a faint smile on his lips.

"Hmph. So be it. Come at me, vampire."

Dio moved his arm out in front of him so fast it made an audible whoosh, and waggled his finger tips slightly.

"The name of your new emperor is Dio! And as your emperor, you will come to me, Cars!"

Cars betrayed no irritation at Dio's indomitable smile. His own smile grew still larger. He was clearly enjoying this. It was the happiest I'd ever seen him. I backed away, keeping Penelope behind me. Narancia also quietly stepped behind me.

"What the fuck, these guys are nuts!"

he muttered, but I thought him saying that was a sign of his own strength. My knees were knocking and my teeth were chattering and basically everything was shaking and it was super pathetic. My only comfort was the tight grip on my sleeve Penelope had; she was clearly every bit as scared as me. Having a scared girl around was the only thing that kept me from completely losing it.

"Heh heh heh. Seems you've managed to sip a drop or two of my blood somewhere, vampire,"

Cars chuckled.

"What more do you want? You've conquered the sun, will not die or age. What else is there? You know full well your body can never become the true Ultimate Thing, as I have. What's the appeal of being this 'pinnacle' you speak of? I merely wanted to conquer the sun. I personally slaughtered most of my kind in the war, then lost all of my kind that remained, and at last achieved my goal only to find myself alone. You waited a hundred years? I've waited a quadrillion. In all this universe, as far as my abilities reach, only Earth has any life worth mentioning. This is the only place in all the universe where life is worth living. Vampire, you are immortal. There is no need for you to rush into death here."

But Dio just kept beckoning.

"A quadrillion years spent not bothering to think can't begin to compare to the hundred years I spent furiously busy."

Still smiling, Cars stared at Dio for a while, then let out a long breath.

"Very well. As you have gnawed on my life, you will be a prime opportunity to test the limits of my life force. Perhaps I do need to experiment on just how a body that cannot die may die."

He dropped down to the deck. Dio waited, grinning.

"That's what piqued my curiosity, too. Can't die and can't be killed are two different things, after all. Can't have someone pulling an idea I never thought of out of their ass later on, so better to find out the truth right here. But curiosity is a secondary concern; more than anything else I simply want to make