Light Curtain Commentary—
For some reason, Fujiwara's ideas gave the audience outside the screen a strange sense of déjà vu.
Well, well, a World War II war criminal, are we? In an instant, the audience erupted in verbal and written condemnation.
They knew that war, no matter what, was the least desirable option. DIO wanted to rule the world, but the price would be absolutely unbearable for humanity.
The audience had not forgotten the hundreds of thousands of Fuyuki citizens who died during the first viewing.
[Conan Edogawa]: He wants to start a war? This time, the suffering won't be limited to Japan. That demon, and DIO... they look like they're headed for a war crimes tribunal!
[Doraemon]: Ahhh! This is just too evil! Starting a war is unforgivable, no matter the reason! DIO's plan to use Japan to conquer the world will never succeed!
[Super Loli-bot]: War… is a dirty game. No sane person likes this game, but once it starts, no one can escape. Whether you want to play or not, you have to play!
---o---
On the Light Curtain—
The camera turned to Shinobu Kocho.
After having a Flesh Bud implanted by DIO, she had been completely reduced to his puppet.
Following DIO's command, she returned to the Butterfly Mansion. This time, her mission was to deliver a devastating blow to the Demon Slayer Corps.
Although DIO didn't hold the Demon Slayer Corps in high regard, the existence of Breathing Styles reminded him of Jonathan's Hamon from a century ago. He would not allow such a power to continue to exist in this world.
Flesh Bud implantation… as one of DIO's methods for controlling humans, its strength lay not only in allowing the victim to retain their original memories but also in making them completely devoted to him.
While DIO had the power to turn Shinobu into a demon and have her serve him, he did not believe everyone was worthy of this gift. Furthermore, because of Jotaro, DIO was currently unwilling to expend too much of his own blood to create a large number of vampires.
"Lady Shinobu, you're back!" Kanzaki Aoi, who was tidying up the Butterfly Mansion, called out happily upon seeing the familiar figure at the gate.
The missions undertaken by a Hashira were always extremely dangerous, so every time Shinobu left, the people of the Butterfly Mansion would worry. And every time she returned, they would naturally feel overjoyed.
"It's you, Aoi. Airing out the bedding again?" A gentle voice reached her ears. Shinobu's expression was as gentle as ever. Although there was a strange sense of disharmony, Kanzaki Aoi suspected nothing.
Instead, she noticed that the Kasugai Crow that usually followed Shinobu was nowhere to be seen. Strange… doesn't it usually love to stick close to her?
Just as Kanzaki Aoi was about to say something more, a cold glint flashed—
The bedding in Aoi's hands was sliced apart by a sharp blade, the cotton stuffing drifting down like snowflakes in the air.
Kanzaki Aoi herself stood with wide, disbelieving eyes, staring at Shinobu, who was slowly sheathing her Nichirin Blade.
A faint line of blood appeared on her neck. While the cut wasn't fatal, the poison coating the blade had already begun to take effect.
"Lady… Shinobu…" The world spun in her eyes. Kanzaki Aoi found the image of Shinobu before her to be utterly alien. What had happened? Was this a demon disguised as Shinobu, or something else…
Before she could think any further, her vision went black, and she collapsed.
"Big sister Aoi… Big sister Shinobu…" On the edge of the courtyard, the three little girls who had witnessed everything had eyes wide with palpable fear and confusion.
Why did Big Sister Shinobu suddenly attack Aoi? What was going on?
After doing all this, Shinobu simply looked at the three girls calmly, her eyes gentle yet filled with murderous intent.
The next moment, the light curtain faded to black. When the image reappeared, the entire Butterfly Mansion was submerged in an abnormally silent atmosphere.
A strange and dangerous aura filled the surroundings, making the whole mansion feel like a scene from a horror movie.
---o---
The audience outside the light curtain could not sit still, especially the instigator of it all, Shinobu Kocho.
In the Demon Slayer World—
Shinobu clenched her fists so tightly that her veins bulged, her usual gentleness completely gone.
She never could have imagined that she would attack Aoi and the three little girls. Even if she was being controlled by someone else, Shinobu could never forgive herself.
To attack a fellow member of the Demon Slayer Corps was an absolute violation of the rules. The offender must commit seppuku, and not even a Hashira could be exempt!
Moreover, her targets were the very people she lived with day in and day out at the Butterfly Mansion!
[Kanzaki Aoi]: Lady Shinobu, please don't blame yourself! That wasn't your true intention!
[Nobita Nobi]: That's right, that's right! Please don't do anything rash! It's all that big villain DIO's fault!
[Yukino Yukinoshita]: Judging from Kanzaki Aoi's condition, Shinobu probably didn't deliver a killing blow. If they can restore Shinobu to normal before the poison on the blade takes full effect, there should still be a chance to save her!
---o---
On the Light Curtain—
Outside the Butterfly Mansion, Jotaro and Kanao were looking into the courtyard.
After his conversation with Kagaya Ubuyashiki, Jotaro had intended to head to Asakusa to find DIO. However, the Asakusa district was too large, and only DIO's subordinates had appeared there.
Therefore, after some consideration, Jotaro decided to settle in at the Butterfly Mansion first. As for Kanao… she was acting purely as a guide. Of course… another reason was to prevent her from doing something foolish like running off to Asakusa. It would be much safer for her to stay by Jotaro's side.
The Butterfly Mansion, despite being an intelligence and medical facility, was far too quiet. Moreover, a faint mist seemed to be lingering in the courtyard.
Jotaro scanned the building, then shifted his gaze to the young girl beside him.
Kanao, who had been ordered to bring Jotaro here, didn't notice his puzzled expression, nor did she even register the abnormality in the courtyard.
Right now, she was consumed with worry for Shinobu. Even though the Stone Hashira himself had already set out for Asakusa to search for her, Kanao was still filled with anxiety.
This caused her to be in a constant daze, even appearing listless. Did this tragedy happen because I didn't listen to my sister?
Self-doubt swirled in Kanao's mind. She walked into the courtyard like a ghost. Seeing this, Jotaro, who was not good at comforting others, could only follow her inside.
Swish—
A sudden volley of hidden projectiles cut through the air, hurtling toward the two of them. Jotaro instinctively summoned Star Platinum.
"ORA—ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
Star Platinum's cry rang out, its fists a blur of afterimages, so fast that the naked eye couldn't keep up, as if time had stopped.
In less than half a second, dozens of poison-tipped needles were knocked to the ground. Kanao, whose eyesight was exceptionally sharp, only felt a gust of wind blow past before seeing countless projectiles littering the ground.
"Hey, woman, stop spacing out! It's an ambush! Get behind me, now!"
Grabbing Kanao's shoulder, Jotaro didn't wait for her consent and simply pulled her behind him.
Star Platinum manifested almost flush against his body, ready to intercept any enemy that might appear.
"Jotaro Kujo. I really didn't expect to catch such a big fish so soon."
A cool female voice sounded. As if sensing something, Kanao Tsuyuri broke free from Jotaro's grasp and looked toward the source of the voice.
The next scene left Kanao, who rarely showed any emotional fluctuation, completely shocked.
Shinobu Kocho was reclining in an elegant posture on the roof of the Butterfly Mansion. Her form was graceful yet eerie, and vastly different from the Shinobu she knew.
"Sister?" Kanao cried out uncontrollably. She was certain that the number of words she had unconsciously spoken today exceeded the total she had spoken in an entire year.
Facing the astonished Kanao, Shinobu's eyes held no emotion. She greeted Jotaro with an incredibly leisurely tone, "Hello there. My lord's fated enemy, Jotaro Kujo."
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Shinobu Kocho. I was previously the Insect Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. But now… I have sworn allegiance to that great lord and become his servant."
"As his fated enemy, your head must be quite valuable, at least in his eyes. If I can kill you, my lord will surely reward me."
Shinobu spoke words that were completely out of character, leaving Kanao's mind in a state of utter confusion. Having never experienced something so bizarre, her brain could no longer keep up.
In response, Jotaro merely took a shallow breath, looking at Shinobu with an expression that conveyed deep annoyance.
He recognized this scene. A drastic change in personality, regarding DIO as her master… she must be under the control of a Flesh Bud. Kakyoin and Polnareff were the same.
"Yare yare…" Letting out his signature sigh, Jotaro prepared to move forward. It was just one woman. Although he didn't hit women, he had promised this woman's Kasugai Crow that he would save its master.
However… after taking just a single step, a sudden wave of dizziness made Jotaro's body tremble, and he nearly fell to the ground.
"This is… poison?" Noticing the abnormality in his body, Jotaro fixed his gaze on Shinobu on the roof.
Poison… and it's airborne poison. Was it her? The feeling of paralysis in his body grew heavier, to the point that his consciousness began to blur. The Stand beside him flickered like a phantom on the verge of disappearing.
Seeing this, Shinobu merely smiled and said cruelly, "How surprising. To think you could last this long. Kanao has a strong resistance to poison from the medicinal baths she underwent since childhood, but for an ordinary person like you to hold on for so long is simply incredible."
"..." Jotaro stared intently at Shinobu on the eaves, a faint light in his eyes. Damn it… because there are no Stand users in this world, did I unconsciously underestimate this woman?
"That's the expression, Jotaro. My lord mentioned your threat more than once, but now it seems you're not so much after all." Having completely trapped Jotaro, Shinobu seemed very pleased.
Leaping lightly from the roof, Shinobu circled around Jotaro and explained, "Don't even think about using your Stand's power. My lord said that your Stand's range seems to be only two or three meters."
"So, as long as I maintain a sufficient distance from you, I am perfectly safe. By making good use of the timing and terrain, I can completely infuse the poison into your body and simply wait for it to take effect. Hehe, how does it feel to slowly await your death?"
This woman… knew almost everything about him. Jotaro had been poisoned due to his carelessness, and now he would gradually die because of it.
She wasn't wrong. Star Platinum's maximum range was only two meters, and now, Jotaro's body was paralyzed by the poison, making it excruciatingly difficult to even move one meter.
As a pure-panel Stand, Star Platinum currently lacked special abilities like The World's. Therefore, as an ordinary human in a poisoned state, it was nearly impossible for Jotaro to get close to Shinobu.
Could it be that Jotaro was going to die here before his final battle with DIO even began? To die on the way without even seeing the final boss, and at the hands of an ally no less… that would be far too humiliating.
With this thought, Jotaro endured the paralysis and pain from the poison and straightened up, his eyes filled with an invincible expression.
"Oh? You can still stand? As expected of the one my lord is so concerned about. However… it's all useless. As long as you inhale enough of the poison released into the air, even an elephant can be brought down, let alone a mere human like you."
"Give up the struggle, Jotaro. Even if you have a Stand ability like Lord DIO's, you will never be his opponent. Look, right now you can't even take a single step forward. You can't even beat a 'weak' woman like me."
She spread her hands open. As the saying goes, corruption makes you ten times stronger. Shinobu's perfect preparations would have caught any Hashira from the Demon Slayer Corps. Even the Stand user Jotaro Kujo had been forced into a desperate situation!
To this, Jotaro just shook his head and said calmly, "Move forward? No… Woman, I admit you're clever. You laid a perfect trap and even restricted Star Platinum's movements. However… the one who will pass judgment on you is my Stand!"
"Star Platinum!"
As Jotaro's voice rang out, Star Platinum puffed out its chest, exhaled, and then, opened its mouth wide. Like a vacuum cleaner, it began to inhale all the surrounding poisoned air directly into its mouth...
---o---
Author's Note:
PS: After reading the comments on the last chapter, please rest assured, readers, I won't write nonsense without logic and ruin the story. The main reason is that the results for the second volume have dropped significantly, and I think my old habit of writing without enough high points might be acting up again. So, I want to write more exciting moments to attract more readers, not just write illogical nonsense and ruin it.