"The three of you — Kars and Esidisi have both been dealt with. For the last one, I'd like to handle it myself. Would that be alright?"
Shin produced the antidote ring he had palmed off of Wamuu during the kick earlier, and tossed it to young Joseph.
"Of course — please, go ahead."
No one in Joseph's group had any objection. This had been Shin's fight from start to finish — they had only moved in service of his plan. Even Caesar, who had personal vendetta against all three Pillar Men for his father's death, said nothing. His pride was too high not to recognize that only the victor had the right to speak for the spoils.
That said, it would be dishonest to claim there wasn't some residual frustration. To avoid any impulsive accidents, Lisa Lisa led young Joseph and Caesar away to deal with the vampires who had infiltrated the island.
With those three and their combined level of ripple strength and combat ability, not even the vampire DIO from JoJo Part 1 would have been a match for them. Shin wasn't worried.
"..."
Wamuu's body was still slowly knitting itself back together under the assault of the ripple energy inside him. He had fallen into silence.
He gazed at the young man walking toward him, and no one could say what he was thinking.
"...I find myself unable to fully follow your words, sir."
"Lord Kars did tell me — about my parents being killed by him. But I bear him no resentment for it, because I know he has always walked the correct path."
"To grow stronger. To grow more perfect. To keep winning, without end, in this endless war —"
"What is righteous and beautiful belongs only to the strong. I bear you no resentment either for killing Lord Kars, because you are simply the one who is stronger than us."
Wamuu spoke evenly. This surprised Shin — he had expected Kars to have kept the matter of the Clan of Darkness hidden from Wamuu.
"I respect your strength, sir. If there is any regret... it is that I despise myself for not having the power to face you in proper combat."
"You need not feel pity for me on account of shared blood. Please allow me to face death as a warrior should, standing tall. That is my final wish."
"...Is that so. Understood."
Wamuu's choice was not unexpected. He was a warrior — pure, and loyal. Good and evil, order and chaos — to him, these were all impurities.
Shin felt he was perhaps being sentimental. But they were still of the same people, even if he had only lived among that vanished clan for less than half a year.
"Ha — Mr. Su, if I could just say..."
With the conversation between Shin and Wamuu winding down, old Joseph — who had deliberately stayed behind rather than following Lisa Lisa and the others to deal with the vampires — clearly had something he wanted to raise.
His gaze kept drifting to the glowing "eyeball" in Shin's hand. It was a piece of the Saint's Corpse — and it might well be old Joseph's ticket back to his own time.
"Look, old me's been thinking... that eyeball there — any chance you could lend it to old me for a moment?"
"Old me might need it to find his grandson... God knows where that brat Jotaro wandered off to. Please, Mr. Su, this is really important to old me!"
Fragments of the Saint's Corpse were drawn to each other — same as Stand users. Old Joseph wasn't entirely sure whether Shin knew the Corpse's function, but from the look on Shin's face, it was clear he did — considering he'd known everything about old Joseph already.
"No need to rush, Mr. Joestar."
"I still have a few things left to take care of. We'll sort it out once I'm done... Meruru, catch."
"Yes, big brother!"
Shin tossed the Saint's Corpse eyeball to Meruru, who had been watching him with pure admiration since the end of the battle. Then he glanced at the task summary in the group chat.
[Remaining non-humanization traits to submit: Human non-humanization trait · Pillar Man (Vile), Human non-humanization trait · Ultimate Being]
He looked again at Wamuu, who stood waiting for his life to reach its end, and made up his mind.
Shin picked up the Red Stone of Aja, then plucked from the ashes of Kars a Stone Mask that Kars had been carrying — the small portable kind he used to convert humans into vampires — and slotted the Red Stone into place.
"?!" Old Joseph felt a sudden premonition settle over him like a cold weight.
"Mr. Su, you're not planning to...?"
"I want to give him a chance. And give myself one too — to make this something worth having."
At the edge of the sky, the dawn sun had just begun to crest the horizon. The jagged Stone Mask caught the light, and the perfect Red Stone of Aja set within it blazed.
"Oh — My God...!"
Watching Shin walk toward the grievously wounded Wamuu carrying the Red Stone Mask — the one that could create the Ultimate Being — old Joseph had pieced together enough of what was about to happen that words had deserted him entirely.
This was nothing short of insane.
If Shin hadn't demonstrated an ability to completely overpower Kars and the others from the start, old Joseph would have done everything in his power to stop him.
Because this young man — this Shin — was actually about to take the Stone Mask with the Red Stone of Aja inlaid in it and —
"Come, Wamuu. I'll honor your wish. Let us fight one last fight — as fair a fight as we can manage."
"— I will let you meet your end in the way you consider honorable."
To be continued…