"Phoenix Chariot? Could JoJo's art style really be contagious?" Jodio thought to himself as he eyed the chubby, Araki-lined youngster across from him. Sure, Silver Chariot struggled against intangible flames—but this runt was still a kid. Time to bully him properly!
Silver Chariot flourished its rapier and dashed forward. Just before Ma Hongjun's claw could strike, the Stand deftly blocked with its sword's hilt. A blade strike might be overkill—after all, this was no life-or-death duel. No need for anything dramatic, like Pupu's flashy moves.
With a nimble somersault, Silver Chariot scooped up a pebble with its blade and flung it at Ma Hongjun's forehead. It skipped like a stone on water, leaving a small red welt. Ma Hongjun yelped in pain, sank to his knees, and rubbed his head tearfully. Well, he was only six—this level of skirmish and bruising was acceptable. If Tang San had entered school swinging wildly, it would've looked more outlandish. Actually… this was ancient times. A fierce six-year-old wasn't so strange after all.
"Noroi, noroi—too slow, too slow! Silver Chariot is the strongest Stand under Level Ten. Even without fancy effects, its speed and power (for real) outclass your Phoenix Chariot!" Jodio wagged a finger, explaining.
"Ugh… Dio…" Ma Hongjun hissed, clutching his throbbing brow, unable to speak. Oscar could only summon a sausage for him to nibble—comfort food for the little chub. Jodio, unfazed, reached for a sausage of his own. Slogans and associations could wait—he'd eaten black-pepper sausage on Blue Star with no odd thoughts.
"Submit or not? Submit, and I'll treat you to something delicious. Refuse, and we'll keep going," Jodio bit into his sausage and challenged.
"What shall we eat?" Ma Hongjun stood up, wiped his nose, and asked.
"Come on—what can't you find to eat these days? We'll hunt some soft-bone rabbits—wild ones. You start the fire, then snag some sugar beans from Teacher Flandre to roast with Oscar's sausages. Sweet, smoky roast rabbit—how's that? Sound good? Ready now? You two get rabbit legs; I'll take the head." Jodio crossed his arms, grinning proudly.
"Boss Jodio! Let's go right now, Oscar!" Ma Hongjun jumped up and linked arms around Jodio's neck, eager to start. Oscar's eyes already glittered with visions of roast rabbit.
"We hunt souls tomorrow. Tonight, we feast. No alcohol, but plenty of meat," Jodio proclaimed.
In the future, Jodio had been so disciplined only to survive without injury. Now, having realized restraint was pointless, he loosened up. Like Kira Yoshikage upon acquiring his Third Bomb, he suddenly felt less fearful. But Kira's was protective—I was embracing a "break-the-mold" attitude.
"Boss Jodio, what exactly is your martial soul? Why is it so cool? It forms outside your body?" Ma Hongjun chattered as they strode along the field's edge.
"Child, this is called a Stand—an ultimate manifestation of one's martial soul. Someday, when you perfect your cultivation, you'll summon a fiery phoenix outside your body. Though, technically, it'd be more of a fusion technique," Jodio replied, scanning the fields for movement.
He felt like an uncle taking his nephews out for Lunar New Year. Compared to these two six- and eight-year-olds, he seemed far sharper—like Howser in the bathroom scene or Knife Brother entering a con and turning it into abstract art. His brilliance was unstoppable.
"Oscar, you still won't call me 'Big Brother'," Jodio said, feigning hurt.
"Huh? Oh—Brother Jodio!" Oscar snapped out of his daydream of roast rabbit. At once, he recognized who held the real power here.
"Mortality!"
Suddenly, Silver Chariot lunged two meters away and skewered a wild rabbit in mid-prance. Its pained squeal filled their ears. Oscar and Ma Hongjun instinctively ducked and turned away.
"If you don't kill one rabbit, how will you conquer the world? Okay, that was extreme—forget I said that," Jodio sighed.
He calmly retrieved Silver Chariot's second rapier, plunged it into the rabbit's heart, and sent the creature off with dignity. At six or seven, they weren't too squeamish. After the initial shock, the boys scampered with Jodio to a large tree near the academy and began roasting.
They skinned the rabbit, cleaned it in a basin by the stream—dumping the wash water into a nearby tree pit to avoid polluting the water source—removed the entrails, and butchered it into pieces. Rather than roasting the whole carcass, sectioning it made for easier grilling. With Ma Hongjun's free firepower, any method worked.
Oscar pitched in the most; he seemed unbothered and quite skilled at the chores. Jodio realized these two were likely the poorest of the Seven Monsters—true underdogs with pure hearts.
The other five included two aristocratic brats from the feudal past, a sect leader's daughter, and that gangster's son whom Big Daddy bestowed the "Claw Girl" title upon to turn him into a prodigy—a true triad boss's kid. Among them, only these two were genuinely innocent. The rest could still be influenced; only Tang San and Xiao Wu were off-limits.
Tang San, with his prodigy father, was untouchable. According to Jodio's pincer plan, he needed to weaken Tang San's opportunities, stripping away all the good fortune he'd earn. In the future, when Jodio struck Tang San and Xiao Wu by surprise with his Ninth Soul Skill, the Seven Monsters intervened and saved them from a fatal blow.
Damn it—I'd have been furious, too. Who made you the Chosen One, managing everyone's fate? When Han Lao Mo ascended, he didn't punch the mortal realm to bits. When Xiao Yan ascended, he didn't forbid others from becoming Dou Di. Why should my ascension inconvenience you? Don't I matter in the divine war? Well… maybe I should stab you in the back. Actually, I just might.
"Honestly, I rarely eat rabbit," Jodio said, watching four legs roast over the fire.
"Huh?" Oscar and Ma Hongjun looked up.
"I generally avoid weird meats. I stick to pork, beef, lamb, chicken, and duck—even goose, only occasionally. But back then… sometimes you have to eat what you'd rather not," Jodio sighed.
"Boss Jodio, what did you eat before? It can't have been… poop, right?" Oscar teased, sniffing the aroma.
"Konen niang—how dare you talk to your boss like that! You can have the small leg later," Jodio shot him a glare.
"Oops, sorry. Please spare me," Oscar cowered.
"Save some for the teachers. We haven't paid any tuition yet, after all," Jodio reminded them.
"Boss, you're too pretentious. I think the teachers would want us to enjoy a good meal," Ma Hongjun complained. He'd been eyeing that big thick leg forever—if he had to, he'd fabricate a reason to keep it.
"Give me a reason the teachers won't eat rabbit," Jodio said, carving the remaining meat with Silver Chariot's blade.
"Oscar's guardian is Bear—bears eat honey!" Oscar chirped.
"And the headmaster is Owl. If we catch a field mouse, we'd have to call him over. But roast rabbit? He wouldn't eat it," Ma Hongjun added.
"Good… students!"
Suddenly, two large fists emerged behind the boys, twisting their heads toward each other. Jodio had seen this move in Crayon Shin-chan's mom's anime—sure enough, the boys howled in pain, pleading for mercy. Oscar, under Zhao Wuji's grip, had already gone full cherub—soon he'd cry out, "I'm the real Oscar!"
"Who's the bear?" Zhao Wuji growled at Oscar.
"I'm the bear! I'm the bear!" Oscar snapped to attention with a salute.
"You'd feed your mentor a mouse—impressive," Flandre laughed, tugging Hongjun's ear.
"Teacher, I was just pondering something profound—hence my bluster!" Oscar hastily explained to Zhao Wuji's darkening expression.
"I was thinking that Boss Jodio and Hongjun's martial souls are so useful, while mine seems only good for eating. That's why I spoke out of turn," Oscar pretended to brood.
"Listen," Jodio said calmly, arms folded. "Kings have their talents; chefs have theirs."
"There are no useless people, only fools and the common. Oscar, what kind of person you become—and what martial soul you deem useful—is up to you."
← To Be Continued
Current Public Information:
Martial Soul: Sausage (Level 14)
User: Oscar
Destructive Power: — | Speed: — | Range: E | Stamina: D | Precision: E | Growth Potential: A+
Martial Soul Ability: Summons edible sausages that taste delicious and richly restore or enhance soul power.