The hundred-meter-tall Susanoo stood in the center of Cairo.
Clad in azure, glass-like armor, with two long swords hanging at its waist that it did not draw, it simply crossed its arms together with its master, Uchiha Madara, and looked down at Red Hot Chili Pepper below.
One was over a hundred meters tall. The other was only fifty meters.
The difference in height was like an adult looking down at a kindergarten child.
Of course, height was only one aspect. The actual gap in strength couldn't be crudely measured by height alone. If it could, that would be giving Red Hot Chili Pepper far too much credit.
This was the first time Hot Pants and Josuke had seen Uchiha Madara fight. Their last lingering worry about Madara not being a Stand user vanished completely, leaving only an overwhelming surge of excitement.
In contrast, Red Hot Chili Pepper raised its head and looked at Uchiha Madara standing within Susanoo. His gaze was cold and indifferent, yet even a single glance carried an air of lofty pride and defiance.
Akira Otoishi was just a rock-loving punk not even twenty years old. How could he have ever seen a scene like this?
Red Hot Chili Pepper subconsciously took a step back, the thought forming in his mind, 'How about… retreating first?'
Snap!
A hand seized Red Hot Chili Pepper by the throat.
Susanoo flung it into the air. The twin swords at its waist were drawn in a flash, swung through the air, and then sheathed again in the next instant.
Thunder roared across the sky as the massive Red Hot Chili Pepper was cut into countless tiny particles of dust.
A streak of golden light fled into the distance. The Sharingan locked onto it, pursuing relentlessly, until it escaped into a small boat by the river. The boat rumbled to life...
Whoosh!
A fishing hook, trailing a line, shot out and pierced into the boat, snagging Akira Otoishi and yanking him back, dragging the rock youth in his leather jacket over.
Ryosuke tried to extract some information from him.
Unfortunately, after gaining power, Akira Otoishi had only cared about indulging himself. When questioned, he knew nothing.
"Brother Ryosuke, I... I won't die, right? I was wrong, I apologize to you," Akira Otoishi asked, trembling.
Ryosuke patted him reassuringly on the shoulder and said softly, "No."
Unlike Avdol or Higashikata Josuke, he hadn't been controlled. Since he had genuinely intended to kill, then after losing, he would honestly go to his death.
[Slain Pet Shop, obtained 1 Tainted Soul]
[Slain Akira Otoishi, obtained 1 Tainted Soul]
Along with the system's notification sounds, Ryosuke also found a piece of the Saint's Corpse within the charred remains of Falcon Pet Shop.
At this point, the number of Saint's Corpse pieces, three.
Number of Tainted Souls, seven.
That was how quickly the battle ended.
With the Otsutsuki completely wiped out, and the new generation like Sasuke and Naruto not yet fully grown, Uchiha Madara was the strongest ninja in the ninja world, bar none.
In a direct confrontation, with Madara's abilities, he could flatten the vast majority of Stand users.
Only a very small few, those with overwhelmingly powerful mechanics, like Wonder of You, or those whose raw stats truly reached the peak, like Made in Heaven, could suppress Madara in a head-on fight.
The azure flames gradually faded. Susanoo dissipated. Uchiha Madara strode down from the air.
Hot Pants and Josuke looked at him with shining eyes.
Not just because he was strong, if it was purely about strength, Ryosuke beside them was even stronger.
They were fascinated by ninjutsu, which was completely different from the Stand system.
The two of them were practically treating Uchiha Madara like some kind of mage or occult sorcerer, crowding around him and asking all sorts of questions.
Josuke even stretched out his hand and asked Madara to use witchcraft to read his palm.
Madara ignored the noisy pair and walked over. Space twisted, and he handed the unconscious Avdol to Ryosuke.
"He counts as a positive character, right?"
Ryosuke nodded and took Avdol.
He first used the Saint's Corpse to purify him, dispersing the mind-controlling black light, then took out a bottle of healing potion and had him drink it.
A few seconds later, Avdol clutched his forehead and sat up.
"Mr. Ryosuke?"
"It's me."
Ryosuke asked, "What exactly happened? Where's Jotaro?"
Avdol was indeed an excellent Stand user. His ability was straightforward and powerful, and he had developed his Stand well. But everyone knew there was a gap between him and Kujo Jotaro.
Why would Dio control Avdol instead of Jotaro?
Hearing Ryosuke's question, Avdol's expression gradually turned desolate. He fell silent for a long while. When he raised his head again, his eyes were already brimming with tears.
"Dead."
"They're all dead, Jotaro, Kakyoin, Polnareff, Iggy, including me."
"Perhaps because he thought I was useful, Dio revived me and turned me into his puppet, leaving me here."
Ryosuke turned back and exchanged a glance with Josuke.
This was a completely different arrangement.
In the JoJo Gospel timeline, almost no one had died. At worst, they were controlled or kidnapped.
As long as they were alive, there was hope to save them.
But in the Stardust Crusaders timeline…
"Because of 'hatred'?" Uchiha Madara asked.
Dio, who was controlling everything from behind the scenes, now possessed a Stand, which meant he came from the Stardust Crusaders timeline.
Ryosuke immediately realized another issue.
"The Dio you encountered, was he the Dio of this world?"
Steel Ball Run and JoJo Gospel had the Saint's Corpse as an anchor point for the world.
Parts One through Six did not have such an anchor. Between different parallel worlds, all were equal; the only difference lay in their slightly diverging developmental paths.
What Ryosuke wanted to ask was, was this world the storyline he knew?
Or was it a deviated parallel world?
"I… don't know," Avdol replied. "My memories stop at infiltrating Dio's mansion. Then… I died. When I was revived again, I had already become Dio's puppet."
"But you can ask Mr. Joseph. He should remember everything."
Joseph was still alive?
Ryosuke hadn't expected Dio to kill so many people and still spare Joseph's life in the end.
As long as someone was alive, that was a good thing.
"Then I'll have to trouble you to take us to him," Ryosuke said.
Avdol shook his head slightly. "Actually, even if you hadn't mentioned meeting Mr. Joseph, I would have taken the initiative to invite you to see him."
"Although after becoming a puppet, I didn't have much interaction with Mr. Joseph, I remember..."
Avdol looked at Ryosuke.
"He's always been standing in front of Jotaro's grave, softly reciting your name."
Joseph.
Joseph Joestar.
He remembered Ryosuke.
More precisely, due to Dio's influence, memories from parallel worlds overlapped. The elderly Joseph recalled the years he had fought side by side with Ryosuke.
So when the frail, emaciated Joseph, sitting in a wheelchair, saw Ryosuke in the courtyard, he fell into a brief daze, unable to distinguish reality from dream.
Joseph trembled as he stood up, but his atrophied legs caused him to plop back down.
He stared blankly at Ryosuke walking toward him.
"I thought… you were just someone from my imagination. A character I created in my heart when I was on the verge of being driven mad by Dio's torment, an all-powerful 'hero.'"
Ryosuke walked over.
"I'm not an illusion, and I'm not a hero."
"I'm just your friend."
Ryosuke handed him a bottle of healing potion and said, "When a friend is in trouble, how could I not come take a look?"