Ryosuke tightly gripped the Ruin Greatsword.
Endless crimson light flowed onto the blade, giving off a faint buzzing sound.
He could clearly sense that the power sent through the space-time crack opened by the Saint's Corpse was not only the power of human faith.
There was also the ninja world itself.
Like how a bug senses danger and curls up.
Like how a kitten, with a brain only the size of a walnut and smooth and flat, will hiss at an enemy.
The so-called "all things have spirit" in a ninja world that has evil gods, tailed beasts, death gods, natural forces, and other supernatural abilities is not just a figure of speech.
Somewhere in the dark, the ninja world sensed the threat of the Calamity Divine Tree and instinctively threw a heavy punch in response.
Part of it poured into the Ten-Tails mech through Otsutsuki Shibai's divine technique, and under Sasuke's control, turned into an arrow aimed at the Calamity Divine Tree.
The other part merged into the power of human faith and fell onto Ryosuke, becoming his trump card in this fight against Dio.
Just like what Tokugawa Shingen once said to Ryosuke, ("When you want to destroy a race, there will always be one or two tough bones that jump out and try to continue the race's life.")
Ryosuke was that tough bone who would smash Dio to death with one strike.
"Impossible! Why?!"
Dio stared at the fist being gripped by Ryosuke and let out an unwilling roar.
His success was not accidental. It was the one victory exchanged for the deaths of countless versions of himself in parallel worlds.
Dio went through endless hardship and sacrificed countless lives. He did not respect life, but that did not mean he did not treat human lives as resources. Only then did he finally reach heaven and obtain unmatched power.
He had worked so hard, so why should he still lose to Ryosuke? And why could Ryosuke just shout once and have power sent from the world behind him?
Dio had the illusion of a poor farm boy who struggled for decades to build his own business empire, only to be suppressed by a second-generation rich young master named "Ryosuke" using family background.
But he did not know.
Ryosuke did not get this power for no reason.
From the first day he arrived in the ninja world, Ryosuke had been fighting.
For himself, for others, for countless helpless ordinary people, changing worldlines again and again.
In endless battles, blood rose like raging flames, burning away the ugliness of the world.
What was being passed over now was less "power" and more like many people adding firewood together to light this flame and send its warmth over.
Ryosuke had no intention of responding to Dio's questioning. The hand gripping his fist suddenly twisted downward.
Crack!
The wrist broke.
Dio also hardened his heart. Enduring the pain, The World appeared behind him and threw a punch, only to be blocked by Ryosuke's Star Platinum.
Ryosuke did not even glance at the Stand battle. From beginning to end, his eyes were fixed on Dio.
His other hand dragged the Ruin Greatsword, swung it in a full arc, and slashed down toward Dio's head.
Before the blade even landed, Dio's magnificent clothes were torn into pieces by endless sharp wind pressure. The Sea of Mist below split to both sides like a bottomless abyss.
Dio's upper body was bare. Countless small beads of blood burst out across his body. His scarlet eyes first showed fear, then anger and a roar, as he threw another punch toward the falling Ruin Greatsword.
'Overwrite reality, activate!'
All the sharpness, pressure, shattering, annihilation, and other effects carried by the blade were overwritten and disappeared.
The Ruin Greatsword was about to be shattered by that punch.
Crimson light appeared again.
Crack!
The arm Dio used to block the blade was crushed.
The blade fell straight down and struck his shoulder.
"AHH..."
Dio screamed and retreated backward.
From his shoulder blade to his heart, a deep cut appeared. Even more terrifying, the ripple contained in the blade was bursting inside Dio's body.
This pain… this injury…
Dio knew it too well.
Countless versions of himself in parallel worlds had died bit by bit in despair under this state.
"But the current me will not accept this 'reality'!"
Dio clapped his fists together. The ability activated on his own body. All injuries were overwritten and disappeared, instantly restoring him to his peak state.
This was the power of Over Heaven.
As long as Dio's hands could still touch himself, no amount of injury could kill him.
Dio adjusted his body midair and charged at Ryosuke again. But when he looked toward where Ryosuke had been, there was no one there.
"Be careful!"
Father Pucci's warning came from high above.
Too late.
A sharp wind sound rang by his ear. In the corner of his eye, Dio saw spinning golden light, and behind it, Ryosuke's cold and focused expression.
"Golden Spin: Ripple Crystal: Sage Art Rasengan"
The rapidly spinning ripple in Ryosuke's hand smashed into Dio's face.
Almost instantly, his skin, flesh, and bones were like being thrown into a meat grinder, breaking apart and flying everywhere.
Dio became a headless corpse.
Ryosuke was about to follow up with another strike.
Bang!
The headless Dio kicked Ryosuke, sending him flying.
At the same time, overwrite reality activated again, and Dio restored himself once more.
The battle between Ryosuke and Dio was like two opponents with locked HP cheats on. For a moment, neither could do anything to the other. But anyone with eyes could see...
Ryosuke held the absolute upper hand.
His cheat was better.
The pressure on Dio kept increasing. Ryosuke was using extremely high-frequency attacks and endless energy consumption to test the limits of Over Heaven. Several times, he even tried to cut off Dio's arms to prevent him from using overwrite reality.
Although Dio had slept at the bottom of the sea for a hundred years, before becoming a vampire he had been a top student.
After waking up, aside from building his subordinates, he spent the rest of his time reading and researching how to reach heaven.
He knew there was something called the "exhaustive method."
If this continued, Ryosuke would eventually find a way to cut off Dio's arms.
Did Dio have no solution?
Of course not.
During the collision between overwrite reality and world power, Dio understood the source of Ryosuke's power.
It came from the faith of billions in the ninja world. Based on that, merged with world power, it finally became the indestructible crimson light.
"Ordinary humans cannot maintain high-intensity belief forever!"
Maintaining mental focus for a long time was something only monks, priests, and others who trained specifically could do.
Even if the ordinary people of the ninja world were full of passion, they would eventually grow tired and lose focus.
Ryosuke had only been away for four days, but nearly five months had passed in the ninja world. With a time flow difference of almost 1 to 40, how long could that faith power last?
Ten minutes?
Five minutes?
Dio calculated the time, and a smile appeared again at the corner of his mouth.
He could hold on.
"I can't hold on anymore!"
"Dio! Save me!"
Father Pucci's roar came from above.
Dio looked up and saw Star Platinum Requiem locking onto Father Pucci and activating the reverse cause and effect ability again.
Father Pucci immediately fell into a near-death state with severe injuries.
Jotaro rushed to Pucci with his fist raised, about to secure the first kill.