The scorching Ripple rampaged through Kars' body, leaving destruction in its wake.
"Guaa—"
Kars opened his mouth in agony, like a salted fish thrown ashore.
The fist pressed into his back brought unbearable pain.
He tried to break free, but failed.
Whether he tried pushing his bones outward to stab Joseph, or extending blades from his spine—all of it failed to make Joseph let go.
"I'm not letting go, Kars!"
Even with the Ripple and Hermit Purple protecting him, Joseph still sustained injuries.
Hot blood flowed from his wounds, but it wasn't enough to shake his resolve.
Until this guy died, he would absolutely not let go.
"Damn you!"
Kars' distorted expression made his voice sound twisted, like a duck being strangled.
He shifted his gaze to the red-armored man pinning him down. Kars decided to start with this guy.
He didn't know how this non-Ripple human had such power, but that didn't matter.
Lord Kars would not be defeated so easily!
He made up his mind. After taking care of this red-armored human, he would immediately seize the Red Stone of Aja.
The Stone Mask he had thrown earlier was just something he made out of boredom at the mansion. His real, carefully prepared Stone Mask was still with him.
As long as he became the Ultimate Lifeform, these wounds would mean nothing!
"Brilliant Bone Blade!"
The dazzling bone blade shot straight toward Rojin's face.
A cold flash struck.
A broken blade spun into the air.
"Wild Slash."
Rojin's cold voice followed.
Though he wasn't a Kamen Rider specialized in slashing, when it came to arm blades, he had plenty of confidence.
"Nice!"
Joseph grinned behind him, intensifying the Ripple flow.
Soon, deep cracks split across Kars' body.
Golden Ripple light seeped out through the fissures.
"I! I—"
Sensing his end approaching, Kars struggled desperately.
Bone blades gleamed. Bone spikes capable of piercing flesh erupted.
His limbs twisted grotesquely.
He didn't want to die here. He hadn't become the Ultimate Lifeform yet.
He still had vendettas against Esidisi and Wamuu!
How could he die now?
Rojin and Joseph remained calm.
Joseph used Ripple combined with Hermit Purple to block most attacks.
The few harmless ones were simply ignored.
Rojin handled things even more simply.
One hand held Kars down. The other continuously chopped off his bone weapons.
Sometimes he even reached out and snapped freshly extended bone blades, reducing Joseph's burden.
"How… can I—"
With a final unwilling roar, Kars was burned into ash by the scorching Ripple.
This Pillar Man, who had lived for who-knows-how-long, was finally slain by his old nemesis in another world.
"It's over."
Clutching his wound, Joseph gasped heavily.
The Ripple reserves passed down from his elder self were nearly exhausted.
But it was fine. After this, his Ripple training would become much easier.
Having experienced such pain, Joseph would never allow himself to be this powerless again.
"So, what exactly is going on?"
Joseph sat casually on the ground, watching Organization members clean the area and gather the ashes that had been Kars.
Even the fragments of the shattered Stone Mask were carefully collected.
"In simple terms, this is no longer your original world."
Undoing his transformation, Rojin spoke to the seated Joseph.
But something about this Joseph felt strange.
Somehow… he didn't feel like the impulsive young Joseph Joestar from his memories.
"Not my original world?"
Scratching his head, Joseph seemed to understand a little.
He hadn't gotten the chance to observe carefully, but the surrounding buildings clearly didn't belong to his era.
"Someone specialized will explain everything to you later."
After saying that, Rojin said nothing more.
For otherworldly visitors who showed goodwill toward humanity, the Organization already had plenty of experience handling them.
If nothing unexpected happened, Joseph would be taken to the Chiba Research Base in a few days.
"Where are the analysts? Hurry up and bring me the psychological and behavioral profiles!"
The negotiator in charge of approaching Joseph kept urging nearby staff.
Why were these people so slow today? The battle was already over, yet the report still wasn't finished.
After evaluation, this large, muscular man belonged to the type who could communicate.
The neglected negotiator finally had a chance to be useful, after who-knows-how-long.
He had been dealing with either uncommunicable anomalies or obvious enemies of humanity. He had been starting to wonder whether he was about to be fired.
"They're here, they're here."
A young man in a suit jogged over and handed the freshly prepared analysis report to the negotiator.
Pointing at several sections on the report, he repeatedly reminded the negotiator of important details.
The middle-aged negotiator listened seriously. These were critical pieces of information.
"Yo, long time no see, Mr. Asano."
"Long time no see, Rojin."
Rojin nodded in greeting to Mr. Asano, then turned to Joseph.
"I'll be heading out, then."
"Oh, see you, Rojin."
Joseph spoke cheerfully, showing no sign of nervousness.
Mr. Asano, the negotiator, stood quietly to the side. Only after the two finished talking did he speak.
"Hello, sir. My name is Asano Kurahiro. I'm a diplomatic negotiator from the Humanity Protection Agency."
"Hello, my name is Joseph Joestar."
Facing this calm middle-aged man, Joseph also introduced himself.
From his perspective, it wasn't hard to tell that this so-called Humanity Protection Agency consisted of highly professional personnel.
Many of the soldiers in black tactical armor exuded an elite aura.
Any one of them placed outside this environment would be considered elite.
But here, they were merely ordinary members.
Rojin didn't pay further attention to Joseph's situation and walked straight toward the temporary command post.
"You're here."
The commander overseeing the battlefield nodded at him, then returned to his work.
Though Rojin was technically under him at the Chiba base, their security clearance was the same.
After greeting the commander casually, Rojin began his work.
He submitted the battle report and added his own observations about Joseph.