A silvery humanoid Stand, roughly Jodio's size, instantly appeared at his side. Clad head-to-toe in metal armor, the little knight gripped a rapier in its hand and scanned the surroundings, standing guard for Jodio. Though its precise powers were unclear, its sheer coolness promised formidable ability!
"Ahhhhh, damn heavens…"
Jodio snapped. His face twisted in frustration. Of all things, it had to be Silver Chariot! It wasn't that he looked down on the Stand—he just needed something with more flair, like Soft & Wet, The Empress, or Act 1. He didn't need this early-generation, six-parameter brawler!
"Silver Chariot! Get me out of here!" Despairing, Jodio gritted his teeth and seized the Stand's armored shoulder, begging it to spirit him away. Whatever else, he had to escape the zone of divine power first—save theatrics for later.
Drawing on his external soul bone with all his might, Jodio fought desperately to close the temporal-reversal conduit, face set with the resolve of a man staring death in the eye. His state of mind was not unlike Dio screaming for midnight snacks, Diavolo snatching away the insect arrow, or a priest succumbing to pure oxygen. He had to live—his final pincer offensive hinged on him alone. He would not die. He had to survive!
With its power source cut, the time-reversal conduit collapsed instantly, isolating Jodio from the barrier at last. He felt as though he'd surfaced from his last breath underwater. Relief washed over him—but then dissatisfaction bloomed through his veins. Where was my King Crimson? Why was I forced to use Silver Chariot?
"Abstract, unshaped world will… once I become a god, I'll carve you into Diavolo's exact likeness and torture you mercilessly!" he snarled.
Silver Chariot was effective in Pupu's hands only because Pupu was a master swordsman. And though this Stand possessed a Requiem, awakening King Crimson Requiem was a Level 90 feat—what skills could Silver Chariot offer between Levels 1 and 80? Jodio shuddered at the thought.
"No… wait!"
ゴッ!
"Silver Chariot… Silver Chariot, Chariot—"
"Could it be…?"
"Could it be…?"
"Spiral Staircase! (らせん階段) (Spiral Staircase)?"
Jodio fell silent. He summoned the insect-arrow martial soul again—and saw that his soul power had climbed to Level 10, yet his insect-arrow still functioned. In that moment, he felt the urge to cosplay Dio-sama, striding forth with cold poise. Instead, rapture surged through him, spurring fantasies of emulating Kars himself!
"Mwahahahahahaha!!!"
In an instant, he broke into a wildly theatrical laugh—then snapped back to seriousness and strode toward the distant village. The clown act was over. Now marched the invincible Jodio Joestar! Wait—wasn't the protagonist of Part 9 named the same? Whatever. It wasn't his real name, so he could borrow it.
Soul power 10, age a little over six, sole attack Stand Silver Chariot—this strength could be crushed by any seasoned soul master. Yet Jodio felt no fear. He had reached true "resolve," ready to carry out the Temporal Pincer Offensive to its bitter end.
---
South of Soto City, Kingdom of Balark—Shizun Village
He didn't understand why this distinctly Eastern world sported such Western place names. But then, his own name—Jodio Joestar—was no better. It was a minor miracle that he hadn't already been mocked by the locals, whose names were mostly two or three syllables. Mr. Flandre, the notorious money-grubber, must surely have a fully Western name.
As his clothes shrank with the time reversal, Jodio was spared the indignity of repeating the childhood ordeals of Dio. His goal was clear: reach Shrek Academy and collect some credits!
At the entrance to Shrek Academy stood a long, covered corridor. Nobles and commoners alike queued for their chance. Jodio suppressed his urge to deride the scene and lined up humbly. Honestly, given a choice, he would never waste time here—but he had no choice. The Shrek Seven were the closest to fulfilling his Temporal Offensive needs. So run the gauntlet, he would.
"Let me make it clear: anyone over 13 years old, or who lacks at least Level 21 soul power, will not be admitted. Don't test my patience. Shrek Academy takes monsters, not ordinary people."
A bespectacled, big-bearded, curly-haired middle-aged man lounged in a deck chair. Jodio recognized him at once as the famed swindler Mr. Flandre. No doubt the man had already pocketed ten gold coins from the newcomers. Well, if it funded teaching, the success was half-earned, half-lost.
"This is outrageous! I've never seen such arrogance in a 'broken' school! Listen—my son deigns to grace you with his presence! Do you know who I am? Ask around! I eat watermelon in South Soto for free whenever I want!"
"Enough."
Jodio, growing impatient, stepped forward and tapped the man on the pant leg. He hated these tawdry displays. A soul master was a soul master—who cared if they were nobles? If you refuse, you refuse. Stop posturing.
"Whose child?" the official sneered, looking down.
"Jodio Joestar," Jodio said, thrusting out his hand. "Remember that name. In the decades to come, you will pride yourself on having met me."
"How old are you?" Flandre actually sat up, inspecting Jodio's wrist.
The blond boy's dark-red eyes glittered with arrogant nobility, as though the son of a prime minister facing a county magistrate—or a tiger's cub unshaken by a bleating sheep. In that instant, Flandre felt less like a Soul Saint and more like a Great Soul Master himself.
"Six years and about three months," Jodio replied matter-of-factly.
"Show me your soul power and your martial soul," Flandre said seriously, leaning forward.
"Hey! We were here first—why are you letting others cut in?" cried a voice from the back.
"How outrageous! I'll petition the city lord to close your school down!"
"Yakamashi! You brat, shut up!"
Suppressing the urge to punch the nobleman, Jodio instead had Silver Chariot sketch a stylish "DIO" on his chest plate—shredding his clothes to bits. Silver Chariot may be a sword Stand, but small flourishes came easily.
"Listen! Just because you can't do math doesn't mean you'll suddenly learn if you panic. It's like fumbling your bag when the teacher comes to check your homework—you can't bluff your way out. If you lack strength, you lack strength. Stop whining and get out of line!" Jodio yelled.
"You—!" the noble sputtered.
"He's right. Shrek Academy only admits monsters. If you're not a monster, move along," Flandre stood and lazily revealed his martial soul and soul ring.
"A Soul Saint?!"
"I can't believe it!"
"He's practically a superhuman!" Parents in line fell silent, then half the crowd drifted off. The few who remained still hoped to try their luck—but from Jodio's memory, they'd soon meet disappointment.
"Child, what's your name? What's your martial soul?" Flandre addressed Jodio kindly, ignoring the others.
"Jodio Joestar. My martial soul is Stand Arrow." Jodio summoned his arrow martial soul.
"You have Level 10 soul power—is that innate? Who awakened your martial soul? Where are your parents?" Flandre pressed on.
"Well, you can call it innate soul power—can you really expect a six-year-old to master cultivation?" Jodio shrugged.
"As for the awakening and my parents—teacher, consider me an orphan." He answered calmly.
"Interesting," Flandre mused.
"And why did you choose Shrek Academy? What do you hope to achieve here?" Flandre asked.
"Hmph." Jodio smirked inwardly—these old-school folk were so naive, all they cared about was romance. Only Zhaowuji and Lone Bo weren't hopeless lovebirds. Everyone else had a thing.
"In my worldview, I am a genius." Jodio pointed to himself without shame.
"Moreover…"
ゴ!
"A genius deserves the best school and the best teachers. A genius should enjoy the finest things, striving from childhood with imperial ambition. Of all the schools, only this one suits me."
Jodio placed his hands on his hips, his expression arrogantly regal. Flandre could see the pride was genuine—this boy truly believed himself noble. Seeing that cheeky little face, he couldn't help but smile.
"Very well, promising youngster. Come with me. I'll introduce you to your two classmates."
---
← To Be Continued
Current Public Information:
Level-5 Stand: Silver Chariot
User: Jodio Joestar
Destructive Power: C | Speed: B | Range: D | Stamina: D | Precision: D | Growth Potential: A
Stand Ability: Wields a double-edged rapier for attacks. Its swordplay is so swift it can cleave air itself—enough to "cut through" flame. Its armor offers moderate defense but can be removed; without armor, its speed soars, leaving afterimages and allowing it to circle rapidly to create multiple "copies," making its true form impossible to track. Its attack speed also increases significantly, though its defense drops sharply. Additionally, Silver Chariot can launch its blade as a projectile to strike from a distance; upon hitting a hard surface, the blade can ricochet, calculated to hit the enemy's vital points.