(Before we begin, this is another particularly long chapter. I hope you enjoy.)
Gyalzen POV
The battle for the red stone had begun! The first fight would see Joseph against Wamuu. Around us, the Vampires cheered loudly as the two chariots stopped parallel to one another. Soon, the fate of mankind would be decided, starting with a chariot duel to the DEATH!
Kars announced, "The match will begin when the moon reappears from behind that cloud!" He pointed up just as, sure enough, the moon was temporarily covered by the passing clouds. The Vampires continued to chant Wamuu's name, much to Joseph's annoyance. You could tell he was jealous that Wamuu had all the fans.
I stood, trying to keep my breathing calm. In all honesty, I was finding it difficult, my fear of the situation continued to escalate. Next to me, Lisa Lisa sternly instructed. "Calm yourself Gyalzen! Don't lack faith in JoJo's abilities." I didn't even bother arguing, she was right. We'd both come far under Lisa Lisa's training. And unlike me, he knew Wamuu's fighting style.
The rules for this match were simple. One lap was nine hundred and sixty meters. Each lap, a new weapon would be placed on a pillar directly ahead of the pair. Whoever got their first, got the weapon. A Vampire climbed down the pillar and placed a giant sledgehammer on it. The size of which could likely smash through a chariot with ease. I could only hope Joseph got to it first.
The moon was nearly emerging, however me and Lisa Lisa both noticed Joseph dawdling around near his chariot, Lisa Lisa asked "JoJo, what are you doing? It's almost time." Joseph replied with a grin. "I know, I know. The start is the key! I have to check the rubble under my wheels. Hey Wamuu, looks pretty bad down there."
I realized what he was doing. He began tossing the pebbles under Wamuu's chariot. If my theory was right, when the chariots set off, these pebbles would slow Wamuu down, giving an early lead for Joseph to grab the weapon. Whether Wamuu was aware of this, or he just didn't care was unknown, either way he gave no reaction.
At last, the moon emerged from behind the clouds, bathing the arena in a glow. Kars raised his arm and announced "START!"
And just like that they were off. And it was instantly clear that my theory had been correct. Right away, Joseph shot off into the lead, Wamuu attempted to pursue however his chariot soon became stuck.
One of the Vampires called out "L-Lord Wamuu is having trouble starting! His wheels are stuck!" Wamuu instantly stated "JoJo did it!" Lisa Lisa added "That clever devil." I spoke "It's funny what he comes up with sometimes." Lastly Kars spat "Bastard, you were at work while we were looking at the moon!"
Joseph sped off as the Vampires accused him of cheating, Joseph shot back "When your life is on the line, there are no rules! I don't mess around when it comes to survival!" It didn't take long for Wamuu to become unstuck though.
His wheels soon broke through the rubble and soon he was powering after Joseph however even so, there was still a noticeable gap between them. Kars calmly stated "JoJo will reach the hammer first."
Just as he said this, Joseph reached the column and in a swift motion, he snatched the hammer shouting "Gotcha!" For a moment, it seemed he'd lose the hammer as due to his speed, it began to slip from his grip. Though the hook on the hammer's handle latched onto the ring on his finger which allowed him to regain both his composure and his hold. With the hammer in hand, he declared "Now, this fight is in the bag! What luck."
This wave of confidence I felt in that second was soon diminished as Wamuu simply shrugged it off "You can have the hammer. That was my plan from the beginning." Was all he said as he continued to close the distance between him and Joseph.
Next to us, Kars' arrogance only increased as he said "Wamuu has some sort of plan. Show me your fighting genius!" Joseph's confidence didn't falter though, soaking the hammer in oil, he was able to channel Hamon through it as he turned and taunted "Bring it on Wamuu!"
Wamuu began to slow down. Upon noticing this, Kars told us. "This is a fight to the death, not a race. The proper usage of your weapon and your horses is key." I nodded, saying "Understandable." Joseph's plan was obvious, now he would try and draw Wamuu in so he could strike him with the Hamon-infused hammer.
As much as I hated to admit it, the strategy was TOO obvious. A warrior like Wamuu will have likely seen this coming as well. As Joseph slowed down, Wamuu smirked "You have the hammer, so I'LL grab something ELSE!"
He swung his arm out and smashed through another one of the pillars in the arena. Before it could fall though, he grabbed hold of it and held it exactly like Joseph did with the hammer, as Joseph turned around to gloat "So, Wamuu, are you ready to get slammed with this thing?" He was cut short at the sight of Wammu with the pillar!
The crowd were in hysterics. One Vampire called out "He was so happy with his hammer, but now look at his face!" Lisa Lisa ordered "Speed away JoJo!" Unfortunately, Joseph had already made the mistake of slowing down. He's fallen right into Wamuu's trap.
Swinging the pillar down, Joseph barely managed to leap out of the way of the incoming attack! He leapt from the chariot and tumbled to the ground, rolling for a moment before coming to a stop. Kars smirked "He fell? I guess the fight ends early."
Wamuu's horses galloped towards Joseph, preparing to trample him to death! Lisa Lisa exclaimed "JOJO!" As I added "Get up!" Wamuu predicted "I give a ninety percent chance he'll be crushed by my horses. There's a five percent chance he'll break left, and a five percent chance he'll break right. Now, what will our cunning warrior do?"
Joseph however, was more focussed worrying about the hammer. I yelled "Forget the hammer! Get out of the way JoJo!" Lisa Lisa stated "He mustn't dodge. Otherwise Wamuu will stop and finish him."
Joseph found his hammer and instead of making an effort to dodge, he rushed forward to the surprise of everyone except myself and Lisa Lisa. He didn't aim for Wamuu or even the horses though. Instead, he latched the hammer onto the bar between the horses!
Using this leverage, he was able to propel himself up and then around, landing on one of Wamuu's horses. For a moment, the Pillar Man was shocked, however he quickly composed himself and in a quick gust of wind, he vanished. Kars stated "Wamuu is always one step ahead of JoJo." What happened next was a shock.
Wamuu emerged, this time from INSIDE the horse Joseph was stood on! He gripped Joseph's leg with a vice-grip. Joseph had to abandon his boot and leap from the horse to escape the surprise attack. Landing on the other horse instead.
Kars scowled as Joseph celebrated "Luck's on my side! This hammer got caught on my ring. Luck is part of being affective! Now look at yourself! Your own power has trapped you inside that horse!"
Once more channelling Hamon through the oil-slicked hammer, Joseph leapt into the air, declaring "Here's Hamon for you and your horse, Wamuu!" He proceeded to swing the weapon down, seemingly, to win then and there.
But it was clear, this was another trap. Kars remarked "The fool! He doesn't see!" Lisa Lisa exclaimed "Look out JoJo! Stay away from Wamuu!" In an instant, Wamuu emerged from the horse once more, Kars told us "Inside there, Wamuu's hands are free, speed and shaking are no issue. That means..." He trailed off, we both suspected what was coming.
Lisa Lisa worryingly spoke "No one has survived a direct hit! Caesar didn't!" Wamuu announced "You are caught in my DIVINE SANDSTORM!" It happened so quickly, Wamuu's arms started spinning, creating miniature tornados. The sheer force of which sent Joseph flying, blood flying all over the place! So, that was the technique that killed Caesar, now I knew.
Joseph crashed down back in his chariot from earlier, unmoving. Kars just sat down and snapped his fingers, ushering one of the Vampires over. With arrogance lacing every word, he spoke "Even with half a lap around the arena, this fight was full of twists eh? But in the end, Wamuu was the better thinker and the better fighter."
He took a sip of wine before continuing to Lisa Lisa "Next up is the battle between you and me." To me he said "And once I've dealt with your teacher, it's your turn." Closing his eyes he said "To be honest, I prefer not to fight women. Wamuu dislikes it even more. Even so, all Hamon users must be exterminated."
Fishing around in his cloth, he held up a strange vile. Tossing it to Lisa Lisa, he said "Drink that for a painless death. I'll fight and slaughter Gyalzen instead." For a moment, I got on my guard, preparing to attack however Lisa Lisa smirked before saying "You seem to be mistaken. JoJo and Wamuu aren't done fighting." One of the Vampires exclaimed "L-Lord Kars, look over there!"
Following where he was pointing, I was left speechless! Even Kars dropped the glass he was holding and exclaimed "WHAT?!"
Wamuu had come into a trance-like state. His arms HANGING from their sockets barely! The Vampire called out "Lord Wamuu's arms look like they're about to fall off!" The arms just flapped about due to the speed. He seemed mentally incapable of processing what had happened! Same here!
My attention shot to Joseph and I gasped as I saw him slowly sit up! His chariot wasn't destroyed, only damaged! The wheels were bent inwards but it was still very much moving! For a moment, I couldn't really believe my eyes!
With a chuckle and a grin, Joseph spoke "Well, I did it again." Kars was having trouble understanding what had happened. "That Divine Sandstorm hit him directly!" Lisa Lisa retorted. "JoJo was cunning enough to make it LOOK direct. He's an absolute genius of trickery. I don't know if I should praise him. Take a closer look at Wamuu."
Doing so, I realized what must have happened, as did Kars. In that moment in which Wamuu performed his Divine Sandstorm, Joseph had used the horse's reigns to wrap around Wamuu's arms and sent a burst of Hamon through them! This not only hobbled the Divine Sandstorm, but crippled Wamuu's arms as well!
I stepped forward, muttering to myself "My my JoJo, it seems you become cleverer each time you fight." Joseph revealed "When Wamuu was sticking his hand out of the horse, I knew he'd stick out his other hand to use his Divine Sandstorm. And I had the PERFECT counter!"
Wamuu's expression was pale and sweaty. He'd fallen completely into a trance as he stared vacantly into the sky. His reason for this was unknown, it was as if all the composure he'd demonstrated was entirely shattered!
Despite his visible nervousness, Kars maintained his composure as he said "It's no surprise. Wamuu was struck with Hamon in the middle of his attack. The confidence he built over millennia has crumbled. The quiet intensity his victories gave him has vanished. It was surely a shock to him." Kars returned serious as he announced. "It matters not. Put out the next set of weapons!" He gave off a bright flash of light.
As per his instructions, two Vampires from the other side of the arena stepped forward brandishing the next load of weapons. A pair of crossbows! One large, one small, each had two balls of ammo. Whoever reached them first would get to pick which one they utilised.
Of course, with Wamuu in his seemingly braindead state, it seemed Joseph would get first pick once more. Kars however sat down calmly, saying "Lisa Lisa, Gyalzen, let me say what's on both your minds. Wamuu's mind is in no state to fight. So, why is Kars deploying weapons with such confidence? It makes you both nervous right? Here's why. It's because Wamuu is a true warrior."
That was all he said, however after a moment's thought, my eyes widened as it clicked! Athletes often used a technique called the switch comeback. When pressured by shock, failure or fear, in Wamuu's case, all three, they can flip a mental switch to bring out their fighting spirit. In short, Wamuu would soon come back. Even fiercer than before!
Suddenly Wamuu thrust his hands up, stabbing them both into his EYES! Joseph exclaimed "W-what the-! What's he doing?!" Now completely blinded, Wamuu explained "I foolishly relied on my eyes because I could see. JoJo exploited my weakness. Now I will use this horn to see WIND instead of light!" Leaping from his horse, a horn extended from his forehead!
As he leapt back into his chariot, Kars stated "He flipped the switch by removing his eyes. Wamuu is now psychologically invincible. Now he can sense the wind with his horn. He sees air better than light." Joseph commented "What was that about? That won't psyche me out! We lost Caesar! Your eyes are nothing compared to that!" His comment made me smile lightly.
Even with Wamuu's newfound resolve, Joseph still beat him to the Vampires with the crossbows. One asked "Which one-?" The other finished "-Will you take?" Joseph smirked before snatching the large one. My smile disappeared as my eyes narrowed.
He seemed confident though saying "You really need to ask? The big one of course! I need more power!" Naturally, Wamuu got the small one. Though it soon became apparent that Joseph had made another mistake.
"N-no! I can't draw it back! S-so tight! I can't even bend the string!" The two Vampires howled with laughter, one of them shouting "You got greedy! Even a normal crossbow takes a lot of strength to draw!" The other shouted "You got greedy! So greed got you BACK!"
Wamuu effortlessly drew the string on the smaller crossbow and took aim. "I'll use the first ball to get a picture." With that, he fired! The ball shot out at rapid speeds, colliding with one of Joseph's horses, killing it INSTANTLY!
Wamuu wasted no time readying the second. "Now I see the range. The next shot won't miss." By this point, Joseph had been forced to abandon his chariot a second time, now riding the remaining horse solo!
As the Pillar Man once more took aim, this time intent on ending things, the Vampires called "Lord Wamuu, blow him to smithereens! Let us feed on what remains!" Joseph was still desperately trying to load his own weapon, but to no avail.
It seems he'd found a trick though, Wamuu was detecting him with the wind. However if he remained on the other side of the large brazier, it would be difficult to sense him through the fire. Kars however was still convinced "He's underestimating Wamuu."
And sure enough, something happened that I hadn't expected. Wamuu turned away from the fire and instead fired the second ball towards the WALL! I was left shocked as in the blink of an eye, the ball bounced off and proceeded to skim around the outline of the arena!
Kars explained. "JoJo is staying opposite Wamuu and near the flame. He's giving away his position!" Lisa Lisa also pointed out "He's banking this shot like a billiard ball!" In a swift motion, the ball bounced off the wall and slammed into Joseph's SIDE!
Coughing up blood, Joseph was knocked from his horse! The crowd roared once more as Wamuu explained "I was looking at the terrain as we circled. I wanted to find a wall I could use on you." With no more ammo, he tossed the crossbow aside.
Kars said "It lost momentum, so it didn't pierce the skin. But he's spitting up blood which means organ damage. Finish him! Wamuu! JoJo is a wily one, be on your guard!" Wamuu rumbled closer, much like before. His horses were close to trampling Joseph!
Joseph shot upright exclaiming "NOW!" It seems when he'd hit the ground, the crossbow had managed to load! He made an attempt to fire but the pain in his side caused his to gag and fall back down.
Kars smirked, mocking "Almost, almost! His shot went wild though! I should commend him for fighting until the very last." Wamuu called out "This is the end JOJO!" Joseph cried out "Stay back! Don't come any closer!"
For a moment, my eyebrow raised again in confusion. Joseph was reduced to a snivelling coward in this moment. Was it an act? Was it genuine? I had no idea, I didn't know what to expect. He began tossing stones about pleading "Please! Spare me!"
Wamuu scowled, a part of me understood his anger, given the sort of warrior he was, I could imagine this being disappointing for him. The Vampires found this hilarious though. Joseph slowly got to his feet and said something strange.
"Wamuu. Here's what you'll say next. 'Do not dishonour our fight JoJo!'"
As soon as he said this, Wamuu spat "Do not dishonour our fight JoJo!" That's when it clicked for him. I remembered Joseph pulling the same trick on me when I fought Esidisi. It was quite funny. But what was the relevance here?
Joseph smirked once again. "A bat could fly through those stones. But what about you?" In a split second, the very ball Joseph had fired from the crossbow earlier ricochet back! It shot right into Wamuu's back, bursting from his chest!
As Wamuu hunched over, Joseph chuckled "Heh heh. Looks like I did it again. Wamuu, I used the shot you fired at me earlier." The arena went quiet, there wasn't even a moan from the Vampires, you could tell Wamuu was caught off guard by this information.
A gaping hole was present in his chest, glowing like one of those Jack-O-Lanterns. The iron ball had likely carried a small amount of Hamon so the wound began to fester. Wamuu's arms had grown worse as well. It was safe to assume there would be no more Divine Sandstorms.
Wamuu tipped forward, for a second it seemed as though he'd fallen. However he quickly recovered and lashed out in a kick! Joseph pointed out that he was acting out of pain and countered, yelling "REBUFF OVERDRIVE!"
Swinging his arms around, he slammed into Wamuu's legs! A burst of Hamon shot through Wamuu causing him to groan in pain and collapsed to the floor. My eyes widened as I called "JoJo's won!" Lisa Lisa added "Wamuu won't get up again!" Now it was Kars' turn to fall silent and sweat.
On the ground, Wamuu twitched. I could just about make-out his mouth moving though couldn't hear what was being said. Wamuu got to his knees though by now, he'd lost his arms entirely.
Now, I could just about hear him stating "It is not my way to give the enemy an easy victory. My wounds are my flesh, my losses are my ability. I will use all of this to claim victory!" In an instant, his arms shot out of the whole in his chest, latching on to Joseph and pinning him to the wall of the arena!
He was being choked! Unable to breathe and therefore, unable to use Hamon! Out of Wamuu's sides, emerged small pipes. Their meaning soon became clear as wind began to be sucked into them. Wamuu explained "This is my ultimate mastery of wind."
Kars seemed taken aback by this. Stammering "Ultimate mastery? NO! Stop Wamuu, you cannot do that!" Wamuu didn't listen though. Instead, he continued to suck wind in through the pipes as he spoke "My ultimate mastery, the Atmospheric RIFT!"
Wind lanced out of his body in a narrow steam. As soon as it collided with the wall, the force of the wind began to cut into the stone. Joseph seemed unable to escape as the stream drew closer, a loud whistle emanating from it.
"You're near the flame." Wamuu stated. "I only know your approximate location. But now you can't use Hamon. I'll find you eventually and cut you down." Even as his body was literally falling apart from the sheer force of the attack, Wamuu kept up the attack. If I wasn't worried for Joseph, I'd have commended him on his determination.
Kars' expression seemed to calm, the panic he showed before dissipated as he called out "Victory is yours! Take his life to salve your wounds!" The wind stream was growing closer and closer, Joseph was left defenceless.
That's when I noticed him holding something up. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was a flask of OIL! He lit the oil just as the wind struck him. Wamuu proclaimed "I've got you now!" Just as Joseph yelled "Take this Wamuu!"
He threw the flask toward the Pillar Man, only for it to be cut in half by the sharp winds. Wamuu smugly said "A firebomb, pathetic. I can sense things that are away from the flames. You're out of tricks and that cry gave away your position. Now, ATOMOSPHERIC RIFT!"
It seemed to be over right then. Wamuu had Joseph pinned, the wind was fast approaching. Joseph gave one final cry. "CAESAR! LEND ME YOUR AID!" Ripping the bandana from his head, he lit it aflame and threw that as well!
Wamuu remarked. "More fire? I can sense things away from the flames!" In a swipe, the bandana was reduced to nothing, however this didn't stop Joseph's grin. As Wamuu declared "And now, I will cut you in half and claim my victory!" Joseph raised his hands.
"Wamuu, you lost the moment I threw Caesar's bandana. Don't you see I meant for you to break the bottle? Your ability to cut it so easily lead to your defeat." As he said these words, I noticed that the oil had been reduced to vapour. Which was now following the wind currents, INSIDE Wamuu's body!
And the bandana, despite being sliced was still ablaze. The burning fragments of which were mixing with the vapour being sucked in through the pipes. All Wamuu muttered was "I'm sucking it in..." Realization had hit him at last.
Joseph spoke calmly "Wamuu. You were an admirable fighter. But a powerful ally named Caesar was with me this whole time." As soon as these words were spoke, Wamuu exploded into flames! A cloud of smoke shrouded the arena.
Vampires muttered "H-he lost." And "Lord Wamuu!" Kars remained silent though as Wamuu's head hit the floor, all that remained of him. The severed arms dropped to the floor, losing their grip on Joseph.
As he caught his breath, Lisa Lisa called out "JoJo! That creature can regenerate even after exploding like that. Use your strongest Hamon to finish him off completely!" Getting back to his feet, Joseph slowly began to approach Wamuu's head. It was clear he was still alive.
Wamuu rasped out "So, it's finally over... Jo...Jo..." Joseph responded "It is." Wamuu pointed out "You got me back for Caesar..." To which Joseph answered "I did." Wamuu then said "Then do it. Finish me."
Joseph yelled "Then I will!" And swung his arm down. He didn't land the finishing blow though, instead he struck the ground next to Wamuu. His hand began bleeding and he poured it over the severed head who asked "W-what is this?!"
Joseph explained "That smoke isn't from the explosion. It's from your wounds. The Hamon from your limbs spread throughout your body. I know how painful that must be for your kind. I cannot mend you. But my blood can ease your pain before you go."
Wamuu spat angrily "Do you wish to shame me before I die?! Stop! I don't need your pity!" Joseph shot back "Pity? Did you say pity? So why did you ignore the bubble that carried Caesar's bandana and this ring. Was it pity?"
To this, Wamuu answered "It was because he was a proud warrior. I wished to honour him." Joseph cut him off saying "No JoJo, you don't." Just as Wamuu repeated "No JoJo, you don't-." There it was again, Joseph had predicted Wamuu's next sentence.
Joseph answered though "No Wamuu, I do. A fight is a fight. My grief for Caesar is my grief. Somehow, I want to honour you in return. My blood pays tribute to you." Wamuu's head rolled a bit as he stated "I've lost JoJo. It seems as a warrior, you stand taller than I did."
In an instant, a group of Vampires all screamed "Kill the bastard!" They all rushed forward, intent on killing Joseph regardless of his victory. Again, I prepared to strike, even catching one with a Hamon-infused kick to the neck.
However before I could help deal with the rest, Wamuu had called "Hold! What betrayal is this!" With one of the discarded crossbows from earlier, he launched himself forward, using his horn, he swiftly killed all the Vampires one after another.
In doing so though, his horn snapped. As he hit the ground again, Joseph approached asking "Why?" To this Wamuu responded "I am sworn to Lord Kars. But I will not allow the Vampires to attack you. I told Caesar this as well. It's not because I'm sentimental. To me, only the strong are real. Victory alone is just and admirable. I merely lived according to my own code of honour. To me, immortality is a trivial thing. All that matters was living to my code. Now... Drink the antidote for me. Do it before I fade."
Joseph asked "Will you see?" This was answered by "I don't need eyes, or horns or words. I will know. The action is all that matters." Joseph followed through with the warrior's dying wish, Joseph tool the ring and consumed it. Finally breaking the second ring in his body.
Wamuu rasped "I have no regrets. I'm glad I was able to witness your growth. Perhaps I lived these thousands of years in order to meet you at the end. Fare... Well..." With those final words, Wamuu turned to dust and was blown away in the now-gentle breeze.
I stood on the side-lines watching the whole exchange. In his final moments, I'd grown to admire the Pillar Man, even if we were enemies. All I found myself able to say in that moment was.
"What an honourable warrior..."
Author's Note: And that's it for this chapter. Another long one at that! I really hope you enjoyed it and as always, thank you for reading.