Streaks of crimson light appeared within the world rift, resisting the erosion of the Calamity Divine Tree, yet unable to break free from the countless branches wrapped around it.
On top of that, behind the Calamity Divine Tree, there were eight JOJO timelines acting like rocket boosters, constantly pushing back against the Ninja World's rejection.
Buzz~
Suddenly, a faint tremor came from the rear.
"The eight timelines are 'struggling,'" Kars said.
Like a hammer, something slammed heavily into the Divine Tree, and it was also a huge blow to the eight JOJO timelines.
Just like the Ninja World's rejection, the JOJO timelines were also rejecting the fate of being controlled and smashed around.
Kars turned his head and said to Wonder of U, "Hey! Wonder, go think of something and make them behave."
Wonder of U tapped the Divine Tree with his cane, making a tapping sound, showing his displeasure. "Watch your tone. Say 'please.'"
"Don't forget, I'm the main body. You're the Stand."
Kars responded by raising two middle fingers at Wonder of U.
He had learned that mocking gesture while fighting Joseph.
Dio did not interfere with the friendly exchange between the two startup partners. He took out the final Saint's Corpse.
The Saint's Corpse was releasing a golden glow, flashing constantly, and echoing with something in the distance. That out of control feeling made Dio unhappy.
At that moment, behind the Calamity Divine Tree, the eight timelines that were struggling suddenly burst out with a beam of light, drawing a meteor like arc as it flashed past overhead.
At the same time, the Saint's Corpse in Dio's palm suddenly disappeared, appearing in the sky and colliding with the meteor above.
At that instant, Dio recognized it.
The light bursting out from the eight timelines was the same as the crimson light of the Ninja World. It was the world power of the JOJO timelines.
And now, this portion of world power was using the Saint's Corpse's ability to cross spacetime to escape Dio's control.
"Trying to run?!"
Dio had already treated both the Ninja World and the JOJO world as his private property. Naturally, he would not allow what belonged to him to leave.
The World Over Heaven appeared and grabbed the tail of the meteor.
Rip!
A tearing sound that echoed through the soul rang out. A large amount of golden light was torn back, but the Saint's Corpse still carried a small portion of the golden glow and fell into the Ninja World.
It did not stop. Instead, it followed the tiny opening that the Slug Sage had created earlier when he shattered a crack in the River of Time, and flowed upstream.
Dio's gaze pierced through the River of Time. He wanted to see where the Saint's Corpse was taking that power.
He saw the Uchiha clan compound drenched in blood.
He saw the body lying on the ground, named Uchiha Ryosuke.
The Saint's Corpse opened a world rift, and a soul was drawn over.
That soul was Ryosuke.
The Saint's Corpse and the remaining JOJO world power wrapped around Ryosuke's soul and merged into Uchiha Ryosuke's body, finally becoming…
Ryosuke and the JOJO System.
Dio, who had always been confused about how Ryosuke could control multiple Stands, finally understood the reason behind it...
This power was the final cry of the JOJO world.
The eight timelines did not want to become Dio's tools, nor did they want to turn into fragments and disappear into the Sea of Mist after being smashed again and again.
So under the guidance of the Saint's Corpse, the world power carried a desperate wish for help and chose Ryosuke.
If Dio had not torn away a large amount of the golden light, after obtaining the System, Ryosuke would not have needed things like soul fragments, dimensional ascension star cores, or fate ink.
All the resources he could use would have been clearly laid out before him. He could use them however he wanted.
In short, all of spacetime, all of cause and effect, formed a closed loop.
Dio withdrew his gaze, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"I thought it was something special."
"As expected, things like this are just like magic tricks. When you don't know, they seem incredibly mysterious. Once you really know the truth, that's all there is to it."
Besides, history had already been locked in place. Fate had become a fixed fact.
"No matter how many times spacetime repeats, the result will not change at all."
Even so, Dio remained cautious. He stared at the chaotic Ninja World and said softly, "I still need to find Ryosuke and deal with him as soon as possible."
Standing at the edge of the world rift, Dio pondered for a moment. Then, with a wave of his hand, he created an endless army of vampires and ghouls.
He also summoned many Stand users from the eight JOJO timelines.
Tens of millions of undead soldiers, under Dio's protection, ignored the rule that they feared sunlight and charged toward the Ninja World.
Wonder of U could not understand Dio's actions and asked, "You've already taken the Ninja World. Why waste manpower?"
"No, no, no."
Dio gently shook his finger.
"Ryosuke gave me the inspiration."
The power of belief was something worth talking about.
Dio still remembered how painful it was when he was beaten by the power of belief. If he only absorbed a world's basic energy, it would be too much of a waste.
He planned to use the army to trigger the fighting spirit, hatred, sorrow, anger, and many other emotions of the Ninja World's residents, in order to gather the "power of belief."
Of course, that was only part of the reason.
More importantly...
"I'm going to use this method to force Ryosuke out."
If the Calamity Divine Tree absorbed the world, it would only lead the Ninja World toward the process of cosmic extinction. The sun would go out, the universe would collapse, and everything would eventually disappear completely.
But how could that compare to sending a group of grinning, bloodthirsty subordinates, laughing wildly as they slaughter women, children, and the elderly? That had far more visual and auditory impact.
"For someone as stubborn and foolish as Ryosuke, just a little stimulation might make him unable to resist jumping out on his own."
As long as Ryosuke appeared, even if he hid his name and disguised himself, he might fool others, but he could never fool Dio.
The moment he showed up, Dio would descend upon the Ninja World and personally execute Ryosuke.
As for the casualties among his subordinates?
As long as they were not sealed inside the Saint's Corpse, Dio could revive them with a bit of power. There was no need to care about losses. The warriors under his command could fight without fear of death.
"Let's go."
Dio took one last look at the Ninja World.
"Real fine wine needs to breathe after the bottle is opened for its flavor to grow richer. I'm looking forward to the moment we drink the first bottle together."
With that, Dio turned and left.
———
[Ninja World]
Sasuke encountered Naruto from another world.
Uchiha Madara also met a stranger.
The man across from him looked about thirty years old. He wore a black robe, and his long hair covered his left eye.
That kind of self deceiving cover was naturally useless against Madara's sight.
Madara was certain that the other man's left eye was the Rinnegan.
They looked at each other.
The same cold personality, the same slight shock. Their expressions seemed unable to believe they would see each other here.
Uchiha Madara spoke first. "Sasuke?"
The adult Sasuke nodded slightly, "Madara… I didn't expect that in this lifetime, I would see you again."
He was the Sasuke who experienced the original Naruto storyline. He had fought Madara in the Fourth Great Ninja War and had been defeated by him. In the end, it was Kaguya's appearance, swallowing Uchiha Madara, that created a turning point.
More than ten years had passed in a flash. Sasuke had grown from a seventeen year old boy into a man in his thirties, with a wife and daughter.
He had thought he would live a peaceful life from then on. But...
The adult Sasuke looked at the sky, then at the "revived" Uchiha Madara not far away, feeling as if everything was a dream.
Within the world rift, tens of millions of vampires formed a crimson, faintly writhing line.
Like worms tangled together in a cesspit.
When they got a little closer, their crimson eyes, bloodthirsty fangs, and the fanatic look stamped permanently on their faces could be seen clearly.
"If this is a dream… it's way too disgusting."
"Here."
Madara handed over a stamina potion, interrupting the adult Sasuke's thoughts. "Now isn't the time to be in a daze."
The adult Sasuke did not take it.
Uchiha Madara saw his vigilance. "In your world, we may have been enemies. You might have been a daimyo's guard, a rogue ninja, or a bounty hunter."
"But here, we don't talk about that."
The adult Sasuke frowned slightly. "Then what do you talk about?"
"The Awakening Movement."
"What is the Awakening Movement?"
The question left Madara stunned. He thought for a moment and was about to answer when a voice came from the sky...
"The Awakening Movement is..."
"Whoever oppresses us, whoever exploits us, we drag them down from the sky..."
"...and kill them!"
Sasuke and the adult Naruto descended from the sky, landing lightly. Following behind them were many ninjas from both worlds.