"Thank you, Vanilla Ice."
Just as Vanilla strained his neck to get a better look at the dead body of Blackbird, a hand suddenly shot out from the void, clamping firmly around his throat.
With an expression of panic, he was forcibly yanked out from within the Void Miasma.
The strength was overwhelming—Vanilla's own efforts to resist were useless, as futile as a bug trying to escape a human's grasp. The gap was insurmountable, and Vanilla, already missing one arm and a leg, was at an even greater disadvantage.
"This... this is..."
Under Vanilla's terrified gaze, the base of the hand that emerged from the void slowly revealed a mass of black material. This substance expanded, gradually taking the form of Blackbird.
Meanwhile, Zuke stepped forward from Blackbird's shadow—the hand gripping Vanilla's throat was none other than Zuke's right hand.
Without question, Zuke only had to apply a bit of pressure with his right hand, and Vanilla's neck would snap, much like a chicken's neck twisted by a Guangzhou resident.
(T/N: Guangzhou residents are people who live in Guangzhou, China, which is the capital of Guangdong Province. Guangzhou is the fifth most populated city in China, and is known for its commerce, trade fair, and finance.)
Yet what Vanilla was more concerned about was the way Blackbird had appeared.
"Your Stand's ability—is it..."
"So you've figured it out. Yes, it's the power of your own 'Void Miasma.'"
Zuke's face twisted into a malicious smile. Driven by instinct, he had Blackbird devour part of Void Miasma's limb into its own body.
Then he understood—his Stand, Blackbird, wasn't just a blank slate copying his own power; it was a Stand capable of devouring entities to acquire their abilities.
After consuming a part of Void Miasma, Blackbird had gained the ability to connect to alternate dimensions. Now, Blackbird could execute spatial deletion and use dimensional spaces to hide Zuke's real body.
Naturally, Blackbird could also consume its own form into an alternate dimension, disappearing from others' sight altogether.
"How... I saw Blackbird's lower half..."
Bloodshot, Vanilla stared intently at a nearby severed black form, the lower half of Blackbird's body.
That black lower half had convinced Vanilla that Zuke was dead, which was why he had lowered his guard, extending his neck—only to be grabbed by Zuke.
"What? Don't even recognize the people you killed?"
With a cold sneer, Zuke had Blackbird fling the severed blackened form before them.
It was only now that Vanilla saw the truth: this blackened lower half was soaked in black ink.
"This is the lower half of the innkeeper you killed. His body and a few bottles of ink on the counter were dragged out by the gust of wind when you sliced through space at the inn entrance."
Zuke regarded Vanilla with calm indifference.
"You were hiding inside the Void Miasma, unable to see outside. I used the ink to stain his lower half black and tossed it nearby to lure you out."
Vanilla's face turned ashen—he had indeed mistaken the blackened lower half for Blackbird.
When he thought he had killed Zuke, Zuke had, in fact, hidden within Blackbird, using the Void Miasma's power, waiting for him to expose himself.
"This can't be... such an ability..."
Vanilla's eyes widened as he glared at Blackbird behind Zuke, instinctively resisting the idea of such a power.
Yet it was a fact: Zuke had just emerged from Blackbird. Although Blackbird now wielded Void Miasma's ability, it did so differently.
Unlike Void Miasma, which engulfed Zuke by mouth, Blackbird allowed Zuke's body to merge directly into it, like blending into his own shadow.
This scene undoubtedly confirmed that Blackbird had indeed acquired the Void Miasma's power.
Vanilla wanted Void Miasma to erase Zuke and Blackbird, but his air-starved brain was losing function as his throat remained gripped.
With his vision blurring, he had no strength to control his Stand. Void Miasma struggled to lift a hand behind him but soon went limp.
"Thank you, Vanilla Ice. You helped me discover Blackbird's true power and gifted me the crucial ability of spatial deletion... I'll remember your contribution."
Zuke stared coldly at the pale-faced Vanilla Ice. His assumption was now confirmed—Vanilla hadn't yet been turned into a vampire by Dio.
"Now, I'll use a familiar power to deal with you—Blackbird · Cream!"
Blackbird extended its hands, grasping Vanilla's head. In an instant, spatial distortion surged forth.
"You bastard! Aaaaaaaah!"
Vanilla let out one final, furious roar, realizing his ultimate fate.
Buzz!
In the next moment, the force of spatial deletion took effect, causing Vanilla's body to vanish instantly, leaving behind only a few severed limbs on the ground.
If one were to piece together these remnants, it would become clear that Vanilla's body had been erased by a spherical spatial void, with smooth, curved stumps marking where he'd been severed.
"Hmm? Even with Vanilla dead, his Stand hasn't fully dissipated?"
After completely dealing with Vanilla, Zuke looked toward Void Miasma—Vanilla's strange Stand had not yet vanished but floated idly in place.
Similar instances were seen in the original, like how Fatty's Stand held out just long enough after his death to deliver clues about the killer.
"Well then... Blackbird, devour it. Perhaps after fully consuming it, you'll obtain a more complete ability."
Following his "waste not" principle, Zuke directed Blackbird to devour the remaining fragments of Void Miasma. With each bite, Zuke felt his grasp on spatial deletion deepen.
"Vanilla Ice was Dio's loyal servant, one of the most troublesome henchmen at his side. Normally, his presence would make fighting Dio significantly harder."
Watching Blackbird finish consuming Void Miasma, Zuke thought carefully.
"By killing Vanilla early, my main quest progress should advance as well."
In the next moment, Zuke opened the system panel—and indeed, the sync rate on the panel had changed again.
Current World: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Main Quest: Eliminate Dio
Player Zuke's Power Sync: 50%
Please continue progressing on the main quest to unlock power synchronization.
To be continued...
Donate me your power stones. Ningen!