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An Ominous Arrival
As darkness fully settled over the clearing, JoJo, Emilia, and Puck remained hidden, their breaths hushed as they watched the shadows moving through the trees. The cultists were scattered, their shapes blending into the night, but JoJo could sense their numbers—more than he had anticipated. A powerful, sinister energy seemed to thicken the air, pressing down on them.
"Puck, are you ready?" JoJo whispered, keeping his voice low.
Puck nodded, his small form shimmering with magic as he readied himself. "I'll give them a nice cold welcome."
Emilia clenched her hands, her violet eyes steely with determination. "I'm ready too, JoJo. Let's put an end to this."
JoJo nodded, his confidence steadying them both. "Remember, stick to the plan. We take out as many as we can from a distance before they get close. Let's use the terrain to our advantage."
They had positioned themselves with the high ground, concealed by thick shrubs and boulders that surrounded the clearing. JoJo knew this would be crucial; they were heavily outnumbered, and a head-on fight was not an option.
The First Strike
As the cultists advanced into the clearing, JoJo gave a slight nod to Puck. With a mischievous grin, Puck unleashed a wave of ice, spreading it across the ground, slickening it and causing the first few cultists to stumble and fall, their cloaks snapping in the cold air.
The sudden assault caught them off-guard, and JoJo saw his opening. With a focused surge, he summoned Hermit Purple, sending its thorny vines shooting down into the clearing. They lashed out, wrapping around several cultists, constricting them with crushing force before slamming them into each other.
"Who dares defy the Witch's Cult?" one of the cultists screamed, his voice distorted with fury. He pointed in JoJo's direction, and the others turned, their twisted faces contorted with rage.
JoJo stepped into the moonlight, his expression hard as steel. "I dare. I've heard enough about your twisted ideals. Tonight, it ends here."
Emilia stood beside him, her aura shimmering as she readied her ice magic. "For everyone you've hurt, we'll make sure you never harm anyone again."
The cultists snarled, and with a unified shout, they charged forward.
Battle in the Moonlight
As the cultists surged up the slope, JoJo and Emilia met them head-on. Emilia's ice magic crackled in the air, sending jagged shards into the fray, slowing their advance as the ground around them froze. JoJo moved with practiced precision, using Hermit Purple to strike at the cultists from a distance, his Stand's thorned vines whipping out with brutal efficiency.
A particularly fierce cultist broke through, wielding a dark, pulsing energy that surrounded his hands. He lunged at JoJo, aiming for his chest, but JoJo sidestepped, slamming Hermit Purple's vines into the man's ribs, sending him sprawling.
But as JoJo dispatched one cultist, another took his place. He could see more of them coming out of the trees, their faces filled with a fanatical hatred that seemed to intensify with every passing second.
Suddenly, a deep, chilling voice echoed through the clearing, silencing the battle. "So, you're the one meddling in the Witch's affairs…"
JoJo turned, his gaze narrowing as a figure stepped out from the shadows. The man was tall and clad in dark, ceremonial robes adorned with the Witch's Cult insignia. His eyes gleamed with a cold malice, and JoJo felt a sinister energy radiating from him.
"You're one of their leaders, aren't you?" JoJo called, his voice firm.
The man smiled, an unsettling expression that sent a chill down Emilia's spine. "I am Petelgeuse, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth. And you…you are in my way."
Petelgeuse lifted his arms, and JoJo saw what looked like shadowy, invisible hands extending from his body, writhing like serpents. They reached out, clawing at the air, and JoJo recognized them instantly—a strange, twisted Stand-like power.
"Stand back, Emilia!" JoJo shouted. "This guy is no ordinary cultist."
JoJo could feel the challenge in the air—a powerful enemy, one who wielded a force akin to a Stand but twisted and filled with darkness. But he met Petelgeuse's sinister grin with a smirk of his own.
"Sloth, huh? Well, I'll show you just how strong my resolve is."
The Duel
Petelgeuse's shadowy hands shot toward JoJo, their speed incredible. JoJo sidestepped, sending Hermit Purple's vines to intercept. The two powers clashed mid-air, creating a shockwave that rippled through the clearing. Petelgeuse laughed maniacally, his hands darting forward with renewed speed, slicing through the vines and barely missing JoJo's shoulder.
JoJo gritted his teeth, retreating as he assessed the strange attack. Petelgeuse's movements were erratic, his hands striking out randomly yet somehow perfectly aimed. JoJo realized that each strike was powered by an intense, warped focus—despite calling himself "Sloth," this man was anything but lazy.
"You're faster than I expected," JoJo muttered, dodging another flurry of attacks. "But I've got my own tricks."
He sent Hermit Purple's vines underground, tunneling through the soil before bursting up beneath Petelgeuse's feet. Caught off-guard, Petelgeuse stumbled, his expression twisting into rage as the vines wrapped around his ankles, pulling him to the ground.
JoJo advanced, his voice steady and filled with fury. "You think you can use fear and madness to control people? You're nothing but a coward hiding behind twisted power."
But before JoJo could strike, Petelgeuse let out an ear-piercing shriek, his shadowy hands erupting with dark energy. He tore through Hermit Purple's vines, his eyes wild with fury.
"You dare call me a coward? I am devotion incarnate! My love for the Witch is pure!" he screamed, his face contorting as his hands reached out again.
JoJo braced himself, but Emilia stepped forward, her hand raised. "JoJo, now!"
Emilia unleashed a blast of ice, freezing Petelgeuse's hands mid-air, encasing them in thick crystal. Petelgeuse howled in rage, thrashing as the ice crept up his arms.
JoJo seized the moment, summoning Hermit Purple to strike. The vines wrapped around Petelgeuse's chest, and with a burst of strength, JoJo hurled him backward, sending him crashing into a tree.
Petelgeuse slumped to the ground, breathing heavily, his expression dazed. But JoJo could see the madness still burning in his eyes.
"This isn't over," Petelgeuse spat, his voice a rasp. "The Witch's Cult…will come for you all."
JoJo walked forward, his gaze hard. "Tell them I'll be waiting."
With one final glare, Petelgeuse muttered an incantation, and in a burst of dark energy, he vanished, leaving JoJo and Emilia alone in the clearing.
---
The Aftermath
As the silence settled, JoJo turned to Emilia, his face breaking into a small smile. "You did great out there. That was a tough fight, but you didn't back down."
Emilia looked relieved but exhausted, her shoulders relaxing as the tension melted away. "Thank you, JoJo. I couldn't have done it without you."
Puck floated beside them, his small face beaming with pride. "Looks like we showed them who's boss!"
JoJo chuckled, though he knew this was only a temporary victory. The Witch's Cult was vast and powerful, and Petelgeuse's escape meant they hadn't seen the last of him. But for now, he felt a sense of accomplishment—a feeling that they had struck a real blow against the darkness threatening this world.
As they turned to leave the clearing, JoJo's resolve deepened. This fight was far from over, but he was ready. With Emilia, Puck, and his unbreakable resolve, he would face whatever challenges came next.
The battle for Lugnica was only beginning, and JoJo would be there to see it through, no matter the cost.