Both start in hell: but their talents are multiplied a hundredfold.

Cairo, this ancient city gently nourished by the Nile, reveals its unique and breathtaking charm at dusk.

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the sky a magnificent golden-red, as if the gods had overturned their palette and splashed the most intense colors onto this ancient land.

In the distance, the Giza pyramids stand silently on the horizon, their outlines appearing even more mysterious and solemn in the dimming light, each megalith engraved with millennia-old secrets.

The Nile River, like a dark green ribbon studded with starlight, slowly flows through Cairo, its surface reflecting the twinkling lights of the city lights on both banks, creating a shimmering, dreamlike scene.

The air was filled with a complex aroma: the unique dampness of the Nile River, the mixed scent of spices and biscuits wafting from the market, and a faint hint of the dryness and desolation of the desert.

In Cairo.

The vampire DIO sat in his secluded room, filled with the style of ancient Greece, the air thick with the faint scent of herbs and the aroma of old parchment.

Tapestries depicting epics of gods and heroes hang on the walls, and several marble statues cast eerie shadows in the flickering candlelight.

DIO's crimson eyes stared out the window at the Cairo sky, which was dyed red by the setting sun. His handsome face was expressionless, but the innate sense of oppression that belonged to a villainous savior permeated the air.

DIO sensed an approaching, heavy sense of crisis, as imminent as a mountain.

The Joestar kids, like hyenas that have smelled blood, approached him step by step.

However, through his connection with the Joestar family bloodline, DIO had already gained insight into all of Jotaro Kujo and the others' actions.

He even enjoyed the sense of urgency that Kujo and the others were creating.

This thrill was irresistible to DIO, a vampire.

To DIO, the struggles of humans, or rather, little bread, are merely a seasoning that adds a touch of fun.

He, DIO, is an ultimate being beyond humanity, an emperor destined to rule the world. Those so-called destinies are nothing more than dust about to be crushed beneath his feet.

However, at this moment, DIO felt a sense of displeasure, even a deep unease.

His gaze shifted from the window to the couch in the corner of the room, which was covered with soft animal hides.

There, a beautiful white girl is falling asleep.

She had long, flowing silver hair like moonlight, and her exquisite features seemed to be sculpted from the finest porcelain. Her long eyelashes cast a small shadow under her eyelids, and her breathing was even and long.

That kind of beauty was a pure and fragile beauty, untainted by any worldly desires, completely out of place in this room filled with intrigue and murder.

What truly made DIO's superhuman intelligence falter slightly was the existence of "Shen Jue".

"Shen Jue..." DIO murmured the name in his heart, as if he tasted a bitter flavor on his tongue.

The appearance of Shen Jue completely exceeded DIO's calculations.

DIO is used to controlling everything, whether it's people's hearts or the situation.

He can easily see through his opponent's desires and weaknesses and take advantage of them.

But Shen Jue is like a fog; he can't see the other party's purpose, can't guess the other party's bottom line, and is even unclear about the other party's true strength.

The opponent's power system was completely different from what he knew about Ripple, Stands, and even his own vampire power.

That was an even more terrifying, unknown force.

Shen Jue is definitely not just a simple Ripple Qi Gong master and Stand user.

What made DIO even more uneasy was Shen Jue's purpose.

World domination? Gaining power? Beauty and wealth? Bloody revenge?

Why did Shen Jue accept the invitation to join Jotaro Kujo's group?

It can't all be just for fun, right?

DIO's fingers unconsciously tapped the ornate armrest, making soft "tap, tap" sounds.

With a slight smile, DIO became even more certain that Shen Jue had joined the Joestar family simply for fun.

DIO's brain was working at an unprecedented speed, analyzing the variables that Shen Jue might bring.

Could this person become the biggest obstacle in his plans?

"Hmph." A cold snort escaped DIO's lips, breaking the deathly silence of the room.

A dangerous glint flashed in his bloodshot eyes.

"Whoever you are, Shen Jue," DIO muttered to himself, his voice as cold as a viper's hiss.

"If you dare to hinder my rule over humanity and my ascension to Heaven, you too will turn to dust and vanish into the river of time, just like those ants of the Joestar family."

Despite his disdainful words, DIO's unprecedented sense of unease deep inside did not dissipate.

DIO realized the limitations of vampire thinking; he was not omniscient or omnipotent.

In this world, there exist "unknowns" and "variables" that he cannot fully control.

This "unknown" may be the biggest variable in DIO's process of achieving dominion over humanity and ascending to heaven.

The beautiful silver-haired girl with skin as white as moonlight suddenly awoke with a start. Her azure eyes were filled with terror, but she could not utter a sound.

A cruel yet pleasurable light gleamed in DIO's eyes.

He slowly raised his hand, a pale, slender hand that contained a terrifying power capable of shattering steel.

"What a beautiful life," DIO murmured, his voice as cold as a corpse.

Under the girl's horrified gaze, DIO's fingertips pierced her slender neck as easily as a red-hot iron bar being inserted into butter.

No blood gushed out, because the girl's life force was greedily plundered by the suction of DIO's fingertips.

The girl's body trembled violently, and her skin lost its color at a visible speed, turning as white and shriveled as parchment.

Her beautiful silver hair instantly lost its luster and became dry and brittle.

DIO's fingertips dug deep into her flesh, each pulse drawing away a large amount of blood from her body.

The girl could clearly feel her life rapidly slipping away from that small wound, as if all the blood in her body was converging into a torrent and being forcibly drawn away.

Her veins bulged painfully under her skin, then quickly shrank back, like withered vines.

"Uh." A weak sound squeezed out of the girl's throat, her pupils began to dilate, reflecting DIO's face, which looked even younger and more handsome from drinking blood.

Finally, as the last drop of blood was drained, her body went completely limp, turning into a dried-up corpse with skin clinging to her bones, sunken eye sockets, and her mouth wide open in her final agony, resembling a cursed sculpture.

DIO elegantly pulled out his finger, a satisfied and incredibly high expression on his face.

Just then, a series of hurried and flustered footsteps came from outside the mansion.

"Lord DIO! Lord DIO!" One of DIO's subordinates practically tumbled into the room, his face filled with fear and unease. He dared not look directly at the mummified corpse, much less at King DIO.

The subordinate had no choice but to press his head firmly to the floor.

"What is it?" DIO's voice was deep, tinged with displeasure at being disturbed.

"DIO, Lord DIO!" the subordinate said in a trembling voice.

"Just now, something fell from the sky above the desert outside Cairo! The light was incredibly bright, like a shooting star..."

"Hmm?" DIO narrowed his eyes slightly, an ominous premonition spreading in his heart.