The air in the German base smelled of blood, damp stone… and fate.
Caesar Zeppeli ascended the crumbling marble staircase—alone, wounded, and furious.
Not from fear.
But from pride.
For JoJo.
For Lisa Lisa.
For his grandfather.
In the canon, Leo knew exactly how this ended.
Caesar died here.
Not in vain. Not without glory.
But yes… without a tomorrow.
Leo followed from above, unseen. His Stand floated behind him, like an extended script wrapped in living shadow.
[Original narrative event: Caesar Zeppeli dies after facing Wamuu. Final Hamon transmission. Stone cross.]
[Intervention permission: Authorized.]
"Not yet," Leo whispered. "Let him win. Let him live it. But… I want him alive."
The battle was swift, brutal, perfectly choreographed by fate.
Wamuu emerged through the filtered light.
Calm. Towering. Respectful.
"I came to kill you, human. But not without honoring you."
Caesar answered not with words—but with bubbles.
Pure Hamon, vibrant, in a deadly dance.
Leo watched from a high beam, memorizing every move.
The explosion of energy. The partial collapse of the ceiling.
Caesar landing his final strike into Wamuu's torso.
And Wamuu… falling to his knees—not out of hatred, but recognition.
"You are strong," whispered the Pillar Man, before vanishing into shadow.
And then Caesar fell.
Broken. Bleeding. Nearly blind.
Silence.
Leo didn't move.
Not yet.
Because the line was coming.
The most painful one.
The line he could not allow to be spoken.
Caesar, with his final breath, reached upward and, through gritted teeth, said:
"JoJo…
This is my last… Hamon…
Please—"
[TIME!]
Leo jumped.
[The World – Activated. 2 seconds.]
In that frozen instant, he descended like a divine shadow.
He approached Caesar's dying body.
Saw the wound. The half-shut eyes. The trembling, outstretched arm.
And then… he smiled.
Not with joy.
But with calculated satisfaction.
"This moment is perfect. Iconic.
But you… still have use to me."
He touched Caesar's chest.
His Stand emerged, placing a black and golden bubble over his torso.
[Technique applied: Parallel Archive – Death replaced by induced coma.]
[Hamon transmission: interrupted. Vital energy preserved at 64%.]
"Your sacrifice is beautiful, Caesar.
But I'd rather you live with the debt."
Leo turned toward the stone cross, still held aloft by rubble.
"And you… won't fall today."
He cut one of the support columns with precision.
Redirected the collapse toward the floor—away from Caesar.
[Narrative disruption risk: 4%. Stability acceptable.]
Time resumed.
CRASH!
The cross fell.
Not on Caesar… but beside him.
He passed out from the pressure wave, not from death.
His arm dropped.
The blood message was never written.
Leo walked away.
He left the body hidden beneath soft debris—just enough for JoJo and Lisa Lisa to believe him dead…
for now.
[Caesar Zeppeli Archive: 100% synchronized.]
[Ability acquired: "Crossguard Ripple Cage" – cross-shaped defense. Application: fusion with personal techniques.]
"One down.
And I still have Kars ahead," he murmured.
A small part of him felt a pang in his chest.
Respect. Admiration. Maybe guilt.
But his ambition was stronger.
Saving him had been useful.
Nothing more.
In the distance, JoJo ran through the halls, shouting Caesar's name.
Lisa Lisa activated her Hamon, desperate.
But Leo was already gone.
Only traces remained…
and a silence that no longer knew whether it was death—
or rewriting.