Aeon made the first move, dashing forth with his weapons outstretched, as if he were going to tackle him with a shield. Aeon moved and crossed the distance in the blink of an eye, but DIO was faster than even that.

DIO grabbed the back of the gentlemanly time traveler's collar and threw him to the ground, rearing back his hand to crush Aeon with a single ground-pounding strike. Aeon lifted his legs, avoiding the blow, and kipped up to kick DIO in the face...

Or so he would have, had The World not grabbed on to his leg. Lifting Aeon overhead, The World began to slam Aeon to the ground over and over, every time in a different direction. After several slams, The World tossed Aeon in DIO's direction.

DIO intercepted the time traveler with a punch to the jaw, which sent him back towards The World.

The World intercepted Aeon with a kick that sent him back at DIO.

DIO intercepted him with his fist, slamming Aeon to the ground so hard that he bounced up again...

And then The World struck again.

A flurry of punches so fast that the fists seemed to be in more than one place was unloaded on Aeon, DIO greeting each strike with a shout:

"MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA!" DIO shouted as every strike from The World collided with another part of Aeon's body, "MUDA-DA!"

With that final cry, The World delivered a punch to Aeon's gut so fierce that even DIO could feel the impact in his knuckles. Aeon was sent flying in to a nearby wall, kicking up dust and debris which obscured his surely broken visage.

DIO folded his arms in a smug sense of victory. What a joke that sad excuse for a battle had been...

"My, my..." came Aeon's voice, "What a unique set of skills you have."


The voice came from behind DIO. He turned to catch only a brief glimpse of the time traveler, who looked completely untouched. Even the dust and dirt he should've accumulated on his clothes was nowhere to be seen, the outfit still as pure white as the fresh-fallen snow.

In DIO's shock, he didn't notice as Aeon plunged his blade in to DIO's chest, prompting the vampire to spew blood from his mouth as his lungs filled with the stuff.

Retracting the blade, Aeon slashed at other points on DIO's body repeatedly, opening up new gashes and cuts that sprayed forth blood. Rearing back for one, powerful blow, Aeon had unknowingly left himself open.

DIO had a moment to recover himself and leapt in to the air to avoid the strike, calling out as if to time itself:

"THE WORLD!"


Aeon looked up in reaction, his expression unchanged. In fact, he even seemed to smile.

From the World came forth some form of golden dome which grew to swallow Aeon and the surrounding area. Within, the sounds of the world around them slowed to a halt, the last sound heard being that of a clock's ticking slowing.

Gradually, the gold that had enveloped the area faded and DIO landed on his feet as if her were a cat.

DIO smirked.

"Time is frozen."

DIO walked forth and stood right before Aeon, nudging the white-clad man's blade off to the side.

"I don't know how you came out of a beating from The World unscathed," DIO said, reaching in to his jacket, "But here, under the power of The World, you are as helpless as a newborn."

From his jacket, DIO pulled forth a set of knives with a fiendish smile.

"Checkmate."

Leaping back, DIO threw the knives in Aeon's direction. They stopped right before Aeon as The World's power affected them as well. One in particular was poised to implant itself right in Aeon's monocle, and in to his eye from there.

Folding his arms as he admired his work as an artist would his latest sculpture or painting, DIO spoke once more:

"Time continues."

DIO had expected the knives to implant themselves in Aeon's body in a fantastic spectacle of blood, but instead...

Aeon dodged.


Not only dodged, but deflected several knives with his blade. DIO, more prepared this time, readied once more.

"THE WORLD!"

As the golden dome that had appeared before appeared once more and the sound of clocks stopping filled the air before all was silent, DIO noticed that Aeon was still moving, though he had still slowed for a moment.

"Impossi--!"

"It's futile to fight me with powers of time!" Aeon interrupted as he stabbed at DIO with his weapon. DIO managed to dodge, but Aeon's weapon still found its mark in DIO's shoulder.

Bringing the power of The World to bear, it delivered a kick to the back of Aeon's knee, forcing him to one knee. DIO seized on the opportunity and delivered a kick of his own to Aeon's jaw, sending the man flying.

The world intercepted him with a flurry of punches, DIO greeting each one with roars of "MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA!"

As time resumed, The World grabbed Aeon by the face and slammed him to the ground with such force that he bounced away for several yards.

As Aeon came to one knee, his expression still unchanged, DIO stared at him with utter disgust. Why wouldn't the bastard just die?!

"Hear me, time..." Aeon said, though DIO barely heard it and didn't quite catch the words.

As if on instinct, DIO looked down and saw that he was standing on a clock face, the minute and hour hands swiftly traveling towards the 12 o'clock position from differing directions.

DIO looked back up and saw that Aeon was now standing, again apparently unharmed, appearing untouched, arm outstretched as if making to snap, and the vampire knew he was now in danger.

"THE WO--!"

"STOP!" Aeon commanded with a snap, interrupting DIO as the clock face the vampire had been standing on shattered.

The fragments of the clock face surrounded DIO, and he froze, his face caught in an expression of shock, awe, and even fear.

"This will only take a minute." Aeon remarked as he lowered his hand and walked forward.

"Your paltry ability is nothing to one who holds true dominion over time." Aeon remarked, walking right by DIO, fragments from the clock face breaking as he made contact with them.

Moments later, he was right behind DIO and took a bow with a flourish as what looked to be clock hands appeared at all hour positions around DIO, twelve in all, with one massive one appearing overhead of DIO, as if it were the Sword of Damocles itself, ready to cut the vampire down for his arrogance.

"And time moves on." Aeon semi-commanded as the bladed clock hands each took their turn to stab in to DIO, twelve in all.

As DIO began to collapse forward, the final, giant bladed clock hand came crashing down upon DIO, impaling him through the back with a sense of finality, a clocktower's "BONG!" being audible as it did.

Aeon, for his part, pulled out his pocket watch.

"Right on time," Aeon remarked with a slight look of disappointment, "It appears you are as of yet unready to face the trials I have prepared for you. You will live, but not for much longer."

As Aeon waled in to the mist, he left with ominous parting words:

"And your death won't be at my hand, but one akin to your own."