Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: A New Universe
Chapter 180: Burning Dragon
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Besides the group, only two other people were still standing in the wake of the carnage and expanding corpses. One was a young man wearing an old German helmet, the other was an elderly Asian man. "Think it's one of them that did this?," Atroe asked, "They're the only ones unaffected, so they're obviously working together." "But why weren't we similarly affected?," Wes pointed out, "For all we know, there could be another layer to the aggression-increasing Stand that we're not aware of."
"Come to think about it," Rainbow said, "I can't see where the bone is anymore. We were so distracted that when I looked again, it disappeared." The Asian man pointed to Rainbow. "You there. I was told about your ability. How it can negate certain attacks simply because they could interfere with the ability to fly. Whitesnake said he sent four Stand users, including me to this ward. I thought to myself, why that many? But I suppose it makes sense, if one wants to finish all of you off."
As he spoke, he flexed his body around in ways that would make the greatest of Yoga masters jealous. "I am Kenzo," he said, "Currently 78 years old. The secret to my good health--" "Is rather wasted," Jolyne said, "An ancestor of mine was able to live for over a hundred years, and look young enough to be sixty, using a specialized breathing technique." "If you're intending to fight," Rainbow said, "Then let's get this over with. I've been eager to put something into practice I never had the chance to."
Kenzo grinned. "First I think I should explain something. The reason these prisoners are all bloated. It's because I 'drowned' them." He summoned a floating dragon statue centered in a ring right into his palms. "Face south-east... 126 degrees, 30 minutes, 20 seconds..." Rainbow took a stance that was very familiar to Jolyne. One she'd seen her great-grandfather take to recently. Rainbow shot forward, but her Stand wasn't active. Instead her hands were crackling with energy, which she thrust at Kenzo.
He managed to dodge and launched a direct attack at Rainbow's mouth. To his stunned disbelief, she dodged at the last second. "I know a thing or two about kenpo, and feng shui," she explained, "Earlier you used that dragon thing, your Stand I'm guessing, to predict a certain thing. And the only thing I could think of... Is the exact angle to penetrate my flight field and use the same technique you used against these other guys. So I threw you off-balance using a technique that's been passed from one generation to the next for far longer than feng shui... The power of Hamon!"
Kenzo took a step back in shock. "I thought that ancient technique was a myth!" Meanwhile, Atroe was patching up Jolyne. "So, anyone know who this guy is?" "He's an old geezer who's been here for about forty years," Anasui said, "I hadn't seen him around the male ward in a while, now that I think of it. He has a 280 year sentence for killing 34 young men and woman back in 1969. Back then he was a younger man who started a cult so popular even Hollywood stars started to join."
"And let me guess," Jolyne said, "Those cultists were his victims." "Kinda," Anasui replied, "The actions of the group were causing friction between them and society, so the police and FBI got involved. In a bind, Kenzo decided to lock himself up in his Florida villa with his 34 remaining followers... And attempt a mass suicide. He drugged them all and put fire to the building. He was the only survivor, everyone else burned to death. When the firefighters found him, they discovered that all the rubble from the collapsing walls fell around him, shielding him from the fire and smoke."
He saw the skeptical looks of the others and grinned. "I doubt he planned that. He was near death when he was found, so it's clear he intended to die with his followers. After that, he was given a life sentence." Kenzo finally breathed calmly again and summoned his Stand. "South-western direction, 225 degrees, 0 minutes..." As Kenzo made to attack, Rainbow spotted the larger form of the dragon statue appear. "He'll attack from the front, leg sweep in the air. Jump high."
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Wait... Why are you helping me fight your user?" "I am a neutral party in this," the Stand explained, "I, Dragon's Dream, make to help both sides for the sake of balance. Careful now, here he comes." Rainbow spotted Kenzo getting close. "I'll Fly!" She leapt high into the air, higher than Kenzo was about to kick. "I see," Anasui said, "So that's how she's playing this." "What's going on?," Wes asked. "Rainbow said she knows a little about feng shui," Anasui explained, "Probably not enough to turn Kenzo's Stand against him, but enough that she's trying a neutral approach to zero out her luck."
"I don't think I've heard of feng shui," Atroe said. "It's a form of divination," Jolyne said, "East Asians believe that determining the direction of energy from the flow of water and wind helps determine a path that an individual should follow in their life. Like seeing the best and worst places that lie in a piece of land, a home, or even a room." Wes and Atroe looked at her in surprise. "My family's Japanese," Jolyne explained, "The point is, Kenzo is using the power of his Stand, which can point to these lucky or unlucky spots, to perform Feng Shui Assassination techniques."
"But hold on," Atroe said, "How did Rainbow turn one of those lucky spots into an unlucky spot?" "I'm guessing it's because of the Hamon she used," Jolyne surmised, "It's a special martial art that relies on controlled breathing to manipulate the oxygen in the blood. The effect is so powerful it can actually create miracles." "And alter the energy flow in a given area," Anasui realized, "Dragon's Dream must have alerted Kenzo to the change, forcing him to dodge and pushing him out of the correct spot to negate her flight field."
Jolyne nodded. "It's the same power that let my ancestor, Jonathan Joestar, live for over a hundred years." Kenzo seemed zenned out by Rainbow's actions, but it was clear there was a simmering anger there too. "I used to have 30,000 followers, listening to my preaching, following in my footsteps. But now, in this prison, even the lowest of scum, the pedophiles guilty of kidnapping children, are laughing at me in scorn. But I survived the fire, and my training in feng shui unlocked this power, my Stand... I will restore the glory days I was crowned with forty years ago!"
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