Just to let you guys know before this chapter starts, I did some studying of Ice's Stand. If sound can penetrate his void form, why not other things, like light or heat? Could he possibly erase something not solid, like water?

And even if Hamon couldn't track his Stand energy, could it still track his life energy? These are questions I threw around when writing this chapter, and I hope you guys don't hate the results I came up with.

Vanilla Ice approached DIO's chambers. "Forgive the disturbance Master, but I have something to report. As you likely know, Joestar and company have entered the mansion. I've just learned that the younger D'Arby has been defeated. Your Ten Glory Gods have failed." The doors opened to allow Ice in. "Telence had his chance to win," came DIO's voice, "But he failed. He is a certified genius, that much is clear. Why then do you think he failed to defeat the Joestars?"

Ice entered and dropped to a knee. "It's because the Joestars are willing to risk everything for the sake of that woman, Holly Kujo." "Indeed," DIO said, "Of course, that's only the Joestar bloodline. But the others all have one reason or another to want me dead, even willing to risk their lives for the chance. It's the reason they've made it this far. They think if they run from me, they will run from their destiny. It's foolish platitudes, but platitudes are what has gotten mankind far in the last ten-thousand years."

He sipped from his wine glass. "Telence T D'Arby swore loyalty to me, but he wasn't prepared to die for me. That's the difference between him and the Joestar group. It's almost pathetic that he'll never realize this." He touched the scar on his neck. "I see you're still having trouble adjusting to the body of George Joestar II," Ice said. "Yes," DIO admitted, "The scar where my head attached to his neck is still present. If I face the Joestars as I am now they'll likely remove my head accidentally during battle. That would end the fight quickly. Perhaps one more person's blood... Ice, would you be willing to offer your blood?"

Ice nodded. "It would be my pleasure." He called forth his Stand, the monstrous Cream, and had it grab a nearby pot. He then had his Stand decapitate him, letting the blood spill into the pot. DIO sighed as he took another sip from his glass. "Truly you're a loyal servant. But you didn't realize that I wasn't being serious. Still, I can't give up such a valuable servant. I'll use someone else to get the blood I need. In the meantime..." He slit his wrist. Having evolved over a hundred years, DIO had learned something new. If someone accepted his blood at the moment of death, it would be as if they had worn the stone mask, becoming a vampire instead of a zombie.

He poured his blood onto Ice, causing his head and body to reattach as his breath came back to him. "You're power is the strongest one I've yet seen," DIO said, "If anyone besides me can defeat the Joestars and their companions, you can." "Lord DIO...," Ice muttered, unsure of what to think of his master's gift of life. "You'll need to get used to your new body quickly," DIO said, "I want you to go out into the mansion and kill the Joestar group." Ice stood up. "As you command!"

His Stand proceeded to swallow him, then itself, becoming a void of destruction as it did, which burst of out the room, cutting perfect curved lines into everything it touched. DIO sighed as he sat down to read. "There was a door to my room... This is why I left my plans for Heaven to Pucci. Still, I wasn't lying about Ice's Stand. Cream can completely vanish from this dimension. And when it does... Whatever it touches gets erased."

Hol Horse checked his watch. "It's been ten minutes, and no sign of them." "Are we really going to burn this place down?," Polnareff asked. "I'm sure the only reason we haven't heard from them is because of the obvious illusion being cast on the interior," Avdol noted, "It should be safe to enter and find them. Just be mindful. There's no telling where enemies may show up. Also, we can't go saving each other. Our priority is DIO, so we must each look after our own safety."

Polnareff nodded. "Tell you what, though, if we do all make it out of here, then dinner's on me." "Don't go raising death flags now," Hol Horse quipped. The group started to enter the long hallway, their Stands at the ready. As Polnareff looked through of the arches, he nearly fainted from motion sickness just by looking at it. "Mon Dieu... MC Escher would love this place." "I'd say at this point burning down the mansion is out of question," Avdol said, "But I can still try something else. Magician's Red!"

His Stand appeared and created a six-point flame construct. "I can use this flame to navigate," Avdol explained, "It can detect breaths, movement, and Stand energies. The flames on the tips indicate directions. Up, down, left, right, forward, and back. It's effective at up to fifteen meters." Jonathan nodded. "Joseph and the others were pulled into the basement, so let's start by heading down." As they did, some of the tips flared up. "It's already spotted something," Avdol noted, "Forward and to the left."

Iggy's nose twitched. "I can smell someone in the general area... Right in that archway over there! The Fool!" Iggy's stand came out and struck where the smell was coming from, slashing through Kenny's chest and killing him instantly. Immediately the illusions began to disappear. "This guy must have been creating the maze with his Stand," Polnareff realized, "Do you recognize him, Hol Horse?" "Never seen him before," Hol Horse admitted, "But if he was sequestered here in the mansion he must've been one of DIO's personal servants."

Jonathan then whirled his head around. "Ra!" His Stand fired a burst of solar energy, causing a nearby sphere to redirect its path away from the group. "That sphere didn't show up in my flames!," Avdol realized. "And I can't smell anything coming from it!," Iggy called out. "I was able to sense a dead life force within it using my Hamon," Jonathan said, "And look at the damage it did as it turned away from my attack." The group gasped as they saw the sphere had cut cleanly through the walls, almost like they were erased. "If that had hit one of us," Hol Horse realized, "Then it woulda been game over!"

"Personally I'm not keen on dying a second time!," Avdol said. "It seems even Hamon can detect my life energy within this sphere," came Ice's voice from within the sphere, "That is why you were spared. My name is Vanilla Ice, and no I am not kidding. I am here to change your minds, about defeating Lord DIO." Cream slowly regurgitated itself until Ice could poke his head out. "My Stand can erase things from this dimension and send them to a dark dimension. I'm not sure where that is exactly. But I'll be sure to send you all there by the time this is over."

Down in the basement, the other half of the group heard the sounds of fighting. "The others must've gone into the mansion," Joseph realized, "It sounds like a wall collapsed." "I hope they're doing all right," Fluttershy said. "You don't think they've gotten to DIO before we could have a shot, do you?," Kakyoin asked. Joseph shook his head. "DIO may be powerful, but he's also calculating. He'd likely prefer to take the fight outside his mansion. Especially with how the last two times he fought in a mansion went for him."

The group was starting to breathe heavily as Ice continued his assault. It seemed like everytime one of them made to attack, Cream just shrunk down to get out of the way. "He's faster than anyone we've fought before," Polnareff noted. "Polnareff, duck!," Hol Horse called out. Polnareff did so just as Cream passed over him, barely scrapping his hair. "That was too close! Another few inches and I'd have lost too much brain to keep fighting!"

"We need to move to another room!," Iggy said, "Try to get some distance!" They headed through a nearby door, and Polnareff and Jonathan started stacking furniture in front of it. "I doubt that will stop it," Avdol pointed out. "You're probably right," Polnareff said, "But we may slow it down from the volume of mass it has to go through." They then headed up the stairs just as Cream came barreling through, hitting the stairs several feet below them. Cream regurgitated Ice, who checked his wounds. Up above, Jonathan raised an eyebrow, as he noticed the wounds were healing.

"They managed to tag me a few times," Ice noted, "Hol Horse has gotten more accurate with his Stand. And Polnareff is much faster than I anticipated. But my Stand is still stronger. I must defeat them for Lord DIO." The group continued to climb higher to the second floor. As they did, Cream stopped right at the door. "I thought they'd leave the mansion. I guess I was wrong." He continued to move up through the floors. On the second floor, Jonathan held the group back just as Cream ran right through the floor.

"It's so fast," Avdol said, "And it doesn't make a sound." "I can still track him," Jonathan assured him, "His Stand can't disguise his life energy." He then whipped his head towards Polnareff. "Polnareff, jump back now!" Polnareff did so just as Cream shot up from between the cracks. "I almost got his foot," Ice said, "Perhaps I should focus on Jonathan Joestar first." The next thing Cream knew, it had to backtrack as the entire room around the group started getting covered in flames.

When he could no longer hear them, Ice poked his head out from inside Cream. "They used the sound of the flames to mask their escape. Earlier Jonathan's Stand somehow burned me even inside my Stand. My Stand can disintegrate any matter, but I've always had trouble with more liquid matter. And light and fire are too transitory to be affected." "Must you make such noise as you fight, Vanilla Ice?," came DIO's voice. Ice moved his Stand over to move in front of DIO.

"Master, those intruders are hiding somewhere in this room," Ice said, "I'll take of this, so please don't concern yourself." He then spotted something and whirled around to attack, breaking what turned out to be a sand construct created by The Fool. "That's some nice instinct," Jonathan said as he came out of hiding, blasting at Ice with his Stand. "There's sunlight shining through the windows," Ice explained, "DIO would never come out at this time of day. And he entrusted me the task of killing you."

Jonathan chuckled. "So naive. Of course he would, he's a very social butterfly. As long as he avoids direct exposure to sunlight he may move about his own mansion as he pleases. You wound up figuring out our trick because of sheer luck. Also, he's the sort that's not afraid to get his hands dirty, even when surrounded by his servants and minions. I should think I know him better than you, Vanilla Ice. He was my adoptive brother, after all." Ice's eyes opened wide. 'I could've easily wound up attacking my master by accident.'

He then found himself shot through the shoulder. The construct of DIO then burst into sand all over the ground. Ice gasped as he realized what was going on. "You never intended to use the construct to attack me! You just needed to track my Stand!" "Yes and no," Avdol clarified, "We were hoping to get you to let your guard down, but if you didn't, we did have this backup plan prepared."

Ice quickly hid back inside Cream, but Polnareff whipped up the sand with his Stand, allowing them to track Cream's path. As they looked around, keeping an eye on the path of circles, Cream finally stopped. "Damn it, I can't hear them if they don't move," Ice said. He then found himself pierced through mouth by Silver Chariot. "Checkmate, monsieur." "Just as we thought," Iggy said, "Ice can hear everything inside that sphere, but he's also completely blind. So he has to peek out every once in a while."

Ice growled, then had his Stand grab Polnareff by the neck. "The hell!," Hol Horse said, "How is that bastard still alive!? Polnareff stabbed him right in the brainstem!" Jonathan narrowed his eyes. "I think I know." "I... Cannot die to meager attacks...," Ice said, "I have a mission to fulfill. I must kill you all! Until then, I will not die!" Avdol quickly grabbed Polnareff with his Red Bind and pulled him away. As Polnareff breathed heavily, he smacked Avdol in the shoulder. "What happened to not saving each other...?"

Avdol shrugged. "I figured this time I could do it with only minimal risk to my life." "Look out!," Hol Horse called out, "He's at it again!" Silver Chariot kicked up more sand. "Attacks are useless once he's completely in that void," Jonathan said, "Avdol, use your Red Bind on him when he pokes his head out again. Then I can finish him off. I know what's going on with him. But from his words... It seems he doesn't." However, Ice seemed to be on a rampage, breaking apart the mansion and causing more sunlight to stream in. More than once the group had to dodge aside.

The movements were soon revealed to be in a spiral pattern, forcing the group into one location. As Cream started to get closer, it finally stopped in the center. Ice finally came out of Cream. "Looks like I finally got them." Jonathan then appeared from the ceiling and punched Ice's arm with a charged Hamon attack. "No... You didn't!" Ice became shocked as his arm completely disintegrated. "But... How...?" He then looked up, and gasped. At the last minute, Iggy's Stand dragged the entire group up to ceiling.

Iggy snickered. "That was complete instinct right there. It's like... Like my soul had no choice but to move. And I wound up taking the rest of these guys with me." The group dropped down. "I've always read about monsters like you growing up in France," Polnareff said, "And I heard the stories from Mister Joestar. But to see a real life vampire before our eyes. That's the real reason you survived when I stabbed you through the brain, not some idealistic reason like determination."

"Which means DIO must have infused you with his blood," Avdol noted, "But such a shame, your little rampage just flooded this entire room with sunlight. And there's still a few more hours in the day." Ice became flabbergasted, as Polnareff used Silver Chariot to break open a door, letting sunlight in through the window and right into the spot of shade Ice had managed to land in, cutting off his other arm. 'No... No, it can't end like this! I can't fail this badly! I never even killed a single one of them!'

"It's over Ice," Jonathan said, "You may have gained immortality when Polnareff killed off your old body... But even immortality can't last forever. Sunlight Yellow Overdrive!" Taking a page from his adopted sister Twilight, Jonathan channeled his Hamon through Ra, smashing Ice with four Hamon charged punches, crumbling him to dust. The group then collapsed as the anxiety washed over them. "This was just one bit of fortune after another," Avdol said, "Ice had the potential to destroy all of us." "But he's gone now," Jonathan said, "And something tells me it's just DIO left. Come on, we don't have much time left."