"This is bad," Jon muttered, staring at Jackman with a grim expression.
He tried to talk him down. "Would you believe me if I said we just met that guy for the first time?"
But Jackman's bloodthirsty eyes told him everything. There was no reasoning with this monster. That armor—able to withstand sniper-level firepower—meant [Stone Free] probably couldn't break through it either. An ability with no weakness doesn't exist, Jon reminded himself. But whatever flaw it had, he hadn't found it yet. If it truly had no flaws, this bastard would be invincible.
"I'll definitely kill you," Jackman said coldly, "but be proud—you're the only one who's ever managed to hurt me since I awakened this ability."
"You turtle, what's there to brag about? If you've got guts, take off your shell and fight me one-on-one!" Jon shot back.
"Spare me the pathetic provocations. They won't work." Jackman didn't even flinch.
Jon didn't expect them to. While they talked, he quietly used his strings to drag Danai toward a nearby alley, trying to get him to safety.
"You want to save the kid? No chance. You're both going to die," Jackman growled, lunging forward with a swing of his armored fist.
Jon's face darkened. I just wanted a normal life. Why do monsters like you keep showing up?
Knowing he was exposed, Jon yanked Danai away with all his strength, flinging him more than ten meters toward cover.
Jackman moved fast—unnervingly fast—and was suddenly right in front of Jon.
"Let's go, [Stone Free]!" Jon shouted.
The humanoid Stand appeared behind him, ready to intercept.
Jon could probably match Jackman in stamina—[Stone Free] wasn't known for weakness in that department. But he couldn't afford to fight full force. Not with Danai nearby, unconscious and defenseless. So Jon focused on defense, constantly parrying Jackman's blows.
But even the strongest defense can't last forever. One slip, and it would all be over.
He waited for his opening—leaned back to dodge a punch, twisted behind Jackman's blind spot, and released a surge of razor-thin threads like a nest of coiling tentacles.
They swarmed Jackman and bound him tight, wrapping his whole body like a silkworm cocoon.
This was one of the techniques Jon had honed all summer—Thread Binding. It had paid off.
Jackman thrashed wildly, but the threads held firm. Jon finally exhaled.
"Got you."
He withdrew the humanoid part of [Stone Free], knowing punches wouldn't help against that armor. This was a battle of endurance now—and Jon was confident in his.
But something was wrong.
Jackman suddenly stopped struggling. His stillness wasn't reassuring—it was ominous. Jon's instincts screamed danger.
He summoned [Stone Free] again, too late.
A faint glow lit up inside the cocoon, followed by a terrifying pulse of energy.
"No—!"
The cocoon exploded outward. Threads snapped like broken glass. Jon staggered back, blood dripping from several fresh cuts on his left arm.
"I almost got trapped for real," Jackman said, his left hand trembling slightly. White smoke curled from his right fist. He flexed his fingers, wincing. "As expected... forcing a full-strength enhancement ability still takes its toll."
Then he raised his eyes. "Kid—die."
His killing intent surged like a wave. Jon turned and sprinted away, channeling Ripple to close his wounds as he ran. He had already hidden Danai—thankfully, Jackman was too fixated on him now to notice.
Freed from the burden of protecting someone else, Jon moved faster. But no matter how fast he ran, Jackman was still right behind him.
The more dangerous it is... the calmer I need to be, Jon told himself.
And slowly, his heartbeat began to steady.
Jon ripped a piece of cloth and tied it around his face. Without a word, he summoned [Stone Free], grabbed a gas pump, and pointed it straight at Jackman, pulling the trigger.
To the gas station staff nearby, it was a bizarre sight—one of the fuel pumps had suddenly torn itself free and was now floating through the air, spraying gasoline. None of them could see the Stand controlling it.
The gas didn't come out with much pressure. Anyone with decent reflexes could dodge it. And Jackman, a skilled Nen user, was far from ordinary. He sidestepped with ease, evading the stream of gasoline.
"Hmph. You think something that slow can hit me?" Jackman scoffed, eyes full of contempt.
"Your next line is, 'You're too naive, kid.'" Jon said calmly.
"You're too naive, kid."
Jackman blinked. "How the hell did you—"
"—know what you were going to say?" Jon interrupted smoothly.
Jackman's face darkened. "Tch. Doesn't matter. You're dead anyway."
Jon kept the nozzle pointed at him. Jackman shifted his stance, ready to dodge again—but this time his foot caught something on the ground. He stumbled, lost his balance, and was too slow to evade the gasoline spray.
"Soaked head to toe," Jon said with a smirk. "Just as planned, Armor Man."
Jackman reeled back, now dripping in gasoline, momentarily thrown into a panic.
A nearby passerby, oblivious to the true danger, yelled, "Hey! What the hell are you doing?! That's dangerous!"
Jon didn't answer. He pulled a lighter from his pocket, flicked it on, and hurled it with all his strength at Jackman. It struck the armor with a loud clang—then exploded on impact, flames erupting violently.
In seconds, Jackman was a walking inferno.
"Your armor's great against blunt force and piercing attacks," Jon said coolly, watching the blaze consume him. "But how about extreme heat? That flame'll cook you alive inside that shell."
He took a deep breath, legs wide apart, one hand stretched in front of his face, the other cocked behind him—striking a bold JOJO pose of victory.
"Armor Man... this is checkmate."
Jackman fell to his knees, letting out a series of guttural, ear-piercing screams. The sound echoed through the station.
But then... he stopped.
He slowly rose to his feet, smoke still wafting off his armor, and then—
He laughed.
"Hahahaha! I can't—I can't take it anymore! I was trying so hard not to laugh! Hahahaha!"
He doubled over, pounding the pavement with his fists as he cackled uncontrollably.
Jon's expression twisted.
Jackman straightened up, steam still rising from his scorched body. His voice rang out with manic triumph.
"I told you… My ability is invincible! Fire, lightning, freezing temperatures—it doesn't matter! Nothing can breach my [Indestructible Armor]!"
He spread his arms, daring Jon to try again. "Your flames are impressive, but in the end, they're just another useless trick."