Creating Anime In A Fantasy World

Chapter 248: The Premiere of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure! (Part 10)

The very instant the stone mask was stained with blood, a blinding light burst forth from the thug’s body. Dio staggered back two full steps, startled by the sudden radiance.

The thug who wore the mask collapsed in a heap, seemingly unconscious, unmoving as though life itself had fled from him.

“So… it really was just some grotesque device of torture…?”

Muttering to himself, Dio bent down to retrieve the hat he had dropped.

But then—

The man who should have been dead stirred. His limbs twitched, his body rose, and slowly—unnaturally—he stood once more.

“Impossible—!”

Dio’s composure cracked. His golden eyes widened in panic.

The mask fell from the thug’s face with a clatter, revealing features that no longer belonged to a man. Twisted, alien, his mouth now bore sharp, gleaming fangs.

“Fangs…? That face…”

Before Dio could even process the horror before him, a single blow sent him flying through the air. His body slammed against the ground, his breath torn from his chest.

The monster’s next strike smashed into a nearby wall—crushing it inward, stone and brick crumbling like sand.

“It’s still coming for me— I have to— I have to reach the river—!”

Dio scrambled desperately, dragging himself along the ground. But the creature’s hand closed around him with inhuman strength.

Long fingers pierced into his veins, and the beast began to drain him. Warm blood was ripped from his body, leaving Dio’s skin pale, his strength nearly gone.

At the same time, the creature’s shriveled, deathly form filled out with terrifying speed—its flesh regaining vitality, its visage restored to something eerily human once more.

“Strange… why do I suddenly feel so thirsty…?”

The words left its mouth as it continued to drink, consuming Dio’s lifeblood without mercy.

Only then did Dio understand. He had uncovered the mask’s true purpose. But that revelation came as he stood on the precipice of death, his body drained to the brink.

And just when despair closed its jaws around him—

The horizon brightened.

The first rays of sunlight spilled over the rooftops.

The moment the golden light touched the creature, its body convulsed. Its flesh blackened, smoldered, and then—like ash in the wind—it dissolved, scattering into nothing more than drifting motes of dust.

“Sunlight…?!”

Dio collapsed, gasping, staring at the fallen mask with wide, unblinking eyes. Shock—pure and wordless—burned in his gaze.

. . .

And all across the Empire, audiences trembled in their seats.

“That… that was a vampire, wasn’t it…?”

“No mistake. Feeding on blood, destroyed by the sun—those are unmistakable traits.”

“So that mask… it can actually create vampires?!”

“Heavens above, that was terrifying. My skin is still crawling.”

“I’ve seen plays about vampires before, but they were always romanticized… noble. This is the first time I’ve witnessed such a hideous, grotesque portrayal.”

“And the worst part… that mask is in Dio’s hands now. Doesn’t that mean—”

“Don’t say it! I don’t even want to imagine what comes next!”

Their voices overlapped, theater halls buzzing with fear and awe alike.

No one had anticipated such a revelation—that the stone mask’s true power was to transform its wearer into a vampire.

For the people of the Empire, vampires were not a foreign concept. Tales of blood-drinking monsters had always lurked in the shadows of folklore. But now, for the first time, the terror had stepped out of rumor and into reality—right before their eyes on the silver screen.

Yet, despite their fears, vampires in the Empire had always worn a strangely positive mask.

In folk tales and stage plays alike, they were often depicted not as predators but as protectors of mankind—mysterious guardians lurking in the dark. The most popular stories of all were romances: an ordinary human maiden and a powerful, dangerous vampire nobleman falling in love. After countless trials and tribulations, the tale would usually end with the noble vampire sacrificing himself for her sake.

Thus, in the hearts of most Imperial citizens, vampires had come to embody a paradoxical image: solitary, powerful, even fearsome—but ultimately harmless.

Whether this was fortunate or misguided was another matter entirely. What mattered was that the idea had taken root, embedded deep in the public’s imagination.

And now, as the audience of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure beheld vampires utterly unlike those they had come to expect, they were shaken at first—then swiftly enthralled.

This was no romantic aristocrat brooding under moonlight. No tragic hero shackled by love.

This was what a vampire should be: a monster whose power dwarfed humanity, a being that would not restrain itself, but revel in its hunger, unleashing horrors upon the world.

The old image would not vanish overnight, of course. But within the confines of the cinema, as the reel spun and shadows danced across the screen, the viewers had accepted a new truth: this was the vampire’s true form.

Meanwhile, at the Imperial Mage Academy.

The revelation of the Stone Mask’s true nature had stunned the magi. None had expected it to be a tool of creation, capable of transforming an ordinary man into a vampire in an instant—granting monstrous strength with terrifying ease.

The lecture halls buzzed with speculation. Students and mentors alike traded theories, their curiosity set ablaze.

“What principle lies behind this? Why would wearing that mask turn someone into a vampire?”

“Traditionally, the birth of a vampire requires the ‘First Embrace.’ A progenitor—at the level of a True Ancestor—must infuse their own blood into a mortal to bring about the change. How, then, can a mere mask replicate that process?”

“Could it be that the Stone Mask holds within it the blood of a True Ancestor? That once worn, it injects that blood into the host?”

“Impossible! No blood could survive preserved for such an age.”

“Perhaps… perhaps the story’s vampires are not the same as the ones we know. The similarities are superficial—they drink blood, they perish in sunlight—but in essence, they might be an entirely different species altogether.”

“Then… just what are the ‘vampires’ in this tale supposed to be?!”

The deeper the debate went, the less clarity they found. Without an explanation of the mask’s origins, the mages were left chasing shadows.

Still, one thing was certain: from the moment the vampire first appeared on screen, their expectations had soared.

Before, they had felt the tale was too plain. The clash between Jonathan and Dio was entertaining, yes—but lacking in impact, in spectacle.

Now, however?

With the revelation of vampires—creatures that eclipsed humanity in power—the audience’s excitement surged. Every viewer, mage or otherwise, now sat on the edge of their seat, their anticipation for what came next stretched to its absolute peak.