Chapter 27: The Hanged Man's Weakness
Under J. Geil's control, [The Hanged Man]—lurking within the puddle's reflection—raised its blade once more. This time, its target was Jonas's head!
Jonas whipped his head around. His sharp, deep-set eyes immediately spotted the anomaly. The reflection in the puddle... it didn't just show him and Sherry. It also showed a Stand, its dagger raised, ready to strike!
So, that's it! This is the true nature of J. Geil's Stand, [The Hanged Man]!
He could see it clearly: [The Hanged Man] was lunging, its blade aimed at his reflection's head! Jonas threw a punch at the puddle—but his fist met nothing but muddy water.
His mind raced, analyzing the attack. His focus snapped to his own reflection...
A bolt of inspiration struck him. Could it be...? His Stand attacks the reflection to damage the real body!
To test his theory, Jonas instantly snapped his head to the side.
Just as he did, [The Hanged Man]'s blade sliced through the empty space where his reflection's head had been. And on his real body... he felt nothing. No damage.
A cold smirk spread across Jonas's face. Just as I thought. I've seen through your trick, J. Geil!
J. Geil, seeing Jonas's dodge, let out a hideous, grating laugh. "Heh heh heh... So you figured it out, did you? And what good will that do you?! It's raining, you fool! The ground is covered in puddles! There are a hundred places for me to hide! You've already lost!"
"You're noisy," Jonas growled.
As if on cue, [Maw] tore another chunk from J. Geil's shadow, this time from his stomach.
"GYAAAAAAHHHH!" J. Geil shrieked, a sound that was barely human. But even as he screamed, he commanded his Stand. A flash of light, like a golden glint, leaped from the puddle... it jumped to another puddle, and then another, moving at the speed of light. In an instant, Jonas had lost track of it.
J. Geil, gritting his teeth through the pain, cackled. "There are hundreds of reflections! How can you possibly know which one my Stand is hiding in?!"
Jonas's expression hardened. The man was right. It was like finding a needle in a haystack. His eyes darted from puddle to puddle, trying to predict the next attack.
At that exact moment, in a small puddle near Jonas's feet, [The Hanged Man] reappeared. It materialized behind Jonas's reflection, its blade aimed squarely at the back of his head.
J. Geil's lips twisted into a victorious sneer. It's over!
But just as his Stand was about to strike, a small rock sailed through the air and splashed directly into the puddle where [The Hanged Man] was hiding.
The water's surface shattered, and [The Hanged Man] was forcibly ejected in a flash of light.
"WH-WHY?!" J. Geil shrieked in disbelief. "How did you know?! How could you possibly have found it?!"
Jonas tilted his head, a look of utter contempt on his face. "Was it supposed to be difficult? Your Stand can only travel between reflective surfaces. But every time it jumped... it only jumped to the puddles under that tree."
J. Geil's face froze. He understood.
Jonas continued his analysis, his voice cutting like a scalpel. "Why? Simple. Stability. The puddles under the tree are shielded from the rain. Their surfaces are calm. But the puddles out here in the open? They're constantly being disturbed by the downpour. Your Stand is fast, but it has a fatal weakness: it cannot travel through an unstable reflection!"
"NANI—?!" J. Geil screamed, his composure completely shattering. He finally, truly understood how terrifying this man was. To deduce such a minute, critical detail in the middle of a battle...
It was true. His Stand, [The Hanged Man], could travel through any reflection, but only if that surface was stable. Any disturbance would break the connection and force it out.
"Attacking a reflection to kill the man. A truly terrifying ability," Jonas said, his eyes filled with unconcealed disgust. "What a shame its user is such an imbecile."
Stung by the insult, J. Geil forced himself to find some bravado. "So what?! So what if you know?! Are you going to spend the rest of the fight throwing rocks? The instant you bend down, [The Hanged Man] will gut you!"
"Throw rocks?" Jonas scoffed. "Good grief. I'm a modern man. I'm not going to resort to such a primitive tactic."
Jonas raised his left hand to his mouth. He bit down on his own index finger, tearing the skin.
Blood welled from the wound.
J. Geil's eyes widened in dawning horror. "No... You're not..."
Jonas smiled, a look of pure, malicious intent on his face. "If all it takes to defeat your Stand is to disturb the surface of the water... then I'll just have to make my own rain."
His eyes flicked to another calm puddle under the tree. He saw [The Hanged Man] materializing, its blade aimed for his heart.
Without a trace of panic, Jonas flicked his hand. A spray of crimson droplets flew from his finger, landing squarely in the puddle.
The instant the blood hit the water, the surface rippled. The reflection was shattered, and [The Hanged Man] was violently ejected once more, forced to flee to another stable puddle. Jonas flicked his hand again, and again, driving the Stand out.
"GUUUUAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" J. Geil shrieked, an unholy sound of agony and rage. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD! IT HURTS! IT HURTS SO MUCH!"
He was screaming because [Maw], taking advantage of his distraction, had just torn away the shadow over his ribs. He clawed at his own new wound, digging his fingernails into the flesh, as if the physical pain could somehow override the spiritual agony. It was useless.
He knew, with a cold, drenching terror, that his time was running out. If he didn't finish Jonas now, he was going to be... eaten. Alive.