The moment the idea crossed Ethan Blake's mind, it refused to leave.
If there was even a small chance that The World could evolve, he couldn't ignore it. The possibility alone was enough to make his heart race. After everything he had seen tonight, Ethan understood better than anyone how absurdly powerful that stand already was.
But evolution…
That was on an entirely different level.
Even if the chance of success was only ten percent, Ethan was willing to gamble.
Otherwise, if he ever wanted to evolve The World through the traditional method—the Stand Arrow from the JoJo universe—the odds were practically nonexistent. The summoning system didn't allow him to target specific items. Even sacrificing Pietro's luck wouldn't guarantee anything.
Without hesitation, Ethan pulled out the Woodcutter's Spring.
The red inflatable ring appeared on the floor, its center filled with crystal-clear water that shimmered faintly under the room's lighting.
He looked at The World standing beside him.
"Go."
The stand moved immediately.
With a single leap, The World plunged into the spring.
The instant it touched the water, Ethan frowned sharply.
The connection between him and the stand vanished.
Completely.
He could no longer sense The World's presence at all, as if the bond linking them had been severed. For the first time since gaining the ability, he felt nothing from it.
Then the spring began to bubble.
Ripples spread across the surface as colorful light slowly rose from the water. Moments later, a graceful figure emerged.
She wore a wreath of flowers on her head, her long hair flowing behind her like silk. Her appearance resembled a goddess from ancient Greek mythology, radiating gentle elegance similar to Athena herself.
The Woodcutter Goddess.
She smiled warmly at Ethan.
"Young man, did you lose this perfect stand?"
As she spoke, another figure rose from the spring.
It was The World.
But this one looked even more perfect than the one Ethan had thrown in. Its body gleamed with flawless metallic texture, its posture more majestic and imposing than before.
The goddess' voice carried a strange, alluring tone.
The temptation was obvious.
All Ethan had to do was say yes.
If he claimed that this perfect stand was the one he had lost, he could take it immediately. For most people, the lie would come out without hesitation.
Even Ethan felt his resolve wavering.
He clearly remembered the rule of the Woodcutter's Spring. Only by answering honestly could he obtain the reward. Saying "no" would earn him the upgraded version.
Yet strangely, the word wouldn't come out of his mouth.
It felt like invisible pressure was squeezing his mind.
In the cartoon version of the story, even Nobita had resisted the temptation easily. But Ethan now realized the truth behind the legend.
The more valuable the item thrown into the spring, the stronger the goddess' temptation became.
When Nobita threw in a simple baseball glove, the goddess' persuasive tone had been almost nonexistent.
But Ethan had thrown in The World.
A stand of extraordinary power.
Naturally, the temptation accompanying it was far stronger.
Just as Ethan felt himself about to lie—
A surge of power erupted inside his body.
Ragnarok activated.
For six seconds, he became immune to all control effects.
Ethan's eyes sharpened instantly.
"No."
The single word left his mouth firmly.
The Woodcutter Goddess smiled gently.
"You are an honest young man. In that case, this perfect stand belongs to you."
The improved version of The World floated toward Ethan.
The goddess slowly sank back into the spring.
Moments later, the bubbling water calmed, and the surface returned to complete stillness.
Ethan let out a long breath.
That had been dangerously close.
He silently thanked the existence of Ragnarok. Without that ability protecting his mind, he would have fallen for the temptation and lost everything.
Sometimes being overly cautious really did save lives.
At least the result was perfect.
As soon as the goddess disappeared, Ethan felt the connection between himself and the stand reestablish.
Information flooded into his mind.
And then his eyes widened.
The stand standing before him was no longer simply The World.
It had evolved.
Now it should be called something else entirely.
The World Over Heaven.
Ethan felt a surge of excitement rush through him.
The stand still possessed its original ability—time stop—but it had also awakened a second exclusive power.
Reality Overwrite.
By generating overwrite energy from sinful souls, the stand could overwrite reality itself through direct contact with its hands.
The implications were terrifying.
In addition, the stand's operational range had changed drastically. Previously it could only move within ten meters of Ethan's body.
Now that range had expanded to five hundred meters.
Although the limit still existed, the increase in range dramatically improved its practicality in combat.
Ethan couldn't help grinning.
"The strongest stand, Star Platinum?" he muttered.
"Forget that."
"My World Over Heaven could take ten of them."
There was only one small problem.
To activate the ability of Reality Overwrite, Ethan needed energy generated from sinful souls.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
It felt a little like he had stolen work from the Grim Reaper.
But then again, the number of souls he would collect would probably be insignificant compared to someone like Mephisto. After all, the demon lord literally had Ghost Rider collecting sinful souls on his behalf.
Compared to that, Ethan's activities were practically harmless.
Still, he didn't have any sinful souls stored yet.
And he wasn't the type who could sleep peacefully without testing a new ability.
So he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
The call connected after a few seconds.
"Ethan, it's the middle of the night," Wilson Fisk's tired voice came through the speaker. "What's going on?"
Ethan chuckled.
"Sorry for interrupting you and Vanessa."
Fisk sighed heavily.
"What do you want?"
Ethan leaned casually against the window.
"Wilson, are there any criminal gangs in Hawaii? Preferably the kind with a lot of sins on their record."
There was a long silence on the other end.
Fisk clearly hadn't expected that question.
To be honest, even he didn't fully understand Ethan sometimes. Ethan occasionally acted like a vigilante, eliminating criminals the way the Punisher did. Yet he was technically a superhero and rarely involved himself with Fisk's business dealings.
But Fisk also understood one thing.
Ethan had his own secrets.
And Fisk had never asked questions he didn't want answers to.
After thinking for a moment, Fisk replied.
"Seven blocks south of your hotel, there's a place called Crazy Bar. The Wild Dog Gang is gathering there tonight. They're all scum."
"Perfect."
Ethan smiled.
"Thanks, Wilson. Go back to your evening."
"Damn it, Ethan, you—"
The call ended before Fisk could finish his complaint.
Ethan stepped to the window.
Seven blocks south, neon lights illuminated a loud, crowded bar.
Crazy Bar.
The next moment, Ethan disappeared.
When he reappeared, he was already standing outside the entrance.
He glanced up at the sign and nodded slightly.
Right place.
Two men stood guard at the door.
One of them immediately stepped forward.
"Hey, you yellow—"
The insult barely left his mouth.
Ethan tilted his head slightly and asked calmly, "Are you part of the Wild Dog Gang?"
"Of course," the man replied arrogantly, pointing at the tattoo on his shoulder. "Can't you see—"
His head exploded.
It burst like a smashed watermelon.
The World Over Heaven had already been standing beside Ethan, invisible to ordinary people. The moment Ethan confirmed the man's identity, the stand's fist had crushed his skull instantly.
The other guard froze in terror.
He had no idea what had just happened.
But he didn't get the chance to figure it out.
A gunshot echoed.
Ethan lowered the pistol calmly as the second man collapsed.
He paused for a moment, checking the system.
Interesting.
The man killed by the stand hadn't provided any summoning energy. But the one Ethan had shot himself had produced about 0.3%.
That meant something important.
Only the souls killed by The World Over Heaven were absorbed.
Ethan smiled slowly.
"Looks like tonight is your stage," he said softly to the stand beside him.
....
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