Gladius POV

"So, we meet face to face once more Gladius. This time though, I will not let you escape."

"Who's running? I aim to finish this once and for all."

Without waiting for a reply, I had Ace of Swords summon a handful of knives which were promptly thrown at the elderly monk. His Stand appeared in an instant and managed to deflect each of my projectiles.

Of course, he'd seem me use my knives numerous times before. He was a sharp one, it seems. I scowled at him, before saying "Seems you knew what to expect from me in this situation. But I assure you, my Stand is well equipped."

Gyalzen didn't flinch, instead his eyes remained trained on me. Not that this was a problem, I wasn't about to be intimidated by an old man! I conjured a pair of axes and just like I'd done with Avdol, I threw both of them in a boomerang motion.

Old Gyalzen managed to evade them as well, flipping backwards and actually managing to kick them both in mid-air sending them both off course. He regained his composure and maintained his firm stare.

Slowly he assumed a stance, resembling Kung Fu. His Stand mimicked his movements, coming to the same stance, steam slowly emanating from his body. He spoke coldly.

"I'm ready for you. Shall we begin?" 

I snarled, spitting angrily "There's nothing I'd like better." At this, I manifested a rapier similar to that of Silver Chariot and wasted no time thrusting the pointed blade forward!

Much to my anger though, he parried. Both user and Stand moved in perfect sync with one another. Lashing their palms out. The point did hit its target, causing a narrow trickle of blood to appear in Gyalzen's palm.

This didn't matter though, as soon as the rapier collided with his palm, a jet of steam was shot out in retaliation. The jet was so strong, it launched my Stand back, I narrowly avoided being flung from the building. Suffice to say, the weapon was blown from my hand, promptly disappearing.

It was instantly replaced by a pair of scimitars which I lashed out with. Gyalzen's Stand had rapid reflexes though, it managed to dodge and evade each attack, only occasionally parrying by striking with its arm.

With each missed attack, my anger only increased. That was until I got lucky. I swung one of the blades around, which of course, he dodged. However the second slash came around and managed to catch the Stand on the arm.

The damage was reflected on the user, a similar cut appeared in the same place. Again though, this only served to make me more angry as Gyalzen, this elderly monk didn't show any sign of anger or fatigue himself. Instead he just remained calm, with his eyes trained on me.

I snapped "How, how are you keeping so calm?!" To this, he responded bluntly but not necessarily rudely. 

"In my youth, I faced the ultimate being. A mortal who possessed the genes of every living creature. In that encounter, I experienced true fear. I have nothing to fear from you Gladius. Don't take that as an insult. It is merely my truth."

His words did anger me, however I didn't react with rage. My anger had blinded me in the fight up to this point. Just this once, I closed my eyes and began to chuckle. 

"I see. That makes sense. I'll level with you, I nearly got carried away for a second. Rest assured, I won't make that mistake again." Gyalzen maintained his stance as he spoke "Very good. Let's get this over with."

If that's what he wanted. The scimitars vanished and were replaced with a spear which I thrust forward, aiming right at Gyalzen's face! Page of Cups moved to the side to avoid it before countering with a kick aimed at my Stand's stomach area.

For the first time in the fight, I managed to avoid the attack as well. It was now that a devilish smirk appeared across my face. I spoke "Observe, another little trick I've picked up. I was going to show Avdol this if you hadn't intervened. It's only fitting that you be the first to witness it."

This caused Gyalzen to falter, allowing me to show him my new trick. It started simple, summoning a gladius sword in one hand and another scimitar in the other. However this was only the beginning.

I began to juggle them.

It started slowly, I tossed the two blades between my hands. However I didn't stop there. Once a hand was free, I'd summon ANOTHER weapon. I was now juggling three weapons, then four, then five, then six. It kept on increasing!

As did the speed. In mere seconds I was now juggling FIFTEEN weapons of all different sorts. Swords, knives, axes, maces and spears. The speed at which they were juggling was now so quick that to the naked eye, it would appear that they were floating around me and my Stand.

I explained "I'm surprised I didn't learn to do this sooner, it took Lord DIO's suggestion for me to consider it. In the past, I always threw a cluster of tightly-compacted weapons at a precise point. These projectiles had great precision and always hit their mark. But that has proven ineffective against the likes of Jotaro's Star Platinum, Polnareff's Silver Chariot or even Avdol's Magician's Red."

The weapons continued to circle. I pointed my arm up to the sky as I kept speaking "I've sacrificed precision to summon more weapons. In mere moments, you'll be met with a rain of blades! I call it my IRON MAIDEN!"

I swiftly lowered my arm to point at the old man as the weapons shot out in his direction. The monk had little time to react. His Stand did manage to counter a knife and a spear that were flung at him.

However the rest all came at the same time. Seems Page of Cups was no Star Platinum. The weapons skimmed their mark. Cuts appeared across the monk's body. I thought I had it in the bag, but it seems he was crafty.

The attack forced him back to the roof's edge. In theory, I had him cornered. However much to my surprise, he didn't falter. Instead as he reached the edge, his feet scraped to a stop across the floor.

I raised an eyebrow as small trails of steam began to emerge. I took this moment though to once again, try and finish things. Summoning a sledgehammer, I had Ace of Swords swing forward. This ended up being a mistake on my end.

The last thing I expected was for Page of Cups to grab hold of my Ace of Swords as both it and Gyalzen leapt from the building. Despite the range of thrown weapons, my Stand itself couldn't exist far away from me. 

Because of this, as Gyalzen leapt back, I was pulled along with him. We both fell from the building's roof. I was quick to break away and tried stabbing a knife into the wall to slow my fall. Old Gyalzen did the same only he used his hands.

I winced as a loud hiss was heard.

Once I'd got back to my feet, I turned to where Gyalzen had been only to find him GONE! We'd landed on one of the streets just next to the building. Looking around, I found myself completely shrouded in a veil of steam.

The streets around me were partially shrouded, I couldn't see Gyalzen anywhere. I looked around, asking in annoyance "Where are you? Come out here and fight me!" No response, but by now passers by were noticing my confusion.

I continued to look around, when I noticed something. A faint whistle in the air. A spark of orange appeared to my left, taking on the shape of the old monk. I grinned and snapped "Found you!" Ace of Swords threw a knife towards him!

My grin vanished instantly though, instead being replaced by surprise. As soon as my knife collided with him, Gyalzen disappeared. The orange sparks dissipated. That's when it clicked. "An illusion." I seethed. It reminded me of Enya's Stand Justice. Only with steam. 

That's when Gyalzen's voice echoed "It's been a while since I've used that trick. It wasn't actually the work of my Stand you know. I simply focussed Hamon at a precise point in the steam to create an outline of myself."

Looking around, I still couldn't see anything. I called out "Hamon? What's Hamon? Where are you?!" He didn't respond, instead he said "You aren't the only one who's improved. I've had fifty years to master these techniques. Observe."

At this, I noticed him once again. I could see the outline of him walking towards me. Before slowly stepping to the side. As he did, I was shocked to see that he seemed to multiply. He left behind a duplicate, and another.

The thick layer of steam masked my vision and made it hard to see. I could only make out his outline among it. He continued to walk sideways, duplicating until I realised that he had formed a circle around me.

This time though, I knew his trick. Mere illusions, even so. I couldn't afford to let my guard down. I waited until the circle got close enough before making my move. I yelled "DIE!" Before having my Stand conjure two scimitars and spinning around.

One by one, the mirages were disbursed in sparks of orange static. However in doing so, I was surprised when I was suddenly punched in the face. Not by a Stand, but by Gyalzen himself.

Turning around, the monk now stood with his fist extended out. Before I could even ask what his plan was, he spoke.

"There is more than one way to make contact. I'll admit, my Stand is nowhere near as powerful as yours. And of course, you won't fall for that mirage trick again. However I'll show you that a Stand's ability isn't everything. It's also about how you use it."

I remained silent for a moment, before saying "Very well. I use my Stand like THIS!" As soon as I gave the word my Stand repeated the motion from before, juggling an increasing assortment of weapons. The fifteen spun around me.

I snapped "Mark my words, with this attack, I will end this! I cannot fail Lord DIO again! Go IRON MAIDEN!" Even in this moment, Gyalzen remained calm. His Page of Cups continued to give off an aura of steam which built up around us.

"Very well, then this ends here. May the best man win."

With that, it was all or nothing. I cried out "DIE!" And launched my barrage of weapons. I expected Gyalzen to dodge, however he didn't. Instead he broke out into a run TOWARDS me! 

With his Stand, he let out a palm thrust, which caused a gust of steam to shoot from it. This deflected any weapons which were knocked off in other directions. Some even hit others and caused them to ricochet as well.

Only a sword and a knife hit their marks. The former stabbing into his upper left arm, the latter stabbing into his bottom right leg. Even through all that though he persisted. My eyes widened in shock as he raised his hand up and spoke sternly.

"You're a skilled warrior. It's been an honour fighting you."

Before I could react, he lashed out, not with his Stand, but once again with his bare hand. Placing his left arm behind his back, he lashed his right fist forward, connecting with my FACE! He punched me exactly four times before stopping. 

I was left stunned, stumbling back, still wide-eyed. I could barely muster a mutter. "H-how could I? H-how could I fail Lord DIO again? P-please... I-I'm sorry my Lord..."

I fell back leaning against the wall of a building. My breathing ragged. Gyalzen approached me, visibly wounded from our battle but he placed his arms behind his back and looked down at me as if he was thinking.

Unable to remain conscious any longer. I passed out...

Gyalzen POV

The assassin, Gladius' head slumped to the side. We definitely both seemed worse for wear by this point. But given his current state, it seemed I was the victor in the end. Reaching down and checking for a pulse, I confirmed he was simply unconscious.

My focus shifted though when I heard Joseph calling out "Gyalzen!" Turning, I saw him and Avdol running towards me. They stopped and looked between me and Gladius. Avdol smiled. "You did it. I'm honestly impressed."

Joseph however stepped forward. He crouched down in front of Gladius and proceeded to lift his fringe up, saying "Just as we thought." Looking over his shoulder, I was surprised to see a weird pulsing growth just near Gladius' hairline.

Which prompted me to ask "What is that?" Joseph explained "This is one of DIO's flesh buds. He implants this in a person and is able to make them a loyal puppet. When we met Kakyoin and Polnareff, they were the same."

Avdol added "So, to summarise. Gladius was being brainwashed by DIO. Come on, we've got to get him to Jotaro." I raised an eyebrow asking "Why Jotaro?" Avdol answered "Because if we aren't careful while removing it, it could kill Gladius. Jotaro's Stand has the precision to remove it safely."

With that, I nodded. Saying "Very good. Come on, we need to get out of here before we draw even more attention..."

Timeskip...

Gladius POV

A voice yelling "OVERDRIVE!" Slowly woke me up. As my eyes opened, I was left with confusion as to what had happened. The last thing I could remember was... My eyes widened as I muttered "Oh no..."

This seemed to get the attention of those around me as I heard the same voice saying "Hey, he's awake." Looking around, I saw myself now in a bed in what seemed to be a hotel room. And standing around me were the last people I expected to see.

Joestar's little gang!

My eyes widened, Polnareff wasted no time commenting "See. This is where he attacks us. I told you we shouldn't have brought him here." The old man next to my bed sternly warned him "Enough Polnareff." Before asking "How are you holding up?"

I turned to him, it was Gyalzen, the same old man I'd just fought at DIO's order. My mind was racing. "I remember everything. Lord- no, DIO's control. I'm so sorry. I didn't want this to happen."

Joestar seemed to think for a moment. "Now that you're awake and seem physically fine. There are two ways you can make it up to us." He reached into his pocket and said. "Do you know either where DIO is hiding or what his Stand is capable of? Either answer would help."

I shook my head. "No on both accounts. DIO relocated shortly before sending me to Aswan. I assume he didn't trust me with his final location. As for his Stand, I only saw a glimpse. I can't really describe it, one second he was in front of me and in an instant, he was behind me."

Joestar's group exclaimed "He WHAT?!" I said "Whatever it is, his ability is unlike anything you've faced before now. I'm sorry I can't explain more than that." Avdol said "I see."

The reason I was being apologetic and forthcoming with information was out of respect. They'd broken me from DIO's control. The least I could do was answer their questions. Joseph didn't stop there though. "There's one last thing." He stared me head-on before asking.

"We're leaving Luxor for Cairo in an hour. Would you be interested in coming with us?" 

Polnareff exclaimed "WHAT?!! You can't be serious!" Even Jotaro seemed surprised by the question. Joseph justified his reasoning. "You have no reason to help DIO anymore. After what he did to you. And you are one of the strongest Stand users we've encountered, your help would be greatly appreciated."

Gyalzen spoke "I'll vouch for that." with Avdol nodding silently. Joseph proceeded to ask "What did he tell you? Did he give you the answers you wanted?" I knew he was referring to the old diary, I looked and saw it on the bedside table. 

Not wanting to explain everything, I summarised it. "DIO tried to have my ancestor killed when he was a baby, one hundred years ago. If it wasn't for his brother, Damian, I'd have not existed. That's it in a nutshell."

Joestar pointed out "Then you have your own vendetta against him right? I know I would." I thought for a moment. After everything. I nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right." I sighed before finally agreeing.

"Okay, I'll help you in any way I can."

Polnareff exclaimed "Oh, come on!" As Joestar grinned "Great! Welcome to the gang." I raised a hand "One more thing. We've never been formally introduced. My name, it's Raymond Baltimore."

Polnareff asked "Then why were you going around being called Gladius this whole time?" I answered "Because as a Mercenary, it was safer to use an alias. Since I was known for my blades, Gladius fit."

Joestar stuck a hand out "Well then, Raymond, shake on it." I did just that. My mind still racing. When I accepted this job, the last thing I expected was to end up allying with the very gang I'd been contracted to assassinate.

Yet, it seems life was full of surprises. We had a common goal now, and a common enemy. An alliance was a practical solution...

Author's Note: And that's it for this chapter. Now Gladius has joined with the Crusaders. Also, it's worth noting, from this point on he will be referred to as Raymond. The reason he was called Gladius up to now was because no one knew his real name. We're moving on to Cairo and the final five arcs of this book. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter and as always, thanks for reading.