Chapter 128: Platinum Star: You Said a Substitute Messenger Wouldn't Deceive the Substitute

Advanced Stands often possess a certain level of consciousness, capable of communicating with their users. Qiao Zhe’s Star Platinum was no exception.

Star Platinum’s current form was truly massive. When manifested in its human-like form, it stood over three meters tall, its physique packed with muscles like a titan. Standing at one meter ninety-seven, Qiao Zhe had to crane his neck to look up at his Stand. In the JoJo universe, excluding the ancient versions of Jotaro, the Star Platinum of a contemporary Jotaro would typically be around two meters tall. Here, however, Qiao Zhe’s own spiritual energy had significantly enhanced Star Platinum.

Star Platinum lowered its head, gazing at Qiao Zhe with a look of confusion. *Does the master want to kill me? That doesn’t make sense; if he kills me, he’ll perish too. He’s never had suicidal thoughts before, so why now? He’s usually quite normal... wait, I get it. He must be trying to play a joke on me.*

At that moment, Qiao Zhe aimed at Star Platinum’s chest and, gritting his teeth, thrust downward with force.

Star Platinum: "???"

*What the hell, you’re actually doing it!*

Stands act according to the master's intent, meaning that since Qiao Zhe wanted to pierce his Stand, Star Platinum could not resist. With its incredibly high precision, Star Platinum watched with clear eyes as the arrow drew closer and closer to its body.

*Clang!*

A crisp metallic sound rang out. The Bug Arrow struck Star Platinum’s chest, and the handle in Qiao Zhe’s hand snapped instantly. The arrowhead fell to the ground, having failed to pierce the Stand’s body. After the battle against Zagi, Star Platinum had evidently grown, its physical defenses having strengthened significantly.

Still, Star Platinum felt a bit like returning to the safety of Qiao Zhe’s body; the master’s capabilities were clearly more than just this. After picking up the arrow, Qiao Zhe noticed Star Platinum’s eyes fixed on him, filled with a sense of grievance.

"Don't worry, this is a good thing," Qiao Zhe explained, holding the arrow. "Once this arrowhead pierces your body, you will undergo a super evolution."

Star Platinum: "."

*Really? A Stand User doesn't lie to their own Stand!*

Seeing his Stand still staring at him, Qiao Zhe changed his approach. "Piercing your arm will do, right?"

Though it sounded like a question, Qiao Zhe had already begun to condense Hamon energy in his hand. A flash of golden light!

*Squelch!*

The arrow pierced Star Platinum’s arm, and blood immediately spurted from the wound. At the same time, because damage to a Stand is synchronized with the user, blood sprayed from Qiao Zhe’s arm as well. However, he had no time to worry about that. As the arrow pierced Star Platinum, a burst of golden light erupted!

"Did it work?!"

He looked the Stand up and down, but Star Platinum didn't seem to have changed at all. "Strange. Does it have to be held?" Recalling the situation with Silver Chariot, Qiao Zhe held out the arrow. "You hold this."

Yet, Star Platinum just stood there without reaction, its wounded arm still bleeding profusely. "Star Platinum?" Qiao Zhe called out, but the Stand remained motionless. A sinking feeling hit him—had he broken it?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the arrow in his hand suddenly flew out, zipped through the air, and embedded itself into Star Platinum’s arm. As if it had a life of its own, the arrow crawled from the bleeding wound into the Stand’s body.

"This is!" The sight made Qiao Zhe’s eyes widen as he realized a possibility. The arrow moved inside the arm, crawling upward! Because it was inside the Stand, Qiao Zhe felt no pain despite the synchronization. The arrow continued its ascent, moving from the arm to the neck, then to the face, and finally stopping at Star Platinum’s forehead.

Star Platinum suddenly clenched its fists, and a cracking sound echoed. Its purple hands began to fissure, and pieces of its shell-like surface began to fall away. A brand-new form was revealed: though still purple, the body was now clad in armor, appearing like an ancient warrior, with what looked like purple flames flickering across its surface.

Star Platinum Requiem!

Qiao Zhe looked at the rejuvenated, transformed Star Platinum, his gaze finally resting on its forehead. The arrow had turned from gold to purple, embedded directly into the forehead of Star Platinum Requiem. At his mental command, the Stand vanished—so fast that only a purple streak remained, instantly flying into the distance.

The Subspace was vast, allowing Qiao Zhe to experiment freely. Moreover, it was clear that Star Platinum Requiem was not out of control. The purple streak flew three thousand meters away and kept going, showing no sign of reaching its limit.

"This range! Truly worthy of an Ultimate Stand!"

When Qiao Zhe willed it to return, Star Platinum Requiem appeared before him in a flash.

"Let's test other abilities." Thinking of the time manipulation he had longed for, Qiao Zhe felt exhilarated, though he quickly became cautious. Star Platinum Requiem was an Ultimate Stand; if it possessed time-manipulation abilities, they would likely be invincible. But since there was no one else in the Subspace, he couldn't test it on himself, lest he accidentally erase himself from existence.

He decided to play it safe and save the time-manipulation testing for an enemy. With no targets present, he began testing other attributes like strength and destructive power. After a series of tests, he was satisfied; Star Platinum Requiem’s stats completely eclipsed those of Star Platinum after the Zagi battle.

He waved his hand, and the Stand removed the arrow from its forehead. Even without the arrow, it did not revert. Unlike Silver Chariot, which returned to its original form once the arrow was removed, Star Platinum Requiem had shed its skin; it couldn't just stick the shell back on. It remained in its purple armored form.

Recalling the Stand, Qiao Zhe looked at the arrow, which had returned to its original state. He wondered if others could awaken a Stand if pricked by it. He wasn't sure how it worked—maybe a finger prick was enough, or perhaps it required the neck.

*Gammu has always wanted a Stand.* During the last fight against the fake Ultraman Memos, Qiao Zhe had noticed Gaia trying to mimic the process of manifesting a Stand, though it likely hadn't succeeded.

"I’ll find a chance to prick Gammu and see." Of course, he wouldn't just stab him in the neck; that would depend on whether Gammu was willing to take the gamble. Besides, even if he were pierced, he had Hamon healing, and Gammu could always transform into Gaia to be safe. Transforming into an Ultraman was like having a resurrection item—even Go Hideki swore by that trick!

With a thought, he stowed the arrow and left the Subspace to find Mizorogi. "Mizorogi, you're coming with me."

Only Kira Sawa, Mizorogi, and Nagi Saijo were in the command room. Qiao Zhe walked straight up, placed a hand on Mizorogi’s shoulder, and before anyone could react, opened a portal of light.