You call this a projection?

Gray Fly.

To an outsider, he appeared to be a kind, elderly man, but in reality, he was an unmitigated piece of trash. His malice wasn’t something that developed only after meeting DIO or being hired by him; it wasn’t as if he only became a villain willing to cause massive innocent casualties just to attack Jotaro Kujo and his group.

Even before meeting DIO, he was an evil creature who, in order to steal others’ belongings, did not hesitate to cause multiple aviation disasters. He used the lives of entire planeloads of innocent bystanders to cover up his thefts and mask his true identity.

Therefore, through that resonance that only villains can understand, Gray Fly—the low-level evil—bowed before the higher-level evil. He understood the moment he met DIO: his entire life existed solely for the purpose of meeting this blonde man.

Naturally, whatever DIO commanded, Gray Fly would stake his life to achieve it.

Cut back to the moment when Shirou Emiya and Abdul successfully activated the ability of [Magician’s Red: White Album], flash-freezing the interior of the private jet.

Only Gray Fly’s head remained unfrozen. Thanks to [Tower of Gray’s] ability to fly and the residual heat from the previous fire damage, the Stand—and by extension, Gray Fly—managed to struggle for a few extra moments at high altitude.

But that was all. Gray Fly, who had unknowingly succumbed to this Stand ability, realized that with his limbs frozen solid, he couldn’t hold out much longer.

However, he had no intention of giving up.

”Think! Think harder!” Gray Fly screamed internally. ”There must be a way!

Even if I can no longer defeat the Joestars myself, I must find a way to make this plane crash!”

At this moment, only one thought remained in Gray Fly’s mind. Even if the jet crashed, he likely wouldn’t survive in his frozen state. But compared to his own death, he feared failing DIO’s expectations even more.

Yet, he couldn’t think of anything! Even his Stand, [Tower of Gray], was frozen and couldn’t return to his side. Using it to sabotage the cockpit controls was nearly impossible.

Was everything truly at an end? No, it couldn’t be!

Unable to accept this, Gray Fly could only twist his neck back and forth. It seemed that only by doing this could he feel that his body wasn’t completely frozen yet, holding onto a sliver of hope that the momentum of twisting might allow him to break free.

He prayed to the god in his heart (DIO): ”Lord DIO, please grant me the power to strike down the Joestar group!”

Normally, Gray Fly’s deathbed struggle and prayer would have done nothing but waste his remaining stamina in that frozen environment.

However...

”Lord DIO’s power? ...Kekeke, Hahahaha! Why didn’t I think of it before? It’s Lord DIO’s power!

Is this the revelation you’ve given me, Lord DIO? I, Gray Fly, have received it!!”

It wasn’t a wail. It wasn’t despair. It was the laughter of someone who had found salvation.

After the laughter died down, Gray Fly stopped his meaningless movements. Without hesitation, he lowered his head and pressed his tongue against the ice freezing his body.

Anyone who lives in the north knows: never put your tongue on a block of ice on a snowy day. The tongue will easily bond with the ice, and you won’t be able to pull it back. Gray Fly was well aware of this.

If it were just a few small ice cubes, he could have held them in his mouth and melted them with his body heat. But the ice Shirou and the others created had encased his entire body. Gray Fly didn’t want to melt it; he wanted his tongue to stick to it!

Only by doing this could he anchor his tongue while his hands and feet were immobilized.

And then...

Splat!

He violently jerked his head up and twisted!

Gray Fly was completely unafraid of the damage to his tongue; in fact, that was his intention. In this freezing temperature, he forcibly yanked his head back, tearing his tongue away from the ice it was bonded to.

Not only that, he swung his head, spraying the blood from his mangled tongue toward Noriaki Kakyoin.

What was Gray Fly doing? Although the blood would rapidly freeze into ice in the extreme cold generated by [Magician’s Red: White Album], he couldn’t possibly break Kakyoin’s ice with a mere ”ice-throwing” attack. The impact wouldn’t even be enough to break the control panel.

Gray Fly’s true goal was reflection.

He used the frozen blood-ice to reflect the sunlight coming through the window onto Kakyoin’s body—specifically to stimulate the vampire ”flesh bud” on Kakyoin’s forehead!

Indeed, it wasn’t about melting the ice with sunlight; there wasn’t enough time or heat for that. But that tiny bit of sunlight was enough to trigger a stress response in the sun-fearing flesh bud!

”Kakyoin! Take Lord DIO’s power and wipe the Joestars off this plane!”

Gray Fly watched as the flesh bud took over Kakyoin’s body. Much like an old lady lifting a car to save her grandson, Kakyoin bypassed human safety limits. He utilized superhuman, overclocked brute force to shatter the ice encasing him.

Seeing Kakyoin emerge, covered in blood but free, Gray Fly finally sighed in relief as he was completely consumed by the frost.