JJL Chapter 98

"I keep eco bags and masks at work and at home so I don't forget them, but I forget them every time and have to go back to get them. (忘れないようエコバッグとマスクを仕事場と自宅に置いてるけど毎回忘れて取りに戻る.)"

- Hirohiko Araki, Ultra Jump July 2020

Endless Calamity, Part 4 (終わりなき厄災 その④) is the ninety eighth chapter of JoJolion and the nine hundred forty-fifth chapter of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga.

Summary
At TG University Hospital, Rai Mamezuku heads towards the laboratory where Josuke Higashikata is waiting, with Satoru Akefu close behind him. Akefu bumps into a glass wall but to Mamezuku's astonishment, simply walks through it. Akefu then bumps into a column but phases through it and takes the escalator - or rather, its reflection - to the next floor. Mamezuku turns his head just to see the head doctor is already on the real escalator. Mamezuku rushes to the third floor through the stairs to overtake Akefu and reaches the corridor leading to the laboratory, just in time to see Akefu enter another wall and seemingly phase through it. Among the many reflections on the wall, Mamezuku glimpses the doctor's true appearance beneath his disguise. He is revealed to be the Stand who had attacked Rai and Josuke by the hospital's staircase and in Josuke's Lamborghini. Mamezuku runs and reaches the laboratory first only to see Josuke calmly waiting on a swivel chair.

At the Higashikata House, Tooru observes Yasuho on the ground and describes the nature of a "calamity", which is according to him the occurrence of a bad thing even if it were to happen to a saint walking the right path. With Jobin Higashikata neutralized, Tooru can now go pick up the new Locacaca.

Back at TG University Hospital, Rai tries to warn Josuke that the head doctor was an automatic Stand all along. Unfazed, Josuke explains that Holy has helped him recently and that she's now in danger. Thus, Josuke must fight the enemy Stand here and now. More importantly, Josuke declares that there is a way to directly kill it. Rai warns Josuke about the extremely dangerous power of this Stand and that disaster may strike with his every move. However, Josuke says that despite everything, he can count on Soft & Wet's bubbles, Rai's help as an ally, and even the support of Yasuho even if she's somewhere else.

Changing his form back to that of the head doctor, Akefu phases through a wall to peek inside of the laboratory while Rai and Josuke prepare to fight. However, he doesn't completely step inside, as the Stand and Tooru sense something strange about the room. As Tooru leaves the Higashikata home, Yasuho hears the rustling in the bushes caused by his departure and calls out to him, correctly assuming that it's him. However, her cries are suddenly answered by Joshu, who arrives at the garage with the potted Locacaca in his hands. Despite being greatly shaken by all the disasters that have recently struck his family, he declares that he'll save Yasuho.

Meanwhile, Josuke and Rai witness Akefu's reappearance in the wall. Akefu then asks who will pursue him first, although he realizes the two might have already discovered that pursuing him leads to disaster. Considering the strange atmosphere in the room, Akefu assumes that the two have set a trap and doesn't step down. Declaring that he will be shortly done with them, Akefu takes a set (a special screen made of loosely woven sticks) out of his pocket with a creature hidden inside, and releases both the screen and creature onto the floor. The screen and creature both meld with the floor and converge toward Josuke. Suddenly, the screen bursts into individual sticks which meld together to form a strange crane, lifting a small bundle of more sticks. The crane swings the sticks toward Josuke who manages to block most of the attack with Soft & Wet's bubbles, but gets wounded on his arm.

Satoru Akefu claims that what Josuke had done just now can be interpreted as an act of pursuit and dares him to get up from his chair, saying that in order to face Akefu he must first deal with this new threat: a Rock Insect named Dododo De Dadada. However, Josuke quickly retorts that this is the latest of a series of attempts to bring them out in the open. Thus, Josuke asks a question: if Akefu already has the New Locacaca, why bother trying to attack them? Akefu remains silent, leading Rai to conclude that Akefu is not actually in possession of the fruit.

Trivia
• The chapter's cover page contains a reference to the album by Led Zeppelin.

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