Chapter 16
Summary
Jonathan is falling with Dio down to the first floor of the Joestar mansion. Jonathan reflects on how Dio has tortured him, and how up to this moment he has lost everything but his own life because of Dio. Dio, however, shows more concern for his life, thinking that even he could not withstand the flames. To escape Jonathan's grasp and his own death, Dio knees Jonathan in his ribs, breaking some of them, and grabs a wall, leaving Jonathan to fall to the first floor alone.
Jonathan continues to fall without Dio, hearing him say that he will rule the world with the power Jonathan gave to him. Then, Jonathan notices something else falling with him- the bent iron spearhead. Thinking quickly, Jonathan jams the spearhead into the wall and swings his body to get on top of it before jumping back to where Dio is hanging. When Jonathan discovers that he could not jump high enough, he uses his belt to grab onto Dio's leg. Then the added weight of Jonathan’s body causes the part of the wall that Dio grabbed to fall out of the wall, and they both continue falling.
Jonathan says that he will not let go of Dio, and plunges the knife that Dio used to kill George Joestar into him. Dio retaliates by breaking both of Jonathan’s arms. Jonathan does not let go, screaming out to his father to give him strength before kicking off of a burning wall, sending Dio onto the sharp point of a statue of the Goddess of Love, the protector of house Joestar. Dio, impaled through his chest by a statue, burns in the fire afterward.
Just outside the mansion, Speedwagon shows concern for Jonathan, as he thinks the mansion is going to collapse any moment. Then, suddenly, Jonathan’s body crashes through a window. Jonathan is unconscious, and only mutters one word:
“Urgh…Fa...ther…”
Speedwagon determines that Jonathan has won, and Dio has been defeated.