Diavolo's Dilemma

Morioh tram station.

After devising a plan to lock down Diavolo, Li Qing quickly put it into practice.

He immediately used his superhuman strength, comparable to Star Platinum, to carry Giorno all the way to Morioh Station.

It's faster than a car, and it won't suddenly explode like the cars they've ridden in before.

It combines speed and safety, but its only drawback is the poor passenger experience.

When Giorno came down, his hair had been blown into a flowing, straight style by the strong wind, and it took him a while to get it back to its normal, natural curls.

He spent another half minute calming his slightly dizzy mind before finally following Li Qing's instructions to observe the road surface:

Is this the place?

As Li Qing said, there were indeed large patches of dried bloodstains on the road.

However, Giorno was somewhat puzzled:

"How do you know this is Diavolo's blood?"

"How could he be bleeding so much? Who could have beaten that guy up like that?"

Of course, it's the invincible Star Platinum.

Li Qing gave himself the answer.

But that point is no longer important, so he quickly said:

"It's a long story, and I'll explain the reasons in detail later."

"Right now, we should track down Diavolo as soon as possible to avoid any further accidents."

"Mm." Giorno nodded.

Since Li Qing isn't going to say anything, then there's no need to say anything for now. His trust in Li Qing is enough to put aside his doubts.

"Gold Experience!"

Giorno immediately summoned his Stand.

The golden fist shadow quickly brought life to the mottled, blackened blood.

Several tiny flies emerged from these dried bloodstains.

As soon as they are born, they flap their wings in unison in the same direction, following that inexplicable mysterious connection, and fly straight to the former owners of these bloodlines.

"Follow them."

Li Qing and Giorno quickly sprang into action.

They jogged quickly behind the flies and soon left Morioh tram station.

At the same time, they also called Jotaro and the others who stayed behind at the Higashikata Family, telling them to be ready to provide support at any time.

And so, Li Qing and Giorno followed the fly, walking and walking.

As I walked along, I suddenly realized something was wrong:

"This route looks familiar."

Li Qing had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

"Isn't this the road we came by?"

"If you walk two more streets, you'll be back at the Higashikata Family."

"Etc."

Giorno's expression suddenly turned to astonishment.

"Could it be?"

The two exchanged a glance, each seeing surprise in the other's eyes:

"Is Diavolo currently near the Higashikata Family's residence?"

Indeed, Diavolo is currently near the Higashikata Family.

Without Li Qing and the others having to search, Diavolo himself "courtesy" and came knocking on their door.

However, he is still hesitant, unsure whether to take that final step.

At this moment, Diavolo was carefully standing beside a main road about a hundred meters away from the Higashikata Family.

This avenue seems to have recently suffered some misfortune, so much so that a construction team is needed to carry out large-scale repairs.

After a full day of construction, the road surface has become smooth again, but the cement has just been laid and hasn't had time to dry.

A group of road workers, preparing to finish their work, were busy around Diavolo, which conveniently concealed Diavolo's presence amidst the bustling crowd.

Diavolo stood by the roadside, lost in thought.

Should we continue?

"If I take that step forward, I'll never have a chance to turn back."

He came there because of that arrow, and also because of Yoshikage Kira.

Yoshikage Kira left the arrow in the hotel room and generously provided Diavolo with two important pieces of information via a note:

"1. Li Qing has another arrow in his hand, which he saw outside Hongcun's house yesterday."

2. The arrow he left Diavolo could indeed grant its user unimaginable power, but the way it was used was...

"Place yourself in a life-or-death situation, and use extreme despair to provoke the arrow's reaction."

Diavolo received the arrow and also saw Yoshikage Kira's message.

Being able to directly learn how to use the arrow was indeed a pleasant surprise.

But this method of use left him quite perplexed:

Should one first put oneself in a desperate situation? Should one use extreme despair to stimulate the power of the arrow?

Isn't this forcing him to seek thrills and commit suicide?

What if he really does something reckless and despairs, only to find that he still doesn't trigger the arrow's power? Wouldn't that be utterly ridiculous?

Diavolo instinctively declined the instructions.

So he took the arrow back to his temporary residence to experiment, hoping to find out if there were any other ways to activate its power.

The result was that there was none.

Diavolo tried stabbing himself and his Stand with arrows, creating several bloody holes in King Crimson, but to no avail.

He then took the various occult knowledge he had collected over the past few days and, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse, began performing all sorts of strange rituals with the arrow—but the arrow still wouldn't cooperate.

A whole day passed, and Diavolo still couldn't extract any power from that arrow.

"It seems that Yoshikage Kira's method was correct."

"He's on my side, there's no reason for him to lie to me."

"Aside from plunging yourself into utter despair, this arrow probably has no other use."

With this in mind, Diavolo gradually found courage amidst his helplessness.

"Maybe I really should push myself a little harder."

"After all, as long as you can awaken that powerful force, you will definitely be able to turn the tide even if you are in danger."

Diavolo couldn't help but think of the power that Yoshikage Kira had indirectly displayed.

Although he, like everyone else, could not sense the reversal of time, he could remember that it was Yoshikage Kira's ability that saved him from the brink of death and allowed time to jump directly to the next day.

The power to directly reverse adversity and change the world is both terrifying and incredibly enviable.

"Is it to be a shadowy, hidden rat for the rest of my life?"

"Or should I risk my life for this last chance to reclaim the throne?"

Diavolo was overwhelmed with emotion, his heart filled with countless waves of emotion.

He was no longer willing to continue sneaking around in the shadows.

He wanted to defeat his destined enemy.

He wanted to reclaim his former glory.

In this rare state of high spirits, Diavolo mustered his courage and locked onto a target:

The Higashikata Family, Li Qing's side's main base in Morioh.

"Li Qing still has an arrow, which should be stored in the Higashikata Family now."

"I'll go straight there and seize the arrow now—"

"If I succeed, I can get a second arrow, and perhaps I can explore different ways to use it."

"If I fail, I will be forced into an unprecedented desperate situation, which will be the perfect opportunity to unleash the power of this arrow in my hand."

Following this line of thought, the act of going to someone's door to commit suicide seems to have become a business that is guaranteed to be profitable.

So, after a fierce internal struggle, Diavolo left his residence with the arrow and headed towards the extremely dangerous Higashikata Family for him.

Courage surged forth, and the will to fight was palpable.

Diavolo attacked the enemy's crystal alone, which had a tragic and heroic feel to it, like a lone figure facing a desolate river.

However, at the last moment before he was about to break into the Higashikata Family's residence, he couldn't help but stop in his tracks.

There was no way around it; Diavolo's nature was to be cautious, prudent, and follow his heart. As a timid person who didn't even dare to show his face to his employees, he had never done anything like voluntarily going to his death.

Ultimately, it all comes down to that lingering worry:

What if he gambled his life and the arrow still didn't work? Wouldn't he have just wasted his life for nothing?

To gamble or not to gamble, that is the question.

"What should I do? How should I choose?"

Standing beside the newly paved cement road, Diavolo fell into deep thought.

He thought about it for a very long time, so long that the road workers next to him were almost packing up their tools and equipment to leave.

Ultimately, Diavolo's dark side, as the Dark Emperor, managed to overcome his cautious side in a difficult struggle.

"I must gamble!"

"The power is already in my hands, so how could I not even have the courage to unleash it?"

Diavolo gripped the arrow tightly in his hand:

"As long as that power can be awakened, any danger can be overcome."

"If someone like Yoshikage Kira can awaken his powers, so can I!"

In his eyes, Yoshikage Kira was just a third-rate murderer from the countryside, a rookie Stand User who knew nothing.

If even a guy like that can be favored by fate and obtain that kind of powerful force that can change the world, then why can't he, the Dark Emperor, do the same?

"Power, I must obtain that power."

Diavolo was extremely envious of the power displayed by Yoshikage Kira:

"With this power, I can truly become invincible."

"At that time, whether it's Li Qing Jotaro, they will both be powerless and grovel at my feet!"

The fear of death can be heavy.

But the allure of power is even more captivating.

The thought of becoming invincible like Yoshikage Kira filled Diavolo with excitement, making him want to rush out and give it a shot.

However, just as Diavolo mustered the courage to formally go and seek his death.

But he overheard a conversation between a road worker and his foreman not far away:

"Brother, the municipal staff of Morioh just called us."

"What could they possibly want?"

Tell them the road is almost finished and there's no need to rush them.

"No, they weren't asking about the project's progress; they were assigning us a new project."

"It is said that the 'Bald Superman' suddenly appeared in front of Kame Yu Department Store this morning and smashed up most of the road."

"Bald Superman? You actually believe that urban legend?!"

"Those citizens even said that the road we repaired was damaged by that Bald Superman. Do you think that's possible? Even if he really had that kind of power, why would he come and damage a road for no reason?"

"No, brother, this time the situation is truly different!"

"It's said that this time the guy beat someone to death, the body was rotten to a pulp. A lot of cops came to the scene, there's no way this can be faked."

"It seems that the person who died was an employee of the nearby Kame Yu Department Store."

"His name seems to be something like Yoshikage Kira."

"Did someone really get killed? Is there really a monster like 'Bald Superman' in the world?"

"It seems there's something wrong with Morioh after all. Let's hurry up and finish up and go back to report to the boss."

"Yes, brother."

"What was the response from the Morioh City government? Should we take on the renovation project in front of the Kame Yu Department Store?"

"Connect? Connect my ass!"

"Damn it, does he really think he's here to fix the road?"

The foreman cursed and smacked his subordinate on the head, and the two of them stopped talking.

Diavolo, standing to the side, had already turned pale upon hearing this:

"Yoshikage Kira is dead?"

"Or was he beaten into a pulp in the street by some 'Bald Superman'?"

"Bald Superman... isn't that Li Qing?"

A chill ran down Diavolo's spine, and he felt a sudden coldness throughout his body.

Yoshikage Kira died after only one day of no contact.

Hasn't he already unleashed the power of the arrow and awakened some invincible ability?

How could he have been beaten to death by Li Qing?

At this moment, Diavolo was completely bewildered:

If even the power of arrows can't defeat Li Qing, is there any chance he can turn the tide?

"Fortunately, I didn't impulsively take the last step."

"Otherwise, the situation would truly be beyond repair."

A certain belief crumbled rapidly in my heart.

Diavolo was shocked and then felt a wave of fear.

He began to feel fortunate for his earlier caution, fortunate that he had wisely left himself a way out.

Live on. As long as you live, there's still a chance.

If he turns around and runs away now, Li Qing will never find him.

With this thought in mind, his steps, which were originally intended to move forward, began to unconsciously retreat.

Diavolo was completely unaware.

Not far from him, several flies were buzzing and flapping their wings.