"You! How dare you treat me like this!"
Crouching on the ground, Dio's tears mixed with nosebleeds stained almost his entire face.
Yang Yun watched the scene unfold, his expression completely blank as he unbuttoned his gloves. Not a shred of pity stirred in his heart.
While Dio's intense, compelling charisma made him an undeniably captivating character, it didn't change the fact that Yang Yun wanted to send him straight to hell right this second!
"Good god! That guy is unbelievable!"
"Yang Yun! Yang Yun! Yang Yun!"
...
As the surrounding onlookers finally processed what had happened, wave after wave of thunderous cheers erupted through the air.
Yang Yun couldn't care less. What good was the adoration of a bunch of kids?
He had no intention of becoming the king of the playground.
After turning to give the stunned Jonathan a pat on the shoulder, Yang Yun walked away from the scene.
That left Dio amid the contempt and mockery of the crowd, his eyes blazing with furious rage!
"Just you wait! I, Dio, will not accept defeat!"
Dio slammed his fist hard against the ground, sending tremors through the dust, and spoke through gnashed teeth.
"Oh, give it a rest. You lost so hard you're crying, and you're still talking trash."
"Seriously, and here I thought you were actually tough!"
"Dio is just a sore loser. Everyone stop playing with him from now on!"
...
Faced with yet another round of exclusion and scorn, Dio abruptly flipped himself up from the ground and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
So it was true that he hadn't beaten Yang Yun—but since when did a bunch of small-time clowns get the right to slander him, Dio?
A cold glint flashed in Dio's eyes, his expression fierce. In an instant, he was like a dagger concealed in the dark, suddenly thrusting out from its sheath!
The bridge of the nose of a boy standing right in front of him snapped instantly, a shrill scream tearing from his throat as his body flew backward through the air.
Having knocked down one, the rest of the crowd finally reacted, roaring as they threw their punches.
Yet after that first blow, Dio had already locked onto his target. He spun around, delivering a vicious backfist straight into the kidney of the oncoming assailant.
His movements were nimble and lightning-fast, like a hummingbird darting among flowers, yet every punch struck like a dagger piercing the air, going straight for vital points.
Barely a minute or two later, though Dio had sustained a few minor injuries of his own, over a dozen youths lay groaning in agony all around him!
When it was all over, Dio returned to the Joestar family estate, falling into a heavy silence.
Even when George questioned him, he simply claimed he had been hurt during boxing practice, revealing nothing about the fight itself.
Jonathan didn't give it much thought, assuming Dio was simply too proud to admit defeat.
As for Yang Yun, his vigilance only grew stronger. *When the enemy comes, meet them with a general; when the water rises, build an earthen dam*—that kind of reactive approach might work against ordinary villains.
But Dio was a man-eating beast hiding in the dark!
The moment he found an opening, he would fight you to the bitter end, aiming straight for your throat!
In the days that followed, perhaps cowed by the beating Yang Yun had given him, or perhaps biding his time while searching for an opportunity, Dio displayed no malicious behavior whatsoever. He even went so far as to subtly project an attitude of wanting to make peace with Jonathan.
Despite Yang Yun's repeated warnings, Jonathan, with his genuine, good-natured heart, ultimately chose to accept the gesture.
As time drifted on, guided by the threads of fate, Jonathan crossed paths with Erina Joestar, and the two fell deeply, happily in love!
Watching Jonathan drown in the whirlpool of romance day after day, Yang Yun couldn't tell whether he felt envy or jealousy.
After all, in both his past life and this one, he had always been flying solo.
One day, Jonathan and Erina parted ways in the dusk, both carrying sweet feelings in their hearts as they prepared to head home.
Yet right then, beside a tree carved with symbols of their love, Dio stroked the marks, a sinister smirk gradually spreading across the corners of his mouth.
"Are you Erina?"
"I was wondering why that fellow JOJO kept looking happier and happier lately, but now I understand!"
Seeing Dio block her path and bring up JOJO so abruptly, Erina instantly realized something was wrong and spun around to flee.
Before she could even take a single step, however, Dio pulled her straight into his arms, lowered his head, and kissed her.
The moment his lips met hers, Erina's mind went completely blank.
"Have you kissed JOJO yet? Not yet, right?"
"Your first kiss wasn't with JOJO—it was with me, Dio!"
Dio said with a smug expression, his arrogance practically overflowing.
"Methods have never mattered; the only thing that counts is the result!"
"With this, you and JOJO are finished!"
"As for Yang Yun—once JOJO's spirit is crushed, let's see what that guy can protect!"
With those thoughts in mind, Dio strode away from the scene.
The next day, at noon.
Yang Yun was reading a book in the estate's library when shouting and the sounds of a beating downstairs instantly caught his attention.
When he looked down and saw JOJO brutally pummeling Dio, he understood everything in a flash.
"Damn it! How the hell did I forget about this?!"
Yang Yun smacked his forehead hard. He had assumed that after the boxing incident earlier, Dio would try to target him instead.
He hadn't expected that, under the guidance of fate, the bastard would still choose to go after JOJO and Erina.
Ultimately, following George's reprimand and mediation, Jonathan and Dio were each sent back to their respective rooms to reflect.
Jonathan was genuinely reflecting, but Dio's fury only mounted. In his eyes, Jonathan was nothing more than a filthy, brainless idiot!
Yet he had been brought down by a fool like that—it was completely unforgivable!
Just as he was about to burn Danny the dog alive, however, Yang Yun stepped out from the shadows.
The moment he caught sight of Yang Yun, Dio froze in place. How long had this guy been tailing him?
The more Dio thought about it, the more alarmed he became, his hand instinctively gripping the switchblade hidden at his waist.
This time, though, Yang Yun didn't make a move. He simply let Danny go, shot Dio a cold, piercing glare, and turned to walk away.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it..."
Watching Yang Yun leave, Dio worked himself into a frenzied rage before gradually calming down.
He carefully analyzed the current situation: JOJO was the type whose power exploded the more he was suppressed.
Yang Yun, on the other hand, was someone who concealed himself deeply—seemingly reckless, but inwardly cool-headed and meticulous.
Neither of them was a pushover, and since he himself was far too prone to losing his temper, he must never make that mistake again.
After that night, Dio seemed like a completely different person, transforming into a genuinely kind-hearted gentleman.
Seven years slipped by as the three of them grew up.
Yang Yun, Jonathan, and Dio all reached the age of nineteen, graduating from university with stellar grades.
Jonathan achieved renown in the field of archaeology, while Dio topped the entire school as the valedictorian of the law department.
Yang Yun took first place in athletics and excelled across the board, becoming the star captain of the varsity team!
Together, the three of them were known throughout the university as the "Three Stars of Radiance," drawing fervent adoration from male and female students alike.
Following a graduation rugby match, the three of them shook hands in celebration once more, preparing to bring the good news back to their father.
Yet all of it was just Surface. Beneath the veneer of friendship, each of them harbored their own private thoughts.
Upon returning home after graduation.
In the Joestar manor, as they watched George coughing violently, all three of them wore expressions of deep concern.
Yet the worry shown by Yang Yun and Dio was entirely an act; this illness had been caused by Dio's poison in the first place.
And Yang Yun, knowing the plot inside and out, had his own methods—and plans for the future.
This time, he would finally have a legitimate excuse to unleash hell and give Dio the thorough beating he deserved.
True to expectation, events quickly unfolded just as they had in the original story.
Not only did Jonathan discover the incriminating letters, but he also uncovered the truth. To expose that truth, he journeyed to Ogre Street, where he met the lifelong friend who would stand by him through thick and thin—
The master narrator of the plot, Robert E.O. Speedwagon!
With Speedwagon's help, Jonathan quickly hurried back, bringing a squad of police officers in tow.
Yet Dio wasn't panicked in the slightest, for he had already unlocked the true secret of the Stone Mask.
This time, not only would he claim all of the Joestar family inheritance, but he would also transcend all of humanity in a single bound!
And so, facing JOJO's arrest, Dio accepted his fate with an utterly calm demeanor.
"JOJO! There are limits to what humanity can do!"
"What I've learned from my brief life is that the more you play schemes, the more those schemes are bound to fail because of unexpected variables."
"You have to become something that transcends humanity!"
"What do you mean? What are you talking about?"
Hearing this, apart from Yang Yun, Jonathan and everyone else present were struck by a wave of confusion.
"My cue!"
Yang Yun muttered inwardly to himself, and the next instant, his Stand, Star Platinum, materialized firmly at his side.
"I reject my humanity, JOJO!"
Accompanied by a frenzied roar, a flash of cold light bloomed beneath Dio's cloak, baring its man-eating fangs!