D.I.O
Chapter 227

Vroom.

Yusei started the car and aggressively stepped on the accelerator. Once they started moving, Seyoung said, “Please report this situation to your higher-ups. It doesn’t look like your government plotted this.”

“… Alright.”

The Japanese government didn’t plot this situation; their incompetence merely allowed it to occur. The fact that Seyoung knew this made Yusei feel embarrassed for a moment, but instead of making excuses, Yusei picked up his cell phone and contacted his superiors. Indeed, they were also taken aback and replied that they would take immediate action.

‘Who is it? If it isn’t Japan, is it some other country?’

Countless countries desired the Heaven above the Heavens. Many, including Russia, Japan, China, the United States, and those in Europe, sent love calls to the three Heaven above the Heavens without hesitation or consideration of saving ‘face.’

Alien attacks were relentless and ferocious, so nations desperately sought assistance from a member of the Heaven above the Heavens for national safety. In truth, Arthur alone provided more security than spending hundreds of billions or even trillions of dollars.

“… Hmm, something definitely seems off. Just in case, I will contact my friends.”

“Friends?”

When she saw Yusei express his doubts, Sanae laughed.

“Fellow Masters. I wouldn’t dare compare them to the Heaven above the Heavens, but they will surely be of help to some extent. These friends have great social influence.”

Yusei sat at the wheel, Seyoung was in the passenger seat, and Sanae was in the back seat. Yusei wondered if Sanae would make a fuss, but she kept quiet while busily contacting her Master friends.

‘She’s more considerate than she looks.’

Thinking so, Yusei twisted the steering wheel and pulled into a four-way intersection. However, unexpectedly, the road was blocked. About a hundred people were occupying the street and protesting.

“Oh, man, the timing….”

“Oh, it seems because of the festival and military training overlapping, the protestors are aiming to get ahold of the gathered international reporters’ attention. However, the Japanese don’t usually do public demonstrations, so I don’t understand why-”

Sanae was murmuring from the backseat and looking around when she froze. She’d spotted a vast banner hanging on the side of a building, and on it was a large picture of Arthur and Merlin.

“I see many Korean bastards’ faces here! Aren’t you all offended?”

“Get Arthur and all the cockroaches out of Japan!”

“Japan has the power to defend itself! Why are you inviting those filthy Korean bastards!”

“The politicians are all bought by the Korean government… wake up!”

“It is a fabrication that two of the three Heaven above the Heavens are in Korea! Japanese citizens have received more Nobel prizes, but none have reached Level 15! It’s all fake news!”

“The Korean government is selling out humanity and plotting with the aliens!”

The protestors were waving Japanese and Rising Sun flags while shouting. The noise and commotion caused many people walking down the street to stop and watch what was happening. In addition, visiting reporters from various countries were starting to focus their cameras on the protestors.

“Ugh! Damn it. Those right-wing nationalist idiots….”

Sanae noticed the identity of the protesters, and she glanced over at Seyoung. Unfortunately, he, too, had seen them.

“Of course, I knew there was an anti-group, but… Why are they protesting? I came at the request of the Japanese government.”

Surprised by Seyoung’s quiet tone, Sanae vigorously shook her hand.

“Please don’t think all Japanese are like that. Those guys are far-right nationalists who got sick of arguing with each other. Their numbers are minuscule… Ugh, many foreign reporters are here as well… those idiots sure know how to thoroughly disgrace their country. Everyone in Japan knows there’s no easy way to deal with these right-wing idiots.”

Sanae seemed worried that Seyoung would come to hate Japan.

“It’s fine. They’re no harm to me anyway. Right now, my top priority is to meet my mother.”

As Seyoung mumbled his reply, he recalled what his mother, Hye-ran, had said.

[Well, I’m not sure. I’m passing the three-way intersection. There’s a sushi restaurant, a supermarket, a bakery, and another restaurant….]

Seyoung recalled the satellite map of Tokyo he’d seen before. Then, he tried to find his mother’s location based on the order of buildings she had listed.

‘She probably listed off the buildings she saw through the window. Mother also said that she was on a three-way street. Luckily, over the receiver, I heard someone hawking a local store’s discount event.’

As Seyoung envisioned a three-dimensional model of Tokyo, he quickly found a place that met all the conditions. In addition, he remembered the sound he heard over the receiver and roughly estimated the direction and speed of the car carrying his mother.

“Take a left here.”

“Hmm? If we go this way, we’ll enter the suburbs, though.”

“Right. Go in that direction and then… shoot.”

When he saw a black sedan following behind them, Seyoung’s expression hardened calmly. Though he had expected to be tailed, it seemed ridiculous that the perpetrators, whoever they were, were moving so openly in public.

Screech.

Black sedans surrounded the front and rear of Yusei’s car and forced it to stop, but no one panicked or appeared afraid. All three in Yusei’s car were Masters, and they each had enough gem points to manifest, which they’d gained by fighting the Emperor of Martial Arts a few days ago. Seyoung and Yusei were powerful enough to annihilate an entire army in the time it took to utter a single word.

“Get out of the car, Korean bastard. You all-”

“Hey! Ugh… you fools! Please… please don’t do anything that’ll embarrass Japan. Because of guys like you, others will curse the decent Japanese people as being backward!”

Sanae made a pitiful expression as she glared at the man through her window. Naturally, her door was locked, and she had no intention of rolling the window down. Masters could destroy entire armies in the time it took to utter a single word, but on the other hand, if a Master died immediately, even they were helpless. To avoid getting hit by a sniper’s bullet, the three Masters should remain in the safety of the car’s bulletproof frame, which the Japanese government provided for Seyoung.

“Shut up, traitor. You’ve been blinded by money, and you’re clinging to a Korean bastard like a slutty prostitute. It’s not rare to see such disgusting things from girls like you, who lack any appreciation for the country that raised you. This is really too much, though.”

“What?”

Sanae was taken aback by the outrageous language the man was spewing. What was this idiot saying? Did he genuinely believe in his words? Sanae stared back at the man, wondering if he was truly being sincere, but of course, the man was dead serious.

“The only person we want to negotiate with is Arthur, so shut up. You, Arthur, raise your hands and get out of the car. As soon as we catch any sign of you manifesting, the woman dies.”

“You want me to come out unprotected?”

Seyoung’s eyes flashed with cool anger. He was furious. To him, his mother, Hye-ran, was more precious than his own life; he needed to protect her under any circumstance. He had left his mother at home in Korea, so if anything were to happen to her, he’d go crazy from remorse.

“Don’t worry. I won’t lay a finger on her as long as you don’t do any nonsense. We Japanese do not lie.”

“… I’m embarrassed to call you fellow Japanese. Don’t you have any sense of pride? You’re threatening to kidnap and kill someone else’s mother?” Yusei commented.

“Shut up. The ends justify the means.”

“Aha, that’s a concept I despise the most.”

Yusei growled. He admired Arthur as a Master and was amazed by his abilities. Due to this, Yusei had hoped that Arthur would have good feelings for Japan after this visit, but everything seemed to have gone awry.

‘Should I manifest right now?’

At that moment, Seyoung fell into thought. Seeing as they hurriedly intercepted him while the three were pursuing his mother’s whereabouts, it seemed that Hye-ran was likely not too far.

Furthermore, once manifested, Arthur could sense all beings within a several-kilometer radius and fly to a nearby destination faster than the speed of sound. If he suddenly manifested, he could subdue and take out the others before they could do anything to his mother.

‘… No. It’s too dangerous.’

The chance of success was high. If he had to quantify it, Arthur would probably give himself a 99 percent chance of success. Yet, how could he gamble with his mother’s life on the line, especially if there was a one percent chance of failure?

In the end, Seyoung decided to figure out what they wanted instead of overpowering them. If their main objective were to kill him, they wouldn’t act this way.

“I’m going out.”

“No. They are unreliable garbage. Don’t trust what they’re saying. If you wait a bit-”

“Yusei, do you really think your superiors have no idea?”

Seyoung smiled coldly. He was a prominent state guest in Japan, an important person who necessitated a 24-hour security detail. However, Arthur left the government’s party of his own accord without any pushback, and the slow reaction from above meant something was wrong.

“Ah, but if that’s the case….”

“Don’t worry. I’m stronger than they think.”

Seyoung opened the door, got out, and entered the other car. There, two well-built men were already seated, and they made space so that Seyoung could sit in the middle of the backseat. Seyoung did not hesitate, and the Japanese man in the front passenger seat whistled in sarcastic admiration.

“You’re such a proud person. Aren’t you afraid?”

“Where’s my mother?”

“I understand it doesn’t matter how many times you die in DIO, but do you think that’s the case in real life? I’m sick of seeing people like you, who take real life so lightly.”

“Why did you kidnap my mother?”

“How does it feel to be praised as a great person by everyone around you? Does it make you feel like an ideal human being?”

“What is your purpose? No matter how stupid you are, you wouldn’t try to negotiate with me by twisting things to this extent.”

“Man, you sure know how to run your mouth, you Korean bastard! Why aren’t you listening to what my brother is saying-”

Bam!

Alongside a sound akin to a leather bag being beaten, both men beside Seyoung lost consciousness and drooped down in their seats. This included the one who had yelled and glared at the Master. Even though Arthur was in reality and couldn’t use his internal energy, he was still a world-class martial artist and possessed a body surpassing most humans. People who only developed their bodies through repeated exercise could not deal with him.