He had somehow lost his white robes, and his naked chest was covered in dark bruises, strange scratch marks, and even a strange blue discoloration on his shoulder. His eyes were sunken, his face pale, as if he hadn't eaten for bells and hadn't slept for even longer. Most striking was his hair: it had been long, dark, and tied in a ponytail, but now was stark white and had fallen off in patches.

Pale stepped forward, blocking Yos.h.i.+o's view of Taree, "You'll pay for what you did to Tamaki."

Yos.h.i.+o shot back an angry glare, slightly confused at the accusation.

Taree couldn't help but look back at her fallen brother with a guilty conscience. She stepped forward, standing side by side with Pale. "No. I want to fight, too. This loser's been annoying me since forever ago!"

Yos.h.i.+o angrily put a black gauntlet to his chest, "What?! Annoying you?! I've been trying to be your boyfriend for like two years!"

Taree frowned, "Um. Ew."

"We've ALWAYS trained together! For bells and bells! For suns and moons!?"

"Um. Yeah. Because we're in the same cla.s.s. I trained with everyone. I even trained with my brother!"

"s.l.u.t!!" Yos.h.i.+o was livid, "And what about the high-rank Spirit Stone I gave you?! And when I asked if we could be together forever?!"

"Oh! The Bestie Crystal! I loved the Bestie Crystal!!"

Pale pursed his lips as he saw, in real-time, another man's heart visibly break. The pain and anguish on Yos.h.i.+o's face made him truly pitiable. "Should... Should I leave?" He asked.

Taree grabbed onto Pale's arm, "Don't listen to this loser, Warrior Pale!"

Yos.h.i.+o growled, finding a target he could take his anger out on, "You! WARRIOR Pale?! If it weren't for YOU, I wouldn't have... They wouldn't..."

Yos.h.i.+o began s.h.i.+vering, tears of blood streaming down his eyes, his pupils dilated as he was reliving his memories.

Pale shook Taree's arm off and started to approach, "Hey... Are you okay?"

"Shut up! Get away from me!" Yos.h.i.+o snapped.

Pulling a green talisman from his pouch, Yos.h.i.+o began to yell, "I'll get rid of you, soon enough! But I'll be bringing the girl back to the sect WITH ME!"

Yos.h.i.+o threw the talisman and it sparked violently with mana as it sped towards Pale. Pale gripped his spear, seeing the projectile-- He was unsure he could deflect it, but he'd have to try.

BAM!

Caught off guard, Pale was knocked aside. Taree had swiftly kicked him away before he could react.

Pale controlled his tumbling, rolling to his feet. 'I couldn't follow her movement... She's so fast!'

He rushed back to her, but the vibrant, orange-robed Taree was entirely encased in a prison of solid green crystal.

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"How do you like that!?" Yos.h.i.+o taunted. "The Talisman's ink is made from Starmetal powder. The prison it makes it impossible to break by strength alone! Only the Muto family can dispel it! DESPAIR, OUTSIDER! Prepare to DIE! Hopeless and ALONE!!"

Pale stared into the crystal. She was sealed with her last expression, frozen onto her face and her eyes gazed into his, full of confidence. He turned to Yos.h.i.+o, "No, Taree did this because she knows I can win against you."

Yos.h.i.+o gawked with an open mouth, enraged. "What? That girl is the princess of the Kimura family! The most gifted Martialist in her generation! That girl trusts NO ONE but HERSELF!"

Yos.h.i.+o suddenly keeled forward as was struck in the stomach. Looking down, he found that Pale had smashed his spearpoint into his stomach-- shattering its blade against Yos.h.i.+o's Stone Body skin. Yos.h.i.+o grabbed the spear, "You fool! I have mastered the Stone--"

Not caring to listen, Pale spun in a circle and kicked the end of his spear, driving the bladeless metal rod again into Yos.h.i.+o's stomach. Receiving the powerful impact, Yos.h.i.+o couldn't help but spit and cough blood onto the forest floor. He received an internal injury so easily? Yos.h.i.+o's heart sunk, 'My Stone Body art... is useless against him?'

"She trusts me," Pale declared, s.n.a.t.c.hing back his spear from Yos.h.i.+o's grasp.

...

Yos.h.i.+o was continually battered and bruised by the Outsider, Pale. He was like an unending waterfall, attacking accurately, never losing speed, never losing control. Yos.h.i.+o would punch and kick or block the neverending stream of attacks, but Pale would find a way. Each strike at his arms and legs chipped away at his stamina. Every time he was struck in the head, his dizziness would last longer.

Quickly, it started to ache, blocking the metal rod's strikes. Soon, it started to hurt, moving his muscles. And then, pain wracked his body as he gasped for breath. As he reached the end of his endurance, Yos.h.i.+o couldn't remember what it was like to live in a world free of suffering.

He could no longer look into Pale's eyes. The outsider's intent was singular. To defeat him. To crush him. To turn his bones to powder, caught between the hard rocks and his metal staff.

'What kind of power... Have I offended?' Yos.h.i.+o thought helplessly.

And then he lost consciousness.

...

"WHIRLWIIINND ATTTAAAAACK!!"

Barza Keith, the Lone Shadowdark, leaped out of a bush. Spinning in a 720-degree circle, he smashed a sword into the back of Yos.h.i.+o's neck.

Yos.h.i.+o crumpled to the ground like a sack of rocks.

"Eh?" Lone looked down at Yos.h.i.+o, then at his unbloodied sword. "How come I didn't cut him?"

Pale nearly collapsed, holding himself up with his spear, "Lone... You came."

Lone rushed over, grabbing Pale and gently lowering him to the ground. Pale had overexerted himself, his heart was pounding like the hooves at a horse race. "Pale! Pale, what happened?!"

"I won." Pale gasped deeply for breath, but he was smiling. "You?"

Lone grinned, his eyes still a mess of black ink (and probably blood), "Yeah! Of course, I did. I'm the Chosen One."

"I just need... to rest... a bit," Pale said, beginning to close his eyes.

"No! Pale! Don't close your eyes!"

Pale frowned, his eyes shut hard, "No, sleep is good for healing. Boss said so."

...Lone couldn't argue with the words of Boss. He shrugged, then placed Pale and Tamaki next to the green crystal prison containing Taree.

Wait, green crystal prison?

"Huh? That's weird."

Lone decided to ignore it.

He walked over to Yos.h.i.+o, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d responsible for all of the ninjas. He was bruised and had cuts all over and his hair had turned white. Also weird. Lone raised his single sword, pointed downward at Yos.h.i.+o's neck. Even if Yos.h.i.+o had trained the Stone Body art, a fully powered stab with all of his weight on an unconscious person should finish him.

"HALT, OUTSIDER!"

An unexpected yell surprised Lone, nearly causing him to drop his sword. Swiveling around, looking for the voice's owner, he spotted a man with slicked-back hair gliding down from a tree branch, his green robes fluttering in the wind.

The man put his chin up, arrogantly, "Stay away from him, trash."