Clyde huffed, just a little . Miles can add up, even for him, but the run wasn't so bad . Sure, he kept them going at a high pace, well, the h.e.l.lhounds kept the party at a high pace . Yet things seemed easy so far . The forest path somehow made the young man think of a heart . It expanded and contracted . Narrowed and widened . The area felt as if it grew darker .

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"Yusuke's scent is close," Ruri told him .

"I'm tired," Natalia whined .

Harumi and Tear smiled at each other .

"Well now," Harumi said .

"Shall we add a few more lazy b.u.ms to the runs?" Tear said then looked at Alice . The twin-tailed young woman tried to harrumph but lacked the breath . The h.e.l.lhounds seemed to enjoy themselves . Ming…well, Seth carried her on Clyde's cruel orders .

"How far are we from the rift?" Clyde asked Neko . He gave himself a mental pat on the back for training on his own .

"Only less than a quarter mile off," Neko said .

Clyde nodded, thankful that this world used miles and not some strange measuring system . Kilometers or leagues didn't bother him—but those were obviously Earth terms .

"Let's slow the pace to a walk before some people pa.s.s out," Clyde said . "We won't be effective in battle without the stamina . "

His team looked grateful . Seth let Ming down . She angrily marched over to Clyde and gave him a gut punch . A pathetic one, but it still carried some kind of meaning .

"Look, if you're mad about Seth carrying you, you're going to have to get over it," Clyde said . "You were falling behind . "

Ming said nothing as she took a place by the other women

"Nyaa, she's mad," Neko said .

Clyde dealt with enough of Natalia's childishness that day and was in no mood for anyone else's, so he looked forward .

"He's such an idiot," Ruri muttered to herself . "Stupid ninja . Witless, reckless, idiotic, prideful, buffoon . "

"Clyde, Ming, you really shouldn't be sulking," Toru said . "Now isn't time . "

"Do I look sulking to you?" Clyde said .

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"Clyde—"

Clyde forestalled Toru .

"Keep focused . We've got a friend, a teammate in real danger . I'm not in the mood for dealing with anyone's s.h.i.+t, do you read me?"

"Dude," Seth said . "You really should communicate with your prophet . " He walked up to Clyde and whispered . "I know what you're trying to do, but don't . " Seth shot a glare at Natalia . "And don't listen to the kid either . I try to speak with all of our teammates if possible, get them comfortable . Friendliness to strengthen our team . You were isolating her without knowing it . She doesn't know the other women that well and to her, they're probably intimidating as h.e.l.l . Even sweet Harumi . That leaves just you to look up to . "

Clyde said nothing .

"Clyde," Seth's voice had an edge . "Seriously . "

Clyde continued in silence for a while longer before speaking .

"Seth, let me ask you something . "

"Sure, whatever dude," he said .

"Do you expect me to babysit each one of you?" Clyde said . "Or do you want me to lead the team . You're adults . She's an adult . She must learn to speak of her own accord . "

"I get what you're saying, but why not help her out?" Seth said . "And you know what, let's not beat around the real tree here, she clearly likes you . Your usual spell on women has her wrapped too . "

Clyde said nothing .

"I don't know if to be content with silence or p.i.s.sed," Seth said .

Clyde continued to walk in silence, eyes forward, frowning .

"Dude . "

"What do you want me to do, Seth?" he said, voice calm . "Offer her random words of comfort . Have I once mistreated anyone on this team?"

"No, but—"

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"Do I have mind-reading powers?" Clyde interrupted . Then he spoke aloud, eyes on the team . "If anyone has a problem with me, speak up . You're adults . "

No one spoke, but Ming's face darkened . He looked forward again .

"Dude, what the h.e.l.l . Calling her out?" Seth said .

"Seth, our teammate could be dying," Clyde said . "Is now a good time for this s.h.i.+t? By the way you're defending her dude, I—"

"Clyde cut the s.h.i.+t," Seth snapped . "I'm offering you advice while we're walking . While we're catching our breath . "

"Let's pick up the pace again, double-time," Clyde shouted . There were groans . "Let's go, Yusuke may need us . "

"You're being a bit unreasonable dude," Seth said . "No need to be a d.i.c.k . "

Clyde shook his head .

"A d.i.c.k that's focused on the matter at hand . Anything else can wait . "

"Even after she saved your life," Seth said .

"What are you talking about?" Clyde held up a hand, forestalling Seth . "That's irrelevant . Now stop bugging me about this s.h.i.+t . "

"I'm bugging you because she's your prophet," Seth said . "And I will keep bugging until you realize that she's probably more important than you think . If the Viper's threatening the world, shouldn't you—"

"ENOUGH!" Clyde roared and his roar created winds so strong that every tree in the forest shook, bent . If the party wasn't running, they'd be flying . Seth snarled .

"You can toss your powers back and forth," he said, stubbornly, "but I won't let you forget . "

"Seth, just stop," Toru said . "You're not helping . And Clyde has a point . We'll sit them down later . "

"It was Ming who flipped out first, nya," Neko said, strolling up beside the three men . "Seth, you should consider how he feels managing an entire team—a position he didn't ask for . Nor did he ask to be the Stone . Every decision he makes could lead to your deaths, nya . A lot of pressure . "

Seth s.h.i.+fted his glare to Neko . She stuck her tongue out at him .

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Clyde gave them both a glowing-eyed gaze which had the desired effect . The words died off their tongues .

The rest of the trip was in silence . Neko and Ruri both gave their excited warnings of enemies being ahead .

"Look Seth, Ming," Clyde said . "We're going to go in there, kick a.s.s without any deaths . Let's drop all grievances here and do this, alright?"

The duo looked at him for a few seconds, reading the young man, then nodded .

The scene they came upon was not what they expected…

"Holy s.h.i.+t," Seth said . "What in the f.u.c.k?"

Ming vomited off to the side . Yuki whistled . Melody shuddered . Neko and the h.e.l.lhounds growled . Tear held a look of distaste . Natalia hopped over some puddles off blood, carefree, unshaken . She almost fell in one, but righted herself in time .

"Well, how about that," Alice said . "Are you sure Yusuke's human?"

Kitome glared at her . Alice smiled sheepishly . She narrowly avoided a puddle of blood that had a samurai's head in the center of it .

"I suppose that's the rift," Clyde said, pointing at a s.h.i.+mmering blue hole in midair . A portal . He closed his mind off from the surrounding dead bodies . "Can anyone deem it safe? I'm not trying to fall into a pit of lava . "

"It's safe," Melody said . "There's destruction on the other side too . "

Her eyes were glowing brightly . They flickered back to normal when she nodded as if satisfied with something . "Let's get in there . "

In the Rift…

Surrounded by ma.s.sive amounts of swirling orange aura, Yusuke walked through the church, destroying every samurai that stood in his way with a single knife-handed strike . His ninja soul burned, howled, and demanded blood . He punched a hole through the chest of one, hopped on another's head and pull it off, danced through their falling blades and returned fire .

[Yusuke activated Ninja arts- *G.o.d* Whirling Slash . ]

Both palms out, he swept the approaching twenty samurai guards with wind sharp enough to cut the world in half .

Then he noticed her, naked, and tied to a giant golden cross . Her head sagged . Black aura…no, taint rose from the stage beneath her . It formed into tendrils and entered her mouth . Undine shook .

"What are you doing to her?" Yusuke snapped at the black armored samurai that stepped out of the shadows . "You allowed her to so-called honorably surrender, and this is what she gets in return?"

"Boy, you have no idea who she is, do you?" the samurai said . "Yet you came in here and killed off half my guard . Humble men who did not deserve to die . Had you asked and declared your loyalty to the Great Abyss Lord, I would've let you in . Explained how you're either under her spell or severely mislead . "

"You're going to pay for what you did to her," Yusuke said . "I'm going to f.u.c.king kill you . "

"You are perhaps the most foolish, dimwitted ninja I've ever met," the black samurai said . "I suppose it is not your fault for being untrained . I cannot sense raw evil in you . But…for you to speak in the defense of this creature—and her very surprising surrender…No, you are bewitched or foolish, for she is evil incarnate . "

"She's not like that anymore," Yusuke said . "Time and puri—"

"Enough! I will not sit here and let a child speak to me this way," the black samurai snapped . "I personally know Undine . Known her for fifteen thousand years . You are simply human, nothing to us . Untrained, undisciplined—you do not deserve to wield the ninja soul . I am Shaku, greatest servant of the Great Abyss . I will put you to rest—death shall release you from her chains!"

Yusuke's body began to pulse as it continued to grow hotter . He…felt as if he'd burn up at this rate .

[Shaku has invoked Samurai soul!]

[Yusuke has entered a Boss fight!]

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