Headed by a Snake

Yoshio, the arrogant, dark-haired, young Warrior of the Muto family, had changed drastically since last Pale saw him.

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 Yoshio's view of Taree, "You'll pay for what you did to Tamaki."

Yoshio 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!"

Yoshio 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. Eww?"

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

"Um. Yeah." Taree grimaced, "Because we're in the same class. I trained with everyone. I even trained with my brother!"

"SLUT!!" Yoshio 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!" Taree beamed, "I loved the Bestie Crystal!!"

Pale pursed his lips as he saw a man's heart break in real-time. The look of pain and depression on Yoshio's face made him feel sorry for him...

"Should... should I leave?" He asked.

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

Yoshio 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..."

Yoshio began shivering, tears of blood streaming down his eyes, his pupils shook as if he was remembering something... something horrible.

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

"Shut up! Get away from me!" Yoshio snapped.

Yoshio began to yell, pulling a green-inked paper talisman from his pouch, "I'll get rid of you, soon enough! But I'll be bringing the girl back to the sect WITH ME!"

He threw the talisman and it sparked violently with mana, speeding towards Pale as its target.

Pale tightened the grip on his spear. He wasn't sure if 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. He couldn't follow Taree's movement... She was so fast!

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

"How do you like that!?" Yoshio 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 Yoshio, "No, Taree did this because she knows I can win against you."

...

Yoshio 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!"

Yoshio 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 Yoshio's Stone Body skin.

Yoshio 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 Yoshio's stomach. Receiving the powerful impact, Yoshio couldn't help but spit and cough blood onto the forest floor. He received an internal injury so easily?

Yoshio's heart sunk. His... beloved Stone Body art... was useless against him?

"She trusts me," Pale declared, snatching back his spear from Yoshio's grasp.

...

Yoshio was continually battered and bruised by the Outsider, Pale. He was like an unending waterfall, attacking accurately, never losing speed, never losing control. Yoshio would punch and kick or block the neverending torrent of attacks, but the Outsider 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.

Blocking the metal rod's strikes quickly began to ake. Soon, moving his muscles started to hurt. And then, pain wracked his body as Yoshio gasped for breath. As he reached the end of his endurance, he 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.

Yoshio cursed inwardly... What kind of power had he offended?

...

"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 Yoshio's neck.

Yoshio crumpled to the ground like a sack of rocks.

"Eh?" Lone looked down at Yoshio, 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... the unconscious 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 Yoshio, the bastard 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 Yoshio's neck. Even if Yoshio had trained that weird Stone Body art, a fully powered stab with all of his weight on an unconscious person should do the trick.

"HALT, OUTSIDER!"

An unexpected shout surprised Lone, nearly causing him to drop his sword. Swiveling around, he found the voice's owner. It was a man with slicked-back black 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."

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