This chapter will be shorter than the requisite arc in the manga, largely because Joseph doesn't get involved until close to the end. Still, I hope you enjoy.

"You are the girl from earlier," Kars noted, "The one who was able to survive against Wamuu with only minor injuries. And you were the one who destroyed Santana. I must admit, if I didn't know any better I'd swear you were one of us. But I'd probably need to kill you either way. The rest of my kind never agreed with my ideals. But tell me... Do you know where the one who killed Esidisi is!?" He seemed to get angrier as he said this. "Depends," Applejack said, "Are you really being so hypocritical as to desire revenge for a fallen comrade?"

Kars looked taken aback. 'Wait... She's right! I shouldn't be getting so worked up over this! Esidisi still did his best to complete our mission even as he died, so why am I falling into the same sentiments as the Hamon clan? Is it anger that a human would destroy one of my kind? But I didn't feel the same when I learned of Santana's death, so that would make me seem even more hypocritical. Perhaps it's because he's such a powerful Hamon user. But this girl before me is also strong enough to kill either Esidisi or Wamuu, and the German's technology can do the same. So why does it matter how strong a Hamon user is?'

He took a deep breath and started to calm down. 'I think it's because I'm forgetting to think in regards of it being two-thousand after I began my slumber. The world has changed since then, so it's only natural that humans would start to catch up to my kind.' He was then caught off-guard when Stroheim fired a beam of ultraviolet light from his mechanical eye, strong enough to pierce through his hand. "Your words seem to have rattled him, Applejack," Stroheim noted, "That UV light is five times as strong as the one we tried using to keep you contained back in Rome. Looks to have been effective."

Kars shook his hand as it sizzled, making it numb. "It seems I can't afford to hold back for this fight." He clenched his legs, revealing more blades inside them. "This guy's like a walking armory!," Applejack noted. Kars swung his legs to attack, but gasped when something stopped him in midair. Not wanting to risk a second strike from the blades, Applejack had sent To The Core to attack directly, blocking Kars' strike. Luckily for Applejack, only a Stand can damage a Stand, so Kars' blades proved ineffective.

Kars blinking, then rubbed his eyes. "What was that? I can't see anyone besides these two, and can't feel their body heat like with the German." Stroheim grinned in triumph. "Of course! Not even a Pillar Man's superior senses can detect a Stand if they don't have one of their own! I had nearly forgotten your Stand can fight as a separate entity!" "And best of all," Applejack said, "Kars can't damage it. Looks like I'm holding the trump card in this fight."

Kars' eye widened. 'A Stand... I think I've heard of something similar. Yes... There was that meteor impact several millennia after I was born. Many who got near it died, but those that survived exhibited powers similar to this girl. This complicates matters. Those of my kind who battled these so-called "Stand users" spoke of the same frustrations I'm experiencing. The inability to see the Stand's form, the Stand being invulnerable to pain or damage. And this girl's powers make up for the one weakness of a Stand, the Stand user itself, adding to the difficulty.'

He narrowed his eyes. 'All I really need is the Red Stone of Aja. There's no need to deal with these obstacles if I can get around them.' He then saw something glinting in Stroheim's pants' pocket, and grinned. "Uh, Stroheim...," Applejack said, "Where is the stone right now?" "I kept it on me for safe...," Stroheim started to say, then realized what Applejack was worried about. "Oh nein..." Kars revved his Bright Saber with the intent of blinding the two, then came in to attack. He managed to slice Stroheim's torso in half, but only through the machine part, leaving him still alive.

The Red Stone of Aja started to fall out of his pocket, but before Kars could grab it, it seemed to float away at a rapid speed. He looked over to Applejack and realized she still had an eye open. "Nice try blinding me to get around my Stand," she admitted, "But I figured you'd try that the second you found the stone. So I covered my eyes before you even started, then sent To The Core to retrieve the stone once I confirmed its location." Kars grunted, then came at Applejack to try striking her. "I know I can't damage you!," he explained, "But I'll bet I can still put you off balance!"

Applejack smiled, then held the stone up. Kars gasped, then stopped his attack. "My Stand may not be as fast as you," she clarified, "But it's close to it, and it had a head start. Doesn't help that you were more focused on attacking me to knock me out and grab the stone, instead of just following the stone and trying to grab for it." 'This woman,' Kars growled internally, 'She knows I can't destroy it, or all my plans are for nothing.' The look on Applejack's face irritated him, partially because he knew it was well deserved.

That's when Joseph, Caesar, Messina, and Lisa Lisa came running out. "We were wondering what was going on here," Joseph said, "Applejack said she wanted to see what all the gunfire was about, and now I see what's been taking so long." Kars sighed. "These are odds even I can't stand against right now. Not when I'm so worn out dealing with the other two, one of which is still standing. I'll retreat for now, but I guarantee I'll have that stone by this time tomorrow." He then leapt off the nearby cliff.

Mark and Donovan came out. "Major Stroheim," Mark said. "I'll be fine," Stroheim said, "German science is the greatest in the world. Because of that, I still live in spite of Kars' attack. But we'll need to affect repairs before I can fight him again." "I must admit your body's resilience is equal to the Pillar Men," Messina noted, "If you're willing to let go of your arrogance and accept help, we can offer some cooperation." Stroheim smiled. "I've already accepted help from Applejack against Kars. If you can help upgrade my cybernetics, I'm willing to work together."