Chapter 734 Cursed Touched

Lee Seng and Ritsuka watched from underneath Void realm. Ritsuka had gotten really good at popping in and out of this spot. Ritsuka plunged his hands into the shadows, controlling the space as he started forward, pushing the window above through the forest. The hobgoblins seemed to notice this and followed after.

"I think they know where we are!" Lee Seng shouted. He pointed at the opening above them, watching as more hobgoblins followed after.

"Hobgoblins can see the Void pocket hole?" Ritsuka whispered. "That shouldn't be possible!" Lee Seng's eyes burned as he watched the hobgoblins follow after. A couple hobgoblins shimmered with an odd purple energy, snaking through their bodies.

"There's something different about these ones." Lee Seng informed Ritsuka as Ritsuka turned. More hobgoblins came into view and the strange purple energy flashed like a lightning burn across a hobgoblin's chest and face. "There's strange purple energy within them. Maybe that's how they know where we are!"

Ritsuka cursed under his breath as he pushed forward. The space around them would be hard for them to fight in.

'Lee Seng's powers might not be all that well against Hobgoblins. I need to find an advantage point I can work with.' Ritsuka thought. He noticed dark spaces around the forest and nodded.

"This'll have to do!" Ritsuka pulled his arms out. "C'mon! We're going to up!"

"W-what now— Ahh!" Lee Seng screamed as Ritsuka grabbed his arm and pulled them out of the Void. They landed in the shaded forest as Ritsuka's eyes glowed a black-blue. Ritsuka's energy grew as a black and red armor appeared over him. Obsidian Glass appeared in his hand as he turned.

"Voidless Touch." Ritsuka whispered. Obsidian Glass shimmered in the same black and blue color. Ritsuka rushed forward, lifting his blade and swinging it through the air. Void energy rushed out seething red as it slammed into four hobgoblins, pushing them backwards. "Gluttony Affliction. Void Spike!" Ritsuka lifted a finger up into the air as black spikes flew up, impaling the Hobgoblins.

The hobgoblins screeched as six flew past their allies. Ritsuka gritted his teeth as he flipped Obsidian Glass and dropped it. The black and blue armor shimmered with red accents as Obsidian Glass fell into the shade.

"Complete Black Void: 1000 Bites!" A black and blue Angerfang appeared in his hands as large scythe blades flew out of the ground, piercing two hobgoblins. Ritsuka rushed forward, slashing one and throwing the hobgoblin into the other. Two hobgoblins flew past Ritsuka, towards Lee Seng, who looked at the bow and sighed.

"Does this thing even have arrows?" Lee Seng asked. He flared with cosmic energy, wrapping it around him and creating his aura. Gray tendrils formed around him as the bowstring hummed. He pulled the string back and watched as a black tendril formed into an arrow, notching itself.

Lee Seng let go of the bow, listening to the arrow sail through the air and impale into one of the hobgoblins. Tendrils exploded off the monster's chest, dropping it to the ground as the last one lifted its club and swung downwards. Lee Seng jumped backwards, feeling the club hit his chest, pushing him backwards.

"Argh!" Lee Seng groaned as the strange purple energy flew at him. It quickly ate at him, clouding his mind.

[A random curse has been afflicted onto you! You've been blinded by Cursed Touch Hobgoblin!]

Lee Seng stumbled backwards, listening to the hobgoblin move forward. It lifted its club and swung sideways at Lee Seng. Lee Seng jumped out of the way, hitting a tree, losing his footing. Ritsuka turned to help Lee Seng when four arrow flew at him. A wall of blades flew up, blocking the attack.

"They keep coming!" Ritsuka growled. He twirled the black and blue Angerfang, grabbing onto it with both hands. "Fine, let's make this quick! Life Absorb!" Red energy flew outwards, hitting every Hobgoblin within the shadows and sapping them of their life. Hobgoblins dropped like flies as the hobgoblin in front of Lee Seng was in mid swing.

Lee Gens shook his head as his sight appeared. The hobgoblins were dead and a strange red energy was flying back to Ritsuka. Lee Seng watched in awe as Ritsuka single-handedly switched Angerfang into the bow and pulled the string.

Black, red and blue energy formed the arrow as Ritsuka let go of the shot. The arrows multiplied, shimmering with the colors of his energy and pierced the hobgoblins. The arrows exploded burning the hobgoblins in flames. The red flames quickly turned purple, hitting the trees and the ground. The purple flames grew wild as the other hobgoblins quickly tuned and ran.

Arrows sailed through the air, hitting their marks and killing more hobgoblins. Lee Seng's nose began to burn. He cupped his nose with his right hand and noticed the purple flames were sapping away the life around them.

"Curse touched." Lee Seng whispered. He moved forward towards Ritsuka. Cosmic flowers bloomed around him as he lifted his arm up towards one of the flames. "Cleanse it. You just gotta cleanse it." Tendrils wrapped around Lee Seng, extinguishing any cosmic light. All of the stars around him faded into the tendrils.

Lee Seng fired tendrils towards the flame. They whisked past Ritsuka and hit the flames, smothering them. The odd purple flames seeped into the tendrils as Lee Seng held his position. Ritsuka turned to look at what his friend was doing. The tendrils wrapped around Lee Seng's body like they had a mind of their own. The tendrils began to shake writhe uncontrollably, disappearing in an instant.

'Dammit.' Lee Seng thought. He threw his hand forward, again and watched as nothing happened.

"Now's not the time!" Lee Seng whispered to himself. "C'mon, work! Work before the blood of the hobgoblins burn this whole forest away!" The tendrils tightened around Lee Seng, restricting his airflow. He gasped as he head immediately tightened, looking upwards. The tendrils connected with the ground and began to sap everything away.

"Lee!" Ritsuka shouted. The bow disappeared in Ritsuka's hand as he rushed to his friend. "Hold on!" Obsidian Glass appeared in his hand as he swung at the tendrils. A single tendril erupted from underneath the ground, swinging at Ritsuka and knocking him aside.

[Error as occurred with Number 11. Error as occurred! Diagnostics will run! Eleven will be frozen in tendrils until then!]

'W-wait! N-no! The-the forest!' Lee Seng pleaded with the AI voice. Pure Dark Matter exploded out of Lee Seng's body, splattering the ground as it closed in on his entire body. The dark gray film grew thick into a cocoon, trapping Lee Seng within.

"Lee!" Ritsuka shouted. The purple flames continued to eat at forest around them. Ritsuka looked at the flames and then back to Lee Seng. "Lee!" He flew at the cocoon, only to be knocked away. A strange presence grew in his head.

[11-001, you will back away from the User. The User has been put into protection mode until further notice.]

"What did you do to him?" Ritsuka shouted looking around. The tendrils fired forward at Ritsuka. Ritsuka threw his arms up and felt the tendrils pass him.

[I shall deal with the flames until Number Eleven is capable of doing so, himself. Diagnostics at 7%. An automated distress signal has been sent out. Anomaly and 11-001 through 11-005 have received the distress signal. Protect the User until diagnostics is finished.]

"W-wait! What do you mean by that? Who are you?" Ritsuka shouted. The tendrils pulled backwards as it formed the shape of a humanoid woman. The woman appeared as tendrils wrapped around her waist and chest. She broke free from the tendrils and took a step forward. "W-what in the hell is happening?"

The woman smiled as her tendril hair whipped around like snakes. She looked at the flames and raised her hand at it. A spray of Dark Matter flew outwards, extinguishing the purple flames in an instant.

"It's good to be back, I guess." The woman smiled. "It seems like a lot has changed since I last had a conscious…" The dark gray humanoid woman's eyes set onto Ritsuka. Color began to form on the woman. The tendril hair turned into black hair strands. Her dark gray skin color turned into a light tan. A dark gray body suit grew over her as the tendrils around her waist and chest melted into it. On her heart was the number '11' written in purple.

The woman's eyes were a mix of red, blue and purple. They were exactly like Lee Seng's. She smiled at Ritsuka before turning to look at the large cocoon.

"Everything is operational. Diagnostics are at 9%… Approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes until diagnostics are done." The woman announced.

"W-who are you? W-why am I 11-001? Who's the Anomaly and the other five numbers you just called?" Ritsuka asked, suspiciously. The woman turned to Ritsuka and smiled at him.

"I guess you wouldn't know who I am." The humanoid woman acknowledged. "Failed Experiment 1… Aka The First Failed One: Broodmother. Shaped after the Creator's wife, Chee Chang."