Chapter 251 Two Negatives

Lee Seng could feel his body tiring out. The negative from his constant use of gravity was starting to weigh on him along with the use of the Dark Matter suit.

'I don't have much time unless I devour way more energy.' Lee Seng thought. 'I'll have to find a way to end this soon.'

Keng's body twitched. His eyes fluttered open.

'I'm not dead?' Keng thought. His blurry eyesight caught someone slowly moving away from him. He put all of his energy to his eyes and waited for his eyes to clear up. He watched Ritsuka grunting as his hand clanged against Angerfang.

"Come on…" Ritsuka grunted. "Eat the decay…" Angerfang glowed brighter and the decay on Ritsuka started to pull into Angerfang faster.

'I thought he was connected to it so it would eat the decay…?' Keng thought. 'I guess there's downsides to everything… ' He tried to push himself up but couldn't feel anything. He was just a limp body that couldn't do much.

'I don't have much time unless I devour way more energy.' Lee Seng's thoughts were telepathically connecting with him. He couldn't see where Lee Seng was, but he was glad Lee Seng was thinking again.

'Lee…' He managed to let out. Lee Seng's eyes moved to Keng. He could barely see him but his worry only grew.

"I gotta… go back." Keng quietly spoke. Ritsuka gasped as the decay pulled out of him. He could feel his body and immediately moved to Keng.

"Keng?" Ritsuka quietly spoke. Keng twitched, looking at Ritsuka.

"I need… to go… back." Keng quietly told him.

"Go where?" Ritsukas asked.

"To Lee Seng…" Keng tried to nod over at Lee Seng but couldn't. Ritsuka glanced up. He could see the Witch hovering above him.

'Her attention is probably on Lee Seng. He's probably farther away, so I have to get Keng over to Lee Seng somehow…'

"Can't you go back from here?" Ritsuka asked. Lee Seng shook his head.

"Must be… closer…" Keng told him. Ritsuka gritted his teeth and sighed.

'Angerfang sapped too much from me so I have to use Obsidian Glass…' Ritsuka thought as Angerfang disappeared. 'That sapping effects are nonexistent from Angerfang and any decay effects will last just as long as Keng… I don't have much Dark Matter left either and I'm starting to feel my Negative.'

Ritsuka's soul weapon ability allowed him to pair with weapons and gain their enchanted abilities. Since his siblings had similar abilities, they gave him Angerfang and Obsidian Glass as gifts.

"Angerfang and Obsidian Glass should match your fight style the most." HIs older sister told him. "Angerfang will sap your strength but has great deflection abilities if you can get there. Obsidian Glass allows you to control the field. It'll make up for your lack of defense in that area. Practice well, 'kay?"

He remembered his sister telling him about the weapons they were giving him. His older sister and brother were well off and wanted to challenge Ritsuka, so they gave him the two weapons as a gift. He immediately grew attached to Obsidian Glass, leaving his progress on Angerfang behind for a long time. It wasn't until recently, he learned Angerfang was more than 'a Negative'. Each had A-rank tiered abilities, but because he was only at a B-rank in his ability, he couldn't fully unlock their potentials.

Angerfang allowed him to sap energy and redirect it while also covering his defenses well.

'I should've practiced harder with Angerfang.' Ritsuka gritted his teeth. Keng's weak hand wrapped around his, pulling his attention back.

"You… Can do it…" Keng encouraged him.

"Save your strength." Ritsuka quietly spoke. His eyes went back to the Witch. She was brewing something.

'He noticed I was beating myself over this?' Ritsuka cracked a smile and grabbed Keng and lifted him up.

"Obsidian Glass, come forth." He whispered. The blade floated into existence, tangled with shadows.

'I'll have enough strength for this move. I can only do it once… I should've practiced it more but since it's in my arsenal, I might as well use it.'

"What're you waiting for now? Tired you out, Fox?" The Witch remarked. She smiled as Lee Seng's eyes were trying not to be obvious. He was watching Ritsuka.

'What's he doing?' Lee Seng thought. Ritsuka quietly made his way to the broken front and noticed Lee Seng looking at him. He raised Keng a bit and then nodded at him. 'Is he… Shit.' Lee Seng tightened his katana and took a breath.

"Tired? I'm far from tired!" Lee Seng happily lied. The Witch smiled and shook her head.

"You're lying. I can see the fatigue on your face. You don't have much time left." She raised her arms and ice and poison began to meld together. "I'll make sure to make it a painful death. Icy Concoction: Poisonous Icicles!" Frozen poison icicles flew straight for Lee Seng.

"Now!" Lee Seng shouted. The gray and gold energy exploded out of Lee Seng as he readied his attack.

"Augment: Shadowfall." Ritsuka spoke. He and Keng dropped into the ground and he started running straight for Lee Seng.

'This realm makes it hard to traverse but that small of a gap should do well.' Ritsuka thought. A disturbance below the Witch alerted her.

"Where are they?" She looked around. The two that succumbed to the decay effects should've been on the ground but were gone. Fox-fires appeared all around Lee Seng as light glowed bright on his sword. He pulled the fox-fires into the sword and slashed, wildly, at the air. Gravity, light, and fire mixed together and slashed through the icicles, burning the poison and ice as they fell across the sky.

"Ritsuka… You can do it…" Keng quietly rooted for him. Ritsuka continued to run. It felt like forever in the Shadows and he didn't know how long it would take. Lee Seng immediately dropped to the ground, dodging the rest of the icicles, quickly allowing Ritsuka to see him.

"There!" He shouted. He jumped, pulling away from the shadows. He was a couple steps away from Lee Seng. He started to move when icicles stabbed themselves into his legs, dropping him.

"Argh!" Ritsuka cried out. He flew forwards as shadows licked the icicles and pulled them in.

'He can't cover himself…' Keng's telepathically told Lee Seng. Lee Seng jumped forward as he reached Keng.

'Come in.' Lee Seng telepathically told him. Keng's body glowed and flew into Lee Seng. The decay effects attached themselves to Lee Seng, burning in an instant as Lee Seng slashed at the icicles, trying to protect Ritsuka.

Two more icicles hit their mark on Ritsuka. Blood spilling as his eyes started to dim.

"No!" Lee Seng shouted.

"And now it begins." The Protocol spoke. The flare of emotion pulled Lee Seng into a frenzy .He threw himself onto Ritsuka, taking the rest of the strikes. Blood spilled out of him as poison coursed through their bodies. Lee Seng coughed blood as he continued to protect Ritsuka.

"Lee…" Ritsuka's voice shook. "I…"

"Don't talk." Lee Seng's voice started to distort. "You'll be fine." He was fighting two battles now. The Protocol was trying to get itself through his emotions while the Witch continued to fire poison icicles at them.

"Now the plan shall commence." Florabelle smiled. She looked over to the left. "You going to jump in or not?" The figure stepped out of the shadows and Captain Halys looked up at Florabelle. "I know you've been watching. I'll give you one opening." Halys nodded and summoned two blades.

"To think they found the root of the problem." Halys growled. The earth pulled into him and his form shimmered. Roots and earth attached to him as he readied himself. "I can't allow them to die now…. They've done their part and I must do mine."

"Hey, Witch!" Florabelle shouted. She flew closer as the Witch turned to look at her.

"You're still here? You should die too!" Poisonous icicles flew straight for Florabelle, who easily dodged them.

"You can only hit big targets? Well, allow me to give you one then!" Water exploded from the river washing over the two boys and pulling them as another set flew straight for the Witch.

"You think that'll hurt me?" The Witch cackled. She lashed out another Icy Wind, freezing the water as Florabelle detached the stream from the river. She managed to pull Lee Seng and Ritsuka away and smiled.

"Now!" Florabelle shouted. "This is to amend for the prank your people pulled on me!"

"I can't believe I'm working with this Sprite." Halys dashed forward into the open. The Witch realized another energy as Halys jumped and launched himself straight for her.

"Another one?!?" She shot out a spray of poison and ice. Halys tore through the ice, ignoring the poison as it landed on him. "He's only going for the ice? The poison isn't working?"

"Earth Step: Flourishing Dance." Halys muttered. He struck at the Witch and exploded past her. Flora and nature tearing through her ethereal body, weighed her down.

"What the–" She fell to the ground as a small tree with flora started to explode from her body. Halys hovered in the air and turned to look at the Witch.