Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

Kuzu unlocked the toilet door and peeked outside first. No one was in the distance, he stepped out and called Gigi. He walked past the sinks, near the door when he noticed that Gigi was missing.

He called him again, but Gigi stayed inside the toilet. Kuzu clicked his tongue and walked back to the counter. "What is wrong?"

Kuzu found Gigi sitting on the floor, he followed Gigi\'s eyes and saw his swelled foot. Gigi looked at Kuzu. "I... I can... just what is happening to me?"

Kuzu studied the brown color pus that was collected in Gigi\'s foot, his foot was bigger than a baseball now, it looked like a soccer ball-- somewhat-- brown color, swelled from both sides and all corners, looking like a balloon that might pop anytime.

Kuzu leaned down. "Fuck, fuck. We need to get back."

Gigi groaned. "No! We-we will not leave unless we check on her!" he protested.

After Hitori\'s failed attempt to use magic, he thought he was doomed. The binding spell restricted him from moving his limbs and using magic.

Only the person who had cast the binding spell could use the counterspell to unbind the victim.

They both exchanged glances. The smoking guy said, "Unbind him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, just unbind him."

The investigator pulled his wand and chanted, "Kaihou."

Hitori felt the pressure releasing around his hands and legs. He lifted his hands and opened and closed his fist. "Does this mean I can cast magic now?" he asked them.

The smoking guy rolled his eyes. "Theoretically, yes, you can."

Then the other guy said, "But not without this." he waved Hitori\'s wand in his fingers.

That boiled Hitori\'s blood. He felt his ears heating up when that man touched the wand Kamiya had given him. "Keep that wand down."

"Huh? Do you think I am that stupid? We unbound you but you can not leave the room till someone comes with your verification."

Hitori ignored. As long as he had his hands uncuffed, he could make a run anytime. "Put the wand down, right now," he grunted.

The man frowned. He was suspicious when Hitori\'s voice changed all of a sudden. A chill ran down his spine when Hitori spoke in that tone.

Hitori heard chains clanging with each other, he threw up a glance and saw the smoking guy holding a locket-- silver locket.

"Is this your sister in the locket?"

Hitori\'s eyes widened, and he lifted his fists. The other guy noticed the anger and he said, "Bind him. Quickly---"

"Is she, is she the sister you are dying to meet?" The smoking guy raised the locket and gave out a good laugh. "So it is your little sister?"

She was wearing a white piece of cloth around her neck, and her eyes were an innocent brown hue, in that photo her red hair was reaching her shoulders, and she had nicely combed her bangs into the left corner, creating a thick layer that covered her left eye.

All the images from the past flashed in his mind. As the flashes started coming to an end, Hitori roared and jerked from the chair.

His voice did not escape from the investigation room, but the two men froze in shock.

"Fucking bind him!" the other guy shouted but it was too late, Hitori was free to use magic.

He lifted his hand and chanted, "Ice spikes!"

Dozens of spikes erupted from Hitori\'s hand and pierced the smoking guy. Hitori leaped forward and grabbed his locket before it could fall to the floor.

He rolled back, away from the smoking guy\'s spiked head, and rose to face the other guy who was petrified.

"H-how?! How did you use no-chant magic?! who are you?!" he roared and pointed Hitori\'s wand at him.

Hitori wore his locket and adjusted it around the chest. "I told you, put the wand down..." he stepped forward.

"Stop! I-I will cast a killing curse!"

Hitori raised his hand. "Do you think I can\'t?"

The man hesitated again. He glanced at the door, then back at Hitori. The guy had no choice, he had to use it. "Finger of De---"

Hitori jerked his hand. "Flamethrower!" and sent a soaring flame.

The wand jumped out of his hand, into the air, and the guy took a serious hit on his stomach and smashed against the wall.

Hitori jumped forward and grabbed his wand. "You do not touch my wand!"

His heart was racing, he had performed a serious crime, and it took him time to realize that. When Hitori\'s anger had cooled down, he noticed the two dead bodies lying in front of him.

He did not regret his decision, did not think twice about it, and just went forward to cast a spell. "Freeze-Dry."

Hitori released white spoke from his hands. He froze the smoking guy\'s body, then covered the other guy\'s body in ice.

After that was done, Hitori lifted his hands. "Chikyu no Mahou." and a container rose from the earth.

He then ordered the earth to lift both of the frozen bodies, a pillar rose from the ground and lifted the bodies, then it towards the container. On his orders, the pillars dropped the two bodies in the container.

Hitori had made sure to collect the keycard but made sure to burn their IDs with them.

He heard a crack. With a sigh, he froze the bodies again. He covered half of the container with ice, then stepped back.

Hitori lowered the container to his knee level. He took a deep breath, then exhaled. Hitori nodded to himself.

"You are powerful, you are confident, you are a badass."

Then he repeated the line of affirmation with a change of POV.

"I am powerful, I am confident, and I am a freaking badass."

Hitori opened his eyes and threw his hands forward. He sent two balls of fire into the cuboid container, he waited to make sure the ice was on fire, then he sealed the container\'s top with a block of earth.

Hitori lifted his hands and turned his palms to face the ground. "Now burn to hell." He pressed his hands down.

The container went deep inside the earth as if a lift had detached from an apartment\'s top floor.

Hitori used the keycard to slash through the slot and open the door. He glanced to his right, then to his left. The coast was clear, and Hitori made a run for the stairs.

Akemi took a sip of her cold drink and emptied the can. Kamiya was holding the sealed can in his hand as he told Akemi the whole story.

"Jigo..."

"I know, I said." Kamiya dropped his head and stared at the closed can.

"You should tell him," she said it, anyway, "as soon as possible. Find him, if he is not dead yet, search for him, ask that scientist girl, do whatever you want, just tell him."

Kamiya looked at the roof and muttered, "Mahoutokoro, the place of magic."

"What about the academy?"

"Hitori said he wanted to learn magic and become a warlock, not to work for Ministry but his deceased big sister. The academy\'s starting on the second of June, I will... uh... find him in the ACADEMY and warn him, unless I find him tomorrow."

"Deceased? You never told me about her."

Kamiya\'s expressions faded. "Oh." He got up from his stool and opened his can. "I guess it is time---"

Suddenly, liquid sprayed on Kamiya\'s face from the can. Akemi was shocked at first, but then let out a laugh.

Kamiya coughed and then spotted the liquid from his mouth. "What the F---?" He realized that he had forgotten how he had chased his can down the stairs and the corridor.

Akemi tried to stop her laugh, she heard a sweep from the other side, then her eyes fell on the door. Her laugh disappeared, her words stuck in her throat, and her limbs started trembling.

Dashing through the door came a man wearing a black cloak with a black hoodie over his head. He didn\'t even bother to glance at Akemi, he strode towards Kamiya.

Kamiya, when he rubbed the liquid out of his eyes, saw blue eyes in front of him before he felt a strong grip around his neck.

The grip was tight enough to choke him. "Fuck!" Kamiya threw his hands, grabbed the person\'s forearm, and then reached for his wand.

But before Kamiya could point his wand at the man, he pushed Kamiya into the wall and punctured the air out of him.

"Kuzu attacked, I messaged you but you were too busy hanging out with your sister. You didn\'t even take a look, I bet. Why? Just because of a shitty argument? Oh, heck you, Kamiya!"

Hitori released ice from his hand, he manipulated the earth and rose two vines to tie Kamiya\'s hands against the wall.

"At least freaking care about your dungeons, our territory, if not about me. Care about Reon-san, Senso-san, and Mono! How heartless could you be?!" Hitori banged Kamiya\'s back again.

It took Akemi time to process everything and realize it was Hitori who had entered the room and he was choking Kamiya, not Kuzu or Gigi.

"H-ey! Let him go!" she screamed. The guards in the corridor turned their heads to room 303.

But Hitori still kept choking Kamiya while the guards rushed to her room. "Do you understand? I was pissed. Not because we argued but because you let our time spent together slide just like that due to an argument. I know you must be upset, maybe angry, but so am I.

"This time, it was only Gigi and Kuzu, but what if he brings the whole army next time? What if he brings Onogi with him the next time? We are not making much progress in the game with our territory, but I think we should, at least, protect what we have."

The guards entered the room. "There he is, attack!"

Akemi\'s eyes popped, she wanted to stop them, she wanted to tell them that Hitori was no scientist. But they used Petrify, Bind, fireball, and beams.

Hitori glanced at the guards, then turned back to Kamiya. The spells clashed against an invisible barrier that Hitori had created unknowingly.

Akemi gasped and the guards staggered towards Hitori.

"Think again, Kamiya, do you want this to sink or will you sail with us. I am giving you a chance, so give me a chance, too. Come back."

Hitori released his grip, and Kamiya fell to his knees and coughed. The guards stepped away when Hitori walked to the door.

"You..." he coughed again, "are being hunted." Hitori stopped, he looked at Kamiya.

"Yes! Tell him!" Akemi shouted.

"Both by the mages and the scientists."

"Ye... yeah? Mages?" Akemi frowned.

He continued, "I am telling you this for the old time\'s sake, I saw your woods damaged-- once by a flora killer spell, second by bullets. Kuzu has entered the city.

"I went to visit your House Guardian, in case Kuzu had attacked you, just because Akemi-nee-chan told me. But no, fuck you, it would not matter because you have the House Guardian spell on the forest that spans half a kilometer, you will be fucking safe. You don\'t need your ex-friend to look after you…"

On hearing that, tears formed in Hitori\'s eyes more than confusion did. Kamiya\'s case was no different, he was crying, too, with his wand in his hand.

Hitori stared blankly at Kamiya with fear of Kuzu, who had already reached Hitori\'s house. It was a surprise to know that Kamiya visited him. And he was shocked to hear that even some mages wanted him dead.

He had many questions like What house guardian? What Kuzu? What Mages? What Flora spell? But he asked none.

One of the two guards sneakily lifted his wand to capture Hitori. Kamiya raised his wand. "Bakuhatsu!" and blew the guard. "He is safe," Kamiya muttered with no strength in his voice.

Hitori watched as the man banged on the wall on Akemi\'s side, and so did the other guard. To react, the other guard stepped forward. "Little!"

Hitori raised his hand automatically. "Water Splash!" Enough to distract the guard. "He is safe, too."

Hitori glanced at Kamiya, then left the room. He climbed down the stairs and rushed out from the backdoor before anyone could catch him to interrogate again.

Hitori approached the bridge when he concluded. "Kuzu found I lived with Kamiya. Tonight was New Year, he sneaked in the prefecture and got to my house to kill me, but... he could not, due to some House Guardian."

Then suddenly the counter lady flashed in his mind. Kuzu had stated that mages were involved too.

"And the mages..." Hitori crossed the bridge. "They all are Kiku-san\'s killer."