Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

Eya faced the siblings. "None of you can teleport, I guess." They nodded. "Ever tried to?" Akemi shook her head.

"I believed the teachers would teach me at some point..."

Eya looked at Kamiya, she was not expecting a positive reply from him but when he nodded his head, she was surprised. "I failed."

"Oh..." Kakashi joined her, "you might be able to, Kamiya boy, you should know the basics."

"I know them," he said, "you need to mutter the spell, form the image, it should be a place you have been to, yeah?"

"And it should come from your heart," Eya said. "Remember, teleportation is not a choice, it should come from the heart as an emotion, not from the brain as an order."

"Shall I try?"

"Not here. It is enchanted, you will end up draining your mana. After we get to the safe place Hitori-san is talking about, I will teach you."

"Teach him, teach him, but ask where this safe place is in the first place."

"Ah..." she turned to Hitori. "But where to?" she asked. "What place would be safe enough for us?" She frowned.

Hitori looked at her after closing the door behind him. "The place Kiku-san always wanted me to go and thought I was. But I did not. I went to the Vr-cade instead and played games for almost a year. THAT place."

Eya nodded. "Come on, Himbo." She stretched her arms.

"Sometimes..." Hitori said, "I think it was for the best-- you two spied on me."

Eya grinner from over her shoulder. Kamiya and Akemi grabbed her hands, and Kakashi joined, he grabbed Akemi\'s chair and Eya\'s hand.

"Teleport," they both said at the same time and vanished.

Hitori spun the wand in his fingers as he stood in the doorway, looking down at the plaza. He went inside and locked the door behind him. Then he walked to Akemi\'s bed and took a seat.

He straightened his back and closed his eyes. At first, it was black, but then his vision cleared up.

"Do you see him, young master?" Kiku appeared in his mind.

"I can not."

"Focus. Pour your heart into it, young master, do it."

Hitori clenched his fists, thinking his wand might snap into two at any second. He took a deep breath and imagined a yellowish face, piercings in his ear, then he found his yellow eyes and the shiny blonde hair.

The typical delinquent look. But tonight, the scare had left his sharp eyes, they instead displayed worry.

"You have found him." Hitori hummed and nodded. "Now try to figure out his location."

Hitori widened the view. Kuzu stood alone in the darkness. Suddenly wooden walls appeared beside him. White lights entered and lightened the view, revealing the square stall he was standing in.

"No..." she said softly, "no, do not open your eyes. You found him, you know where he is, but do you know how many people are with me?"

"M-My head hurts..."

"Half knowledge is always dangerous, young master."

Hitori angled his eyebrows. Kuzu opened the door and walked out. Hitori saw a row of sinks with mirrors above them. Kuzu was the first one to come out. When Hitori shifted his view, he found two other men behind him.

Three more came out from the stall, followed by three more, and more, and more.

"I knew it," Hitori muttered, "he has come to take over the hospital."

Hitori\'s eyes budged, threatening to open and lose the view. But he moved the view to a man walking behind Kuzu as they came out of the washroom.

He was a kid around Hitori\'s age, his height told it. His head was covered with a hood, he walked with his head down. Not someone Hitori knew or could recognize.

"What are you looking at, young master?"

"If Kuzu has brought an army, I know he is only the commander in chief. I am looking for their commander, Onogi."

He looked at the person second in the queue. He was wearing a suit, his hair was darker and shorter than Hitori\'s. Hitori got his side view, he was smiling normally, his eyes wide though.

Hitori shifted his view to the other side, he found something on his neck. On zooming in, he found it to be a tattoo-- no, it was deep, it was a single word and it was a self-craved scar.

"It is in Kanji..." Hitori tilted his head to read the word. The person lifted his head. "Death," Hitori muttered.

The person turned his head in Hitori\'s direction, his heart skipped a beat but he calmed down, he knew the person could not see him. It was in Hitori\'s mind after all.

But the smile made him feel creeped out. "What the... what is up with his face?" he wondered, staring into his yellow eyes. "Is he smiling?"

So he was about to move when the scariest thing happened. The person lifted his upper lip, spread his lips farther, and widened his eyes to the edge of falling out. As if he could see Hitori, he showed him his sinister smile.

Hitori\'s eyes snapped open. He jumped on the bed, gasped, and shirked in shock.

As if someone used the Bakuhatsu spell on him he rolled on the bed. He spread his arms in the air trying to grab something, but he could not, and he landed his butt on the wooden floor.

The momentum took him even further, he crashed against a chair, against a table till he came to a stop when his head banged against the wall and pushed him to the floor.

"What the heck? W-what the heck?" When Hitori pushed his body off the floor, he found himself panting and gasping for air.

His heart was racing after the moment when Hitori panicked and his heart gave up. Hitori searched the floor for his wand. Thankfully, it was still in one piece, he grabbed it on his way up.

"Freeze-Dry!" He sealed the door. "Chikyo no Mahou," he said and raised his hands.

He raised two thick walls and lined them in front of the door. He pulled a stool and took a seat with a water bottle in his hands. He felt the water beads around his neck and on the tips of his bangs.

The silence continued for another three minutes before the chaos broke. Everyone was staring at the scientists marching through the hospital corridors, a healer recognized Kuzu and alarmed the guards.

It was Onogi\'s orders to destroy the building. Kuzu drew his blade but before he could stab the healer,  Ningen jumped out of nowhere and slashed the healer\'s neck.

The onlookers shouted. Hitori raised his head and rubbed his forehead. It had started. Kuzu ordered his men to open fire. His men, all wearing masks, opened their fire at the patients, nurses, healers, and visitors.

Hitori took a sip from the remaining half a liter and leaned forward. "It is a massacre," he muttered, "how far can you go, Onogi?"

The firing stopped. Ningen and Kuzu killed the guards in an instant, tearing their chests, and necks, and kicking their heads open. Kuzu felt grossed out when he saw Ningen\'s cruelty.

He killed anyone who came in his way. He was a killing machine, slashing open everyone who dared to stop him. Kuzu hesitated when Ninge\'s brother placed a hand on his shoulder.

"That is just how Nin-ni is, he kills without a care. Do not fall back, Kuzu."

He gulped. "He is a psychopath," Kuzu muttered.

Hitori grasped his wand, he was kicking his leg on the floor, vibrating the stool he was sitting on. He knew the marching army would reach the room anytime.

He wanted to but forgot about using his mind. Whenever he had that thought Ningen\'s sinister smile made him discard the idea. After killing around twenty people, the army was marching through the second floor.

He wished Kakashi and Eya come back soon, but the academy was miles from the hospital. The hospital was the closest building to the academy\'s building if we leave the guards\' quarters.

If gone with a sled, it would take around five minutes; if walking, it would take fifteen minutes; but if teleporting to the academy, god knows how much mana, stamina, and time.

"Straight up, boys!" Kuzu shouted. Ningen was leading the way with Kuzu by his side (a little behind), and his brother equipped with a gun, had not killed anyone yet. He had the gun for an emergency.

They climbed the stairs. Hitori heard the banging of their feet. "What room is it?" Ningen asked, laughing madly.

Kuzu frowned, he said with hesitation, "Room three O one."

Ningen licked his lips and smiled widely. "See ya later."

He raced through the hallway. He grabbed the wall when he reached the room, he slipped on the wooden floor but managed his balance.

Hitori gulped, as he heard the knocks on the door. "Open up! O-Open up! Y-You, open the door!"

Hitori shuddered. His voice was full of bloodlust. He banged on the door but Hitori sat on the stool rubbing his hands against each other, warming his wand, and trying not to tremble both due to the fear of the unknown and cold.

"W-What is he doing?" The men paused right in the hallway. Kuzu stared at Ningen as he acted like a hungry beast.

He moved his eyes from Ningen and looked at the receptionist in the plaza. She was talking with somebody, her wand was next to her ear then went to her lips. Kuzu did not want to deal with backup from the Ministry.

"Break the glass, Saiko."

The little brother looked at the panel. He pushed his gun under his hood and stretched his hands. A screen appeared in front of him, it was like a computer screen.

"Why to break it..." he said, he moved his fingers on the keyboard, "when," he increased the speed, he was typing at two hundred words per minute, "you can just remove it." He slowed and pressed enter.

He looked at the panel, and Kuzu followed his gaze. His eyes popped out when he saw the glass move. And soon, there was no panel. He turned to Saiko.

"W-What did you do?"

"Hacked their magic."

"H-Hacked? Fuck." Kuzu lifted his upper lip. He walked to the railing and jerked his arm.

A blade dropped into his hand. he took a step back, aimed at the lady, and then threw the blade at the receptionist with all of his strength.

The blade cut through the air before cutting through the woman\'s cheeks. He jumped back. He heard a scratching noise, he found Ningen scratching the symbol-drawing pad.

But no luck. Ningen got pissed, he raised his blade. Without waiting for another second, he stabbed the pad, and pieces of glasses fell to the floor, some flew past him. He kept attacking it till it was nothing but a mess of wood.

"He is reckless." Kuzu shook his head.

Ningen banged on the door, he banged harder. Suddenly, a black flame wrapped itself around his fist, he punched the door again and managed to crack through it, only to break his wrist against the wall.

Ningen pulled back his fist, the wisp had disappeared, and only his bare fist remained. Supernaturally, it healed the broke bone, he moved his wrist, and it was alright.

"Saibai!" he shouted, "move the goddamn walls, do not use the elemental magic in front of me!!"

Ningen pulled his fist and the flame appeared again. This time, he gave his all and punched the wall.

Hitori\'s eyes widened. He thought his eyes tricked him, but when Ningen landed the third punch the wall did not only budged but the first wall cracked. Its blocks fell inside the room and the second wall budged.

Hitori stood from the stool, it scratched on the floor. Ningen took a step back, he stopped near the railing. The disappearance of one wall had created enough gap for Ningen to pass through.

He was still smiling. Kuzu was scared of his thoughts. Ningen ran towards the door, then jumped and leaped through the gap.

Hitori raised his hands. Ningen\'s body transformed into a wisp and passed through the gap, then appeared in front of Hitori.

"Saibai!" He laughed, he threw his hands, "Saibai, Saibai, you little cheater!" he continued, "who the fuck did you think you were?"

Ningen dropped his head. His eyes were black, and his pupils and the retina were nothing but a ball of dark energy.

"W-Who the hell are you?" Hitori pointed his wand at Ningen-- it was not even Ningen anymore.

Kuzu came to his sense. "Move, boys! Move inside!" He ordered.

The person in Ningen\'s body pulled out the blades. "You cheated. You cheat. You skipped my realm, oh, how unfair. Saibai, Saibai."

"Realm? W-What the... seriously, who are you, man?"

"Ah?" he gasped, "you do not know me? You ignorant brat." He shook his head. "Just like your father, yeah, I knew it, I remember, you are just like him. Ignorant, arrogant, and a fucking cheater."

The man raised the blades, they were covered in the dark flame. "Too bad he ended before he could pay, no problem, you will pay for him instead."

And the man raised the blades. "Fuel me, dark soul, pollute my soul, I need darkness."

He conjured dark flames from all over the room. The negative emotions and thoughts of patients in the hospital. "F-Fuck, what is this place? It-It powers me to the core, so much negativity! Fuck, I love it! This place rocks!"

He closed his fists and curled the dark energy into a ball before breathing and eating it. He did what a person would do after sniffing cocaine. "Ah~" he moaned, "Saibai, you would not progress any further in the world of cultivation, not at least if you defeat me and conquer my realm!"

And there it was, his sinister smile.