Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

Kamiya saw the blade's sharp-pointed tip as Kuzu leaned down and brought his blade closer to Kamiya's neck. Instinctively, Kamiya closed his eyes.

He took heavy breaths, those three seconds felt like three minutes. Kamiya tried to move his hands that Kuzu had pinned under his knees.

'I need to get out.' Kamiya clenched his fists but his contrasted veins made it hard for him to keep his fist tight. Kamiya took a peek around him but he could not find his wand.

Then, Kamiya saw Hitori's glimpse, performing the Fire element spells without using his wand, even water, and Ice element.

'He never needed a wand,' Kamiya thought, 'then why do I?'

Because Hitori is a wizard and you are a human. Well, not like anyone could tell him that though.

"Fire," Kamiya grunted, as he looked up at Kuzu who had slowed down but was angry as before.

Kamiya moved his eyes away from his killer-to-be and closed them. Kamiya saw an approaching person. Long hair, innocent eyes as if she would not even kill a fly, but stone fortitude.

She rose up from her seat and walked toward Kamiya. When Kamiya looked around, nothing but darkness surrounded them. She spoke and her sweet smile faded.

"I once asked Fire:" she said, "'how can I summon you without using my wand?' to which Fire replied: 'I arise in the form of passion, deepest desires, death, and anger,' it said."

And to Kamiya's surprise, the woman was walking. No hip fracture, no dislocated pelvis-- perfectly fine-- no symptoms of spondylosis either! She took a step closer to him.

"Fire continued, 'It is not about how you will summon me without a wand. It is about when you will be content with me.' To which, I frowned and asked for a clearer view.

"'When you will embrace your deepest desires and anger, you will find yourself in a barren land with arms wide open,' Fire continued, 'grinning with contentment.'"

She opened her arms wide and took a few steps away from Kamiya, her smile-- still sweet as ever for her little brother.

"Fire completed with: 'That is when I will embrace my child with my flames.'"

The fire flickered from her hands.

"It is the action of setting your deepest desires and anger on fire, which lets you summon the fire without a wand."

Huge flames of fire erupted from her hands and ran up to her shoulders, then climbed up her head and formed into wings of flames behind her.

Kamiya opened his palms once again-- he ignored the pain from his clogged veins-- he took a deep breath and imagined:

Akemi walking again. Running towards Kamiya with a smile on her face, she increased her speed. When she reached Kamiya, she threw herself over him and gave him a tight hug.

Kamiya spread his arms and hugged her back. Akemi leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "Your deepest desire," she giggled. "So I am your deepest desire."

Kamiya nodded and she disappeared from his arms. The next moment, a man extended his arm-- full of scars-- towards Kamiya.

Kamiya raised his eyes from the man's forearm to his face. Red hair and brown eyes. Onogi Masao stood like a statue for a second before raising his extended hand.

"You are responsible for what Akemi-nee-chan is right now." Kamiya gritted his teeth. He reached for his side and grabbed a nine inches long wand.

Kamiya reached Onogi's forehead before Onogi could. Onogi grinned. "Anger."

"Koro--- no." Kamiya shook his head. "You do not deserve an instant death."

Onogi's grin dropped. "So I am the reason behind your worst anger."

"Depression, frustration, sadness, and satisfaction-- you are the only one who can release all those emotions. In one shot."

Kamiya took his wand back, and Onogi pulled his hand down. Quickly, Kamiya's wand reached Onogi's neck and touched his Adam's Apple.

"Shinigami no Noroi," Kamiya muttered, "Shi-Ne."

Onogi collapsed on the blank, invisible ground and grabbed his chest. Onogi wrinkled the shirt he was wearing, and a button snapped too.

From inside, the pericardium membrane shrunk in size, and the veins and arteries around Onogi's heart wrapped Onogi's heart tightly.

Then, with a snap, it crushed Onogi's heart after a moment of deadly pain no one would like to experience.

Spark.

Kamiya's veins turned orange and a spark of fire flickered on top of his palms.

Players leaned forward and concentrated their eyes around Kamiya's arm.

"Oi, do you see something?"

"Yeah-- the floor's shaking."

Kuzu stopped and glanced around.

"Can it be...?"

"It must be! The only one from the trio to manipulate elements so well..."

The floor creaked and all at once the players shouted, "Ryu!"

The floor fell apart. Kamiya opened his eyes and saw Kuzu's blade, touching his glasses, pushed back by two mud-colored pillars.

From Kamiya's sides, two pillars merged into one and banged Kuzu's forehead-- throwing him away from Kamiya.

Kamiya reached for the floor, touched his feet, and pulled himself away from Kuzu. No time to waste.

A person appeared, his blue cloak swaying through Kamiya's face. The audience cheered on the person's appearance.

Hitori pulled the black katana, swinging right above Kamiya's head, and slashing Kuzu's neck.

The cheers went louder when another player made their entrance.

In a dirt white lab coat appeared Reon, she pulled out her gun and pulled, and fired a round of bullets into Kuzu's head.

Hitori undrew his katana and opened his hand. "Freeze-Dry." A wave of ice froze Kuzu's head.

Hitori raised his hand. "Earth pillar." From the Duergar floor (since there is no soil on the lab floor) came a thick pillar of mud.

Hitori swung his hands down, the pillar crushed Kuzu's face into pieces. Leaving his body to disappear.

Kamiya froze, Reon and Hitori took heavy breaths, and a few players from the audience froze too.

"D-did t-they kill Kuzu?"

"Kuzu's defeated?"

"No way they defeated Onogi!"

Players threw themselves on their friends, hugged each other, patted each other's backs, shook hands, and cried in happiness at Onogi Guild's defeat.

Magus cheered too but Kuchiki and Yaban had a hard time believing the reality. Kuzu was defeated, just like that? And how dare someone sliced his head off like that, without care?

Kamiya stood up and pulled out his wand. Hitori, still panting, glanced behind. Reon slid down on the floor and sighed.

When Kamiya raised his wand, mages from the audience pulled out their wands.

Kuchiki and Yaban glanced all-around when people held out their wands, pointing at the sky.

"Are they doing that?" Yaban asked.

"It is the defeat of the Great Onogi Guild." Kuchiki looked at Yaban.  "So probably, they are."

First, from Kamiya's wand, blue flares covered the lab's ceiling. Followed by the audience, Mages raised their blue flares, Blue Mages released their purple flares, while players with flare guns shot pink flares.

Kamiya lowered his wand. "What kept you?" Kamiya adjusted his broken glasses.

Hitori shrugged. "My Fierce."

Kamiya chuckled. "Oh, Hitori..." he ran to him. "We did it, man." And hugged him.

Kamiya grabbed Kamiya. "I told you, if it is inside the game, we can win."

Reon rose, her eyes were teary-- yeah. She calmly walked to Hitori and Kamiya.

"Thanks, Reon-san!" Kamiya released Hitori and hugged Reon.

At first, she was surprised but then, she did not hesitate to hug Kamiya back.

Hitori shook his head and looked down at the loot left behind by Kuzu. Since Kuzu was killed in their dungeon, the drop rates were very high. Not to mention, it was a level twenty-six dungeon-- twenty-seven now.

While Kamiya and Reon were celebrating, so were the players who were rooting for the trio.

Kuchiki unfolded his arms and took a step forward. "Ryu... just who are you?" Yaban laughed at Kuchiki's rhyming but Kuchiki was serious. "He knows what he is doing, he knows who he is messing with... maybe too well. Yet, he does not show even a slight hint of fear."

Hitori pulled his hands on his waist and popped out his chest after pulling his hood on.

"He stands with such confidence. Who is Ryu?" Kuchiki did not hope to receive an answer from anyone.

But. "Someone who would make you want to stand by him." Replied the old man.

"No..." Magus shook his head. "Someone who would make you want to stand BEHIND him."

The old man flashed Magus a look. "Are you---?"

"I am going to join him." Magus nodded. Magus walked while Kuchiki and Yaban started.

"Well." the old man turned to the two young men. "Till we meet again."

"Yeah. I hope it will be soon," Kuchiki replied but he was only half-present.

"Oh, it will," the Old man said and smiled, "With what I have planned for the future, we will meet soon... and frequently."

Before Kuchiki could process, the old man followed Magus.

"Oi, kid! Wait for me."

Kuchiki and Yaban stayed silent while everyone celebrated.

"Kuchiki."

"Yaban."

They both exchanged glances.

"We are leaving." Kuchiki turned around.

"To come back later," Yaban added.

Finally, Reon released Kamiya and walked up to Hitori.

"Uh... we can not, can we?" Hitori flashed her a glance.

Hitori curled his lower lip and shrugged again. "I have leveled up."

Reon looked down at Hitori's extended hand, she instinctively lifted hers too.

Hitori turned his hand into a fist, Reon followed, and Hitori and Reon exchanged a fist bump. Yay!

Leveled up? For God's sake.

"Oh by the way," Reon hesitated with a smile, "I need a short-range weapon."

"Well." Hitori looked down at his feet and spread his arms. "Pick those blades."

"What are those blades?" Reon leaned down to pick the longest blade.

A short sword and two daggers.

"H-Hitori-san," Reon called.

"Hm?"

"These blades... they are made from Triceratop's horns." She looked at Hitori but she forgot they do not teach mages Monster Zoology in the second year.

"Kamiya, you might want these daggers. I swear they are deadly." Reon offered him Kuzu's two daggers.

The battle was won, the spectators had not left but the display screen had disappeared. But a few players were not satisfied yet.

"We should join them."

"If they are going to fight more battles with Onogi's guild, I might get our territory back!"

Scrap, scarp.

Kamiya glanced over his shoulder. Kamiya realized that they were forgetting the most important thing.

"Uh, guys…" Kamiya adjusted his glasses and took a step away with his wand at the ready. "We forgot that… we do not own this dungeon anymore."

"Yeah, gun in one and this short sword in another—"

"We do not own any of these dungeons now." Kamiya raised his voice.

The cheers silenced and everything quieted down. The players who were cheering, froze.

Hitori turned around and Reon pulled out her new shortsword.

A body erupted from the ground. The pieces of glasses assembled back to how they were. The blood and bullets sweapt off the floor, broken tiles were repaired.

A human with no face cocked his unlimited bullets gun, and aimed it at the trio in front of him.

"Let us start from this dungeon." Hitori bolted from his place and went past the clone.

Reon started firing while Kamiya threw balls of fire from his hands.

"Well…" the players shrugged. "Kill, kill, kill, kill~ Die, die, die, die~"

For the last five months, Onogi ruled the lands of Mokushiroku no Tennou; Hitori, Reon, and Kamiya defeated Kuzu and released the fear from the hearts of scared players.

People feared Onogi and overrated him. But the same people cheered for the trio and decided to follow them.

If the people have decided, then who are you and who is me, to defy the public?