Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

Tengoku squatted in front of Hitori. "You wanted to know, then yes! Yes, we bribed a corrupt teacher from your school to create a secret dungeon while you were sleeping for the past week."

Hitori opened his eyes wide. He had trouble believing it, then he laughed. "Since when did the proud, egoistic, and genius scientists start going to a wizard for help?"

Tengoku stared at him. "In our world, a mercenary is a mercenary, does not matter whether he is a wizard or a scientist or a scientist possessed by a dark wizard."

Hitori's laugh faded, he closed his mouth and looked down.

"And your friend, the earth did not just crack and swallowed him, the wizard pulled him into his dungeon. Where his enemies will take care of him while I... take care of you."

"Why?" Hitori asked weakly. "Why are you doing this?"

"Hah." He shook his head. "Do not use that---"

"I am not pleading for my life, I would not. Let me smash your eye or something then you may kill me."

Tengoku's smile faded and the scare returned to his eyes.

"I want to know why I was killed."

"Because you smashed my eye," Tengoku said, "I would forget about my mission and the money I have been paid to kill you if you smash my eye."

"Who?" he asked, "who paid you money to kill me? Who wants to kill me?"

Tengoku sighed and sat on his butt. Hidari waited near the pit as the wizard was closing the mouth steadily.

"I can not tell you that, I can not expose my employer. He paid me to do this, if he wanted you to know who did it, it would have been him who would cut your head today."

Hitori dropped his head. "I expected that reply from you... you should not have killed Kiku-san."

"She should have handed us the wand."

"The wand... is this for the wand? I do not have it, I know you have it."

Tengoku narrowed his eyes. "Of course," he said, "I took it from your house."

"Stole it. You murderer."

"Please yourself," he said. Tengoku paused and looked at the sky. "You will never see the sun again."

"Is the person who hired you killing me just for his pleasure or because of a grudge?"

"How the heck would I know?" Tengoku looked at Hitori. "He paid me a million yen, do I have to care?"

"Is it because of the freaking wand?" Hitori asked.

"The man wanted the wand for some reason, I do not know," Tengoku said and diverted his eyes. "I delivered it to him but then he reported that the wand never reached him."

Hitori chuckled. "You never delivered it, a good way of earning money---"

Tengoku slapped Hitori across the face. "I may kill people and steal things, but I am the best mercenary the country has to offer. Lift a finger about my loyalty and honesty and I will cut your finger, then feed it to you."

Hitori moved his jaws, they still hurt, and he was fine enough to talk. "You sure you did not misplace the wand?"

"I did not become the best mercenary out of nowhere, I am the best because of my work-- the delivery of the asked item included-- misplacing of an item is impossible."

"The wand must be enchanted to return back to its owner?"

Tengoku nodded. "That must be the reason why it went missing. You have it, do not you? I searched for the wand for the last month, I did not find it but I found you, and this chance."

"Such spell does not exist," Hitori said coldly, "at least I do not know such spell."

Tengoku paused. He licked his lip and nodded. "You are not scared at all, are you?"

"I am. I mean, who is not scared of dying? Even if he does not have someone to live for?" Hitori said with a smile.

Someone to live for? Hitori's smile faded. What about her? What about your first love? What about the girl who saved your ass in primary school? What about the locket girl... Hitori grabbed the locket around his chest... Gin Shiro?

"Ah shit, you brat are just sixteen yet you talk about something to live for and shit. Ah, we were thinking of finding someone to love instead of grieving over it."

Something to live for. What about the game? What about the empire you created? The players you recruited? What about the players who look up to you? WHAT ABOUT BECOMING A PRO GAMER?

Hitori clenched his wand in his right and the katana in the other, he felt the chain tightening. 'I can not die.'

Then Kamiya flashed in front of him. They had made up, they had made up after two months, they had got over the stupid conflict, and Kamiya had taken the first step to solve the conflict and get back together, then dominate the world of Gaming.

Hitori moved his thumb down the katana's handle, he reached the tiny core on the guard.

"I do not have the wand," Hitori said.

Tengoku looked at the snow. "I know. I know. You would be using that wand right now."

"What are you going to do then? What will you tell Onogi and Kuzu?"

"They are not my employers, they are stupid teens trying to kill another teen. The man offered me money and told me to find the wand... he never told me to bring you to him ALIVE."

Hitori swung his arm forward and pressed the core. The red blade glinted in the dark, then it glowed with Hitori's mana mixed with the red dragon's core.

Hitori brought the katana forward, it had increased to its original size, thirsty for blood.

Kakashi collapsed to the ground, he clenched his heart, then reached for his forearm.

Eya dropped the glass of juice and bolted towards him. She leaned down, took out her wand, and cast a healing spell on Kakashi.

"Hold on, hold on," she muttered, "what is it?"

She pushed his hand off his forearm. But she saw nothing. She glanced at Kakashi, he was grunting in pain.

"Do you see anything, Kakashi? Do you see something?" she asked.

Kakashi groaned. Eya's healing was not working, she could not pass her mana through it. She moved away from Kakashi and watched helplessly.

Kakashi removed his hand from his heart, still grunting, he released his hand from the forearm and lifted his head.

His hair had reached down to his eyes and the veins on his forehead were bulging. In a panting hurry, he said, "That boy... he is in danger."

"D-Danger? W-who is it? W-what monster is it?"

Kakashi took a deep breath and calmed himself before saying with a shake of his head. "Monster Tengoku Kagaku."