Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

Through the crowd of around a hundred men, a man bearing a DNA tattoo on his right chest came forward. Tengoku was holding his katana by the side and raised it to his shoulders when he was past the crowd of men.

He stood still, staring at the house and the holes he had created in its walls, then shouted, "Hitori! I know you are in there with your mates. Do me a favor and come out."

Hitori felt Akira staring at him, waiting for his decision. His heart was pounding in his chest, but this situation had occurred before. When he had to meet Kuzu before the Battle of Midnight.

This is just like the game, he thought. I will get this over with.

Hitori grabbed the chair and pushed against it to stand. Akira lifted his eyes, then jumped to his feet. "W-Why? Do not go, he will kill you!"

That snapped Hitori out of his imagination. It was not the game and although the house was his territory, Tengoku would not stick to the rules.

He glanced down at Akira and nodded. "I am sorry." He bent and took his seat behind the chair. "This has got real… I would not lose anyone this time."

"Do not worry, you are not losing anyone. Just stay strong and finish this. Consider this as your last chance, if you do not finish this now, you will never get such a chance again. Who knows he might assassin you the next time? Corner you in an alley? Kidnap you?"

"I get the point. I know this is my golden chance. Do or die. With the Guardian Spirit with us, I am sure we will overpower them."

"It is not about overpowering him."

"Of course, it is. We can not win—"

"Okay, consider you have overpowered him. So, then what? Would the pressure kill him?"

Hitori could not get the point here. "What are you trying t say? No way the pressure will kill him, maybe scare him a little, but it can not kill him— what the heck am I even talking about."

"If you overpower him, but he still manages to run away– you are doomed. Now you do not know when he will strike back, how he will strike back, and where he will strike back. Maybe tomorrow with fifty or five hundred men at the house? Or at the academy?"

Hitori had to give that a thought. He had never thought that far, but Akira made him realize that he should calm down, think straight, and consider every possibility.

"Or maybe he will attack you when you are alone, take you by surprise, or send an assassin so you would not even know who killed you."

Hitori had to look at Akira, he was talking something full of sense. "Now I get your point… we can not let him escape. I can not let him run away."

"But he is a soldier, and they have a will of steel. I doubt he will run away, but when it comes to saving oneself's life, he can go to any heights and do anything."

Hitori nodded. He dropped himself on the wall beside the fireplace and waited for Tengoku to shout again.

"So you are not coming out," Tengoku muttered. "Fine. You have chosen to get your friends killed with yourself." He was using a mic, so Hitori could hear him.

Hitori did not know if they wanted to die for him, but he knew he was not going to let anyone die.

"I have a contract to kill you. So come out and let me complete my mission. Your friends will be spared unless they try to attack me. Both you and I know that we can not keep this up for long. So come out and sacrifice yourself for your loved ones."

Akira grabbed Hitori's hand before he could do anything. He glanced at Akira and saw it in his eyes– the denial.

He did not have to say it, Hitori understood just by seeing into his eyes what he meant. "I was not going anyway. I know you would not like—"

Tengoku shouted, "'Come out of the house or take everyone down with you!"

Kyoryu raced to the door and Hitori found him staring."Do not fall into his trap. You are not killing anyone, just stay calm and think rationally," he said.

Hitori was surprised to hear that from Kyoryu, but he showed him he was listening and agreeing.

"We all are here, and no one guarantees that he will spare us after he kills you, so do not commit that stupid mistake. He would achieve his goal, but we would lose you." With that, he went back to his position and Akira took over.

"He went too far. No one letting you die."

Hitori did not stop to hear that consoling stuff. He  walked past Akira, jumped over the chairs, and dashed to the door. To the door of the master bedroom.

"Wait!" Akira jumped over the table in front of him and chased Hitori.

On hearing the noises, they thought Hitori was running down to Tengoku, so Kakashi and Kyoryu rushed out of the room.

Hitori applied emergency brakes when Kakashi suddenly sprouted in front of him. He almost bumped into Kakashi's chest.

'What and where?" he asked.

"I need to go. I can not stay up here."

"You are out of your mind, kid," Kakashi came from behind, followed by Eya.

"I am not. I can't hide here. I will face him." Hitori clenched his wand.

Then Eya said, "Do you want to consider leaving the house?"

Hitori looked at her with disbelief. How could she say that even after he told them that he was not leaving the house?

"We can still take the balcony to jump out and run down the woods. Let the Guardian Spirit deal with them."

Hitori did not want to, but he glared at Eya. She sensed the glare immediately, she did not want to upset him.

"I mean, look at their number. They are above fifty!"

"Heck with the numbers, Eya-nee," Hitori said. "The last time he came with fewer men, but we ran. And today he has come with around a hundred men, we are not running away this time. I will stand my ground."