Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

We do not need brains for that. With that thought, Hitori and others charged down the right path, to the men at the front of the house. The robots were firing at the woods non-stop, and on closing it, their robotic mechanism was visible.

​ They were disguised in human skin, but Tengoku had not bothered to put much effort into their fitting since their flesh was dancing loose around the joints. Although their grips on the triggers were firm, their thin body structure did not promise much for hard and fast movements.

Hitori raised his wand, still prepared in case the robots turn the nozzle to him and pull the trigger– or heck, not even release the trigger as they turn around. They were wearing a jumpsuit made of skin, not tight, and glasses– just like Tengoku does.

He held his breath and prepared for the worst, but that worst never came. He walked close to the wall, staying out of the light and sight of the robots and Tengoku, wherever he was hiding.

Reon stepped behind him with her gun in front of her thigh. For one moment, when Hitori reached the veranda's side, she got so close that Hitori felt her breath on his neck. He felt that tickle and wanted that chill to make him shudder, but he restrained him.

Akira was close to Reon, but not enough for her to feel his breath on her neck. He maintained his distance and stayed alert of his surroundings, in case someone jumps out. His eyes never stopped scanning the area except for the front.

Now Hitori had to make the final decision, he had to take the final step of revealing himself to Tengoku who might be hiding somewhere in the crowd in the center of the front yard.

The bars of the verandah blocked his view, but when he slid out in the open, he got a view of the front yard and the crowd of ten people in the middle of it. Although they were wearing suits and sunglasses, something seemed different about them. Something humanly.

He did not dare to get any out of the bounds just to make sure the men in front of him were humans and not robots. He pulled himself back and pressed his back against the warm wood of summer. It had a few holes in it, but it did not matter.

Reon bumped him in the side using her elbow. He glanced at her, she was curious about the current situation rather than being worried and nervous– but being confident was a good sign.

"Humans," he said, "they still handle the front lines." He gulped, sure his throat felt dry. A glass of water would help him in the summer heat which was slowly taking over them.

Reon frowned and said in a loud voice – almost too loud – "Humans? B-but she said—"

"Oh, she can be wrong, can she not?" Akira said, a few drops jumped from his mouth and landed on the leaves, going unnoticed. "Damn that. Humans? Are you sure?"

Although Hitori nodded, saying he was sure, he took a step forward and leaned. He noticed something humanly about those men at the front lines. Although they were just following Tengoku's commands when they raised their guns at Hitori, they had their unique way of doing it.

Some pulled their rifle from behind, some brought them forward from the side, some had already pointed them in the air, just searching for the target, and the one closest to Hitori was the slowest to draw his rifle.

Slow enough to give Hitori a chance to slip back and cover himself. He moved his hands and his circles and created a shield. "Duck!" he shouted.

Roen ducked and covered her head. Akira bent, too, but with a defense shield floating in front of him. But time passed and no one pulled the trigger.

Hitori opened his pinched-closed eyes and glanced around except for the firing at the woods, nothing else was destroyed. The air had no smell of gunpowder in it, and the sound of bullet shots was not echoing in his ears– except for the machine guns.

He took a deep breath because he was going to dare living his head. The men were moving aside, they were breaking their formation for some reason– soon, Tengoku's arrival stated that reason.

He was shirtless, and that was one big surprise for everyone. He was wielding his katana as always, on his shoulder. The DNA tattoo on his left chest was bright in the dawn sunlight. And for the first time, he was without his sunglasses.

His orange, sharp, dagger-like eyes were glowing like a snake's eyes. But what added more scare to his new appearance overall was that bandage wrapped around his shoulder. His right chest was covered with a white bandage, with a faint red dot right under his collar bones.

The gun stuck on the right side moved back and forth as he walked out of the line, and towards Hitori. "Boys," he said in a low voice, then raised it gradually, "do not stop even if I fucking die. We are taking everything they have." He lifted his katana, then slashed the air with it. "Fire!"

He leaned forward, and the tip of his katana touched the ground and cut a few leaves when he picked up the pace. He raised his head and the men behind him showered the house with bullets.

"Shit, move!" Hitori shouted, doubting whether his voice was reaching even Reon under the firing. "He saw us, and that is enough!" He rose and pushed Reon to leave.

Akira leaned off the wall, then turned and stopped. But Hitori was not in the mood for waiting. He shouted, "Move, Akira, move!"

But Akira stood straight even when Reon passed him, giving him a bump on the shoulder.

Hitori grabbed Akira's shoulders, then leaned down to look into his eyes. "What sick imagination has caught you? Snap out of it!"

Akira's shoulders jumped back and forth, and he felt like a puppet, but he did not care. When Hitori paused, he smiled at him.

"What the…" Hitori released his shoulders and stepped away. "W-Why are you… grinning?" he asked.

Slowly, Akira raised his finger and pointed behind Hitori. He hesitated, but then turned around. A ten feet wall was standing tall and bright. Then it shone.

Hitori's mouth dropped open when he recognized that shine. He had seen that before, too, and not just once. It shone again.