Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

Of the assembled audience, most of them could not watch the Hogosha dungeon anymore. They did not notice even a single or the slightest movement, a few lost their interest soon.

The battle was displayed on the big screen above everyone's heads, it still displayed the Hogosha dungeon, most of the audience was still watching in the hope of seeing Hitori make a move.

After two to three minutes, most of the people opened their own screens and switched to Kuzu who was breaking through the Pontianak lair. Soon, the displayed screen changed the view, and Kuzu's unit appeared on it.

Kuzu cleared the Wendigo checkpoint and marched forward along with his wave. He had not lost over five men during the whole Pontianak lair conquest, which was bad news for Kamiya and Reon... do not know about Hitori.

No sign of life on the Hogosha floor. But Magus and Kuchiki were still watching over the Hogosha dungeon on their personal screens.

Yaban clicked his tongue. "He is dead, Kuchiki-Kan."

"Do not call me that," Kuchiki replied, immediately after Yaban added '-Kan'.

Kuchiki unfolded his arms and let out a sigh. "So it was a blunder..." he dropped his head in disappointment, the corner of his mouth pulled down.

Yaban turned back to his screen to change the view. Kuchiki reached for his screen too. It is a pity, Kuchiki thought. Kuchiki was interested in the player Ryu, though.

Kuchiki still did not open his eyes fully. He saw his screen's blur vision as he reached for the 'Pontianak lair' option, displayed on the left side.

"W-wait. Hey." Yaban grabbed Kuchiki's arm. "I-I saw something!" he stammered.

Magus adjusted his eyes on the screen. He moved closer to the screen and zoomed on the end corner of the floor. Magus was sure he saw something.

When he zoomed into the dust, he saw a light blue liquid spraying around the dust. Magus' mouth corners spread on opposite sides, he grinned.

More water splashed on the dust and the dust reduced up to fifty percent.

"He is alive." Words slipped like water from Magus' mouth.

"Kamiya, take a look at this..." Reon's way of talking changed suddenly as if she was more confident than before.

Kamiya leaned into Reon's screen, she pointed her finger in a corner of the Hogosha dungeon.

Water sprayed all over the floor, clearing up to eighty percent of dust on the floor. The amount of water increased and the fire was extinguished around the spot from where the water was sprayed.

"Is that...!" Kamiya zoomed on the dungeon till he could not zoom anymore. No one's face was visible yet. The dust and fire had just left the ground.

"He is alive!" someone shouted, "Ryu is alive!" the person's shout echoed through the apocalyptic grounds.

Kuchiki watched with the corners of his mouth trying to stretch on opposite sides.

"Wooo!!"

"Come on!"

"He is alive, he is still alive!"

Many shouted and cheered for Hitori when his black hair jerked in the air and his silhouette appeared in the leaving dust.

Then from the dust, Hitori's blue light sparked with a killer glint. The players who were rooting for Hitori threw their heads in cheers of encouragement for Hitori.

"Hitori!" Kamiya snapped with joy when Hitori pulled his right leg forward and stepped out of the dust.

His hands reached for his hood, and with a tight jerk, Hitori pulled the hood over his head. He walked on the floor as dust embraced him and fire blew past him.

Kuchiki grinned at last. "Not a blunder... it was definitely planned." He chuckled then took a deep breath. "Damn."

Hitori strode through the floor, kicking a few pieces of debris, he reached down and pulled another body off the ground.

"Hh-he is alive..." a weak mutter left a person's mouth.

Kuchiki's grin faded. Yaban stared with full concentration. "Gigi..." Yaban frowned with a straight face.

Hitori grabbed Gigi's hair from behind and pulled him to the ground. Gigi's mouth dropped open, blood poured like crazy from his nose and his mouth. His battlesuit failed to protect him against the final impact.

Gigi's face elongated when Hitori pulled his hair. Gigi threw his hands over Hitori's weakly as his body was being pulled to the ground. Gigi dropped his hands down, he knew he could not counter Hitori's strength like this.

Gigi chuckled weakly. "Look at you," he said, "you won the battle but lost the dungeon."

Hitori jerked his hand, it caught on fire along with Gigi's hair. Hitori jolted his arm forward, and Gigi fell to the ground. Then Hitori kicked Gigi in his stomach, and Gigi crashed against a rock.

Hitori, with no expression on his face, strode toward Gigi. Gigi searched for some support to get up but his hands could not find anything.

Hitori's hand reached for his left side, he drew his katana and lowered it against his left waist.

Gigi closed his eyes. Magus closed his eyes. He could not bring himself to see the gore about to happen in front of his eyes.

Hitori swung his sword but stopped a foot away from Gigi's neck. Hitori's eyebrows contrasted and a frown formed. "I will not kill you like this."

Hitori pulled his katana back and slid it back into the scabbard. Then Hitori leaned down, closer to Gigi's face.

"It is over now, stop this stupid fight." Hitori leaned back and turned around to walk a few feet away from Gigi but he came to a stop.

"It is not over." Gigi's voice was weary, he was broken and did not have any energy to talk straight but still, he continued, "as long as Onogi-san is alive, it is not over."

Hitori's eyes moved along the floor's side to glare at Gigi from over his shoulders without turning around. Hitori listened as Gigi continued:

"Not in the game, and not in real life." Gigi chuckled, then broke out in a weak laugh.

Hitori pulled his upper lip up, turned his body in a swift movement, and walked to Gigi. Hitori leaned down, his hand went under Gigi's chin as he grabbed his lower jaw and pulled his head up.

Their eyes met. "I was thinking about making peace," Hitori said, "But it all ended when you pointed your big-ass cannon at her."

Hitori's seriously killing voice kept echoing in Gigi's ears even after Hitori jerked his jaw away and got up from the ground.

Hitori turned his back to Gigi (without any care of Gigi's counter) and stayed silent, Gigi stayed silent till Hitori's voice left his head.

"It has..." Gigi said, "...just started." He chuckled again.

Hitori did not react. He moved his hands in front of him and did something Gigi could not see.

Gigi took that chance to lift his arm which soon transformed into a cannon.

"I would not do it if I were you," Hitori said.

Gigi lowered his eyes and pulled his arm down with a sigh. "Kill me, Hitori."

Gigi laughed. He laughed like a madman. Maybe the pain was getting to his mind by now.

"Hitori!" he shouted his name out in the open. "The fight has just started!" he continued with a laugh.

Hitori still did not turn around. "I will end it then." Gigi did not stop laughing.

Hitori glanced back at Gigi. He pulled his hands down and pulled his gun's barrel. Gigi's laugh suddenly disappeared when he heard Hitori cocking a gun.

Hitori continued, "Bring your Onogi-san to me. I will kill him." Hitori turned around.

Gigi's eyes widened when Hitori pulled his arms and pointed a purple gun at Gigi's forehead.

"No, do not." Yaban shook his head slowly. Kuchiki gulped.

"Do not do it." The people from the House of Scientists muttered.

Hitori opened his mouth. "Both inside the game, and in real life."

Gigi lifted his arm, it transformed into a hollow cannon. "Do not use that thing!"

"Oh, you will die by this gun only," Hitori said, casually, "Mana overdrive."

His gun glowed purple, before Gigi could fire, Hitori pulled the trigger.

And a bullet priced Gigi's forehead. Magus' eyes were left wide in shock as Hitori shot Gigi's brains out.

Hitori pulled the trigger nine more times till he was out of bullets and Gigi's head was not head anymore.

"Onogi, Onogi, Onogi. Why do not you marry him if you trust him so much? Relationships these days have a lot of trust issues, your marriage will be eternal. Become THE eternal couple. Fuck Romeo, fuck Juliet, fuck Jack, fuck Rose. Masao-Gigi, Masao-Kuzu will be remembered through the centuries!"

Hitori shouted. He threw his hands and turned around. "Fuckers." And was walking towards the exit portal.

"He has done it, has not he?" Yaban muttered to his friend.

Kuchiki nodded. "H-hm." He hesitated even for a hum. "He has started a war against Masao."

"No, Hitori-san." Reon grabbed her head and leaned on her table.

"What is wrong? He did it!" Kamiya glanced between Reon and Hitori.

"Exactly, he did IT!" He frowned. "He killed Kuzu's right hand, a scientist, with a freaking gun! A GUN!"

Reon spread her arms and shouted at Kamiya so that he could grasp what it is to shoot a scientist with a gun. This does not apply to the mages only but also to their fellow scientists.

"Oh..." Kamiya gulped, "ah...." he rubbed his face and adjusted his slipping glasses.

"I do not understand him," Yaban said.

Kuchiki tried hard not to lose his cool. "Either this man is confident, does not fear Masao and he knows what he is doing; or... he just killed Gigi without knowing who he has messed up with."

Yaban glanced at Hitori who stopped midway. A face with red hair and dark brown eyes flashed. "So there are people who are not scared of him."

Hitori looked behind him. He sensed something familiar. Hitori turned around and walked closer to a pile of grey ash.

Squeal.

His eyes lit up. Hitori leaned down to the ashes when suddenly a wing that spanned as wide as fifteen feet, pushed him away.

"F-Fierce...?" Hitori took another step back, he raised his head up in the hope of seeing a tiny Phoenix---

It was a thirty-five feet tall Phoenix that spread its wings and soared up in the sky.

"A male fire phoenix," Magus said, "It will be hard." He added.

The male fire phoenix rose from the ashes, as big as before.