Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

"Yes," he called, "it is me, I am Atama-sensei!" he shouted.

The guards released their wands and sighed. Senso put his katana back while Hanzai put his wand back into the leather cover. Jiyara was relieved, he released the breath he was holding on to.

Atama's white hair came into view, he raised his hand with a wand in one and walked to the entrance.

They stepped back and opened the door for him. "Where were you?" they asked at once.

"I, I do not know… I found myself unconscious on the ground…"

"God… do you even have an idea what all happened when you were sleeping?"

"W-what?!" he exclaimed.

"Kamiya and Kuzu are dead… We could not get our hands on their bodies. Hitori is severely injured. We fought Tengoku and Onogi near the partition. Got to agree it was a full-proof murder plan."

Atama froze. It took him forever to process the things everybody was throwing at him all at once. Then it took him days to digest the fact.

A week after the Battle of the Forbidden Forest.

Hitori was cured, he was good enough to walk and get into a fist fight. He was right now walking to Akemi's room.

He found the corridors had gone so silent, not a single student would be seen in the hostel. From the hundred students selected for the conquest completed their tasks and were on their way back home.

There would be an 'Year End cum Graduation' feast on the 29th of February, a month long spring holiday till the school would start in the first week of April.

Hitori stood in front of the room, took a deep breath, and knocked. She did not reply. Hitori shook his head and grabbed the handle, he twisted it, and entered the room.

Akemi was sitting in the corner of the room, her face turned to her side, and she was sobbing, Hitori could tell. He gulped, closed the door behind him, and walked across the room.

"Stop right there, I do not want to see you."

"I am not here so you could see me. I want you to hear me."

"I am not here to hear you—"

"Well," Hitori raised his voice, "it is not like you can go anywhere either, is it?" His voice was deep and scary.

He found a tear land from her eye on the back of her hand. Hitori dropped his head and walked to a chair. He pulled it in front of her, he lifted the chair so as to make no noise.

She was still not looking at Hitori, but he noticed that she had a rather sharp jawline. Did she even eat her meals the past week? Hitori wondered.

"You lost weight?"

"You have no knowledge of—"

"Of how to talk to a girl? I do not, I have not talked to a girl since they used to bully me, and… I have Gynophobia, I  am scared of girls."

"So I am not a girl in your eyes."

"Who said," he said, "that I am not scared? I am shitting myself right now. But I thought… I ought to do this. I ought to make things right between us now that Kamiya is gone."

She grunted. "And do you feel responsible at all?" Her voice broke.

"That I killed him? I did not," he said, that angered Akemi as she clenched her blanket. "But I do feel guilt… I could not help him. We were helpless, they entered our territory and—"

"Dogs," she said, biting her lip, "dogs, dogs, dogs."

"Oh… you love dogs, do you want to pet one?" Hitori went for his wand, he knew something was coming up.

She threw her face at Hitori. Her eyes were red like a vampire's. Her cheeks were wet with tears and fire was gliding in her hands.

"Dogs!" she shouted and threw a fireball at Hitori. He raised his wand and blocked the fireball. "You all are dogs! Get out of here!"

Hitori got up when Akemi started throwing multiple fireballs and ice spikes at Hitori. He blocked every single one of them.

"YOU ALL ARE DOGS! You fight like dogs, you fight for your fucking territory like dogs! Territory, territory, territory, you fight like dogs!"

Hitori was left speechless. There was truth in her words. He lowered his wand.

Akemi threw another fireball with her eyes pinched close. Hitori did not bother to dodge a fireball that encountered his shoulder and burned his hood over the shoulder in an instant.

She heard a whoosping sound. She paused, she had thought Hitori would block no matter how many she threw, but when she heard a ball caught on fire, she opened her eyes.

She gasped. Hitori was on fire, his shoulder was. "H-Hey!" she shouted. "Do something!"

Hitori felt the fire reach his cheek and the lower end of his hair. Hitori spread his hand over the fire, the next moment the fire was gone.

Akemi let out a sigh of relief. "Get out of my sight, Hitori, I hate you, you are the reason why Jigo died—"

"Onogi killed him. Besides, he took Kuzu with him. Not a waste. And let me tell you one thing, let us get this right…" Hitori walked close to her, without caring about hsi fear he sat in front of her and grabbed her thin, fragile shoulder. "Kamiya knew he was going to die, he said he had a sister to look after, but honestly, after thinking for a week, I know Onogi's death mattered more to him than his own death did, than his lovely sister who had ate nothing for a week."

Hitori looked into her scared red eyes.

"He died that day because he wanted to kill Onogi alone. No one is responsible for his death but himself, and if you think otherwise, you are disrespecting his motive, dedication, and the goal for life."

Hitori removed his hand, got up from the bed, and walked to the door. Akemi stood frozen, staring at nothing.

Hitori grabbed the handle. "His funeral is scheduled for the day before my birthday, the second of March. We never found his body, so they have delayed the funeral to after the Year-End Feast."

Hitori twisted the handle and opened the door when Akemi said:

"Feast, they are still holding the feast? Even after a death—"

"No one other than me knows about Kamiya's death in second year, forget about other teachers and students." He stepped out and closed the door behind him.