Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

A massive machine gun was placed above the table on the left side of the lab. As soon as the door flew high and Razon entered the lab, Kamiya's clone pulled the trigger. Shattering the glass between them, he fired at Razon the Duergar.

The lab was filled with the crackling sounds of a machine gun. Empty bullet shells fell to the ground as the gun recoiled every second.

Razon lifted its hands to cover his head as the bullets pierced his arms and hips, the rest cracked against his armor and fell down with their shells.

Razon had kicked the entrance door and now it crashed against the ceiling, smashing a few lights.

While the clone kept Razon busy, Kamiya aimed his rifle from the pile of folding chairs. Kamiya aimed at Razon's neck's bare skin.

Kamiya pulled the trigger. The door crashed on one of the benches, flipping it upside down and spilling the tubes all over the floor, and Razon followed the door.

Kamiya rose from the pile of chairs. He had created a defense shield that blocked the bullets his clone fired. His clone released the trigger and looked at Kamiya.

Kamiya glanced at him before he gestured for his clone to reload the machine gun. His clone quickly got back to work. Kamiya sat back down and opened the map. Kuzu was standing right outside but the other two duergars were not around him.

Bang!

The last door that was clinging to the side, flew high above Kamiya's head. His clone pulled the trigger even before Hohn and Kazon entered the room. Kamiya frantically turned around and aimed his rifle to see a familiar face standing in front of them.

His clone continued firing but unlike Razon, not a single bullet inflicted damage on the two Duergars. Kazon leaned down, and Kamiya stumbled back against the chairs.

"We meet again," Kazon said in Dwarvish language.

Kamiya's face went pale. He brought his rifle in front of him. Kazon swung his hands and the chairs were scattered all around, a few flew and fell on the other side along with the door.

Kamiya pushed himself back, then he tried to pull his body away from the enlarged Kazon as he took one step closer. Kamiya's rifle touched the ground, he pushed against the ground and got up.

Kazon swung his hammer, Kamiya ducked the attack, and continued to run to the lab's corner. Kazon chased him.

The clone was still firing furiously at his opponent without getting a single hit. The rattling sound of bullets knocking down the closets' glasses, came to a stop.

Kamiya's clone pulled the trigger but no bullet came out. Hohn raised his head and removed his hands and glared at the clone.

The clone quickly reached out for another cartridge of bullets, Hohn saw that as an opportunity. He raised his hammer and charged at Kamiya's clone.

Kamiya's clone grabbed his gun and jerked his body to fall back. Hohn's hammer snapped the table into two.

Kamiya took cover behind the flipped table. He opened the shop and glanced back at Kazon. He navigated to guns and purchased two guns.

Kamiya's clone did not have the time to settle his machine gun because Hohn was hovering above his head. He had not reloaded the gun yet.

The hammer came down, the clone lifted the gun to defend, his hands deviated in opposite directions as the gun snapped into two and the hammer's pointed side touched Clone's stomach.

The clone landed a kick in Hohn's stomach and pushed him away. No damage was done but Clone managed to save his life. Clone staggered further away from Hohn, to the room's corner.

A bright light glowed and a gun, pale purple in color, appeared in both Kamiya and Clone's hands.

Kamiya lifted his eyes above the flipped bench, Clone made contact with Kamiya from the corner. Kazon roared but Kamiya gave Clone a tight nod.

"Open fire."

Bang, bang, bang, bang.

Kamiya invested a little in anti-Duergar guns that did not kill Duergars instantly but they were surely inflicting good damage ranging from ten to twenty.

Kazon flipped another bench and took cover behind it but Hohn did not have any benches to protect him from the bullets. It curled into a ball, reduced in size, and depended on his armor.

Kamiya stood up and aimed at Hohn too. Kazon was left with no choice but to protect himself, he could not come out to save his mate. Bullets pierced from every angle, in every part of Hohn's body. The firing did not stop till his body disappeared in pixels.

Kazon saw as Hohn died right in front of his eyes. His breathing turned inconsistent, irrational, and irregular. Kazon banged his hammer on the floor, cracking it up, roared at the top of his lungs, and jumped off the ground.

Clone inserted another cartridge, cocked the gun, and pulled the trigger. But Kazon's interest lay somewhere else. He turned around and took deep, scary, heavy breaths as he strode towards Kamiya.

"Cover!" Kamiya shouted as he ducked behind the bench. He frantically looked around him. He searched for an item or a weapon, that would be useful in such a situation, in his inventory.

Snap, snap, snap, snap, snap.

The bullets broke through Kazon's armor. There was no way his armor could endure the anti-Duergar bullets anymore. Yet, Kazon raised his arms and his hammer above his head.

Another bullet pierced through the armor. Kazon's hammer was lowered at the time of impact. The clone was ready to fire but then he sensed someone entering the lab. His eyes turned to the entrance and HE stepped in.

"He... is here."

"K-Kuzu has entered the final floor."

The audience held their breaths and watched as Kuzu casually walked inside without a care. Kazon dropped his hammer and turned to face Clone with an angry frown.

Kamiya's eyes twitched in nervousness. He took a peek behind him and saw a tall man covered in a black assassin's jacket, walking like a king.

"The fire... has chosen to swallow the fuel." He threw open his mouth and let out a laugh.

Kuchiki, Yaban, and Magus watched without breaking a sweat. Hitori and Reon were busy dealing with their shit but they knew that Kuzu has entered the lab.

"F-Fire!" Kamiya ordered in a quiet groan.

The snapping sound started again. But Kuzu took another step. The clone shot a few more bullets but they fell after touching Kuzu's black jacket. Another set of bullets clanged against his hood and touched the ground.

"No way..." Magus muttered. "W-why?"

"His outfit," Kuchiki said, although the old man was going to tell, "is not just an outfit he wears to look cool. His assassin's hoodie jacket is made from high-scientific intelligence and from... nobody knows for sure but... from a Kibo---"

Kuchiki paused when his eyes caught a glimpse of Kuzu glaring at Clone. The clone did not dare to fire, he froze in an instant. Kazon got closer to him while Kuzu walked near Kamiya.

"Kibo?"

He looked down. "From a Kiboryu's core and scales."

Magus's widened. He could not hold back his lower jaw from hanging. "Kiboryu? Where the hell did he find that dragon?!" Magus shrieked.

"Nobody knows where he found the dragon with the strongest scales on its body."

"Forget finding it, how the fuck did he manage to KILL that legendary dragon? No, I do not believe it." Magus grabbed his head and spun around. "There is no way that is true."

"Even Kuchiki was acting the same way when I told him---"

"Shut up." Kuchiki sighed and looked at Magus. "What would explain the durability of his jacket the best?"

"Shit." Magus stopped rubbing his head and messing with his hair. "But if that is true... then fuck! Those guns can do nothing!"

"Hmm..." the old man hummed, "not to mention, he is wearing the Duergar King's armor piece."

Three pairs of eyes swung to the old man. He shrugged.

Kuzu came closer to the bench, but Kamiya did not get up till Kuzu was right above his head.

Kuzu pointed his longest blade at Kamiya's neck and Kamiya jumped with his gun on Kuzu's head, he then cocked the gun.

Kuzu was stoic like nothing mattered to him. But Kamiya was having breathing problems.

"You have some courage booster on you, do not you?" Kuzu muttered under his mask which made his voice muffled.

Kamiya did not reply immediately. He took his time to calm himself down. In the process, Kuzu tightened his grip, and Kamiya slowly removed his finger to place it on the trigger.

"No," Kamiya said, shaking his head stiffly, "just a confidence booster..." Kamiya said, "...and an angry enchanter."

Kuzu twisted his arm to push his blade forward, while Kamiya pulled the trigger. They both turned their heads at the same time.

Kuzu swings a chop at Kamiya who blocks it with his forearm but got ten points of damage. Kuzu jerked his below and Kamiya took a full blow under his chin.

Kamiya stumbled to the ground, he pushed again when Kuzu stomped his leg on the floor. Kamiya grabbed the window's corner and stood up. Kuzu's blade pierced through Kamiya's stomach and stopped against the wall.

Kamiya dropped his head back and grunted in pain. He threw his anti-Duergar gun and raised his leg to kick Kuzu but there was no need as Kuzu jumped back himself.

Kamiya jolted forward, his hand reaching his stomach as blood covered his hand. Then he looked at Kuzu, smiling at him, and blood on his blade.

"You and your friends," Kuzu said. "Were seriously dumb though, especially Hitori."

Kamiya bit his lip and stared at Kuzu, he was not sure what Kuzu was about to gain from insulting Hitori. Clearly, it was lower Kamiya's confidence. although Kamiya stood no chance in front of Kuzu, Kuzu did not want Kamiya to pull some sneaky trick and catch him in a trap.

"Hitori knew it was me who wanted to give him the key. Yet, Hitori accepted a free dungeon from me, his enemy, without doubting my reasoning behind, even once."

Kuzu scoffed. He pulled his blade down and pointed it at Kamiya, from a distance of two feet. Kamiya looked up at Kuzu, weakly.

"Was he greedy or is he such a desperate fool?" Kuzu opened his mouth, he shook his head as he laughed. "What a loser."

The audience was watching and listening to Kuzu and Kamiya's conversation. The gossip about Hitori accepting a dungeon from Kuzu was being discussed-- it was the hot topic.

"I thought he was smart but heck, he is stupid."

"Seriously. Would you accept a dungeon from your enemy?"

Kuchiki and Yaban were, once again, disappointed. Magus wanted to hear that the fact was not true but... no one said it. Hitori was being mocked, a few left the battle right away.

The admiration for the trio declined till it reached rock bottom. The hope that Hitori would defeat Kuzu crumbled till nothing was left. It did not take the audience to assume things and create hope for themselves, and it surely did not take time for them to lose their hope either.

Kamiya could not control himself from hearing the chatters outside. He pulled his lower lip and tightly held it between his teeth. His head started trembling in anger, frustration, and pain.

Kamiya removed his trembling hand from his stomach. He closed his eyes.

'Stop it.' Hitori's voice rang in his ears.

'I still remember,' Kamiya thought, 'the way he stood up for me while no one did. No one from the Vr-cade, no one in the academy...'

'Why would you do that to him?'

'I still remember his black hair and blue eyes, glaring widely at Gigi as he was about to punch me.'

"Let us leave. This does not work." A boy from the audience groaned in annoyance.

Kamiya opened his eyes with a spark. His eyes glowing in anger as he glared at Kamiya with his head still held down.

"He is not a loser."

Kuchiki stopped and turned back to the screen. Yaban and Magus were already watching. Kuzu stopped laughing and lowered his head.

"He is a great partner." Kuzu's eyes widen, and he moved his blade forward.

Kamiya dodged it. He landed on the floor and rolled to the other side on his injured stomach as he pulled a flask of potion and grabbed a gun off the ground.

Kuzu, for the first time, was left stunned. But he overcame it pretty quick as he was already throwing his blade at Kamiya.

Kamiya got to his knees, held the gun high, and pulled the trigger-- making Kuzu freeze at his spot, refraining him from taking another step.

The audience gasped.

"He missed."

"Shit! He missed!"

"It would have been a straight hit in the head."

There was a hole in Kuzu's hood. Right behind Kuzu's ear, Kamiya's bullet went through his hood, creating a hole.

Kamiya held his gun straight as he uncocked the healing potion. Without moving his eyes and his gun from Kuzu, Kamiya gulped down the potion.

"There was not even a hint of fear on Hitori's face when we were conquering your dungeon," Kamiya said. Everyone went quiet all of a sudden and focused as Kamiya unraveled the past. "He led us through the dungeon till we defeated the boss and conquered your dungeon."

Kuzu held his blade tightly in his hand, without moving, and stood still as Kamiya spoke.

"Hitori knows what he is doing," Kamiya said. "If from you offered him this dungeon as a free lollipop, I am sure... he had and still has a reason for accepting it."