Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

Kamiya pulled down the portable table and arranged Akemi's dinner in front of her. Everything thing she likes, Kamiya did not think about money tonight.

Akemi felt guilty but then she thought: 'It is Christmas. And Jigo-Jigo is doing so much for me... it will make him feel bad.' So she started eating.

Kamiya walked towards a compartment to get Akemi a drink. "What happened, Akemi-nee-chan?" he asked, as he filled her glass. "I have seen you happier. When you were enrolled in the Academy."

Kamiya walked to her and placed her glass in her left hand. Then he lifted his brows, asking her the same question again. Akemi took a sip of her hot cocoa.

"Nothing, why?"

"I mean. I made friends! Your brother made friends!"

"That is good. I am just worried about your scientist friend. That girl might get in trouble if she jumps sides so frequently."

Kamiya dropped his head. "Saying from experience? I guess." Akemi did not have to comment.

Akemi grabbed Kamiya's wrist again and pulled him. "Did you tell them... about my... about my past?"

Kamiya stared at her before shaking his head. "No," he said, "they are contributing their money though. Do you see that tall, dark guy? He contributed almost half of the money for your hip replacement surgery."

"Must be rich, that Hitori. He seemed a little too... I do not know how to explain this but like, as if he does not care where he was-- he had something even more important to do than this-- yet he was totally present here. It is just a strange vibe that I got from Hitori."

Kamiya sighed. "He is a nice guy." and stepped back after freeing his wrist. "Besides, we earned the money from the game. Do you know that we beat Kuzu in a battle?"

Akemi's hand stopped in the middle. Her chopsticks fell back into her bowl. She raised her wide eyes at Kamiya.

"No. No, tell me you did not." Kamiya pulled his lips, his smile faded along with the joy. "Jigo, no. Do anything. Anything. But please, do not mess with those guys-- do not mess with THEM!"

Kamiya held his head down. He was debating with himself-- for all the time that he had followed Akemi's instructions to not mess with Onogi or Kuzu-- he decided that this should be the time when he rebels.

"Till when?" he muttered. Lifting his teary eyes, Kamiya glared at Akemi. "Till when, sister?"

She looked down at her bowl. "Forever, if necessary," she muttered.

Kamiya clenched his fists tighter. "It has to end, Akemi-nee-chan, it has to end once and for all."

"Well, it will not be you who ends it."

"Then who?!" Kamiya growled. "Then who, my children?"

"Do not talk nonsense."

"We have already messed with them though. We have already given them hell once, we will give them twice and thrice. It is too late to stop now. Either they will come or we will have to go."

"You should not have, Jigo, done this." She shook his head. "Apologize to them as soon as possible. This is no joke-- you will apologize to Kuzu-san right now---"

Kamiya jumped forward and put his hand on Akemi's table. "Do not. Call him that in front of me. Do not call him that. He is Kuzu, just Kuzu, trash."

Kamiya realized his actions and took a step back. Akemi was surprised by her brother's anger and courage-- to go against Kuzu-- needed bravery and confidence.

Kamiya pulled off his cloak from the hanger and said as he put his purple coat on, "It will be me. It will be me who ends this... this stupid thing. I, with those two, will put an end to Onogi's terror."

Akemi snapped her chopsticks into four. Kamiya glanced over his shoulders and walked towards the food compartment. He took out a packet and opened it.

"I will. I will make them pay for doing this to you. I will give them hell, from your side too."

Kamiya snapped the chopsticks and handed them to Akemi. She accepted the chopsticks but was frozen with fear. Kamiya did not bother to wait till she comes out of the shock-- it was much of a shock for himself when Hitori casually went against Kuzu-- but now? Now Kamiya is ready.

Without moving her eyes, Akemi thought, 'You will not stop even if I insist. I can not punish you as I used to when we were younger.'

Kamiya sighed as he took a step away from Akemi. In a flash, Kamiya felt a tight grip around his wrist. "I do not care what you will do. I do not care how well you do it. I do not care about anything."

Kamiya's eyes went wide and his anger faded when he saw tears in Akemi's eyes.

"Just do not die. I do not want to lose you-- I can not lose you."

Kamiya gulped. He was expecting a scolding from Akemi but guess, she was on the verge of rebelling too, just need a renewed push.

She continued, without looking, "Kuzu will come. Onogi will come. Not to make a living dead out of you, but to kill you for good-- and me-- if you continue according to your plan. If they caught you off-guard even once, you will die---"

Kamiya shook his head. He moved his other hand over Akemi's hand. "No," he whispered, "it will be Onogi who will die." He stopped shaking his head. "This time, it would not be us, it will be them who will suffer through hell." Kamiya turned his face into an ugly, angry frown.

Kamiya pulled his hands, rubbed his eyes, then adjusted his glasses. Akemi sat staring as Kamiya made his way towards the door.

He opened the door. "I will see them off. Your diner should be finished by the time I come back." And closed the door.

"Will you be alright, Reon-san?" Kamiya asked.

Reon was standing near the city border while Hitori was beside her and Kamiya standing right in front of her.

"I came legally, I will go legally, what would go wrong?"

"Your gun?" Hitori asked.

"Mages would not detect it and Scientists are... well, celebrating Christmas." Reon smiled, and Hitori smiled back.

"You know what I fear the most?" Kamiya looked at the snow. "You live on the same side as Kuzu and Onogi, you go to the same school-- you are closet to them."

"They do not know me," Reon said, "I live my own life. I am more worried about you two, they can attack you anytime."

"So they can attack you too."

"I do not think they will try to kill me. I have not done much as shout at their faces or curse at them. I just shot a few bullets in Kuzu's head."

"But---"

"I will be safe. Just look after yourselves!"

Reon waved, and the duo waved back at her as she walked past the mages' invisible border and then through the scientists' electric fence.

"They might arrive anytime, Kakashi, let us move." Eya checked the time once again and looked for her brother anxiously. "Hiro-san has enchanted this house, we would be able to teleport either."

Still no answer from Kakashi. Eya took a glance outside to make sure Hitori was not anywhere near, then leaped inside the house.

"Just what are you doing, eh?!" Eya strode inside the dining hall. "Where are you?"

"Inside the storeroom," Kakashi called.

"Seriously, are you listening? We need to leave."

"Yeah, yeah, I just found something interesting."

Eya waited till Kakashi came out of the storeroom, it was two minutes later.

"What?" she asked.

"The package," Kakashi said, as he held a box in front of him, "a gaming card and a legendary wand were not the only items Hiro-san sent," Kakashi told her.

Eya frowned and took a step forward. "What else?"

"Besides a winter blanket rolled into a can, they have sent a skillset scroll and..." Kakashi stopped.

"And?" Eya leaned forward to take a look inside and gasped. "T-that-- is that---"

"Yeah... something enough for that boy to take down an ancient dragon and dinosaur if he has the skills, and to clear a whole army with only one swing of his cultivated katana."

Kakashi grabbed the key chain in his hand. It was a miniature katana keychain. Dark red in color, the color of blood, with orange flames on the scabbard's tip. The flames distributed like a tributary of rivers of flames.

"Is it made from silver or red?" Eya asked.

Kakashi studied the keychain and then said: "Made from the core of Ancient Red Dragon-- slew by Hiro-san himself-- and the core of a Volcano Dinosaur-- slew by Kaori-san herself."

"And Tengoku left it?" Eya asked, "why?"

"Who is Tengoku?"

Eya frowned. "A human? A Science Professor?"

"A hitman-for-hire. And. An assassin-for-hire."

"Oh, that."

"Surprisingly, Tenogku follows his codes too perfectly. He will not pick a single thing part from what he was given money for-- not even for his own benefit.

"If he is given the contract to kill one person, he will kill only one person. Likewise, if he was given the order to kill Kiku and bring the legendary wand, he killed Kiku and took the legendary wand-- not a single thing above or below."

"So that is why he left us this blanket, a skill scroll, and a... A legendary weapon forged from two ancient monsters?"

Kakashi nodded. "Strange codes and rules, but they follow and respect them with honor. They get offended too if we ridicule their morals."

"I know... but Hitori-san does not."

Kakashi then went inside and placed the package as it was-- without moving anything anywhere, considering that no one knows about the katana.

"Were not we supposed to leave?" Kakashi asked.

Eya was sitting on the sofa, thinking about Hiro and Kaori, Hitori and Kamiya, legendary wand and legendary katana.

"Uh?" Eya glanced at Kakashi, he gestured at the door. "Oh!" she jumped off the sofa. "Right, right, leave! Before they arrive, we must disappear."