Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

At the brink of dawn, they approached the castle of Mahoutokoro, the magic academy. The wizards on the wizard towers spotted the trio and informed the gate wizards.

Four of them appeared in front of the gate out of nowhere, it was obvious to Hitori they teleported. "How could they teleport?" he asked.

"The enchantment here is different. It allows only a selected people to teleport within and outside the castle," Eya explained.

Kakashi had not said a single word since he recovered. It must have been a horrible experience for him, Hitori thought. He was more worried about the wizards at the gates than Kakashi's experience with the dark wizard.

Hitori thought they would frisk them and all but when they got close to the gates, one of the wizards called, "Your hands in the air as you approach the castle at dawn."

Hitori hesitated, Kakashi was left with no energy, and Eya was deciding whether to petrify them and make her way inside or go through the check-in drama.

"Hands up! Or we will be forced to bind you-- or worse-- petrify you."

Eya sighed. "Let us get through this. Hands up both of you," she said.

Hitori and Kakashi raised their hands as they reached the castle's gates. From far the gates looked like they were made of wooden, but on getting close, the gates looked like they were made of stones in the dark. But when he stood right under the gates, he found they were made of rocks, stones, timber, cement, and the earth.

"Show them your ID, Hitori-san," Eya said.

The wizards drew their wands from the side of their cloaks. They were wearing black cloaks over dark brown robes, a T-shirt, and pants on the lower half.

"Identify yourself." Hitori did. Then the guard turned to the other two. "And you?"

"We have our citizenship card." Eya displayed it.

"Oh..." Hitori noticed his eyes widening. "Kogara..." He glanced at Eya, then at Kakashi. "Please..."

Hitori had trouble believing what just happened. But when they entered the castle and walked through the courtyard, Hitori was sure the guard bowed to the Kogara siblings.

"Hitori-san, grab my hand." She stretched it as she grabbed Kakashi's hand. "And try to teleport."

Hitori looked at her and wondered whether his little tries to teleport aided them somehow. He always tried to contribute as much of his mana as possible during their teleportation.

"Hm," he said. Kakashi was out of mana, he would not teleport even if he tried to. He was nothing but a good martial artist without mana running in his veins.

They left the courtyard where snow was scattered to the side.

Hitori found himself in a corridor. The yellowish walls felt warm. He found lamps hanging from the ceiling and torches on the side of the wall.

"Where is Kamiya?"

"He is safe. Probably wandering around the castle searching for us since we are late."

Hitori focused on their walk. He found a white wooden door ahead of him, judging Eya's actions, her goal was to meet someone on the other side of the room.

Eya lifted her hand to knock on the door when suddenly a man interrupted them, "You two again? I wonder why Atama-sensei let you go in the first place..."

Hitori turned his head and found a man wearing black robes, and a wand dangling by his side.

Eya rolled her eyes. "This has nothing to do with you, whatever shall be done must be done by Atama-sensei. Now if you do not mind---"

"It is my duty, unfortunately." The man walked to the trio. "My man said you were powerful, let us see if you really are." He raised his wand.

"Look," Eya said, "we are not here for a fight, we want to have a talk with Atama-sensei, besides, we have been students here."

"I, too, was a student here once," he said and fired a spell at Eya.

Hitori drew his wand and slashed the air. He barely deflected the man's attack.

"Thanks, Hitori-san," she said. She raised her hand, "you bought me some time there."

The next thing Hitori knew, the man was standing dumbfounded and empty-handed. Eya had snatched the wand from him in a flash.

"You let us pass or stand petrified for the next few hours."

The man moved his jaw, it was shaking. "Y-You... you bitch!"

Kakashi stood idle, he knew Eya was enough to handle him, and he did not even bother to make a move. He yawned instead, due to the fatigue.

Eya waved her hand and the man found him throwing his limbs in the air, at nothing. Then she threw her arm to her right.

The man shirked as he went flying towards the door. The next second, bang, he broke his arm on the white door.

He bounced off the door and fell face-on the stone pavement. That loud bang was enough to wake the whole wing. And the whole wing contained wizards guarding the headmaster's office-cum-room.

They swung open the doors of their rooms and jumped out in the hallway. They exchanged glances before turning to the trio standing in front of Atama's office.

"O-Oi, it is boss!" A wizard pointed at their boss's body and crumbled at the footstep. "Invaders! Assassins!" he accused.

"Oh, crap." Hitori took a step back. "Eya-nee, what do we do?" he asked.

She silently turned to the white door and banged her fist on it. It budged but she could not create a crack in it.

The squad of around ten wizards drew their wands and pointed them at the trio. "Define your purpose, or the torture curse will be used on you!"

Eya stuck her wand in the side, Hitori stood by his guard, and Kakashi was ready to drop unconscious anytime.

"Shitty old man, come out," Eya grunted as she banged harder on the door.

"This will be your last chance." He waited, but they gave him no reply. "Wizards!" they pulled back their wands.

Hitori knew either he had to teleport somewhere or he had to stand and fight. He chose the option he always went with. Stand and fight.

Eya was thinking of teleporting, but she realized it was the room of the headmaster of the Japanese magic academy. He would be a fool to let someone in just like that.

"Ah-ha, I remember even Saibai-san failed to teleport at his best."

The wizard ordered, "Gomon!"

The white door creaked, but the sound hid under the chants. A man dressed in white robes stepped out of the door but it was too late.

The wizards had fired flaming orange beams at the trio. Hitori jumped forward and created an ice and earth wall, Eya helped him by creating a defense shield.

The ten to twelve beams of torture curse broke through Hitori's walls with no difficulty. Eya's defense held it for three seconds, then broke through the defense and raced to Hitori's head.

He saw the beam coming from his wand. He could not close his eyes, he could not think of anything.

Right before the beams could hurt anyone, a bright light flared up from Hitori. The beams concentrated on one point and got attracted to him.

he held his wand in front of him, his face was a mess of frowning muscles, and his veins were popping strangely. In the midst, he let out a groan.

Eya had trouble believing it but Hitori was blocking their curses.

Atama's eyes widened but he did not remain stunned for too long. He jumped forward and kicked Hitori in the shoulder, disturbing his concentration and hence... letting the beams run wild.

The beams were scattered in every direction, like the pieces of glass when it breaks. Atama opened his pale arms and took a deep breath, then he closed his fist and pulled it close to his chest.

The beams came to a pause, the next moment they concentrated at one point, and turned into a bigger beam of flaming orange color. Then Atama closed his eyes for greater concentration.

He muttered something no one in the hallway would understand. But as they watched, Atama had taken care of the beams. They had just vanished-- disappeared like a piece of cheesecake kept in front of a kid, you turn around and it is gone the next moment you turn back.

Atama rose and took a deep breath. "You all go back to your rooms!" he shouted.

Hitori covered his ears, Kakashi frowned and grabbed his head. Eya stood still. The wizards panicked, they jumped around and rushed to their rooms. They pushed and kicked each other on the way.

Atama grabbed his silver hair and pushed them back. They reached his shoulders. Then he turned to the trio, letting out a sigh.

Hitori found the man too pale to be alive. His face was white, and his hair and beard were white. Even his robes were white. Atama turned his eyes to him. Hitori instinctively looked away from Atama's whitish-grey eyes, like that of a statue's carved eyes.

"Get up, Hitori-Kun." Atama bent and stretched his hand.

Hitori stared at his hand before grabbing it. "How do you know me?" He stood against the door.

Atama smiled. "Those men," he pointed, "are the best ones I have."

Hitori nodded.

"And you blocked their curse, even when you are exhausted, you created a shield strong enough to hold their curses. I am sure you would have held them for long enough but it would have drained you."

Hitori did not know what to say. He had forgotten the purpose of coming here, he had to tell Atama about everything. "Atama-sensei, I want to tell you about Kuzu and Onogi."

He smiled and took off into his room.  "I know, Hitori-Kun, I know it would happen. I heard from the Minister of Criminal Intelligence, that a scientist has been lurking around the dark corners of the hospital's long hallways. Oh, come inside, by the way."

Hitori looked past the door. He did not actually care about standing outside or sitting inside, he wanted to sleep after making sure he was safe for the night.

Hitori did not know whether to be surprised anymore or not. The room was white, from the walls to the table, everything, that too, without a single dirt mark. What is this obsession with white color?

Atama pulled his chair and brought three chairs for them. They all sat. Kakashi's eyes were half-closed and he was trying his best not to doze off.

"Would you like anything?"

"Water, please," Hitori said.

"Nothing to eat?"

"It is four in the morning, no." Hitori took a seat. He looked around the room. "Where is Kamiya?" he asked.

"I have sent them to VIP guest rooms," Atama said, coming out of a door at his office's backside. "Akemi was one of our best witches, she does not deserve what happened to her."

Hitori nodded. He accepted the glass of water. "Do you know about the situation?"

"I know pretty much everything. Kuzu Erabu, a scientist– one of the best– has ruined our city hospital. When the citizens would wake up after two hours, they will define this act as the inauguration of war. I would like to deny the fact though."

"Let us stay here, sir," Hitori said, "the times are bad. We need protection from those crazy heads. And… I want to learn magic under you."

Atama felt the hair on his forearm rising. "W-Whoa… you gave me a glimpse of your father, he said it with more enthusiasm but the words were the same– 'I want you to teach me magic, Atama-sensei!' –he had said."

"Atama-sensei," Eya said, "we need to talk."

"Alright." He smiled. "Hitori-Kun, I will send you to the same room Akemi and her brother are staying in. Sleep to your heart's content, you have the battle to fight in a few hours. I will try to delay it as much as possible."

"I am grateful." Hitori bowed. Atama sent him to the room.

He found Kamiya sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at Akemi when Hitori appeared. He looked at him. Hitori looked at Kamiya. They stayed silent. Hitori stepped to the bed and stopped beside Kamiya.

"Is she okay?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

Kamiya nodded. "Thanks, Hitori. We would have died for sure today."

"Get some sleep, Kamiya." He patted his shoulder.

Atama took a seat beside Eya. "What is it, Eya?"

"Tonight, when we went back to Hitori-san after explaining you the situation, we saw HIM. He was fighting Hitori-san, he had taken a good control over him, and would have even fulfilled the purpose he came here for."

"I am not quite sure I am following this HIM."

Eya nodded and took a deep breath. "Do you remember your first time entering the world of cultivation?"

Atama raised his eyes. "I do, why?"

"Then do you remember the first realm– the soul cultivation realm?"

"Of course."

"So… you must know Tamashi."

"The emperor of the first realm, I do."

"HE was there, in the hospital."

Atama's eyes widened. "Bullshit, it is not possible. How can he come down to earth? He can not in his original form, no emperor can leave their realm."

"He did. He used Saiko Ningen's body as a vessel, he came down to earth."

Atama covered his face. "Shit… if he met you in the hospital, his dark magic must be at its peak– so that is what kept you!"

"That is what made Kakashi like this." She pointed at Kakashi, he had dozed off.

"Ah, we do not want anyone from the cultivation world to come here, at least not the enemies."