Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

Then Eya's eyes fell on Hitori. Her frown disappeared and she smiled. "Hitori-san," she said.

On seeing his condition, Eya's smile dropped, and anger rose up on her face. She turned at Tengoku and grunted.

"You bastard!" She raised her hand.

Tengoku raised his gun and fired at Eya. She did not care and fired a beam of magic spell.

Senso cared, he jumped and blocked the bullets with his katana. "Keep calm, Eya! You need to calm down!"

"Argh!" she grunted again. "I will fucking kill that bastard! Move out of my way, sensei!"

Hitori gulped. She was scary, he thought. He had never seen Eya like that before. Never ever. As if she was thirty for Tengoku's blood like a vampire… or a monster with bloodlust.

The ground rumbled. Senso paused. Eya continued firing, but Tengoku had realized the disturbance.

Hitori glanced around, he could not grab the ground and stick to it. If another earthquake had hit Tokyo, then it was the worst time ever.

"Calm down, girl! There is an earthquake." Senso swung his katana into the scabbard and went for his wand. "Jiyara, what magnitude is the earthquake?"

Tengoku gulped. He exactly knew what was going on, he knew it would happen. "That wizard…" Tengoku grunted. "They did corner us."

Tengoku had planted the portal near the partition. Their plan was to take the way back to the academy after killing Kamiya and Hitori. He would meet with Onogi and leave the mage prefecture.

No one would find their bodies ever. Tengoku would take a photo to report his mission done, and Onogi and Kuzu would be satisfied, everything perfect.

Only if the mercenary wizard had not betrayed him, only if the plan had gone as planned. Tengoku bit his lip, he positioned his feet in the direction the dungeon first used to be.

The ground around there cracked. Hitori's smile faded, and he realized the effects. The ground tore again, Onogi was coming out, or the wizard was coming out, or… Kamiya was coming out.

Hitori hoped for Kamiya to come from the underground dungeon, he wanted it to be Kamiya. The ground rumbled again.

Tengoku bolted towards the mouth. Eya jumped forward, staring at him. Behind her, Senso's mouth dropped open.

Jiyara replied, "Earthquake? What earthquake? There is no—"

Senso hung up the call. He was not sure what it was, but he thought he had an idea. Senso and Eya watched as Tengoku pulled his katana behind him, racing towards the mouth.

Hitori frowned. His heart started beating. 'He will kill him,' Hitori thought, 'he will kill Kamiya and the wizard who saved him.'

He knew, but what he did not know was who would come out first– Kamiya or the wizard? No problem if the wizard dies, that would only save Hitori some money.

"Stop him—"

Tengoku threw fired a bullet at Hitori. Hitori ducked the bullet but it hit him in the abdomen, he vomited blood at that instant.

It was not a normal bullet, it was a poisonous bullet. Hitori screamed in agony when the poison started acting.

Senso pushed Eya. "Heal him, take the bullet!"

Eya jumped towards Hitori, she teleported in an instant and appeared by Hitori's side. She touched her wand against Hitori's abdomen.

Senso gulped, he clenched his wand and charged at Tengok. He did not charge with the intention to kill Tengoku, he wanted to see what he was up to and what the earthquake was.

Tengoku was ready to chop the head of the person who would first come out of the dungeon, he stood at the edge with his katana behind him, to land a horizontal cut.

Tengoku turned to attack Senso but he did not find anyone behind. Senso had fled into the woods. The fire was spreading but that did not bother him.

Tengoku took a peek into the dungeon, he saw the end, and suddenly from the end appeared a silhouette.

Tengoku stepped back, someone jumped out of the dungeon (as if the person was thrown out), and Tengoku swung his katana.

His eyes fell on the forearm full of scars, then on the face. His katana stopped right by Onogi's neck, saved by half an inch.

Tengoku was relieved. It was Onogi. It was Onogi! He stepped away from him. A smile climbed on his face, if Onogi came then so would Kuzu!

It means the wizard was dead– or he never betrayed them! Kamiya died, and their mission was a huge success—

—wait. Tengoku's smile dropped. Onogi was not himself, he was… he was sitting like a heartbroken boy. As if he had lost someone important to him.

Senso and Eya paused for some reason, they were staring at the unusual situation. Why was Onogi sitting cross-legged like a kid? Why was he so… sad?

Hitori was curious, too, but he seemed to have the possibility figured out in his head. He had come up with multiple possibilities.

If Onogi was sad and alone, then Kuzu died. But Kamiya was missing. That meant only one thing… tears formed in Hitori's eyes before they glowed down his cheeks. He cried without making a noise.

"Hey, Masao," Tengoku said, "where is Erabu—?"

Onogi did not have to answer. He continued sitting with his head down when the ground on both sides erupted. The mud from inside eroded out, like a mole trying to dig out.

Brown dust came from the hole and covered the spectator's view. Everyone watched with patience as a dust blanket formed around two silhouettes.

The dust washed, revealing the two silhouettes laying beside Onogi.

When Hitori saw the bodies, he gasped, covered his mouth, and let the tears run down his neck.

Eya squinted at the bodies, when she recognized the bodies she stumbled into the snow.

Senso raised his eyes and took a step back.

Tengoku lowered his katana and loosened his grip. He stared at the bodies without moving, it was a gruesome sight, even for a mercenary that it made him drop his katana in the snow.