Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

They had come out of the woods. Tengoku\'s body was gone, Saiko\'s body was lying unconscious with a few flies coming to eat him, and Akira was lying unconscious.

Eya drew her wand and took out healing, mana, and a stamina potion. She turned Akira around, grabbed his head, and lifted him off the ground, then forced the potions down his throat.

The mud and blood had caked Akira\'s face, he looked like Sandman or some disgusting monster. His chest was heaving, a sign of his liveliness.

While Eya tended to Akira\'s injuries, Hitori and Reon watched from afar. They stood silent while Hitori thought about a way to dispose of Saiko\'s body without the FBI following tracks to them.

He could not ignore Reon\'s question because it was stupid. Just something she had said to move the conversation forward. "Yes, I know what they are."

"Oh," she said.

Eya rose from the ground and walked to them. "He is alright. His wounds will heal as the days pass. But for now, I think we should leave him."

"Leave him?"

"Yes. leave him while we go and kill that piece of shit."

Hitori pulled back his eyebrows. He had forgotten about Onogi – how could he? When he saw the gore and the three main murders, he decided this was it for today – but what about Onogi?

Hitori pulled his lips in and nodded. "When are we going?"

Eya took out her wand and pulled it to her lips. "Kyo-san?"

"I am just a few meters away, will be there in a few—"

"Did you talk with Kamino?" Eya seemed cold and out of character, she never talked to anyone coldly. The one of her voice must have surprised Kyo just as it did Hitori and Reon.

Kyo paused for a moment, rustling through the woods, then said, "I did. He says he might have an idea where his son is hiding."

"An idea? We want the precise—"

"He does not have the precise location. And we do not have a choice. Keep Akira in the house and meet me outside in three minutes." He hung up.

Eya lowered her wand and glanced at Hitori. "Help me carry him, Hitori-san."

Hitori stayed dazed. He shook his head and walked towards the body. "We will do it, Eya-nee, leave it to us." He wanted to give Eya a little alone time, she had not gotten one since the death.

Eya stepped back without any hesitation or argument, which she would have caused if she was being herself. Reon raced from behind as Hitori grabbed Akira\'s shoulders and lifted him off the ground.

She grabbed Akira\'s legs, then they both carried him through the back door. "Why can you not just levitate him?" she asked as they reached the staircase.

Hitori climbed the first stair, which was broken from the side, he was worried it might collapse and leave a splinter in his foot – which would be the worst thing happening at the worst time.

"Because my levitation magic is not as strong as Kakashi and Kamiya. I never practiced this spell, and this is not the right time to practice. Lift his legs."

Hitori went to the master\'s bedroom and dropped Akira on the bed. He shifted his head to the side and Reon adjusted his legs, resting his body in a straight line.

Hitori sighed as he walked to the bed\'s other side, by Reon. She glanced at him as she placed her hands on her hips. "Do you think he will be safe here?"

"No one is left to hurt him," he said, then turned and walked downstairs.

Kyo was waiting for them in the burned front yard with Eya. When Hitori and Reon came out, she started rubbing her eyes and Kyo patted her shoulder before pulling his hand away.

"Where are we going?" Hitori asked, trying to avoid the gloomy topic of conversation. They needed something powerful, something to be angry about, not something to be sad and sorry about.

"To the Academy. The Science Academy."

Hitori\'s heart jumped. And Reon gasped by his side. But Eya did not show any surprise, looks like he had already told her.

He wanted to stand strong and hide his feeling about how insane this idea was. They are wanted, entering the other side is dangerous enough – why would they risk entering the Academy? The place where every messed up scientist lives?

"Why?" Reon broke the silence. "That is not a place we go for—"

"Everything is planned. Kamino is providing us with entry into the academy, we will be doing nothing illegal…"

Nothing illegal? Hitori frowned at that. They were going to commit a murder!

"Nothing illegal to enter the academy." He corrected himself after seeing the frown on Hitori\'s face, as if reading his mind. "Sadly, Kakashi and Akira will not be with us. Neither will be Atama-sensei. His fight with Tamashi has turned more fierce than anyone had expected."

Tamashi. Hitori\'s turned, releasing a tight pain ."Will he live?" A strange thing to ask, he could have asked whether he will win. But with the recent events, knowing he will survive was enough.

"Of course, he will. He is old, but his magic is not. The older you get, the more time you have given to polish your magic. Unfortunately, Tamashi has lived more than Atama-sensei ever has."

That was a bad thing, Hitori thought. He gulped. "So will he be alright?"

"Indeed Tamashi has lived over two hundred years, he has not improved much. His anger, jealousy, and hatred towards others left him where he was – at the bottom of the Emperor Hierarchy – that even new cultivators like you crush him without even knowing you crushed him."

"But he has grown strong, has he not?"

"Not enough to kill Atama-sensei even if he plays dirty. Their fight will, and already has, turn deadly. A fight-to-death battle; the outcome is already clear."

Eya tugged Kyo\'s arm. "We should get moving before Onogi changes his position."

Kyo glanced at her, then nodded. "We are supposed to meet him at the backside of the academy. That means…" he turned to the woods, "we will have to take the woods."

Hitori wanted to grow, and Reon did it for him. "Woods? Again? I – I – I do not even want to complain…" She sighed.

Kyo and Eya turned to face the woods, then Hitori slid his hand into Reon\'s. "This will be the last time." He tightened his grip