Playboy Cultivator in the Apocalypse

After watching the building explode and seeing the golden vortex move toward Kaze, she had a revelation.

—

"Those people are but ants. An immortal from the Fifth Plane could destroy this planet with the snap of their fingers.

Compared to true power, those insignificant insects are just as worthless as the mortals you see around you."

—

"I'm still using a sky-grade technique." Evalyn whispered.

The difference between the Earth and Sky Realms was vast.

So if she was terrifyingly overpowered against people using a sky-grade technique, she couldn't comprehend the power of peak divine techniques.

"Why would he keep my technique in the Sky Realm?" She asked aloud, "I know he'd give me a better one if it weren't for a purpose."

"Because creation is the essence of ice cultivation techniques." A voice replied from behind her.

Evalyn turned around and found Kaze's handsome face staring back at her.

"The Evalyn I knew used that technique till the day she died." Kaze said solemnly.

She blinked twice. "After hundreds of years?"

"After hundreds of years." He confirmed, not mocking her parroting.

"Cultivation grades relate to the ease of learning and Qi requirements, not their usefulness or power.

I used mortal techniques daily until I transmigrated and left the Immortal Plane."

Evalyn fell silent, unsure of what to say.

"Come, we have a ride waiting for us." Kaze said softly, "We have to move quickly not to be spotted."

She walked with him in silence, lost in her thoughts, but retaining her awareness of her surroundings.

They walked for five minutes in silence, with her following his every step until there was only one sound of footsteps.

Kaze watched her carefully, remembering the dead bodies he saw in front of her.

The way she killed the men was ruthless. She didn't freeze them as he expected; they were riddled with vicious wounds.

Many of their heads were blown out, with puncture marks on their throats and eyes.

One person was alive, quivering in helpless paralysis until the end.

She had severed his spine with pinpoint precision; it was a sight he expected from the Ice Phoenix, not the Evalyn he met a few weeks ago.

Kaze let the cultivator quiver until he died in the blast, unwilling to let her efforts go to waste.

He also noticed that she wasn't afraid of him after his actions. That spoke volumes of her change.

"You were right." Evalyn said, breaking the silence, "About everything. I should've listened to you from the start; if I had escaped with my mom, none of this would have happened."

"Don't be a fool." Kaze replied softly, "There's no way you could've done that. Yesterday the world was whole, you had never experienced loss or pain, and the old world standards existed."

Evalyn stopped moving in perplexion. He turned around to face her, gazing into her eyes.

"Then why…." She whispered, "Why tell me to do it? Did you want my mom to get shot to teach me a lesson?"

Kaze scoffed in exasperation, breaking her out of her haze. She looked at him in shock, spooked by the sudden reaction.

"Do you think I'd put you through something so loathsome?" He laugh-scoffed breathlessly in disbelief, "I've tried to prevent you from tragedy, not put you through it."

Evalyn swallowed and looked at him nervously. Without realizing it, she had started hanging on to his every word, searching for answers.

Somehow she forgot about his intentions somewhere along the way.

"Then why?" She asked softly.

"I'm late because getting here clandestinely was extremely difficult under the watchful eyes of the military." Kaze explained.

"Neither of us foresaw this situation; therefore, I had to meet with the military, who's watching me carefully.

If I picked you up, the military would try to hold you, your friends, or your family hostage."

Evalyn's mind went blank, and her eyes welled with tears when she heard the word [hostage].

"I never imagined things would get so out of hand." He continued solemnly, "The depravity of humans never ceases to amaze me. If I had known, I would've acted sooner."

"So you planned to save my mother?" She said, choking back tears.

"Yes." Kaze said, turning around to avoid her face. He opened his mouth but closed it, choosing not to continue.

The emperor wanted to say that she had the power to protect [one] person, but he knew that was the last thing she wanted to hear.

His main reason for not helping her mom earlier was that he refused to let her father join the faction but lacked the time, resources, and timing to orchestrate the man's death.

He didn't want to disclose that either.

"Let's go." He said, triggering her to continue walking.

They walked for another fifteen minutes in silence before Kaze asked her to wait while he cultivated.

She observed him cultivate, watching the loney dance of Qi pulling to him. It was completely different than watching it fluctuate when he was angry or playful.

"Hey, Kaze—"

When she called out to him, her skin changed color, as did the color of the strands of hair on her face.

Evalyn wanted to ask what happened, but vertigo slammed into her mind as she fell downward endlessly in a surreal haze.

She watched the scenery change ten times while falling, moving from buildings, parks, and trees before crash landing on a grassy knoll.

"W-What just—"

Someone landed right next to her and then walked behind her. She turned around and found a soldier with black tactical gear walking through the forest.

The person walking wasn't [Kaze]. However, she looked at her hands and understood they were in disguise, so she got up and followed him.

Through the clearing, she saw a skycruiser waiting with four men on guard with assault rifles. They looked identical to Kaze, who gave them a salute.

"I've completed the objective and procured Lady Rika the Pheno District Safehouse." He said.

"Were there any problems?" One of the soldiers asked while looking at Evalyn.

"No, but as you can expect, she's pretty shaken." Kaze replied.

The four men looked at her with pity in their eyes.

Seeing pity caused her blood to boil uncontrollably. However, a crushing pressure forced her head down to hide her eyes.

"There was a major disturbance at Marysworth Hospital." The pilot said, "So we need to alter course to avoid detection."

"Understood." Kaze replied with a stoic voice.

Then he turned around and walked over to [Rika].

"Come now. I know you're uncomfortable, but you'll be around women soon." He said gently.

Evalyn gave him a wry smile, nodded, and walked into the skycruiser, showcasing her real emotional state to prove she needed saving.

As they approached, the skycruiser warped, turning invisible. It wasn't a technique; it was cutting-edge oscillation manipulation technology.

Electromagnetic waves bend light oscillations to match the light waves from behind the object, thus making the object nearly invisible.

The technology didn't impress her, but it made her recognize how expensive and covert the operation to get Kaze to her was.

The two got into the skycruiser, and he led her to the back, where there was a private booth with leather seats.

She was hesitant to sit, but she saw Kaze's cultivation technique spread out through the booth, preventing the blood on her from rubbing off, ruining the illusion.

After she sat down hesitantly, he tried to join the soldiers in front of the skycruiser. However, she grabbed his hand.

"Thank you for saving me." Evalyn said weakly.

"Of course, miss." Kaze replied.

"Will you stay with me?" She asked softly, "I'd feel… more comfortable."

Evalyn trembled slightly to increase the look of anxiety on her face.

The emperor grinned at her antics. However, he turned around with a straight face. "Is that permissible, Major Oakley?"

"We're here to protect and transport Lady Rika." Major Oakley said, "If that's what she wants, we have no reason to refuse."

Kaze nodded and turned around. "I'll sit with you then."

Evalyn nodded and moved to the side of the booth facing the soldiers, allowing him to sit with his back facing them.

The emperor chuckled softly. While he disliked the side of the Ice Phoenix that was callous and murderous, he missed her charming cunning.

He was starting to get worried that he had transformed her into a puppy during the weeks leading up to the Apocalypse and was mildly glad that he hadn't.

She took a deep breath as the skycruiser took flight.

"What's your name, soldier?" Evalyn asked.

"Officer Phillips." Kaze replied.

"Officer Phillips. If I see you again, will you help me get stronger?" She asked while choking back tears, making his face lose its luster.

"If it's permissible, I will." Kaze nodded, "That way, you don't have to rely upon anyone to protect yourself or the people you care for."

She took a sharp breath on his words, which spoke to her soul.

After a non-stop day of traumatic experiences back to back, the woman who was a demon less than two hours ago finally cracked.

Evalyn choked as tears fell from her eyes, attempting to wash away the scenes from her blood-stained eyes.

"You did well." Kaze whispered while touching her shoulder tactfully, keeping his eyes on the soldiers, "Your older sister would be proud."

The blonde looked up at him with shocked, bloodshot eyes dripping tears; she didn't have a sister. He was talking about the Ice Phoenix—her past or future self.

Kaze's eyes were their original color, and she could see his sincerity flashing across them.

"She would be?" Evalyn whispered in confusion, uncertain to feel about his message. The woman he described was nothing short of horrifying.

And yet—

Kaze's gentle side had fallen for her. Evalyn balled her hands and felt the dry blood grinding on her skin.

She was officially distorted—traumatized by her actions and experiences.

From an old-world standard, she was damaged beyond repair, and she would never be capable of acting normal and popular again.

The old Evalyn Skye was gone forever, lost in a single day. What remained was a warped woman who would have to adapt to living again.

—yet Kaze loved the other her despite that. The woman had far more blood and broken experiences than she had, but he loved her.

Now he was accepting her for her actions and broken state as if he were welcoming her home.

Evalyn looked Kaze in the eyes, hoping to find answers to unknown questions. Yet his eyes only held no emotions, just unwavering acceptance.

"That's not a compliment," She chuckled bitterly, "but if you think it's one, I'll accept your good intentions."

Kaze gave her a wide smile and then rested his back on the booth, looking out the window to give her space with a neutral expression.

However, beneath the surface, he hid the excruciating pain he was in as his body began corroding from the inside out.

—

[Faction Building and Day 1 Arcs ~fin. I hope you've enjoyed this apocalypse world-building mini-arc. If you weren't a fan, rejoice! This is the only Kaze-scarce mini-arc in this novel.]