Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

Kamiya rubbed his head. He found himself sitting in a pound of water. He lifted his hand from the water and lit a torch over his finger. He could feel his whole body hurting.

He glanced around. "Hitori," he called, "Hitori!" he shouted, but he received no reply. Kamiya shook his head around, he saw nothing.

Then he lowered the torch to the puddle. He found red liquid in the dirty water, Kamiya guessed it was his blood, it must be his blood.

With a whoosh, the torch on his finger disappeared. Kamiya panicked, he frantically threw his hands in the water, he wanted to touch that ten inches stick of wood, without it he could not be able to use curses.

Then something touched his hand, it was his wand– wet– he lifted it and lightened a torch.

The fire flashed in the dark. Kamiya's heart jumped when he saw two cat's eyes staring at him. He jumped in the puddle and shrieked.

The light extinguished again. Kamiya got to his knees, lit the fire, and started to run in the dark. He was not even sure where he was going.

He knew those eyes, he thought, no, he was sure. He had recognized the eyes, no recognition was needed, he could never forget those yellow eyes.

"Look at him, running for his life."

And the voice! And the freaking voice. Kamiya shuddered, he recognized it perfectly. He needed a mana potion but the one flask he had smashed to pieces when he fell.

"Ah… fuck! My body hurts all over!" He yet balanced himself and continued running.

Then he heard another voice, a different voice, but a familiar voice– perhaps it was the voice Kamiya hated the most.

"Does he thinks he can flee? He is in our territory now!" Onogi laughed, his laugh annoyed Kamiya. "This is not his empire anymore. We control this dungeon."

Kamiya stopped. His thighs had already given upon him, he somehow forced them to move, though. His shin bone was cracked, maybe.

When he applied brakes, the pressure came to his calves and shins. His legs wobbled before he fell to the ground, another puddle of water.

He touched the ground and grunted. He tried to get up. He could not muster up the strength in his legs, so he clenched his wand.

He sensed Onogi behind him– or whoever it was. He spun and fired a curse. "Shi-Ne!" he shouted.

The beam flashed in the dark, it glowed and revealed the person on whom he had fired the curse.

He got a glance at the person and he frowned. It was not Kuzu, it was not Onogi either. It was a man wearing a cloak and a hood over his head. Kamiya had a sudden injection of guilt in his heart.

Did he just kill an innocent? If he was here, in this dungeon, then no way he was an innocent person. But he killed someone, he did.

Kamiya was now on his butt. He lightened the fire again and again the same face flashed. As if Kuzu was sitting in front of him the whole time.

He jumped in the puddle. He turned and tried to get up when he felt a tight grasp on his shoulder.

Kuzu grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back into the puddle.

Kamiya threw his hands behind him in an attempt to grab Kuzu and freeze him or burn him. He could do nothing, he was low on mana, hence he could not miss an attack.

He wanted to grab Kuzu to make sure he had control over his victim when he ejects his attack. It was not the case, Kuzu threw Kamiya's head into the water.

Water spattered on Kuzu's face, on his hands, on the ground around them, and Kuzu pushed his head deeper into the muddy water.

His glasses crushed,  a few pieces pierced his lids, and a piece touched his retina. If he lived, he knew he would be blind.

Kamiya splattered his hand around like a chicken does while butchering it in hot boiling water. He created ice around him, then he burned his clothes in the hope that Kuzu will set him free.

He did. But not because he froze or burned, his battlesuit was fireproof, he did because Onogi told him so.

He pulled Kamiya's head out of the water, it was full of mud, and he spat mud from his nose and mouth. The mud had entered his eyes, if he opened them, he knew they would burn like hell.

Kamiya then felt another presence, a murderous glare over his shoulder. Kamiya dared to open his eyes. He heard the tiny pieces of glass fall into the water puddle.

He cried blood and tears as he opened his right eye. He felt a stinging pain in his eyes but he risked it.

He had not gone blind yet, he could still see the darkness. He turned and found a forearm full of scars over his shoulder.

He lifted his eyes. Onogi brought his flash under his chin, revealing his face. Anger had taken over. He looked as if he did not want to risk leaving Kamiya alive. Kill him and end this– he looked at Kamiya like he was a potential threat.

Onogi reached Kamiya's head, he leaned by his side. "You… will die an unbearable death, the death you deserve."

Kamiya chuckled, his heart was beating harder than ever. "Oh yeah… and do you think Hitori will sit there waiting for help?"

Onogi opened his mouth and then closed it. Kamiya laughed.

"Your men outside would not be able to do shit to him. He is hurt, he must be angry, he knows YOU doing this. He will KILL."

Onogi shook his head. "Only if you knew about our new ally…"

"Ally? Who? Who would ally with you—?"

"Tengoku. Tengoku wanted Hitori and we wanted you. He will torment Hitori there and we will torture you here."