Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

Chapter 22 The Spell That Failed

Hitori looked at the phoenix, it was only a few feet away from the ground.

"I have realized my mistake," he covered his arms in the water and formed a cross in front of his head to cover himself, "I ran,"

Dark orange flames engulfed the whole roof in the fire. The phoenix crashed to the ground, stones flew all over the place, and walls collapsed.

The flames made their way to Hitori and crashed with the first defense wall that Kamiya had created for him. It did not take the flame more than five seconds to break through the first defense wall.

Its impact damaged the second wall, the flames crashed with the second wall, and the wall took the flames and the impact with it.

Hitori left his water wall standing where it was. He pulled out his katana and started to run where the phoenix had crashed.

The phoenix's head was stuck in the ground, before it could pull itself out, Hitori stabbed the phoenix in its stomach.

Squeak!

That got it, even more, angered, it flapped its wings furiously. Hitori used his katana to climb the phoenix's body.

Hitori pulled out his katana that was stabbed in the phoenix's body. He slowly tore the phoenix's stomach.

"Mana manipulation," Hitori activated his skill, he faced some trouble to pull his katana further down.

<Spell failed. The opponent is too strong compared to your level>

Squawk, squawk!

The phoenix furiously swung its wings. Its body changed color, the orange body turned into a dark red body. Yes, the phoenix was heating its body.

[HP- 33/75]

Hitori had lost some of his health points because he stood on a boiling body.

When the phoenix gave its wings a final swing, fire erupted from its body and wings.

Hitori quickly jerked his body, took a jump in the air, and landed on his katana's hilt. With another jolt, he went further high in the air. He quickly equipped himself with his gun.

From one hand, water magic; in another hand, his gun. "Mana overdrive," Hitori aimed his gun at the rising bird, "Water beam!"

Squeak!!

He shot a few bullets, the bird pulled its head out of the hole, and Hitori's water beam smacked the phoenix. It was already rising from the ground.

"Tch." Hitori clicked his tongue. He was about to fall down and he had no levitation spell with him. In all the dust that was blown away by the phoenix, he could not spot Kamiya. Even if he did, he could not be able to ask Kamiya to use the levitation spell.

"My katana," on his way down to the ground, he stretched out his hand to reach for his katana which was going up in the sky with the phoenix.

He stretched his fingers out, his fingers made contact with the hilt of his katana.

Hitori used the water beam behind him to keep himself in the air and to give a jump start in order to grab his katana.

The phoenix whistled. His hands wrapped around his katana's grip, "Ye-" he lost his balance, and his hand slipped off.

He still had managed to pull the katana out a little bit. But while you are in the midair, it is not quite easy.

"Fire beam!" he pulled both of his hands in front of him, a straight line of fire touched the ground, Hitori managed to land safely on the ground.

He started to pant, "Kamiya, where are you-" he raised his eyes to the walls, Kamiya was climbing the wall, and… he looked as if he was about to cast or had already cast a spell.

"Kamiya! We need to regroup!" They both gathered behind a rock. The phoenix had gone high in the air.

"Shinigami no Noroi," when Hitori had stepped aside from Kamiya's wand, he heard the name of a curse which was not used by common men, and not used in normal circumstances.

"Koros!" Hitori kept his eyes wide open, he had never witnessed this curse himself so he was pretty fueled up too… just to end up in disappointment later.

"What happened… to the curse?" Hitori stared at the phoenix and Kamiya blindly.

"Real-life spells…" Kamiya lowered his wand, "Do not work in the game,"

"Unless you have acquired the spell in the game, right," Hitori added. Kamiya glanced at him and nodded.

"It failed… Do not ask me how I do know about this curse," Kamiya shook his head with a frown. Hitori sighed because he was going to ask Kamiya the same.

"I would not but… make sure you do not use it on the bullies," Hitori started to run out in the open.

"No, they are not the ones who get on nerves," Kamiya followed Hitori till they both stopped behind Hitori's water wall.

"Do you have a plan?"

"Yeah, my katana has fallen somewhere on the roof, I need you to find me my katana, I will do the rest," with that being said, Hitori rushed out of the cover and ran over to the crash impact spot of the phoenix.

'Find your katana? In this mess?' Kamiya shook his head, he joined Hitori who was taking cover behind a wall.

"Do you see that hole, Kamiya?" Hitori pointed at a hole that was made in the middle of the phoenix's stomach with his katana.

"I can now, but will not be able to if its free-fall's speed increases," Kamiya replied.

Hitori got off the ground, he stood under the phoenix, "Fireblast," Hitori chanted, and a wave of fire fell on the spinning phoenix.

It still had not entered the meteor attack mode completely so a few fire blasts were enough to break the phoenix's focus.

"At the count of one, Kamiya, we take this bird out," Hitori pulled his right hand to the lower right side, "Epic Magic wand," a dark purple color wand appeared in Hitori's hand. It was somewhere around ten and a half inches long. It had a thick bottom and became thin on the way to its tip.

Both Kamiya and Hitori pointed their wands at the phoenix who had stopped moving, in the midair, "Oh, we do it, then," Kamiya gripped his wand tightly.

"One!" They both stared at the hole that was visible from below.

"Mizu no Mahou," their voices rang through the whole roof in sync, "NOW!"

"Hydro Pump!" a thick blast of water erupted from Hitori's wand and a huge amount of water shot at the phoenix's wound under high pressure.

"Torrent!" a bigger wave of water came from Kamiya's wand. His arm holding the wand jerked back, he frowned because the recoil had cost him seven health points.

The water started filling up the phoenix's wound. The phoenix made all sorts of sounds a bird could make. It looked like it was throwing a tantrum in pain and anger.

"Ah!" their attacks went past the phoenix. The phoenix soared up in the sky, out of their reach.

"Uh…" the two forces of water stopped, they both bent down, "I think…" Kamiya panted, "It is the time for 'that'." Hitori glanced at his partner.

"Sure," he nodded.

Whoosh!

A strong gust mixed with fire encountered them, "Watch out!" Hitori saw Kamiya's wand appear in front of him, "Airblast!" Kamiya's attack repelled a steel katana, clad in black color.

"Thanks," Hitori thanked him, "you found me my katana," he rushed to the piece of metal which fell a few meters away. Kamiya had a 'are you serious?' expression on his face.

The phoenix let out another whistle, and they both lifted their heads. The phoenix had wrapped its wings around its body and… its free fall had started.

"Once again, we need to reduce the final impact," Hitori gulped, he raised his wand along with Kamiya.

"Hydro pump!"

"Torrent!" to cast the torrent spell once again… it would end up sucking maximum mana out of Kamiya.

At the start, the phoenix was still coming down at an insane speed but as time passed by, Hitori and Kamiya's water magic affected the phoenix's meteor crash.

"It has slowed down,"

"Only slowed down… it will still crash," Hitori told him. On the other hand, Hitori grabbed his katana.

Boom!

It managed to break their water magic. Kamiya lost his mana to keep up his torrent spell, the torrent of water became weak and could not contain the boss anymore.

"Behind the water wall, now!" Hitori ordered. Kamiya took off running to the water wall, he stood up a defense wall of his own.

Hitori was aware of it, too, Kamiya was low on mana. He did not have unlimited mana, because he could not cultivate mana like Hitori. Although Hitori cultivated mana, he was not able to use the mana he cultivated.

Its free-fall's speed increased stupendously after Hitori pulled back his spell. His hands went to his katana, he started to run towards the impact spot.

He held his katana on the side, the phoenix was only a few meters away from crashing to the ground. Flames had, as usually, engulfed the phoenix.

"For the nth time, I hate your trump card," Hitori pulled the katana behind him, his back facing the phoenix, "Leafcutter," he muttered the name of one of his skills.

He gulped for the last time, four meters… three meters. This would end up with Hitori's death if he fails to chop off the phoenix's head before it crashes.

Two…. and… one.

"Argh!" Hitori groaned. He felt his katana had made contact with the phoenix's neck.

[Leafcutter activated]

And with the help of this skill, Hitori felt his katana had passed through the phoenix's thick neck as if he had cut a marshmallow. Hitori spun around in a circle as if his katana had cut air and not the phoenix's neck.

Crack, sputter.

A wave of flames much, much bigger than any of the flames before, and spread over the whole tenth floor of this level ten fire dungeon. Ripples of fire devastated the whole land.